Back in January 2007

Max only took one pack of film with her on that first day of school in 2007. She swore to herself that the ten exposures would last all day, yet the camera is now empty at lunch break as the Polaroid 600 buzzes and spits out a momentarily blank canvas.

Max watches patiently as an image takes form on the instant film of two girls kissing each other in the middle of the cafeteria! The girls are glowing in the light of Max's flash, with a backdrop of dozens of stunned students filling the shadows. Max is no longer angry at herself for her lack of discipline with her film. Every shot she took today is beautiful, and this last photo is super sweet.

This is the first day after Christmas break, and it is also Max's first day at Leesburg High, after moving in suddenly from Oregon. So far, the day is a whirlwind of discovery and surprises. Nothing has gone according to plan.

She had been given very conservative clothes to wear to school for her first day, so she had assumed that the school required its students to wear uniforms. As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she was plotting an escape.

But Max had it all wrong. She was unprepared for the cosmetic chaos that occurred when she stepped off the bus and onto the school grounds this morning. Many girls are going braless in tank tops or wearing hotpants. Boys are wearing pants so loose it's a wonder they weren't falling to the floor. And t-shirts are everywhere, some of them quite kitschy.

Max, on the other hand, is wearing a long sleeved collared shirt, a knee-length grey skirt with black tights and dress shoes. She had submitted to wearing them, afraid of rocking the boat on her very first day. Just a semester ago, when she had started high school at Blackwell, she was judged harshly for her casual cloths with corny t-shirts that came across as raggedy assed in the conservative private school. So she thought now that she had a second chance to impress this new crowd by dressing sharp. Instead, she could not appear any more conspicuous, like a dead person walking among the living. So much for first impressions.

Max doesn't understand what's going on, or why the school faculty is ceding control to the students, but she knows the explanation revolves around the one girl in Leesburg she was sent to meet.

Her name is Kara Danvers.

When Max first saw Kara in the hall this morning, Max assumed her mission was a mistake, because there was nothing noteworthy about this girl. In fact, Kara was the only person at Leesburg High who was dressed more conservatively than Max was. She had looked sad and awkward, very much like how Max is feeling now, except that this girl was drawing a lot of attention for no reason Max could fathom.

Max couldn't tell if the girl was popular or an outcast. She heard the words "hero" and "traitor" whispered of her in equal measure.

Until right now, in the cafeteria.

Max looks at Kara in the photo, and she compares that to the photo she shot of Kara that morning, and she swears this could be a wholly different girl.

Kara's hair is now puffed up like she had just dried it in a wind tunnel. The hem of her blue miniskirt barely falls an inch below her butt cheeks, exposing untanned skin from the top of her thighs, past her sockless calves, down to her classic Converse sneakers. Her cropped t-shirt bounces above her hips as she moves, exposing her navel. Her boobs are even smaller than Max's, but her nipples declare themselves proudly through the fabric, almost like pins holding up the stylized red S floating between them.

Yes, there is no question this is the girl Max is supposed to meet.

And she's standing in front of half of the school with another girl, arms and lips interlocked, daring someone to stop them!

Some people look away. Some people laugh. Some people actually cheer and whoop. But nobody's ignoring the show. This is not just a two lovers showing off. This means something to these people, to the school.

All Max can do is smile and wish for more film.

While Max stands there, staring like a dork, finally someone notices her.

"There you are!" Lena says excitedly. She grabs Max's arm and drags her into what feels like a spot light. "You wanted to meet her, so here's your chance."

X X X

"Everyone is staring," Alex whispers to Kara between kisses, like it was a warning that at least one of them should heed.

Kara doesn't care that people are looking at her. In fact she likes it, because now it's too late to back down. They can't get cold feet. They can't play it safe anymore. They can't hide behind sisterhood or anything else. Kara never wanted to hide any of it. And the longer everyone watches them, the more "too late" it is to change their minds.

Kara has known for a long time, from even back when she was on Krypton, that she can't be herself even in private. Part of her withers. She is an outgoing person who was forced to be shy. She is more than anyone knows, but she is forced to be less. She hates the lies, but she's told it's for the best. How can it be for her own good when it makes her want to scream or cry?

When she buries her feelings, they sink into a bitter well in her soul and seep like sludge through the cracks of the facade she presents to the world until eventually she breaks down or explodes. So it is such a relief that she can't hide, now. It's too late for worrying, even if that comes later. Maybe one day she will be able to feel proud of who she is and never feel regret.

