Chapter 6
Darkness surrounded Lois and all was still and eerily quiet. Slowly, as if a curtain were being drawn back to reveal the contents of a secret chamber, images began to focus and take shape for her. She was in a large, stately house and there was a party in progress. There was an odd mix of people and she surmised it must be a costume party of some sort, judging by the varied dress of all the party-goers. She cast a glance at her own attire and wondered why she was not in costume. She was startled from her reverie when a handsome young man with short blonde hair called to her and approached. Curiously, he was not in costume either. He was an archer. He moved close to ask her something—but she couldn't make out what he was saying. Some sound that did not fit this scene kept drowning out what he was saying.
Her mind then played another funny trick on her by showing her with this same man in various states of undress at the tower in the sky that she had seen in her dream the night before—the same tower where she and Clark had made love. Her mind swirled in confusion. Who was this unnamed stranger?
There was the strange sound again: Chimes and voices seeking people. It was odd. Lois vaguely recalled hearing the same requests and instructions at various times throughout the day. The voices varied, the messages were always abrupt and sounded urgent. She wondered at their significance in her dreams—the instructions often held no meaning to her whatsoever.
She was pulled back to the scene at the castle. Now she was talking with the archer when an attractive, red-haired woman approached them, saying hello. Lois then introduced Mrs. Kent to Oliver Queen.
"Hello, Mrs. Kent." Came a pleasant female voice as Oliver opened his mouth.
Whaaaaaaaat?
"Hello Chloe." Mrs. Kent said brightly. Lois then realized these voices were coming from her bedside and not part of her dream.
"I brought some of Lois' things. I didn't expect to see you here this morning. Where's Clark?"
"I sent him home to get some rest. Didn't you see him when you went by the house?"
"No. Maybe he was sleeping."
"Chloe, you would have had to go into Clark's room to get clothes for Lois."
"Ok. I'm busted. I didn't see him. Maybe he was out tending the herd. You know, to take his mind off of things. Besides, he doesn't really need sleep the way the rest of us do, right?"
-- 'the rest of us'?
"No, I suppose you are right," said Mrs. Kent. "Still, I knew if he were here, he would feel helpless, and that would make things worse for him. So I sent him home."
"Chloe, I have to ask you something. We both know Clark spends a lot of time blaming himself for things that happen in Smallville, but this looks to me like just a freak accident, not at all like the strange things that occur in Smallville as a result of the meteor showers. What happened?"
"This one is totally not meteor-rock related. All I know is that Clark and Lois were arguing. And she took off on her horse. He didn't go after her right away—probably just to let her cool off before they faced off again. When the storm rolled in, he thought he should go after her, apologize or whatever, so that she would come in out of the storm. Talk about irony—this is exactly the kind of thing he was trying to prevent."
"What was the reason for the argument?"
"Ya got me there. I may know Clark's biggest secret, but he doesn't confide in me about everything."
"And Lois didn't tell you, either."
"You know, she hasn't said much to me anything lately. Oddly enough, she has been confiding in Clark more than she has with me."
"You have been busy with your studies and your work at the Daily Planet. And she has been staying at our house. I shouldn't think it odd that she would talk to Clark."
"Well, yeah. But, she even talked to him about Oliver. I mean, she is my cousin. And ---"
Their conversation was cut short when a nurse interrupted them, asking them to wait outside while she checked Lois' vitals and changed her dressings.
No, Don't leave now! She was desperate to hear the rest of their conversation, her curiosity and her imagination having gone into overdrive. Who was Oliver—did she and Clark quarrel about him right before her accident? And what's a Meteor rock? She would not be getting those answers now, as her grasp on consciousness began to slip through her fingers once again as she slipped slowly back into the fog.
