Chapter 2
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"'Clark, I want tell you something.' No," the blonde thoughtfully traced the border of her handheld mirror. "No. Maybe, 'Hey, Clark, can I share something with you?' Ulgh! It's all wrong." Chloe fidgeted with the clasp on her watch. "I like you so much," she whispered to the photo of the tall and handsome Clark Kent that was on her vanity mirror with her other friends. The doorbell rang and she jumped to her feet.
"Chloe, Clark is here," her father called from downstairs.
"Coming!" She grabbed her backpack and headed down the stairs. "Hey, Clark, glad you could make it. We can study in the dining room."
"Okay," he smiled, shifting his bag from one shoulder to the other. They made their way to the dining room table and getting out their books, they began to study.
"No, don't do it like that." Clark interrupted Chloe in the middle of solving a problem. He had already finished the assignment and had devoted the past thirty minutes to keeping his friend on the right track.
"What do you mean? It's the way Mrs. Adams told us to do it," her brow wrinkled with confusion as she erased what she had written.
"True, but it takes twice as long and it's easier to get confused. Here," he took her pencil from her hand and began to set up the problem again. "If you do it this way, with the absolute value on the left and the rest of the equation on the right, it saves you a lot of time."
"You're right," Chloe conceded. "That is better. How do you do it, Clark?"
"Do what?"
"Make math make sense. No one has been able to explain all of it the way you have this past hour. Thank you. It means a lot to me." She gazed into his eyes and her heart began to flutter. "Clark, I . . . ."
"It's not a problem. Anything for a friend," he smiled back. "You finished?"
"Right. I mean, yes," she laughed, looking away, her cheeks turning a light crimson. "I am." He put his stuff into his backpack.
"How was the cave this afternoon?" he asked as they made their way to the front door.
"Boring, cold, and damp—I'm glad I took a jacket. There's absolutely nothing valuable in that cave. The most exciting part was when some kid ran into the wall because he had lost his flashlight. Alexis gave him hers so he wouldn't do it a third time."
"Twice, huh? Ouch. I'm glad it wasn't me." Clark chuckled.
"If you were in our science class, it probably would've been." She teased.
"Hey!" he feigned a hurt expression, and then smiled. "What are you doing later?"
"Well, I've gotta go work on the Torch," she answered.
"Right, well, I've got to help around the farm. Have fun," he smiled. "See you tomorrow." He opened the door.
"Bye." Chloe let out a sigh after he'd closed the door. "If you need me, you know where to find me."
---
"So what are you guys going to do this weekend?" Chloe asked as she walked down the hall with Clark and Pete the next morning. "Anything exciting?"
"Actually, I was just going to help around the farm this weekend," Clark responded.
"The whole weekend? Come on, we should all get together and do something."
"Yeah, Clark, you can probably get away from the farm for a little bit, can't you?" Pete agreed.
"Well, I guess . . . ." he began uncertainly.
"Clark—you guys, I've been looking everywhere for you," Jessica called as she pressed her way through the crowded hall. "Have any of you seen Alexis?" she panted, a worried expression on her face.
"I haven't seen her since yesterday," Pete answered.
"Neither have I," Clark contributed, a look of concern clouding his features. Chloe shook her head and put a reassuring hand on Jessica's shoulder.
"You guys, she never came home last night. I was hoping that maybe she went to one of your houses and forgot to call," Jess looked down as tears filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "Our parents are gone for another week. It isn't like her to do this—she tells me everything."
"Where did you last see her?" Clark inquired.
"Here at school, when we got here yesterday." Clark directed his gaze to Pete and Chloe.
"Oh, my word," Chloe suddenly gasped. "The cave! You guys, I never saw Alexis leave the cave yesterday!"
"Wait a minute—I thought she was with you and Lana the whole time," Clark interjected.
"Lana went off with a couple of the cheerleaders, so it was just me and Alexis."
"How did you get separated?"
"Well, she said she was feeling really dizzy as the group was leaving the cave so she sat against the wall. I was going to stay with her, but she insisted that I went ahead," Chloe explained. "Half of the class was still behind us, so I didn't think anything of it. I thought for sure she'd come out with someone at the end of the group."
"What about her flashlight?" Pete asked. "Couldn't she have followed the footprints?" Chloe bit her lip.
