Chapter Nine
"I don't know." Mrs. Adler spoke all at once, taking her gaze off Linda. "I wish I knew who she is so I can thank her. I'm just as lost and baffled as anyone else."
Pete thought she heard Linda let out a breath. Then maybe it's just his imagination.
"Do you remember any markings on her, like a mole or a scar that would lead to the unmasking of her true identity?" Chloe muttered, all the while keeping the voice recorder close to Mrs. Adler.
"No." She replied shaking her head. "Nothing."
The gang prepared another sets of questions for her to answer, with Pete leading the way.
"Can you tell us what really happened that day?" Pete requested, holding up his video camera to the old lady.
"Yeah, like why did you had that accident?" Clark supported as he started writing the questions and the brief answers they asked and she uttered. "What was the reason?"
"I was violently attacked by a black bird. A raven." Mrs. Adler reminisced touching her already dried up puncture wounds on her face and neck area.
"A raven." Clark reiterated plainly, eyebrows furrowed.
Piece by piece the puzzle in Clark's head is forming. Michael, Lex's security guard at the gate, was killed by a monstrous being who consumed his heart and liver. According to Hans, the sole witness to the murder, the beast morphed into a menacing raven and flew away for its escape. Could it be that the raven that attacked Mrs. Adler and that one that Hans saw are but the same?
"Yes. It swooped into my car and began pecking me. I tried to shoo it away, though it continued. For a while I thought I heard it wish for my death" The poor old lady added glancing at Clark and then to Chloe. "And when the car rolled over the streets my body felt numb. I don't know what to do. Then I saw the bird flew out when the car went into flames."
Clark was jotting everything down at super speed mode when he knows that no one is looking his way.
"What else took place?" Chloe urged, feeling the emotions that she was having.
"I thought I was gonna die, trapped. When without warning, she came to my aid." Mrs. Adler visualized that period with a far away look and a smile. "My archangel from the Almighty. I remember the sound of a sheet of metal being torn and the sunlight shining on me. I saw her angelic face gazing down on me."
"What does she look like?" Clark prodded excited by the story.
"Oh, she has the most beautiful face I've ever laid my eyes on." She narrated sighing in admiration of the girl. "The most lustrous, gleaming blonde hair, her bright, big blue eyes, the most soothing voice I've heard and her shimmering pink lips. No doubt that she's an angel."
By the details alone that Mrs. Adler gave them, Pete discovered that he was strangely attracted to the girl. What more if he met and seen that girl personally? Clark rested his hands at the back of Linda's chair, inspecting the things he had written.
Linda was listening in to the discussion, hushed. She couldn't think of a better question to ask Mrs. Adler. It looks to her like all the good ones had been asked. To top it all, heck, she is not a part of this. Clark just invited her to tag along.
"Excuse me." Linda said standing up. "I'm gonna go get something to drink. Anybody want anything?"
The gang shook their heads and Linda left the room. Clark took Linda's seat and fired another question.
"This may sound a bit out of the topic Mrs. Adler," He explained, head bent down. "How's your relationship with your grandson Nick?"
After the reported accident that Grand ma Adler suffered, Clark, Chloe and Pete went into research mode to find her connection with Nick Adler. Based from the school files that Pete retrieved, Mrs. Miriam Adler's the mother of Lawrence Adler, Nick Adler's late father.
"That bastard child." Mrs. Adler cursed, surprising the group. She was all calm and sweet when she talked about that Earth Angel girl minutes ago, but with her own grandson, she's different. "He'll never be like his father. Hell, I'm not even sure if he's the child of my son! That filthy mother of his took my Lawrence away from me. But in the end, he came back and left them. My son loves me you see."
"Aren't you even concerned that your grandson's missing?" Chloe shot the question, inquisitively.
"Why should I be, when his own mother's not bothered." The old lady became cold hearted. "For all we know that boy's out there, robbing a bank or some sort. I knew there's something evil in that kid, the first time I saw him."