But Alex is different. She already wants to hide. Even though everyone saw them fully outside of the closet, Alex feels safer inside. Kara can feel Alex growing less comfortable by the moment, so Kara starts to move them towards their table in the cafeteria, where they can join their friends for lunch.

Kara's heart is overflowing. She doesn't think she could be happier.

That's when Lena steps in the way.

"Hey," Lena interjects forcefully, pulling a reluctant mystery girl into the mix. "I want you guys to meet Max, who just came back into my life. She's awesome and super-nice, unless you call her Maxine, then all bets are off."

"Hi Max," Kara says politely, flustered for a moment by the surprise introduction. Then Kara takes Max in, clothes and all, and suddenly Kara feels overwhelmed with sympathy. Max looks so depersonalized in her assigned clothes, like she's trapped in a shell, that Kara couldn't help but remember how she felt just one hour ago. "Oh, look what they've done to you!" Kara cries like she's looking at the greatest injustice in the world. Then she points firmly at Max and says, not quite joking, "Run home right now and wear clothes that you want to wear! That's what I did!"

Max laughs, saying, "That's okay. I can survive a day in these church duds."

Lena whispers in Kara's and Alex's ears. "Don't say another word. I've got top secret secrets, and you won't believe it. But I have to tell you like right now, so let's go where nobody can hear. The gym, maybe?"

"Awww!" Kara bounces up and down, as her hitherto patient stomach suddenly protests. "But I'm SO hungry!"

Without a "please" or "thank you", Lena grabs a bread roll from the plate of some unsuspecting, random guy who had just sat down with a tray full of food, and Lena hands the roll to Kara. "Problem solved." She waves at Eric and Cookie to follow them, and in a few moments, they are all in the gym together.

The double doors slam behind them with a thud, then suddenly it's eerily quiet.

"Okay, what's so top secret?" Alex asks with a mix of impatience and curiosity.

Everyone besides Kara and Alex look knowingly at each other, making it clear the Danvers girls are the last to know Lena's news.

"Max is an old friend," Lena explains, while Eric and Max perform some weird handshake, then laugh. "We know her from that year that Lex held Eric and me captive as his pet guinea pigs. We went through a lot of shit together. Max and Chloe were a little younger than the rest of us, and somehow that meant they didn't get any special abilities from Lex's research. They were tortured for no reason. Then they were gone, and we never got to say goodbye. I never thought I'd ever see Max again. Then, this morning, I felt her in the air, like she was a ghost, and when I looked up, her bus pulled up to the curb, and Max just stepped off and then back into our lives."

Kara and Alex are dumbfounded.

"What happened to her," Alex asks Lena, though Max is right there.

"Adopted," Lena says simply. "Yeah, it's stupid, but on paper, Lex was running an orphanage, and when a few kids didn't show any telepathic aptitude, he cut his losses by selling to the highest bidder."

"Hey," Max objects, "Mary is trying her best to be a good mom."

"Sorry," Lena said. "I'm sure your new mom never knew what was going on. She just wanted a daughter. Lex duped tons of people, but I'm glad it worked out for you."

"So what's the big secret?" Alex asks impatiently. "Why is she here?"

Lena cedes the floor to Max.

"The Super-guy sent me," Max says.

"What?" Kara and Alex exclaim at once.

"I guess Mr. Luthor did some evil shit to you guys and got caught," Max begins to explain. "But before the cops could nab him, he sent some thugs to my home in Oregon to kidnap me again. Superman got there first."

"Why did Lex want to kidnap you?" Alex asks. "I thought you didn't have any powers or anything. He didn't want you before; why did he want you now?"

Max shrugs. "Beats me. Nobody knows. But Superman told Mary, uh, my mom, that I would be safer if I came here, because Kara is some kinda special. He thought maybe we could help each other."

"I don't know." Alex eyes Max suspiciously, then asks Lena, "Do you know if she's telling the truth?"

Lena looks almost offended for Max's sake. "Of course!"

"I haven't talked to Kal in months, but why wouldn't he have told me about this?" Kara mused regretfully. "I guess I wouldn't trust me, either."

"Oh!" Max says, suddenly remembering something. She opened her book bag and pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to Kara. "Superman said that I should give this to you. I have no idea what it is."

Kara eyes Max quizzically.

"The mysteries keep on coming," Alex quips.

Kara unfastens the envelope and pulls out a sheet of paper with writing on both sides. Her eyes open wide when she sees the text on the paper. "It's Kryptonian!" she announces.

"Yeah," Max says. "He said that is how you'd know it was from him."

