Foundations Chapter 5

Lana rose early and looked out the window of the Hilton toward the mountains. The rising sun painted the scene with a panorama of vibrant colors making the geography a sight to behold. Dr. Dubois definitely knew what she was talking about. This is awesome. Her enhanced senses picked up on the spiritual energies surrounding her as well. All around her, she could feel an almost calming undercurrent, soothing her nerves. This is why Professor Dubois wanted to move here. The area helps him to keep the darkness in check.

"That it does," her mother concurred, appearing in the corner of the balcony. "Good morning, Lana."

"Hi, Mom," she greeted, still feeling a bit unnerved about actually seeing the spirit in front of her. "How are you?"

"I'm great. How are you doing? Today's the big day, you know."

"Right," the daughter agreed. "I'm feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing. I mean...well...I was so glad to get away from Smallville and all. But, I forgot how big this place is!"

"The world is a much larger place than Smallville," her mother replied. "I know you'll make your way in it, and do quite well."

"I just want to make you and Dad proud of me," Lana admitted.

"We are proud of you," Laura assured her. "Just keep your head up high and do your best. That's all we can ask. Clark seems to be holding his own although he's nervous as well."

"He's strong," Lana noted. "I know he'll rise to the challenge."

"That he will. He's a good young man, Lana. Keep him close to you. Good luck today," her mother concluded before fading away into the corner.

This is definitely going to take some getting used to, she mused, walking back into her room to get ready to meet Clark in an hour for breakfast.

****

Twenty-five minutes later, another young woman toweled herself off as she stepped out of the shower. For Michelle Montoya, or "Mika" as her friends called her, being in Tucson was nothing new to her. For years, she had made frequent visits to the area with her parents for vacations and to visit her godparents. Now, it was time for her to start school. Although she had initially considered going elsewhere for college, being close to her "uncle" and "aunt" with whom she had always held a special bond made this place special. Her mother's announcement that she would have the opportunity to mix with others like herself was a bonus. No offense, I love D. J., but a girl's gotta have others to hang around with besides her little brother.

Then she heard a sharp little bark. She winced, guessing that her Highland terrier, Misty, had felt her thoughts. C'mon, Mika, you know she can hear you. While she had known about her telepathic abilities most of her life, the ability to communicate with animals was a new one for her.

["You bet I did," the pooch stated through their link. "At least we're off that big metal thing."]

["I love to fly," the girl told her pet.]

["You weren't the one in the belly of that thing. I thought it was the Milkbone factory for me that time. It was bad enough to be in that cage, but geez...squashed in with those hard things around me. Then that stupid cat wouldn't stop yowling all the way. You humans don't know how lucky you have it."]

Mika smiled warmly and rubbed the dog's head. ["You know I didn't mean leaving you behind. That's why you're here with me."] Hearing a chuckling noise in back of her, she turned to see her mother standing there with a big grin on her face.

"Hey, Sunshine, how's Misty holding up?" Karen inquired. "I bet she loved the flight, huh?"

[" 'I bet she loved the flight, huh?' " Misty groused to Mika. "Next time, she rides in that little jail, and I get to sit with that knockout schnauzer in first class."]

Mika shot her companion a stare telling the latter to cool it.

"I still think you should've called her 'Spunky'," Karen chuckled, petting the dog. "Next time, we'll make other arrangements for her."

"I'm not leaving her in a kennel or anything! You know how I feel about that, Mom," the younger woman protested.

The nurse sighed to herself. She's so close to that dog. If anything were to happen to Misty, how would Mika cope? For most of her teenage years, she and her husband, Mike, had been protective of Mika, trying to balance the need to watch over her and her need for fun and friends. However, despite being a fairly popular girl in school, she didn't have many close friends. Kind of like Dave was at her age, too. I'm so glad that he's trying this program. Hopefully, being around others like us will help her. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. You'll see what I'm talking about when the time comes. Now, let's get dressed and get some breakfast downstairs."

"Can I get the strawberry pancakes?"

"Absolutely," her mother agreed.

Five minutes later, they stepped into the elevator, and started downstairs.

****

Even as Karen and Mika were heading down, Clark and Lana stood on their floor, waiting for the elevator doors to open. As with the others, he was a little anxious about the next few days and starting school. Despite trying to keep focused on the job at hand, he did make it down Speedway to the Kinko's to check his email. There, he found a message from Chloe wishing them both well and giving her new email at Cornell. I hope she's going to be okay. I know things didn't work out as she might have liked, but she deserves the best.

"What's wrong, Clark?" Lana asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking about Chloe. I hope she's going to like Cornell. It just seems weird to be going to school without her. When you said that last night, I realized that this is a turning point for all of us."

"We all made our choices," she noted. "Do...you...well...regret yours?" A slight note of fear crept into her voice.

"Not for a second," he affirmed, kissing her. "I love you, Lana."

"And I, you," she concurred, embracing him. Once again, I'm glad he's here with me.

As the doors opened, they came face to face with Karen and another woman about their age.

"Mrs. Montoya, good morning!" he greeted for them both.

"Hi, Clark, Lana. Going down?" Karen asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Lana agreed, stepping inside. "We were just going to have some breakfast."

"Well, so were we. Mind if we join you?" Karen wondered.

"That would be great," he agreed. Seeing Mika smile nervously at him, he introduced, "Hi, I'm Clark Kent and this is Lana Lang. And you are..."

"Michelle...Michelle Montoya. My friends call me 'Mika'," Mika replied shyly.

"Are you just starting too?" Lana inquired.

"Uh huh. And you?"

"Same here," he told her. "You know what they say about safety in numbers. Want to stick together?"

"We'd like that," Lana added. "If you don't mind, Mrs. Montoya."

"Call me Karen and I think that would be a marvelous idea. Now, that breakfast is getting cold so let's get to it."

With that, the elevator doors closed again, lowering them to the lobby and the food. The rest of the day seemed brighter already.