Clark Kent walked toward his school, not thinking about everything in his life that was wrong. He tried not to think about all these things every day, but he somehow found himself thinking about his best friend Pete, who had moved to a different state because of him. Clark was special. For lack of a better term, he was an alien. A Kryptonian, to be exact. His morning had already been rough. Clark's mom had asked him to take a box of old books to a tiny shed behind their barn and Clark had done so. When he casually tossed the box into the shed, it had flown clear out the other side and caused the whole thing to collapse. "Don't worry about it, sweetie," his mom had said. "We didn't really need it anyway."
Yeah right, he thought. Unfortunately for him, his day wasn't going to get any better.
Clark walked up the steps to the main doors and reached forward to pull them open when his best friend Chloe burst through the doors. "Clark!" she said, relieved. "There you are."
Clark raised an eyebrow. "Where else would I be?" he asked. Chloe waved his sarcasm aside. "I need your help. I need you to write an article about Lex," she said.
Clark stopped walking. "An article about Lex? Why?"
Chloe stared at him in that special way that made you feel like she was a scientist looking at her lab rat. You were the lab rat. "Clark," she said exasperatedly. "Don't you read the newspaper? Lex is donating over eight thousand dollars to the hospital." Chloe said, leading Clark into the Torch room. Chloe was handing him a tape recorder and a pad of paper when their science teacher, Mrs. Albertson, came in. "Clark, I've been looking for you," she said, relief washing over her face. Confused, Clark said, "Why?"
"We have a new transfer student and I need you to show her around."
Clark's eyebrows shot up. As if on cue a girl he and Chloe's age entered the room. She was about five foot six and had elbow length light brown hair that was tied back. Her eyes were a deep, clear blue that caught Clark off guard. She had a very good figure and her skin was a natural tan, not one of those tanning salon fake things.
Clark felt his jaw open slightly. Chloe noticed Clark's reaction to the new girl and couldn't help feeling slightly jealous. She pushed past Clark to face the girl. "Hi, I'm Chloe and this is Clark. What's your name?"
The new girl smiled warmly, apparently missing Chloe's hard tone. "My name is Emily," she said, still smiling. Clark finally stopped drooling. "Hi," he said, about five minutes late. Mrs. Albertson had left to go back to her class.
"So, Clark. Will you show me the library?" Emily asked, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over them. "Uh, sure," Clark said, glancing at Chloe. They both knew that he wasn't going to do the article on Lex. In apology Clark shrugged a shoulder.
"So how long have you lived in Smallville?" Emily asked Clark, who was honestly trying his hardest not to stare at her. He didn't know why, but he felt drawn to her somehow. "My whole life," he replied, glad that she didn't ask a more specific question. Just curious about the newcomer in Smallville, Clark decided to ask her a question too. After all, how many new, interesting people showed up in Smallville? Actually, Clark thought to himself, that's not a valid question. Ha.
"So," he said. "Where did you live before here?" He was taken aback by how surprised Emily looked at the question. "Well, I was found in Oklahoma," she said slowly.
Clark frowned. "Found?" he asked.
"Yeah. I was found in a cave full of strange Indian markings. Probably hieroglyphs," she said, trying to hide her interest in her own history. "I was only three or four; the family that found me adopted me."
Clark felt his jaw fall open.
After a very unproductive football practice, Clark ran home as fast as possible. About five seconds later he was ranting to his mom. "Mom, she was beautiful," he said. Martha Kent raised her eyebrows. "Really," she said coyly. Clark sighed exasperatedly. "That's not the point. I asked her where she came from, and she said Oklahoma," he said.
"And?"
"Actually, she specifically said that she was 'found in a cave full of strange Indian markings'. And guess what? She was only three or four when she was found."
Martha had a similar reaction to Clark's. "That must be a coincidence," she said.
Clark shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe, but I doubt that anything could be that coincidental."
Clark was in the kitchen trying to concentrate on his history homework while Martha talked with Jonathan upstairs. Clark didn't like eavesdropping on his parents, but he felt that this case was different. He could easily hear them. In fact, it was harder to try and not hear everything they said. "I don't know, Jonathan," Martha was saying. "It could be nothing, but it's just so strange..."
"Martha, we have to believe that this is just a coincidence and that she's just a new student that moved here from Oklahoma," Jonathan said in a conversation-ending tone.
Clark sighed. Apparently his parents couldn't decide what to think. Clark himself was fascinated. Perhaps this wasn't a coincidence and there was another like him. Someone he could relate to and share his problems with. Ever since Pete had moved, Clark had no one but his parents that knew his secret.
The doorbell rang.
