It had been two hours since the sun dipped below the horizon, the day giving way to a typical March evening: dark and warm; the sliver of the crescent moon and twinkling stars provided the only light to the world below. Inside the Kent house among the soft glows of the lamps, Jonathan relaxed on the couch, reading the newspaper, while Martha sat in her rocking chair, focusing on a half-finished quilt; Streaky and Krypto lounged out on the floor near the fireplace, curled up next to each other sound asleep.
Suddenly, Krypto and Streaky perked up, looking over at the kitchen door; after a few seconds they scampered to the kitchen door, barking and meowing, pawing impatiently. Both of the Kents looked at each other in confusion.
"What in the world?" Jonathan asked as he and Martha put their things down and headed toward the pets. The farmer opened the door, allowing the two pets to scamper out on to the porch and down the steps. By the time Jonathan and Martha had stepped out, the animals had reached the gravel drive and were staring up at the sky. The human couple looked up as a lone figure lazily floated down, landing gracefully near the pets; he knelt to pet the furry creatures, a smile on his face.
"Clark," Martha said, smiling, as she and Jonathan headed down the stairs and over to their son.
Clark smiled as he stood straighter. "Hi, Mom," he replied, grinning. "Dad."
"So, why the surprise visit from our favorite son?" Jonathan asked, smiling.
Clark shrugged, still grinning. "Oh, nothing, really," he replied before his smile increased as he glanced skyward. "Well, maybe I have a small surprise." Jonathan and Martha looked up in time to see someone descend at a rapid rate before landing about ten feet away, landing like a gymnast who'd just dismounted; as the person stood, she smiled at Jonathan and Martha.
"Hi, Mom," Linda said, "Dad." Streaky and Krypto bounded over to their owner, and the teenager knelt down to greet her pets with hugs and kisses.
"Linda?" Martha said, surprised. "What on Earth…you can…fly?" Linda nodded, still smiling.
"When did this happen?" Jonathan asked, trying not to sound flabbergasted as he glanced between his children.
"Just tonight," Clark answered.
Linda stood straight as Krypto and Streaky continued rubbing around her legs. "Cisco had just brought me back to STAR Labs after giving me a Central City Segway tour," she explained, "and I was showing off some sketches I'd made to the others when I suddenly," she furrowed her eyebrows as she made some slow motions with her hands, "found myself on the ceiling. Barry called Clark, who came and helped me get down and helped me get it under control really quickly."
"I told you you'd get the hang of it without much effort," Clark said, playfully elbowing her."
"Well, I had a good teacher," Linda retorted, elbowing him back.
"So, after that," Clark continued, looking back at their parents, "I figured you two should know, so we came straight here."
"Clark actually let me fly over here on my own," Linda said, looking like she was going to burst. "We actually reached ten thousand feet, it was so awesome." The young girl saw her parents expression, and her smile faded a little. "Aren't you guys happy?"
Martha sighed, smiling. "Of course we are, Linda" she replied before glancing at her husband. "Aren't we, Jonathan?"
"Yes, we are," Jonathan replied, smiling. "Now there's someone to take care of dusting the ceiling again." Everyone stared at him, and the farmer grinned and chuckled, ruffling his daughter's hair. "I'm just kidding." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "We're very happy for you, sweetie."
"So, does this mean my confinement to Smallville has been lifted?" Linda asked hopefully. "You did say I had to stay in Smallville until all my powers came in—Spring Break in Central City aside—and all my powers are now in."
"Are you sure about that?" Jonathan joked. "No more strange or previously-unknown abilities that'll pop up unexpectedly?"
"I certainly hope not," Martha replied.
"Me too," Linda agreed. She glanced between her parents. "So, am I off the hook?" Martha and Jonathan glanced at each other.
"Let's talk about that after Spring Break," Jonathan answered. "Go and enjoy your time," he tilted his head, "you are enjoying your time?"
Linda nodded. "It's a little weird being away from home," she replied honestly, "but I am having fun doing something…normal."
"We're glad to hear that," Martha replied sincerely. "You deserve to enjoy something normal after everything that's happened." Linda smiled gratefully, then she opened her mouth before pausing.
"What is it?" Clark asked.
"Can I do something before going back to Central City?" Linda asked.
"What's that, sweetie?" Martha asked.
"Can I go see Jimmy?" Linda asked. She saw the looks her parents and cousin gave her. "Look, I know we sometimes get into a little trouble whenever we get together."
"You really need to look up what 'little' means in the dictionary," Clark replied, rolling his eyes.
Linda stuck out her tongue briefly. "The point is," she continued, "I've always told him about every power I've gotten when I've gotten it…and Jimmy knows how much I've been looking forward to this particular power."
"What about Gar?" Jonathan asked. "I seem to recall you two making plans to go for a little fly-around as soon as you were air-bound."
"Gar is not normal, Dad," Linda answered, "and, trust me, he considers that a compliment." She shrugged. "Look, I know things with Jimmy have been…strange, especially recently, but I also know it would really bother him if I didn't let him know tonight—and it'd mean a lot to me, too."
Martha glanced at Jonathan, and she could see he wanted to say 'no,' but the elder farmer sighed as he looked back at his daughter, smiling softly.
"Yes," he said, "you can go see Jimmy." Linda grinned and opened her mouth, but Jonathan held up a hand. "But there are some rules that you need to follow."
"Okay," Linda replied, calming down, even though she was grinning on the inside.
"First," Jonathan said, "I want you to be careful—that means stay out of sight." Linda nodded. "Second, don't stay too long—it might be Spring Break, but you're still only sixteen; be back in Central City by ten, okay?"
"I'll call Barry and make sure he knows," Clark added. Linda almost said something, but decided against it; she simply nodded again.
"And third," Jonathan finished, smiling as he leaned over to kiss Linda's forehead, "have a good time."
"I will, Daddy," Linda replied, smiling before she bent her knees.
"Whoa, hold it, Short Stack," Clark said, stopping her. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Linda looked confused, so Clark tapped the side of his head near his eye; Linda suddenly realized what he meant. She blurred into the house and retuned a second later, holding her second pair of glasses; she tucked them into her pocket. "There." She petted Streaky and Krypto one last time. "Bye, guys." Without even standing up, she pushed off the ground and took off into the night sky, soaring away at super speed while everyone looked up.
"Well, it's nice to see someone enthusiastic about one of their abilities," Jonathan said; he glanced at Clark, "unlike someone else, who shall remain nameless."
"Hey, in all fairness," Clark replied, amused, as he kept his gaze upward, "I was scared of heights." He shook his head. "Linda was never Earth-bound the way I was."
"She still needs her family," Martha replied, hearing the slight sadness in her son's voice. "That makes her just as bound to this planet as anyone else." Clark smiled gratefully.
"Hey, Clark, could I ask you a question?" Jonathan asked suddenly.
"What's up?" Clark asked.
"Why did Linda need her spare set of glasses?"
(End of Chapter 1)