I know its been like a billion years since I posted my first chapter and I'm very sorry. I've been busy finishing two other stories and then there's school etc.
Thank you to those who reviewed. I know this is a bit of a slow chapter but it will pick up...promise.
Have a nice day.
***
'Hey Lana,' Chloe called out over the bar at her friend. She smiled wryly as she realized that Lana was her friend. It had been a long time getting that far but they had to some extent put the whole Clark thing behind them. Yes, Chloe still cared about him and yes, he still cared about Lana, but it didn't matter so much.
'Hey Chloe, I'll be back in a minute,' Lana called out as she picked a tray up and walked with it to a table at the far end of the Talon. It was busy tonight and she was rushed off her feet. Saturday nights were always pretty hectic especially since she had gotten the cinema back to its former glory. She placed the mugs of steaming black coffee on the table and smiled as the two customers, kids from school thanked her.
She walked back quickly and placed the tray down again with a sigh. She needed some help. Clark had proven himself to be completely useless as far as punctuality went and she now had no idea who she could turn to.
Chloe looked at Lana's weary face. She had been working all night, clearly and Chloe had absolutely no idea how she did it. It was a Saturday so Chloe had been working on the big story all day without so much as a minor interruption. She had finished but was still intrigued as to who the girl was, where she had come from and where exactly she was now.
'So, how's your day been?' Lana leant against the bar and smiled. She could tell Chloe had been hyped about something, she had been for the past three days. And Lana knew Chloe well enough to know that it had to be a news story that had grabbed her attention so strongly.
'Its been okay,' Chloe replied guardedly.
'So, you're not gonna tell me about this news story that you have been completely enraptured about recently.'
Chloe smiled and rolled her eyes. 'In Metropolis, four days ago a girl, nobody knows who she is fell off the roof of a three storey building. She walked away and the police think she has made or is making her way towards Smallville.' Chloe sat back and watched as Lana ingested the information.
'Why haven't I heard anything about this?'
'Because the police have been keeping it under wraps. There are no records on the event but there was a witness. He then posted the whole thing on a website that monitors paranormal activity. Think about it Lana. Anyone who can walk away from a three storey drop has gotta be some kind of mutant.'
'So you're thinking a government conspiracy?' Lana replied. She was used to Chloe's paranoid nature but this story had in some strange way captured her interest and fired her imagination.
'I have been hanging around with you far too long,' she added as Chloe nodded.
They both laughed, realizing how stupid it would sound to anyone who hadn't seen what they had seen in Smallville. It was the centre for all things supernatural and weird. This girl, whoever she was was just another in a long list.
'You need some help?' Chloe asked. She was gonna be giving Lana a ride back to their house anyway and she looked like she was soon going to be at the point of weeping if she had to work for one more minute.
'You sure you don't mind?'
'Not at all.'
***
Clark pushed open the door to the Talon and saw two of his best friends sweeping the floor. Lana looked up and smiled at him as he walked further in and closed the door, locking it behind him.
'What are you doing here?' Lana asked.
'Couldn't sleep. Knew you two would still be up and thought I'd come and see how you were.'
They both looked at him with raised eyebrows and with a laugh he walked straight to the back of the room and started cleaning the coffee machines. He knew the drill by now. If you were stupid enough to show up at the Talon after closing then you had to expect to tidy stuff.
Not a word was said for the next five minutes as the team of three continued to clean. Chloe's mind traveled back to her story. She wondered where the girl had gone since the police lost her. This kind of thing always had interested Chloe. It didn't matter where the incident occurred or who it involved, as long as it was weird, strange in any way she would be keeping an eye on it until it reached its conclusion. But she had to admit at times the looks she got from the student body almost made her want to stop being so interested. It wasn't that she liked being such an oddball, she just couldn't help her oddballness.
'Are you guys done yet?' Lana asked. She was desperate to lie down, preferably on her warm, comfortable bed. It had been so long since she had had a night away from The Talon and she needed the break. She loved having the independence she had earning her own money and she loved working in The Talon, the atmosphere was so relaxed and homey but she needed to get away from it sometime.
'Yeah,' called Clark from the back of the room.
'So ready to go,' said Chloe, giving the final touch to the table she had been polishing. Lana took the cloth from Chloe and walked to the counter. She exchanged a quick smile with Clark as she bent down to pick up her bag and coat.
Chloe leant back into one of the chairs. She hadn't been in such a comfortable position all day. She needed to get a better chair in The Torch office. She tucked her hair neatly behind her ear but her hand froze in mid air. She could feel a burning sensation on the back of her head like she was being watched again. It was so creepy but she was too scared to turn around in case she didn't like what she saw.