"Alexis gave her flashlight to some kid who lost his," she answered. "Before I left her, she promised to come out with the last people to pass."
"Was she having trouble breathing?" Jessica spoke slowly, panic lining her tone.
"Her breaths were kind of quick and shallow," Chloe responded, "but she told me she was claustrophobic."
"No, Alexis is just allergic to everything—particularly dust and minerals. She must've blacked out," the worried sister whispered before a sob caught in her throat. "You guys, we gotta go find her! You gotta understand . . . she's deathly allergic to some things. She promised to leave the cave if she felt sick—that was the only way dad let her go. She could die. We gotta save her—please, we must save my sister." Jess buried her face in her hands and cried, her body trembling with each sob.
"Call for help," Clark directed, "then meet me at the cave." Chloe hurried to the payphone.
"Clark, hold on a minute, we'll get a ride," she and Pete turned around to find that Clark had disappeared. "Okay . . . . Hello? Yes, we think that one of our friends is lost in a cave."
"How does he do that?" Pete muttered.
---
"Alexis?" Clark shouted as he neared the cave. "Alexis?"
"Clark?" a faint voice questioned from just inside its mouth. She squinted against the blurry brightness of the world outside the cave. So, she had managed to find her way out, thanks to whatever had been glowing inside the cave.
"Alexis!" he hurried towards her, but once he was within a few feet of her, he suddenly felt sick. "The meteor rock," he thought despairingly, looking down at his hands, "I can't get any closer." Alexis's clothing and skin was covered in dust, some of which had to be meteor rock. The girl had lost her glasses somewhere inside the cave as she had groped her way through the darkness and her hair was damp and matted from having fallen into a hidden pool. She looked more like an abandoned rag doll than a teenage girl.
"Alexis, what happened?"
"Clark . . . help me," her frightened gray eyes gazed up towards him, desperately trying to focus the haze that she knew to be her friend, "I can't move any farther. It's so cold . . . ." The young man glanced down at his hand one more time.
"The meteor rock makes me sick," he thought, "but I have to try to get her away from the cave or she might die." With determination, Clark pressed forward to Alexis's side. As he picked her up, he felt light-headed and the world began to spin. As he became weaker and weaker, his breathing began to come in short gasps. Carrying her as far from cave as he could, he laid her down before he dropped her, and then stumbled a safe distance away. Slowly, his breathing became normal and his strength returned.
"Clark," he turned to find that she was watching him. She managed a wisp of a smile. "Thank you," the words were mouthed more than they were spoken.
"You're welcome," he responded. Jessica's vehicle pulled up and she jumped out of the driver's seat.
"Oh, thank God, you found her!" she cried, running to her sister's side. "Alexis! Ali, can you hear me?" Pete, Chloe, and Lana got out of the other doors and rushed up to Clark.
"Clark, how did you get here so fast?" Chloe asked, pausing momentarily as she continued towards Alexis.
"I took a shortcut," he responded.
"She's freezing," Jessica called. "Someone grab the blanket from my trunk."
"I got it," Pete responded.
"What happened?" Lana asked Clark.
"She'd found her way to the mouth of the cave when I got here—something in there is making her sick." He answered.
"What about you?" she persisted.
"I'm fine—just feeling a bit woozy."
"Help should be here any minute, but I don't want to wait any longer to get her to the hospital," Jessica said. "One of us should wait here for the search party."
"I'll do it," Clark volunteered.
"I'll wait with him," Lana added.
"Okay, let's get her in the car," Jess directed.
"I got her," Pete replied, gently lifting the blanket-wrapped Alexis. "Let's go."
---
"How is she?" Chloe asked. Chloe, Lana, Clark, and Pete had gone to the hospital to check on Alexis and to make sure Jessica was holding up okay.
"Well," Jessica answered, "besides a few scrapes and bruises and a really bad cold, the doctor says she's fine—she can come home today and go back to school next week."
"You don't sound convinced," Lana pointed out.
"I'm not."
"How come?" Pete asked the question that came to all their minds.
