Consequences
"Don't you just want to see what would happen?" Pete said as he held out the small lead box to Clark. He had stumbled upon a red meteor while walking with his father in the woods the night before. Immediately he had thought of what it had done to Clark just days ago. The idea that one little rock could have such a great affect on Clark baffled Pete, but also drew him into the mystery. Though the first outcome of Clark's exposure to a red meteor rock was anything but a pleasant one, Pete really wanted to test it with him, and see if there were any other possible affects it could have on him.
"I don't know. It's probably not a good idea Pete." Clark refused to take the box from him. Ever since Clark had been affected by the red meteor rock in his class ring, he didn't even want to think about getting near another meteor rock again.
Pete peeked inside, "It's only a little bit, and it probably won't do anything. Besides, we have the green rocks here too." He picked up the second small lead box. Though Pete was worried about it too, he was convinced they really should research the red meteor rocks a bit more before jumping to any bad conclusions about them.
"That piece isn't even smaller than the one that was on my ring! And what's the point, we both know what will happen." Clark stood up and walked over to the window in the loft, just trying to put the memory of what he put his family and friends through in the back of his mind. He had been such a horrible person, shooting off his mouth, doing whatever he wanted. It pained Clark to think what would happen if the red meteor rocks affected him the same way again.
"Well, you never know." Pete put the box down. If Clark didn't want to experiment, that's fine. In the back of his mind, Pete didn't know if he really wanted to do it anyway, just incase something bad happened. Then he would be partially to blame. Pete picked up a comic book instead. "Warrior Angel?" he laughed.
Clark turned, "Ryan gave them to me before he left, said he wouldn't need them anymore."
"Why?" Pete asked.
Clark smiled, "'Cause he's got me."
"Right. So when is he coming back for a visit?" he tossed the comic back onto the table.
Clark came back and sat on the couch, "I don't know. We haven't been able to contact each other since he moved in with his Aunt to Edge City. The phone number we have doesn't work, and he hasn't replied either of the 2 letters we've sent." The Kents had mailed Ryan twice over the summer, inviting him to come for a visit, but they never got a reply. Jonathan told Clark that at the end of the month when they go to attend the farmer's market just outside of Edge City, they could go into town and look Ryan up.
"Man, that sucks. I hope he's alright."
"Me too." Clark said. Then he fingered the lead box containing the red meteor rock. Maybe it iwould/i be a good idea to test it, just once, so he could possibly be better prepared for the future. And if he got out of control, Clark knew that Pete would be there with the green meteor rocks. He decided to give it a chance. "So you really think it'll do something different?"
"I'm not saying it iwill/i, but you never know until you try, right?" Pete took the other box containing the green meteor rock. He really didn't want to have to use it, because he had seen how much it hurts Clark.
"I guess." Clark held his breath, and opened the box. The red crystals on the meteor rock started to glow instantly. He felt his skin tingle, but that was it.
Pete studied Clark. "Well? Feel any different?" he grasped the lead box containing the green meteor rocks, just in case.
Clark looked down at himself. Besides the slight tingle that continued to linger slightly, he really didn't feel any different. "Not really." Then he saw his right foot, or rather, didn't see his foot. "Uh, Pete?"
"What?"
Clark held up his foot.
Pete laughed, "Where's your foot?" He thought this was great.
"I don't know you tell me!" Clark concentrated on his foot, "I think it's still there." he grabbed the space where his foot should be. To his relief, it was still tangible. Then he reached to close the lid on the red meteor rock to make it stop. He was afraid it might be permanent.
"No, wait!" Pete grabbed the box from Clark. This might not be a bad thing. "Can't you try to make the rest of yourself invisible or something?"
"How?" Clark asked. He really didn't want it to spread, but if it could become a new 'gift'.
Pete thought for a second. Then he just said the first thing that came to mind. "Just ithink/i invisible." He smiled.
Clark closed his eyes and concentrated hard.
Pete watched as the invisibility slowly spread from his leg over the rest of Clark's body, "Awesome!" he smiled. This didn't appear to be so bad after all.
Clark looked at himself in the mirror, or at least, he thought he was looking at himself. "Weird." He walked over to the table and began picking things up, making them appear to float.
Pete thought he was still on the couch, and turned towards Clark's voice, "So now what? Want to go into town? Stir up some trouble?" he winked.
"No," Clark said while still playing with objects. He'd rather get some practice being invisible before he went out like this. Plus Clark felt it would be wrong anyway. "It wouldn't be right." He walked back over to the couch. "How am I supposed to turn visible again?"
"Well," Pete said, "if thinking invisible make you invisible, then think visible!" It seemed like the logical way.
"Ok." Clark concentrated very hard, but found it strange when he was able to see through his own eyelids, though they were closed. Slowly he faded back, until he was fully visible again. Then he closed the lid on the box with the red meteor rock. "Let's save this one for later." Clark said.
Pete smiled. "I'm glad we didn't have to use this." He picked up the other lead box.
"Yeah." Clark said, deep in thought. The rocks obviously didn't only mess with his mind; they could change his appearance as well. "So I guess the red meteor rocks have two different affects then."
"Or more. I mean, if there're two, why not three? Or four? What if it's different ievery time/i?" His eyes widened.
Clark shuddered at the thought. "I sure hope not." Then it could get really bad.. He opened the lid again, but didn't feel any affect from it. Clark also noticed that the red rock no longer glowed like it had before. "That's strange."
"What?" Pete looked over at the open box.
"I don't think it's active anymore. Look, it's not glowing like it did before." He passed it to Pete.
"Maybe it only works once." Pete tossed it back.
"Since when were you the expert on meteor rocks?" Clark asked Pete.
"Believe me, if you hung around Chloe more, you'd know a lot too."
Clark was caught off guard. Was Pete trying to hint at Clark's somewhat distant relationship with Chloe, or just making a comment? He smiled anyway, "Yeah, I guess so."
Pete found this experiment quite interesting, and wanted to do more. "Want to go find more red meteor rocks?" He emptied the lead box containing the now inactive rock.
Clark stood up and grabbed his coat from off the railing, "Nah, it's getting late. Besides, I don't think it's such a good idea anymore. Something bad could happen." The whole invisibility thing still freaked him out a bit. Also, if the affects were different every time, who knows what could happen, Clark just wasn't one to take chances.
