Hey all you peoples! Seeing as how I won't be getting any more reviews from other people, I'll stop asking for them. Hope you enjoy chapter 7! FYI, This chapter may contain some M material. Plus, a familiar character will show up briefly here. Just a heads-up! Later dudes!
Chapter 7
"I called the Kents. I believe it was Clark Kent who picked up the phone. I asked him how Scarlett was, and he sounded sad when he told me she was dead. He said an Eleanora Brown told him how she died. Are you her?"
"Yes. I go by that name… Why?"
"I just wanted to know if it's true."
"Who wants to know?"
"My father and I do."
"Are you her brother?"
"Adoptive brother, actually."
"Ohhh! You're Alexander Luthor!"
"I prefer 'Lex'."
"Well then, Lex. It is true. Scarlett is dead. She fell off of a bridge last night."
Lex is silent for a few moments.
"I'm sorry."
"It's… fine. I just didn't know she was so sad."
"She was actually very happy, but she thought the world would be better off without her."
"That's not true! She made the world better by just being in it."
"Is that why your father never let her out of the mansion, until you insisted so frequently that he gave in?"
"How do you know that?"
"Scarlett was one of my closest friends. I'm not surprised she didn't mention me. She was very good about keeping secrets from people. She originally introduced herself as 'Alana Cress'."
Lex looks at Eleanora, suspicion in his eyes.
"She said she was born in Kansas, but raised in an orphanage. I didn't know she was a Luthor until last week, when she met with me in a barn."
"How did you feel after you found out she was a Luthor? Did your attitude towards her change? Did you try to manipulate her?"
"Honestly, I didn't care. She could have been Oliver Queen's ex-wife, and I still wouldn't care. I was her friend. Her confidante. I would never have betrayed her trust." "But now you have."
"No, I haven't. She wanted me to tell you why she committed suicide. She wanted me to come clean with you."
"So that's the full truth?"
"Yes. That's the full truth."
"Do you mind if I come in?"
"Unless you want proof that this house is what it claims to be, then yes."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you."
"Thankfully, I'm a rather forgiving person. I accept your apology."
"Out of curiosity, whose barn did you talk to Scarlett in?" Lex asks, as he follows Eleanora inside.
"It was- Oh what was his name? The farm boy that lives across the way from us?"
"You mean, Clark?" Lana asks, eyeing Lex warily.
"Yeah. His family's barn," Eleanora says, sitting down.
"Oh."
"Good morning, Lex. Sit down, please." Nell says, kindly.
Lana glares at him. Lesley hides his smile by taking a sip of orange juice.
"What's wrong?" Eleanora whispers to her.
"I don't trust him," she whispers back.
"Who? Lesley?"
"No. Lex. Though I'm not so sure about Lesley either." Nell puts a plate with two chocolate chip pancakes and a glass of chocolate milk in front of Eleanora.
"So I heard that you've just moved here, Eleanora." She raises an eyebrow at Lex. "Small town," he shrugs.
"Too small," she mutters. Lana hides her smile.
"Anyway, have you heard about Scarlett?" Nell asks Lex.
"Yeah. It's too bad. She was a wonderful person."
"How's your father taking the news?" Eleanora asks, cutting her pancakes up.
"I don't know. We don't really have a loving father and son relationship." Her knife squeaks against the plate.
"Sorry. For both that and my knife's protest."
"It's alright. No one ever knows about my father and I until I tell them." Lex gets up.
"Thank you for your time, but I've gotta go."
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Lex," Eleanora says, waving her hand at him.
"I hope we meet again, Miss Brown." He looks at Lana.
"Miss Lang." She looks away from him.
"Well, I'll go then. Goodbye and have a great day."
"You as well, Lex." Nell says, closing the door behind him. His footsteps fade away.
The familiar rumble of his car engine reaches Eleanora's ears.
"I haven't talked to Clark. I'll do that later today."
"Ella, it's not your fault."
"But it is! I told him about Scarlett's death!"
"You were only passing along information about her. He can't blame you for that!" Lana says, kindly.
"I still blame myself. You didn't see the look on his face when I told him. You didn't see how much the old me meant to him! I hate myself!" Eleanora bangs her head on the table, right on top of her half-eaten, syrup covered pancakes.
"Ella, you didn't tell me you knew Lex."
"I thought you knew Lionel has another son?" She asks the floor.
"I do now! He never mentioned it to me."
"Maybe you never asked," she says, still talking to the floor. The doorbell rings, startling Eleanora. She raises her head from her plate, syrup running down her face.
"I'll get it," Nell says.
"I'm going upstairs!" Eleanora announces.
"You do that. Shower up!" Nell calls over her shoulder.
