Summary and disclaimer in Prologue
Chapter 5
She was through the looking glass again, looking at herself standing naked on the other side. This time, however, when the insistent hands turned her, she could almost see an outline, a silhouette of light flickering against the swirling blackness surrounding her. Her name whispered in her ear again, as she felt herself pushed back against the hard edge. There was something frustratingly familiar about the voice and the touch, even the taste of the mouth against hers. "Remember" whispered the voice, and she wanted to scream that she was trying, wanted to grab hold of the interloper and force him to show her who he was, but now a different voice was calling her and as she turned she saw Pete looking at her.
"Chloe! Chloe!" She woke up to find her head on her arms on the layout desk and Pete shaking her gently.
"Pete?" Chloe looked groggily around the Torch office and tried to get her bearings. The sunlight streaming in through the window hurt her eyes and made her squint. One minute she had been wrapped in the arms of the invisible man and the next she was back down to earth with a thump.
"You expecting someone else?" Pete grinned at her vagueness. "You were making some pretty strange noises there. Who were you dreaming about? Clark?" Pete's grin widened and his voice took on a teasing quality. He particularly liked mocking Chloe when she couldn't snark him back.
"I wish I knew." Chloe muttered and rubbed her face, trying to get her head together.
"What does that mean?" Pete's smile slipped a little as he started to realise that his friend wasn't quite with him.
"Nothing, Pete." She looked him in the eye and he could see the exhaustion there, and also a tension that she had seemed to have coiled inside her ever since she got out of hospital. "What time is it?"
"Almost the end of lunch. You been asleep the whole time?" Pete drew up a chair and sat next to Chloe, leaning forward in concern.
"Shit! Oh, I am in so much trouble now!" Chloe checked her watch in disbelief and stood frantically, smoothing her hair with one hand and looking around for her bag. Pete grabbed her free hand and pulled her back down to sit next to him again. "Pete, I came in here before school to check over the layouts I did last night! I've been here all morning!" She tried to extricate her hand from Pete's, but he took her other hand and held her still.
"Its OK, Chlo. We'll just go to the nurse and tell her you were ill. She'll give you a note. And then I think you should go to the hospital."
"I can't, Pete. Besides, I'm fine." She gave him a half-hearted smile to try and prove it, but ended up looking sarcastic. Again she tried to pull away from him, and again he held her still.
"Chloe." He waited until she held still and met his eyes. "You haven't been acting normal since the parasite. No, no. Don't start." He shushed her as she opened her mouth to protest. "You know I'm right. Clark and Lana have noticed it too."
"I suppose Clark told you what I said to him this morning."
"Yes." He let a little smile lift one corner of his mouth. "And funny as it was, its not like you to be cruel. Especially to Clark." Chloe looked a little shame-faced and suddenly found the floor fascinating.
"OK, I'll apologise later. Happy?"
"Not even close." Pete waited until she met his eyes again before continuing in his most serious tone of voice. "I think you should go to the doctor. It could be something to do with the parasite."
"But you're fine. How can it be that?" Chloe looked at her best friend in confusion.
"Chloe, I don't know if you've noticed this, but I'm a guy. I'm also quite a lot physically stronger than you." He rushed on as he saw the flush rising to her cheeks and the protests about to rush out of her mouth. "All I'm saying is, there could be a hundred different reasons why it would affect you differently from me. Maybe they didn't get all of it out of you."
"Eww. Do you think that's possible?" Chloe's face twisted in disgust.
"Anything's possible. Especially in this town. So you gonna go?" She sighed and tried, unsuccessfully, to wiggle free once more.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really. Especially since I'm driving you." A warm smile lit up Pete's face once more, and he pulled his reluctant friend to her feet.
"No! I can't let you cut class for me. I'll drive myself."
"You promise you'll go?"
"Only if you let go of my hands. If you don't it could make driving difficult." Pete dropped her hands and took hold of her shoulders instead, looking into her eyes.
"You know I'm only doing this because I love you, right?"
"Right. And I love you too Pete, which is why I'm listening to your crazy ass theories in the first place." Chloe gave him a genuine smile and grabbed his shoulders in return. "What is this? An intervention?" It was Pete's turn to look a little embarrassed, and he let her go and put his hands in his jeans pockets.
"Kind of. I drew the short straw." His eyes flicked up to her face to gauge her reaction, a twitch of his lips showing that he wasn't entirely serious.
"Grrr! I could kill you sometimes, Ross." She mock-punched his shoulder and grabbed her bag. "Well then, lay on, Macduff." She gestured toward the door expectantly.
"What?" Pete wondered briefly if she'd actually lost it.
"Its from Macbeth you philistine. See, now, this is why I can't let you cut class. There's more to life than football you know!" Shaking her messy blonde head, she slid past him and led the way herself out of the office.
