Chp. 2.
'Indicates individual thoughts.'
[Indicates telepathic communication.]
The plane landed a good three hours later just as Bobby had predicted. The seven mutants slowly piled off the plane with the rest of its passengers and headed off to get their luggage. This took around twenty minutes as Jubilee and Kitty missed their bags two or three times while pointing out some of the young men who were walking amongst the airport. Once they had finally collected everything they headed for the exits. There, they saw an older gentleman holding a sign that read "Xavier's". Knowing that was who they were suppose to go with, they headed over to him. Introductions were made, and each person then followed him out to a private van and began the three hour trip back to Smallville.
Clark knew he had more chores to do so he supersped off to complete them. With the girl that his family was hosting coming in a few hours he wanted to get everything done so he could go and meet her when his family went to pick her up at the school. Just as he was about to finish his hearing picked up a sound. Glancing around, he saw Pete's blue Falcon pulling up the drive. When Pete got out of his car Clark noticed that he had one of those silly grins plastered over his face. 'Must've found out about the girl were going to be hosting.' Clark thought. With a sigh, he headed over to greet his friend.
"Hey Pete, what brings you out here?" Clark asked as he leaned againist a tractor.
"Not much." he replied in a sly tone. Clark knew what he was up too and rolled his eyes. "I guess you want to see her picture."
"Of course." he replied back, trying not to let his enthusiasm show. Clark leading the way they headed back for the farm house and for the kitchen where the folder now lay. Clark picked it up and tossed it to his friend. "Woah man! Wahoo, that is one hot mama sita!" he exclaimed as he checked over the picture in the folder. Clark rolled his eyes. "So, you gonna go after her, or if not, can I?" he asked. It never ceased to amaze Clark the way his friend was around the ladies. "I really don't think I will. In fact, I think I'll try to avoid her or something." he replied. Pete nodded and handed him back the folder. "Well, I'm outta here. Later." And with that, Pete was off to figure out how to win this girl's heart.
The van pulled up in front of Smallville High's doors about an hour later. The seven mutants shuffled out and grabbed their belongings. Pitor had offered to take Kitty's things and she'd accepted. She and Jubilee then laughed their heads off when he nearly tripped over a rock. His face completely red and obviously embarassed, he tried to pick up the things that he had dropped but his hands were full. John, feeling a little sympathetic for his fellow mutant, offered to help in which Pitor graciously accepted. Once they had finally gotten their bearings together they followed their driver to the now closed library to meet with the principal.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to Smallville!" Principal Meadows cheerfully announced as the students filed into the library. They each took seats and waited for him to speak again. "Well, now that your all here I'll have my secretary contact your host families. They should be here very soon. Please feel free to look around the library but do not leave." And with that, Principal Meadows sped off for his office, leaving the seven students to themselves.
Clark's parents arrived home a little while later. They had been out delivering some produce to a few of their neighbors and dropped off some of Martha's famous pies at the Talon. Just as they entered their home the phone rang. Martha picked it up.
"Hello, Kent residence. Martha Kent speaking."
"Ah, Mrs. Kent. This is Principal Meadow's secretary. I'm just calling you to let you know that the children from New York for the program are here and waiting to be picked up."
"Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for calling us. We'll be up there to pick her up immediately."
"Of course. She's in the library along with the other students. There will be a small orientation once you get there and some documents to sign. You need to be here by at least 6:30."
Martha wrote down the information. "Ok. Thank you for calling us. We'll be there asap. Goodbye." She hung up the phone and turned around and gasped. Clark and his father, Jonathon, were standing there drinking milk out of the cartons! They knew better than that! "Jonathon and Clark Kent!" The two men froze, slowly lowering the cartons and turning to eye Martha. She was standing there, her hands and arms wrapped around her chest, evilly eyeing the two men. Slowly, they each put their cartons back in the fridge before Jonathon high tailed it up the stairs, Clark not more than a foot behind him. If one thing they both knew it was that you never made Martha Kent mad.
"Hey you two! The school just called and the girl were hosting is there! Go and get ready!" She yelled up to the duo. A couple of minutes later she joined them and got ready along with them. Twenty minutes later they were in the truck heading for Smallville High. Jonathon was driving with Martha sitting next to him and Clark on the passenger side. He'd already had a discussion (or a reminder, as he preferred to call it) with his parents about not using his powers while the girl, Marie, would be staying with them. Clark inwardly groaned remembering the discussion and went back to rereading the folder on her that he now clutched.