Clark is at last a piece away from solving the mystery. The shape shifting monster that they're after is certainly, none other than Nick Adler! If Mrs. Adler's this disgusted with her grandson, then for sure Nick feels the same way. He wants his grandmother dead. Nick must be blaming her for the separation of his parents. But what about Michael? Where does he fit in all this?
Mrs. Adler kept going on with her story, about how she hated her grandson and her daughter-in-law. She sees them as interference to her son's success. Unfortunately, Lawrence Adler died a month after he left his family. Clark wouldn't be surprised if he found out that Nick also had something to do with his father's death.
The old lady's talking nonsense now, Clark, Chloe and Pete thought. The subject is totally out of the topic and it's getting lamer. Clark already took several shots of Mrs. Adler in bed, Chloe had turned off her voice recorder, same goes for Pete's video cam. They were just now pretending to be interested. They felt obliged.
"Where's Linda." Clark thought, returning his pad paper and pen at his back pocket, with camera in his right hand.
"Excuse me a moment, I'll go look for Linda. She's been gone for a while." He pardoned approaching the old lady's bed. "Thank you so much for your time ma'am."
Clark shook Mrs. Adler's shaky and wrinkled hand. He handed Pete the professional camera and stepped out, on his way to search for Linda.
Linda was standing before the hospital's nursery window when Clark caught up with her. She had a delighted expression and a warm smile on as she beheld the sleeping babies.
"Hey," He retorted strolling from where Linda stood. She's holding two small cups of coffee in each hand.
"Hey," Linda recurred, offering the other cup to Clark. He thanked her and accepted the cup.
"I was suppose to go back, then I came across the nursery and I just couldn't leave without taking a peek." She explicated, pressing her free right hand on the cold glass window.
"They're cute." Clark commented, as he took a small sip from his cup.
"They absolutely are." Linda agreed, her eyes fixed on them. "Kinda makes me think of my parents sometimes. My real parents."
"What do you mean?"
"Clark I'm adopted. Just like you."
"How d'you know."
"Your mom told me." She interjected before he could finish his question.
"Oh, I see." Clark let out.
"Do you ever think of your real parents? Like do you wonder where they are now and stuff?" Linda questioned glancing side ways to him.
"I do, sometimes." He informed, remembering the nights when he used to dream that his real parents from the planet Krypton are alive.
Clark would often ask himself on what could've possibly happened if Krypton didn't explode. He would still be with his parents, living somewhere out there in the galaxy, happily.
"But they're dead." Clark revealed to Linda abruptly.
"I thought your parents adopted you from your mum's cousin from Maryland?"
"Nah. My mom would like to think it's that way. The truth is I came from an orphanage." Clark lied. I mean telling her that he crashed from the sky with the rest of the meteors years ago, would probably make Linda question his sanity.
"So am I." She seconded, placing her hand over her chest. "Wow, who would've thought we've got so much in common, huh Clark?"
They beamed each other a sweet smile as they proceeded to the vacant chairs along the corridors. Linda was already finished with her coffee and Clark's half way through.
"Dick and I are both from the Midvale orphanage in Leesburg. We basically grew up together. That's why we're so close." She confessed, recalling those times they had together. "We're so close that most people think that were together. Like I'm his girlfriend."
Clark had a fazed look on his façade at the mention of that. He couldn't believe what he's hearing.
"Dick, as in Dick Malverne, star quarter back from my school? Whitney Fordman's best friend at the moment?" Linda expounded, when she took notice of the look on Clark. She assumed that Clark was having a hard time remembering Dick, thus the reaction. "I'm sure you've seen him before."
"Yeah, yeah. I know Dick." Clark confirmed, removing that look on his face. "So you mean you guys are not.uh.a couple?"
"Nooo!" Linda snorted, slapping Clark at his arm, gently. "We're not. He's more like an over protected brother to me, and that's about it."
