The sound of loud rumbling shook everything in sight. Priceless artifacts crashed onto the floors, and brilliantly colorful works of art fell from the walls as the sky darkened, the ground shook as cracks formed, growing wider with each tremor, swallowing those unfortunate to be in their vicinity. The terror and screams filled the air, mixing with the cacophony of roaring, as beautiful cities and pristine landscapes crumbled and fell apart, raining debris on those who tried in vain to flee from the coming destruction.

After what seemed like an eternity, the world had finally taken enough abuse; it could no longer stand up to the onslaught it was receiving. With one final shudder, the planet seemed to come apart at the seams, exploding in a blinding brightness. In that single instant, an entire world – its inhabitants, history, culture, beauty, and life – was obliterated, leaving nothing but bits of rocks and debris floating in a sea of empty blackness.

Linda shot up into a sitting position, gasping for air. She felt hot—even though she wore only a pair of boy shorts and a tank top—and her skin, hair, and clothes were drenched in sweat. She looked down and saw she was floating three feet above her bed. She suddenly fell, but she managed to stop herself a foot above the bed.

For a few minutes, the young woman just floated, her entire body trembling in shock, trying to figure out what that dream was about. It was horrible—yet it had felt so real—but Linda knew it couldn't have been anything more than a dream, no matter what it looked like.

Unconvinced by her own thoughts, Linda sighed as she floated over to the floor and swung her feet down. She landed softly before heading over to the bedroom window. She knew she should go back to sleep, but she was too rattled by her dream to even go back to bed. She didn't want to talk to her parents and give them something new to worry about, but she knew she needed to talk to someone. The young woman quietly opened her window and took a few steps back. She turned her head when she heard the soft mewl and whine; she smiled when she saw Krypto and Streaky giving her looks of concern and curiosity from their spots on her bed.

"Shhh," she said. "I'll be back soon. I promise." She turned to face the window again, and she crouched low before leaping forward, diving out the window, arms extended in front. She flew out the window and soared upward into the night sky; once she reached twenty thousand feet, she pulled her arms to her sides as she headed east.

The rushing air cooled Linda's skin as she flew over the land. She knew her parents would hit the roof if they discovered her missing—she understood why, given the past few months-but that dream had her so rattled that she needed to talk to someone.

And she knew just who to go to.

Linda made it to Metropolis in less than a minute, enough time to clear her head and get her body temperature back down to normal (as the case might be). She expertly flew through the maze of tall buildings, moving fast to be seen as nothing more than a blur to the inhabitants below; she knew they would think she was just her cousin and not even bat an eye.

It took only a few moments to reach her destination, and she did her best to hide in the shadow as she slowly descended toward an unassuming building. She stopped at her target floor, floating in the shadows as she lightly tapped on one of the windows. She waited a few seconds before the curtains parted, and a bleary-eyed Jimmy looked out, confused; he wore a white tank top and powder blue shorts, and his hair was messed up from sleeping on it. It took him a few seconds to register seeing his girlfriend floating outside his window, but then he instantly woke up; he quickly opened his window, leaning out.

"Linda?" he whispered, looking worried. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Linda replied. "I just…can we talk?" She glanced at Jimmy uneasily.

Jimmy recognized that expression, and he relaxed his demeanor before holding out his hand. "Come on in," he said softly. Linda took his hand, and the young photographer slowly reeled her into his room.

"So, you had a dream about Krypton…blowing up?" Jimmy asked, confused. He lay in his bed, under his sheets, staring at the ceiling in his and he glanced over at Linda. She was snuggled beside him under the sheets, her head on his chest. Listening to his heart beating with her eyes closed, Linda could feel herself relaxing.

"I think so," she replied. "I don't know. I mean, in my dream, Krypton was gorgeous. It had color and buildings made of crystals; it was so vivid—like I was actually there—but I know it couldn't have been real." She sighed and opened her eyes, shifting to look up at him. "Why would I dream about something like that?"

"Well, to be honest," Jimmy said, "dreams are weird things. I remember dreaming one time that I was Giant Turtle Boy – shell and all."

"'Turtle Boy?" Linda asked, looking at him oddly.

"Yeah, I know," Jimmy replied. "And another time I dreamt I had the ability to stretch myself—and I called myself Elastic Lad." He heard a small snort, and he looked over to see Linda trying to suppress laughter. He felt a twinge of insult, but he was happy to see her looking less upset and smiled. "See? Dreams are funny things."

"Yeah, I guess," Linda replied after she composed herself. "Still, it's a weird thing to dream about."

"Tell me about it," Jimmy replied. "But I did learn never to have cold pepperoni pizza and a large Slurpie before bed."