Pulling up into the school's parking lot, the trio exited and headed inside the school towards the library. Upon entering Clark began to scan the room filled with students and parents, looking for the girl that they would be hosting. He found her, sitting at a table all by herself. The other students were already conversing with their host families; some talking, some laughing. He could tell from zoning in his hearing there at least two people in there with accents. One sounded German, the other, Russian, possibly? Clark wasn't sure but didn't really care either. He was more interested in the girl, with brown hair and two white streaks and gloved hands. Gloved hands? What the? In nintey degree weather? He'd decided that he'd bring that up when he got a chance too. Right now though, he was more interested in just meeting her. Slowly he made his way over to her.
Marie looked around the library. She was about to turn back to the table when the library's door open. The boy that entered immediately caught her attention. She noticed his curly black hair, blue eyes, and well developed physique. She turned away blushing when she realized that he'd caught her staring. When she turned back to him again she saw that he was heading over to her table. Rogue's heart began to speed up. She also noticed two older people behind him. 'Probably his parents' she thought.
"Hi, I'm Clark." Clark said as he extended his hand. She smiled and took it in hers. "Marie" she replied back softly, with a small hint of her Mississippi accent. Clark then turned back to his parents. "This is my mother, Martha, and my father, Jonathon Kent." She smiled as she shook their hands. "Were your host family." Martha told her. Marie smiled and nodded back to her. They were like Clark, surprised that the young girl was wearing gloves. However neither one said anything and took their seats as the principal began the orientation.
The orientation only lasted a few minutes. Then the Kents signed some papers, basically claiming full responsibilty for her for the next three months while she would be staying with them. Once it was over Clark took her bags before she had a chance to say anything. Marie finally went over to her friends to say her goodbyes and find out where they were staying at. Sighing a little she turned around to the Kents. Forcing a smile, she joined them as they headed for their truck.
The ride back to farm was silent. Neither the Kents nor Rogue broke it. Pulling into the farm's driveway Marie was amazed to see the farmhouse along with the barn. A few of the chickens and various other farm animals were nearby. Getting out of the truck she began to take in the atmosphere. It was open, quiet. Something she wasn't use too, especially back at the mansion.
Once inside the house Clark led Marie up to her room and hoped to help her settle in. He set her things down as she looked over the room. It's decor was simple yet very effective in setting off the room. It had a small desk, dresser, and a mirror along with the bed and a small closet. An awkard silence had fallen on the room shortly after the two had entered. Rogue glanced up to Clark who now turned away blushing. He'd been staring at her since he'd dropped her things. "Um, dinner will be ready in a few minutes." he told her.
"Ok," she replied.
He was about to leave when he decided to ask her another question. "Say, you don't need any help with getting settled in?"
"Oh no, I'll be fine." she answered back.
"Ok. Well, bathroom's down the hall if you need it. I'll be downstairs if you need anything else." he muttered before leaving.
Marie sat down on the bed and let out a heavy sigh. Having made a decision to go out here, the break up with her boyfriend, it was all too much. She felt a few tears make their way out and she wiped them away with one of her gloved hands. She then looked down at her hands. Why? Why did her mutation have to eliminate physical contact with people? She clutched her hands into fists as a new batch of tears fell. She'd blamed herself for her and Bobby's breakup though he'd told her that that wasn't the reason. Her thoughts were finally interrupted from the scent of food. She felt her stomach grumble a little. Wiping away the last bit of tears, she decided to go downstairs and join the people who she would now call her "family" for the next three months.
During supper Marie slowly began to open up. She told the Kent's about her life back in Westchester (well, as much as she could possibly tell) and the school that she went to. She decided to leave out the part about running away from home and being found by Logan in Canada sometime later. Clark decided to ask her about the gloves later after dinner.
After eating Marie asked if she could look around a little. The Kents said yes of course but asked Clark to go with her. He first showed her the cows and chickens, then the horses. Afterwards they headed for Clark's "Fortess of Solitude" aka the barn loft.
Marie loved the view from the loft. She could see for miles on end. Smallville's skyline was also visible. It was about this time that Clark decided to ask her. "Hey Marie, can I ask you a question?" he asked hesitantly. She turned to face him. "Of course. What is it Clark?" she responded.
"Well, it's, um, about those gloves. I just wanted to know why you wear them." he stated. She looked down at the gloves then back to him. "I don't like physical contact with other people."
"Oh, ok. That's cool." he replied back, wishing he hadn't brought it up in the first place. He watched as she turned her gaze back to the field. A few tears ran down her cheeks before she ran from the loft. Clark wanted to stop her but by the time he tried anything she'd already made it out of the loft and was heading back to the house, leaving a dumbfounded Clark standing there.