Pete thought about it too. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He sighed, and then yawned, "What time is it anyway?"
Clark looked at his watch, "9:45pm, why?"
Pete jumped off the couch, "'Cause I was supposed to be home at 9:30!"
* * *
"If we do, where are we going to find another one? You know I can't go into the gorge." Clark discussed with Pete quietly in the Talon the next day. Pete was still somewhat persistent on experimenting with the red meteor rocks. The only problem was that they already used the only one they had.
"Well, Chloe collects meteors and keeps them in the back of the closet at the Torch, in the old film chest. We could just take one and replace it with the one we used. She'd never know." Pete sipped his coffee. He knew it would be wrong to take from Chloe like that, but it was the easiest way he could think of.
"Did I just hear my name?" Chloe pulled out a chair in between Clark and Pete. She wasn't entirely pleased to have found them discussing her behind her back.
Clark raised his eyebrows, "Oh, Pete and I were just planning on, uh, stopping by the Torch later to work on this week's articles." He smiled. "I was just wondering if you'd be there to help."
Chloe turned to Clark, "Really? That would be a first." She raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Pete said. "Clark was going to help me with my report on the impending janitorial strike, but I don't think I have all of the facts yet. We knew you'd probably have some information on it, right Clark?" Silently he thanked Clark for the quick save. It was a close one.
"Right" Clark smiled. Usually he liked chatting with Chloe, but he felt now was not the time.
Chloe sighed. "I don't know what you guys are up to, but it better not involve your old rubber spider, Pete." Chloe thought they were probably up to some prank, but was glad their excuse really did involve her.
He laughed, "Don't worry Chloe."
Chloe stood up. "Alright. Well, I gotta run, my dad needs me to install the new computer. We ifinally/i got rid of the old one. I'll be in and out of the Torch office all day, so I'll probably be able to catch you at some point. See you guys later!"
"Ok, bye Chloe." Clark said. Great, so now they definitely have to be there today.
Pete waved. "Bye." After Chloe left, Pete turned the conversation down a bit. "That was close."
Clark nodded. "Tell me about it. So are we going to go now, or what? If we go later, we'd risk getting caught."
"I guess we should." Pete said. "They'll put the coffee on our tabs, right?"
"You have a tab?" Clark laughed. "I think you need to cut down on the coffee, Pete."
* * *
Clark searched through the back of the closet in the Torch office. "I can't see it in here anywhere."
"Use your x-ray vision." Pete said.
Clark smiled sheepishly, "Oh yeah." Then he reached for the only object he could see that his x-ray vision couldn't penetrate through, and brought it out. "Is this it?"
Pete nodded. "I think so. You probably should leave the room or something, Clark. Chloe keeps iall/i her meteor rocks in there."
"Ok." Clark said, and headed for the door. "Pick a small one, ok Pete?" The last thing he needed was for Chloe to find her biggest rock missing.
"I'll try my best." He smiled. After Clark left the room, Pete proceeded to open the chest. To his surprise, there were not meteor rocks inside, but pictures, and a withered corsage. "What the." Pete flipped through the pictures and quickly realized who was in them. It was Clark. Some of the pictures were of Chloe and Clark at the dance. Others were just of Clark around school, and other places. Pete bit his lip. Should he tell Clark? It might be best to bury the hatchet once and for all. "Hey Clark? I think you should come in here." He called.
Clark came back in, "What is it?"
"Check this out." Pete turned the chest to face Clark.
Clark came closer to see what it was. Then he saw the corsage he had given Chloe before the dance, along with the photos. "Oh boy." If Chloe had kept that old thing after all this time, it could only really mean one thing.
"I know. I mean, I thought she was over this already." Pete said. Though truthfully, he had always had the notion that Chloe just kept burying her feelings for Clark deeper and deeper.
"Apparently not." Clark picked up one of the pictures. It was of him from a while back, just after the fire he iaccidentally/i caused at the school, then put out. Chloe had asked him if she could use it in the Torch, but Clark asked her not to. So this is where she kept all those pictures of him.
Pete looked at the chest. "What should we do?"
"Put it back and pretend we didn't see anything. I'll look for another chest." Clark went back into the closet. If Chloe found out they'd found that chest, he didn't know what she'd do. But now that he knew how she still felt about him, Clark himself didn't know what to do. He found another chest, and quickly came back out with it. "This has to be it." He placed it in front of Pete, and then took Chloe's little 'shrine' back in the closet.
"A small one, right?" Pete asked before Clark left the room once again . "Yep." Clark closed the door behind him with a soft 'click'. He stood out in the hall, thinking about what he and Pete just found. So Chloe really wasn't over him like he thought she was. She was even the one who said they should just remain friends. Clark just couldn't shake the feeling that he really did say the wrong thing that day, by agreeing with her. But that was in the past now. Clark felt that if Chloe truly did still have feelings for him, she should come out herself.
Back in the Torch office, Pete opened up the second chest. Inside he found dozens of meteor rocks, some red and some green. He picked out a fairly small red meteor rock that looked like it would fit in their own lead box. Pete replaced it with the used rock, and closed the chest. He then placed the new rock in the little box, and put it in his backpack. "Okay Clark, you can come back in now." Pete called out.
Clark came back for the second time. "Got one?"
"Yeah." Pete patted his backpack. "We should get out of here soon, you never know when Chloe will drop by." He went over to his desk and rearranged some items to make it look like he and Clark had been working.
Clark put the chest full of meteor rocks away. "Ok, let's go."
Pete tossed a binder onto Chloe's desk, but it slid, knocking papers to the floor. "Whoops."
Clark went over to help Pete clean up, and picked up a paper completely covered in pen marks. Over and over, "Chloe + Clark" was written on it. He quickly placed it back on the desk and covered it with other papers. "C'mon Pete." He headed for the door, with Pete close behind.
* * *
Back in the loft, Clark was playing with his telescope while Pete lounged on the couch. Pete watched as the telescope's aim moved slowly from the sky to pretty much straight ahead. Anyone could guess whose bedroom it was pointed at. "Hey, Clark." Pete distracted him.
Clark looked up. "What?"
"You've been 'thinking about it' for over an hour now. Do you want to try it again or not?" he was getting slightly impatient. Pete was also a little excited as to what the new meteor rock would do.
