Pete knocked on the door of the Kent's house. After a few seconds, it was pulled open and he was greeted by Clark. He smiled.
"Hey, Clark" He said, trying to keep the pity out of his voice and his eyes. If this Clark was the same as the old Clark, he wouldn't want to be looked upon with pity.
"Hey, uhhh…" Clark glanced down at his hand where he had written the names of his friends during the discussion with his dad. Damn. There were two guys names. Oh well, he would just have to guess. "Lex?"
Pete smiled a half-smile. "Pete, actually." He said, extending a hand. "But nice try."
Clark accepted his hand and shook it. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him. They started walking towards the loft.
"Man, I can't believe it," Pete said, finally breaking the silence. "Do you have any idea how it happened?"
"I don't remember anything," Clark replied "But Mom filled me in. Apparently, I was in the loft, then Mom came home, we had dinner, then I got up, and collapsed."
"And when you woke up you didn't remember a thing?" Pete asked. Clark sighed as they reached the barn and started up the stairs to the loft.
"Pete, I think my memory loss may have something to do with what we had for dinner last night." He said. "It was some weird Asian food, from a new restaurant in town. We'd never been there before."
"That's kind of a stretch isn't it?" Pete asked, sitting down on one of the cardboard boxes filled with old clothes Clark used for seats.
"I don't know." Clark said. He glanced around. "So this is my loft. I have good taste."
Pete tried to smile, but failed miserably. Although Clark's comment was intended to lighten the mood, it only gave Pete the familiar feeling of pity, which he tried to disguise, but he couldn't help it creeping back.
"So have your folks told you about… certain… talents?" He asked, hoping he hadn't just let the cat out of the bag for something his parents weren't ready to tell him yet. But his fears were short-lived.
"Yeah," Clark replied "They said you know about me, right?"
"Yeah" Pete answered
"Pete," Clark said "Do you know if I'm allergic to anything? Anything that might have caused my memory loss?"
"Well, there is one thing," Pete started "Did your parents tell you about the meteor shower?"
Clark nodded
"Well, the meteors that came down then, have a sort of weird affect on you." Pete continued "You sort of go all pink and dizzy, like your going to throw up. If it goes on for too long… you faint."
"Pete, that's it!" Clark exclaimed "The food must have some meteor stuff in it!"
"Woah, there's one problem with your theory." Pete said
"What's that?" Clark asked, disappointed
"If you had eaten any of that stuff, you'd probably be… er… dead." Pete said, wishing he hadn't put it so bluntly. Clark's eyes widened.
"Wait, I thought you said I just fainted?" He asked, confused
"Yeah, if you're exposed to them," Pete said "You don't have to eat them, you just have to be near them."
"Only just around them?" Clark asked in disbelief
"Yeah, I don't know what happens if one touches you, but if you ate one…" Pete trailed off. The sound of Pete's words gave Clark the chills, but he pressed on anyway.
"But what if there was just a little bit in the food?" Clark asked "or just the essence or something?"
"I dunno," Pete answered "I guess it's worth a look. You wanna go now?"
"No," Clark said "It's been kind of a big day for me, and it's only midday."
"You want me to go?" Pete asked
"No, I'd sort of like some company." Clark said.
"Sure," Pete answered, then seemed to remember something, and reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small rectangular bundle. "I, uh, brought these over. Thought they might spark some memories or something."
"What are they?" Clark asked. Pete unwrapped the bundle.
"Photos" He said