"Alright!" Eleanora bounces up the stairs. Once she's in the bathroom, she closes the inside door. She takes off her robe and her nightgown, then thinks again. She puts her robe back on, opens the door and screams.
"Oh my gosh! Clark!"
"Eleanora!"
"What are you-" She adjusts her robe.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! I just wanted to talk!"
"Couldn't you have waited?"
"Again, I'm sorry!"
"What the hell are you two doing up there?" Nell calls, coming up the stairs.
"Damn it!" Clark says.
"We're in trouble," Eleanora says, putting her syrupy face in her hands.
"What is going on?" Nell yells at them.
"Nell, the truth is-"
"There was a spider on the floor. That's why I screamed. Clark was just trying to help. I guess we both got a little scared." He stares at Eleanora.
"Alright. Don't make me yell at you like that again!"
"Yes, Nell. Sorry."
"Go take your shower!"
Eleanora shuffles into the bathroom, with her towel, and closes the inside door.
"Clark! Just stay here!" Nell goes back downstairs. Eleanora takes her robe off again, setting it beneath her towel.
She turns the water on, adjusting it to a comfortable temperature. She gets in, closing the curtain. A few minutes later, she is rinsing the shampoo out of her hair when a loud knock startles her.
"Hello?"
"It's me, Clark."
"What's wrong?"
"It's-" his voice breaks off suddenly.
"Clark? Are you okay?" She takes off her bracelet. Clark doesn't answer, but his hand clutches the curtain. She starts to freak out, before she remembers Clark falling to the floor of the guest room. His hand rips a piece of the curtain off, and she hears a body thump onto the floor.
"Oh my gosh!" She turns the water off and tears open the curtain. Clark is on the floor, his eyes closed and barely moving.
"Geez, Clark!" She grabs her robe and throws it on her, quickly tying it in the front.
"Lana, Nell, Lesley! Come here, quickly!" The sound of running footsteps rapidly approaches her ears. She helps Clark up, leaving her bracelet in her pocket.
"What happened?" Lana asks, noticing Eleanora's damp robe and Clark's semi-dry self.
"I don't know."
"We'd better get him to his parents," Lesley says, helping Eleanora brace Clark against their selves. She puts Clark's arm around her shoulders, Lesley does the same with the other around his shoulders. She puts her free arm around Clark's waist.
Eleanora tries to assure a half-conscious Clark that he'll be just fine, and she'd get him home. She doesn't even know what she's saying to him.
"We'd better hurry, Les!"
"Clark, we're almost to your door now, your front door. Hang in there!"
"He's not breathing!" They arrive at Clark's front door.
"Hold him, Eleanora!"
"Oh, but- Oof!" She holds Clark with both of her arms wrapped around his waist. His face is on her shoulder. Lesley knocks on the door. Mrs. Kent answers it.
"Hello, Lesley. Hello, Eleanora…" Her voice trails away, noticing Clark. "Bring him in." She says, without hesitation.
Lesley takes Clark off of Eleanora.
"Out of curiosity, why are you wet?"
"I took a shower."
"Then why is Clark wet?"
"Lesley threw him on me." Mrs. Kent looks doubtful.
"My husband's not back from the store yet, which worries me." Lesley looks around for a place to put Clark.
"Lay him down here." Mrs. Kent instructs Lesley. He gently sets Clark on the ground. Lesley takes out a stethoscope from his black bag.
"You're a doctor?" Mrs. Kent asks, surprised.
"Yes, a certified EMT. Here's my proof." He gives her his license.
She reads it, then gives it back. He takes Clark's tan jacket off, as well as his blue plaid shirt. He throws them at Eleanora.
"Thanks, Les," she says, her voice muffled. She walks to the next room.
"There's no swelling in his neck. His heartbeat is speeding up, now… I believe whatever happened to him it's over. He's back to normal."
"Thank you, doctor." Mrs. Kent says, relieved.
"Please, call me Lesley," he smiles at her.
Eleanora reaches into her pocket, pulling out her bracelet. She notices a small lead box in her pocket as well. Smiling, she remembers the day when Lex gave it to her. He'd promised whatever she put in it would be kept safe. She opened it, dropping the bracelet inside.
She closes it, coming out to the kitchen.
"There you are!"
"What?" She looks up, then smiles when she sees Clark standing in front of her.
"What's that box?" He asks.
"This? Lex Luthor gave it to Scarlett. She gave it to me before she…" Eleanora stops talking, noticing Clark's face.
"I'm sorry. I'll go," she turns to the door.
"Wait! Before you go, take this." He gives her a rectangular box.
"What is it?"
"My dad gave it to me, but you can have it. If you want."
"Don't you want it? It belongs to you!"
"I know, but I want you to have it."
"Clark. You don't know anything about me. You just met me this morning."
"I feel like I can trust you."