"Because Alexis is allergic to so many things: peanuts, wheat, milk, MSG, eggs, food coloring—those are just the food items. There's also lotion, bleach, hairspray, anything with fur, dust, grass seed, olive oil, and minerals. Aluminum, calcium, sulfur, sulfates, ores, mercury, nickel sufatehexahydrate, sodium, tin, and zinc; those are just the ones I can remember. The fact is that there's a one hundred percent chance that she's allergic to something in that cave. She has scrapes, she was breathing the air down there for twelve hours, and she fell into a pool of mineral water—it's inevitable that she came across something she's allergic to, but she's not having any symptoms." Jessica folded her arms and shook her head.
"Maybe she got a lucky break." Clark suggested.
"Maybe. I doubt it, though," Jessica shrugged. "I still wish my parents would come home and talk to these people."
"Whoa—your sister's just been hospitalized and your parents aren't going to come home to make sure she's okay?" Chloe questioned in amazement.
"My parents are a bit negligent when it comes to my sister—if the doctor says she's fine, it's good enough for them." Jessica bit her lip. "Look, we're both used to it. It's just the way things are." The others exchanged looks of dismay, not sure if there was anything appropriate to be said.
"So, where's Alexis?" Lana finally asked.
"After I told them how many things she's allergic to, they decided to run a few more tests, just in case." Jessica rolled her eyes. "Let me take you to her room."
---
A few days later . . .
"Alexis, wake up," Jessica stuck her head into her sister's bedroom. "You gotta get ready for school." Alexis let out a reluctant groan followed by a small cough.
"I don't want to!" she whined, pulling the covers over her head when Jessica turned on the light. The older girl marched across the room and gave her an insistent shake.
"Come on, Ali, I'm even out of the shower already—it's all yours."
"Okay, okay, I'm going."
"Good." Jessica left the room as Alexis folded down her blankets.
"Oh, I'm so tired!" she moaned as she dragged herself out of bed. After showering and getting dressed, however, she felt quite a bit livelier. Putting on her glasses, she reached for her backpack. "What in the world . . . ?" she murmured, blinking in surprise. The world around her was blurry, but her spare glasses had been fine the day before; in fact, she'd spent the day reading. She took her glasses off to clean them and was surprised to find that she could see clearly. Blinking again, she glanced into the mirror. Putting on her glasses, she found that everything became blurry once more. Taking them back off, she looked at her reflection. Leaning in closer to make sure she wasn't just imagining things, she was able to confirm what she had wished for all her life—she had green eyes: beautiful, emerald green eyes. She smiled and after hoisting her backpack onto her shoulder, she dropped her glasses into the trash can.
"Wow," Jessica said as Alexis entered her room. "You got ready fast this morning." She turned to face her sister and gasped in surprise. "And you're wearing contacts! Oh, my word, I thought Aunt Meg was stark raving mad when she got those for you. I told her you'd never wear them, but I was wrong."
"Yeah, well, I thought I'd start something new," Alexis replied.
"Well, if you're going to go all new, you've got to let me dress you up," Jessica insisted.
"I don't know . . . ."
"Oh, come on, Ali, please? I've got the perfect outfit and I'll do your makeup and hair. Please, let me do it—we've got time before we've gotta go," she gave her sister puppy-dog eyes. "Please?"
"Alright," Alexis gave in, "as long as we're not late for school."
"Good, let's get to it," Jessica threw open her closet door as Alexis set her backpack on the floor. Twenty minutes later, Alexis was arranging her locker for the day. Jessica, whose locker was right next to hers, had already hurried off to talk with some friends.
"Hey, Jess," Clark greeted as he walked pass. Alexis turned to face him.
"Clark, it's me. Alexis," she told him. He stopped to look at her closer.
"Wow, you dressed like Jessica today."
"Is that a bad thing?" she asked.
"Not unless you mind people getting you mixed up," he answered.
"Do we really look that much alike?"
"Yeah, except you have a little birthmark on your left cheek."
"Oh," Alexis self-consciously brought her hands up to cover her cheeks. Clark pulled them back down.
"It looks fine," he assured her. "It's a beauty mark—lots of people have them." Alexis blushed.
"Well, thank you. I'm glad you can tell us apart," she said.
"Me, too," he agreed. "I like your contacts. Green's a good color on you."
"Thank you."
"See you in class."
"See you, Clark." She watched him head down the hall. Unconsciously bringing her hand to her cheek, she smiled. Clark Kent had noticed something unique about her! Before, she'd thought that she was all but invisible, now she felt that she was valued. Grabbing her textbook, she closed her locker and hurried to class.