Chapter 5
She was through the looking glass again, looking at herself standing naked on the other side. This time, however, when the insistent hands turned her, she could almost see an outline, a silhouette of light flickering against the swirling blackness surrounding her. Her name whispered in her ear again, as she felt herself pushed back against the hard edge. There was something frustratingly familiar about the voice and the touch, even the taste of the mouth against hers. "Remember" whispered the voice, and she wanted to scream that she was trying, wanted to grab hold of the interloper and force him to show her who he was, but now a different voice was calling her and as she turned she saw Pete looking at her.
"Chloe! Chloe!" She woke up to find her head on her arms on the layout desk and Pete shaking her gently.
"Pete?" Chloe looked groggily around the Torch office and tried to get her bearings. The sunlight streaming in through the window hurt her eyes and made her squint. One minute she had been wrapped in the arms of the invisible man and the next she was back down to earth with a thump.
"You expecting someone else?" Pete grinned at her vagueness. "You were making some pretty strange noises there. Who were you dreaming about? Clark?" Pete's grin widened and his voice took on a teasing quality. He particularly liked mocking Chloe when she couldn't snark him back.
"I wish I knew." Chloe muttered and rubbed her face, trying to get her head together.
"What does that mean?" Pete's smile slipped a little as he started to realise that his friend wasn't quite with him.
"Nothing, Pete." She looked him in the eye and he could see the exhaustion there, and also a tension that she had seemed to have coiled inside her ever since she got out of hospital. "What time is it?"
"Almost the end of lunch. You been asleep the whole time?" Pete drew up a chair and sat next to Chloe, leaning forward in concern.
"Shit! Oh, I am in so much trouble now!" Chloe checked her watch in disbelief and stood frantically, smoothing her hair with one hand and looking around for her bag. Pete grabbed her free hand and pulled her back down to sit next to him again. "Pete, I came in here before school to check over the layouts I did last night! I've been here all morning!" She tried to extricate her hand from Pete's, but he took her other hand and held her still.
"Its OK, Chlo. We'll just go to the nurse and tell her you were ill. She'll give you a note. And then I think you should go to the hospital."
"I can't, Pete. Besides, I'm fine." She gave him a half-hearted smile to try and prove it, but ended up looking sarcastic. Again she tried to pull away from him, and again he held her still.
"Chloe." He waited until she held still and met his eyes. "You haven't been acting normal since the parasite. No, no. Don't start." He shushed her as she opened her mouth to protest. "You know I'm right. Clark and Lana have noticed it too."
"I suppose Clark told you what I said to him this morning."
"Yes." He let a little smile lift one corner of his mouth. "And funny as it was, its not like you to be cruel. Especially to Clark." Chloe looked a little shame-faced and suddenly found the floor fascinating.
"OK, I'll apologise later. Happy?"
"Not even close." Pete waited until she met his eyes again before continuing in his most serious tone of voice. "I think you should go to the doctor. It could be something to do with the parasite."
"But you're fine. How can it be that?" Chloe looked at her best friend in confusion.
"Chloe, I don't know if you've noticed this, but I'm a guy. I'm also quite a lot physically stronger than you." He rushed on as he saw the flush rising to her cheeks and the protests about to rush out of her mouth. "All I'm saying is, there could be a hundred different reasons why it would affect you differently from me. Maybe they didn't get all of it out of you."
"Eww. Do you think that's possible?" Chloe's face twisted in disgust.
"Anything's possible. Especially in this town. So you gonna go?" She sighed and tried, unsuccessfully, to wiggle free once more.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really. Especially since I'm driving you." A warm smile lit up Pete's face once more, and he pulled his reluctant friend to her feet.
"No! I can't let you cut class for me. I'll drive myself."
"You promise you'll go?"
"Only if you let go of my hands. If you don't it could make driving difficult." Pete dropped her hands and took hold of her shoulders instead, looking into her eyes.
"You know I'm only doing this because I love you, right?"
"Right. And I love you too Pete, which is why I'm listening to your crazy ass theories in the first place." Chloe gave him a genuine smile and grabbed his shoulders in return. "What is this? An intervention?" It was Pete's turn to look a little embarrassed, and he let her go and put his hands in his jeans pockets.
"Kind of. I drew the short straw." His eyes flicked up to her face to gauge her reaction, a twitch of his lips showing that he wasn't entirely serious.
"Grrr! I could kill you sometimes, Ross." She mock-punched his shoulder and grabbed her bag. "Well then, lay on, Macduff." She gestured toward the door expectantly.
"What?" Pete wondered briefly if she'd actually lost it.
"Its from Macbeth you philistine. See, now, this is why I can't let you cut class. There's more to life than football you know!" Shaking her messy blonde head, she slid past him and led the way herself out of the office.