"I dunno. I guess." Clark moved the telescope back to its original position, and then went over to the couch, where Pete was. He felt it was now or some other time when he least expected it. It was best to be at least a bit prepared.
Pete took out the box containing the red meteor rock and handed it to Clark.
Clark slowly opened the box, and saw the rock light up instantly. He took the meteor out of its container and studied it. The red crystals were warm to the touch, and seemed to vibrate slightly as he held it. Then, the glow of the rock suddenly seemed to dim, then fade out quickly.
Pete watched too. "Do you think it's a dud or something?" He asked Clark.
Clark placed it on the table. He hadn't felt any kind of effect from the rock, plus it has stopped glowing. "I think so. We might as well just bring it back to the Torch office. Chloe might find out what's going on if we don't return it before she goes there."
"Yeah" Pete agreed. He felt somewhat disappointed that nothing interesting had happened, as it had the day before.
Suddenly they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Clark shoved the meteor rock into his jacket's pocket.
"Hey guys, what are you up to?" Lana entered the loft, a little damp looking from the rain outside.
Clark looked at Pete. "Nothing, just hanging out. What's up?" Lana was really the last person Clark expected to come walking into his loft. After his first bout with a red meteor rock, he wasn't sure if she would ever talk to him again, at least they way they had before.
"I just got a postcard from Whitney. He's coming home in two weeks." She took a card out of her pocket and handed it to Clark for him to see. Lana didn't look that happy about it.
"That's great, isn't it?" He asked, and handed the postcard back to Lana.
Lana took it from him. "I don't know if I'm really ready to see him yet. We haven't spoken to each other since we broke up." She trailed off. Lana knew in her mind that she didn't want to see Whitney yet, so soon after she broke up with him, but her heart said otherwise. He'd been gone for four months, and she missed him a lot, but refused to let it show.
iThe red meteor rock in Clark's pocket began to glow again, but no one noticed./i
"Whitney's a good guy, Lana. I'm sure you can still be friends when he gets back." Clark said. After the talk he had with Whitney before the dance, Clark knew he wasn't so bad after all.
"Clark, if he comes back, I want to be more than friends again. I still love Whitney." Lana blurted out. After she realized what she said, she covered her mouth.
Clark and Pete were both taken by surprise.
"I have to go." Lana said quickly, then turned and walked away.
Pete looked at Clark. "Whoa." That certainly was different of Lana. Especially in front of he and Clark.
Clark watched as Lana left the barn. "Yeah." He knew Lana wasn't one to open up like that on the first try, or even the second. Something must be up. "Maybe I should go talk to her."
"I don't think that's such a good idea." Pete said. "She probably needs time to herself now or something." He had an idea from previous experiences with his sister.
"Ok. Then we might as well return the rock now." Clark needed to get out of the dusty barn. He and Pete had been in there for a while, because it started raining outside just after they returned from the Torch. The rain hadn't stopped yet, in fact, it seemed to be getting worse, but Clark wanted to put the meteor back before anything else weird happened.
"Yeah." Pete looked out the window. It looked pretty bad to him. He picked up his jacket. "Where'd you put the rock?"
"I got it here in my pocket." Clark took it out to show to Pete. It was no longer glowing, but they didn't know any different.
As they left the barn, a low rumble echoed in the distance. The storm was getting worse.
* * *
They arrived at the school 15 minutes later. Pete hated driving in the rain, and Clark didn't like it much better, so they decided to walk. Sopping wet, they entered the Torch office, and found Chloe sitting at her desk. Clark had forgotten to check if her car was in the parking lot while they were outside.
"Hey guys, I was wondering when you'd be stopping by." Chloe smiled. She hadn't been there for long, but was glad to have some company.
"Hey Chloe." Clark put on a grin, for her sake. He was kind of hoping she iwouldn't/i be there. Nonetheless, it wasn't such a terrible thing that she was there. At least they could get the article done.
Pete smiled, but was thinking along the same lines as Clark.
Once again, the meteor rock began to glow in Clark's pocket. Chloe spotted the red light out of the corner of her eye. "What's that?" She asked Clark.
Clark looked at his pocket, and saw the glow. "Uh. It's. my. new pager. Hold on a sec." Clark exited the office, and closed the door behind him. He took the glowing rock out of his pocket, and watched as it started to fade again. He heard the door start to open, and put the meteor back in his pocket.
"Is everything ok Clark?" Chloe asked. She was a bit worried. Clark had been acting pretty strange recently. Stranger than the usual for Clark Kent.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Why do you ask?" Clark was tired of making up excuses for Chloe, and didn't know what to say or do anymore. Suddenly Clark noticed a faint red glow to Chloe's eyes, which disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
All of a sudden, Chloe felt an urge to tell Clark about her feelings towards him. She fought to hold herself back, but the words forced their way out of her mouth. "Clark, I still really like you. A lot. I want to be more than friends. I've always wanted it to be that way." Tears built up in her eyes. She couldn't understand why she was saying this to Clark. Chloe couldn't even tell her true feeling about Clark to Pete, or Lana.
This really took Clark by surprise, but relaxed him a little. At least he was off the hook about the meteor rock for now. "Chloe. I never knew you felt that way." He had no idea what to say. Either way, Clark knew Chloe would probably get mad at him.
Chloe quickly wiped her eyes, and sniffed. "Of course you wouldn't Clark, you're blind to everything. You always have been, and always will." She turned and went back into the office.
Clark just stood dumbstruck. What is going on with everyone today? First Lana, now Chloe. What next? In frustration, Clark supersped out of the building, into the darkening day, and the pouring rain.
Pete watched Chloe as she wiped her eyes and sat down at her desk. He was at a loss for words, whether to comfort Chloe, or say nothing. Standing there watching Chloe work wasn't doing anything, so Pete sat at his own desk and began to type his article.
Chloe peeked over her computer and watched Pete type. Some friend he was. Did he even care? She began to reconsider all of her relationships. Clark is always off in outer space. Sometimes he just needs to get his head out of the clouds and back to Earth. And Pete, he's become Clark's little sidekick now. He barely speaks to her anymore. Then there's Lana. She and Chloe have recently become better friends. Chloe found Lana nice to chat with about girl stuff - something she hasn't been able to do in a while. This friendship proved to be promising to her. But now that Clark knows her feelings. Would he ever feel the same way towards her?
