He reached his room before Chloe. She was in his parents' room. Clark found
the journal open on his desk and paused. He didn't remember leaving it
open. A sound came from the hallway, and Clark hastily shoved the book into
one of his desk drawers. Chloe appeared in the doorway.
"Oh!" she exclaimed.
Clark shifted his weight. "Yeah, I, uh, finished outside so I thought I'd check the house with you."
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Sure Clark, whatever. Everything here seems normal so far – well, besides your room. This is a disaster area!" she smiled.
He studied her carefully. She didn't seem to be acting any differently. If Chloe had read Clark's journal, she'd be on him for an interview in a snap. Clark let out a short breath of relief than looked at the floor. The last thing he needed at the moment was the same lecture from Chloe as his mom would give him when she got home.
Everything seemed to be in it's place, but something was different. Clark's muscles tensed, and he began to scan with his x-ray vision.
Whitney listened as Clark and Chloe began to search the room. The hairs on his neck stood on end as he felt like eyes were staring at him. He shivered.
Clark saw the skeleton in the closet. It reminded him of the old Hallowe'en cartoons he and Pete used to watch where a character would open the door and a skeleton would pop out to scare them. He smiled, but came to the sudden realization of the seriousness of the situation. Whitney knew his secret.
Chloe noticed Clark was staring awfully hard at the closet. "Clark, you're going to burn a hole through the door if you keep staring at it like that!" she joked.
His heart sank into his stomach for a moment, then Clark understood she was only kidding. But Whitney was still in the closet, waiting.
* * *
Richard and Lana had given up after a few hours of searching. They went back to the Talon to rest for a bit. With the typical Saturday afternoon crowd occupying most of the staff, Lana took it upon herself to get some coffee for the both of them. She prepared it slowly, taking as much time as possible to think of possible ways to let Richard know that nothing would ever happen between them, if the topic ever came up. It sounded conceited in her head, but at times she thought he was trying to flirt with her.
Richard waited patiently on the couch as Lana got their coffee. She had some sort of mysterious beauty about her, but filled with sadness. All day he hadn't been sure weather she was flirting with him or he was flirting with her, but he was definitely sure that Lana was hands-off. He would never betray Whitney like that, in case his memory ever did come back, which he hoped it would.
"What's on your mind?" Lana asked, as she returned with their drinks.
Richard took his steaming mug from Lana. "Oh, you know. The usual." He didn't know what the usual was, or if he should expand on it, so Richard left his comment short.
Lana nodded in understanding. They were both virtually strangers with only one thing in common, and that one thing wasn't a very cheerful topic for conversation at the moment. She sipped her coffee anticipating their next spoken words.
"So, um, this is a really nice place. Whitney told me you own it?" Richard looked at the artful Egyptian designs on the walls.
"Well, I don't really own it, but I do have a good share of say in what goes on around here. Lex Luthor bought this place from my aunt before she moved to Metropolis."
"Oh, I see." He nodded. She didn't leave much more room for conversation on that topic. Richard thought for a moment. "You know, maybe we should check back with Mrs. Fordman soon, I bet she's worried sick over everything that's happened today."
Lana stared blankly at Richard for a moment. He was showing signs of discomfort in just sitting around doing nothing. "Yeah, you're right. No point in sitting around here when there's work to be done." She cringed at the lameness in her own words.
* * *
Chloe couldn't understand how Clark knew Whitney was in his closet. Whitney seemed quite surprised that they found him too, while showing obvious signs of embarrassment. She would feel stupid too, for hiding in someone's bedroom closet. And now, there he was, sitting across from her at Clark's kitchen table.
Whitney shifted in his seat, feeling more humiliated by the moment. He was also scared. Chloe and Clark were both glancing at him at separate times in silence. No one knew what to say, so he spoke first, "Look, sorry for running away and everything. I was just sick of people coming into the hospital and gawking at me as if I were an alien or something." He was sure to put emphasis on the word 'alien' to see if Clark made any sort of reaction. There was a slight flicker in his eyes, but nothing more.
"I understand how you feel," Chloe started, "but people are worried about you." She decided to be blunt. It was Whitney, after all, he could handle it. "We all thought you died, and suddenly you come back. Then you disappear again, plus you have no memory. I think we have some room for concern here."
Clark lightly poked Chloe's foot with his under the table and gave her a small look of disapproval. "So you still don't remember anything?" he asked.
"I think that if I did, you wouldn't be the first person to know." Whitney sneered. He didn't know why he was being so rude, but it did make him feel better. But soon after he said that, a flash of pain burned through his body. In his mind he watched in horror as a bombshell was falling from the sky towards him. Whitney tried to back up, but he fell out of his chair onto the floor. A face appeared. Someone who he'd seen before, many times. Someone who meant so much to him.
"Oh my god, are you ok??" Chloe raced to Whitney's side to help him up along with Clark.
