I don't remember how I arrived here. My earliest memories are with the Lang's. Mom said I just walked to her and Lana out of nowhere and comforted the crying girl. The proof was in Time Magazine since it used to be one of their cover images. Mom tried finding out who my parents were, but when she couldn't find them she adopted me when she did Lana. They're the only family I'd ever known.


I sat in front of the school drawing in my sketch book while people walked around me talking and laughing. I was a loner, which was probably best. As I'd grown up I'd noticed different things about me from other kids, so I'd kept my distance from most. Except Lana and people she brought me with her to see.

"What are you working on?" Lana asked me and I showed her.

"Just drawing what I see." I told her.

"I wish I could do things like this." She said looking over some of the pages.

"If you'd taken the time to practice, then you could." I told her and she just smiled which soften the look she gave me.

"You sound like Nell." She said.

"Sadly, on this, she was right." I laughed.

"I was doing other things." She reminded me.

"I was doing other things too, remember?" I asked her. "Next reason?" I asked making her laugh.

"I don't have the patience for it, I guess." She told me.

"I'll accept that, for now." I told her and she smiled at me. "Any way we could avoid going to class today?" I asked her hopeful.

"I think Nell would actually skin us." She told me and I sighed.

"Yea, that sounds like mom. Nell the skinner. Or would be flayer?" I joked and she just shook her head at me.

"Why so into skipping class suddenly?" she asked me.

"Just have a weird feeling." I told her. She gave me a worried look and I just shook my head. "Forget it, it's probably just cause of what your friends like to do to the freshmen of our class."

"You mean the myth of the scarecrow?" she asked me.

"Of course," I told her. "It's not safe being a fish in these waters."

"It's just a rumor. Nothing true." She told me and I tossed her a look.

"So says the girl who will never get picked for it because of a certain jock who happens to be her boyfriend."

"Whitney wouldn't do that to anyone." She told me and I shook my head.

"Sometimes you amaze me, Lana." I told her. "So eager to see the best in people."

"And you're eager to see the worst?" she asked me and I shook my head.

"No, but…" Suddenly, Clark Kent fell to the ground, scattering his books everywhere next to us. Lana and I bent to help him get his stuff gathered together as he tried to get himself up.

"Neitzsche. Didn't realize you had a dark side, Clark." Lana said handing the book back to a hunched over Clark.

"Doesn't everybody?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I guess so." She agreed. "So what are you? Man or superman?"

"I haven't figured it out yet." He confessed.

"Lana there you are." We turned to see Whitney coming towards us. He and Lana shared a kiss as Clark and I picked up his stuff.

"Hey, Clark, Ashlee." He greeted before turning to his girlfriend. "I was wondering if you could do me a humongous favor. Could you check over my English paper? I didn't finish it until 2:00 AM. So, I'm not too sure about the ending."

"I'm sure it's great." She told him.

"Dude, are you feeling all right? You look like you're about to… to hurl." Whitney pointed out to him.

"I'm fine." Clark insisted before the three of us started for the building. Whitney picked up one of the books and looked back to Clark.

"You forgot one, Clark." Whitney tossed him the book. Clark moved to catch it, dropping all the rest of his books and ended up back on the ground as the bell rang.


I was walking home after school, not up to waiting for Whitney and Lana's practice to be done when I heard something splash into the water. I assumed it was just some kids diving from the bridge until I made my way to it. The metal railing was busted, but I saw no car. I dropped my bag and dove into the water to see Clark pulling a bald guy from a car and went to help him. I grabbed his other arm and helped get him ashore before starting CPR.

"Come on!" Clark said as he watched.

"Don't die!" I commanded when I came up for air and he coughed before spitting up water. He coughed some more before opening his eyes to look at us.

"I could have sworn I hit you." He told Clark.

"If you did, I'd be… I'd be dead." Clark told him before looking behind him at the bridge and mangled, broken railing.


Within a few hours, paramedics had given the three of us red blankets as State Troopers combed the area.

"Why was I given a blanket?" I asked no one in particular.

"Well, you never know, Ashlee. You could go into shock." Clark said and I threw him a look.

"Yes, I might go into shock at jumping into the river to save someone." I said sarcastically and he smiled at me.

"Clark!" Clark and I turned to see Mr. Kent making his way to us. "Son, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Clark told him.

"Ashlee, you okay?" Mr. Kent asked me.

"Yea, I'm good." I told him.

"Who's the maniac that was driving that car?" Mr. Kent shouted at one of the troopers.

"That would be me." The guy I'd performed CPR on said, with his own red blanket draped over his shoulders. "Lex Luthor." He introduced, extending his hand to Mr. Kent to shake. Mr. Kent looked him up and down, ignoring the hand.

