PART FOUR


Lex didn't remember why he'd gone to the Talon in the first place until he was already back at the mansion.

"Dammit," he muttered as he walked into his office. Although, in his current condition, he couldn't imagine having a coherent conversation with Lana Lang about making improvements to the coffee house. In fact, in his current condition, he didn't feel fit to do much anything.

Sighing, he sat down at his desk. On the drive home, his headache had returned with a vengeance. The sound of the engine—usually a soft purr of controlled power—was like a chainsaw running at high speed right next to his ear. And, worse than that, his clothes had started to bother him. The sensation only lasted for a few minutes. But, for those few minutes, it had felt like sandpaper was being scraped against his skin.

Elbows resting on the arms of his chair, Lex pressed his fingertips to his temples. Something was happening to him. Something he couldn't ignore, or shake off.

Now that he thought about it, he'd been having similar episodes since he'd returned from the island. Lights too bright. Food too spicy or salty. Sounds too loud. But those episodes never lasted long, sometimes only for a few seconds. He was able to explain them away. He was tired. He'd been working for too long. The cook had over-seasoned the food.

But, now, his senses seemed to be out of control. Everything was sharper, brighter, louder. And his head wouldn't stop pounding.

Lex closed his eyes. Maybe it was stress, everything that had happened to him finally catching up to him. Being stranded on the island. Facing the truth about Helen. The cat-and-mouse game he was playing with his father.

Stress was a good explanation. But, never one to hide from reality, Lex had to consider another possibility. Something he'd read long ago, but never thought about again until now.

Heightened senses were a sign of mental illness.

*****

Chloe stepped into the barn…and tripped.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, doing a skip and a hop to keep from falling flat on her face. As she caught her balance, she did a quick body check. She didn't feel any pain anywhere. But, as she looked down at the rock she'd tripped over, she saw that it had scratched up one of her brand new boots.

Sighing, Chloe let her chin drop to her chest. First, the coffee stain on her coat. Now, damaged footwear. Looked like the wardrobe gremlins really had it in for her today.

"Chloe?"

Glancing up, Chloe saw her best friend looking down at her from his loft. "Hey, Clark. Your mom told me you were in here."

"Yeah." Then, he frowned. "Are you okay? It sounded like…"

"Just had a klutz moment," Chloe interrupted. "No big." Pushing her hands into her pockets, she took a deep breath. "So, can I come up? Or are you, maybe, holding grudges against people who stood you up this afternoon?"

"Wellllll," Clark drawled, assuming a stern expression. But it looked like he was trying not to smile. "I'm actually in a pretty forgiving mood right now, so I guess you can stay."

"Gee, thanks." Grinning, Chloe climbed the stairs. "And I am so sorry for not meeting you at the Talon. I swear, I was just about to leave the Torch when something came up, and I lost all track of time."

"I figured it was something like that. So, what happened?"

"You won't believe this one." Chloe dropped her heavy purse on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa. "Apparently, some of our fellow students believe the lake is haunted?"

Clark eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Since when?"

"Since a few weeks ago. What was once a popular make out spot isn't anymore. All of the sweet young lovers have been run off by eerie sounds and ethereal apparitions."

"Ghosts?" Clark sounded skeptical. "You believe that?"

"Not really," Chloe admitted. "Even though I think it would be pretty cool. But I checked on the Internet about ghost sightings, and you wouldn't believe some of the things that have been mistaken for ghosts. Swamp gas. Frozen pipes. Even the wind blowing through tree branches a certain way. Still, I'll probably go out to the lake to check it out some time this week. It couldn't hurt." She shrugged.

"Well, at least I know I was stood up for a good reason." Smiling slightly, Clark looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "You doing research about a ghost you don't even think is real."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I knew I got off too easy. You know, I shouldn't be letting you guilt trip me like this. At least you had company while you were waiting for me."

Clark looked confused. "Company?"

"Yeah. When I was at the Talon looking for you, I bumped into Lex. And I just assumed you were hanging out with him until you had to leave."

"Nope. He got there just as I was on my way out. We barely got the chance to say 'hi'."

"Oh." Leaning back in her seat, she tried to keep her voice casual. "Did he seem okay to you? I mean, it seemed like he wasn't feeling too well."

"Really?" Clark shook his head. "He seemed fine to me. But, like I said, I only saw him for a few minutes."

"Oh," Chloe said again, and was barely able to hide her disappointment. On the drive over here, she'd debated over how much to tell Clark about Lex's 'blackout'. She'd finally decided not to say anything specific. She had a feeling this wasn't something Lex wanted spread around. And even though he hadn't asked her not to say anything, she felt like she shouldn't.

Still, she'd wondered if Clark might know something. If so, she'd hoped he'd tell her if she gave him an opening. But, whatever was going on with Lex, Clark was clueless.

"By the way," Clark was saying, "Principal Reynolds stopped me in the hall today. He wanted to compliment me on the work I've been doing at the Torch. He also had some pretty nice things to say about the paper."

"Really." Chloe forced a smile. "Well, I'm always open to praise. Even if it's second-hand."

As Clark described his conversation with the school principal, Chloe decided to stop thinking about Lex Luthor. For now.

*****

Lex turned in hours earlier than usual. Not only was he exhausted but, in his current condition, he couldn't seem able to do anything.

He tried to work on his computer. For ten, fifteen minutes, everything would be fine. Then, the words would jump off of the screen until it seemed like they were mere inches from his face.

He tried to listen to music, but that only annoyed him. The concerto kept fading in and out. Too soft. Too loud. Too soft. Too loud.

He tried to read. He was turning the first page of the book when he got a paper cut. It felt like he'd dipped his finger in acid.

Finally, sleep seemed like his only escape. His only chance for peace.

As he left his private bathroom, Lex stripped off his bath robe. Tossing it on a chair, he turned…and froze. Standing there, next to his bed, was the cougar.

Lex gasped, his heart jumping into his throat. The animal stood there, seeming as real as the floor beneath Lex's feet, tawny fur glowing in the soft lamplight. Motionless, impassive, it stared at Lex with wise, feline eyes.

"No," Lex whispered, as his heart started to thunder in his chest. Suddenly, he was back on the island, running from a madman who was a figment of his own imagination. Pointing a gun at his father, hands shaking, ranting like a lunatic.

"No!" Lex growled, squeezing his eyes shut. His hands fisted at his side, bluntly cut fingernails digging into his palms.

He stood that way for several moments, as still as the cougar had been. Mind racing, heart pounding, head aching. Finally, he dared to open his eyes.

The cougar was gone.

A feeling of dread spreading through him, Lex dropped into the chair. Maybe he was losing his mind after all.



(TO BE CONTINUED)