KYLA: THE SKINWALKER

I fell from the sky.

Now you're probably wondering what I mean by that. Well, let me tell you about it.

I was dirt-biking with my friend Pete back in my sophomore year of high school when we stopped at the site where a new office complex was being built by Luthorcorp. Pete wondered why the police were there and I replied that the foreman was killed in an explosion the night before. Then I told him I'd race him back to Miller's Bend. We took off through the woods and that's when I hit a tree root; my bike overturning. I fell through a hole in the ground and landed in an underground cave.

I was still lying on the ground when I heard footsteps. I looked up and saw a beam of light streaming through an opening that was created when I fell through. Then the light came over towards me and revealed a beautiful girl. She saw me and immediately came over; kneeling down next to me. I guess I was still a little dazed so that's probably why I called her Lana.

I really have to stop comparing every girl I like to Lana.

I started to tell her that I was fine, but she insisted on tearing open my shirt anyway. She stared at my chest for a moment with surprise. Looking back, I can't help think that there was more than just surprise in the way her eyes lingered just for a moment on my chest.

You don't have a scratch on you.

I looked up at her with a smile as I sat up. She really was beautiful. I ended up telling her that I was just lucky. When I asked where she came from, she replied that she was doing some research for her grandfather and that the landslide must have opened up the wall. Now I had no idea that there were even caves down there. She looked a little wistful when she said that if Luthorcorp had its way, they wouldn't be anymore. Then she introduced herself.

I'm Kyla, by the way.

I couldn't help smiling at her as I stood up and helped her to her feet. I felt so drawn to her for some reason and I didn't know why. I told her my name and she made a quip about how invincible I was. Of course that's when I heard Pete calling from up above asking me if I was he opened his big mouth.

Hey, man, you gonna need some help, or can you jump your way out?

Kyla looked me up and down with a curious look on her face. I laughed about it and called out to Pete that I had some company down there. After Pete left, Kyla's eyes widened when she saw something on the wall behind me. I turned to see what had captured her interest. I asked her what she saw and that's when she told me a story that would forever change my life.

The legend of Naman.

She told me that her ancestors had passed down the story for generations and that her grandfather had been looking for this wall all his life. Her voice was full of emotion as she thanked me.

I didn't know why she was thanking me, so I just shrugged it off and told her no problem. She went on to tell me that according to the prophecy, this Naman person would fall from the skies in a rain of fire. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Her description sounded just like the meteor shower that brought me to earth. She also said that he would have the strength of ten men and would be able to start fires with his eyes.

I stared at the drawing as she concluded by saying that it probably sounded silly. I didn't think it was and told her so. She was so excited about the discovery that she couldn't wait to tell her grandfather all about it. She handled me my helmet, then told me that she would show me the way out and laughed as she said to try and keep up. As she walked out, I made an interesting discovery on another wall.

I saw an indentation in the shape of an octagon just like the one on my space ship.

I went home right away and told my father about the caves. We went down to the storm cellar and took a look at the indentation. It looked exactly like the one I found in the cave. My father tried to shrug it off by saying it was a common shape, but I knew there was more to it than that. When I told him about the symbols, he replied that there could be a hundred different interpretations. I went on to tell him that those symbols were the same as the ones on the key that came with the ship. I was hopeful that maybe Kyla's grandfather could interpret the symbols. Of course my father was being overprotective and remarked how I should be careful what I tell them.

That's when I told him that I invited them over for dinner.

I couldn't stop smiling as I was getting ready for dinner. I told my parents that I invited Kyla and her grandfather strictly for information, but there was another reason that they knew nothing about.

I wanted to see Kyla again.

I couldn't stop thinking about her. She was so beautiful, intelligent, and was unlike any girl I had met up to that point in time. She was confident, strong-willed, and seemed so full of life. I found those qualities very attractive and for once didn't compare her to Lana.

It's funny that in some ways, she reminds me of Lois.

