Chapter 12 [Later that Afternoon—Kent Farm]
The sun shone weakly in the low western sky as it sank toward its early rest on that blessed day. The wind had moderated and not a cloud remained in the sky. The tiny blackbirds swarmed about the power lines and the bare tree tops. Lights could be seen on a few of the farmhouses and definitely in town on the store fronts to celebrate the season.
But not everything was so clear…..
Clark sat on his couch in the Loft in deep contemplation. He ran the bracelet and its string of beads through his fingers over and over taking care not to break it in the process. He pondered his earlier vow in the ravine.
Not ifhe should tell Lana and Miranda…thatwas settled.
Question was howto tell them and not make them freak out in the process.
Then again how not to make his parents go berserk either…that would be a feat as well.
Youhavetotellher,Clark.He recalled her earlier words echoing Lex's—"Arelationshipbasedonsecretsandliesisdoomedtofail."
"How do I tell her that I'm an alien?" He rolled his eyes and slapped his forehead at how ludicrous it sounded. "Maybe I should just show her the pictographs and explain what they reallymean?" He crushed a jar in his hand.
"Whoa, Dude. Man, I'm glad your parents called me! What happened in that ravine anyway?" Pete Ross wondered while coming up the wooden stairs. His feet dragged with trepidation at what he'd find at the top.
Judging from Martha's words, he knew she'd been right….It was serious.
"A dose of normalcy. Kind of like what we dealt with in scouts," Clark indicated. "Remember Shuster's Gorge in fifth grade?"
Pete winced recalling the freezing and drenched weekend they'd all spent in the gorge five years earlier. He and the other scouts had scrounged out cold bits of fish and hot dogs. They'd stayed in leaky pine shelters on the granite floor. A few flu bugs came out of it. But he recalled how woozy Clark had been.
The latter had barely managed to stay on his feet. His skin had the now familiar pale tone. His veins had bulged. He'd vomited several times that weekend…signs that now pointed to meteor poisoning.
"So there were green rocks down there?" Pete supposed.
"Not green, Pete. I wasn't sick like I am around the rocks here. But a blue glow hung in the air," Clark clarified.
"Damn!" Pete whistled in both amazement and consternation. "Another color of that stuff?"
"That's Lana's theory. I'm thinking the same thing," Clark concurred.
"So just do the speed thing and grab some. Why not?" Pete suggested without getting the point.
Clark sighed. "I can't. Whatever's down there—meteor or otherwise—took my abilities away. I was normal. Lana almost died because I couldn't get us out of there. I had to rely on Lex to save us."
Pete rubbed his friend's left shoulder. "Clark, it's about time someone had to save your super butt for a change."
"Even if it's Lex? I'm sure he'd be high on your list," Clark supposed.
Pete frowned reminding Clark of the ever-present obsessive hate which bordered on Jonathan's of all things Luthor. "I think I'd kill myself first. Bad enough you trust that…."
"Pete, Lex is my friend. Lana and I owe him," Clark insisted.
"You mean you're even. You pulled his sorry ass out of the water after he hityou with his car," Pete reminded him.
"I know. I'm trying to give everyone a chance," Clark insisted.
"You're not seriouslyconsidering telling Uncle Fester, are you?" Pete rolled his eyes. "Clark, he's a Luthor! Daddy's got him wired! Besides he'll useyou! He's doing it now!"
"You sound like my Dad," Clark countered.
"Your Dad knows what I'm talking about! Dude, I'm trying to watch your back!" Pete realized he wasn't going to win that fight in the long run. Still he put his hands up. "Just focus on Lana and Miranda. Okay?"
"And what about Chloe? Should I keep her away too?" Clark supposed sarcastically.
"Maybe if we can force a written agreement not to print it in the Torch," Pete replied half-seriously.
"Well she and her Dad are out of it. I have you to help. After today, I'll have Lana and Miranda too," Clark insisted.
Pete sat down heavily on the couch bouncing ever so slightly on the tired springs therein. "Sure you can rely on Lana's sidekick? She's not part of the whole inner circle thing."
"She saw me healing on the copter ride, Pete. I don't have a choice," Clark noted.
Pete shook his head. "Yeah not really anywhere to hide in that case. Man, we're going to have to think of some strategy. And remember how Lana is about the meteor shower? You going to show her your…youknow?" He looked out the Loft's window toward the storm cellar to emphasize his question.
"I didn't think about that. I could show them after we see how they deal with it," Clark told him. "Yeah losing her parents always made her uptight."
"Yeah and so is the fact you brought those meteors with you, Clark," Pete reminded him.
"You're a real downer."
Pete shrugged. "I'm your reality check, Chief. I always got your back."
"And so do we, Pete," Lana chimed in as she and Miranda came up the stairs. "Mrs. Kent invited you for dinner too?"
"Yeah…Mrs. K always has something stewing good in the kitchen," Pete declared.