Eventually her curiosity got the better of her and she turned slowly expecting to see some guy with a mask and a chainsaw standing waiting for her just outside the window.
But no matter how hard she looked she couldn't see a thing. There was absolutely nobody out there and if it was possible that freaked her out a whole lot more. Atleast if there was someone standing there, with a chainsaw or an axe or something she would know what it was and she could put up some kind of defense. The lack of something to fight was a lot worse.
Voices broke in on her subconscious as Lana and Clark made their way over to her and the front door. She stood up and picked her bag up off the floor. She silently berating herself for being so stupid. Of course there wasn't anyone out there. Why would there have been? Nobody was following her, nobody was watching her. It was the curse of writers everywhere...an active imagination.
She pulled open the door and walked out onto the sidewalk. Chloe pulled the keys out of her bag and headed towards her car.
And there it was again. The burning sensation like someone was intently watching her root through her bag. Her head jerked up and she looked around her not caring if she looked like an idiot. She had to find out if anyone was watching her.
The street was lit up in regular patches by the street lamps but in between it was black. Across the street from her there was no movement. It was late at night and in a small town like Smallville even the weekends were quiet.
A hand grabbed hold of her arm and, with a yelp she practically jumped out of her skin. Her head jolted round to reveal her wide eyes. Clark was standing in front of her with a bemused expression on his face.
'You okay?' he asked, his forehead creasing with concern.
'I'm fine, you just suprised me,' said Chloe with a small smile as she tried to regulate her breathing.
Clark wasn't convinced. Chloe was usually very suspicious, it was in her nature and it was what made her such a good journalist. But she had never been this jumpy. Maybe it was the story she had been working on but he doubted it. He looked into her eyes, searching for some sign as to why she was acting so strange but he saw none. She had reapplied her front and now he knew he wouldn't get anything out of her.
Lana and Chloe said goodbye to Clark and both proceeded to get into Chloe's car. Within minutes they were on their way and seconds later so was Clark.
***
He watched the lights of the cars diminish into the distance. His eyes closed and he breathed a sigh of regret. He hadn't meant to make Chloe scared. All he wanted was to watch her, to protect her from the unworthy people that inhabited the world, the undeserving ones who wanted to be close to her and to be a part of her life. Those people included Lana and Clark. They didn't realize how lucky they were to be friends with Chloe.
But he would make them realize, he would make sure they all knew exactly how precious she was.
Thank you to those who reviewed. I know this is a bit of a slow chapter but it will pick up...promise.
Have a nice day.
***
'Hey Lana,' Chloe called out over the bar at her friend. She smiled wryly as she realized that Lana was her friend. It had been a long time getting that far but they had to some extent put the whole Clark thing behind them. Yes, Chloe still cared about him and yes, he still cared about Lana, but it didn't matter so much.
'Hey Chloe, I'll be back in a minute,' Lana called out as she picked a tray up and walked with it to a table at the far end of the Talon. It was busy tonight and she was rushed off her feet. Saturday nights were always pretty hectic especially since she had gotten the cinema back to its former glory. She placed the mugs of steaming black coffee on the table and smiled as the two customers, kids from school thanked her.
She walked back quickly and placed the tray down again with a sigh. She needed some help. Clark had proven himself to be completely useless as far as punctuality went and she now had no idea who she could turn to.
Chloe looked at Lana's weary face. She had been working all night, clearly and Chloe had absolutely no idea how she did it. It was a Saturday so Chloe had been working on the big story all day without so much as a minor interruption. She had finished but was still intrigued as to who the girl was, where she had come from and where exactly she was now.
'So, how's your day been?' Lana leant against the bar and smiled. She could tell Chloe had been hyped about something, she had been for the past three days. And Lana knew Chloe well enough to know that it had to be a news story that had grabbed her attention so strongly.
'Its been okay,' Chloe replied guardedly.
'So, you're not gonna tell me about this news story that you have been completely enraptured about recently.'
Chloe smiled and rolled her eyes. 'In Metropolis, four days ago a girl, nobody knows who she is fell off the roof of a three storey building. She walked away and the police think she has made or is making her way towards Smallville.' Chloe sat back and watched as Lana ingested the information.
'Why haven't I heard anything about this?'
'Because the police have been keeping it under wraps. There are no records on the event but there was a witness. He then posted the whole thing on a website that monitors paranormal activity. Think about it Lana. Anyone who can walk away from a three storey drop has gotta be some kind of mutant.'
'So you're thinking a government conspiracy?' Lana replied. She was used to Chloe's paranoid nature but this story had in some strange way captured her interest and fired her imagination.
'I have been hanging around with you far too long,' she added as Chloe nodded.
