Kent couldn't risk it. He entered hyperspeed, hoping Alex didn't notice Clark disappear out of the corner of her eye. Of course that seemed unlikely, considering her headache and the possibility of death. Kent raced to the centre of the still crowd which was in the process of screaming, and scrambling to get out of the mascot's way in time. Kent knew that they wouldn't, the massive creature had started falling very quickly and was allready at insane speeds. Even in hyperspeed Clark saw the object falling.
Clark stood right under the object, hoping people ducked. He couldn't fly, he would just have to hope that his arms didn't give way temporarily when the creature hit, otherwise it would come down and possibly break people's necks. But then Kent knew that if he remained inflexible, his arms would break the outer shell and the massive animals would fall anyone. It was a risk, and Clark didn't know if any of the choices would prevent the disaster.
Kent stood directly underneath, prepping his strength. He gave up hyperspeed to divert his concentrating into bracing himself. Clark closed his eyes as the screaming continued, as did the float. In less than a second it would collide with Clark's outstretched arms, and either way it went people would be hurt.
Clark waited and waited, but it never hit. People had started to calm down and stop screaming, but they were still running. Clark opened his eyes and looked up, seeing his outstretched hands still awaiting the mascot to collide with them. And there the mascot hung in the air, where only a fraction of a second ago it raced. What had happened?
A cord. A cord must have caught, or a safety cord was in place, dead in the center... that's why it was wobbling slightly. But the cord could still give at any second, and people needed help escaping. He could use superspeed to rush them to safety, but people would know his secret. He would only risk that if there was a serious risk to them. He needed a way to see the cord thta was holding up the mascot, and wait for it to almost snap and then get any remaining people out of harm's way.
Clark, still looking upward, focused his eyes and used his x-ray vision to see past the solid mascot. He searched for the exceptionally strong cord that was still there. But Kent didn't see any. As far as Clark could tell, it was hanging in midair! But how was that possible? The mascot weighed tons, it couldn't be floating from air currents. Justin Gaines was dead, this wasn't his doing.
Kent gazed around the room, seeing that most people had quickly escaped the gym. Clark's eyes rested on Alex, who wason her knees. Her fingers were placed firmly on her temples, and her eyes directly staring at the object above Clark. She was shaking, as if she was freezing. Or she was sturggling with something.
"Clark, get out of there!" she screamed.
Clark looked up, seeing the mascot starting to sway back and forth more. He looked around, seeing everyone else was relativly out of the way. Kent ran out of the way normally, just as it fell again to the ground. The object shattered once it hit, sending piece piecesof metal mesh and plaster flying everywhere. One such piece hit Clark on the back of the head, sending the farmboy to the floor.
Kent let hiself drift a bit as people came rushing back in, not bothering to get up for a few seconds. He did so eventually though, looking around th room again.
"Clark!" yelled Pete from behind Kent. "Clark, are you allright?"
Clark spun around, happy to see that Pete was allright. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm glad that safety last cord held in place long enough." explained Clark, not wanting Pete to get interested into any freak phenomenon; not wanting Pete to get Chloe involved in another one of her infamous investigations.
"Yeah." Pete replied. "It looks like everyone got out okay. Well, so much for a boring party we were worried about." he said. "Lana will freak when she hears this."
"Lana? Where is she?" asked Clark.
"She's at the hospital. Her date has been in the hospital since this morning."
Clark looked concerned. "Why? Do you know?"
"Yeah. It's pretty wierd though. A heart attack. Clark, the kid is 16, I guess he must have eaten one too many hamburgers. Speaking of Clark's romances, what happened to Alex?"
"Alex..." muttered Clark, looking through the crowd with his vision. He looked through people sequentially, until he had seen clearly everyone in the room. She was nowhere to be found. "I guess she had enough excitment. Maybe she is in the truck." said Clark as he started outside.
"Allright, see you later man. Oh, and nice dancing!"
Clark didn't turn back to Pete, he just smiled. Kent had too many questions for Alex, he was busy thinking about how he was going to ask them. Kent raced out of the gym and quickly to the front of the school, where sure enough he saw Mercer sitting in the red truck wit her feet on the set, curling up against it's back.
Clark entered the driver's side seat. "Are you allright?" asked Clark.