Probably Chloe, wanting to harass me until I interview Lex, he thought, pushing himself up and moving to the door. Controlling his x-ray vision, Clark looked through the door and got a bit of a shock when he saw Emily there. He opened the door. "Hi," he said, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice. Emily looked at her hands shyly. They were beautiful hands. Long, slender fingers with perfectly shaped fingernails. "Hi," she replied. "I'm sorry to bother you at home, but I wanted to get a first hand tour of the town. I'm not very good with directions and it always helps if I learn as soon as possible." She said all of this rather quickly, as if she were embarrassed. Clark smiled. He couldn't help feeling physical attraction to this girl, but he found himself liking her shyness. She seemed sweet. "Sure. I'd be happy to show you the town," he said. Emily smiled. Clark was stunned at how much more beautiful her smile made her. She wasn't a supermodel beautiful; she was more of a natural beautiful, which Clark found all the more alluring.
Clark decided to show her the Talon first. After all, what was more important to a town than coffee? "So, do you like it here so far?" Clark asked, not sure if it really mattered. After all, who really liked Smallville anyway? Emily actually thought carefully about her answer. Her perfect eyebrows knitted together in contemplation. "I do," she said finally. "I have a friend back in Oklahoma who had family here in Kansas. I've never been, but it seems nice. It's actually a larger town than where I lived."
Clark smiled, liking the praise his town was getting. "I'm glad you like it," he said.
Inside the Talon, they took a table for two and ordered two small cappuccinos with cream and began to talk. "So what hospital were you born at?" Emily asked.
Clark hesitated only for a moment. He for some reason wanted a friendship with this girl, and didn't want to start it off with lying. "I'm actually adopted," he said. "I was born in Metropolis."
Emily frowned. "Oh, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's okay. I don't worry about it or try to find my real parents. My parents are the people who raised me," Clark said, not realizing that he had put her in an uncomfortable position.
When their cappuccinos arrived, Clark looked up to thank the person for bringing them. He had forgotten that today was Lana's day to have the floor. He immediately felt awkward; sitting there with some new girl while Lana stared at them stupidly, forgetting about the hot coffee in her hands. "Clark, hi," she said. "Who's your friend?"
"Hi, I'm Emily," she said automatically. She didn't like people talking for her unless she was absolutely unable. Like if her tongue had been ripped out. Clark tried to smile at Lana. "She just moved here from Oklahoma."
Lana tried to return the smile. "I'm Lana," she said. After standing there awkwardly, Lana set the cappuccinos down and left. Emily frowned. "Did I say something?" she asked. She wasn't the type of person who likes hurting others, unless they deserved it. Clark smiled reassuringly. "No, it wasn't you," he said.
After five minutes of silently sipping their cappuccinos, Emily finally braved a question. "Would you mind showing me your house?"
Clark looked up from the napkin he was studying. "My house?"
"Yeah," Emily said, suddenly getting very nervous. What if I offended him or something?
"It's just, I only saw the bottom of your stairs and part of your kitchen from the front door."
Clark seemed to think about it for a second, then he slowly smiled. Emily felt her heart flutter. Holy crap he's cute! she thought.
"Sure. I'd be happy to show you my house," he said. Emily returned the smile happily.
"And this is my loft," Clark finished, showing Emily the loft of the barn, which was a sort of second room to him. "What do you think?"
"I love it," Emily said sincerely. She had never seen a cooler house. Clark smiled inwardly. He was starting to like this new girl. They climbed down the stairs and headed to the field. "What's that way?" Emily asked, pointing toward a distant cornfield. The one where Jonathan and Martha found him. "Oh, that's just another field," he said. I hope she doesn't ask any more questions like that, he thought. I don't want to lie to her.
"Clark, Emily!" Martha shouted from the front door of the house. "I made some cookies!"
Clark couldn't help smiling. His mother was...he loved her. "Coming!" he replied, glancing at Emily, who was smiling.
As they headed toward the house, Emily stopped walking. "Kal-El." She said in a harsh voice unlike her own. Clark whirled around. "What did you say?"
Emily's body had gone rigid and her eyes were glazed and unfocused. "You cannot escape me, Kal-El. It is inevitable."
"I-I don't know wha-"Clark stammered.
"Jonathan Kent made a deal that I will not allow him to break. You shall be mine again. Martha Kent cannot cheat me this time."
Emily's body slackened and she fell to the ground. Clark could have caught her, but he was rooted to the spot, stupefied.
"Mom!" Clark shouted, standing over Emily's unconscious form. He didn't want to risk moving her. Martha came running out of the house, followed by Jonathan. "Clark! What happened?" Martha asked breathlessly.
"I...I don't know," Clark stammered. "She was right behind me, then she started talking in this weird voice...she called me Kal-El..."
"What?" Jonathan said. "That's impossible." Even though he said it, Jonathan glanced nervously at Martha. They were both thinking the same thing: Was this girl a threat to their son?
"That's not all," Clark said. "She was talking as if she were Jor-El."
For several minutes the three Kents just stood in silence gazing at the unconscious girl.
Clark carried Emily to his room and gently placed her on his bed while his parents talked in the kitchen. Clark sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at this strange new girl. We're definitely used to weird around here, he thought. But since she arrived it's been downright bizarre.
