Author's Note: First I'd just like to say thank you for all those who have been reviewing the story. Usually I let the first two or so chapter have relatively little plot line so that I can better introduce the characters and tie an emotional link between them and the reader. (Sounds almost like I know what I'm saying) But the actual plot of the story begins now. So enjoy. If you like this story please feel free to take a look at some of my others, you can read them by clicking on my screen name. Thanks, oh, and be sure to review!
Chapter 3: A Newer Life
"You were pretty good." Chloe's voice greeted Chris with a smile as he came down off the stage.
"Pretty good at making a fool of myself anyway." Chris said with a smile. "I've never been that good at singing."
"You did better than a lot of people that have the courage to get up there." Chloe corrected him as he sat down at the table with her.
"Thanks." Chris said with a nod. "But I've never been one for karaoke."
Chloe smiled, she'd been talking to this boy for more than an hour now and still she hadn't found out really a single thing about him. He was good at dodging questions and giving half answers.
"So they ask you to show a lot of the new students around the school?" Chris asked as he took a sip of his drink.
"Every now and then. It's usually either me or one of the other seniors. I guess I'm popular in the office because of the Torch." Chloe said with a shrug.
"Torch?" Chris asked curiously.
"That's the name of the school newspaper." Chloe explained. "I'm the editor, and one of two full time volunteer reporters."
"Who's the other one?" Chris asked.
"Clark Kent." Chloe answered. "But he's more off and on. He does it when he has time."
"Same Clark that's the son of the waitress here?" Chris asked. "I think I met him earlier."
"Yeah, that's Clark." Chloe said with a nod.
Chris got slightly bored, and without knowing it began to twirl his shoulder length blonde hair in his finger. "So, this paper of yours, think they could use a photographer?"
"I'm sure we could use someone with a little skill. Wouldn't hurt to have some extra credit." Chloe said with a smile. "Do you still have a camera?"
"Yeah." Chris said with a smile, and then his smile faded. "Well I did." He corrected himself. "It broke this morning when some crazy lady hit me with her car." His smile grew a bit.
"Crazy lady?" Chloe asked almost offended.
"Yeah but she was cute so I let her off the hook." Chris said with a smile. This was so unlike him. Usually he couldn't say two words to a girl without tripping over his tongue. Didn't matter if the girl was pretty or not. Now here he was talking to a pretty girl, and he was being smooth. None of his old friends would've believed this. But perhaps that was why. Maybe the reason his attitude had changed was because his environment had changed. And not only the place, but also the people around him had changed. He felt comfortable here, now he knew why his Uncle liked it in Smallville.
Chloe blushed at first but then she noticed that he seemed to space out a bit. "Everything okay?" She asked with a slight hint of concern in her voice.
"What?" Chris asked snapping back to reality. "Yeah, everything's fine, I was just… thinking is all. I guess I'm a little tired."
"Probably jet lagged still from your trip here." Chloe said with a smile.
"That must be it. I think I'm going to head home." He looked at the clock, it was after nine now, and well and dark, which meant he could fly without being seen. "Or at least to my Uncle's house."
"Where is it? Can I offer you a ride?" Chloe asked, standing up as he did and grabbing her purse.
"No, that's okay." Chris said shaking his head.
"Okay." Chloe said a bit hesitantly. "You sure?"
"Yeah, the night air will do me some good." Chris said with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow at school. What's your last name so I can ask for you to give me a tour?"
"Sullivan." Chloe answered.
"Nice name." Chris said with a nod.
The night air hit him as soon as he walked out of the Torch. There was a full moon and almost no cloud cover tonight; which was actually bad for Chris, it meant no flying too much risk of being seen. "Well, I guess I really will have to walk all the way back there." He said with a sigh. "Or…" His head perked up as he turned around and began to cross the street he had just crossed so that he could get back to the Talon.
Before he could get far a car came zipping around the corner, with a cop car not too far behind. "Crime in this town? You've got to be kidding me." Chris said shaking his head as he instinctively jumped behind a car.
The driver of the get-a-way car fired some shots at the police car and then kept driving. The police car was probably the only one this town had. The car sped along the street as it headed out of town and now turned onto a desolate and unpaved country road.
Quite suddenly a loud bang came from the roof of the vehicle followed by claws coming through the steel top. The passenger screamed like a girl as he fired some shots, which were blocked by some sort of shield. The top of the car was ripped off and rolled back like some sort of sardine can lid, and the driver and passenger yanked out of the car. A large duffel bag hung from the passenger's shoulder.
Both of them found themselves high up in the air before long, and when they finally had the courage to look up and see what was carrying them they wished they didn't. A huge beast, with gray colored skin and large bat-like wings was holding them by the collars as he flew straight up. He had long greenish hair that reached his shoulders, and glowing green eyes.
Both of them screamed like murder as the cop car pulled up to the car beneath them that had run itself off the road and into a ditch. The creature looked down at them when they screamed and smiled, revealing the long fangs, which made up its teeth. "Who are you?" The one screamed.
"Don't talk to it!" The other yelled. The creature looked at him oddly, but the man was too terrified to realize that all of them were now on the ground safely. "Don't eat me!"
The creatures seemed to laugh as he silently let billows of smoke roll from his nose. The one thief pulled a flashlight as he got his feet on the ground, and shined it at the creature. The creature covered his eyes but they could tell in the light that it was a gargoyle. Or at least that's what it looked like to be honest. A big seven-foot stone gargoyle, only this one was alive. Both of them pulled weapons and fired on it.
The wings of the creature wrapped around it and it crouched, using its enormous wings as a shield against the bullets. But the idiots hadn't realized that all of their screaming, flashlight shining, and gun firing had led the police right to them.
