Chloe had been taking pictures of the ruined farm. She never went anywhere
without her camera and tape recorder. She noticed some movement in the
woods beside the farm. She used her camera to zoom in and saw a frail
looking young woman with calf-length red hair. She snapped a shot and
walked over to where Clark and Pete were talking remorsefully. "Hey Clark!
Do you recognize this girl?"
Clark looked at the picture on Chloe's digital camera. He shook his head. "No.Why?"
Chloe pointed over to where she saw the girl. "She was lurking around the woods just a few minutes ago."
Clark looked over in that direction. He was able to see her thru the trees with his X-Ray vision. He turned back to his parents. "Mom! Dad! I'm going to look at something with Pete and Chloe. I'll be right back."
Jonathan looked at his son. "Okay. Be careful. We don't need anyone else getting hurt." He looked at his wife, and went to put his arm around her. Still amnesiatic, she pushed him away, uncomfortable with hugging a man she didn't recognize. To Jonathan, it was like getting hit below the belt.
Chloe, Pete and Clark wandered off into the woods, looking for the girl in Chloe's picture. After almost an hour of searching, they found nothing.
"We should be heading back," Clark said. "My parents--or at least my dad-- will start to worry."
"No, no, no!" Chloe said. "Just a little further.You guys aren't afraid, are you?" She knew that last line would strike a nerve and convice the boys to stay a while longer.
"Of course not!" Pete said, straightening himself up to stand nobily, causing everyone to exchange a few giggles.
"Okay," Clark said. "We'll keep going until we hit the river."
A few minutes later, they were standing on the river banks. "Nothing," Pete said.
Chloe looked around, using her camera's zoom as a telescope. Just down south she spotted a small shack. "Not nothing." she said. ".Something." She headed off.
The two boys followed her. They were just within a few yards of the shack when Clark started to feel sick. He looked down at his hands. His veins were bulging and green. He looked down at the ground. Scattered all over were meteor fragments. "Maybe we should head back. I mean.if I were this mystery girl, I'd want to stay just that-a mystery."
Chloe had just reached the shack. "Oh come on, Clark! Don't chicken out on me! Besides.All mysteries need solving." She smiled perkily.
Pete groaned. "I swear, when Robert Stack retires, Chloe should take over 'Unsolved Mysteries'."
Clark forced a small laugh, but it was obvious he wasn't feeling well.
"Clark? You okay?" Pete asked.
Clark groaned. "I don't feel too well." He tried to cover his hands, not wanting his friends to see his skin freaking out.
"Chloe!" Pete called out. "We gotta leave! I think Clarks' gonna pass out!"
"Just gimme a sec!" Chloe found the entrance to the metor-pummeled shack. She opened the door slowly and found the red head, sleeping on an old, gross looking futon. "Uh.guys?" she said. "I think I found our mystery woman."
Suddenly the girl's eyes popped open, revealing their violet color. She jumped at the sight of Chloe and backed into a corner. Her eys grew wide. She was obviously afraid.
"It's okay," Chloe said. "I won't hurt you."
The girl didn't believe her at first. She stared at Chloe for a long time, almost as if she was searching something, taking note of the camera she held. Finally, the girl eased a bit, almost as if she knew for a definite fact that Chloe wasn't going to cause her any harm. "What do you want?" she said softly.
Chloe stood there and just looked at the girl. She looked so pitiful. Her long, red hair was dirtied as well as her skin. Her clothes were tattered and torn. It didn't look like the girl had eaten in a couple days. She was skinny and frail-she looked like she could be broken into tiny bits with just the lightest of breezes blowing by.
Chloe furrowed her eyebrows and bit down on her lip. "Um." She flashed a small smile. "You look like you could use something to eat.Would you want to come back with me?"
The girl looked at the camera, then back at Chloe. "No pictures," she said.
Chloe looked confused, then remembered her camera. "Oh! Right! No pictures. I promise." Chloe smiled brightly.
The girl followed Chloe out and stopped dead in their tracks when she saw Pete and Clark, who had managed to get far enough away from the meteor rocks. The two boys seemed stunned that Chloe actually found the girl.
"Chloe? Who are they?" the girl asked.
"Oh.Those are my friends, Pete and Clark." Chloe paused and looked at the girl. "How did you know my name? I didn't tell you."
The girl became a little on edge. She looked around and saw Chloe's hospital tag. "The bracelet.on your wrist. I read your name from there," she lied.
"What's your name?" Clark asked.
There was something strange about Clark that had struck the girl. Something special, for she didn't hear his voice inside her head. "I'm called Redd," the girl said as she ran her fingers thru a small lock of red hair.
"Redd?" Chloe said skeptically as they started to head back to the Kent Farm. "Your parents named you Redd?"
