Author's Note...
Whee, I'm in WAY over my head here.
I'm really annoyed with Kaitlyn's constant crying, but know that I would probably react in a similar way. So if your sick of the constant "victim" attitude, please understand that I'm just trying to be realistic. I'm not trying to make you pity her, just understand her.
"T" is Tatiana's nickname, but I guess you could have figured that out.
I'm sorry it's taking so long for the main Smallville characters to come up. I promise that our favorite four (Clark, Lana, Chloe, and Pete) will come in the next chapter.
Thanks for reading!

"I'm done listening to you, Kaitlyn. Get out. Now."
Kaitlyn stared, wide-eyed. Brooke looked like she was ready to rip her head off.
"Do not make me smack you."
Kaitlyn ran out the door. She had been abused enough today. Nowhere was really safe anymore. She would drive and drive until Kansas and her old life were out of sight. She would never come back.

She dug the car keys out of her pocket and slammed the Bell's front door behind her, clicking the remote unlock. She drove without knowing where she was going. For an hour, the countryside blurred past her. Everything seemed so unrealistic. Maybe it's all just a bad dream. Maybe I'll wake up and find everything back to normal. Stuff like this doesn't happen in real life. Not to Kaitlyn Grant, at least.

She pulled over and tried to will herself to wake up. After thirty seconds of arm-pinching and cheek-biting, she realized that she couldn't be any more conscious. She hit her head on the wheel, blasting the horn. Crap…

The cell phone vibrated in her pocket. "Hello?" she answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Ay girly!" Must be Tatiana. "Brooke just called. Seemed real mad. What was that 'bout?"

Somewhat distracted by her horrific memories, Kaitlyn cringed at the pain in her stomach. The flashbacks needed to go away. "She didn't tell you?" she asked.

"I didn't get much info outta Brooke. Just a lot of cussin' and callin' you a ho. Got anything to add?"

"Yeah, T. My bad. We got into a fight over…parents," Kaitlyn said quietly, feeling the guilt come on. All my fault… Stupid wounds keep getting scratched open before they have time to heal.

"Over parents? Seriously, Kate, parents suck. That's the way it is. Ain't no need to go and fight with yo friend about it, though. It don't even make no sense!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Kaitlyn paused to breathe. "Listen, I can't go home tonight. Can I stay at your place?"

"I got a party tonight, but sho. You can come too. Sounds like yo need to have some fun 'nyhow," Tatiana remarked.

If only "fun" would help. Kaitlyn was not in the mood to party tonight, or ever. But she didn't say that. "Right. I'll be there in about an hour. Oh, and T? I'm gonna look like a real mess when I get there, so don't freak out."

Tatiana laughed. "Girl, yo way too worried about how you look. When yo gonna realize that we don't care?"

"You haven't seen me yet," Kaitlyn replied, examining her wild hair in the rear-view mirror.

"Sure, whatev. See you soon."

"Bye." Kaitlyn closed the phone. She laid her head on the wheel, more gently this time. I wonder… if I shot myself, would I die? Or would my retarded super-freak power kick in and "save" me? I don't wanna live like this. I can't live like this. I can't even talk to anyone and expect them to understand; they'll say that it was my fault and I just need to suck it up.

She took a shaky breath before breaking down again. I hate this! This disgusting feeling, the constant crying, the guilt… After fifteen minutes, she pulled herself together enough to drive. T will wonder where I am.

--

"So a bunch of frat boys at Met U are home fo fall break," Tatiana explained as she drove. "I heard they'll let 'nyone into their party t'night. It's s'posed to be real awesome with cool music and drinks and stuff."

Kaitlyn responded with a noncommittal grunt. She wasn't paying attention; her mind wouldn't focus on anything for more than a second. She was somewhat grateful for that. Flashbacks only lasted for a second at a time. But then again, who would have known that one second of memories could make her stomach churn so badly?

"Cheer up, Kate! You look a thousand times better than when you got to my house."

"I'm not thinking about that," she mumbled, turning to stare out the window at the darkening sky.

"Well, whatev it is, snap outta it! You have to get in the party mood!" Tatiana let out a whoop as she parked on a car-lined street. Kaitlyn was pretty sure she could hear the party even though she couldn't see it.

"I dunno if I wanna go, T." She slumped in her chair a bit.

