Memory was a fickle thing. It sometimes took a while to return.

Awareness was a little faster, but it came to Tess Mercer piece by piece.

She was looking at a clear blue sky. From a supine position on a sodden embankment. The sound of a running river unmistakable.

She knew her eyes had been closed for a while because the light was too bright right then.

She was also freezing and wet. Have I been swimming? No, I'm still in the same outfit I had on at the meeting.

The meeting hadn't been anything beyond what she had expected. A group of distrustful board members who were resentful that some kid had been placed in a senior position to them. Tess Mercer knew the look in their eyes from long and personal experience with angry elders who had a lifetime of discontent built up inside them.

The only person who hadn't come to the meeting with any preconceptions had been the plant manager, Gabriel just call me Gabe Sullivan.

A genuinely good man who only wanted to do a good job and provide for his family. Gabe had no interest in office politics or oneupmanship. The man was an island of calm in a sea of crotchety old farts who thought they were sharks.

Tess had seen sharks. Both the kind that swam in the oceans and the kind that wore suits, the ones in suits were far more dangerous.

Her biological father was one. It took all of her strength not to flinch when he smiled in her direction. Any shark wrangler would tell you that when you could see teeth, it was a bad sign.

Lionel Luthor had approached her at her graduation. Offering her a life that was better than the one she had and had never chosen for herself. He said he was her father, had a birth certificate and a story about how he had been searching for her for years.

The certificate was real. She still didn't know if she believed the words from that day. But she had accepted his offer.

And had questioned it ever since. Even if it was a chance to make a real difference in the world.

She had left the meeting with a strong desire to take off the overpriced suit she had to wear and go for a nice relaxing swim.

Fortunately the mansion she now lived in had a pool.

Having more questions than answers, Tess badly needed to clear her head. As soon as possible.

She was distracted and hadn't seen whatever it was in the road until it was right in front of her car.

By then it was too late.

Fighting to regain control of a car that refused to respond. Tess barely had time to notice the dark haired boy in a tan jacket, jeans and work boots that appeared in her path before she crashed through the barrier.

The boy?

There had been a boy on the bridge.

Where was he? . . . was he? . . . oh . . . please . . . no.

In answer to her plea, the boy appeared above her. A picture of health.

"Could have sworn I hit you." The words felt difficult with the relief overturning anguish.

"If you did . . . I'd be dead."