Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or any of it's characters.
(Authors note: Ok, next chapter, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think)
"Clark, can you take these to table two?" Lana handed a tray of coffees over to Clark. Lana gave a sigh, leaning on the table. "You are a lifesaver Clark." She smiled as Clark came back with an empty tray.
"Well I figured, what's the point of friends if you can't get them to work for free." Clark grinned jokingly. Lana grinned back.
"So, how goes the hunt for a costume? Clark shook his head.
"I don't think costumes are for me." Clark said, remembering the blue and red one. Lana gave a shrug.
"Well, there are no rules that say you have to have a costume." Lana said in a matter of fact tone. "Just as long as you have fun." Fun. Clark thought. They sat in silence for a minute.
"Lana,..." Clark started, mustering his courage "Lana, would you- " At that moment Chloe came through the door heading towards Clark.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Clark I thought you might like to hear this." Chloe was holding papers in her out stretched hand. Clark took them from her. "The autopsies didn't report any poisons, in fact, the Dylans were completely healthy, aside from the fact that they were dead."
"What are you talking about?" Lana questioned. Chloe filled her in as Clark read the autopsy report. "That means that whoever killed them-"
"Is either rich enough to develop a new way to commit murder, or has some kind of power to kill without a trace." Clark finished.
"But you said that the attacker is dead." Lana started.
"That's what the police think, but the safe, the safe was empty, and there was so money on he man with the cut in his head." Chloe explained.
"But why would the killer press the alarm?" Clark asked. Chloe shook her head.
"I don't know, it doesn't make sense."
Jinny hid behind the door of Cadmus labs, listening to the scientist inside. "Hopefully this time we have found something that will work." He was talking to a blonde girl who was sitting on a metal table. "Your doctor will be back here shortly to take you back to Belle Reeve so we don't have very long to test it." The man slipped a blue arm wrap on the girl that covered her whole lower arm, from about an inch below her elbow to the middle of her palm, except one hole for her thumb. "The inside is lined with iron so it should keep you steady." he said more to himself then the girl looking down at his clipboard. "Ok, try to teleport." Jinny was sure she had miss heard the man but peaked out from her hiding place to get a better look. Jinny stared at the girl on the table. The girl nodded and concentrated, then vanished and reappeared about five feet away from the scientist. Jinny gasped and fell from her squating position. She scrambled onto her hands and knees looking to see if the scientist had heard her. Luckily, he had slammed his clipboard onto the table at same moment Jinny had fallen. "Damn! I thought we had it this time." The girl gave him a broken smile but didn't say anything.
"Ah, Alicia, how are you doing?" Another man had entered the room from the door opposite Jinny
"Things are not progressing as fast as we thought it would Doctor. We haven't been able to find the proper way to distribute the iron yet. She can still teleport. It seems she would need to be covered in it to stop her from using her power." Said the scientist handing over the clipboard.
"Well, we will just have to try something else." The man sighed and ran his eyes over the paper. "Let me know when you have come up with something else." he handed back the clip board and took Alicia by the arm, taking off the wrap and laying it on the table. "Come on, time to go, good day Dr. Thatch."
"Good day." Dr. Thatch stood looking at his charts for a minute, then headed out the same door that Alicia and the doctor had gone. Jinny stood up carefully after he had gone brushing the dirt of the back of the jacket she had tied around her waist over worn jeans. She looked around to making sure that no one else was there then started for the metal table were the blue wrap was. Jinny's sneakers squeaked on the tiled floor as she stopped in front of the table. She looked around again then picked up the wrap feeling the inside of it.
"Iron lined." she murmured and slipped the wrap over her right arm. Jinny flexed her fingers then held up her arm, pointing her palm at a picture on the wall. She screwed up her face in concentration. She stood there for minutes putting all energy into her concentration, sweat beaded on her forehead. Finally Jinny let out a slight whine of pain and a flash came out of her palm but then shrunk until it was just a glow under the wrap. She sighed and slunk to her knees, lowering her hand. Jinny massaged the palm of the wrapped hand, breathing hard. The glow had disappear. A drop of blood fell onto her jeans. She brought the back of her hand to her nose, felt liquid and whipped it off with the bottom of her black tank top. Then she looked at the picture on the wall. It was completely unharmed. Jinny looked down at the blue wrap then back to the picture. Smiling, she got to her feet, leaning against the table regaining her strength. It worked!
"Hey!" Jinny jumped and turned around to face a security guard. "Your not supposed to be in here!" The guard rushed forward, Jinny dodged but held her foot out causing him to stumble, then kicked out with her other foot hitting him square in the back. The guard slid ten feet into the wall and fell unconscious. Jinny stood there for a second ashen faced trying to catch her breath before turning and running out the door she had hidden behind which lead out of the building. She ran as fast as she could across the pavement towards the fence. The alarm sounded behind her as she jumped the fence and kept running.
Clark sat down at the table and started to poke food into his mouth with a fork. "You've been awfully quiet Clark, what's going on?" Martha Kent looked up from the bills in front of her. Clark shrugged.
"I've just got a lot to think about."
"About the dance." Jonathan joined his wife and son at the table. Clark looked up from his food.
"That and the murder in Granville that I'm helping Chloe figure out."
"Now I don't want you kids getting mixed up in a murder investigation." He pointed a forkful of chicken at Clark.
"Dad don't worry, we haven't gotten involved, we've just been looking at the police reports." Clark said stuffing his own fork into his mouth. "Anyway, I've got a load of homework, so I'll be up in the loft if anyone needs me. He scrapped the last bit of potato off his plate and put it in the sink on his way out the door.
