Emmeline looked at herself in the mirror. She had put her graduation cap and gown overtop of the white dress underneath. The red and gold fabric stared back at her, and she realized that this was it. She was graduating from high school this morning.
It seemed so surreal that four years had already passed. She was very proud of the person she had become, and she was thankful that her friends had helped her grow so much since her freshman year when she was a petrified student.
Entering high school, she believed she was doomed to always be quiet and shy and fearful. She never dreamed she would go on to study psychology to talk with other people about their problems. She never dreamed she would have three best friends she felt she could share absolutely anything with. She never dreamed she would get to date someone.
Her father knocked on the doorframe. "You ready?"
Emmeline turned and smiled. "I think so."
"Let's go."
She took off the cap and gown and carefully put them back inside the plastic wrap so it wouldn't get crinkled or messed up during the car ride.
The two of them drove to the hospital.
Emmeline put her cap and gown back on and walked into her mother's hospital room.
Audrey smiled brightly when she saw her daughter. "I can't believe you're graduating today."
Emmeline couldn't help but take note of her sick mother's appearance. She looked so pale and weak. Dark circles were beneath her eyes. Tubes were everywhere connected to various machines.
And yet she still looked beautiful.
"I'm so proud of you," her mother told her. "We both are."
"Thank you," Emmeline smiled back. "I'm really glad you get to come."
"Me too. I would never miss this for the world. You've grown so much the past few years. I'm amazed how far you've come."
"Yeah, you and me both."
Her father took out a camera. "All right, we won't have a lot of time for pictures once we get there, so let's take as many as we can now."
Emmeline stood next to her mother, and they took several pictures together in various poses including normal, silly faces, and two where they kissed the other's cheek.
"All right, we should get going," her father smiled as he lowered the camera. "Let me call a nurse."
He left the room for a moment so they could get some help moving her mother out of the room.
When the nurse on call came in, she helped Audrey change out of her hospital gown and into some loose clothing before hooking her up to the necessary portable machines that could attach to her wheelchair.
"Okay, Mrs. Brooks, you're all set to go," the nurse smiled. "Remember that the doctor only gave you a few hours. As soon as the ceremony is over, you get right back here."
"I know, I know," Audrey smiled. "I'll be good."
"Good. And have fun!" She smiled at Emmeline. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," Emmeline said politely.
The family of three drove down to Smallville High and headed to the field where the graduation ceremony would take place.
"Em!"
Emmeline looked over to find a smiling Chloe and Clark walking towards her. "Hey, guys!"
"Can you believe this is really it?"
"No! It's so hard to believe that this is really happening. It's so surreal!"
Emmeline's father smiled. "Hey, girls, get together so I can take a picture."
"Oh, okay!" Chloe answered.
She and Emmeline put their arms around one another and took several pictures together. Emmeline had every intention of framing at least one of them when she got the chance. It would be nice to have in her dorm room next year.
"All right, great. Now let me take one of all three of you!"
Clark stood in the middle between the two girls.
"Okay, now just Emmeline and Clark!"
Emmeline did not miss the look her mother gave her as she and Clark took a picture together.
"Where's Lana?" Emmeline asked Chloe. "We need pictures with her too!"
"I haven't seen her yet. We'll just get some afterward. Come on, we need to get in line."
"All right." She turned back to her parents. "I'll see you in a bit!"
Her mother and father waved as she, Chloe, and Clark bounded off.
The three of them headed to the school entrance where the other seniors had gathered in order to prepare for the entrance once the ceremony started. Since Emmeline's name started with a 'B', she was much further ahead than Clark and Chloe. She wished she didn't have to be separated from them, but it wasn't that big of a deal in the long run.
Emmeline looked over at Clark. "Ready to graduate?"
"I think so," he said nervously. "I'm not sure I'm ready to see this all end and move on to the next step though."
"I know what you mean. We're going to be forced to step outside the box for the first time in four years. But at least you'll still have me next year since we're going to the same school."
"Right."
"Attention, everyone!" one of the teachers announced. "The ceremony is starting, so please get in your proper place in line!"
Emmeline smiled at Clark. "I'll see you after we walk!"
She left his side to go to her place in the front of the line. She still hadn't seen Lana which was strange. She should've been here by now.
The seniors walked outside the school to stand on the bleachers where they would remain until the procession started.
After speeches given by the principal, valedictorian, and salutatorian, the diplomas were finally awarded.
Emmeline slowly went up the three steps to get onto the stage. Though she had previously sworn that she never wanted to get up on a stage for the duration of her life, she realized that it wasn't quite so bad. But then, all she had to do was walk across and shake a hand. It was far less scary than actually speaking.
"Emmeline Brooks!" the announcer called.
Emmeline smiled as she walked to the center of the stage and received her high school diploma. She looked out towards the audience and smiled broadly when she met her parents' very proud eyes. They happily applauded for her.
She turned around to look at Clark and Chloe, and they too smiled back at her. Emmeline returned to the bleachers to join the other seniors who had already walked.
"Hannah Jacobs. Michelle Jewel. Clark Kent."
Emmeline brightly applauded for her friend as he received his diploma.
"Lana Lang."
There was no response, and no one walked across the stage. This couldn't be good.
"Lana Lang."
Emmeline met Chloe's eyes. Both of them knew something had to be wrong for Lana to miss her graduation.
The proud moment abruptly ended for everyone when sirens gradually filled the air. Several army trucks came into view and stopped right beside Smallville High.
"Attention!" one of the soldiers spoke through the truck's speakers. "Remain calm! By order of the Federal Emergency Decree, all non-essential personnel must evacuate the area within a 50-mile radius. In approximately three hours, a meteor shower is predicted to hit Smallville."