"I'll keep it safe, and someday I'll return it to you. I promise."
She turns around again.
"Eleanora!"
"Yes, Clark?"
"Thank you. For saving me."
"No problem! You owe me one," she teases. Lesley holds the door open for her.
"I'll see you around, Farmboy." She steps out and the door closes behind them. They walk back to Lana's.
"Lesley, do you think Clark likes me?"
"It was written all over his face."
"I mean, does he like the new me better than the old me?"
"I don't know yet."
"Come on, you're the detective here."
"True. But it's hard to tell right now."
"Hmm…"
"Why did Clark flip out in the bathroom?" Lesley asks.
"Maybe he has allergies?" Eleanora guesses as they walk inside.
"Get dressed!" Nell says, as a greeting.
"Clark's fine, by the way!" Eleanora shouts as she runs up the stairs. Closing the door, she feels a cold draft. She turns around, seeing her window wide open, the lace curtain fluttering.
"That's odd. It was closed when I left." Suddenly, she feels a tickle in her nose. She sneezes and the window bangs shut. She looks at it, both confused and startled.
"Okay, now that was odd." She gasps and turns around.
The person who spoke is wearing a red hoodie, jeans, red sneakers on his feet, and a red backpack with black straps and a gold lightning bolt logo with a black background on his right shoulder.
The box Clark gave her clatters to the floor.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" He looks at her, concerned.
"Who the hell are you? And why are you in my bedroom?"
"This is your bedroom?"
"Just answer the damn question!"
"I didn't know anyone lived here, honest! I just…" His voice trails away. "Wow! You're beautiful." He stares into her eyes, his mouth slightly open. Her face is flushed and her wet hair is frizzy. On top of it all, she's wearing nothing but her robe. The boy in red removes his hood.
He has golden brown hair that sticks up everywhere, and his eyes are brown. He reminds her of a lost puppy, for some strange reason.
"Uh, my name's Bart Allen."
"'Bart', huh? I'm Eleanora Brown." She holds her hand out. He looks at it, then back at her.
"It's a hand."
"I know that." Bart says, defensively.
"Do you shake hands?"
"Yes."
"I'm not going to bite you, Bart." He tentatively takes her hand, and shakes it. "There. That wasn't so hard!"
"So, what school do you go to?" He asks, sitting on her bed. She sits on the window seat.
"Actually, I'm homeschooled until next year."
"Oh."
"How old are you?" She asks him.
"15, why?"
"I was just wondering."
"How old are you?"
"14 ½." His watch beeps.
"Oh, geez! Hey, can we talk later?"
"What are you in a hurry for?"
"My boss is gonna kill me if I'm late again."
"What do you do for a living?"
"I… Can't tell you."
"Ohhh! Do you work for the FBI?"
"No. I'm not a spy. I'll tell you everything later. I promise."
"Where will I find you?" She asks, as he comes over to the window.
"Wherever you are, I'll be there in a flash." With that, he opens the window, climbs down the ladder, and is gone on the blink of an eye.
"So, who were you talking to?" Lana asks from the doorway. Eleanora's heart skips about 5 beats.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, come on! I saw the lightning backpack dude in red go out the window! Don't tell me you don't have a clue who he is!"
"I just met him like, ten minutes ago." Lana looks at her, then joins her on the window seat.
"Did he make a good first impression?"
"Well, better than Clark did."
"I guess seeing a naked girl soaking wet, and standing over you is worse than seeing a girl, in just her robe, in her bedroom."
"Clark didn't see anything."
"You like him that much, huh?"
"I guess so, yeah."
"Why don't you tell him?"
"I don't want to ruin our friendship. Besides, Chloe seems better for him than I'd ever be."
"I think you'd be cute together."
"Has Clark always been so secretive?"
"As far as I can recall, yes. I'm thinking of letting him go as a friend."
Lana goes to Eleanora's bed, and sits on it. "Lana," Eleanora sits next to her. "Don't you think he deserves another chance?"
"I've given him plenty of chances to come clean with me, but so far nothing's changed."
"People change all the time. Just wait. He might surprise you one day. To be honest, I want to give him another chance too."
Eleanora thinks about what she said.
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe I just said that!"
"It's okay, I knew you liked him the moment I first met you." Lana smiles at her. They side hug each other.
"You know what, Lana?"
"What?"
"I'm so glad I told you my secret. I know you'd never betray me."
"I'm glad you trusted me."
"Can I tell you another secret?"
"Okay." Eleanora stands up.
"Don't be mad at me. I am a real princess, but not of Ireland. I'm only half human."
"You're part alien?"
"Yes. Please don't be mad!"
"Oh my gosh! My royal friend's half alien!"
"I hope this doesn't make you afraid of me!"