After school, Alexis once again straightened up her locker so she could just put her books in place when she returned the next day. The girl was in a somewhat dreamy state, a happy smile on her delicate face. Lots of people had noticed her attire and had complimented her on her "contacts." Only she knew of the strange occurrence of the morning and she intended to keep it that way. It was too much to try to explain and though she was more comfortable than she had been when she first started her life at Smallville High, she was still the shy girl that she had always been.
"Alright, so should we just meet at the Talon at four?" Alexis heard her sister's voice asking.
"Yeah, that'll work fine and then we'll be there to study after," Clark answered. Alexis looked over her shoulder to see the two of them walking together.
"Oh my word!" she gasped under her breath, turning quickly to hide her horrified expression as they came up to her.
"Hey, Alexis, a group of us are getting together to study at the Talon tonight, would you like to come?" Clark asked her.
"No, actually, I can't tonight, sorry," she answered crisply.
"Why not?" Jessica questioned. Alexis turned to face her.
"Because I have to focus on my report tonight and I must have my computer," the chilled response came.
"Okay, we'll see ya tomorrow, then. Bye," Clark smiled before making his way down the hall.
"You like him, don't you?" Alexis demanded without even casting a glance at her sister.
"No," Jessica responded, wrinkling her nose. "Ali, he's younger than me."
"Whatever," Alexis muttered, slamming her locker shut. "You're lying. So, where are you going with him?"
"Nowhere."
"You're a really bad liar, you know that? Even your tone gives you away," the younger girl snapped. "You like him and you're going on a date with him. I can't believe you—my own sister!" Jessica grabbed her by the arm as she began to rush away.
"Look, okay, I do like him, alright? But I'm not going on a date with him. I know you like him, Alexis, so I would never go out with him. You gotta trust me—I'd never do anything to hurt you."
"Why should I?" Alexis growled. "You've always been prettier and more popular—you can get any guy you want. They always take you over me."
"Ali!" her sister exclaimed. "That's not true. You're every bit as pretty and popular as I am." Alexis rummaged through her backpack and pulled out her purse. Zipping the pocket back up, she wordlessly handed the bag to Jessica.
"Take this home for me," she spoke evenly.
"What? Where are you going?" Jessica asked in confusion.
"I'm going shopping for my own clothes and makeup. I don't need a ride."
"You're going to get a whole new wardrobe? That's going to be expensive."
"You've forgotten," Alexis quipped. "Unlike you, I've been saving my 20 dollar a week allowance for eight years. ATM machines are great—I have plenty of money to spend on clothes." She stormed down the hall and out the door, leaving her sister standing in the middle of the floor with two backpacks.
---
The next morning . . .
"Jess, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for fighting with you yesterday," Alexis apologized as she walked into her sister's room. She stopped short. "Jess?" The older girl sat on the edge of her bed in a ragged pair of jeans and a baggy T-shirt. Her hair was ruffled and she didn't wear any makeup. Her face looked as though she hadn't slept in days.
"I forgive you," she said emotionlessly.
"Jessica?" Alexis was shocked. "You look awful! Did I make you sick?"
"No. I just don't want them to notice me," Jessica responded without feeling, a blank and distant expression on her face.
"Who?" the younger girl sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as tears began to stream down her own face.
"Any of them," Jessica whispered.
"I'm calling the doctor," Alexis said, standing to get the phone. Jessica grabbed her arm.
"No, I'm fine," she responded, seeming to have suddenly snapped out of her reverie.
"Then why are you dressed like that?" her sister demanded. She shrugged.
"Thought I'd try something new," Jessica answered with a smile.
"Oh, my word—why didn't you just say so?" Alexis exclaimed. "You gave me a heart-attack!"
"Sorry, Ali, didn't mean to," the older girl laughed, pulling her hair back into ponytail. "You ready to go?" Alexis looked at her strangely.
"Aren't you going to put on your makeup?" she asked. Jessica glanced over at her vanity table.
"I was going to, but there's not time now. Let's go."
"So you're suddenly going to sacrifice feeling 'normal' to get to school on time?" Alexis was skeptic. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Perfectly fine. Like I said—I'm trying something new."
