Chapter 1
First Impressions

Kara lurched forward slightly as the cab crawled to a stop in front of the imposing stone building. She unlatched her seatbelt and pressed against the cool glass, allowing her eyes to trail up the ivy that crept along the stoic red and grey brick. She seemed not to notice as the driver pulled her door open and she tumbled from the cab with the awkward grace of a newborn fawn.

She regained her composure and pushed her oversized black-framed glasses up the bridge of her nose. She straightened the pleats in her skirt and trailed behind the cabbie as he popped the trunk of the car. She made the appropriate show of struggling to wrestle her luggage to the uneven stone drive, huffing convincingly. Super strength had its drawbacks and she was often forced to play the damsel when it came to lugging and carrying things that were, for her, virtually weightless. She paid her fair, tipping the driver more than she probably should have, and leaned against her trunk with a sigh.

For the briefest of moments, she almost regretted not letting Eliza come with her; this was, after all, her first time away from home for any stretch of time. But her sister had been at the Wildings Academy for three years already and Kara was determined to forge her own path – a path that would not begin by being dropped off by her mother.

There were a few other students milling about, unpacking cars and loitering under the lush green trees that dotted the landscape. Kara hefted her luggage up and started her trek toward campus, careful to mimic the strain one might have had they not been endowed with her strength. It's okay, she thought, no one fits in in high school, right? She had a pack on with two large suitcases under one arm and was working at dragging a large steamer trunk with the other, trying her best to appear winded.

Kara trundled across the stone drive, shifting the weight as she had been taught, when she started to feel her glasses slip down the bridge of her nose. She rotated awkwardly and tried to push them back up with the hand holding the two large suitcases when she heard a small snap. One of the cases popped open, enthusiastically ejecting its contents all over the cobbled path. Kara flushed crimson and scrambled to gather everything back into her once neatly organized suitcase.

"Oh gosh, hey, let me help you with that." A voice called over Kara's shoulder as she crouched, clutching at a pair of pajama pants that threatened to escape.

The voice, it seemed, belonged to a boy who couldn't be much older than she. He was short-ish, dressed in earth tones. Well dressed in theory, but sloppy in execution. His short shock of brown hair stuck up in all directions as he started to pick up articles of clothing and hand them over to her.

"First day back. The worst, right?" The boy offered, blushing as he handed Kara a light camisole.

"First day ever. First year," Kara offered, with an exasperated smile, "first everything!"

"Oh man! Well, don't let this be your first impression. I swear, it's generally better than… uh…"

"Your clothes scattering to the wind in front of complete strangers?"

"Yeah that." His eyes crinkled when he smiled. "And we're not complete strangers."

"No?" Kara raised an eyebrow and latched the suitcase, hefting it up under her arm once more.

"No! I mean, we can be if you want," He stumbled over his words, "but we don't have to be."

"Okay, not-stranger, I'm Kara." She extended the hand that wasn't full of luggage and smiled broadly.

"Winn," he smiled back and shook her hand a bit too enthusiastically. "Let me help you with that."

Before she could protest, Winn positioned himself in front of her trunk and started dragging it toward the grounds. He waved awkwardly at other students as they passed and Kara laughed at his zeal.

"So, first year, first year!" He struggled a bit when the trunk caught on an errant tree root. "First-Year-Kara. What made you choose Wildings? Or, as it is for many, what made your parents choose Wildings?"

"Oh, my sister goes here. I've wanted to come since she left home. You know, get out of our small town, gain some serious knowledge, new experiences. The usual, I guess?"

"Your sister, huh? Who's your sister?"

Kara paused for a moment and spoke barely above a whisper, "Alex Danvers."

"What?"

She sighed and spoke at full volume, "Alex Danvers."

"Holy shit!" Winn exclaimed then suddenly backtracked, tripping over his own tongue. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean – I just. Alex Danvers? Everybody knows her! She's – she's awesome!"

Kara kept her eyes on her feet as they crossed the threshold of campus and started navigating toward the dormitories. "Yeah. I know."

"Oh man. You lucked out. You'll be cruising here in no time." Winn didn't seem to notice the pained expression on Kara's face as they crossed the main quad. "Just promise, that when you're super cool and hanging out in the inner circle that you'll remember the little guys, okay?"

"What?" Kara almost sputtered laughing.

"You know what I mean."

"Winn, I am a little guy. Just because Alex is my sister doesn't mean that I'm anything like her."

"I didn't mean –,"

"No, it's okay. I know what you mean. But to be honest, I haven't seen Alex much since she came here and I have always fallen a bit short when it comes to the sibling match-up. I doubt she'll want me tagging along. She didn't at home, anyway, always too busy jumping through hoops to worry over her annoying little sister." She took hold of the trunk as they reached the entrance to the girl's wing of the dormitories. "So don't worry, we little guys can stick together. You and me."

"Really? Okay." He broke into that crinkled smile again, "Okay, yeah."

"The welcome dinner is in a few hours, right? Save me a seat." Kara smiled at Winn, and pushed the door open.

"Sure! I mean, yeah. Absolutely!" Winn stumbled, walking backward a few steps before turning to go, still grinning. "See you then!"

