Chapter 2

Jodi Needs a Mate

James Kwan motioned towards a couple of chairs in front of his desk with his hand. "Have a seat, gentlemen."

John and Daniel each pulled out a chair and sat down in them. The school principal took a seat on his side of the desk as well and the three of them carefully adjusted their ties before saying anything else.

"What can you tell us about Lisa Palmer?" Daniel asked.

James folded his hands on his desk and leaned forward. "Lisa transferred from a school in Wisconsin. She's a mostly 'D' student, but stays out of trouble for the most part, and she seems to have no problems with making friends."

Wanting to know more, Daniel asked another question. "Who does she spend most of her time with?"

"She mostly hangs out with Sean Kelvin and Dustin Crenshaw," James answered. "Jodi Melville is the newest addition to her friend group, but those boys are not the best people to be spending time with, for either of those young ladies."

"What makes you say that?" John asked curiously.

James paused briefly and gave them a concerned look. "Sean and Dustin have gotten in trouble in the past for stirring up drama and starting fights. One of them was even suspended for his participation in a cheating scandal. Recently, some of their teachers have noticed some… odd behaviors from them."

John raised an eyebrow. "What sort of odd behaviors?"

"Well, they've been seen wearing sunglasses indoors and carrying around sunscreen," James said. "Even though it's November and the weather has been cold and cloudy for a while… Some days, the four of them look very pale, but other days, they don't."

The hunters exchanged concerned glances, before Daniel pulled a picture out of his suit jacket. "What can you tell us about this missing student?"

James looked at the photograph and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "There's not much I can say about Greg Arkin. I know he had a habit of collecting insects out in the woods, but he disappeared over a month ago. No one's seen him since."

Daniel put the photo back inside of his jacket and frowned. "That's unfortunate."

"What I don't understand is how his disappearance has anything to do with Lisa, or her friends," James said. "Do you think they did something to him?"

"We don't know yet," John answered. "We think there's a possibility that your small town might have a drug problem. If it played a role in Greg's disappearance, then it's important that we find him."

Then Daniel added, "If Lisa Palmer and her new friends are involved, we need to know about that as well."

James was taken aback by this. "If it turns out that drugs are being bought and sold by my students, then I'll do everything I can to cooperate with this investigation. Don't hesitate to call me if you have any more questions."

"We will," Daniel said, before he and John left the office.

When the door to Mr. Kwan's office opened again, Clark took cover in a nearby custodian's closet. He kept the door open slightly as he watched the agents walk past again and listened intently when he noticed them quietly having a discussion with each other.

As they passed by, Clark heard the older man say, "Those blood-suckers are pretty brave, coming out in the daylight."

Then he heard the younger agent say, "Lisa Palmer's probably the leader of the nest, but she's inexperienced. We'll figure out where they're hiding."

After that, Clark was unable to hear any more of their conversation and the sounds of other students in the hall blocked out their footsteps. When he guessed that it was safe, he stuck his head out of the closet and saw the two agents off in the distance, just before they rounded a corner.

A few of the students that were milling around in the corridor gave Clark funny looks when he stepped out of the closet and shut the door behind him, but he ignored them as he followed the strange men to the front entrance and watched as they headed out to their truck. What they were up to, he could only guess, but what little he had heard of their conversation left him feeling very uneasy.

Sean Kelvin parked his old, rusty beater of a car in front of the abandoned house that he and his companions were using for their hideout. Lisa was in the passenger seat beside him and their other two friends were in the back. They all got out of the vehicle in a hurry and rushed inside to get away from the sunlight that was beginning to peek through the clouds.

Once they were safely hidden in the dark, they all took off their sunglasses and Sean suddenly became angry. "I got us here as fast as I could, but I still got a sunburn!"

Jodi's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness after Dustin closed the door and barred it shut with a 2x4. She glanced at Sean, who had a beet red spot on the side of his face where the skin was beginning to peel off.

Lisa laughed at him. "You should've used more sunscreen, Babe! I warned you about not using enough."

Sean glared at her briefly, but then a smile crept onto his face as he inspected his mate with his eyes. Pretending to still be angry, he went over and picked her up by her hips, causing her to laugh playfully.

Dustin scoffed as he watched them goof around. "Get a room. While you guys are having fun, me and Jodi will deal with the hunters that are after us. It's not like they're a big deal or anything."

Hearing the sarcasm in his voice, Sean put Lisa down and laughed at him. "Dude, those guys in the suits don't even know where we are. Besides, we're going out for fresh blood tonight, so we'll be strong enough to take em' down when they show up."

Suddenly afraid, Jodi looked to Lisa for guidance. "Hunters? What kind of hunters?"

Sean glanced at Jodi and a creepy grin appeared on his face. "These hunters travel around looking for things like us. They pretend to be cops, so they can find us and chop off our heads while we sleep!"