Emmeline's heart sank. The last meteor shower nearly destroyed the town, and it had taken months to pull everything back together. People had been killed. And a whole batch of people had become meteor freaks. What would happen to this place with a second one?
Everyone began panicking as they got up from their seats and took off.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please, please. Make way to your cars. Please remain calm. There's no need to panic. Please proceed to your home and carry only necessary items."
Clark whipped off his cap and gown and came down from the stage. Chloe and Emmeline quickly joined him.
"Hey, Clark!" Chloe said excitedly. "Can you believe it? Twice in 16 years. I mean, this is crazy! Smallville's gotta have some sort of extraterrestrial bull's eye on it!"
"It's pretty weird, huh?" Clark answered.
"There's gotta be some kind of connection in the cosmos. I mean this is not just a coincidence."
"Yeah, I'm sure there is some sort of explanation."
"Well, there's just something in Smallville that is screaming for celestial attention. I mean, lightning does not strike twice in the same place without some kind of lightning rod, right? I just wonder what that is."
"Um, I'm not sure, but we don't have much time. We need to find Lana."
"You're right, and if anyone can find her with moments to spare, it's you, Clark."
"Why do you say that?"
"I don't know, because you have a way of getting things done in half the time a normal person gets anything done."
Clark stopped and turned to look at her. "And I'm not normal?"
"No, of course you are normal, Clark. You're as normal as they come. Now, let's hurry and find Lana."
Lois quickly walked up to them, catching the last part of the conversation. "Look, I'm sure she's already out of town. They've evacuated half of the county. They probably saw her running in late and told her to leave town."
"That's exactly you three need to do, right now," Clark ordered as he put his cap and gown in the back of Chloe's car.
"Thanks for the tip. Now listen to me, Smallville, if there's one thing that the General has taught me is that you cannot panic in times of crisis. Do you hear me? Okay, whatever happens, you have to stay calm. You cannot panic."
"Lois—"
"Because if you lose your cool—"
"Lois!"
"What?"
"You're panicking."
Lois took a deep breath. "Fine."
Lois and Chloe quickly hopped into Lois's car.
"I'm going to go with Mom to the hospital," Emmeline told all of them. "She has to be evacuated in an ambulance. It was already incredibly risky bringing her here. We need to get her back with the proper equipment and medicine."
"Alright, be careful," Chloe said.
"You too. Once this passes, let's all promise to call everyone to confirm we're okay. Agreed?"
"Sure thing."
"Okay. I'll see you soon."
"Go."
Emmeline quickly hurried towards her parents.
"Emmeline, where were you?" her father demanded.
"I'm sorry, I was making sure Clark and Chloe were getting out. Let's get back to the hospital now."
She and her father gently but quickly helped her mother inside the car, medical equipment and all, and drove back to Smallville Medical Center.
"Emmeline, I want you to take the car and pack a bag with as much necessary supplies as you possibly can," her father ordered firmly. "Food, clothing, things like that. We'll find somewhere to stay once we're out of the city. I'll call you if we get an ambulance before you're back. You can meet us."
Emmeline nodded as she took the keys from him. "You two stay safe." She gently hugged her mother and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too," Audrey said. "We'll be fine."
Trying to calm her racing heart, Emmeline sped home to gather her family's belongings that would last them until the meteor shower was over.
Her cell phone rang, and she frantically grabbed it, hoping it was her father to tell her that they had gotten into an ambulance. Instead, Lana's name showed up.
"Lana, where have you been?" she quickly asked.
"Em, I don't have much time, but there's something I need to tell you."
"Are you okay? You sound like you're crying."
"Um, I know that sometimes I wasn't such a great friend to you, and I'm so sorry. I just want you to know that no matter what happens to me, you are one of the best friends I have ever had."
"Lana, what are you talking about?"
"I'm sorry, I have to go. Just…don't ever give up on me."
"I won't, but Lana—"
The line went dead before she could ask any more.
There wasn't enough time for her to call back, so she finished packing up the bag and headed back out to the car.
While driving back to the hospital and avoiding the very heavy evacuation traffic, Emmeline called Chloe.
"Hey, did Lana call you sounding really weird and emotional?" she asked.
"Yeah," Chloe answered. "But it ended abruptly, and I know I heard Lex in the background. I'm heading to his mansion now to find her."
"Great. Let me know if you see her. And be careful. There's not much time left."
"Yeah. Same for you."
Once back at the hospital, Emmeline left the bag in the trunk and raced inside.
"Hey, do we have an ambulance yet?" she asked her father.
"No. They've already used what they have for other patients who were already here. We're waiting on some more now."
"We don't have time! We need to get out now! Can't we just take her in the car?"
"You know we can't. She's too weak. She needs the right equipment."
"But it won't matter if we all die because we can't get out in time!"
"Emmeline, calm down. If you start panicking, things will just be worse."
"Dad, now is a perfectly good time to panic! My sick mother can't get out of a condemned town because the hospital isn't providing for her!"
"They're doing the best they can."
Emmeline frantically put her hands to her head.
Suddenly, the ground started to vibrate beneath her. The building began shaking.
"Oh, no," she breathed. "We're too late."
From outside the window, she watched in horror as large meteors began to fall from the sky and crash to the ground with thunderous explosions of light.
People who could ran out of the hospital towards the city limits to escape the meteors.
"Dad, what do we do?!" Emmeline cried.
Her father and mother made eye contact. She had never seen them look so afraid.
A giant meteor crashed straight into the hospital.
Emmeline saw black.