"Just fine." she said, whiping a tear from her eye.
"In there you pretty-"
"Clark, can we go somewhere to talk?" she asked, interupting him. She wasn't smiling.
"Um, sure." Clark said, putting his eyes into the ignition. He put the truck in reverse, manuvering the truck back onto the main truck. The ride to Clark's driveway was a long one, a silent one. Clark motioned to turn on the radio, but he stopped. He got the feeling music wasn't what Alex needed. She was very quiet, thinking about something as was obvious by her staring at the dashboard.
The truck pulled into the driveway, and the two stepped out. It was dark, but lights from the stars and the light left on in the kitchen was enough light to get to the barn. The two came in, Clark using his x-ray vision to find a match. The two went up to the loft, Clark lighting some of the candles. It was the only source of candlelight. Normally this might seem to both of them a suggestion for... intimacy, but both knew it wasn't. Thery needed somewhere private, and to Clark this was the place.
Alex kneeled down near the gap in the loft, looking out at the stars. She was accompanied by Clark who kneeled beside here, putting his hands across the frame. "Clark, I need to tell you something, but I need to trust you."
Clark nodded. "You can."
Alex smiled a bit. "If I trusted that completely it would defeat the purpose, Clark. Just for second, look in my eyes..."
Clark thought it strange, but he did so. He wondered where this was going. Was she the one repsonsible for that act of telekenesis? Or was it another student at Smallville High, affected by kryptonite? Kent would be far too surprised if he had seen the last of that bunch. Suddenly Kent's thoughts drifted away until he wasn't thinking, all that was present was her black eyes. They were penetrating his own, invading even, but at the same time they were warm. Comforting.
"Allright." she said.
"By looking into my eyes you suddenly trust me?" he asked.
"Yes." she said. "I'll explain. Clark, have you ever had a secret?"
"You could say that." he responded, looking back out at the stars.
"I know you have. The thing is, I do too. I have... abilities. They aren't exactly human."
Clark nodded. He didn't quite know what to say. "Many people around Smallville do... from the meteor rocks. It changes people." he said. What else could he say? What would someone else say if he was revealing himself to them?
"I know, from what Chloe's told me. But I'm not like any of them. Let me show you." she replied.
Clark looked back at her with a questioning look on his face. Suddenly he weren't in the barn. He was on the dance floor, with Alex there with him. Clark looked around, seeing a gymnasium fit for the dance but with nobody here. Nobody here except Clark and Alex. Kent instincivly started dancing with Alex as a slow dance song started up. Clark saw the swirling disco lights, he heard the occasional car outside, he could feel Alex, he could taste the breath mints he had put in his mouth in the truck that had worn off long before, and he could ismell/i her hair. It was almost intoxicating.
But it was gone. Clark blinked as he was suddenly back in the barn. He wasn't dancing, he was still kneeling there with Alex. Clark scrambled back a bit from the window, feeling dizzy.
"Translocation can be a bit disorienting." said Alex.
"What was that?" asked Clark. "Can you teleport or something?"
Alex shook her head. "No, I can't. What you just saw and experienced wasn't real. It was just something I projected into your mind. I took what you sensed from that memory and reshaped it." she replied.
"You're telepathic?"
"Yes, but more than that." she said. Raising her hand, one of the candles on the table started floating. It gently sailed over, gliding into her hand. Staring at the candle, the flame started growing larger. More fierce. Then just as quickly as it rose, it died down. "My mom said that an alien visitor gave our family these powers out of gratitude for something. My brother says that we're aliens. I really don't know what to think."
Clark looked intently at Alex, who had a tear running down her cheek.
She looked at him, slightly confused. "Aren't you surprised? Why aren't you calling me a freak, running away? Just like the others?"
Clark put his hands gently on her shoulders. "I'm not going to run away, and you aren't a freak. As for surprise... yeah, I am. But it was you that saved all of those people."
"I'm not a hero Clark. I caused the accident." she said. Alex saw the questioning look on Clark's face. "That headache... sometimes my abilities overload without my control. I think that's what caused the speakers to explode. You see Clark, all of those people could have been killed. You on the other hand, you are a hero. You tried to stop that thing with your own two hands. You could have been killed, but you tied to stop it."