Clark rolled his eyes. "You both okay?"
"We're fine, Clark," Miranda answered with a smile. "I'm glad you and Lana are too. How are the hands? Healed like the rest of you?"
"Clark, how did you heal?" Lana asked. "Did Kyla help you too?"
Clark almost lied instinctively. He wrestled with the details. His gut twisted in knots over what to say.
"Tell her, Clark." Miranda crossed her arms over her chest and pressed him verbally.
From the corner, Kyla appeared only to him. As with the other waitress, her eyes burned into his. Youpromised,Numan.Tellthem.Trustthatitwillbeallright.
Clark swallowed hard. "I healed before we got there, Lana. Once we got out of that ravine, I…was fine."
"You were fine?" Lana scoffed. "Clark, we survived near-hypothermia. You burned your hands and cut yourself. You had bruises."
Miranda rolled her eyes. "Show your hands, Captain Plaid. Wait'll you see this, Lana."
Clark glanced anxiously at Pete as if to find an excuse not to.
"Hey, Man. You wanted this. You got it," Pete supposed.
Clark closed his eyes so as not to see Lana's reaction and slowly raised his hands palms up. He backed away in nervousness and anxiety.
He failed to remember where he was…and tripped over the feed sack at his heels….
And fell right through the open Loft window.
"CLARK!" Lana sprang to her feet and ran over to the open panel. She stared down at where Clark landed. Then her eyes went wide at what she saw.
The farm boy got up as if he'd tripped over something in the street, dusted himself off and took a deep breath. He shook his head.
"How'd…did he?" Lana gasped. She turned to Pete wide eyed. "You knew?"
"Uh yeah I did. Kind of caught Clark with his hand in the cookie jar a couple of months back," Pete replied while feeling anxious for his friend at that point. Clark,man,onlyyoucould'vescrewedthatup.Ouch!
Clark held his unblemished hands up for their inspection.
Lana's mind swam with details as it tried to balance what it processed then with the previous night's ordeal. She couldn't understand how Clark could now deal with a fall like that and get up without a scratch. "How can you do this, Clark? What are you?"
"Just a second," Clark responded before super speeding back up to the Loft. "Just don't hate me. Okay?"
Lana looked deeply into his eyes. She fought the usual 'meteor freak' revulsion. "Just tell me you're not one of them."
"And if he was?" Miranda supposed. "Lana, that's not such a bad thing." She focused on a paper weight making it levitate in thin air.
"Miri? You…just…." Lana considered the polished stone before setting it back on the desk.
"Yeah I did. I'm not a meteor freak. I was born meta-human though," Miranda revealed. "I'm still the same person you know. So's Clark." She focused on Clark. Tellher,Clark.Comeon,BigShot.
Clark jumped at hearing the telepathic verbal push in his head. He wheeled around and stared at Miranda.
YeahI'mpsychictoo.Behonestforonceyourself.I'mgivingyouyourchance.Takeitforonce!Miranda urged.
Clark rolled his eyes but steeled himself. He faced Lana. "As Miranda said, I'm still the same person I've always been, Lana."
"You didn't trust me. Neither of you did," Lana argued. She sighed with disappointment.
"These are kind of big secrets," Clark pointed out. "And thanks, Miranda, for sharing your stuff. I'll do mine." He took a deep breath. "Guys, I'm…umm…not from around here. I'm not from around this galaxy."
"Not from…." Lana stared at him. "Clark, what are you talking about?"
"You're an alien," Miranda realized. "I suppose you came during the meteor shower like everything else?"
"Yeah I did…." Clark grimaced. "I have no idea why the rocks are here though. Especially with the different effects they have on me."
"Different effects?" Lana wondered.
Clark nodded. "The green ones make me sick. The red ones like in our class rings make me into a bad boy like what everyone was on the Nicodemus flower pollen. And if you're right, there are some blue meteors in that ravine that can make me normal. I don't know if there are any other types. The green stone on your old necklace was the reason why I couldn't be around you."
"And why Whitney was able to tie you up like that," Lana presumed.
Clark nodded. "He used the green stone on me."
"So how did you use my necklace during Eric's rampage?" Lana wondered.
"I was normal at that point. Eric took my powers and the meteor weakness too," Clark explained. "I used it to weaken him before transferring the gifts back to me."
Lana nodded. "Clark, be honest with me. You saved me from the tornado, didn't you?" She took a breath. "Before I lost consciousness, I saw you tear the door off the truck and cradle me in your arms. Please tell me it was you."
Clark smiled. "It was me, Lana. I wanted to tell you but Dad wouldn't let me."
"But why?" Lana demanded.
"He's scared that you'll slip and tell someone," Pete chimed in. He glanced over at Clark. "It's a struggle every minute to make sure I don't open my mouth. But our man here needs that."
"How long have you known?" Miranda asked.
"Not long. A couple of months. I found out by accident," Pete revealed. "I found our boy's ship."