Kara crossed to the main desk of the dormitory and after a brusque exchange with the dormitory matron and a ride in what seemed to be the world's most ancient elevator, Kara found herself in the small room that would become her sanctuary for the next several months.

It was a modest size, about the same as her room at home. There was a sizable window on the wall opposite the door, with a twin bed and nightstand tucked to the right and a desk and small, upholstered chair to the left. A corkboard hung on the wall running the length of the bed. There was also a small closet that was nestled into the corner opposite the window. Finally, between the closet and the door stood and a small sink and mirror for which Kara was grateful. The bathrooms and showers were down the hall and all their meals were served in the dining hall, so her room had the bare essentials, but she knew they were more than enough.

Kara tossed the cases on the bed and picked up the trunk with on hand, tossing it after them as casually as if it had been a feather pillow. Privacy was the greatest possible creature comfort she required and in that way, this room was perfect. She busied herself unpacking things here and there, wanting to get as much done before dinner as possible. She paused for a moment when she came upon the framed picture of her family. Her earth family. Eliza, Jeremiah, and Alex crowded around her in the framed print, smiling lovingly. She propped the picture up on the nightstand and centered it, giving it a cursory nod of approval before resuming her unpacking.

The dining hall was busy, full of students and their parents, swirling about in dizzying spirals of noise and warmth. Kara picked delicately across the hall, careful not to jostle anyone as she looked for Winn. She didn't have to look long as his genial face popped up above the crowd, obviously standing on a bench or chair. Kara watched as one of the professors crossed to Winn and chastised him after yanking him down. He seemed un-phased when she reached him.

"Oh good! You found us!"

Kara laughed, outright, "Kinda hard to miss when you're three feet above the crowd."

"Yeah, Winn's kind of an idiot that way. A whiz with computers, but always forgets to look before he leaps. Or climbs." A tall, good-looking boy with dark eyes and impossibly white teeth smiled down at Kara. Wildings was certainly turning out to be a lot friendlier than she had initially anticipated.

Winn rolled his eyes, "Kara, James Olsen. James Olsen, Kara," he tossed off.

Kara noticed that Winn left off her last name and whether it was intentional or not, she was grateful. "You're a friend of Winn's?" She asked, adjusting her glasses.

"That's generous." James laughed, "I'm his roommate and we sometimes work together for the school paper."

"Work together. Pfft." Winn huffed. "James takes pictures, as if that even counts as work."

"Hey man, you're not even on the staff, you just fix things when the network goes down."

"Boys, boys," a feminine voice interrupted their bickering, "You're both valuable assets to the Wildings Gazette." A girl with brown shoulder-length hair and wide eyes cut between the arguing pair and linked arms with James. "Who's the new girl?"

"Oh, uh, Kara." Kara extended her hand and the petite brunette gave it a firm shake.

"Lucy," the girl flashed a smile and elbowed James in the ribs. "The big dumb one's mine." James laughed and pulled Lucy closer to him.

Kara wrapped her arms around herself and smiled in a way she hoped came off as warm instead of self-conscious.

"Oh, hey, there's your sister!" Winn tapped her on the arm and Kara allowed her eyes to float across the hall until the rested on Alex. Through the din of the hall, Kara could hear Alex's laugh; even without enhanced hearing, she could've picked it out of the crowd. Alex's cropped red hair swung as she turned her head, hugging various friends and acquaintances, reunited by the advent of the new school year. Kara silently cursed herself for wishing that Alex would seek her out, but they would have their time later, when her sister wasn't busy and Kara wasn't feeling so ill-at-ease.

"Yep. There she is."

"You're not going to go say hi?" Winn looked genuinely perplexed.

"Nah, she's busy with her friends. We'll catch up later. I mean," Kara forced a laugh, "we have all year, right?"

"Winn looked incredulous, "right."

Kara started to turn back to Lucy and James, but before she did, her eyes fell on a singular girl sitting alone at a far table. There were no swarming students, no reunited friends, no parents anywhere around her. The girl simply sat alone reading from giant tome open on the table. Kara's eyes narrowed. The girl had dark features set against pale skin. Her hair was pulled back into a severe braid that snaked over her shoulder and she wore white-rimmed glasses, which framed focused, intensely green eyes. Kara slid into her seat and Winn plopped down, unceremoniously next to her.

"Who's that?" She motioned to the girl, alone.

"Who her? That's Lena Luthor."

"Luthor? As in –"

"Lex Luthor, juvenile criminal and all-around asshole." James interrupted as he sat across from Kara.

Lucy took the seat next to him. "Forgive Jimmy's bluntness, Lex was here for a while and they never really saw eye-to-eye."

"He kept trying to mess with my buddy Clark. We're the reason Lex got booted from Wildings, or rather him messing with us is the reason. I heard he's in some maximum-security juvenile detention facility now; he got mixed up with some serious stuff after he got kicked out. Lena's his sister."

"Must be lonely." Kara craned her neck and found the girl once more. "I know what it's like to be defined by your family."

"Yeah," Winn echoed. "Even so, I wouldn't be too anxious to befriend a Luthor. They can't be trusted."

Lucy balked. "That's grim, even for you."

"What? I'm just saying that sometimes there's truth to rumor and we should be wary, is all."

"Yeah. I guess." Kara sighed wistfully and turned back to the table as the students began to settle and the evening's presentation got underway.