"Good." He accidentally slipped the word, relieved that Linda's available.
"What?" She said, confused.
"N-nothing." Clark quickly replied, a bit nervous. He gave himself a mental kick at the heel for spilling out the word.
"Ah I get it!" Linda muttered bobbing her head slowly. A wide grin played along her lips. Clark's heart raced, tensed that she might have figured out that he likes her. "So that's why you hardly talk to me! You thought I'm with Dick and you're afraid that he'd kick your ass, if he finds out that you're spending time with me."
"No! I talk to you.um.sometimes."
"Yeah you do. But you've never started a conversation. I was always the one to begin." She cleared out, pointing a finger at him.
"True.true." Clark admitted, racking his brain for something to say. "Ok, the truth is I'm never comfortable around girls."
"Girls that I like." He wanted to add.
Linda settled backwards on the wall, arms crossed over her chest, with a questioning look. Clark knew she wanted to know more.
"Except for Chloe and my mum of course." He murmured, his eyes avoiding her hazel ones. Clark gulped the remaining coffee on his cup. For about less than three minutes Linda's eyes traveled back and forth to the ceiling down to the floor.
"Clark, promise me that you wouldn't freak out on what I'm about to say." Linda mumbled with a straight face.
"Yeah, sure." Clark assured her, all ears.
It came as a total shock to him when Linda placed her left hand on top of Clark's right hand, rested on his lap. What is this?
"Clark I think you're an amazing guy. Your parents, your friends love you so much and they all seem to find something great in you." Linda started with puppy adorable eyes. "And I'd love to be part of the people around you. If it's not much, I want to get to know you better Clark Kent."
He was flabbergasted! Here in front of him is his gorgeous crush asking him to let her be part of his life! How cool can that be!
"Ok this has got to be a dream! This isn't real Clark! Wake up!" He told himself over and over, in disbelief. Clark realized that it wasn't when Linda clasped his hand.
"I know things about you from your mom, dad and your friends." Linda relayed. "Sadly we've been living under the same roof for like, what.3 days already and you dunno a zit about me."
"I do too." Clark defended.
As much as it's kinda uncomfortable and nerve wrecking that Linda's holding his hand, he felt there's no need to take it off. He's enjoying that soft and smooth feel of Linda's hand against his enormous hand.
"Prove it." She challenged, taking her hands off, to Clark's dismay.
"You like cheer dancing and you're a cheerleader."
"Other than the obvious Clark." Linda pointed out, after rolling her eyes.
"Uh."
"Have you ever been with someone?" She jumped in, not making him say another word. "What do you mean?"
"Like, have you been in a romantic relationship?"
"With a girl?" Clark retorted, not really thinking when he let that out.
"No a guy!" Linda snickered, covering her mouth. Clark thought that it's very lady like of her. He likes it. "Of course with a girl silly."
"No, never had a girl friend." He divulged somewhat embarrassed.
"Hmm." Clark heard Linda sounded, her lips pressed together. She had one perfectly arched eyebrow slightly raised while rubbing her chin.
"Hmm what?" He prodded intrigued by her reaction.
"Do you worship Madonna?"
"No."
"You praise and give thanks to Barbara Streisand at night?"
"No!"
Linda laughed out, resting a hand on Clark's shoulder.
"I'm not gay if that's what you're thinking." Clark chuckled back, sitting straight.
"Yeah I know, god I'm sorry." She informed, trying to keep a straight face after the laughter. "I have this radar for gay guys and I'm happy to tell you that you're not on my monitor."
"Good to know." Clark joked back, shaking Linda's hand, playfully.
"So do you promise and solemnly swear to this soda machine before us, that you'd be a friend to me and stuff?"
"I do." He said, his right hand raised.
"Cross your heart and hope to die?"
"Uh huh." Clark nodded with a smile. Then he pretended to have a seizure with his eyeballs rolling upwards, his eyes turning all white.
Linda let out another set of her contagious laughter. This is the start of something special for them.