As Pete worked, he felt Chloe's stare, and looked up. Chloe quickly looked down in response. He felt bad that he hadn't said anything to Chloe, but it was a little late now. If only he knew where Clark went.
* * *
Clark stopped running and found himself back at home. Now soaking wet, he decided to hide out in the barn, rather than go into the house and have his parents intervene. Lightning flashed outside. The barn seemed to moan as thunder shook the small town. Clark sat on the floor of the loft, and leaned on the edge of the large window. He was sure Chloe really didn't want to tell him her true feelings, but then why else would she have told him? And Lana. Clark had no clue she still wanted to be with Whitney. Now that Clark knew that, he knew he, once again, missed his chance with Lana. If only he could have acted differently on his date with Lana, when he was infected with the red meteor rock, things may have turned out differently between them. Clark might have had his chance to really be with Lana. Now there's Chloe. She really liked him. But Clark didn't know if he'd ever like her in the same way. She was cute and all, but he thought they were too good of friends to have a love relationship. Clark felt badly about it, because he never wanted to hurt Chloe. Maybe he could try asking her out again, on a real date. Would she think it was out of pity?
* * *
Chloe looked out of the window in the Torch office. The rain showed no signs of letting up, and it was just getting darker outside. She wondered where Clark was, what he was thinking. The room was silent, except for the rhythmic beating of the rain, matched with the ticking of the clock. Chloe glanced at her watch. It was already 6pm. She thought about going home.
Pete watched Chloe gaze out the window. They had been sitting in silence for nearly an hour now. Where had Clark gone? Was he planning on coming back at some point? Pete wanted to go and find him, but would feel bad if he left Chloe all by herself. Suddenly, he remembered the main reason why he and Clark had come to the Torch in the first place. They had to return the meteor rock. Pete recalled it glowing in Clark's pocket shortly after they came. Did it have something to do with what was going on between Clark and Chloe? Pete needed to find Clark. He stood up. "Chloe, it's getting late. Let's call it a day, alright?"
"Yeah, I guess so." Chloe shut down her computer. The rain seemed to beat harder against the windows. She shivered. "Want a ride home Pete?"
Pete nodded. "Sure, that'd be great." He wondered if he should get Chloe to drop him off at Clark's house. Probably not. He could walk there from his own house. Pete picked up his backpack and headed for the door.
Chloe followed behind, and locked the office door after they exited.
Together they continued down the hall, in a tortured silence.
* * *
Chloe drove past her house. She and Pete had barely said two words to each other the whole car ride. After she dropped him off, she was going to go home. But now, she wanted to talk to Clark. It was killing her not knowing how he felt. To keep herself company, Chloe turned on the radio.
iLook into my eyes - you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart - search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you/i
Usually Chloe enjoyed this song, but now she just wanted to turn it off. It reminded her too much of how she actually felt. The rain seemed to be letting up, and the thunder had become a small rumble in the distance, miles away. Chloe pulled into the Kent's muddy driveway. She wasn't sure if anyone was at home, but she saw a light on in the barn, so she decided to go in there. Quietly she walked up the wooden stairs and saw Clark sitting at the window. She sat down beside him.
Clark had felt Chloe's presence since she entered the barn, and was deep in thought as to what he was going to do or say. For a few minutes, they just sat together in the silence, watching the rain slowly die down. It was nice. He just wanted this moment to last forever, with the two of them side by side, listening to the rain. Clark made up his mind.
"Clark-" Chloe started. She wanted to say she didn't mean what she said earlier, but that'd be a lie. And Clark would know it.
Clark moved closer to Chloe, right beside her. "Chloe, I want to be more than friends too." Clark turned to Chloe, and looked into her eyes. "And I'm not just saying that because of what you said. I really think we could have a strong relationship together." He gave her a little smile.
"Really?" Chloe was relieved, but suspicious to Clark's sudden change of heart. "What about Lana, isn't she a free agent now?" She really wanted to know why he would choose her over Lana.
"Chloe, don't always assume you're second best. Yes, I enjoy spending time with Lana, but we don't have a lot of the same interests. But you and I are both into the same things, like the Torch, and Science, and chocolate chip cookies." Clark said. "I want to be with iyou/i."
Chloe couldn't help but smile. She put her head on his shoulder, and they both sat together looking at the stars. The rain had fully stopped, and all was quiet.
* * *
As Clark walked Chloe to her car, he saw Pete walking up the driveway. He knew they should probably talk privately. Clark opened Chloe's door for her. "I'm really glad you came over tonight Chloe." He smiled.
She smiled back. "Me too." Chloe got into her car. "See you tomorrow?"
"You bet!" Clark felt really great. He closed Chloe's door, and waved as she backed out of the driveway.
After Chloe left, Pete came up to Clark. "I think I've figured out what's going on Clark. It's the meteor."
Clark was confused, and took the red meteor rock out of his pocket. "This? I thought it was inactive."
"Yeah, but remember how it glowed around Chloe? It probably did the same with Lana. The rock must allow you to find out what's on someone's mind or something." Pete took the rock from Clark. It was glowing again.
"Oh." Clark wasn't so surprised. He knew something was up, and that Lana wouldn't tell him she still liked Whitney straight out like that. But Chloe... Clark really thought she came out on her own and told him the truth, not by force. Which means Chloe wouldn't have told him, at least not then. And now he's in a new relationship with her, and will probably end up hurting her again. Clark felt horrible. "Pete, if Chloe told me that she still likes me just because of this rock, she wouldn't have told me otherwise. I just told her that I wanted to be with her. What if I just hurt Chloe again? She'd never forgive me."
Pete now felt really bad. It was practically all his fault. If he didn't press Clark to experiment with the red meteor rock, then this never would have happened. "Clark, I'm really sorry. It's all my fault."
"No, Pete. I also agreed to it. But those are just the consequences I suppose. I'm just glad it was nothing worse, I mean, we probably would have found these out eventually anyway. Let's just not mess with the unknown anymore."
Pete agreed. "Yeah, you're right. I still feel pretty bad though. What are we going to do with this?" He handed the meteor back to Clark.
Clark took the meteor from Pete, and thought for a moment. Then with all his strength, Clark threw the rock high and far. It streaked across the sky with a faint red light. Clark smiled.
* * *
After Chloe got out of her car at home, she looked up into the sky. A shooting star shot across the black night, and she whispered with a smile, "I couldn't possibly wish for anything else."
