Episode 4.02 – Aftershock
Chloe got dressed slowly into the clothes that Mrs. Kent had left for her. Her uncle had visited the night before, after Lex had left. They'd just made it to Metropolis from Florida and were surprised to find Chloe awake and healthy. Lawrence and Arlene Lane had immediately offered to let Chloe stay in Lois's old room, at their house in Edge City, now that their daughter had moved to Metropolis for school.
Chloe had requested some time to think it over, telling them that she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave Smallville. In reality, she was mostly just cautious about living with relatives that she didn't really know. Chloe and Lois were fairly close, but she hadn't had much contact with her aunt and uncle; after Chloe's mother had left them, Gabe had stopped making the effort to stay in touch with his ex-wife's sister. Moving to Metropolis was one thing, Chloe was familiar with that city, but Edge City was farther away and Chloe didn't particularly like it there.
She finished getting dressed: a sage green cashmere sweater and a pair of tailored black dress pants (judging by the labels in the clothes, Chloe was almost certain that Lex had paid for them). The conservative clothing looked better on than she would have expected, and though she usually opted for funkier styles, she kind of liked the outfit.
'Maybe it's time to grow up,' she thought as she stared at her reflection in the mirror in her bathroom. Her watch (also new –a Swatch, courtesy of Lex) informed her that Lex would arrive momentarily to pick her up. She didn't ask him why he was doing all that he was; she didn't have to. The gifts, the visits, the rides, and the medical bills – he felt guilty.
Chloe appreciated it, and she knew that she was lucky to have his help when so many others would be left do deal on their own. Everything and everyone around her was beginning to take its toll. She wished that the Kent's would stop looking at her as if she were damaged goods. She wanted Clark to come home, wished Pete still lived in Smallville, that Lana was around to help her... Mostly she wished her Dad was okay, or that she could at least see him once more to say good-bye.
She wished that Lionel Luthor would hurry up and die already.
Her body began to shake with repressed sobs. But Chloe didn't want to cry, she was tired of feeling helpless and wanted to remember the way she used to be. She wanted to feel strong again, to feel the same confidence that used to some so naturally but now felt worlds away. Her reflection stared back at her, mocking her, emphasizing how different she was now.
Chloe looked desperately around the room, unsure of what she hoped to find – until her eyes landed on a fire extinguished in the far corner. She crossed the room in only a few quick steps and wrenched the extinguisher off of the wall. It was heavy, and crude, but felt oddly satisfying in her hands, and was exactly what she had been looking for.
She marched back into the bathroom and held the end of the extinguished out in front of her. Chloe felt an immense sense of satisfaction when she sent the metal crashing into the mirror, shards of reflective glass falling to the floor as it shattered. For a split second she felt powerful again. And then the pain returned.
Cue Theme Song...
TBC...
Chloe got dressed slowly into the clothes that Mrs. Kent had left for her. Her uncle had visited the night before, after Lex had left. They'd just made it to Metropolis from Florida and were surprised to find Chloe awake and healthy. Lawrence and Arlene Lane had immediately offered to let Chloe stay in Lois's old room, at their house in Edge City, now that their daughter had moved to Metropolis for school.
Chloe had requested some time to think it over, telling them that she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave Smallville. In reality, she was mostly just cautious about living with relatives that she didn't really know. Chloe and Lois were fairly close, but she hadn't had much contact with her aunt and uncle; after Chloe's mother had left them, Gabe had stopped making the effort to stay in touch with his ex-wife's sister. Moving to Metropolis was one thing, Chloe was familiar with that city, but Edge City was farther away and Chloe didn't particularly like it there.
She finished getting dressed: a sage green cashmere sweater and a pair of tailored black dress pants (judging by the labels in the clothes, Chloe was almost certain that Lex had paid for them). The conservative clothing looked better on than she would have expected, and though she usually opted for funkier styles, she kind of liked the outfit.
'Maybe it's time to grow up,' she thought as she stared at her reflection in the mirror in her bathroom. Her watch (also new –a Swatch, courtesy of Lex) informed her that Lex would arrive momentarily to pick her up. She didn't ask him why he was doing all that he was; she didn't have to. The gifts, the visits, the rides, and the medical bills – he felt guilty.
Chloe appreciated it, and she knew that she was lucky to have his help when so many others would be left do deal on their own. Everything and everyone around her was beginning to take its toll. She wished that the Kent's would stop looking at her as if she were damaged goods. She wanted Clark to come home, wished Pete still lived in Smallville, that Lana was around to help her... Mostly she wished her Dad was okay, or that she could at least see him once more to say good-bye.
She wished that Lionel Luthor would hurry up and die already.
Her body began to shake with repressed sobs. But Chloe didn't want to cry, she was tired of feeling helpless and wanted to remember the way she used to be. She wanted to feel strong again, to feel the same confidence that used to some so naturally but now felt worlds away. Her reflection stared back at her, mocking her, emphasizing how different she was now.
Chloe looked desperately around the room, unsure of what she hoped to find – until her eyes landed on a fire extinguished in the far corner. She crossed the room in only a few quick steps and wrenched the extinguisher off of the wall. It was heavy, and crude, but felt oddly satisfying in her hands, and was exactly what she had been looking for.
She marched back into the bathroom and held the end of the extinguished out in front of her. Chloe felt an immense sense of satisfaction when she sent the metal crashing into the mirror, shards of reflective glass falling to the floor as it shattered. For a split second she felt powerful again. And then the pain returned.
Cue Theme Song...
TBC...