"I'm Jonathan Kent. This is my son and his friend." Mr. Kent introduced simply taking off his jacket and putting around my shoulders.

"Thanks for saving my life." Lex told us.

"I just pulled you out of the water. Let's be glad Ashlee knew CPR or you'd be in real trouble." Clark told him standing up. Both he and Lex offered me their hands to help me up and I took both before rising to my feet.

"It's no big. I'm sure Clark could have improvised." I said before Mr. Kent ushered us towards his truck.

"You have quite an extraordinary boy and friend there, Mr. Kent. If there is any way I can repay you…" Lex dropped off and Mr. Kent turned to him.

"Drive slower." Mr. Kent told him before we continued our way to his truck. I grabbed my bag before joining them in the truck.


To say I got the speech of a lifetime when I got home was an understatement. Mom had heard about the accident and I got the hour-long lecture of watching where I was walking and not endangering myself.

"I don't think you heard the right story." I told her. "I was nowhere near the accident until I dove in after Lex and Clark."

"Lex?" she asked me and I nodded. "Lex Luthor?"

"Do we know anyone else named Lex?" I asked her and she sighed at the sarcasm.

"Go get your homework done. I'm ordering pizza tonight before I go the see Mr. Luthor." She told me. I nodded before going to my room.


The next day, after school, I came home to see a nice car sitting outside the house. I walked inside to see Mom in the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom! We have company?" I asked her confused at the lack of people.

"No. Lex Luthor had it delivered for you." She told me and I threw her a confused look.

"Why?" I asked her.

"It's a gift for saving him." she told me before showing me a card. I looked at it to see a large LL on the cover before opening.

"Dear Ashlee. Drive safely. Only wish I could do more. Always in your debt. Lex." I read. "Seriously?" I asked looking back outside at the car. "Please tell me I get to keep it?" I begged.

"Well, it would save for when I have to buy one for you and Lana later." She told me and I grinned. "Besides, it's not like we can just say no to a gift like this from the Luthor family." She handed me the keys and I pocketed them before rushing upstairs to finish my homework so I could go into town.


After my homework was done, Clark called the house and asked me to meet him at Luthor Manor. We went through the gate and walked into the deserted house.

"Hello?" Clark called out as we looked around. We walked into a room, and suddenly we saw two people fencing. We watched with surprise as one combatant pinned the other to the wall. In frustration, the pinned combatant threw the sword across the room, at the wall between me and Clark. The sword embedded in the wall by his head and we stared at it in shock. I looked to the combatant to see Lex.

"Clark? Ashlee?" he asked confused. "I didn't see you."

"Kinda guessed that one." I said staring at the sword.

"We… Uh... buzzed but no one answered." Clark told him. Lex walked over to us and grabbed the sword before pulling it out of the wall.

"How'd you get through the gate?"

"We kinda squeezed through the bars." Clark told him. If this is a bad time…"

"Oh, no, no. I think Hykia has sufficiently kicked my ass for the day." Lex said walking back to her and tossing her his mask.

"This is a great place." Clark complimented.

"Yeah? If you're dead and in the market for something to haunt." Lex added.

"It beats the high school." I said making Lex smirk.

"I meant, it's roomy." Clark defended himself before we followed Lex out of the room and into the hallway.

"It's the Luthor ancestral home, or so my father claims. He had it shipped over from Scotland stone by stone." Lex told us.

"Yeah, I remember trucks rolled through town for weeks but on one ever moved in." Clark said. Lex stopped as he ascended the staircase to the second floor, and turned back to look down at us.

"My father had no intention of living here. He's never even stepped through the front door." Lex told us.

"Then why go through the time and money to ship it?" I asked him.

"Because he could." Lex said before he continued going upstairs. We walked into a room with workout equipment in it and a fire blazing in the fireplace as Lex pulled off his white fencing jacket, revealing a black shirt underneath.

"How's the new ride?" he asked us.

"That's why we're here." Clark told him as Lex crossed the room, throwing the fencing jacket. He placed a towel around his neck and went to a table with beverages and fruit.

"What's the matter? You don't like it?" Lex asked.

"No, it's not that. I can't keep it." Clark told him. Lex paused as if irritated at the thought of Clark saying no to a gift he obviously couldn't afford on his own.

"And you?" Lex asked me.

"Oh, I'm just giving him a ride back to the farm after this. I'm keeping mine." I told him.

"Clark, you saved my life. I think the least I can do is repay you somehow." Lex told him and Clark looked down. "Your father doesn't like me, does he?" Clark took a breath as if he was about to say something, but Lex stopped him. "It's okay. I've been bald since I was nine. I'm used to people judging me before they get to know me."

"It's nothing personal. He's just not crazy about your dad." Clark defended.