"Too late; we're here. Do I hafta drag you out?"

Kaitlyn muttered something unintelligible and followed her friend up the sidewalk. The closer they got, the louder the music was. By the time they reached the front yard of the well-lit house, Kaitlyn could feel the earth beneath her vibrating to the beat.

She tried to stay right behind Tatiana once they were inside. The loud music made her head ache. There were people everywhere, all packed so tightly that she could barely move without touching someone else. Panicking at the lack of space, her breathing quickened.

Kaitlyn felt dizzy, and all of her surroundings looked unrealistic and so…so bright. She reached out to tap Tatiana on the back and tell her that she needed to leave, but Tatiana wasn't there anymore. Her eyes widened, and her heart hammered in her chest. There was no escape from this nightmare. Pulsing lights, bright colors, and so many people.

A tall guy with bright blue eyes approached her. "Hey, you feelin' alright, babe?"

She tried to back away, but there was a wall of people behind her. Kaitlyn's breathing was coming in short gasps now. "Get…away," she managed.

"Hey, hey, calm down. I'm not trying to hurt you. Do you need a glass of water? You ain't looking too hot right now."

"Get away!" Kaitlyn screamed before plowing through the crowd. I have to get out of here. Everything was spinning and blurry. She couldn't focus her vision, and her head felt as if it were about to explode. She pressed her hands to her ears and stumbled along.

She must have tripped over her feet, because the ground was flying up to meet her the next second. Someone caught her just before her face made contact with the floor, but she had no clue who it was.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked.

"Where's T?" was all Kaitlyn could think to say.

"Who's T?"

Kaitlyn swore. "Find her!"

"Does anyone know T?" The voice asked people around them.

Kaitlyn heard a bunch of muttered "No's," but all their faces seemed to be a blur. The person, whoever it was, carried her along, asking for T. After five minutes of searching, Tatiana was in front of her.

"Kate! Kate, can you hear me?"

"Yes..."

"What happened?"

This time, no words could find their way out of her mouth. She swallowed and tried to focus on steadying her breath.

"Thanks, Ben. I'm going to take her home."

Ben? Kaitlyn wrenched away from him. Men were not to be trusted. Ever.

"Calm down, Katie. We're goin' now," Tatiana assured her. She grabbed Kaitlyn's arm and led her out the door.

The chilly night air shook Kaitlyn back into reality. Her breathing slowed. The world wasn't spinning anymore. She was going to be okay.

"Kate, what happened in there?"

"I…couldn't breathe. Everyone was so close together, and I couldn't breathe!"

"Calm down. Can you go come in with me, or do you need to stay out here?"

Kaitlyn bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I just need to go back."

"Back? Where? Home? My house?" Tatiana was having trouble making sense of anything her friend said.

"In time," Kaitlyn said before her voice broke.

"Sorry, Kate, that's only in sci-fi stories. How 'bout we just go to my house, 'kay?"

"Mhmm."

--

"'Kay, I've given yo more than enough time to calm down. Now, what happened?"

"The party, T. It was a nightmare."

"How?"

"The loud music. And all those people."

"That's what a party is, Kate. You loved 'em just yesterday."

"Things are different now." Parties were for happy, care-free people. Kaitlyn was no longer one of those.

"What, after the fight wit Brooke? And what happened there, 'nyhow?"

Kaitlyn sighed. How could she explain this? "I had a sleepover with Brooke on Friday, and I went downstairs really late to get ice cream. I go into the kitchen and…" Come on girl, say it. There's nothing to lose anymore. "…and I saw Brooke's mom with Lionel"--she choked on the name--"Luthor." Then she lost it again. Her lower lip started to tremble, and tears formed miniature puddles in her eyes.

"So? Is that so bad? I mean, they're just talkin'."

"Not just 'hanging out with.' With with. At eleven thirty at night."

"Oh. That sucks."

"No kidding. So I decided that I was going to run and tell the Inquisitor. Get some money, lower the public opinion of Luthor, you know."

Tatiana scoffed. "Like that's even possible. Everyone in Smallville hates him."

Not as much as I do. "Couldn't have told me earlier, could you? The Inquisitor ran the story, Brooke's dad read it, and now her parents are probably getting a divorce." Kaitlyn hid her face in her hand and sighed shakily. "And it's all my fault."