At dinner that night, her grandfather told us more about Naman. According to him, a man came from the stars and fell in love with the mother of the Kawatche people. He went on to say that from that forbidden affair, the Kawatche people were born. When I asked him what star he come from, he replied the legend only said that he left one day and flew back into the sky; promising he would send another. When my father asked if Naman was that person, he replied yes, but also said that it was over 500 years ago and that he was a little late.

I looked over at Kyla and saw her biting her lower lip in such a cute way that I couldn't help but smile at her. That's when her grandfather said it.

You're not from around here, are you Clark?

My mother quickly replied that I was adopted. I changed the subject by telling him that the symbols seemed to make up some kind of alphabet. That's when Kyla remarked that that was the weird part.

I looked at her from across the table and couldn't help but smile at her again. I felt an attraction between us that I couldn't explain. I don't know why, but I felt as if I could be more myself around her.

I was hoping to learn more about the symbols, but was disappointed when her grandfather said that the Kawatche people didn't have a written language. He went on to say that he had seen a symbol here and there on artifacts, but never in a pattern. Then Kyla interrupted and said that he studied ancient languages and was sure that with some time he could decipher the symbols. That's when he made another comment that caused my parents to exchange nervous glances.

If Luthor doesn't get at them before we do.

When I asked Mom if maybe she could talk to Lionel, a frown appeared on his face. That's when I happened to mention that Mom was Lionel's executive assistant. I looked over at Kyla and saw that she sported a similar expression. My mother went on to say that it wasn't all black and white. She said that the new complex that was being built would create thousands of jobs. That's when my father decided to break the tension.

So does anyone want coffee with their pie?

Leave it to my father to say something like that. I really miss him.

After dinner, I brought Kyla up to the loft to show her my telescope. When I asked her if she wanted to take a look, she said she liked to see them with her own eyes. I couldn't help smiling again as she walked past me and made her way over to the telescope. Why couldn't I stop smiling around her?

I still couldn't figure it out.

I walked over to stand behind her and asked her about Venus and Apollo and all the other myths. She turned to me and said that just because something's a myth didn't make it not true. Then she took my arm with one hand; resting her other one on my hand and pointing towards one of the brighter stars. She told me that star was one of the eyes of the constellation that surrounds it; a wolf head as I recall. She also mentioned that her ancestors said that there used to be another star next to it and supposedly that's where Naman came from.

While she was telling me that story, our hands were caressing each others. It invoked feelings in me that I never felt before. I asked her what happened to the star. She smiled and turned to gaze into my eyes.

You're the one that fell from the sky.

Now you know what I was talking about at the beginning.

We stood there gazing into each other's eyes; her hand resting on my arm. It was the perfect opportunity to kiss her, but I didn't. I don't know why I didn't do it. Now of course I wouldn't hesitate. I was so mesmerized by her beautiful eyes that I didn't even hear the footsteps coming up the staircase at first. I turned my head to see who it was.

It was Lana.

She had come over because she thought I sounded urgent on the phone. I introduced Kyla to Lana, then told her that I had called her because her father was a lawyer and I thought that maybe he could do something to prevent the complex from being built. She said they really weren't at the father-daughter stage yet, but she would ask him anyway.

We decided to go back to the caves the next day and do some more exploring. We agreed to meet up at the house and drive over in my truck. I thought my eyes would pop out of my sockets when she appeared on the front porch. She was wearing shorts that highlighted her long, shapely legs. But what really captured my attention was that her hair wasn't in a braid like it had been. It was loose and flowing down her back.

I found it very sexy.

As soon as we entered the caves, she promptly climbed up to one of the lower ledges and was talking about how the drawings on the upper walls were more detailed. I couldn't help but notice that as she reached up to look closer at the drawings, her tank top rode up on her body; revealing some of her lower back. Just seeing that little bit of bare skin gave me some not so pure thoughts.

I gave myself a mental shake and asked her what the drawings said. She replied that it promised that Naman would protect the entire world some day. Then she made another discovery that really excited her. I joined her on the ledge and she began to tell me the story of Sageeth. The legend says he will turn against Naman, and they would be the balance between good and evil.

I didn't know what the story meant, but I was troubled by it.

I was pondering all this in my head when I noticed another drawing. When I asked Kyla who it was, she gazed back at me and told me.

