Clarence was inside of the training room, lifting 300-pound weights as if they were as light as air.
After school it was the same routine. He would do a significant amount of schoolwork,
well beyond what a normal fifteen-year-old boy would do, and then begin his "lessons."
Lionel was with him in the room but was paying more attention to the papers in his hand.
"Father, may I go to bed now?"
Lionel looked up from the papers. "You aren't tired are you?"
"No, but.."
"I didn't think so. You don't need to go to sleep any earlier than usual. I want you to go on into the library. There are some assignments for you. I'll join you shortly."
He patted Clarence's shoulder stiffly and left the room.
Clarence shuddered a little at the man's touch. He bit his tongue against the words that would surely slip out if he weren't careful. Resulting in a very heated argument between him and his father that he knew he would never win.
He walked over to the library room across the hall and sat at the computer screen. It was a group of numbers and characters for him to decode.
He swiftly scanned the first page, increased his speed, then reading fifty more in ten minutes. The challenges his father was giving him got easier every day. Clarence wondered why the man wasn't more pleased with his progress and why he didn't reward him by letting him go to bed early.
When he had first showed him what he was capable of Lionel had been delighted but now things were changing. Nothing was ever good enough. The training had become a daily, grueling five hours a day, no after "school" activities.
He was tutored by Metropolis' finest. They were well paid and knew how to keep quiet, which was a necessary qualification. The teachers knew that Clarence was different somehow. They were warned never to let this leak out or pay the consequences. You don't want Lionel Luthor as your enemy.
Clarence was never allowed to go to a normal public school. His father would have it no other way. He remembered what his father said as if it were yesterday and not ten years ago on his fifth birthday.
****
"Clarence, you are a very special little boy. You aren't like other kids your age. That's why you can't go to a normal public school."
They were parked outside of Metropolis Elementary. Clarence watched kids his age playing and laughing.
"But I want to go and play with them."
Lionel shook his head and turned Clarence's face towards him.
"Do you remember what happened when I let you take care of that puppy? You promised me that you would be careful. What happened?"
Clarence's eyes filled with tears and he shook his head from his father's hand .Lionel let him cry. Patting his back a little he spoke again.
"Yes, you remember that poor little puppy. See, I'm trying to prevent that from happening again. If I let you play with those kids, they might end up like Felix. You wouldn't want that would you? I'm only trying to protect you."
Clarence shook his head and sobbed louder.
****
It would have been nice to be normal, Clarence thought. Hang out with kids his age, laugh at silly jokes, or even study at a regular speed. But with his "chores" at night, he had to go through his homework in just a few minutes then straight to bed by eleven.
Clarence didn't have too many friends. Well, he wasn't allowed to have many friends, and what friends he had were workers at the mansion who were probably paid to keep an eye on him. He would sneak out to go for some fun late at night, a bar or some club with them. It was a way for him to escape. Take a breather. He could easily pass for 21. Although he didn't have to show any I.D. at the joints he went to, Clarence would drink as much as he wanted and never worry about becoming drunk.
His father never asked any questions about him leaving late and not coming back until early morning. As long as Lionel had a pair of eyes and legs watching and following him, he could do whatever he wanted. That wasn't quite freedom to the fifteen year old, but he took what he could get.
Clarence could have any girl he wanted. They would flock to him in pairs. He never allowed his "relationships" with women go very far, just casual flirtation. When it got a little more serious he would pull the plug.
Then one day all that changed. The boy hadn't banked on falling in love with the sweetest girl that he'd ever laid eyes on. She was new to the mansion. Her mother and her had just moved to America from Italy. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Dark brown hair that flowed to her shoulders and eyes that matched to a deeper shade. Clarence melted every time she looked at him.
Her first week at the mansion, Clarence came up to her and spoke fluent Italian. It shocked her since not many people communicated with her. He became her only friend in America and they hit it off immediately. Clarence helped her with her English and every night they would do homework together.
****
Lionel walked into the library. Watching his son figuring codes on the screen at an amazing speed. He walked up behind him and dropped a picture on top of the keyboard. The codes forgotten as it laid out before him, Clarence turned in his seat and looked at his father questioningly.
"Dad? How did you..."
Lionel clucked his tongue.
"You haven't been honest with me, Lark."
Clarence started to get up but Lionel reached down and laid his hands on his shoulders keeping him down.