"Don't you just want to see what would happen?" Pete said as he held out the small lead box to Clark. He had stumbled upon a red meteor while walking with his father in the woods the night before. Immediately he had thought of what it had done to Clark just days ago. The idea that one little rock could have such a great affect on Clark baffled Pete, but also drew him into the mystery. Though the first outcome of Clark's exposure to a red meteor rock was anything but a pleasant one, Pete really wanted to test it with him, and see if there were any other possible affects it could have on him.
"I don't know. It's probably not a good idea Pete." Clark refused to take the box from him. Ever since Clark had been affected by the red meteor rock in his class ring, he didn't even want to think about getting near another meteor rock again.
Pete peeked inside, "It's only a little bit, and it probably won't do anything. Besides, we have the green rocks here too." He picked up the second small lead box. Though Pete was worried about it too, he was convinced they really should research the red meteor rocks a bit more before jumping to any bad conclusions about them.
"That piece isn't even smaller than the one that was on my ring! And what's the point, we both know what will happen." Clark stood up and walked over to the window in the loft, just trying to put the memory of what he put his family and friends through in the back of his mind. He had been such a horrible person, shooting off his mouth, doing whatever he wanted. It pained Clark to think what would happen if the red meteor rocks affected him the same way again.
"Well, you never know." Pete put the box down. If Clark didn't want to experiment, that's fine. In the back of his mind, Pete didn't know if he really wanted to do it anyway, just incase something bad happened. Then he would be partially to blame. Pete picked up a comic book instead. "Warrior Angel?" he laughed.
Clark turned, "Ryan gave them to me before he left, said he wouldn't need them anymore."
"Why?" Pete asked.
Clark smiled, "'Cause he's got me."
"Right. So when is he coming back for a visit?" he tossed the comic back onto the table.
Clark came back and sat on the couch, "I don't know. We haven't been able to contact each other since he moved in with his Aunt to Edge City. The phone number we have doesn't work, and he hasn't replied either of the 2 letters we've sent." The Kents had mailed Ryan twice over the summer, inviting him to come for a visit, but they never got a reply. Jonathan told Clark that at the end of the month when they go to attend the farmer's market just outside of Edge City, they could go into town and look Ryan up.
"Man, that sucks. I hope he's alright."
"Me too." Clark said. Then he fingered the lead box containing the red meteor rock. Maybe it iwould/i be a good idea to test it, just once, so he could possibly be better prepared for the future. And if he got out of control, Clark knew that Pete would be there with the green meteor rocks. He decided to give it a chance. "So you really think it'll do something different?"
"I'm not saying it iwill/i, but you never know until you try, right?" Pete took the other box containing the green meteor rock. He really didn't want to have to use it, because he had seen how much it hurts Clark.
"I guess." Clark held his breath, and opened the box. The red crystals on the meteor rock started to glow instantly. He felt his skin tingle, but that was it.
Pete studied Clark. "Well? Feel any different?" he grasped the lead box containing the green meteor rocks, just in case.
Clark looked down at himself. Besides the slight tingle that continued to linger slightly, he really didn't feel any different. "Not really." Then he saw his right foot, or rather, didn't see his foot. "Uh, Pete?"
"What?"
Clark held up his foot.
Pete laughed, "Where's your foot?" He thought this was great.
"I don't know you tell me!" Clark concentrated on his foot, "I think it's still there." he grabbed the space where his foot should be. To his relief, it was still tangible. Then he reached to close the lid on the red meteor rock to make it stop. He was afraid it might be permanent.
"No, wait!" Pete grabbed the box from Clark. This might not be a bad thing. "Can't you try to make the rest of yourself invisible or something?"
"How?" Clark asked. He really didn't want it to spread, but if it could become a new 'gift'.
Pete thought for a second. Then he just said the first thing that came to mind. "Just ithink/i invisible." He smiled.
Clark closed his eyes and concentrated hard.
Pete watched as the invisibility slowly spread from his leg over the rest of Clark's body, "Awesome!" he smiled. This didn't appear to be so bad after all.
Clark looked at himself in the mirror, or at least, he thought he was looking at himself. "Weird." He walked over to the table and began picking things up, making them appear to float.
Pete thought he was still on the couch, and turned towards Clark's voice, "So now what? Want to go into town? Stir up some trouble?" he winked.
"No," Clark said while still playing with objects. He'd rather get some practice being invisible before he went out like this. Plus Clark felt it would be wrong anyway. "It wouldn't be right." He walked back over to the couch. "How am I supposed to turn visible again?"
"Well," Pete said, "if thinking invisible make you invisible, then think visible!" It seemed like the logical way.
"Ok." Clark concentrated very hard, but found it strange when he was able to see through his own eyelids, though they were closed. Slowly he faded back, until he was fully visible again. Then he closed the lid on the box with the red meteor rock. "Let's save this one for later." Clark said.
Pete smiled. "I'm glad we didn't have to use this." He picked up the other lead box.
"Yeah." Clark said, deep in thought. The rocks obviously didn't only mess with his mind; they could change his appearance as well. "So I guess the red meteor rocks have two different affects then."
"Or more. I mean, if there're two, why not three? Or four? What if it's different ievery time/i?" His eyes widened.
Clark shuddered at the thought. "I sure hope not." Then it could get really bad.. He opened the lid again, but didn't feel any affect from it. Clark also noticed that the red rock no longer glowed like it had before. "That's strange."
"What?" Pete looked over at the open box.
"I don't think it's active anymore. Look, it's not glowing like it did before." He passed it to Pete.
"Maybe it only works once." Pete tossed it back.
"Since when were you the expert on meteor rocks?" Clark asked Pete.
"Believe me, if you hung around Chloe more, you'd know a lot too."
Clark was caught off guard. Was Pete trying to hint at Clark's somewhat distant relationship with Chloe, or just making a comment? He smiled anyway, "Yeah, I guess so."
Pete found this experiment quite interesting, and wanted to do more. "Want to go find more red meteor rocks?" He emptied the lead box containing the now inactive rock.
Clark stood up and grabbed his coat from off the railing, "Nah, it's getting late. Besides, I don't think it's such a good idea anymore. Something bad could happen." The whole invisibility thing still freaked him out a bit. Also, if the affects were different every time, who knows what could happen, Clark just wasn't one to take chances.
