This late at night few cars were on the highway. The curfew was 10pm and with it all civilian-designated vehicles shut down. The only cars left running were government operated, like the patrol cars rushing by above their heads.
As their rumbles grew louder, Alex glanced over at Kara; her sister had squeezed herself into a just big enough crack in the concrete blocks keeping the bridge from collapsing. Alex could just make out the image of her boot-clad feet pushing at the ground, and though Kara was shrouded in darkness, it was obvious her hands were over her ears.
Alex sighed. They needed to get out of this freaking city.
A horn pierced through the air and the bridge seemed to shake as the patrol cars sped up. In a moment, the cars were gone and the world was still once more. But, though the horn had stopped, it wasn't silent. Alex winced at the high-pitched groan that had taken the horns place. It was continuous. It was guttural. It was-
"Kara." Alex snapped and the groaning stopped. "They're gone. You can come out now."
A head poked out from the crack. "Gone?" Kara repeated.
Alex nodded.
"Gone." Kara repeated again and slid out from her cave.
"C'mon." Alex motioned for Kara to stand. "Let's find somewhere slightly quieter to sleep tonight."
At that, Kara nodded furiously and scrambled to her feet.
Alex's brow furrowed as she realized Kara's pants legs barely reached her ankles. They'd fit right a few days ago. Come to think of it, they'd fit right yesterday.
Her eyes ran up and down Kara's small form. Or what had been Kara's small form. Just a few months ago it seemed like Kara was all skin and bones, a kid who barely came up to Alex's shoulder. She'd looked so weak, befitting of a creature who'd lost her entire planet. But now she looked as though she'd come up to Alex's nose if not higher, and she'd filled out, shoulders becoming broader, thin limbs now laced with a layer of muscle. All of that was quite the feat, considering Alex couldn't remember the last time either of them had had a meal that didn't come wrapped in plastic.
But if Kara was growing stronger that meant other changes were on their way too, changes that her parents had known how to deal with, had been intimately aware of, but that Alex couldn't even fathom.
She'd only met Clark once and that had been when he'd… She gulped, remembering the green veins popping from his skin. That had been when he'd brought Kara to them. He'd moved faster than she'd ever imagined possible, a blur more than a man. But when he had stood still as he lowered Kara into her mother's arms, she'd seen that he was a hulking man. Even the way his body sagged as the glow grew more luminous couldn't hide that he was all muscle, far beyond peak human condition.
And that was only the start of his abilities.
Her father had rushed Clark away to the home lab before Alex could examine him further. She'd been pulled away, ordered to go to her room and make sure her bed was clear so Kara could be deposited there later. Still, the walls of their apartment were thin, and even at his weakest, the man of steel's ragged breaths carried. It was only when they'd abruptly stopped that…
"Alex."
She shook her head, pulled from her memories, to find Kara staring at her. Her head was tipped, her blue eyes wide and curious. Her fingers beat out a rhythm against her hips.
"Right. Let's go." Alex said, just as another car whooshed by above. Before Alex could even blink, Kara was squeezed into the crack again.
She sighed. They had to get out of this freaking city.
The next morning, they rose before the sun. For Kara it was easy; she'd never actually settled into a proper sleep schedule on Earth and with every little whisper blasting in her ears, it seemed she never would.
Besides, she liked the early morning. The world was just starting to shake off the vestiges of sleep, and that meant everything from lights to people was still soft. They would grow harsher throughout the day. Bigger. Bolder. Until everything was sharp, sharp enough to feel like it was piercing her skin, her ears, her eyes.
Even so, that was still preferable to the dead of night.
Nothing filled the resulting vacuum. Nothing reached up to break the steady pulse of quiet, continuous life. Nothing emerged to pull Kara out of the twenty-four years of sleepy sounds that echoed in the back of her head, like half forgotten dreams.
It was only when someone awoke, startled awake by illness or nightmare, that Kara could even begin to drift off. And that happened less often than people, than Alex, might think.
Alex's body was a well-oiled machine, but it was still a teenage body and the urge to sleep in was strong. Alex hated to admit it, but if it wasn't for Kara hovering over her just before dawn, there was a good chance they both might've been caught long ago.
"Kara, you need to keep the jacket on." Alex sighed as she slipped her own over her shoulders.
"Scratchy." Kara wrinkled her nose and let the blazer slide off her shrugged shoulders.