"I meant my dream, silly," Linda said, smiling, "but yeah, don't do that again." She leaned over and kissed him. "Thanks."

Jimmy smiled. "No sweat," he replied before leaning over and kissing her. The kiss was soft at first, but it soon deepened as Linda wrapped her arms around his neck. Jimmy reflexively rolled over, caging her with his own body. The two continued kissing for a few more seconds before Jimmy pulled away.

"You stopped," Linda said, smiling.

"Figured we better slow down before anything happens," Jimmy replied. Linda raised an eyebrow, amused. "Yeah, I know, you're faster than a speeding bullet, but I'd like our relationship to move a little slower."

"This coming from the guy who kissed me the first night we met," Linda pointed, smiling.

"Yeah, but it took us almost a year to become official," Jimmy retorted. He could see a little disappointment in her eyes, and he sighed. "Look, we both know how we feel about each other, but we can both agree it's been a crazy road getting here? I don't think we want to ruin it by rushing things." He kissed her tenderly. "Don't you think?"

Linda sighed. "You know you're going against what every red-blooded teenage boy would do in your place, right?"

Jimmy shrugged in mocking humility. "Well, I guess that just makes me a gentleman."

"Of course, and not 'cause you're scared that our parents and Clark would kill us?" Linda asked, smirking. Jimmy tilted his head, narrowing his eyes, then he grinned playfully. "Are you doubting my ability to be a true gentleman, Miss Kent?" He started tickling her stomach, and Linda started laughing.

"Stop it!" she shouted, laughing.

"Jimmy!"

The two teenagers froze when they heard Jimmy's mother's voice; they slowly glanced at each other, their eyes wide. They had forgotten that Jimmy's mother was on the other side of the wall. They heard shuffling outside, and then the bedroom door suddenly flew open, and the overhead light came on. Jimmy blinked repeatedly, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness, and he saw that Linda had disappeared from under him.

"Jimmy, are you okay?"

Jimmy quickly turned over and saw his mother standing just inside his bedroom door. She wore a worn terry robe over her nightgown, her hair disheveled, and she wielded a plunger, poised to attack. The young photographer's eyes widened slightly when he saw Linda a foot above Mary, pressed as flat as possible against the ceiling.

"Jimmy?"

"Uh, yeah!" Jimmy quickly replied, his voice squeaking a little. He looked back at his mother, clearing his throat. "Uh…what are you doing, Mom?"

"I thought I heard voices in here," Mary said, looking around.

"That was me," Jimmy replied. "I, uh…I couldn't sleep…and I was just…coaching myself for tomorrow."

Mary raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "I heard laughter."

"I was telling myself jokes," Jimmy said. "Mom, really, I'm fine, okay?"

Mary hesitated, then sighed. "Okay," she said slowly.

"And, uh," Jimmy added, pointing to the plunger, amused, "I don't think 'Plunger Mom' suits you."

Mary glanced at the plunger in her hand, and she started chuckling; she lowered the plunger, embarrassed. "Okay, fine," she said, "but get some rest. You have a busy day."

"I will," Jimmy replied.

"Goodnight, sweetie," Mary said before flipping the light switch.

"Night," Jimmy replied before Mary closed his bedroom door. He waited until he heard his mom's door shut before he glanced up. Linda floated down and swung her lower body, landing softly beside the bed as Jimmy got to his feet.

"That was close," Linda said softly.

"Yeah, being fast has its advantages," Jimmy replied. She gave him a sly expression, and he smiled. "Behave."

Linda grinned as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're no fun," she teased playfully.

"Yeah, I'm a regular killjoy," Jimmy replied, putting his arms around her waist, then glanced briefly at his nightstand clock. "You better get going; it's late, and I don't want your folks finding you missing."

"Yeah," Linda replied, a little disappointed.

"Hey, I'll see you later today," Jimmy replied before leaning over and kissing her.

"I know," Linda answered, "but everyone else is going to be there, too."

"Well, maybe we can go catch a movie or something later," Jimmy suggested. "Just you and me." He gave her a hopeful smile. "Maybe we could go dancing."

Linda tilted her head and smiled. "I'd like that," she said.

"Great," Jimmy replied before kissing her nose. "Now, go home—and be careful."

"Okay," Linda replied. She glanced at the window, and it opened on its own, then she turned back to Jimmy. Wordlessly, she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Jimmy hungrily. After a few seconds, she pulled back, grinning at Jimmy's stunned reaction. "Bye." She blurred over to the window, jumped out, and flew away. Jimmy just stared at the window before he slowly smiled.

"Damn," he whispered.

(End of Chapter 1)