Pete thought about it too. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He sighed, and then yawned, "What time is it anyway?"
Clark looked at his watch, "9:45pm, why?"
Pete jumped off the couch, "'Cause I was supposed to be home at 9:30!"
* * *
"If we do, where are we going to find another one? You know I can't go into the gorge." Clark discussed with Pete quietly in the Talon the next day. Pete was still somewhat persistent on experimenting with the red meteor rocks. The only problem was that they already used the only one they had.
"Well, Chloe collects meteors and keeps them in the back of the closet at the Torch, in the old film chest. We could just take one and replace it with the one we used. She'd never know." Pete sipped his coffee. He knew it would be wrong to take from Chloe like that, but it was the easiest way he could think of.
"Did I just hear my name?" Chloe pulled out a chair in between Clark and Pete. She wasn't entirely pleased to have found them discussing her behind her back.
Clark raised his eyebrows, "Oh, Pete and I were just planning on, uh, stopping by the Torch later to work on this week's articles." He smiled. "I was just wondering if you'd be there to help."
Chloe turned to Clark, "Really? That would be a first." She raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Pete said. "Clark was going to help me with my report on the impending janitorial strike, but I don't think I have all of the facts yet. We knew you'd probably have some information on it, right Clark?" Silently he thanked Clark for the quick save. It was a close one.
"Right" Clark smiled. Usually he liked chatting with Chloe, but he felt now was not the time.
Chloe sighed. "I don't know what you guys are up to, but it better not involve your old rubber spider, Pete." Chloe thought they were probably up to some prank, but was glad their excuse really did involve her.
He laughed, "Don't worry Chloe."
Chloe stood up. "Alright. Well, I gotta run, my dad needs me to install the new computer. We ifinally/i got rid of the old one. I'll be in and out of the Torch office all day, so I'll probably be able to catch you at some point. See you guys later!"
"Ok, bye Chloe." Clark said. Great, so now they definitely have to be there today.
Pete waved. "Bye." After Chloe left, Pete turned the conversation down a bit. "That was close."
Clark nodded. "Tell me about it. So are we going to go now, or what? If we go later, we'd risk getting caught."
"I guess we should." Pete said. "They'll put the coffee on our tabs, right?"
"You have a tab?" Clark laughed. "I think you need to cut down on the coffee, Pete."
* * *
Clark searched through the back of the closet in the Torch office. "I can't see it in here anywhere."
"Use your x-ray vision." Pete said.
Clark smiled sheepishly, "Oh yeah." Then he reached for the only object he could see that his x-ray vision couldn't penetrate through, and brought it out. "Is this it?"
Pete nodded. "I think so. You probably should leave the room or something, Clark. Chloe keeps iall/i her meteor rocks in there."
"Ok." Clark said, and headed for the door. "Pick a small one, ok Pete?" The last thing he needed was for Chloe to find her biggest rock missing.
"I'll try my best." He smiled. After Clark left the room, Pete proceeded to open the chest. To his surprise, there were not meteor rocks inside, but pictures, and a withered corsage. "What the." Pete flipped through the pictures and quickly realized who was in them. It was Clark. Some of the pictures were of Chloe and Clark at the dance. Others were just of Clark around school, and other places. Pete bit his lip. Should he tell Clark? It might be best to bury the hatchet once and for all. "Hey Clark? I think you should come in here." He called.
Clark came back in, "What is it?"
"Check this out." Pete turned the chest to face Clark.
Clark came closer to see what it was. Then he saw the corsage he had given Chloe before the dance, along with the photos. "Oh boy." If Chloe had kept that old thing after all this time, it could only really mean one thing.
"I know. I mean, I thought she was over this already." Pete said. Though truthfully, he had always had the notion that Chloe just kept burying her feelings for Clark deeper and deeper.
"Apparently not." Clark picked up one of the pictures. It was of him from a while back, just after the fire he iaccidentally/i caused at the school, then put out. Chloe had asked him if she could use it in the Torch, but Clark asked her not to. So this is where she kept all those pictures of him.
Pete looked at the chest. "What should we do?"
"Put it back and pretend we didn't see anything. I'll look for another chest." Clark went back into the closet. If Chloe found out they'd found that chest, he didn't know what she'd do. But now that he knew how she still felt about him, Clark himself didn't know what to do. He found another chest, and quickly came back out with it. "This has to be it." He placed it in front of Pete, and then took Chloe's little 'shrine' back in the closet.
"A small one, right?" Pete asked before Clark left the room once again . "Yep." Clark closed the door behind him with a soft 'click'. He stood out in the hall, thinking about what he and Pete just found. So Chloe really wasn't over him like he thought she was. She was even the one who said they should just remain friends. Clark just couldn't shake the feeling that he really did say the wrong thing that day, by agreeing with her. But that was in the past now. Clark felt that if Chloe truly did still have feelings for him, she should come out herself.
Back in the Torch office, Pete opened up the second chest. Inside he found dozens of meteor rocks, some red and some green. He picked out a fairly small red meteor rock that looked like it would fit in their own lead box. Pete replaced it with the used rock, and closed the chest. He then placed the new rock in the little box, and put it in his backpack. "Okay Clark, you can come back in now." Pete called out.
Clark came back for the second time. "Got one?"
"Yeah." Pete patted his backpack. "We should get out of here soon, you never know when Chloe will drop by." He went over to his desk and rearranged some items to make it look like he and Clark had been working.
Clark put the chest full of meteor rocks away. "Ok, let's go."
Pete tossed a binder onto Chloe's desk, but it slid, knocking papers to the floor. "Whoops."
Clark went over to help Pete clean up, and picked up a paper completely covered in pen marks. Over and over, "Chloe + Clark" was written on it. He quickly placed it back on the desk and covered it with other papers. "C'mon Pete." He headed for the door, with Pete close behind.
* * *
Back in the loft, Clark was playing with his telescope while Pete lounged on the couch. Pete watched as the telescope's aim moved slowly from the sky to pretty much straight ahead. Anyone could guess whose bedroom it was pointed at. "Hey, Clark." Pete distracted him.
Clark looked up. "What?"
"You've been 'thinking about it' for over an hour now. Do you want to try it again or not?" he was getting slightly impatient. Pete was also a little excited as to what the new meteor rock would do.