The woman Naman was destined to be with.

I smiled again at her and looked a bit closer at the drawing. There was a rectangle below the portrait with a diamond shape in the middle. I couldn't help but notice that it matched the bracelet Kyla was wearing. She noticed I was looking at it and told me that it had been handed down through the women in her family, but she didn't know how old it was. We smiled again at each other. That's when something unexpected happened.

She fell off the ledge when one of the bulldozers above us caused some shaking to occur.

I immediately jumped down and caught her. Then a huge rock dislodged from the wall and fell towards us. I quickly laid her down on the ground and covered her body with mine - just before it crashed down on me and splintered into many pieces.

We stared at each other for a moment, then she smiled at me. I smiled back at her because I've been smiling a lot since the moment I met her. I reluctantly stood up and helped her to her feet. Then she asked me how I did it. I quickly replied that it was adrenaline, but she didn't buy it. She brought up what happened the day before, then kiddingly asked if I could shoot fire from my eyes.

I remember thinking that if I had stayed on top of her a second longer, she just might have witnessed an actual demonstration of it.

I got very nervous all of a sudden and turned away from her. Of course my reaction just confirmed everything for her. She said that she was just joking, but then she said something else.

You really are Naman.

I told her that I didn't know what I was. I stood there watching the expressions on her face. I expected her to be shocked, but instead she just smiled back at me. I looked at her curiously, then finally said that she didn't seem very freaked out about it. She walked up to me and said something that surprised me yet again.

Because I know what it's like to be different.

She could tell that I was still a little nervous about her finding out my secret. Well...part of it anyway. She said it was okay; her hands resting on my shoulders as she told me how maybe all of this could explain everything she was feeling for the last few days. When I told her that there were a lot of things about me that I couldn't explain, she said that I didn't have to and that she had grown up around a lot of things that seemed unexplainable.

When I had to tell Pete my secret, he freaked out at first. Our friendship was never the same after that because he lived in constant fear of revealing it - which ultimately drove him away from Smallville.

Kyla was different. She was the first person who ever found out my secret and didn't freak out about it. She was so accepting about it all. I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I didn't feel so alone anymore. I even began to wonder if perhaps she was the one I was destined to be with.

I started to talk again, but she briefly covered my mouth with her hand; saying that I was trying to use logic and reason to try and make sense of it, but that you just have to give in. Maybe she was right. That's what I needed to do so I did it.

I gave in.

I dipped my head forward and pressed my lips against hers in a soft, yet gentle kiss. Her arms came up around my neck as the kiss progressed into something much more. My arms wrapped around her waist as our tongues caressed each other's mouths. Kissing Kyla was like nothing I've ever experienced before in my life. There was so much passion between us when we were kissing.

I didn't feel that way when I first kissed Lana.

I'm not saying my first kiss with Lana wasn't great because it was, but it didn't even compare to my first kiss with Kyla. The only other woman I've ever kissed where there was that kind of passion was when I kissed Lois in the alley that night while I was masquerading as Green Arrow.

The next day, Kyla's grandfather was arrested and charged in the murder of the foreman and put in jail. I went to talk to Lex to try and convince him to post his bail, but he was hesitant to do so. Then he asked me if my newfound advocacy had anything to do with - as he put it - a beautiful doe-eyed crusader.

I was surprised he knew about Kyla until he told me he had heard it from Mom. I hesitated for a moment and debated on whether or not to confide in him. I ultimately decided to take the chance and ask him the question that's been on my mind ever since I met Kyla.

You ever wondered if you were destined to be with someone?

He seemed surprised at my question; considering his recently failed marriage. He finally said that I was asking someone who was fighting his destiny his entire life. I nodded my head because I understood him better than anyone. He was a little surprised that I moved on so quickly and asked what happened to Lana. I didn't hesitate to answer his question.

I told him that it was a completely different feeling when the person likes you back.

I was eventually able to convince him to bail out Kyla's grandfather after I showed him the caves. Kyla was so happy that I was able to help and gave me a huge hug. It felt so good having her in my arms. I didn't want to let her go, but her grandfather was standing there so I had to. He asked me why I did it and I replied it was for a good cause as I exchanged smiles with Kyla.