Whitney looked up at her, confused for a moment. Then he realized what he saw was real. It was his own death. He stared carefully into Chloe's eyes and grasped her arm as she and Clark helped him up. "I need to find Lana."
"Oh!" she exclaimed.
Clark shifted his weight. "Yeah, I, uh, finished outside so I thought I'd check the house with you."
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Sure Clark, whatever. Everything here seems normal so far – well, besides your room. This is a disaster area!" she smiled.
He studied her carefully. She didn't seem to be acting any differently. If Chloe had read Clark's journal, she'd be on him for an interview in a snap. Clark let out a short breath of relief than looked at the floor. The last thing he needed at the moment was the same lecture from Chloe as his mom would give him when she got home.
Everything seemed to be in it's place, but something was different. Clark's muscles tensed, and he began to scan with his x-ray vision.
Whitney listened as Clark and Chloe began to search the room. The hairs on his neck stood on end as he felt like eyes were staring at him. He shivered.
Clark saw the skeleton in the closet. It reminded him of the old Hallowe'en cartoons he and Pete used to watch where a character would open the door and a skeleton would pop out to scare them. He smiled, but came to the sudden realization of the seriousness of the situation. Whitney knew his secret.
Chloe noticed Clark was staring awfully hard at the closet. "Clark, you're going to burn a hole through the door if you keep staring at it like that!" she joked.
His heart sank into his stomach for a moment, then Clark understood she was only kidding. But Whitney was still in the closet, waiting.
* * *
Richard and Lana had given up after a few hours of searching. They went back to the Talon to rest for a bit. With the typical Saturday afternoon crowd occupying most of the staff, Lana took it upon herself to get some coffee for the both of them. She prepared it slowly, taking as much time as possible to think of possible ways to let Richard know that nothing would ever happen between them, if the topic ever came up. It sounded conceited in her head, but at times she thought he was trying to flirt with her.
Richard waited patiently on the couch as Lana got their coffee. She had some sort of mysterious beauty about her, but filled with sadness. All day he hadn't been sure weather she was flirting with him or he was flirting with her, but he was definitely sure that Lana was hands-off. He would never betray Whitney like that, in case his memory ever did come back, which he hoped it would.
"What's on your mind?" Lana asked, as she returned with their drinks.
Richard took his steaming mug from Lana. "Oh, you know. The usual." He didn't know what the usual was, or if he should expand on it, so Richard left his comment short.
Lana nodded in understanding. They were both virtually strangers with only one thing in common, and that one thing wasn't a very cheerful topic for conversation at the moment. She sipped her coffee anticipating their next spoken words.
"So, um, this is a really nice place. Whitney told me you own it?" Richard looked at the artful Egyptian designs on the walls.
"Well, I don't really own it, but I do have a good share of say in what goes on around here. Lex Luthor bought this place from my aunt before she moved to Metropolis."
"Oh, I see." He nodded. She didn't leave much more room for conversation on that topic. Richard thought for a moment. "You know, maybe we should check back with Mrs. Fordman soon, I bet she's worried sick over everything that's happened today."
Lana stared blankly at Richard for a moment. He was showing signs of discomfort in just sitting around doing nothing. "Yeah, you're right. No point in sitting around here when there's work to be done." She cringed at the lameness in her own words.
* * *
Chloe couldn't understand how Clark knew Whitney was in his closet. Whitney seemed quite surprised that they found him too, while showing obvious signs of embarrassment. She would feel stupid too, for hiding in someone's bedroom closet. And now, there he was, sitting across from her at Clark's kitchen table.
Whitney shifted in his seat, feeling more humiliated by the moment. He was also scared. Chloe and Clark were both glancing at him at separate times in silence. No one knew what to say, so he spoke first, "Look, sorry for running away and everything. I was just sick of people coming into the hospital and gawking at me as if I were an alien or something." He was sure to put emphasis on the word 'alien' to see if Clark made any sort of reaction. There was a slight flicker in his eyes, but nothing more.
"I understand how you feel," Chloe started, "but people are worried about you." She decided to be blunt. It was Whitney, after all, he could handle it. "We all thought you died, and suddenly you come back. Then you disappear again, plus you have no memory. I think we have some room for concern here."
Clark lightly poked Chloe's foot with his under the table and gave her a small look of disapproval. "So you still don't remember anything?" he asked.
"I think that if I did, you wouldn't be the first person to know." Whitney sneered. He didn't know why he was being so rude, but it did make him feel better. But soon after he said that, a flash of pain burned through his body. In his mind he watched in horror as a bombshell was falling from the sky towards him. Whitney tried to back up, but he fell out of his chair onto the floor. A face appeared. Someone who he'd seen before, many times. Someone who meant so much to him.
"Oh my god, are you ok??" Chloe raced to Whitney's side to help him up along with Clark.
Whitney looked up at her, confused for a moment. Then he realized what he saw was real. It was his own death. He stared carefully into Chloe's eyes and grasped her arm as she and Clark helped him up. "I need to find Lana."