"Kara," Alex watched her sister flinch at the sudden spike in volume. She almost spent a second to apologize, but instead rushed to Kara's side and swept the now dirty jacket off the ground. ", You know we only have one of these. You cannot get it dirty."
"Scratchy."
With a sigh, Alex dusted off the navy blazer. It really wasn't much worse for wear; it was just the principal of the thing. Kara needed to understand that every little thing they had packed into their bags was important, irreplaceable even.
"I don't care if it's scratchy. You have to wear it."
Kara kept her eyes on the ground, as though magically the blazer would end up pooled around her feet again.
"If you have to, pull your sleeves down and hike your collar up as far as it'll go." Alex held the blazer out. There was a moment of silence, during which Kara's eyes flitted to her right, as though she sensed something just out of sight, but then she reached out and took the blazer.
Kara shrunk against Alex's side as the green light rained down on them. She held on tight, the itchiness of her blazer forgotten as she waited for the burning sensation to begin. When it didn't, when Alex kept walking as though nothing was amiss, Kara straightened up and squinted up at the buildings from which the green light emanated.
The familiar black L stared down, commanding the attention of passerby, but it was the green lights inset in a circle around the L that kept Kara watching, waiting for the other shoe to drop. The two girls went by this way every morning, and every morning Kara waited for the green glow to turn deadly.
"C'mon Kara," Alex shrugged away. ", I need to be able to walk."
Kara huffed but did as she was told. Instead, she tried to focus on the chatter of the news feeds high above their heads. The CatCo gossip column was on full blast, discussing the eligible bachelorhood of Governor Luthor. Kara tuned that out quickly.
The public transport had only woken up an hour ago, leaving the streets empty for another forty minutes or so. That gave the sisters just enough time to grab breakfast and look like they were on their way to school before their presence would be noticed. Alex had timed this out long ago, and the two kept to their routine every day.
They passed the corner bakery at half-past six, same as usual, and kept on walking. Above them the news feeds played on, finally putting out real news.
"The hunt is still on for the alien suspected of attempting to take the life of Governor Luthor's sister, young Lena Luthor. More on this at 7."
Alex pulled Kara down a side street.
"Another sighting of the mysterious Guardian has come in. This time from two sanitation workers who say they saw the man suspected of harboring alien fugitives ducking under a manhole cover. This has prompted an inquiry from the State Police's office on the possibility of an underground lair."
They stopped in front of a near-rusted over ATM.
"Don't forget to apply for your government-funded Lexochips. Get news, messages, and even streaming capabilities all directly into your head."
From her blazer pocket, Alex pulled out a small metal sphere connected to a wire. She took a quick look around before deciding the coast was clear and plugging the wire into the ATM's audio port. A red light blinked on on top of the sphere. There was a slight whirring sound from inside the ATM and then a moment later a stack of crisp bills was spat out into Alex's waiting hands.
"Crinkle these, will you Kara?" Alex asked as she disconnected the sphere.
Kara was only too happy to oblige. She turned the fresh notes into a crumpled mess before Alex had time to turn the sphere off.
"Nice work, kid." Alex smiled. Kara beamed and the two were off again.
Their pace slowed the farther they got from the ATM, and turned downright leisurely as they passed out of the television conglomerate's gaze. However, it was only when they were in front of a small corner deli, the words Noonan's painted haphazardly on the overhang, that they came to a complete stop.
"Morning, girls." Came Billy's cheerful greeting as Kara and Alex entered.
"Morning, Billy." Alex grabbed a few sandwiches from the shelf. "Kara, why don't you pick out some snacks?"
Kara nodded and rushed to the back of the store.
"How's she doing?" Billy asked, tipping his head toward where Kara had run off to.
Alex felt her heart quicken. Billy was the closest thing to a friend they had. He saw them everyday. The consistency was good for Kara, for both of them, but it also complicated their anonymity.
"What do you mean?"
"She just seems a little," Alex could see the wheels turning in his head. "On edge."
That was certainly a way to put it.
"She's alright. A little overwhelmed."
"Seems like she's overwhelmed a lot? Everything good at home?"
Without a second thought, Alex replied. "Yes. Everything's fine."
She was good at these kinds of conversations, even if they rarely presented themselves. Her mouth knew just what to say to get the questions to stop, to appear normal. It came out on autopilot without triggering anything, any thoughts, any memories. Getting through to the next conversation was all her brain could handle.
And that was fine. It kept her focused. It kept her and Kara alive. It kept her from getting lost in her own head.