"I don't know." Mrs. Adler spoke all at once, taking her gaze off Linda. "I wish I knew who she is so I can thank her. I'm just as lost and baffled as anyone else."
Pete thought she heard Linda let out a breath. Then maybe it's just his imagination.
"Do you remember any markings on her, like a mole or a scar that would lead to the unmasking of her true identity?" Chloe muttered, all the while keeping the voice recorder close to Mrs. Adler.
"No." She replied shaking her head. "Nothing."
The gang prepared another sets of questions for her to answer, with Pete leading the way.
"Can you tell us what really happened that day?" Pete requested, holding up his video camera to the old lady.
"Yeah, like why did you had that accident?" Clark supported as he started writing the questions and the brief answers they asked and she uttered. "What was the reason?"
"I was violently attacked by a black bird. A raven." Mrs. Adler reminisced touching her already dried up puncture wounds on her face and neck area.
"A raven." Clark reiterated plainly, eyebrows furrowed.
Piece by piece the puzzle in Clark's head is forming. Michael, Lex's security guard at the gate, was killed by a monstrous being who consumed his heart and liver. According to Hans, the sole witness to the murder, the beast morphed into a menacing raven and flew away for its escape. Could it be that the raven that attacked Mrs. Adler and that one that Hans saw are but the same?
"Yes. It swooped into my car and began pecking me. I tried to shoo it away, though it continued. For a while I thought I heard it wish for my death" The poor old lady added glancing at Clark and then to Chloe. "And when the car rolled over the streets my body felt numb. I don't know what to do. Then I saw the bird flew out when the car went into flames."
Clark was jotting everything down at super speed mode when he knows that no one is looking his way.
"What else took place?" Chloe urged, feeling the emotions that she was having.
"I thought I was gonna die, trapped. When without warning, she came to my aid." Mrs. Adler visualized that period with a far away look and a smile. "My archangel from the Almighty. I remember the sound of a sheet of metal being torn and the sunlight shining on me. I saw her angelic face gazing down on me."
"What does she look like?" Clark prodded excited by the story.
"Oh, she has the most beautiful face I've ever laid my eyes on." She narrated sighing in admiration of the girl. "The most lustrous, gleaming blonde hair, her bright, big blue eyes, the most soothing voice I've heard and her shimmering pink lips. No doubt that she's an angel."
By the details alone that Mrs. Adler gave them, Pete discovered that he was strangely attracted to the girl. What more if he met and seen that girl personally? Clark rested his hands at the back of Linda's chair, inspecting the things he had written.
Linda was listening in to the discussion, hushed. She couldn't think of a better question to ask Mrs. Adler. It looks to her like all the good ones had been asked. To top it all, heck, she is not a part of this. Clark just invited her to tag along.
"Excuse me." Linda said standing up. "I'm gonna go get something to drink. Anybody want anything?"
The gang shook their heads and Linda left the room. Clark took Linda's seat and fired another question.
"This may sound a bit out of the topic Mrs. Adler," He explained, head bent down. "How's your relationship with your grandson Nick?"
After the reported accident that Grand ma Adler suffered, Clark, Chloe and Pete went into research mode to find her connection with Nick Adler. Based from the school files that Pete retrieved, Mrs. Miriam Adler's the mother of Lawrence Adler, Nick Adler's late father.
"That bastard child." Mrs. Adler cursed, surprising the group. She was all calm and sweet when she talked about that Earth Angel girl minutes ago, but with her own grandson, she's different. "He'll never be like his father. Hell, I'm not even sure if he's the child of my son! That filthy mother of his took my Lawrence away from me. But in the end, he came back and left them. My son loves me you see."
"Aren't you even concerned that your grandson's missing?" Chloe shot the question, inquisitively.
"Why should I be, when his own mother's not bothered." The old lady became cold hearted. "For all we know that boy's out there, robbing a bank or some sort. I knew there's something evil in that kid, the first time I saw him."
