"It's been two days and we've looked everywhere, Clark," Chloe said. "She must have bolted."
Clark set his empty suitcase down on the bed of his dorm room and began to pack his cloths for his trip home while talking to his friend.
"I'm going to keep looking Chloe." He said.
"What makes you think that she knows anything about you?" Chloe asked.
"She's a Swann isn't she? With Crosby and her uncle gone, I think she's my only link to Krypton. Plus, you saw what happened in the coffee shop. There is something about her."
"Something that might not have anything to do with Krypton. Think of it Clark. If this conversation with that Mark kid actually happened as you said it did, then there might be some kind of "war of the cults" going on in this university, and with one of the richest people in the world at the pinnacle."
"And wouldn't that be a dainty story for the Met U. paper," Clark said sarcastically.
"Please don't do this to me, Clark," Chloe said. "I'm doing this for you. She knows who you are apparently. This makes her either dangerous to you or in danger."
"She's not dangerous to me. I know it."
"How do you know? He name is Ebony for crying out loud! She's quite into black and she has a way of controlling Goths. Not to mention she has a pretty hefty bank account thanks to her uncle, who has trust issues of his own in my opinion. She has questionable written all over her. I just don't want you to get hurt."
"And you figured this after getting one look at her and reading maybe a short article." Clark said as he clicked his full suitcase closed, "Anyway, Lex has a hefty bank account and he's ok. Plus, someone's name or how they dress has nothing to do with them as a person. Your last name's Sullivan. Do I say you should be a talk show host like Ed Sullivan just because of your last name."
Chloe gave Clark a surprised look and said, "If that's your idea of a quip then I think you need to stick with your regular language."
Clark, clearly frustrated, picked up his bulging suitcase and held it to his chest. "Maybe you're right, Chloe, but I can't give up on this. It's been three years since I first met Dr. Swann and my destiny is no more clearer to me now than then. Sure I want to help people, but what else will there be for me. Jor-el and Joseph have really been the only people who have shown me destinies I can see myself in, and neither is the one my heart tells me to follow."
Chloe sighed and put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "I understand you wondering what you're supposed to do with your life, but what makes you think she knows more than her uncle. Besides, you don't need a 15-year-old super genius to tell you what your destiny is. No one knows what their destiny is 'till they're living it. It's your decision what you do with your life."
Clark laughed, "You know you're starting to sound like my father."
Chloe smiled and said "You know that the most repeated platitudes are the ones you need to know the most."
Clark gave Chloe a hug with his available arm. "You never cease to surprise me Chlo'."
Chloe smiled again and said, "Go home and enjoy Christmas with your family Clark. Don't worry about Ebony Swann. I'll look into her and let you know what I find out, but for now just let it go."
Clark gave a small nod and said his good byes to his friend as he sped out of the dorm room to go home.
Clark was running along the empty country roads of Kansas trying to take Chloe's advice and get Ebony Swann out of his mind, but it proved to be an impossible feat. He couldn't help but be curious about how close she and her uncle were as well as how much she knew because of the relationship. He had always wondered about Swann's family as well as the reason that he was paralyzed in a wheelchair. Although these things didn't plague his curiosity as much as his own heritage, he still felt some empathy for Dr. Swann and wondered whether of not he was actually happy.
These things were still on his mind as Clark began to feel quite tired. He decided to go off the road into a nearby ditch and relax a while. Clark wondered why he felt exhausted because he had made the Metropolis-Smallville trip a million times before and never felt tired. He then figured that the there must be Kryptonite around somewhere. His best instincts told him not to get curious as to why there was Kryptonite all the way out here and walk until he reached a point where he wasn't exhausted.
As Clark came out of the ditch though, the full-fledged effects of his only weakness began to kick in. He collapsed onto the road and felt nausea and weakness. With all of his might, he tried to look around and see where the meteor rocks were, but all he saw was something coming toward him. The sun was bright in his eyes and he saw the shadowy figure of someone in baggy clothes walking toward him. He then felt a couple hands grab him from behind and slide him to the other side of the road. When there, his captor, who sounded like a young kid, whispered something into his ear, "I'm sorry My Lord, but according to my leader this was the only way this could happen."
Clark was confused at this. This voice sounded so familiar that Clark couldn't get over it. My Lord? Who does this kid think I am? But before he could ask questions, everything went black.