That's when my mother showed up.

She tried to talk to Professor Willowbrook about what happened, but wasn't all that successful. I looked over at Kyla and just for a moment I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of anger flashing in her eyes. I dismissed it at the time and that's when Kyla and her grandfather left, but not before she gave my mother another weird look. We exchanged glances as she walked out with her grandfather.

Why did I have a funny feeling that something bad was going to happen?

I went over to the Torch to find out if Chloe found out anything on Kyla's grandfathers case. She found out from the coroner that the foreman was attacked by a wolf. She found during her research that wolves had been extinct in Smallville for a very long time. Then she told me that Kyla's tribe name translated into 'skinwalkers.' It was a Native American myth that humans transformed into animals.

I didn't like what she was implying - namely that maybe Kyla's grandfather had transformed into a wolf and attacked the foreman. So I said that it was just a legend, but she replied that sometimes legends were true. I retorted that Kyla's grandfather was not a murderer and stormed off.

I couldn't stop thinking about what Chloe had told me. I didn't want to believe that Kyla's grandfather was capable of something that horrific. I walked into the house and found my dad sitting at the dinner table going over some bills. He told me that Kyla had called twice, and also quipped that we seemed to be getting pretty serious.

I replied that I could be myself with her and that it was the first time in my life that I felt as if everything fit. That maybe we were destined to be together. But there must have been something in my voice that caused him to say that there was still something wrong.

He told me to sit down and asked what was up. I sat down and told him that I had these feelings for Kyla - and I didn't want to doubt her, but I had a feeling she wasn't being honest with me. He said that not everybody is exactly as they seem and that we should know that better than anybody.

He was right. I've been so used to hiding my secret that I guess for a moment there I forgot about that. But then I finally admitted to him that I thought she knew more about the foreman's death than she let on.

That's when my mother came in and told us that a wolf tried to attack her.

She went on to say that it jumped onto the hood of her car and bared its teeth at her. She started up the car and by the time she looked up, the wolf had disappeared. She was pretty shaken up about the whole thing.

I hoped that Kyla's grandfather had nothing to do with it, but it seemed too much of a coincidence that my mother was attacked right after an argument with Kyla's grandfather. So I called Kyla and asked that she come over earlier than we planned because we needed to talk.

I was in the barn when she came over. She walked up behind me, then gave me a kiss. I told her how I've been more open with her than almost anyone else as I rested my hands lightly on her shoulders. She smiled at me and replied that she would never reveal my secret. I said I trusted her as I caressed her hair, but then said that what I had to ask her was weird. She looked a little confused, but her confusion disappeared when I asked her about 'skinwalkers.'

She smiled at first, then took a few steps away from me. She seemed a little nervous when she asked if I had been studying up on her. I asked her if the stories about people turning into animals were true. She bit her lower lip again, but it wasn't in the cute way I've seen before. It was more like 'I'm not sure how to tell you this' kind of way. Then she told me something else.

The visitor from the stars supposedly brought special green stones.

Green stones? She had to be talking about green kryptonite - even though she didn't actually know the name of the star. She also said that the stones had really strange effects on the people and that's when they said the first skinwalkers appeared.

That sounded like green kryptonite all right.

When I asked if the stories were real, she laughed it off and said that it was just as I said - that they were just stories. Then I suggested that maybe the legend of Naman was just a story. I was looking into her eyes and could see that she was getting nervous again. She then got really defensive when I asked her if it were possible that her grandfather was a skinwalker.

She looked at me incredulously, then started walking away from me. She retorted that she couldn't believe I was doing this; turning back around to glare at me. I retorted back that my Mom was attacked by a wolf after an argument with her grandfather and that the foreman had been mauled by a wolf. She raised her voice as she responsed to what I had just said.

You can't think he's a murderer!

I tried not to raise my voice as I said that he'd do anything to save the caves. She snapped at me and said that she thought I was on their side. I snapped right back that the paintings may be important, but not enough to kill innocent people over. Then she said something else that gave me a chill up and down my back.

