"He's going to be fine, Ms. Lang." said the nurse, checking vitals for the boy sitting on the hospital bed.
Lana was standing next to the bed, looking down at the teenager who looked very peaceful.
"Is he your brother? Boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend." said Lana. "Well, sort of. He just asked me out yesterday. We were supposed to go to the dance but when I called his mom this afternoon she said he had been taken here."
"Well, you have nothing to worry about." replied the nurse. "It was a fairly large heart attack, but his body handled the stress well. He should be back on his feet in a week or so."
"How did he get a heart attack, anyway?"
"We didn't find any physcial cause. Doctor Hamlem thinks something scared him half to death... literally. But that's extremely rare, and it must have quite a shock to his system."
Lana looked down at the boy, brushing his cheek, slightly. "Sorry we couldn't go to the dance, Kevin. Maybe next time."
"What do you mean, exactly? You aren't normal?" asked Alexandra, stepping closer to Clark while still kneeling his on level. "Not normal? You mean like me?"
"Not exactly. But I have abilities."
"Like what?" asked Alex. She rested her hand on Clark's knee, excited by what he was telling her.
"Let me show you." said Clark. 'Here goes nothing.' he thought, entering super speed. He appeared at the other end of the loft.
Alex blinked, refocusing her eyes on Clark, amazed. "Incredible... you have speed?"
Clark took a spare horseshoe sitting in a bucket up for her to see. With one hand he crushed the horshoe, bending it into a knot. He looked at Alex's reaction, she was entranced. Kent stared at the horseshoe, and a violtent beam of heat erupted from his from eyes for just a second. It heated up the horshoe so much it started glowing and fusing with itself into a metal clump. He looked back up from it, staring at Alex. She wasn't staring at the once-horseshoe, she was looking at him with wonder.
"You really do know what it's like." she said at once. "Does anybody else know about you?"
"Pete, and my family."
"Is your family like you? Do they have your gifts?"
Clark shook his head. "No."
Alexandra smiled. She wasn't crying anymore. "So I guess we aren't alone."
"I thought you said your family were given gifts..."
"They were." replied Mercer, "but none of my family is like me. They have the same abilities, but that doesn't make them like me. But you are Clark, you can understand. We're two of the same."
"Understand? Understand what?"
"It all!" she exclaimed happily. "What it feels like growing up, being stronger than everyone else and not being able to tell them who you are. Because if you ever did, they would run away or kidnap you and probe you until you're dead. Being held back from doing what normal kids do because you might do something, because you might have your secret revealed. What it feels like to be completely alone, even in a room of people."
Clark nodded. "I understand that."
"And we've found each other." she said, inching closer. "I know you can feel it to. I've never met anyone else like you. Clark, I never want to be alone again." she said, leaning forward. Alex pressed her lips against Clark's, dragging her lower lip below his.
Kent closed his eyes and kissed her tenderly back. For the first time in his life Clark didn't feel alone, out of place. Alex and him were different but the same, they knew each other in ways nobody else could possibly imagine. He didn't want to be alone again.
The two lay on the couch with there formal clothes still on, gently falling asleep, Clark's back pressing against the couch with Alex resting under his arms. The smell of her hair filled his mind with images of her at the dance, dancing seamlessly with one another. It came to Clark the reason he could dance, she had planted her own skill into his mind. Kent smiled at this as his pleasent thoughts gently gave way to nightmares.
Lana was standing next to the bed, looking down at the teenager who looked very peaceful.
"Is he your brother? Boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend." said Lana. "Well, sort of. He just asked me out yesterday. We were supposed to go to the dance but when I called his mom this afternoon she said he had been taken here."
"Well, you have nothing to worry about." replied the nurse. "It was a fairly large heart attack, but his body handled the stress well. He should be back on his feet in a week or so."
"How did he get a heart attack, anyway?"
"We didn't find any physcial cause. Doctor Hamlem thinks something scared him half to death... literally. But that's extremely rare, and it must have quite a shock to his system."
Lana looked down at the boy, brushing his cheek, slightly. "Sorry we couldn't go to the dance, Kevin. Maybe next time."
"What do you mean, exactly? You aren't normal?" asked Alexandra, stepping closer to Clark while still kneeling his on level. "Not normal? You mean like me?"
"Not exactly. But I have abilities."
"Like what?" asked Alex. She rested her hand on Clark's knee, excited by what he was telling her.
"Let me show you." said Clark. 'Here goes nothing.' he thought, entering super speed. He appeared at the other end of the loft.
Alex blinked, refocusing her eyes on Clark, amazed. "Incredible... you have speed?"
Clark took a spare horseshoe sitting in a bucket up for her to see. With one hand he crushed the horshoe, bending it into a knot. He looked at Alex's reaction, she was entranced. Kent stared at the horseshoe, and a violtent beam of heat erupted from his from eyes for just a second. It heated up the horshoe so much it started glowing and fusing with itself into a metal clump. He looked back up from it, staring at Alex. She wasn't staring at the once-horseshoe, she was looking at him with wonder.
"You really do know what it's like." she said at once. "Does anybody else know about you?"
"Pete, and my family."
"Is your family like you? Do they have your gifts?"
Clark shook his head. "No."
Alexandra smiled. She wasn't crying anymore. "So I guess we aren't alone."
"I thought you said your family were given gifts..."
"They were." replied Mercer, "but none of my family is like me. They have the same abilities, but that doesn't make them like me. But you are Clark, you can understand. We're two of the same."
"Understand? Understand what?"
"It all!" she exclaimed happily. "What it feels like growing up, being stronger than everyone else and not being able to tell them who you are. Because if you ever did, they would run away or kidnap you and probe you until you're dead. Being held back from doing what normal kids do because you might do something, because you might have your secret revealed. What it feels like to be completely alone, even in a room of people."
Clark nodded. "I understand that."
"And we've found each other." she said, inching closer. "I know you can feel it to. I've never met anyone else like you. Clark, I never want to be alone again." she said, leaning forward. Alex pressed her lips against Clark's, dragging her lower lip below his.
Kent closed his eyes and kissed her tenderly back. For the first time in his life Clark didn't feel alone, out of place. Alex and him were different but the same, they knew each other in ways nobody else could possibly imagine. He didn't want to be alone again.
The two lay on the couch with there formal clothes still on, gently falling asleep, Clark's back pressing against the couch with Alex resting under his arms. The smell of her hair filled his mind with images of her at the dance, dancing seamlessly with one another. It came to Clark the reason he could dance, she had planted her own skill into his mind. Kent smiled at this as his pleasent thoughts gently gave way to nightmares.