Necklace
Clark lifted the small chain, letting the small, lifeless gem dangle in front of his eyes. He still had Lana's now translucent necklace. He wasn't sure if he should give it back. Sure, Lana would realize it was missing, but what if it held clues to his past? It was the closest he could get to a meteor rock without writhing in pain. The green color was gone, though, and it didn't have the same affect on him, so how was he to be sure it was still the same as a regular chunk of the stone?
"Clark?" a voice asked, accompanying the sound of footsteps. He turned his head to see Lana slowly ascending the wooden staircase. He hastily shoved the necklace into his pocket as he stood up. He hoped she hadn't seen it.
"Lana," he said softly. He hadn't noticed, until she reached the top of the stairs, that her eyes were fairly wet. Her eyes twinkled from the candle that was flickering at the top of the banister, the only lighting in the room. "What's wrong?"
"Clark. I need you to do me a favor.." she said, taking a step towards him
"Anything," Clark said, sounding a little too eager.
"I feel dumb asking you this."
"Don't."
She hesitated, but finally started talking, slowly. "My necklace. I gave it to Whi- I mean, Tina. I thought she was Whitney. And it wasn't found on her body when the coroner took her away, and-"
"You want me to find it for you," Clark finished.
"I know it sounds odd, but you always seem to be at the right place at the right time," she said. Realizing that what she just said wouldn't necessarily make Clark want to look for it, she tried for sympathy points. "It's the only thing I have to remember my parents."
"I'll keep an eye out for it," he told her. She smiled, turned, and left without saying another word. When no sounds were audible, save the chirruping of crickets, Clark removed the item of jewelry from his pocket.
He turned the thing over in his hands for hours. Finally, at around eleven o'clock, his mother told him he had to come inside. He grudgingly did so. He wanted to solve the mystery of his origin now. He didn't want to wait for Pete to find out that the necklace was in his possession and want to help; he didn't want to tell Chloe his secret so he could have her research it. This was something he had to do on his own. He wouldn't even tell his parents..
As soon as he entered the house, Clark was being handed the phone. "It's Chloe. Something about Lana," Jonathan said. Clark frowned and took it.
"Hello?"
"Clark, is Lana still there?" He could sense a bit of worry in her voice.
"No, she left over two hours ago," he said.
"Clark, she's not back yet," Chloe breathed.
"Didn't she say when she'd be back? Maybe she stopped at the Talon to get it ready for tomorrow," Clark suggested, trying to calm her down.
"She said she was only going to your house and she didn't know how long it would take. She told me that she would come straight back. What if she's been kidnapped? Oh, Clark, what are we going to do?"
"Settle down, Chloe. I think I know where she is. Don't move. Keep your phone handy, I'll call you when I find her," he promised and hung up. He quickly explained the situation to his parents and rushed out of the house. He was going to the caves.
Sure enough, as he entered the cavern that Kyla had once explored with him, he heard sobbing. He had no trouble finding Lana; she was sitting on the ground underneath the octagonal impression in the rock, a lantern filling the area with a soft glow. He lowered himself down next to her.
She looked up from her hands. Seeing Clark next to her, she rubbed away her tears. "I feel like such an idiot. Crying over a piece of jewelry, of all things." She made a snorting noise and looked away from Clark.
"You have no reason to feel like an idiot. It has sentimental value to you," he told her, rubbing her back.
"It killed my parents, Clark. For what reason do I want to wear a piece of a murder weapon around my neck? Why have I been so unaware of this?" She pulled away from Clark's arm.
"Lana, I found your necklace," he said.
"What?" She faced him again.
He pulled it from his pocket, where he had tucked it before leaving the loft. "It was in the alley where Tina died. It must have unfastened from her neck." He handed it to her, hoping her realization that it was no longer green wouldn't be too hard. She took it and held it to the light.
"What happened to it?"
"I don't know. It must be that Tina morphed into people so much that it not only changed her, but did something to your necklace, too."
Lana looked unconvinced, but happy all the same. "Thank you." She hugged him. Clark hugged back and went to pull away, but she wasn't letting go.
"Lana. I don't feel comfortable doing this after Whitney." he let his sentence drop. Why would he bring up such a sore subject? He flinched, waiting for her to do something
"You're right. Thanks again," she said. She left.
"Chloe," Clark remembered, feeling his pockets for his cell phone. He found her number in his directory and pushed "send."
"Clark?" Chloe answered.
"I found her. She's on her way back," Clark confirmed. As he ended his call with Chloe, blew out the lantern, and slowly walked home, Clark couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had studied the rock. He had given up possibly his best chance of ever finding out where he came from to help his friend. And he liked that.