Clark climbed the stairs to the loft and made his way over to the couch. He leaned back and took a breath before reaching into his backpack for his books. Clark laid them out on the table before heading over to the small desk to find a pencil. Clark rummaged for a pencil then stopped when he heard movement in the corner. He looked side ways at he spot the noise had come from and moved closer. Clark pulled a sheet off of the some old boxes and in the middle was a girl. She scooted back a bit into the wall looking scared. Clark gave a confused look. The girl had dark red hair and dirt all over. She could be no older than 15. "Who are you?" Clark questioned still sporting a confused look. The girl opened her mouth but nothing came out. "Why are you here?" Clark tried. The girl opened her mouth again and slowly began to speak.
"I'm hiding." She said in no more than a whisper. Clark thought that that was apparent. He held his hand to her. The girl looked at it, then back at Clark's face.
"It's ok." Clark said softly. She took his hand slowly and he helped her up and lead her out of the corner. "Who are you?" Clark tried again.
"J- Jinny." The girl said stronger than her last words.
"Who are you hiding from Jinny?" Clark asked. Jinny looked at him and shook her head and backed towards the stairs. "Please, Maybe I can help." Clark took a step forward. Jinny kept shaking her head.
"No... you don't want to.." Jinny started coughing, then fell to her hands and knees, and vomited. She looked up at Clark then fell unconscious.
"Jinny!" Clark ran over to her and checked her pulse before picking her up. "Mom! Dad!" Clark sped back to the house.
"How is she?" Clark and his parents were standing outside a hospital room talking to the doctor.
"She was dehydrated, now that we pumped some fluids in her she should be fine." The doctor looked toward the hospital room. Jinny was sitting up on the bed having her lungs listened to. "Dehydration like hers is very uncommon, I have to ask you again, do you have any idea were she has been or where here parents are." All three Kent's shook their heads.
"She just kind of turned up on our farm." Mr. Kent stated. Clark looked back into the room. The nurse was now trying to take off the blue wrap Jinny had on her arm but she kept pulling it away.
"Where is she going to stay?" Clark intervened in the conversation. The Doctor sighed.
"Until we find her parents or a foster home Jinny will have to stay in the juvenile detention center."
"Mom, we can't leave her there." Clark turned to face his mother. Martha nodded.
"Jinny can stay with us." The doctor smiled at Martha
"That would be much appreciated I'm sure, thank you." Jonathan sighed then gave a chuckle.
"Why does this all seem so familiar." Clark smiled back. He remembered the last kid that they had found and had taken in. Ryan had been very special.
"Thank you Mr. And Mrs. Kent, I appreciate it." Jinny stepped inside the Kent's house looking around.
"It's our pleasure Jinny. I know you talked to the doctors, but are you sure there is nothing you can tell us?" Martha urged. Jinny smiled politely but didn't say anything. After a few minutes Martha broke the silence. "well, you can sleep in Clark's room, it's up this-"
"Oh, no Mrs. Kent, I'll be fine on the couch I don't want to put anyone out." She glanced quickly towards Clark.
"Oh, It's fine just-."
"No really, please, I don't want to be a burden." Jinny smiled again. "I could use a shower though." She ran her fingers through her hair.
"O-ok, of course, right up there, we can get some clothes for you tomorrow." Jinny nodded and headed up the stairs. When she had closed the bathroom door Martha turned to Clark and Jonathan.
"Poor girl, but she hasn't lost her memory, she just doesn't want to tell us." She shrugged and headed towards the closet to pull out extra blankets.
"She said she was hiding." Clark leaned against the kitchen table. "When I found her up in the loft she said she was hiding from someone. I don't know who though."
"We should head to bed though." Jonathan motioned up the stairs.
"We should stay up and make sure she's settled first." Martha said finishing with the blankets. Clark shook his head slightly.
"It's ok go on up, I'll wait, I never finished by homework anyway." Clark reached for his bag which was now sitting on the table.
"Well, ok but tell her that if she's hungry she can help herself to anything in the fridge." She kissed her son goodnight and headed up the stairs. Clark sat down at the table and opened his book once again. A few minutes later Jinny came down the stairs. Clark looked up. "Hey, my mom set out some blankets for you on the couch. Oh, and our fridge is your fridge." He smiled broadly at her. Jinny nodded and headed towards the couch then stopped and turned around.
"I feel like I should give you a personal thank you Clark. Not many people would invite strangers that appeared in their barn into their homes." Clark smiled at her.
"Think nothing of it." he looked at Jinny for a moment. "So, what's up with the brace?" Clark touched his own arm. "Did you hurt it?" Jinny's hand went instinctually to the palm of her other one. She nodded.
"I guess you can say that." She smiled grimly. Clark looked at her, his green eyes filled with concerned.
"You know, we can't help you find your parents if you don't let us what happened to you." Jinny looked down.
"There is no one to find." She paused "They- they died. In a car crash when I was seven." Jinny's eyes glowed softly when she looked up, a tear slipped down her cheek. "I didn't want to say anything because…. There are just somethings about me people are better off not knowing about." She wiped the tear from her face. "Don't feel sorry for me." Jinny read the look on Clarks face. "I get along fine." Clark was still confused.
"Then where have you been since then?" Clark studied Jinny's face, trying to read her expression. She grimaced but just for a second then coughed and turned around.
"Thanks again Clark." Jinny said her back still turned. Clark frowned but decided to drop the subject.
"The offer for my bed is still open." Clark said. Jinny laid underneath the blanket.
"That's ok, I think I can fit on the couch better then you anyway." She pulled the covers over herself so only her shoulders and head were visible and closed her eyes. Clark smiled and returned to his homework.