'Indicates individual thoughts.'
[Indicates telepathic communication.]
The plane landed a good three hours later just as Bobby had predicted. The seven mutants slowly piled off the plane with the rest of its passengers and headed off to get their luggage. This took around twenty minutes as Jubilee and Kitty missed their bags two or three times while pointing out some of the young men who were walking amongst the airport. Once they had finally collected everything they headed for the exits. There, they saw an older gentleman holding a sign that read "Xavier's". Knowing that was who they were suppose to go with, they headed over to him. Introductions were made, and each person then followed him out to a private van and began the three hour trip back to Smallville.
Clark knew he had more chores to do so he supersped off to complete them. With the girl that his family was hosting coming in a few hours he wanted to get everything done so he could go and meet her when his family went to pick her up at the school. Just as he was about to finish his hearing picked up a sound. Glancing around, he saw Pete's blue Falcon pulling up the drive. When Pete got out of his car Clark noticed that he had one of those silly grins plastered over his face. 'Must've found out about the girl were going to be hosting.' Clark thought. With a sigh, he headed over to greet his friend.
"Hey Pete, what brings you out here?" Clark asked as he leaned againist a tractor.
"Not much." he replied in a sly tone. Clark knew what he was up too and rolled his eyes. "I guess you want to see her picture."
"Of course." he replied back, trying not to let his enthusiasm show. Clark leading the way they headed back for the farm house and for the kitchen where the folder now lay. Clark picked it up and tossed it to his friend. "Woah man! Wahoo, that is one hot mama sita!" he exclaimed as he checked over the picture in the folder. Clark rolled his eyes. "So, you gonna go after her, or if not, can I?" he asked. It never ceased to amaze Clark the way his friend was around the ladies. "I really don't think I will. In fact, I think I'll try to avoid her or something." he replied. Pete nodded and handed him back the folder. "Well, I'm outta here. Later." And with that, Pete was off to figure out how to win this girl's heart.
The van pulled up in front of Smallville High's doors about an hour later. The seven mutants shuffled out and grabbed their belongings. Pitor had offered to take Kitty's things and she'd accepted. She and Jubilee then laughed their heads off when he nearly tripped over a rock. His face completely red and obviously embarassed, he tried to pick up the things that he had dropped but his hands were full. John, feeling a little sympathetic for his fellow mutant, offered to help in which Pitor graciously accepted. Once they had finally gotten their bearings together they followed their driver to the now closed library to meet with the principal.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to Smallville!" Principal Meadows cheerfully announced as the students filed into the library. They each took seats and waited for him to speak again. "Well, now that your all here I'll have my secretary contact your host families. They should be here very soon. Please feel free to look around the library but do not leave." And with that, Principal Meadows sped off for his office, leaving the seven students to themselves.
Clark's parents arrived home a little while later. They had been out delivering some produce to a few of their neighbors and dropped off some of Martha's famous pies at the Talon. Just as they entered their home the phone rang. Martha picked it up.
"Hello, Kent residence. Martha Kent speaking."
"Ah, Mrs. Kent. This is Principal Meadow's secretary. I'm just calling you to let you know that the children from New York for the program are here and waiting to be picked up."
"Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for calling us. We'll be up there to pick her up immediately."
"Of course. She's in the library along with the other students. There will be a small orientation once you get there and some documents to sign. You need to be here by at least 6:30."
Martha wrote down the information. "Ok. Thank you for calling us. We'll be there asap. Goodbye." She hung up the phone and turned around and gasped. Clark and his father, Jonathon, were standing there drinking milk out of the cartons! They knew better than that! "Jonathon and Clark Kent!" The two men froze, slowly lowering the cartons and turning to eye Martha. She was standing there, her hands and arms wrapped around her chest, evilly eyeing the two men. Slowly, they each put their cartons back in the fridge before Jonathon high tailed it up the stairs, Clark not more than a foot behind him. If one thing they both knew it was that you never made Martha Kent mad.
"Hey you two! The school just called and the girl were hosting is there! Go and get ready!" She yelled up to the duo. A couple of minutes later she joined them and got ready along with them. Twenty minutes later they were in the truck heading for Smallville High. Jonathon was driving with Martha sitting next to him and Clark on the passenger side. He'd already had a discussion (or a reminder, as he preferred to call it) with his parents about not using his powers while the girl, Marie, would be staying with them. Clark inwardly groaned remembering the discussion and went back to rereading the folder on her that he now clutched.