The creature was gone and only they and their bag of stolen goods, whatever was in it, were left with those nice two policemen. Well, one was a woman, but what did that matter?
"Did you see it?" The thieves babbled on and on about the creature insanely as they drove away. But if one had looked up at the sky one would've seen what looked like a bird, flying high above the fields, away from the town.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
The next morning Chris awoke to the crow of roosters. Roosters. Roosters? He opened his eyes and looked around. That's right, he wasn't in New York anymore. "Who in the world would by a rooster alarm clock?" He asked as he hit the snooze button and got out of bed.
"Let's see… for today's agenda we have… School. Because it's the law." Chris said with a smile as he went into the bathroom. "Tomorrow we have Uncle Frank's funeral." He continued. "And the day after we have whatever I want to have." He said with a slight smile as he started brushing his teeth.
It didn't take him long at all to get showered and grab a cup of coffee from that huge kitchen of his before heading off to school. Luckily he remembered that he had a half hour walk ahead of him. Otherwise he would've been really late. "It's too bright to fly and I'm too tired from last night's little activity." He said as he started walking.
To be honest he couldn't remember why he'd just gone and done what he did. He'd given up trying to play hero a long time ago. Hadn't he? "I wonder what kind of rumors are going to be going around in a small town because of it?" He asked himself as he went past his barn.
"Ho there!" A voice called out from the barn. "Who are you?"
Chris whirled around almost ready to attack whoever it was that suddenly startled him. An elderly gentleman with gray hair but a strong body met him with equal surprise. "Who are you?"
"I asked you first." The old man said comically.
"Christian Hart." Chris answered. "The nephew of the guy that owned this place. He left it to me in his will."
"So you're Chris huh? Pleasure to meet you. My name's Ben, I'm your Uncle's caretaker, and one of his friends." The old man said with a smile. "I figured with your Uncle gone the horses would still need some taking care of."
"So you're the one who's been doing that?" Chris asked in surprise. "I was wondering who'd been caring for them. Thanks."
"You're welcome." Ben said with a nod.
"Keep up the good work then I guess. I'll get your pay ready for you by Friday, okay?" Chris asked.
"Well sure sir." Ben said with a smile. "In all honesty I was wondering if I was to be kept on."
"Well to be honest with you myself I don't know the first thing about Horses. So if you're willing to lend a hand I'm willing to take it. This is a big place though, I'm gonna see what I can do to get you some help." Chris said with a smile.
"I'd be much obliged." Ben responded. "You off to town?"
"School." Chris said with a nod. "I'll be back eventually."
"Have fun." Ben said with a smile.
"You too." Chris remarked with a wink. School was about as much fun as work. Then again there are some who would consider School to be harder than work. He was down the driveway and on his way in no time.
He passed through town again, and stopped by the talon. "Anybody home?" He asked as he came in, the place seemed deserted.
"Morning Chris." The waitress, Mrs. Kent, met him with a smile from behind the counter. "What can I get for you?"
"Cappuccino." Chris answered with a smile. "Do you know where I might be able to buy a new camera?" He asked looking over his shoulder a bit as she got him his order.
"Well for a nice camera you'd probably have to go to Metropolis, but there's a electronics store across the street that might have a nice digital one for you." Martha answered with a smile as she handed him his coffee and he paid.
"Thanks, I'll try there before school." Chris said with a smile as he left.
The electronics store didn't have any real cameras, not the kind that Chris liked anyway, he usually preferred the professional grade cameras, but digital would have to do for now. It was really expensive though, just over a hundred dollars, which was the last of his travel money. He would have to find the money his Uncle left behind somewhere in the house before he did anything else expensive.
The school building itself wasn't that impressive, he checked in with the office, and they gave him a list of the classes, before calling in a student to give him a look around. "Miss Sullivan will show you around, she's usually the one we have give new students a tour, she'll have you acclimated and making friends in no time."
"Thanks." Chris said to the secretary just before Chloe came in.
The tour didn't last that long, and by the end of it they were in the Torch. Chris was impressed. "I've got to give it to you, this is some nice equipment." He said looking at the flat screen computers. "Though it could use some decoration in here." His attention was focused on the large blank spot that took up a little more than the whole sidewall, the former resting place of the wall of weird.
"Yeah, well, I figure once we get some decent issues out we can post them up there, and it'll look fine." Chloe said with a slightly awkward smile.
"I still can't believe she took it down." Clark's voice came from the doorway as he came in.
"Took what down?" Chris asked looking over to Clark.
"The wall of weird." Clark answered with a smile. "A copy of every single piece of every strange event here since the meteor shower."
"That thing back in '88?" Chris asked. "Must've been a large wall."
Chloe shrugged. "Yeah well, I decided it was time for a slight change. I mean just cause all those things were weird doesn't mean they deserved to have special attention." She said as she glanced to Clark.
Clark didn't seem to notice. "So what are you doing here Chris? Going to sign up for the extra credit?"
Chris thought for a moment. "Yeah, I figure I'll double as a photographer and writer if Chloe here will publish any of my articles."
Chloe smiled. "We'll see. Right now I have to get to class, but stop by after school and I can show you the ropes of working at the paper. Maybe you can join me in my interview this afternoon."
"Who are you interviewing?" Chris asked curiously.
"Gold's jewelers was robbed last night, the thieves claim to have been stopped by a dragon like beast. Flew them into the air and then dropped them in the police's lap." Chloe answered with a tone of skepticism in her voice.
"Do you believe them?" Clark asked, suddenly it seemed as if his curiosity was peaked.
"Clark come on? A dragon-like Beast that can fly and blow smoke from his nostrils?" Chloe asked looking up. "They're either going to try for an insanity plea, or they were high on something."
"I dunno." Chris said with a shrug. "Stranger things have happened."
END
Author's Note: Review! Thanks.
