This chapter begins exactly where the last one left off. Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers.

Disclaimer: Walks into bar "I'll have...the USUAL"

Ok, its a terrible disclaimer...really bad.

"Y—yes..." he stuttered, unsure of anything at the current moment.

"May we come in?" asked the man.

"Uh...sure," Clark said, opening the door fully to allow them inside.

"Listen here, son. We don't want to bother you, but no doubt you've heard about Eric Summers?"

"So? I went to school with him. Why does it matter?"

"While doing a complete sweep of the area where he had earlier reported the change to have occurred, our search team came across this note," the woman produced the note that Clark had read and lost earlier that afternoon. "Do you know anything about where he might be?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure! It's not like I haven't been trying to figure out where he is every waking moment since I read that letter!" All of a sudden, Clark began feeling light-headed and leaned on the arm of the sofa for support. The two officers rushed to his side.

"Are you all right?" one asked. Clark couldn't tell whom, everything was mixed into one swirling mass of color and sound. "Where are your parents?" And then, to the other officer, "We need to get him to a hospital."

"Dad's working...Mom's...supposed to be in Metropolis...I don't know..." Clark, lying limply in the two officers arms', tried to protest, "I don't need a hospital...I'll be fine here."

"Son, you're coming with us."

"No...leave me here..."

But it was too late. The female officer was already working Clark into the back seat of the cruiser while the other one went off to find Jonathan.

"I can't believe I passed out," Clark chastised himself, sitting in his hospital bed.

"You didn't really pass out, Clark," insisted Martha, yawning. "But you can't deny it, you were pushing yourself pretty hard."

"Being normal is harder than I remembered."

"We're just glad you're okay, son," Jonathan added as the door opened, turning to see who it was.

"Lex! What are you doing here? It must be three in the morning!"

"Four, actually. I figured something was wrong when you didn't come back to the phone. What was it you needed to talk about?" Lex asked, trying to avoid Jonathan's piercing, despising stare.

Clark looked at his parents. "Could I have a minute alone with Lex?"

Martha and Jonathan exchanged glances. Finally, getting up, Martha said, "All right. We'll be back in ten minutes." She practically forced her husband to get out of his seat and into the hallway. Clark waited until they were out of sight to talk to Lex, but Lex seize the first word.

"Clark, what were you thinking, running away like that? Chloe and I were really worried."

"Do you remember when Eric went crazy and started throwing people thirty feet across the parking lot—" Clark reminisced on that time, not so long ago. His side had hurt for days after landing on the roof of that car.

"—and threw the police car into his house when the cops came to take him away? Yeah, I remember, who doesn't?"

"Well, that night, we—er, he went back to normal. I figured he'd go back to the same place," That was close, he thought. "But when I got there, he'd left a note. I think the note might have had a clue to where he is now."

"Do you remember anything from the note?" Lex asked, but before Clark could answer, he unfolded the same note right in front of him. "See if this sparks your memory."

Shocked, Clark managed to say, "But—how did you get that?"

"Let's just say I have the power to influence people."

"Right. Let's not have my dad figure out about this...I don't think he'd be too happy," Clark reached out to get the note, and Lex complied. After studying it for quite some time, he said, "I think the answer has to be in the last paragraph. That's the only one that's really unnatural-sounding." Clark read the passage out loud, Lex listening for any hints.

"Well, it seems that he's alluding to some type of bird."

"Duh..."

"Your school's teams are called the Crows, right?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think it might have something to do with that?"

"Maybe, but why would he go to the school? He said that it was the only place he was safe, and his dad taught at the school. I just don't think he would have gone there." Slowly but surely, Clark was running out of options. Time was slowly running out.

"Is there anywhere else that matches the rest of the clues?"

"Hang on... sharp claws...flies away..." Clark sat bolt upright. "Lex! I know where he is!" Lex was about to ask where, but Clark was already putting on his pants underneath the hospital gown and throwing on a t-shirt.

"Clark, wait—" but he was already out the door. "Clark, man, you've got to stop doing this," he said as he went out to look for the Kents, already preparing himself for the disapproving he was sure to get from Jonathan.

Clark arrived at the Talon just as Lana was opening up. "Clark! What are you doing here? I though you went home."

"Have you seen Eric Summers?" he asked, looking back to check if the taxi he had taken had left already. It had.

"No...if I had, wouldn't you think I would have called the police?"

"Lana, you're sure about this, right?" This was his last option. After this, he had nowhere else to turn.

"Right."

"Do you—uhh—do you mind if I head out back, just for a second?"

"Go ahead," Lana was confused; Clark was becoming more and more puzzling every passing minute.

Behind the Talon, Clark searched high and low for any sign of Eric. For five minutes, he wandered around, calling out his old classmate's name. Finally, he was ready to go back home and get ready for a long day at school, when suddenly someone dropped down on the ground in front of him. Eric.

"Took you long enough, Clark," he announced.

Shocked, it took Clark a minute to comprehend what was happening. "I would have gotten here sooner, but I lost the letter and ended up in the hospital and—"

"It doesn't matter now. All that matters is you're here."

"Eric, why did you break out? Your parents said they were going to let you out in a week."

Eric started pacing around the alley nervously. "I'm not sure what happened. I was frustrated, and I kind of lashed out, and before I knew it, the wall shattered. You were the only person who could possibly know what to do."

"I'm sorry, Eric, but I have no idea about what to do."

"What?" By the sound of Eric's voice, Clark could tell he was appalled.

"Well, this time, it didn't take any meteor rocks or electricity...it just...happened. My guess is that it will just go back to normal eventually."

"Eventually? EVENTUALLY? How long are we talking? A week? A month?"

"I don't know, Eric. But my guess is that it will take the same amount of time as before, like a pattern," Clark planned his words carefully, ever reminded of the fact that Eric could kill him at any time. "Now, I'm sure your parents are really worried about you. The best thing for you to do is go back to Metropolis."

"NO! I'm not going back there! You have no idea what they did to me!" a frightened look appeared in Eric's eyes. "I'd rather be on the run than back in that place."

"Well," Clark said. "It's your decision. You can live the life of a fugitive, or you can go back and try to keep your power in check until they let you out," he paused. "even if it does mean being treated like a lab rat for a little while."

Eric stared at Clark intently. "It's your decision," Clark commented, turning around and walking around the front of the building. "Your choice..."

Will he make the right choice? Tune in tomorrow to find out! Until next time, I'm Mariah, saying 'thanks, to all my reviewers!'

Again...that was weak. But i thought it was funny when i added the closing on at 11:00 PM. Five reviews, and i'll update. Mariah