Chapter 2

Kyle and the others had been searching and searching, and although they had lost track of time, they knew they should take a rest. They found an empty room and Grianne was able to make it seem like there was no door. They were safe for now.

They sat on the floor and were silent for quiet a while until Jenny said, "What if we can't find this guy?"

"We'll find him," replied Kyle, not letting himself believe otherwise.

"How can you be so sure?" she pressed.

"He's here somewhere, we just have to look harder," he told them.

Then the twins looked from one to another.

"What if he's dead?" they said in unison.

Kyle grew angry and in his tired state he snapped.

"Then we save his dead body," he barked, "You saw what they were doing to the body of that girl. I would never let that happen to Clark. Besides, he's too important for them to just kill."

They all stopped asking him questions and generally stayed back from him. They were only young and did not see the importance. All except Grianne, who talked to him in a corner of a room.

"Why is this boy so important to you?" she asked him.

The answer was simple, "Because he saved my life. He took bullets from a machine gun for me, and he survived with no more than bruises. Now he's on his own, helpless and he needs someone."

Then Kyle stopped. Why had he told her that? He had meant to reveal as little as possible as he could of what he knew about Clark. The he came to realise that they were all in the same boat. There was something about Grianne though, an immediate trust, a connection.

"Wow, that's pretty amazing even by Smallville standards. I guess he must be pretty important to them," she said, shocked.

She looked so innocent when she said it and it compelled him to say more than he ever had to anyone. While she was innocent, she was also brave and that astonished him.

"You really are beautiful," he told her.

She looked away. He didn't know the truth. If he did he wouldn't say that.

"You don't know me, or how I look. I keep it hidden. My real face is a mess of scars and it's hideous. This is just a mirage."

"I didn't mean your face," he said softly, "I meant you."

She looked at him, reading his sincerity. There was no lies in what he said and that made her fall for him. She had never met anyone who had loved her so honestly. As his face inched closer to her's, she gasped inwardly. 'He is going to kiss me' she thought. He pressed his lips to hers and clasped his hand to the back of her neck. She let herself indulge in a moment of pure passion before pulling away. There had been guards that had told her of her beauty and tried to seduce her, but this she knew was real. Before she could register what had just happened the others suggested they had better get moving and they were gone.