Jodi became even more terrified, causing Lisa's demeanor to change suddenly. "Back off, Sean. Stop scaring the newbie."

Sean did as he was told and then Lisa went over to Jodi and put her hands on each of her shoulders. "Don't worry about the guys in the suits. I promised to keep you safe and I will. Do you trust me?"

Jodi still felt terrified as she thought about how she wanted to answer that question. "I… I don't know. I want to trust you, it's just that, I didn't realize we were being hunted. Do you think the guys in the suits are hunters?"

Lisa sighed. "They probably are, but that doesn't matter. I won't let them hurt you."

Jodi pondered her leader's words for a bit before she gave a slight nod. "I trust you, Lisa. I think this'll be a lot easier to deal with after I have my first real drink."

Lisa smiled at her newest recruit. "It definitely will. That deer you ran into during our little joy ride, was just the first sample of what you have to look forward to. Once we find new prey, you'll have your first drink."

Dustin rolled his eyes. "It's about time! We haven't had anything good to drink, since we found those guys from Luthor Corp collecting meteor rocks out here!"

Lisa turned towards Sean and Dustin and her expression suddenly looked angry. "I thought no one would miss those losers since they worked for the Luthors, but we're still being hunted for it. Anyway, we'll have fresh blood tonight after we move to Jodi's house. Then…"

She paused and went over to a small, moldy recliner in the corner of the room, which had a cowboy hat sitting on the water-damaged seat cushion. With a smile, she grabbed the hat and put it on her head. "Then the new girl will have to find herself a mate."

Dustin grinned at Jodi. "I saw Pete staring at you earlier. You two made a cute couple, so maybe you should bring him in. Then he can be with you forever."

Jodi took a moment to think about the idea, while Sean and Lisa went back to having their fun. Giving Pete immortality and perfect health seemed like a good thing, but she couldn't ignore the feeling of dread that was building deep within her soul.

After school, Clark ran back to the Kent Farm and found his father loading bags of feed into the back of the truck.

"Hey, Clark, you got here at a," Jonathan groaned as he dropped a heavy bag into the truck bed. "Good time… How was school?"

"It was alright," Clark said, without sounding very enthusiastic.

Jonathan stopped what he was doing and folded his arms on the edge of the truck bed while he leaned on the vehicle for a break. "But?"

Clark set his backpack down and grabbed a bag of feed in each hand like it was nothing. "I'm worried about Pete. He's taking his breakup with Jodi pretty hard and I think she might be on drugs."

Jonathan continued to rest while his son took over, but still offered his thoughts on the matter. "All you can do is be there for him when he wants to talk about it, but there isn't much you can do for Jodi, I'm afraid."

Clark dropped the subject briefly, as he grabbed more bags of feed and put them in the truck bed. Jonathan got back to work as well and the job went by quickly with the two of them working together. They were just finishing up when Martha came out of the house.

When Clark shut the tailgate, he decided to tell his father about the guys he saw meeting with Mr. Kwan. "Dad, something else happened today. Chloe and I saw a couple guys in suits and she said they looked like feds."

Upon hearing about the possibility of federal agents being in Smallville again, Jonathan gave his son a concerned look. "Feds? Do you know if that's what they were?"

Clark sighed. "I don't know what they are. I saw guns hidden in their jackets and I overheard them say something about bloodsuckers in the daylight, and Lisa Palmer being the leader of a nest."

Overhearing the conversation, Martha came up behind her son and asked, "Who's Lisa Palmer?"

"She's a new girl from out of state," Clark explained. "Chloe said she's a senior and she's been hanging around with Sean and Dustin. Now Jodi is with them too. Whatever they're up to, it's probably the reason those guys are here."

"What did those agents look like, son?" Jonathan asked.

After Clark described them, his father stopped to think, but soon a surprised look came over his face as he seemed to remember something. "I believe I've met those men before."

Clark raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

"Just after the meteor shower," Jonathan continued. "They were younger then, but they asked me some questions about what I saw and then they left. I was afraid they were here to check out the storm cellar, but luckily for us, they weren't."

Changing the subject, Martha smiled and reminded her son that Lana's birthday was coming up soon. "Have you picked out a gift for Lana yet? Her party is just around the corner."

"I'm still not sure what to get for her," Clark admitted. "I guess I should focus on that, instead of what's happening with Jodi."

Jonathan agreed. "I think you're right, son. You've got more important things to worry about than some kids with drug problems. As long as those agents aren't here for you, then we should be okay."

Clark retrieved his backpack from the ground and started walking towards the barn, but then Martha stopped him. "Clark, just remember that the best gifts come from the heart!"