"Ship?" Lana queried.
"You mean a spaceship?" Miranda wondered.
Clark nodded. "The ship that brought me here from wherever." He exhaled deeply. "Since you know everything else, you might as well see that too. Follow me." He led them down the wood stairs.
Every footfall from him or the others echoed in his ears.
His heart pounded from the fear of not knowing what their reaction would be.
Likewise Lana pondered the deeper implications. Didhebringthemeteors?Ohcrap…didhekillmyparents?She shook that thought off. Ifhewasababyatthetime,howcouldhedothat?Doeshereallyhaveaspaceship?Her mind continued to swim amidst the raging torrent of Doubt with each step she took.
Clark opened the doors to the storm cellar. "Remember, this is a secret." He glanced toward the house. "My folks aren't going to like this."
"Their deal, Clark. It ain't easy but you and Lana can be honest," Pete reminded him while forging ahead. He descended the stairs. "It's cool though."
The girls followed them guardedly down the stairs. At the bottom they found the Ship sitting on the dirt floor and stared in shock.
There really was a ship.
And that meant Clark was…an alien.
"My sensei said there was life out there. Wow…." Miranda let her fingers touch the cool metal. "Unbelievable."
Lana stood back and tried to take it all in. "You're really from…out there." She motioned with her eyes toward the door and sky.
Clark shuddered. He could almost feel her conflicting emotions. "Lana, I was raised right on the farm. I'm from out there but I'm still the same Clark I've always been. Hiding the Truth has always been hard. I didn't want to lose you."
"It's a big deal all right," Lana replied frankly while crossing her arms across her chest. "Did your coming here cause the meteor shower?"
"I don't think so. I don't know where I'm from. I know the meteors followed me but that's all. I don't know where my planet is. I never knew my birth parents. I just know this farm, Smallville and all of you. I've tried to use my gifts to help and protect everyone. I do know, Lana, that we both lost our parents from that meteor shower." Clark slumped his shoulders. "I never wanted you to hate me."
She shook her head. Smallville held its share of secrets. She'd known that as long as she could remember. Seeing the meteor freaks and folks like Byron had only brought that home for her. Still she wanted to know more about Clark and why he was the way he was.
Now she had her wish. She knew the Truth.
And it stared her in the face. It rocked her world.
Yet it made sense. Clark had always been somewhat reclusive. He'd held back to the point of being shy. His parents had kept him from physical activities.
"I'm dealing with this…but I could never hate you, Clark." Lana quivered and looked down toward the floor.
"You wanted to know. Now you do," Clark pointed out.
"I know…and I'm glad we know. Your secret's safe with me." She smiled warmly at him. "I need time though to wrap my head around it."
"It's big, Lana. It took me a while to do it," Pete admitted. "Just give Clark a chance."
"We all have our secrets, Lana," Miranda chimed in. If she'd been a lesser person, she would've wanted to take advantage of the situation. However given her own secrets, she wouldn't be a hypocrite. "Question is what are you willing to deal with to be around the people you care about?"
She nodded while conceding the point. "I know, Miri. Thanks. It doesn't change how I feel. I just need to adapt. Is that okay, Clark?"
"It's more than okay. You take all the time you want, Lana. I'm here," Clark assured her.
"I know." Lana stepped forward. "And I'm here for you too." She embraced him tightly. "And I still see the same Clark I always have. Now I know who you are."
Relief rushed over him. He returned the embrace eagerly. "Whatever you need, I'll answer. As long as you need me to wait, I'll wait. I want you."
She felt her heart lighten. "Thanks, Clark. I appreciate your consideration." She took his hands in hers. "That really matters to me." She kissed his cheek. "And your honesty."
"I just hope you all can deal with this."
The teens turned to find Jonathan and Martha watching them from the top of the stairs.
"It's all right, Mr. Kent. We can keep the secret," Lana assured him without hesitation.
"We know you mean that," Martha indicated. "There are people who would want to use Clark for their own ends. Lex for instance."
"Mom," Clark protested.
"Listen to her, Dude," Pete chimed in.
Lana stepped forward. "I know. Watching Byron has shown me how people would use someone like that. But, as Pete has said too, Clark needs someone to watch his back. The more of us, the better. We can help Pete do that. I want to do that." She squeezed Clark's hand for emphasis.
The two parents looked at each other before conceding, "Fine. Remember though we're counting on you."
"Absolutely," Miranda agreed.
"I'd rather die than expose him," Lana vowed.
"And if you have any questions, you come to us. All right?" Jonathan requested firmly.
"Yes, sir," the girls responded.
"Fine. I've got some coffee brewing. Let's get ready before Lex gets here," Martha pointed out. "And, girls, welcome to the family." With that, she led them from the cellar and back into the warming sunshine.
Clark took Lana's hand and walked down the path with her. For the first time, he could be completely honest with her. It felt wonderful and light.
He was free and soaring toward something else…