"You're going to have to tell me the truth."
Clarence raised his eyebrows a little. The man scared him. Ever since he showed him he could indeed hurt him.
Lionel released his son's shoulders and walked towards the bookshelves. Swinging his arms in the air.
"I don't know why you do this to me, Lark. I took you in when you had nowhere else to go. Clothed you, fed you, put a roof over your head, and this is how you repay me! You would be in a lab somewhere split wide open if it wasn't for me!"
Clarence got up. He swallowed and tried to speak. The words came out in a little squeak.
"I'm sorry that this is hurting you, father."
Lionel laughed. "Why did you do this? I've warned you about this, countless times. Did you think that I was making it up? You will hurt her and I won't be able to help you when that happens!"
The words that he spoke cut him deeply. He looked at the picture of him and the girl of his dreams. Angelina. They were sitting together on a bench at a park. It had been hard to sneak out without a staff member tagging along but apparently he hadn't tried hard enough. He knew someone was following them at the time but was too captivated by the woman he was entertaining to really care. Clarence wished he'd been more careful.
"I wouldn't let anything happen to hurt Angel. I love her."
Lionel smiled. "You're only fifteen. You just think you're in love. Trust me, you're not. I thought I was in love with your mother but that never got me anywhere. She died on me, Lark. And the same will happen for you. You will give all of yourself to one human being. Your life, dreams, hope...and love, and it will all be for nothing! Just for God to take away from you and laugh as if it's all been some kind of joke! As far as thinking you can control what you do when you are around her. You aren't normal. You and I both know that."
Clarence closed his eyes and tried not to shout, You are wrong! He was in love with Angel. But he couldn't take that risk. He would never forgive himself if he hurt or killed her like he did his pet Felix. Or if she died on him...just the thought was unbearable for him to fathom.
Lionel laid his hand on Clarence's shoulder. "I'm only trying to protect you, son. I'll let you think about what I've just said. I expect you to call it off with Angel by morning. Finish what you are doing and go to bed."
With that Lionel walked out of the room. Clarence sat at the desk and just stared at the codes and figures on the screen. He took the picture that his father had thrown onto the keyboard and studied Angel's face. She was smiling at him, so serene and full of life.
"Could she just die on me like my mother did?"
He swallowed hard but knew what he had to do.
To be continued...
Lionel was with him in the room but was paying more attention to the papers in his hand.
"Father, may I go to bed now?"
Lionel looked up from the papers. "You aren't tired are you?"
"No, but.."
"I didn't think so. You don't need to go to sleep any earlier than usual. I want you to go on into the library. There are some assignments for you. I'll join you shortly."
He patted Clarence's shoulder stiffly and left the room.
Clarence shuddered a little at the man's touch. He bit his tongue against the words that would surely slip out if he weren't careful. Resulting in a very heated argument between him and his father that he knew he would never win.
He walked over to the library room across the hall and sat at the computer screen. It was a group of numbers and characters for him to decode.
He swiftly scanned the first page, increased his speed, then reading fifty more in ten minutes. The challenges his father was giving him got easier every day. Clarence wondered why the man wasn't more pleased with his progress and why he didn't reward him by letting him go to bed early.
When he had first showed him what he was capable of Lionel had been delighted but now things were changing. Nothing was ever good enough. The training had become a daily, grueling five hours a day, no after "school" activities.
He was tutored by Metropolis' finest. They were well paid and knew how to keep quiet, which was a necessary qualification. The teachers knew that Clarence was different somehow. They were warned never to let this leak out or pay the consequences. You don't want Lionel Luthor as your enemy.
Clarence was never allowed to go to a normal public school. His father would have it no other way. He remembered what his father said as if it were yesterday and not ten years ago on his fifth birthday.
****
"Clarence, you are a very special little boy. You aren't like other kids your age. That's why you can't go to a normal public school."
They were parked outside of Metropolis Elementary. Clarence watched kids his age playing and laughing.
"But I want to go and play with them."
Lionel shook his head and turned Clarence's face towards him.
"Do you remember what happened when I let you take care of that puppy? You promised me that you would be careful. What happened?"
Clarence's eyes filled with tears and he shook his head from his father's hand .Lionel let him cry. Patting his back a little he spoke again.
"Yes, you remember that poor little puppy. See, I'm trying to prevent that from happening again. If I let you play with those kids, they might end up like Felix. You wouldn't want that would you? I'm only trying to protect you."