They both laughed, realizing how stupid it would sound to anyone who hadn't seen what they had seen in Smallville. It was the centre for all things supernatural and weird. This girl, whoever she was was just another in a long list.
'You need some help?' Chloe asked. She was gonna be giving Lana a ride back to their house anyway and she looked like she was soon going to be at the point of weeping if she had to work for one more minute.
'You sure you don't mind?'
'Not at all.'
***
Clark pushed open the door to the Talon and saw two of his best friends sweeping the floor. Lana looked up and smiled at him as he walked further in and closed the door, locking it behind him.
'What are you doing here?' Lana asked.
'Couldn't sleep. Knew you two would still be up and thought I'd come and see how you were.'
They both looked at him with raised eyebrows and with a laugh he walked straight to the back of the room and started cleaning the coffee machines. He knew the drill by now. If you were stupid enough to show up at the Talon after closing then you had to expect to tidy stuff.
Not a word was said for the next five minutes as the team of three continued to clean. Chloe's mind traveled back to her story. She wondered where the girl had gone since the police lost her. This kind of thing always had interested Chloe. It didn't matter where the incident occurred or who it involved, as long as it was weird, strange in any way she would be keeping an eye on it until it reached its conclusion. But she had to admit at times the looks she got from the student body almost made her want to stop being so interested. It wasn't that she liked being such an oddball, she just couldn't help her oddballness.
'Are you guys done yet?' Lana asked. She was desperate to lie down, preferably on her warm, comfortable bed. It had been so long since she had had a night away from The Talon and she needed the break. She loved having the independence she had earning her own money and she loved working in The Talon, the atmosphere was so relaxed and homey but she needed to get away from it sometime.
'Yeah,' called Clark from the back of the room.
'So ready to go,' said Chloe, giving the final touch to the table she had been polishing. Lana took the cloth from Chloe and walked to the counter. She exchanged a quick smile with Clark as she bent down to pick up her bag and coat.
Chloe leant back into one of the chairs. She hadn't been in such a comfortable position all day. She needed to get a better chair in The Torch office. She tucked her hair neatly behind her ear but her hand froze in mid air. She could feel a burning sensation on the back of her head like she was being watched again. It was so creepy but she was too scared to turn around in case she didn't like what she saw.
Eventually her curiosity got the better of her and she turned slowly expecting to see some guy with a mask and a chainsaw standing waiting for her just outside the window.
But no matter how hard she looked she couldn't see a thing. There was absolutely nobody out there and if it was possible that freaked her out a whole lot more. Atleast if there was someone standing there, with a chainsaw or an axe or something she would know what it was and she could put up some kind of defense. The lack of something to fight was a lot worse.
Voices broke in on her subconscious as Lana and Clark made their way over to her and the front door. She stood up and picked her bag up off the floor. She silently berating herself for being so stupid. Of course there wasn't anyone out there. Why would there have been? Nobody was following her, nobody was watching her. It was the curse of writers everywhere...an active imagination.
She pulled open the door and walked out onto the sidewalk. Chloe pulled the keys out of her bag and headed towards her car.
And there it was again. The burning sensation like someone was intently watching her root through her bag. Her head jerked up and she looked around her not caring if she looked like an idiot. She had to find out if anyone was watching her.
The street was lit up in regular patches by the street lamps but in between it was black. Across the street from her there was no movement. It was late at night and in a small town like Smallville even the weekends were quiet.
A hand grabbed hold of her arm and, with a yelp she practically jumped out of her skin. Her head jolted round to reveal her wide eyes. Clark was standing in front of her with a bemused expression on his face.
'You okay?' he asked, his forehead creasing with concern.
'I'm fine, you just suprised me,' said Chloe with a small smile as she tried to regulate her breathing.
Clark wasn't convinced. Chloe was usually very suspicious, it was in her nature and it was what made her such a good journalist. But she had never been this jumpy. Maybe it was the story she had been working on but he doubted it. He looked into her eyes, searching for some sign as to why she was acting so strange but he saw none. She had reapplied her front and now he knew he wouldn't get anything out of her.
Lana and Chloe said goodbye to Clark and both proceeded to get into Chloe's car. Within minutes they were on their way and seconds later so was Clark.
***
He watched the lights of the cars diminish into the distance. His eyes closed and he breathed a sigh of regret. He hadn't meant to make Chloe scared. All he wanted was to watch her, to protect her from the unworthy people that inhabited the world, the undeserving ones who wanted to be close to her and to be a part of her life. Those people included Lana and Clark. They didn't realize how lucky they were to be friends with Chloe.
But he would make them realize, he would make sure they all knew exactly how precious she was.