"I dunno. I guess." Clark moved the telescope back to its original position, and then went over to the couch, where Pete was. He felt it was now or some other time when he least expected it. It was best to be at least a bit prepared.
Pete took out the box containing the red meteor rock and handed it to Clark.
Clark slowly opened the box, and saw the rock light up instantly. He took the meteor out of its container and studied it. The red crystals were warm to the touch, and seemed to vibrate slightly as he held it. Then, the glow of the rock suddenly seemed to dim, then fade out quickly.
Pete watched too. "Do you think it's a dud or something?" He asked Clark.
Clark placed it on the table. He hadn't felt any kind of effect from the rock, plus it has stopped glowing. "I think so. We might as well just bring it back to the Torch office. Chloe might find out what's going on if we don't return it before she goes there."
"Yeah" Pete agreed. He felt somewhat disappointed that nothing interesting had happened, as it had the day before.
Suddenly they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Clark shoved the meteor rock into his jacket's pocket.
"Hey guys, what are you up to?" Lana entered the loft, a little damp looking from the rain outside.
Clark looked at Pete. "Nothing, just hanging out. What's up?" Lana was really the last person Clark expected to come walking into his loft. After his first bout with a red meteor rock, he wasn't sure if she would ever talk to him again, at least they way they had before.
"I just got a postcard from Whitney. He's coming home in two weeks." She took a card out of her pocket and handed it to Clark for him to see. Lana didn't look that happy about it.
"That's great, isn't it?" He asked, and handed the postcard back to Lana.
Lana took it from him. "I don't know if I'm really ready to see him yet. We haven't spoken to each other since we broke up." She trailed off. Lana knew in her mind that she didn't want to see Whitney yet, so soon after she broke up with him, but her heart said otherwise. He'd been gone for four months, and she missed him a lot, but refused to let it show.
iThe red meteor rock in Clark's pocket began to glow again, but no one noticed./i
"Whitney's a good guy, Lana. I'm sure you can still be friends when he gets back." Clark said. After the talk he had with Whitney before the dance, Clark knew he wasn't so bad after all.
"Clark, if he comes back, I want to be more than friends again. I still love Whitney." Lana blurted out. After she realized what she said, she covered her mouth.
Clark and Pete were both taken by surprise.
"I have to go." Lana said quickly, then turned and walked away.
Pete looked at Clark. "Whoa." That certainly was different of Lana. Especially in front of he and Clark.
Clark watched as Lana left the barn. "Yeah." He knew Lana wasn't one to open up like that on the first try, or even the second. Something must be up. "Maybe I should go talk to her."
"I don't think that's such a good idea." Pete said. "She probably needs time to herself now or something." He had an idea from previous experiences with his sister.
"Ok. Then we might as well return the rock now." Clark needed to get out of the dusty barn. He and Pete had been in there for a while, because it started raining outside just after they returned from the Torch. The rain hadn't stopped yet, in fact, it seemed to be getting worse, but Clark wanted to put the meteor back before anything else weird happened.
"Yeah." Pete looked out the window. It looked pretty bad to him. He picked up his jacket. "Where'd you put the rock?"
"I got it here in my pocket." Clark took it out to show to Pete. It was no longer glowing, but they didn't know any different.
As they left the barn, a low rumble echoed in the distance. The storm was getting worse.
* * *
They arrived at the school 15 minutes later. Pete hated driving in the rain, and Clark didn't like it much better, so they decided to walk. Sopping wet, they entered the Torch office, and found Chloe sitting at her desk. Clark had forgotten to check if her car was in the parking lot while they were outside.
"Hey guys, I was wondering when you'd be stopping by." Chloe smiled. She hadn't been there for long, but was glad to have some company.
"Hey Chloe." Clark put on a grin, for her sake. He was kind of hoping she iwouldn't/i be there. Nonetheless, it wasn't such a terrible thing that she was there. At least they could get the article done.
Pete smiled, but was thinking along the same lines as Clark.
Once again, the meteor rock began to glow in Clark's pocket. Chloe spotted the red light out of the corner of her eye. "What's that?" She asked Clark.
Clark looked at his pocket, and saw the glow. "Uh. It's. my. new pager. Hold on a sec." Clark exited the office, and closed the door behind him. He took the glowing rock out of his pocket, and watched as it started to fade again. He heard the door start to open, and put the meteor back in his pocket.
"Is everything ok Clark?" Chloe asked. She was a bit worried. Clark had been acting pretty strange recently. Stranger than the usual for Clark Kent.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Why do you ask?" Clark was tired of making up excuses for Chloe, and didn't know what to say or do anymore. Suddenly Clark noticed a faint red glow to Chloe's eyes, which disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
All of a sudden, Chloe felt an urge to tell Clark about her feelings towards him. She fought to hold herself back, but the words forced their way out of her mouth. "Clark, I still really like you. A lot. I want to be more than friends. I've always wanted it to be that way." Tears built up in her eyes. She couldn't understand why she was saying this to Clark. Chloe couldn't even tell her true feeling about Clark to Pete, or Lana.
This really took Clark by surprise, but relaxed him a little. At least he was off the hook about the meteor rock for now. "Chloe. I never knew you felt that way." He had no idea what to say. Either way, Clark knew Chloe would probably get mad at him.
Chloe quickly wiped her eyes, and sniffed. "Of course you wouldn't Clark, you're blind to everything. You always have been, and always will." She turned and went back into the office.
Clark just stood dumbstruck. What is going on with everyone today? First Lana, now Chloe. What next? In frustration, Clark supersped out of the building, into the darkening day, and the pouring rain.
Pete watched Chloe as she wiped her eyes and sat down at her desk. He was at a loss for words, whether to comfort Chloe, or say nothing. Standing there watching Chloe work wasn't doing anything, so Pete sat at his own desk and began to type his article.
Chloe peeked over her computer and watched Pete type. Some friend he was. Did he even care? She began to reconsider all of her relationships. Clark is always off in outer space. Sometimes he just needs to get his head out of the clouds and back to Earth. And Pete, he's become Clark's little sidekick now. He barely speaks to her anymore. Then there's Lana. She and Chloe have recently become better friends. Chloe found Lana nice to chat with about girl stuff - something she hasn't been able to do in a while. This friendship proved to be promising to her. But now that Clark knows her feelings. Would he ever feel the same way towards her?