Clarence shook his head and sobbed louder.
****
It would have been nice to be normal, Clarence thought. Hang out with kids his age, laugh at silly jokes, or even study at a regular speed. But with his "chores" at night, he had to go through his homework in just a few minutes then straight to bed by eleven.
Clarence didn't have too many friends. Well, he wasn't allowed to have many friends, and what friends he had were workers at the mansion who were probably paid to keep an eye on him. He would sneak out to go for some fun late at night, a bar or some club with them. It was a way for him to escape. Take a breather. He could easily pass for 21. Although he didn't have to show any I.D. at the joints he went to, Clarence would drink as much as he wanted and never worry about becoming drunk.
His father never asked any questions about him leaving late and not coming back until early morning. As long as Lionel had a pair of eyes and legs watching and following him, he could do whatever he wanted. That wasn't quite freedom to the fifteen year old, but he took what he could get.
Clarence could have any girl he wanted. They would flock to him in pairs. He never allowed his "relationships" with women go very far, just casual flirtation. When it got a little more serious he would pull the plug.
Then one day all that changed. The boy hadn't banked on falling in love with the sweetest girl that he'd ever laid eyes on. She was new to the mansion. Her mother and her had just moved to America from Italy. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Dark brown hair that flowed to her shoulders and eyes that matched to a deeper shade. Clarence melted every time she looked at him.
Her first week at the mansion, Clarence came up to her and spoke fluent Italian. It shocked her since not many people communicated with her. He became her only friend in America and they hit it off immediately. Clarence helped her with her English and every night they would do homework together.
****
Lionel walked into the library. Watching his son figuring codes on the screen at an amazing speed. He walked up behind him and dropped a picture on top of the keyboard. The codes forgotten as it laid out before him, Clarence turned in his seat and looked at his father questioningly.
"Dad? How did you..."
Lionel clucked his tongue.
"You haven't been honest with me, Lark."
Clarence started to get up but Lionel reached down and laid his hands on his shoulders keeping him down.
"You're going to have to tell me the truth."
Clarence raised his eyebrows a little. The man scared him. Ever since he showed him he could indeed hurt him.
Lionel released his son's shoulders and walked towards the bookshelves. Swinging his arms in the air.
"I don't know why you do this to me, Lark. I took you in when you had nowhere else to go. Clothed you, fed you, put a roof over your head, and this is how you repay me! You would be in a lab somewhere split wide open if it wasn't for me!"
Clarence got up. He swallowed and tried to speak. The words came out in a little squeak.
"I'm sorry that this is hurting you, father."
Lionel laughed. "Why did you do this? I've warned you about this, countless times. Did you think that I was making it up? You will hurt her and I won't be able to help you when that happens!"
The words that he spoke cut him deeply. He looked at the picture of him and the girl of his dreams. Angelina. They were sitting together on a bench at a park. It had been hard to sneak out without a staff member tagging along but apparently he hadn't tried hard enough. He knew someone was following them at the time but was too captivated by the woman he was entertaining to really care. Clarence wished he'd been more careful.
"I wouldn't let anything happen to hurt Angel. I love her."
Lionel smiled. "You're only fifteen. You just think you're in love. Trust me, you're not. I thought I was in love with your mother but that never got me anywhere. She died on me, Lark. And the same will happen for you. You will give all of yourself to one human being. Your life, dreams, hope...and love, and it will all be for nothing! Just for God to take away from you and laugh as if it's all been some kind of joke! As far as thinking you can control what you do when you are around her. You aren't normal. You and I both know that."
Clarence closed his eyes and tried not to shout, You are wrong! He was in love with Angel. But he couldn't take that risk. He would never forgive himself if he hurt or killed her like he did his pet Felix. Or if she died on him...just the thought was unbearable for him to fathom.
Lionel laid his hand on Clarence's shoulder. "I'm only trying to protect you, son. I'll let you think about what I've just said. I expect you to call it off with Angel by morning. Finish what you are doing and go to bed."
With that Lionel walked out of the room. Clarence sat at the desk and just stared at the codes and figures on the screen. He took the picture that his father had thrown onto the keyboard and studied Angel's face. She was smiling at him, so serene and full of life.
"Could she just die on me like my mother did?"
He swallowed hard but knew what he had to do.
To be continued...