Dimensions Can't Keep Us Apart

Chapter 35

After almost another half hour of anxious searching, Miles came across the Empire State Building when his eye caught sight of a small figure at the middle of its spike, almost like they were glued to its side.

Miles swung his way to the spike, landing a little away from the sitting figure. He took a moment to take in the view in front of him. The afternoon sun by now was shining at full might, pouring its light onto the river of skyscrapers below. Sparkles of sunshine reflected all throughout the ripples of glass and steel. The city noises thundered throughout the City That Never Sleeps, and yet, Miles still was able to feel peace so far up on the giant skyscraper.

Milss shifted his gaze over towards the resting figure towards his left. Her knees were huddled close to her body with arms wrapped around them as she gazed off towards the skyline. Her maskless face revealed a girl that almost seemed entraced, whether it was by the pure sight in front of her or because she was deep in thought.

"You know, if you wanted a tour, you could've just asked." Gwen turned to finally see him take a seat next to her. "I'm sorta good at that sorta thing."

Gwen, now fully broken from her trance, cracked a small smile. "Good at what? Getting a girl to be with you?"

Luckily, his mask was covering his now red face. "What? No, no, no. That's not what I meant."

A soft laugh escaped from Gwen's mouth, where Miles realized that she didn't boast the subtle yet iconic small gap between her front, top teeth. As the two sat in each other's company in silence, Miles felt a pain in his heart. He almost felt overjoyed at first when he thought about finally being able to be with Gwen once again. However, the depressing realization that this Gwen was simply a different person than the girl he loved would kill all traces of happiness within him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Gwen eventually said to break the silence.

Miles could only respond with silence. His gaze broke from the skyline as he looked over to the girl next to him. It was haunting how she was almost a mirror copy of the Gwen he knew. It felt like a blessing in disguise that this Gwen still kept her original haircut with locks coming down from both sides still in order to serve to him a constant reminder that this still was a different person. It would be unbearable for him to have to see the exact copy of the same girl that he loved be alive and well, mocking him with her very existence, before eventually leaving him as well.

Miles noticed a small corner of a book peaking out of Gwen's lap, hidden between her body and her knees. "What's that?" He nodded towards the corner.

Gwen looked down and stretched out her legs, revealing a sketchbook that contained a detailed drawing of the New York City skyline in front of them. Though it was only a pencil sketch void of any colors, it still contained a burst of life within each stroke. Every building, every window, contained the tiniest of details that came together to produce a vibrant picture. Gwen also added a building at the very front and a sketch of herself, watching peacefully over the horizon while a sun casted its beams over her.

As his eyes studied the latter element of the drawing, another sense of anguish consumed Miles. He remembered the drawing Gwen gave to him so long ago. A drawing he's cherished all this time and loved simply because it was drawn by her. The drawing in front of him, though objectively much higher in quality, seemed to reflect that drawing. Yet, it was still missing him complementing the lonely girl. It was missing the emotions behind every stroke to create the drawing that Gwen had dedicated towards it. It was missing the love that Gwen poured into it. Her love that she hoped that Miles would be able to translate from her drawing. Any raw emotions that he might have been able to feel from another reminder of his Gwen couldn't be made anymore. The copy had already forced out every drop of it already. Miles could only feel numb.

"It's a... nice drawing." Miles was able to muster out.

Gwen smiled. "Thanks. It could be a lot better, though. The buildings need a lot more work. The roads need more details, and all the angles are off. It's really just a quick sketch, if anything."

Miles's eyes widened in shock that someone could criticize something so intricate and detailed, especially when it came from the same hand that drew it. "Well... it looks fine to me."

Gwen let out another small laugh before another silence came over the two, this one much more agonizing for Miles. Now, instead of a quiet peace, he simply felt a faint annoyance from the mockery beside him. A part of him wished that there he could lash out in anger at the girl next to him. Not because of her, but because of what she meant to him. A forgery. A reminder of what he lost.

"What was your Gwen like?" New Gwen suddenly asked.

Miles suddenly coughed wildly. "What?" He said, a bit too loudly though there was nobody around to hear.

"Well, you obviously knew a Gwen the way you act with me. What was she like?"

"Uh... well... um..." Miles struggled to find the right words. How could he describe someone like Gwen? Someone who was the perfect person for him? Especially when he was describing her to someone who is her. "She was... great... you know." He didn't understand why he felt so awkward talking to her about his Gwen. After everything the two had been through together, why did he feel so awkward talking about her? It was then that Miles noticed that he felt something strange coming off of this new Gwen. He couldn't understand why, but something in her aura made him feel off. Normally, he didn't mind talking about his Gwen. In fact, he used to love reliving his treasured memories that he shared with her by simply retelling their stories.

"Just great? Cmon, there's gotta be more to her."

A nervous laugh escaped from Miles's lips, but his mind slowly was able to organize a jumbled mess of words. "She was just amazing, y'know? She'd always have my side. She was just... the one."

Gwen smirked at the boy next to him. "She sounds pretty great."

"Yeah... my Gwen was pretty great." A brief moment of silence passed before a snort suddenly came from Miles's side. He looked over to see Gwen covering her mouth, trying her hardest not to laugh, but several more snorts continued to escape. "Gwen?"

"Your Gwen." Gwen laughed out. She held up a finger, trying to excuse herself, but she only began to laugh harder. "Your Gwen." She bursted out laughing. Miles could only stare with confusion and shock as the scene unfolded in front of him. Gwen's face suddenly began to twist in a horrifying way. Her eyes shot straight up to the point where Miles could see a part of her whites while eyebrows squinted to the very center of her face as if they were being melted. Her mouth smiled in a devilish manner, causing her lips to curve upwards to their very limit all whilst a loud, maniac laugh exploded through. Time seemed to slow down as Miles witnessed this devilish creature take the face of the girl he loved and turned her into a figure of nightmares. Slowly, to the point where Miles couldn't even notice it at first, her laugh began to change tones. At first, it sounded like that of a witch obsessed with street drugs, but it slowly began to get deeper, rougher.

During her transformation, she suddenly got up and leaped off of the building. Miles tried to reach for her at first before he noticed that everything beneath him was gone. Every street, window, sidewalk, car, and person was replaced by a black, bottomless abyss that the imposter was falling into. However, despite her falling figure disappearing into the hole, Miles could still hear her crazed laughter as if she was still right next to him. Her laugh, still containing the rough, deep nature, began to sound like that of a grown man that continued to bellow through the trapping abyss.

Miles remained stuck at his current position for a few moments, horrified at the scene that had just played out in front of him. Every thought that raced through his head told him to run, by the Spiderman in him of course got the better of him and, despite his many doubts and hesitations, rose up and dove into the hole to follow her.

"Gwen!"