END
Clark lifted the small chain, letting the small, lifeless gem dangle in front of his eyes. He still had Lana's now translucent necklace. He wasn't sure if he should give it back. Sure, Lana would realize it was missing, but what if it held clues to his past? It was the closest he could get to a meteor rock without writhing in pain. The green color was gone, though, and it didn't have the same affect on him, so how was he to be sure it was still the same as a regular chunk of the stone?
"Clark?" a voice asked, accompanying the sound of footsteps. He turned his head to see Lana slowly ascending the wooden staircase. He hastily shoved the necklace into his pocket as he stood up. He hoped she hadn't seen it.
"Lana," he said softly. He hadn't noticed, until she reached the top of the stairs, that her eyes were fairly wet. Her eyes twinkled from the candle that was flickering at the top of the banister, the only lighting in the room. "What's wrong?"
"Clark. I need you to do me a favor.." she said, taking a step towards him
"Anything," Clark said, sounding a little too eager.
"I feel dumb asking you this."
"Don't."
She hesitated, but finally started talking, slowly. "My necklace. I gave it to Whi- I mean, Tina. I thought she was Whitney. And it wasn't found on her body when the coroner took her away, and-"
"You want me to find it for you," Clark finished.
"I know it sounds odd, but you always seem to be at the right place at the right time," she said. Realizing that what she just said wouldn't necessarily make Clark want to look for it, she tried for sympathy points. "It's the only thing I have to remember my parents."
"I'll keep an eye out for it," he told her. She smiled, turned, and left without saying another word. When no sounds were audible, save the chirruping of crickets, Clark removed the item of jewelry from his pocket.
He turned the thing over in his hands for hours. Finally, at around eleven o'clock, his mother told him he had to come inside. He grudgingly did so. He wanted to solve the mystery of his origin now. He didn't want to wait for Pete to find out that the necklace was in his possession and want to help; he didn't want to tell Chloe his secret so he could have her research it. This was something he had to do on his own. He wouldn't even tell his parents..
As soon as he entered the house, Clark was being handed the phone. "It's Chloe. Something about Lana," Jonathan said. Clark frowned and took it.
"Hello?"
"Clark, is Lana still there?" He could sense a bit of worry in her voice.
"No, she left over two hours ago," he said.
"Clark, she's not back yet," Chloe breathed.
"Didn't she say when she'd be back? Maybe she stopped at the Talon to get it ready for tomorrow," Clark suggested, trying to calm her down.
"She said she was only going to your house and she didn't know how long it would take. She told me that she would come straight back. What if she's been kidnapped? Oh, Clark, what are we going to do?"
"Settle down, Chloe. I think I know where she is. Don't move. Keep your phone handy, I'll call you when I find her," he promised and hung up. He quickly explained the situation to his parents and rushed out of the house. He was going to the caves.
Sure enough, as he entered the cavern that Kyla had once explored with him, he heard sobbing. He had no trouble finding Lana; she was sitting on the ground underneath the octagonal impression in the rock, a lantern filling the area with a soft glow. He lowered himself down next to her.
She looked up from her hands. Seeing Clark next to her, she rubbed away her tears. "I feel like such an idiot. Crying over a piece of jewelry, of all things." She made a snorting noise and looked away from Clark.
"You have no reason to feel like an idiot. It has sentimental value to you," he told her, rubbing her back.
"It killed my parents, Clark. For what reason do I want to wear a piece of a murder weapon around my neck? Why have I been so unaware of this?" She pulled away from Clark's arm.
"Lana, I found your necklace," he said.
"What?" She faced him again.
He pulled it from his pocket, where he had tucked it before leaving the loft. "It was in the alley where Tina died. It must have unfastened from her neck." He handed it to her, hoping her realization that it was no longer green wouldn't be too hard. She took it and held it to the light.
"What happened to it?"
"I don't know. It must be that Tina morphed into people so much that it not only changed her, but did something to your necklace, too."
Lana looked unconvinced, but happy all the same. "Thank you." She hugged him. Clark hugged back and went to pull away, but she wasn't letting go.
"Lana. I don't feel comfortable doing this after Whitney." he let his sentence drop. Why would he bring up such a sore subject? He flinched, waiting for her to do something
"You're right. Thanks again," she said. She left.
"Chloe," Clark remembered, feeling his pockets for his cell phone. He found her number in his directory and pushed "send."
"Clark?" Chloe answered.
"I found her. She's on her way back," Clark confirmed. As he ended his call with Chloe, blew out the lantern, and slowly walked home, Clark couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had studied the rock. He had given up possibly his best chance of ever finding out where he came from to help his friend. And he liked that.
END