Kara nods while she looks at the clumsy scrawl, but she does not judge because Kal-El never really knew the language, so it is a valiant effort on his part. Clearly, he had meant for this to be private since Kara is the only person on Earth who can read it, but Kara wants to share this with her friends, so she translates aloud:

Dear Kara, as you may have guessed, your little town is rather special to me. When I run into people who are trying to escape trouble, I often send them to Leesburg or nearby, because it's easier for me to watch over people if they are all in one place. After your run in recently with Lex Luthor, I began to doubt the wisdom of that practice. Clearly, the bad guys are closing in on this little sanctuary. I considered breaking up the community, but there are dozens of people and families under my protection, some of them you might know, including your friends. I wanted to protect you most of all, but then I remembered that you were sent to Earth to protect ME. You did very well when helping to apprehend a real criminal mastermind and even avert a nuclear war, so perhaps I have been underestimating you all along. So I propose that you help me protect this town. It's up to you and your family how much you want to be involved. I know you are still very young, and I was hoping you could live a normal childhood like I had, but that was not what your parents had intended when they sent you here. The included letter was found in your spaceship when you landed. I was reluctant to show it to you because I wanted you to have a normal life, but I think now it's time for you to read it and make your own decisions.

Kal-El's letter has more to say, but the mention of another letter has Kara completely distracted.

She hadn't noticed that there was anything else in the envelope. She reaches inside and grabs what feels like a napkin crumpled at the bottom. She pulls it out. It looks semi-transparent with black lines, almost like lace underwear, but Kara recognizes it immediately. It is a Kryptonian writing cloth that quickly turns stiff when exposed to light. The black lines turn into words when it's stretched.

Kara can't keep the tears from her eyes when she recognizes Alura's gorgeous penmanship. Kara swallows. She is scared to read her mother's letter, but everyone is looking at her, captivated, giving her strength.

While Kal-El had written his letter in Kryptonese, he thought like an American, so it was easy to translate. Kara's mom thought like a Kryptonian, so translating is much more difficult. The letter also feels very private. Nobody expects for Kara to read the letter aloud, either, but Kara wants to share this moment with her friends. She expresses her mother's thoughts as best she can while her composure fails her:

Kara, my brave daughter, by the time you have found this, your ship will have rendezvoused with Kal-El's ship on a strange world. I lament that we could not prepare you better. With your heart and your new abilities, I know you will overcome. While you have accepted the responsibility of raising your cousin, your destiny is not tied to his. You are not beholden to our wishes. You will not be beholden to the people of Earth. You are now a child of both worlds. There is no correct path in life. You will lose your way many times. What is important is that you find your way back to the brave girl you always were. Earth will no doubt challenge you often. Wherever there are people, they will have insecurities, and though I know your heart always reaches out to people, you may need to protect it. They will try to change you. Be wise. Be strong. But in the end, always be true to yourself.

"Wow!" Lena says what everyone is thinking when Kara finishes translating.

Kara's tears flow freely, and Alex instinctively surrounds Kara with a hug, but Kara is not feeling vulnerable or heartbroken right now. She is feeling stronger and more confident and overwhelmed by the love of her mother. She smiles at Max with a truly beautiful smile and whispers, "Thank you."

Max smiles back, then she looks at her camera and her smile drops a bit. She really wants to take a picture right now.

The quiet, tender moment goes on too long, making Lena a little anxious. She notices the intact roll of bread still in Kara's hand, and she says: "I can't believe it. Kara has actually lost her appetite."

The reminder led immediately to the roll's doom, as Kara swallowed the roll in a single motion, like it was some kind of disappearing magic trick. Kara smiled challengingly, "Any other theories?"

"Okay," Lena concedes. "I'll never underestimate that Kryptonian stomach of yours again. Anyone else up for lunch?"

"Actually, I'm starving," Eric replies. "Maybe that's what Kara is feeling."

Kara points at him sternly yet with a smile. "Oh, I was hungry already, but you aren't doing me any good."

"Okay," Alex says, laughing. "Now, I'm hungry, too. We've still got twenty minutes."

Without saying a word, they all head towards the door leading to the cafeteria.

Everyone except Max, that is. She seems paralyzed in place. Everything is going so well, but she doesn't want to assume anything. She looks to the ground shyly.

All five of her new friends stop and look back at her at once.

"Are you kidding me?" Lena says as if angry. She walks back and grabs Max and drags her while Max laughs. "You might have eluded my brother, but you won't get away from me again."