Redd glanced down at the ground and then back up, never making eye contat, however. "My real name I shall not reveal to you. It's important for me to remain non-existant." She paused. "Redd was the nickname I was given by family and kin, before they all died."
Clark looked at the picture on Chloe's digital camera. He shook his head. "No.Why?"
Chloe pointed over to where she saw the girl. "She was lurking around the woods just a few minutes ago."
Clark looked over in that direction. He was able to see her thru the trees with his X-Ray vision. He turned back to his parents. "Mom! Dad! I'm going to look at something with Pete and Chloe. I'll be right back."
Jonathan looked at his son. "Okay. Be careful. We don't need anyone else getting hurt." He looked at his wife, and went to put his arm around her. Still amnesiatic, she pushed him away, uncomfortable with hugging a man she didn't recognize. To Jonathan, it was like getting hit below the belt.
Chloe, Pete and Clark wandered off into the woods, looking for the girl in Chloe's picture. After almost an hour of searching, they found nothing.
"We should be heading back," Clark said. "My parents--or at least my dad-- will start to worry."
"No, no, no!" Chloe said. "Just a little further.You guys aren't afraid, are you?" She knew that last line would strike a nerve and convice the boys to stay a while longer.
"Of course not!" Pete said, straightening himself up to stand nobily, causing everyone to exchange a few giggles.
"Okay," Clark said. "We'll keep going until we hit the river."
A few minutes later, they were standing on the river banks. "Nothing," Pete said.
Chloe looked around, using her camera's zoom as a telescope. Just down south she spotted a small shack. "Not nothing." she said. ".Something." She headed off.
The two boys followed her. They were just within a few yards of the shack when Clark started to feel sick. He looked down at his hands. His veins were bulging and green. He looked down at the ground. Scattered all over were meteor fragments. "Maybe we should head back. I mean.if I were this mystery girl, I'd want to stay just that-a mystery."
Chloe had just reached the shack. "Oh come on, Clark! Don't chicken out on me! Besides.All mysteries need solving." She smiled perkily.
Pete groaned. "I swear, when Robert Stack retires, Chloe should take over 'Unsolved Mysteries'."
Clark forced a small laugh, but it was obvious he wasn't feeling well.
"Clark? You okay?" Pete asked.
Clark groaned. "I don't feel too well." He tried to cover his hands, not wanting his friends to see his skin freaking out.
"Chloe!" Pete called out. "We gotta leave! I think Clarks' gonna pass out!"
"Just gimme a sec!" Chloe found the entrance to the metor-pummeled shack. She opened the door slowly and found the red head, sleeping on an old, gross looking futon. "Uh.guys?" she said. "I think I found our mystery woman."
Suddenly the girl's eyes popped open, revealing their violet color. She jumped at the sight of Chloe and backed into a corner. Her eys grew wide. She was obviously afraid.
"It's okay," Chloe said. "I won't hurt you."
The girl didn't believe her at first. She stared at Chloe for a long time, almost as if she was searching something, taking note of the camera she held. Finally, the girl eased a bit, almost as if she knew for a definite fact that Chloe wasn't going to cause her any harm. "What do you want?" she said softly.
Chloe stood there and just looked at the girl. She looked so pitiful. Her long, red hair was dirtied as well as her skin. Her clothes were tattered and torn. It didn't look like the girl had eaten in a couple days. She was skinny and frail-she looked like she could be broken into tiny bits with just the lightest of breezes blowing by.
Chloe furrowed her eyebrows and bit down on her lip. "Um." She flashed a small smile. "You look like you could use something to eat.Would you want to come back with me?"
The girl looked at the camera, then back at Chloe. "No pictures," she said.
Chloe looked confused, then remembered her camera. "Oh! Right! No pictures. I promise." Chloe smiled brightly.
The girl followed Chloe out and stopped dead in their tracks when she saw Pete and Clark, who had managed to get far enough away from the meteor rocks. The two boys seemed stunned that Chloe actually found the girl.
"Chloe? Who are they?" the girl asked.
"Oh.Those are my friends, Pete and Clark." Chloe paused and looked at the girl. "How did you know my name? I didn't tell you."
The girl became a little on edge. She looked around and saw Chloe's hospital tag. "The bracelet.on your wrist. I read your name from there," she lied.
"What's your name?" Clark asked.
There was something strange about Clark that had struck the girl. Something special, for she didn't hear his voice inside her head. "I'm called Redd," the girl said as she ran her fingers thru a small lock of red hair.
"Redd?" Chloe said skeptically as they started to head back to the Kent Farm. "Your parents named you Redd?"
Redd glanced down at the ground and then back up, never making eye contat, however. "My real name I shall not reveal to you. It's important for me to remain non-existant." She paused. "Redd was the nickname I was given by family and kin, before they all died."