He glanced back at his mother and smiled, before going back up to his fortress in the loft. For the time being, he decided to ignore the things that were happening with Jodi and focus on getting Lana a gift for her birthday. Even though he didn't have a lot of time left to figure it out, he knew that he wanted it to be something special.

That evening, after Mr. Melville returned home from seeing a client in Metropolis, he discovered that his daughter still hadn't come home. He even called out her name a few times, but when he got no answer, he went to the phone and checked the answering machine.

He skipped through a few messages until he got one from the school. "This is Principal Kwan and I am calling to let you know that Jodi has been skipping class. A few of our students noticed her leaving the premises during lunch, and I am afraid that we may have to suspend her if this behavior continues. Have a good day."

Mr. Melville let out a frustrated sigh when he deleted the message. He set his briefcase down on the kitchen counter and looked in the refrigerator for something to eat after his long drive home. He spotted some leftover spaghetti from a couple days earlier, but he heard a knock on the door as he was reaching for it.

"What now?" he asked in an irritated voice, even though no one was there to hear him.

He went to the front door and discovered two men in suits and ties standing on the paved driveway, just beyond the threshold of the doorway. "Hello, can I help you gentlemen?"

They reached into their jackets and pulled out their FBI badges. When Mr. Melville saw them, he was taken aback, but said nothing, so as soon as the older agent put his badge away, he asked, "Mister Melville, is your daughter home?"

Now looking quite panicked, Mr. Melville replied, "No, is she in some kind of trouble?"

The younger agent's answer failed to reassure him in any way. "We're here to ask her some questions about a friend of hers. If she cooperates, then we won't have any issues."

"Is it Dustin that you're looking for?" Mr. Melville asked. "I think he's having a bad influence on her and I think they're using drugs."

The two agents glanced at each other and then looked back at him, before the older agent spoke again. "That's right. We're looking for Dustin. He's in big trouble and when we find him, we're taking him downtown."

"My God!" Mr. Melville cried, suddenly looking terrified. "If he's involved in something big enough for the FBI to come after him, then it's worse than I thought! Please save my daughter from him, I can't lose her!"

The agents glanced at each other again, but this time, their expressions became more serious, almost sad even, before the younger agent tried to reassure him. "We'll do everything we can for her. There's a good chance that Jodi will see some jail time, but if she's honest and helps us bring Dustin down, then her sentence will be light."

The older agent handed Mr. Melville a business card. "Call us if Jodi comes home. We'll be in touch."

He closed the door and went into his living room after the agents started walking away. He suddenly felt better knowing that they were closing in on Dustin, but still hated the thought of his daughter going to jail as well. Then he heard the big pickup truck in his driveway start up and watched them leave through a window curiously.

"Why would federal agents drive a big truck like that?" he asked himself as they backed out of his driveway and sped off. "Very odd…"

Then he heard a noise behind him and when he turned around, Dustin was standing in the middle of his living room with a creepy grin on his face. "Dustin, what are you doing in my house?! Where's Jodi?!"

Dustin stared at him with that evil grin of his for a few seconds longer before answering the question. "Jodi's free from you. You won't be able to run her life ever again, Old Man."

Mr. Melville ran through the hall and dashed into the kitchen to call the police, but when he got there, he found Sean Kelvin waiting for him. "Who are you?! How did you get in here?!"

Sean grabbed the landline and threw it across the room, yanking the cords out of the wall and smashing it into pieces. Mr. Melville pressed his back against the wall where the decorative, glass plates hung from its painted face, accidentally knocking down the hanging decoration with the cats and the bird on it when he did so. Dustin followed him out of the living room, trapping him, and the evil grin was still on his face.

"What do you want, Dustin?" Mr. Melville asked.

Dustin grabbed him by the front of his business jacket and opened his mouth. Fangs suddenly emerged from his gums and he said, "You shouldn't be talking to the FBI. It could get us in a lot of trouble."

Then he bit down into Mr. Melville's neck, causing him to scream and flail his arms, knocking down more of the decorative items that hung from the wall in the process. After getting a good sip, he let him go and the poor guy collapsed to the floor as he put a hand against his bleeding neck. He sat up so his back was against the wall and then he watched in horror as Lisa entered the kitchen from the back of the house, with her cowboy hat on top of her head.

"Please, just leave my daughter and I alone!" he cried. "I won't talk to the police about you ever again! I swear!" Then he saw Jodi enter the room from behind Lisa. "Jodi!"

She looked down at him with sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Dad, but this is who I am now."

Mr. Melville watched as fangs came out of his daughter's gums and then she lunged at him while the others stood and watched with grins on their faces. Though he struggled against her, his efforts proved useless and he completely stopped moving after a couple of minutes. When Jodi came back up for air with blood running down her chin, a feeling of guilt washed over her and tears welled up in her eyes as she realized what she had just done.