iSuperwoman

Chapter Two: Smallville Years Part II

Laying under a blanket on the couch, watching All That, a six year-old boy felt himself drift into a pleasant daze. Suddenly, the comedy show was cut off by a news alert; "We are interrupting programming on this channel to announce a state of emergency; the town of Smallville has recently been the victim of an unpredicted meteor shower. Several citizens have been hospitalized, although no fatalities have been noted as of yet, and property damages are at an all-time high for the farm town." Growing uneasy, the child threw himself out from under his cover and cried out, "Mommy, Daddy!"

"What's wrong, sport?" Sheldon replied, hurriedly making his way down the stairs. It was early in the morning, but the man was wide awake. Miranda heard the cry, and readied herself for another change.

"They said meteors hit the town," the child answered, his fear and curiosity showing more than ever before. "Is everyone okay?"

"Don't worry, Spencer," the man replied, picking up his son and holding him tightly. "Everyone's alright. It's alright...Your Mom's got a surprise for you...You ready?" The uneasy brunette boy nodded, his thick hair flopping up and down.

"Honey?" Sheldon called upstairs. "Ready?"

Hearing footsteps, then seeing his wife slowly walk down the twirling flight of stairs into the kitchen, the man readied himself to stand at her side. Reaching the floor, Miranda gently cradled her little girl in her light blue blanket, letting it keep her little head warm. "Spencer..." she said, her voice soft and sensitive. "Meet your new little sister...her name's Carly." Slowly walking forward, completely in awe of the unexpected being before him, the little boy observed the girl's round little face.

"Hi," Spencer greeted the babe, looking at her delicate, angelic blue eyes and the little bit of brown hair topping her head. Free of any social knowledge, Carly closed her eyes and yawned, taking comfort with her new mother. "She's pretty." Leaning forward, Spencer gently stroked his finger across his new baby sister's soft, tender forehead, then kissed her. Relieved and lightened by their son's reaction of the little girl, Miranda and Sheldon shared a deep sigh, knowing everything was going to be okay.

Seven years passed by all too quickly; the Shay family had fully accepted Carly as their newest member-her true origin all but forgotten, and her nature as a little sister fully embraced by Spencer. Recently a teenager, the young brunette held his seven-year-old sibling in his lap as she played with her toys. June first, 2002; the crops were tall, the skies blue and awake until the latest hours of night. Of course, the boy had friends, hobbies, and a life outside of the Shay farm, but Carly was always a joy to spend time with. When she turned three, her big brother taught her how to finger paint; sharing his artistic passion with the little masterpiece he had come to love.

"Love you, Spencer," Carly said, looking up at her big brother. The child's soft cheeks were gently framed by her shining, lightly curled, brown hair, which made her honey-brown eyes glisten.

"Love you, too, kid," Spencer lovingly replied, planting a little kiss on the crown of his baby sister's little head.

Gazing in from the kitchen, Miranda motioned her head upward to Sheldon, who set down his glass of water, nodding in agreement. Trying not to attract any attention from their children, the two climbed the spiral of stairs to the second story, took the sharp corner around the wall that wore a family portrait, entered their hardwood-floored bedroom, and closed the door behind them. Inside their warmly-furnished bedroom, the Shay couple faced one another. All was hushed; all other noises and distractions were gone away. "She's getting older," Miranda declared, a grave nature burning beneath her voice. "...I think...one day, not today or any time soon...but I think we're going to have to tell her."

"What?" Sheldon forbade himself from shouting. "Why? Why do things have to change?"

"I've been having dreams,...Shel," Miranda answered, looking at the floor. "I keep seeing the number thirteen, then we find Carly in the cornfield...it never hit me until a couple of days ago...I thought we could just forget how we found her; keep her as our daughter and let everyone live happily ever after, but..." Closing her eyes tightly, the woman clenched the footboard of her bed. "There's more to all this than what we know..."

"I can't...There's nothing happening now," the man nervously replied, trying to come to terms with his own opinions. "It took a long time to get used to her...she's our daughter...things are good the way they are...maybe we can just leave it at that."

"She's not our biological daughter," Miranda regretfully answered. "She's going to find that out...she'll want answers."

"But we don't have any," Sheldon replied. "What's worse, we only have vague ideas...if anything, telling her could make everything fall apart. If she ever realizes she's not a natural Shay, we can tell her she was left on our doorstep...But she's our daughter; no one else's."

Silence sat within the room for an impossible, distant moment. Both of the adults stood like statues in what was once a place of comfort and equality of thought, thinking over every aspect of what could be their daughter's destiny; their family's unwinding. "It's a lie..." she finally managed to articulate. "We've never even told her about the music box, or even her own blanket. Images of Carly's infancy glowed in Miranda's mind, making everything impossible. She'll never forgive us if she grows up on a lie...But if we tell her...she'll feel like she doesn't belong. "Maybe you're right...Unless she asks, we stay silent...But if she ever does ask, I think we should tell her the truth...at least what we know about it." Sheldon took in a deep breath, sighed through his nostrils, and tried to search his scattered heart. "We're still a family, Shel...there's more to being a parent than biology."

Unable to speak, the man nodded, and welcomed a warm embrace from his beloved wife. Somehow, hours passed by, and the blue sky turned into a beautiful expression of orange and scarlet hues. Sparsely-placed jet streams accented the vertical lead into the blissful horizon and burning yellow sun. Carly sat atop the Shay family's wooden picnic table, swinging her little legs back and forth while Spencer sat on the bench; both siblings viewed the masterpiece in front of their minds, souls, and eyes.

"Spencer," the little girl gently said, looking down at her big brother. "Are we always gonna be friends?"

"Always, Carly," the brunette boy happily answered. "Never worry about that." Taking comfort in that permanent thought, Carly leaned forward and hugged Spencer, feeling his soft hair in her face. Caught off-guard, the boy smiled, then reached back and patted his baby sister's hand. Catching site of their children; a brother and sister taking refuge with one another, Miranda and Sheldon realized another flaw in their revelation.