If this is how you think of us, maybe we weren't meant to be together after all.

She ran out of the barn crying as she said that her grandfather was right and that Lionel Luthor controls us all. I just stood there watching as she ran out. I didn't know if I should run after her or leave her alone until she calmed down. I couldn't help but wonder if we really were meant to be after all.

I went upstairs to the loft and plopped down in my hammock. Why did things have to be so complicated? Why did love have to be so hard? I sat up at that last thought. Love? Was I in love with Kyla? I swung my legs out of the hammock and started pacing back and forth. I thought about how she made me feel and how much we had in common. After a while, I just got tired of thinking. I laid back down and closed my eyes for a few minutes. Then something she said as she ran out of the barn suddenly popped into my head.

Lionel Luthor controls you all.

I had a bad feeling all of a sudden that Lionel was in danger. I immediately jumped out of the hammock and super-sped to Lex's mansion. I rushed into Lex's study and found a wolf baring its teeth at Lionel. I yelled out Joseph's name and the wolf immediately stopped growling and turned to look at me. I focused my eyes on the wolfs eyes and it calmed down.

The wolf was calm until the deputies ran in with their guns. As I yelled out not to shoot it, the wolf jumped off the table and through the window; yelping in pain as the glass tore into it. I ran over to the broken window and stared out into the night. Then I looked down and noticed something on the broken glass that remained in the window frame.

Blood.

I called out Joseph's name as I ran through the misty woods just beyond the mansion. I ran into a small clearing and finally found the wolf lying down on the ground with a large gash in its side. I watched in amazement as the wolf changed into a human being. However, my amazement turned to shock when I discovered that it wasn't Joseph.

It was Kyla.

I immediately ran over to her and covered her naked body with my jacket. I pulled her into my arms and murmured her name over and over as I held her. She looked up at me with sadness in her eyes as she whispered that she didn't want to hurt the foreman or my mother. I murmured 'okay' a couple of times, then asked her why she didn't tell me that it was her. She whispered that she didn't want to lie, but that she saw the look in my eye when I thought it was her grandfather.

I felt so bad that I apologized for misjudging both her and her grandfather. She confided in me that I was the first person she thought she could trust. Her voice was breaking as she told me that she knew that I knew what it felt like to carry such a big secret.

I felt my heart breaking, but I had to remain strong. I told her I had to get her to the hospital, but instead she asked me to stay with her. I guess she knew she was dying and didn't want to die in a hospital. She said she was sorry once more, then whispered her last words.

I'm sorry I can't be the one for you, Naman.

She closed her eyes for the final time and died in my arms. I held her tightly as I cried over her lifeless body; whispering 'no' over and over again as I continued to hold her. I also cried for what could have been and realized too late how I really felt about her.

I did love her.

The next day, I was at the construction site with my mother when Kyla's grandfather arrived. I walked up to him and he said thank you. He continued to say that Kyla was right to believe in me. When I said with regret in my voice that I didn't save her, he said that I did what I could. He also said that Kyla had faith in me and that he did too.

I was still hurting from her death, but his words made me feel a little bit better. Then he removed something from his pocket that was wrapped up in a handkerchief and opened it. It was the bracelet that Kyla always wore. As he handed it to me, he spoke words that I would never forget.

Whatever your destiny...for the true one in your life.

I took the bracelet from him and held it carefully. I gazed at the bracelet and recalled the last time I had seen it was on her wrist. Right then and there, I made a promise to myself that I would only give that bracelet to the woman who would be my destined love.

If in fact she actually exists.

I went back to the farm and walked into my bedroom. I looked around and finally found the perfect place for it. As I slipped it inside my bureau drawer, I thought about Kyla. She may have only been in my life for a brief time, but I knew she would always have a place in my heart.

I couldn't help but wonder what might have been. Would we have ended up together in the long run? I don't know. All I do know is that after what happened, I was convinced more than ever that maybe I was destined to remain alone for the rest of my life.

A Solitary man.

Coming up next: The Heat Vision Girl