"Figures the apple doesn't fall far from the tree?" Lex asked and Clark nodded. "Understandable. "What about you two? Did you fall far from the tree?"

"Adopted." I told him. "I never knew the bio parents so no tree to come from." Clark didn't answer, just looked at his feet before looking back up to Lex.

"I better go. Thanks for the truck." Clark handed the keys to the truck to Lex before we turned to leave.

"Clark! Ashlee!" we turned back to Lex. "Do you believe a man can fly?"

"Sure. In a plane." Clark answered.

"No, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about soaring through the clouds with nothing but air beneath you." Lex told us.

"I wish." I told him smiling.

"People can't fly, Lex." Clark reminded him.

"I did. After the accident, when my heart stopped. It was the most exhilarating two minutes of my life. I flew over Smallville, and for the first time, I didn't see a dead end. I saw a new beginning. Thanks to the two of you, I have a second chance." Clark looked down at Lex's thanks.

"We have a future! And I don't want anything to stand in the way of our friendship." Lex told him and I smiled at him.


The next day, I was sitting out front when I noticed Clark walking out. He looked confused, sad and angry all at once before Whitney grabbed his shoulder.

"Chloe, just leave me alone." Clark said before turning to see Whitney.

"Congratulations, Clark. You're this year's scarecrow." Whitney told him. Angrily, Clark knocked Whitney's grip off him.

"Don't mess with me right now." Clark told him.

"Come on." Whitney pushed. "Bring it on." Whitney pulled off his jacket and Clark went to punch him but missed. Whitney threw him to the ground and grabbed him by the shirt.

"What's going on with you and Lana?" Whitney growled.

"Nothing." Clark told him.

"Like her necklace?" Whitney asked ripping the necklace Lana had loaned to him. "Good. Cause this is as close as you're ever going to get to her." He tied the necklace around Clark's neck before he and his jock buddies picked him up.

"Leave him alone Whitney!" I shouted at him. I tried shoving him away from Clark, but two of his buddies grabbed me and pinned my arms behind my back.

"I say we add to the tradition since Clark's girlfriend wants to join him so much." One of the guys said.

"Let me go!" I demanded, but Whitney just looked me over.

"Put her in." he told them.

"No!" I shouted. "Let me go!"


When we got to a cornfield, they stripped Clark and spray painted a red 'S' on his chest. While some of the guys started tying Clark up, the others started stripping me down to my bra and panties.

"Get off me!" I fought them, but 5 against 1 was exactly even odds. They tied me to the same pole as Clark before putting it up right. I tried getting out of the ropes, knowing I'd have serious rope burn.

It was nightfall before I'd stopped fighting after noticing the blood coming from my ropes.

"It never changes." A voice said from Clark's side.

"Help me." Clark begged.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" the guy asked.

"You- You're… You're Jeremy." Clark said.

"I thought if I punished them it would stop. But it never stops." Jeremy said.

"Wait. Where are you going?" Clark asked him.

"Homecoming dance. I never made it to mine." Jeremy told us.

"Get us down. Please." Clark begged him.

"You're safer here." Jeremy told him. Clark didn't reply to him so I assumed he'd walked off.

"Help!" I called out, trying to lure him back. "Don't leave us!"

"Clark?" I heard Lex say after sometime.

"Lex?" I asked and he moves to see me.

"Aw, jeez." Lex rushed and started to get us down. "Who did this to you?"

"Doesn't matter." Clark told him weakly before falling to the ground. I soon followed, but Lex managed to catch me before I hit the ground. He took off his jacket and gave it to me so I could cover up. I looked up to see Clark jump over to the pile of clothes.

"Clark, you need to see a doctor. Both of you do." Lex told us.

"I'll be okay." Clark dismissed before rushing off through the cornstalks.

"Well, at least let me give you a ride!" Lex called out before looking for him with his flashlight. I moved to my clothes and quickly pulled them on before handing Lex, who was kneeling on the ground, his jacket.

"Thanks." I said smiling slightly. He took the jacket and I tried to lower my hands quickly, but he grabbed my arm and studied my wrists.

"I'm taking you to the hospital." He told me before pulling me with him.

"No, I'll be okay." I told him quickly. I hated hospitals plus I didn't want to worry Nell and Lana.

"Come on." He insisted.

"I don't want to worry Lana and Nell. Please." I begged him. He just sighed before nodding. "Where are we going?" I asked him.

"I'm going to take you to my place and call a doctor to treat you." He told me and I started to say something when he started talking again. "No calling Nell. No documents." He told me and I sighed before agreeing. He drove me to his place before doing as he said and calling the doctor. We didn't have to wait long before the doctor showed up and started looking me over. He wrapped my wrists up and gave me some pain killers before Lex took me back to the school so I could get my car and go home.