Like Kara.
Who let everything rattle her so much.
Alex could almost hear her mother scolding her for even thinking that.
A bitter taste filled her mouth.
"Kara." She called and just a hair too quickly Kara was by her side. "Got what you want?"
Kara gingerly placed what was close to a dozen Twinkies onto the counter.
Billy raised an eyebrow.
"Growth spurt?" Alex supplied.
That got a smile out of Billy.
"Better not let your parents knows your sister's having a dozen Twinkies for breakfast." He laughed.
Kara's brow furrowed.
Great, Alex thought. Just what she needed was Kara developing yet another complex.
"Trust me, they're well aware of her eating habits." It wasn't a total lie. Her mom and dad had been intimately aware of Kryptonian dietary needs.
"Sure." Billy laughed as he wrung them up.
Kara gathered up the Twinkies in her arms and one in her mouth as Alex paid Billy.
"Enjoy your breakfast, Kara." Billy called after them.
"Thank you." Came Kara's muffled reply.
The National City Luthor School was only a few blocks from Noonan's. Its high metal fence ran into metal spires that twisted back up towards the building's roof, like some kind of giant birdcage.
Kara and Alex had never stepped foot on its grounds. But right now, with their red blazers and impeccable posture, no one would know the difference.
Pools of children stood in hushed conversation at its gates. A sea of red against the grey background of National City.
Alex watched as girls her own age bent forward in what was certainly a gossip huddle. They were breaking the rules, Alex knew. Luthor students were quiet, did what they were told, and stood with the posture of royalty. Luthor students, that was to say, were the model child.
But the guards had yet to come collect their charges and even the cameras positioned atop the fence could not catch everything.
Alex tried not to stare too hard- that was a Kara thing- but she couldn't help but watch as the girls giggled and gestured at seemingly nothing. Kara had no idea, but Alex remembered what that was like. She remembered laughter and sleepovers and fun. She remembered friends.
"Alex." Kara's voice was muffled.
Alex sighed and turned to find Kara covering her nose and mouth with her sleeve. "What?"
"Go."
"Not yet, Kara. We need to stay a little longer. Keep up appearances." Alex's eyes drifted back to the group of girls.
It was a lie. And she knew it, hadn't deluded herself into thinking this trip was really necessary.
Except it kind of was. Alex needed it. Kara might have been fine; she didn't know what she was missing. But Alex couldn't go with only seeing Billy and Kara day in and day out.
These kids, on some base level, were like her. Teenagers. Normal human teenagers.
Kara wouldn't understand.
"Go."
"I said not yet. And why are you covering your mouth?"
"Someone smells."
"Yeah, pretty sure it's the whole ninth grade."
Kara's brow furrowed.
Alex was about to reassure Kara that yes, they would be leaving shortly when the crowd of children surged forward, tripping Alex and drowning Kara in a sea of bodies.
"Kara!" Alex cried as pain hit her knees. "Kara?"
All she heard was the grunts and groans of two hundred children. What she would've done for Kara's hearing at this moment.
Before she could fly into full-blown panic, though, a hand was on her back, pulling her to her feet. It was Kara, all wide eyes and impossible strength.
"Alex." She tilted her head in understanding of something just out of Alex's reach.
"Kara." Alex let out a breath. And then realizing she was still a good three inches off the ground. "Put me down."
Kara obliged as kids flowed around them, completely undeterred by the Danvers sisters roadblock.
"Go?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Alex took Kara's hand in her own and pushed back against the crowd. The surge forward had taken her by surprise, but Alex was an expert at disappearing into a crowd. She let the children, younger and older, rush forward. Their exuberance, their joy, their sullenness all more eye-catching than the simple calm of Alex Danvers.
She held Kara close, the girls' one oddity, their one personification. But even that would just be seen as sisterly overprotectiveness. Familial closeness was a value good children- Luthor children- admired.
When she was sure the cameras had caught them, Alex let herself back slowly down the street, away from the cameras. Whoever or whatever reviewed the city security footage would see two normal girls grabbing breakfast from a deli, blink out of surveillance, and then appear at school. Nothing odd there.
Sure, the blonde was a little fidgety, but maybe she had a big test today. Sure, the brunette stuck a little closer than was typical, but maybe she was just protective. Sure, they disappeared down a back alleyway that led away from the main bloc of town, but the cameras didn't catch that.
They didn't need to. They had a teenage girl capable of lifting her peer off the ground.