Clark is at last a piece away from solving the mystery. The shape shifting monster that they're after is certainly, none other than Nick Adler! If Mrs. Adler's this disgusted with her grandson, then for sure Nick feels the same way. He wants his grandmother dead. Nick must be blaming her for the separation of his parents. But what about Michael? Where does he fit in all this?
Mrs. Adler kept going on with her story, about how she hated her grandson and her daughter-in-law. She sees them as interference to her son's success. Unfortunately, Lawrence Adler died a month after he left his family. Clark wouldn't be surprised if he found out that Nick also had something to do with his father's death.
The old lady's talking nonsense now, Clark, Chloe and Pete thought. The subject is totally out of the topic and it's getting lamer. Clark already took several shots of Mrs. Adler in bed, Chloe had turned off her voice recorder, same goes for Pete's video cam. They were just now pretending to be interested. They felt obliged.
"Where's Linda." Clark thought, returning his pad paper and pen at his back pocket, with camera in his right hand.
"Excuse me a moment, I'll go look for Linda. She's been gone for a while." He pardoned approaching the old lady's bed. "Thank you so much for your time ma'am."
Clark shook Mrs. Adler's shaky and wrinkled hand. He handed Pete the professional camera and stepped out, on his way to search for Linda.
Linda was standing before the hospital's nursery window when Clark caught up with her. She had a delighted expression and a warm smile on as she beheld the sleeping babies.
"Hey," He retorted strolling from where Linda stood. She's holding two small cups of coffee in each hand.
"Hey," Linda recurred, offering the other cup to Clark. He thanked her and accepted the cup.
"I was suppose to go back, then I came across the nursery and I just couldn't leave without taking a peek." She explicated, pressing her free right hand on the cold glass window.
"They're cute." Clark commented, as he took a small sip from his cup.
"They absolutely are." Linda agreed, her eyes fixed on them. "Kinda makes me think of my parents sometimes. My real parents."
"What do you mean?"
"Clark I'm adopted. Just like you."
"How d'you know."
"Your mom told me." She interjected before he could finish his question.
"Oh, I see." Clark let out.
"Do you ever think of your real parents? Like do you wonder where they are now and stuff?" Linda questioned glancing side ways to him.
"I do, sometimes." He informed, remembering the nights when he used to dream that his real parents from the planet Krypton are alive.
Clark would often ask himself on what could've possibly happened if Krypton didn't explode. He would still be with his parents, living somewhere out there in the galaxy, happily.
"But they're dead." Clark revealed to Linda abruptly.
"I thought your parents adopted you from your mum's cousin from Maryland?"
"Nah. My mom would like to think it's that way. The truth is I came from an orphanage." Clark lied. I mean telling her that he crashed from the sky with the rest of the meteors years ago, would probably make Linda question his sanity.
"So am I." She seconded, placing her hand over her chest. "Wow, who would've thought we've got so much in common, huh Clark?"
They beamed each other a sweet smile as they proceeded to the vacant chairs along the corridors. Linda was already finished with her coffee and Clark's half way through.
"Dick and I are both from the Midvale orphanage in Leesburg. We basically grew up together. That's why we're so close." She confessed, recalling those times they had together. "We're so close that most people think that were together. Like I'm his girlfriend."
Clark had a fazed look on his façade at the mention of that. He couldn't believe what he's hearing.
"Dick, as in Dick Malverne, star quarter back from my school? Whitney Fordman's best friend at the moment?" Linda expounded, when she took notice of the look on Clark. She assumed that Clark was having a hard time remembering Dick, thus the reaction. "I'm sure you've seen him before."
"Yeah, yeah. I know Dick." Clark confirmed, removing that look on his face. "So you mean you guys are not.uh.a couple?"
"Nooo!" Linda snorted, slapping Clark at his arm, gently. "We're not. He's more like an over protected brother to me, and that's about it."
"Good." He accidentally slipped the word, relieved that Linda's available.