Tatiana hugged her. "I'm sorry. He prob woulda found out 'nyways. It's not really yo fault--"

"Yes it is!" Kaitlyn burst into tears. She couldn't stop. She could barely breathe. And the tears didn't stop coming. Her gut hurt, as did her head and heart.

Tatiana had no idea what to say. Kaitlyn must be having serious issues about this. Or maybe it's just the meteor rocks getting to her brain. She was thankful her parents were gone tonight. They didn't need to see her friend at her worst. "It's kinda late. Think we should sleep now?"

Kaitlyn nodded and followed her friend to her room. Tatiana found a sleeping bag and laid it out. The floor was uncomfortable, but Kaitlyn barely noticed. Everything else hurt worse.

She was still stuck in self-pity. Life is so unfair, she thought. Tatiana gets to do whatever she wants with zero consequences. And here, I screw up once, and the whole world freakin' collapses.

Kaitlyn must have drifted off, because when she opened her eyes, she was entirely disoriented. This wasn't Tatiana's room. She recognized the ceiling pattern, now. And the smooth silk sheets were all too familiar.

When someone next to her shifted their weight, her heart began to race. Pure fear and hate coursed through her veins, carried by adrenaline.

There was no way she could be here. Not Luthor's penthouse. But everything looked and felt real enough. And his smell, too. She felt sick to her stomach. It was impossible to replicate all this in dreams, right? She hoped desperately that this was only a dream.

Maybe if I don't move, he'll go back to sleep. She held her breath, waiting. When he cleared his throat, she flinched. "If you do that much longer, you'll suffocate."

Until that moment, she had been frozen. Now she couldn't control her movements. Her hands suddenly found his throat. "You'll be the only one to suffocate tonight. Die, Luthor. In this bed that you thought it was oh-so-great to ruin my life in!" she growled in his ear.

Lionel gasped for air, but she crushed his windpipe. Pure fear, an emotion never before expressed by a Luthor, was in his gray-blue eyes. She sneered. "Say goodnight, Luthor. You won't see anyone when they wake up."

She jolted upright, gasping for air. So real! It had been so real! Sweat dripped down her face. What if that I had actually killed him? She believed that all her troubles would have been stomach churned. Everything was spinning again.

I gotta find the bathroom… She ran blindly into the hallway before she collapsed with dry heaves. Her stomach had been empty. Ughh. Her stomach retched, and Kaitlyn choked. Nothing was coming up. Water. I need water.

Tatiana blindly found her way from the bedroom to the hall. She crouched at Kaitlyn's side. "Kate, you alright? Let's get you to the bathroom." She helped her friend up and led her to the bathroom. Kaitlyn drank the water straight from the faucet. It came right back up.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, wiping her mouth.

"It's fine, 'slong as you didn't puke all over the hall. Are you feelin' okay now?"

Kaitlyn shivered, suddenly very cold. "Hope so. Think this qualifies as a reason to skip school?"

"Nah. You gotta be spewin' chunks to stay home," Tatiana said. "I'll get a bucket for you, though, just in case." The wooden steps creaked as she walked down them.

"Bring a glass of water, too," Kaitlyn called after her. She crawled back into the borrowed sleeping bag and wrapped it tightly around her, but it did nothing to warm her up. She was still shivering.

--

When she woke up at six thirty, she felt little better. At first, she didn't remember why everything seemed different. But the memories slowly floated back to her, and Kaitlyn knew that it was no dream. Yesterday, she had been raped by Lionel Luthor. This morning, she felt just as dirty and worthless as yesterday. And as far as she knew, there was no way to make her feel better.

"Katie, you feelin' okay?" Tatiana asked groggily, stretching as she woke up.

"Um…no. I think I might skip school today," she replied.

"Well, I betta not get whatev you have, or I'll be seriously mad," Tatiana joked.

Kaitlyn changed back into yesterday's clothes, then crammed her stuff into the black duffle. "Bye, T. Thanks for letting me stay the night, and…sorry about the whole puking thing."

"It's fine, Kate. See ya."

As Kaitlyn drove home, she checked the clock. It was a little after seven, and her parents wouldn't leave the house until eight thirty. She wasn't ready to face them yet, so she grudgingly changed courses and headed towards Smallville High School.

Reviews are nice. I love constructive criticism if you want to point out Mary-Sueness.