As Pete worked, he felt Chloe's stare, and looked up. Chloe quickly looked down in response. He felt bad that he hadn't said anything to Chloe, but it was a little late now. If only he knew where Clark went.
* * *
Clark stopped running and found himself back at home. Now soaking wet, he decided to hide out in the barn, rather than go into the house and have his parents intervene. Lightning flashed outside. The barn seemed to moan as thunder shook the small town. Clark sat on the floor of the loft, and leaned on the edge of the large window. He was sure Chloe really didn't want to tell him her true feelings, but then why else would she have told him? And Lana. Clark had no clue she still wanted to be with Whitney. Now that Clark knew that, he knew he, once again, missed his chance with Lana. If only he could have acted differently on his date with Lana, when he was infected with the red meteor rock, things may have turned out differently between them. Clark might have had his chance to really be with Lana. Now there's Chloe. She really liked him. But Clark didn't know if he'd ever like her in the same way. She was cute and all, but he thought they were too good of friends to have a love relationship. Clark felt badly about it, because he never wanted to hurt Chloe. Maybe he could try asking her out again, on a real date. Would she think it was out of pity?
* * *
Chloe looked out of the window in the Torch office. The rain showed no signs of letting up, and it was just getting darker outside. She wondered where Clark was, what he was thinking. The room was silent, except for the rhythmic beating of the rain, matched with the ticking of the clock. Chloe glanced at her watch. It was already 6pm. She thought about going home.
Pete watched Chloe gaze out the window. They had been sitting in silence for nearly an hour now. Where had Clark gone? Was he planning on coming back at some point? Pete wanted to go and find him, but would feel bad if he left Chloe all by herself. Suddenly, he remembered the main reason why he and Clark had come to the Torch in the first place. They had to return the meteor rock. Pete recalled it glowing in Clark's pocket shortly after they came. Did it have something to do with what was going on between Clark and Chloe? Pete needed to find Clark. He stood up. "Chloe, it's getting late. Let's call it a day, alright?"
"Yeah, I guess so." Chloe shut down her computer. The rain seemed to beat harder against the windows. She shivered. "Want a ride home Pete?"
Pete nodded. "Sure, that'd be great." He wondered if he should get Chloe to drop him off at Clark's house. Probably not. He could walk there from his own house. Pete picked up his backpack and headed for the door.
Chloe followed behind, and locked the office door after they exited.
Together they continued down the hall, in a tortured silence.
* * *
Chloe drove past her house. She and Pete had barely said two words to each other the whole car ride. After she dropped him off, she was going to go home. But now, she wanted to talk to Clark. It was killing her not knowing how he felt. To keep herself company, Chloe turned on the radio.
iLook into my eyes - you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart - search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you/i
Usually Chloe enjoyed this song, but now she just wanted to turn it off. It reminded her too much of how she actually felt. The rain seemed to be letting up, and the thunder had become a small rumble in the distance, miles away. Chloe pulled into the Kent's muddy driveway. She wasn't sure if anyone was at home, but she saw a light on in the barn, so she decided to go in there. Quietly she walked up the wooden stairs and saw Clark sitting at the window. She sat down beside him.
Clark had felt Chloe's presence since she entered the barn, and was deep in thought as to what he was going to do or say. For a few minutes, they just sat together in the silence, watching the rain slowly die down. It was nice. He just wanted this moment to last forever, with the two of them side by side, listening to the rain. Clark made up his mind.
"Clark-" Chloe started. She wanted to say she didn't mean what she said earlier, but that'd be a lie. And Clark would know it.
Clark moved closer to Chloe, right beside her. "Chloe, I want to be more than friends too." Clark turned to Chloe, and looked into her eyes. "And I'm not just saying that because of what you said. I really think we could have a strong relationship together." He gave her a little smile.
"Really?" Chloe was relieved, but suspicious to Clark's sudden change of heart. "What about Lana, isn't she a free agent now?" She really wanted to know why he would choose her over Lana.
"Chloe, don't always assume you're second best. Yes, I enjoy spending time with Lana, but we don't have a lot of the same interests. But you and I are both into the same things, like the Torch, and Science, and chocolate chip cookies." Clark said. "I want to be with iyou/i."
Chloe couldn't help but smile. She put her head on his shoulder, and they both sat together looking at the stars. The rain had fully stopped, and all was quiet.
* * *
As Clark walked Chloe to her car, he saw Pete walking up the driveway. He knew they should probably talk privately. Clark opened Chloe's door for her. "I'm really glad you came over tonight Chloe." He smiled.
She smiled back. "Me too." Chloe got into her car. "See you tomorrow?"
"You bet!" Clark felt really great. He closed Chloe's door, and waved as she backed out of the driveway.
After Chloe left, Pete came up to Clark. "I think I've figured out what's going on Clark. It's the meteor."
Clark was confused, and took the red meteor rock out of his pocket. "This? I thought it was inactive."
"Yeah, but remember how it glowed around Chloe? It probably did the same with Lana. The rock must allow you to find out what's on someone's mind or something." Pete took the rock from Clark. It was glowing again.
"Oh." Clark wasn't so surprised. He knew something was up, and that Lana wouldn't tell him she still liked Whitney straight out like that. But Chloe... Clark really thought she came out on her own and told him the truth, not by force. Which means Chloe wouldn't have told him, at least not then. And now he's in a new relationship with her, and will probably end up hurting her again. Clark felt horrible. "Pete, if Chloe told me that she still likes me just because of this rock, she wouldn't have told me otherwise. I just told her that I wanted to be with her. What if I just hurt Chloe again? She'd never forgive me."
Pete now felt really bad. It was practically all his fault. If he didn't press Clark to experiment with the red meteor rock, then this never would have happened. "Clark, I'm really sorry. It's all my fault."
"No, Pete. I also agreed to it. But those are just the consequences I suppose. I'm just glad it was nothing worse, I mean, we probably would have found these out eventually anyway. Let's just not mess with the unknown anymore."
Pete agreed. "Yeah, you're right. I still feel pretty bad though. What are we going to do with this?" He handed the meteor back to Clark.
Clark took the meteor from Pete, and thought for a moment. Then with all his strength, Clark threw the rock high and far. It streaked across the sky with a faint red light. Clark smiled.
* * *
After Chloe got out of her car at home, she looked up into the sky. A shooting star shot across the black night, and she whispered with a smile, "I couldn't possibly wish for anything else."