"What?" She said, confused.
"N-nothing." Clark quickly replied, a bit nervous. He gave himself a mental kick at the heel for spilling out the word.
"Ah I get it!" Linda muttered bobbing her head slowly. A wide grin played along her lips. Clark's heart raced, tensed that she might have figured out that he likes her. "So that's why you hardly talk to me! You thought I'm with Dick and you're afraid that he'd kick your ass, if he finds out that you're spending time with me."
"No! I talk to you.um.sometimes."
"Yeah you do. But you've never started a conversation. I was always the one to begin." She cleared out, pointing a finger at him.
"True.true." Clark admitted, racking his brain for something to say. "Ok, the truth is I'm never comfortable around girls."
"Girls that I like." He wanted to add.
Linda settled backwards on the wall, arms crossed over her chest, with a questioning look. Clark knew she wanted to know more.
"Except for Chloe and my mum of course." He murmured, his eyes avoiding her hazel ones. Clark gulped the remaining coffee on his cup. For about less than three minutes Linda's eyes traveled back and forth to the ceiling down to the floor.
"Clark, promise me that you wouldn't freak out on what I'm about to say." Linda mumbled with a straight face.
"Yeah, sure." Clark assured her, all ears.
It came as a total shock to him when Linda placed her left hand on top of Clark's right hand, rested on his lap. What is this?
"Clark I think you're an amazing guy. Your parents, your friends love you so much and they all seem to find something great in you." Linda started with puppy adorable eyes. "And I'd love to be part of the people around you. If it's not much, I want to get to know you better Clark Kent."
He was flabbergasted! Here in front of him is his gorgeous crush asking him to let her be part of his life! How cool can that be!
"Ok this has got to be a dream! This isn't real Clark! Wake up!" He told himself over and over, in disbelief. Clark realized that it wasn't when Linda clasped his hand.
"I know things about you from your mom, dad and your friends." Linda relayed. "Sadly we've been living under the same roof for like, what.3 days already and you dunno a zit about me."
"I do too." Clark defended.
As much as it's kinda uncomfortable and nerve wrecking that Linda's holding his hand, he felt there's no need to take it off. He's enjoying that soft and smooth feel of Linda's hand against his enormous hand.
"Prove it." She challenged, taking her hands off, to Clark's dismay.
"You like cheer dancing and you're a cheerleader."
"Other than the obvious Clark." Linda pointed out, after rolling her eyes.
"Uh."
"Have you ever been with someone?" She jumped in, not making him say another word. "What do you mean?"
"Like, have you been in a romantic relationship?"
"With a girl?" Clark retorted, not really thinking when he let that out.
"No a guy!" Linda snickered, covering her mouth. Clark thought that it's very lady like of her. He likes it. "Of course with a girl silly."
"No, never had a girl friend." He divulged somewhat embarrassed.
"Hmm." Clark heard Linda sounded, her lips pressed together. She had one perfectly arched eyebrow slightly raised while rubbing her chin.
"Hmm what?" He prodded intrigued by her reaction.
"Do you worship Madonna?"
"No."
"You praise and give thanks to Barbara Streisand at night?"
"No!"
Linda laughed out, resting a hand on Clark's shoulder.
"I'm not gay if that's what you're thinking." Clark chuckled back, sitting straight.
"Yeah I know, god I'm sorry." She informed, trying to keep a straight face after the laughter. "I have this radar for gay guys and I'm happy to tell you that you're not on my monitor."
"Good to know." Clark joked back, shaking Linda's hand, playfully.
"So do you promise and solemnly swear to this soda machine before us, that you'd be a friend to me and stuff?"
"I do." He said, his right hand raised.
"Cross your heart and hope to die?"
"Uh huh." Clark nodded with a smile. Then he pretended to have a seizure with his eyeballs rolling upwards, his eyes turning all white.
Linda let out another set of her contagious laughter. This is the start of something special for them.