"No, no, no, no! It's not like that! I'm just kind of freaked out right now!"
"Don't worry, Lesley told me 3 nights ago."
"Is that… all of your secret?"
"No. I think that wherever I come from, the people there have weird powers."
"Like what?"
Eleanora goes to the window and opens it. She sneezes and it bangs shut. Lana makes a funny sound, like she's trying to scream without anyone hearing.
"I can make anything happen that has to do with nature!"
"You mean, you can make plants engulf people from thin air?"
"Well, not thin air exactly. There has to be something natural that's there already or it doesn't work."
"Oh." They're silent for a while.
"How did you find the Kents?" Lana asks, lying on her side. Eleanora looks around the room. The door is closed and the window is shut.
"I was just going for a walk outside of the Luthor mansion. I didn't plan on going anywhere, but I found myself thinking what it must be like to not be rich. Then, I found myself walking through the Kents cornfield. I don't remember how I did it."
"That explains how you popped into Clark's life."
"What do you-" The door bangs open, Lana sits up quickly. Eleanora turns around.
"Sorry. I should have knocked first."
"That would have helped. Just wait for me out in the living room, Whitney," Lana says to him. He nods and goes out, closing the door behind him. He goes down the stairs.
"Remind me why you go out with him again?" Eleanora asks Lana, closing the lace curtain. Eleanora goes in the closet and tries on one of her swimsuits, to see if it fits her.
"I see the good in him. Whoa! What- where did that scar come from?" Lana points at Eleanora's left rib. She puts her robe on the bed, but doesn't answer.
"When did you get that burn mark?"
"What burn mark?"
"The one on your lower back!" Eleanora looks at it in the wall mirror.
"Oh! That burn mark! I got that just after I was born. Lionel told me so." The burn mark looks like a weird looking 'Z' with a strange design around it.
There's a loud knock on the door. Eleanora squeaks and grabs a shirt.
"Just a second!" Lana calls out, while helping Eleanora with her shirt.
"Ow! That's my ear, that's my ear! My arm is stuck!" She whispers to Lana.
"Fix it in the closet!" She shoves Eleanora inside.
Eleanora shuts the curtain, but doesn't close the door all the way. She works her arm free and starts to put a pair of jeans on.
"Hey, Lana. Is Eleanora here?"
"That depends. What do you want from her, Clark?"
"I just want to talk to her." Eleanora puts a light blue sweater on over her white tee shirt, then grabs a black belt.
"About what?" Lana asks.
"I want to know more about her. Since she's new."
"So you're her personal tour guide, now?"
"I never said that!"
"You implied it! Besides, it's her decision, Clark. You can get to know her better, when she gets back. She just went to the store. She'll be back in a minute."
"Okay. I'll wait with Whitney."
He leaves. Eleanora gets out as soon as she hears his footsteps go down the stairs.
"You look good!" Lana says to her.
"Thanks. You look very cute."
She smiles at Eleanora, her expression making her glow. Lana has a pink long-sleeve shirt on, blue jeans, and black heels. Her hair is in a messy half up, half down kind of hairstyle.
"Here. I'll help you with your hair."
"Thanks, Lana. By the way, why did you lie to Clark?"
Lana takes Eleanora's ivory hairbrush with polyester fibers, and starts brushing her hair.
"I didn't want him to find you in the closet."
"You're a good friend, Lana. I'm glad I found you." Eleanora feels Lana twist her hair for a while, then she stops. "Take a look."
Eleanora's hair is in a high bun, a few strands hanging around her face. "Thanks again, Lana."
"No problem!"
"We should go downstairs."
"Actually, you go out the window and come through the front door."
"Oookay?"
"Oh, and wear these." Lana gives her a pair of heels.
"Lana!"
"Trust me."
She smiles at her.
"Bon voyage!" Lana says to her.
"Merci, mademoiselle!" Eleanora opens the window and crawls out of it. Using her foot, she finds a ledge and carefully goes out on it. She goes down the side of the house. Her foot slips and she falls in the soft snow. She straightens up, dusting herself off.
She slips on the silver heels with sequined roses on the side of each shoe. Before she gets her key out, she brushes the dirt off of her shirt. She goes inside.
"There you are! We thought you got lost!" Nell embraces her briefly.
"So, Whitney. It's nice to meet you."
"And you too, Eleanora." Whitney is wearing his Smallville Crows jacket and blue jeans with gray tennis shoes.
"So, where were you?" Lesley asks Eleanora.
"Relax, Lesley. I just went to the store, then I took a walk."
"Did you see anything you liked?"
"Not really."
Lana clears her throat. "Ella, meet Clark Kent."
She looks at him, noticing the fact that he's wearing a green plaid shirt with worn out jeans and beat-up tan boots.