Kent shook his head. "No. I didn't risk my life."
"But I saw you."
Clark took a deep breath. He couldn't believe what he was about to do, but it seemed right to him. "Alex, I've been hiding something from you. I'm..." he paused. "Not normal either."
Clark stood right under the object, hoping people ducked. He couldn't fly, he would just have to hope that his arms didn't give way temporarily when the creature hit, otherwise it would come down and possibly break people's necks. But then Kent knew that if he remained inflexible, his arms would break the outer shell and the massive animals would fall anyone. It was a risk, and Clark didn't know if any of the choices would prevent the disaster.
Kent stood directly underneath, prepping his strength. He gave up hyperspeed to divert his concentrating into bracing himself. Clark closed his eyes as the screaming continued, as did the float. In less than a second it would collide with Clark's outstretched arms, and either way it went people would be hurt.
Clark waited and waited, but it never hit. People had started to calm down and stop screaming, but they were still running. Clark opened his eyes and looked up, seeing his outstretched hands still awaiting the mascot to collide with them. And there the mascot hung in the air, where only a fraction of a second ago it raced. What had happened?
A cord. A cord must have caught, or a safety cord was in place, dead in the center... that's why it was wobbling slightly. But the cord could still give at any second, and people needed help escaping. He could use superspeed to rush them to safety, but people would know his secret. He would only risk that if there was a serious risk to them. He needed a way to see the cord thta was holding up the mascot, and wait for it to almost snap and then get any remaining people out of harm's way.
Clark, still looking upward, focused his eyes and used his x-ray vision to see past the solid mascot. He searched for the exceptionally strong cord that was still there. But Kent didn't see any. As far as Clark could tell, it was hanging in midair! But how was that possible? The mascot weighed tons, it couldn't be floating from air currents. Justin Gaines was dead, this wasn't his doing.
Kent gazed around the room, seeing that most people had quickly escaped the gym. Clark's eyes rested on Alex, who wason her knees. Her fingers were placed firmly on her temples, and her eyes directly staring at the object above Clark. She was shaking, as if she was freezing. Or she was sturggling with something.
"Clark, get out of there!" she screamed.
Clark looked up, seeing the mascot starting to sway back and forth more. He looked around, seeing everyone else was relativly out of the way. Kent ran out of the way normally, just as it fell again to the ground. The object shattered once it hit, sending piece piecesof metal mesh and plaster flying everywhere. One such piece hit Clark on the back of the head, sending the farmboy to the floor.
Kent let hiself drift a bit as people came rushing back in, not bothering to get up for a few seconds. He did so eventually though, looking around th room again.
"Clark!" yelled Pete from behind Kent. "Clark, are you allright?"
Clark spun around, happy to see that Pete was allright. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm glad that safety last cord held in place long enough." explained Clark, not wanting Pete to get interested into any freak phenomenon; not wanting Pete to get Chloe involved in another one of her infamous investigations.
"Yeah." Pete replied. "It looks like everyone got out okay. Well, so much for a boring party we were worried about." he said. "Lana will freak when she hears this."
"Lana? Where is she?" asked Clark.
"She's at the hospital. Her date has been in the hospital since this morning."
Clark looked concerned. "Why? Do you know?"
"Yeah. It's pretty wierd though. A heart attack. Clark, the kid is 16, I guess he must have eaten one too many hamburgers. Speaking of Clark's romances, what happened to Alex?"
"Alex..." muttered Clark, looking through the crowd with his vision. He looked through people sequentially, until he had seen clearly everyone in the room. She was nowhere to be found. "I guess she had enough excitment. Maybe she is in the truck." said Clark as he started outside.
"Allright, see you later man. Oh, and nice dancing!"
Clark didn't turn back to Pete, he just smiled. Kent had too many questions for Alex, he was busy thinking about how he was going to ask them. Kent raced out of the gym and quickly to the front of the school, where sure enough he saw Mercer sitting in the red truck wit her feet on the set, curling up against it's back.
Clark entered the driver's side seat. "Are you allright?" asked Clark.
"Just fine." she said, whiping a tear from her eye.
"In there you pretty-"
"Clark, can we go somewhere to talk?" she asked, interupting him. She wasn't smiling.