Pulling up into the school's parking lot, the trio exited and headed inside the school towards the library. Upon entering Clark began to scan the room filled with students and parents, looking for the girl that they would be hosting. He found her, sitting at a table all by herself. The other students were already conversing with their host families; some talking, some laughing. He could tell from zoning in his hearing there at least two people in there with accents. One sounded German, the other, Russian, possibly? Clark wasn't sure but didn't really care either. He was more interested in the girl, with brown hair and two white streaks and gloved hands. Gloved hands? What the? In nintey degree weather? He'd decided that he'd bring that up when he got a chance too. Right now though, he was more interested in just meeting her. Slowly he made his way over to her.
Marie looked around the library. She was about to turn back to the table when the library's door open. The boy that entered immediately caught her attention. She noticed his curly black hair, blue eyes, and well developed physique. She turned away blushing when she realized that he'd caught her staring. When she turned back to him again she saw that he was heading over to her table. Rogue's heart began to speed up. She also noticed two older people behind him. 'Probably his parents' she thought.
"Hi, I'm Clark." Clark said as he extended his hand. She smiled and took it in hers. "Marie" she replied back softly, with a small hint of her Mississippi accent. Clark then turned back to his parents. "This is my mother, Martha, and my father, Jonathon Kent." She smiled as she shook their hands. "Were your host family." Martha told her. Marie smiled and nodded back to her. They were like Clark, surprised that the young girl was wearing gloves. However neither one said anything and took their seats as the principal began the orientation.
The orientation only lasted a few minutes. Then the Kents signed some papers, basically claiming full responsibilty for her for the next three months while she would be staying with them. Once it was over Clark took her bags before she had a chance to say anything. Marie finally went over to her friends to say her goodbyes and find out where they were staying at. Sighing a little she turned around to the Kents. Forcing a smile, she joined them as they headed for their truck.
The ride back to farm was silent. Neither the Kents nor Rogue broke it. Pulling into the farm's driveway Marie was amazed to see the farmhouse along with the barn. A few of the chickens and various other farm animals were nearby. Getting out of the truck she began to take in the atmosphere. It was open, quiet. Something she wasn't use too, especially back at the mansion.
Once inside the house Clark led Marie up to her room and hoped to help her settle in. He set her things down as she looked over the room. It's decor was simple yet very effective in setting off the room. It had a small desk, dresser, and a mirror along with the bed and a small closet. An awkard silence had fallen on the room shortly after the two had entered. Rogue glanced up to Clark who now turned away blushing. He'd been staring at her since he'd dropped her things. "Um, dinner will be ready in a few minutes." he told her.
"Ok," she replied.
He was about to leave when he decided to ask her another question. "Say, you don't need any help with getting settled in?"
"Oh no, I'll be fine." she answered back.
"Ok. Well, bathroom's down the hall if you need it. I'll be downstairs if you need anything else." he muttered before leaving.
Marie sat down on the bed and let out a heavy sigh. Having made a decision to go out here, the break up with her boyfriend, it was all too much. She felt a few tears make their way out and she wiped them away with one of her gloved hands. She then looked down at her hands. Why? Why did her mutation have to eliminate physical contact with people? She clutched her hands into fists as a new batch of tears fell. She'd blamed herself for her and Bobby's breakup though he'd told her that that wasn't the reason. Her thoughts were finally interrupted from the scent of food. She felt her stomach grumble a little. Wiping away the last bit of tears, she decided to go downstairs and join the people who she would now call her "family" for the next three months.
During supper Marie slowly began to open up. She told the Kent's about her life back in Westchester (well, as much as she could possibly tell) and the school that she went to. She decided to leave out the part about running away from home and being found by Logan in Canada sometime later. Clark decided to ask her about the gloves later after dinner.
After eating Marie asked if she could look around a little. The Kents said yes of course but asked Clark to go with her. He first showed her the cows and chickens, then the horses. Afterwards they headed for Clark's "Fortess of Solitude" aka the barn loft.
Marie loved the view from the loft. She could see for miles on end. Smallville's skyline was also visible. It was about this time that Clark decided to ask her. "Hey Marie, can I ask you a question?" he asked hesitantly. She turned to face him. "Of course. What is it Clark?" she responded.
"Well, it's, um, about those gloves. I just wanted to know why you wear them." he stated. She looked down at the gloves then back to him. "I don't like physical contact with other people."
"Oh, ok. That's cool." he replied back, wishing he hadn't brought it up in the first place. He watched as she turned her gaze back to the field. A few tears ran down her cheeks before she ran from the loft. Clark wanted to stop her but by the time he tried anything she'd already made it out of the loft and was heading back to the house, leaving a dumbfounded Clark standing there.