"So that's trying something new?" Lana asked, glancing suspiciously at Jessica after Alexis had recounted that morning's tale.
"I guess so," Alexis answered as the two of them turned and headed off to their next class. Clark came out of his classroom and spotted his strangely dressed friend. She still looked pale and sickly.
"Jess, are you alright?" he asked, coming up behind her. She spun to face him, her body tense and her eyes wild with fear.
"I-I'm fine," she responded.
"Are you sure?" he took a step closer. "You look—"
"Get away from me!" Jessica shouted.
"Jess!"
"No, just go away!" her voice steadily increased in volume and she began to sob hysterically. "Leave me alone—don't talk to me! Please, just leave me alone!" She pushed pass him and ran down the hall. Clark wordlessly closed her open locker.
"Looks like you're losing your touch," Pete commented.
"I guess so," Clark responded. "What was that?"
"I don't know—it's like she's afraid of you."
"That can't be, I talked to her yesterday when we were making plans for Alexis's surprise party."
"Maybe she had a nightmare about you," Chloe suggested, coming up behind them. The boys looked at her inquisitively. "I saw everything," she explained.
"Very funny," Clark responded.
"Maybe you should talk to her," Pete contributed. "See if you can find out what's happened."
"Or maybe it would be more successful if I talked to her, since Clark is having a bit of bad luck," Chloe piped in.
"Right—I don't exactly want to go through that again," Clark agreed.
"Okay, I'll find out what's going on," the blonde started down the hall. "Wouldn't this make a great story? 'Clark Kent induces fear and trembling'!"
"Chloe!"
"I'll talk to her this afternoon," Chloe called over her shoulder.
"You know, she's right," Pete chuckled. Clark turned to face him. "It might be the only time you make front page news."
---
"It was strange," Clark told his parents after school, "it was like she was terrified of me."
"I don't know what to tell you, son," Jonathan responded. "Are you sure she didn't see you do something that might have scared her?"
"Positive—I came straight home after we got the things for Alexis's party."
"Well maybe she's just having a hard day," Martha suggested. "Girls get a bit emotional sometimes."
"Just a bit, huh?" Clark echoed sarcastically. "How are we supposed to finish getting ready for Alexis's party if she won't talk to me? The party's tomorrow."
"You'll work something out," his mom assured. "Chloe will get to the bottom of this." Meanwhile, Chloe had arrived at the Rosenberg home and was talking to Jessica.
"So I saw you totally freak on Clark today," she cautiously entered the topic after the customary greeting was through.
"I guess I was a bit cold towards him, wasn't I?" Jessica returned.
"A bit cold? Jess, you acted like he was a convicted ax murderer." Chloe contradicted.
"I did?" Jessica asked.
"Yeah. So, what happened?"
"I don't know. It was just, like, when I saw him, I saw Donnie," Jessica answered distantly.
"Who's Donnie?" Chloe inquired.
"He was my last boyfriend. I cared so much about him and he . . ." she stopped, a sob catching in her throat.
"What? What happened?" Chloe persisted.
"He was very abusive. He even put me in the hospital. Chloe—he almost killed me."
"I-I'm so sorry, I—shouldn't have brought it up," the blonde apologized.
"No, it's fine, really, you didn't know . . . but, let's talk about something else now." Jessica suggested.
"Sounds good to me," the reporter agreed.
"Is that a new jacket?" Jessica asked, awkwardly changing the topic.
"Yeah, I bought it yesterday," Chloe answered, her smile making the change a little less odd. "What about you? Did you get new contacts?"
"No," Jessica laughed a little strangely. "I don't wear contacts." Chloe cocked her head.
"Funny, your eyes seem greener than they usually are." She shrugged, and then tried another question. "So when are we getting together with Clark to fine-tune the plans for Alexis's party?"
"No!" Jessica exclaimed. "I-I can't talk to him. There's no way . . ."
"Whoa! Jess, calm down—no one will make you talk to him."
"You promise?" The brilliant green eyes were wide and fearful and Jessica had a terrified and tightening grip on Chloe's shoulders. Chloe opened her mouth to speak and finally the sound came.
"I promise."
---
TBC . . .Quick Fact: If Alexis truly saved every dollar of her twenty dollar a week allowance for eight years, she would have $8,340.