"Um, sure." Clark said, putting his eyes into the ignition. He put the truck in reverse, manuvering the truck back onto the main truck. The ride to Clark's driveway was a long one, a silent one. Clark motioned to turn on the radio, but he stopped. He got the feeling music wasn't what Alex needed. She was very quiet, thinking about something as was obvious by her staring at the dashboard.
The truck pulled into the driveway, and the two stepped out. It was dark, but lights from the stars and the light left on in the kitchen was enough light to get to the barn. The two came in, Clark using his x-ray vision to find a match. The two went up to the loft, Clark lighting some of the candles. It was the only source of candlelight. Normally this might seem to both of them a suggestion for... intimacy, but both knew it wasn't. Thery needed somewhere private, and to Clark this was the place.
Alex kneeled down near the gap in the loft, looking out at the stars. She was accompanied by Clark who kneeled beside here, putting his hands across the frame. "Clark, I need to tell you something, but I need to trust you."
Clark nodded. "You can."
Alex smiled a bit. "If I trusted that completely it would defeat the purpose, Clark. Just for second, look in my eyes..."
Clark thought it strange, but he did so. He wondered where this was going. Was she the one repsonsible for that act of telekenesis? Or was it another student at Smallville High, affected by kryptonite? Kent would be far too surprised if he had seen the last of that bunch. Suddenly Kent's thoughts drifted away until he wasn't thinking, all that was present was her black eyes. They were penetrating his own, invading even, but at the same time they were warm. Comforting.
"Allright." she said.
"By looking into my eyes you suddenly trust me?" he asked.
"Yes." she said. "I'll explain. Clark, have you ever had a secret?"
"You could say that." he responded, looking back out at the stars.
"I know you have. The thing is, I do too. I have... abilities. They aren't exactly human."
Clark nodded. He didn't quite know what to say. "Many people around Smallville do... from the meteor rocks. It changes people." he said. What else could he say? What would someone else say if he was revealing himself to them?
"I know, from what Chloe's told me. But I'm not like any of them. Let me show you." she replied.
Clark looked back at her with a questioning look on his face. Suddenly he weren't in the barn. He was on the dance floor, with Alex there with him. Clark looked around, seeing a gymnasium fit for the dance but with nobody here. Nobody here except Clark and Alex. Kent instincivly started dancing with Alex as a slow dance song started up. Clark saw the swirling disco lights, he heard the occasional car outside, he could feel Alex, he could taste the breath mints he had put in his mouth in the truck that had worn off long before, and he could ismell/i her hair. It was almost intoxicating.
But it was gone. Clark blinked as he was suddenly back in the barn. He wasn't dancing, he was still kneeling there with Alex. Clark scrambled back a bit from the window, feeling dizzy.
"Translocation can be a bit disorienting." said Alex.
"What was that?" asked Clark. "Can you teleport or something?"
Alex shook her head. "No, I can't. What you just saw and experienced wasn't real. It was just something I projected into your mind. I took what you sensed from that memory and reshaped it." she replied.
"You're telepathic?"
"Yes, but more than that." she said. Raising her hand, one of the candles on the table started floating. It gently sailed over, gliding into her hand. Staring at the candle, the flame started growing larger. More fierce. Then just as quickly as it rose, it died down. "My mom said that an alien visitor gave our family these powers out of gratitude for something. My brother says that we're aliens. I really don't know what to think."
Clark looked intently at Alex, who had a tear running down her cheek.
She looked at him, slightly confused. "Aren't you surprised? Why aren't you calling me a freak, running away? Just like the others?"
Clark put his hands gently on her shoulders. "I'm not going to run away, and you aren't a freak. As for surprise... yeah, I am. But it was you that saved all of those people."
"I'm not a hero Clark. I caused the accident." she said. Alex saw the questioning look on Clark's face. "That headache... sometimes my abilities overload without my control. I think that's what caused the speakers to explode. You see Clark, all of those people could have been killed. You on the other hand, you are a hero. You tried to stop that thing with your own two hands. You could have been killed, but you tied to stop it."
Kent shook his head. "No. I didn't risk my life."
"But I saw you."
Clark took a deep breath. He couldn't believe what he was about to do, but it seemed right to him. "Alex, I've been hiding something from you. I'm..." he paused. "Not normal either."