Disclaimer: I do not own Smallvile.
Chapter 12
00Leech00
One of the things that decreased dramatically once you hit high school was field trips, that was why I became so excited over any oppurtunity to escape the monotony of the classroom. But my enthusiasm was slightly stigmed by the fact that I was didding around the quarry for rocks.
"Okay, people, you've got 15 minutes. A storm's on its way and I want to be on the road before it hits," called out Mr. Summers, our science teacher and a complete douche.
Unfortunate, as he shared the same last name of my favorite fictional vampire slayer.
He had taken out class out to the quarry on a scavenger hunt, hardly satisfying as geology was not a profession I held much respect for (it had too little actual maths for me to properly respect it as a science), but at least science class was one I shared with Clark, Chloe, and Pete.
"How many more rocks do we have to find?" Pete asked, out of breath from all the running around.
Clark opened his notebook, "Two. Rose quartz and meteor rock."
"Alright, let's see who can find it first," Pete challenged, running off.
I sighed at his enthusiam, "I'll carry the meteor rock, if you find it."
"C'mon Clara," Clark said, looking around, "It's not that bad, at we're out doors."
I grimaced as Clark reached down to punch through some rock, positioning myself to hide his fist from view. "I know, I'm just not a big fan of geology, and it doesn't help that our teacher's a-"
"Language," Clark scolded, well aware with my frustration over subpar teachers. Pulling up his fist to reveal a black rock, which he then split open to reveal the rose quartz.
"Pretty."
"Make that one," Clark boasted, holding up the quarts for Pete to see.
"You're a regular rock hound, Clark," Pete said, walking over to examine the quartz.
I felt Clark shift beside me and I looked up to see the slightly-sick expression he displayed whenever in the presence of meteor rocks. he held up his hand and I noted with some ditress that his viens were turning a sick green.
I rached up and grabbed his hand, hiding it from view, and looked around for the source.
"Hey Clark, Clara." We turned around to find Lana, with the necklace of death hanging innocently from her neck.
"Hey Lana."
"When is this whole geological scavenger hunt over?" Exclaimed Chloe, climbing down from a ridge.
"Not having much luck?" Pete asked sympathetically.
"Someone's doing a little more ranting than digging," Lana explained, amused.
"I'm sorry, but I find geology even more pointless than algebra."
"And I agree with you, except about the algebra."
"That's because you are a math wiz, but I could just order these rocks online and have them delievered to my house, vacuum-sealed," Chloe ranted, gesturing around us.
"i think that kinda misses the objective of this exercise, Chloe," I said smiling, "and though I may agree with you on its pointlessness, that doesn't mean I am willing to sacrifice a perfect score," I said pulling Clark away.
"I'll be right back," Clark apologised, but consented to my dragging him around like a metal detector until he looked ready to hurl.
"Was that really nessasary?" Clark asked as I reached down to pick up my 'A'.
"Yes."
He smiled and dragged me back to the group, careful to aviod the meteor rock in my fist.
"...Next time, I knock your rocks into the next county." I looked up to see the sterotypical jock scaring off the nerd from his girlfriend. Only I recognized the nerd as the kid unfortunate enough to not only have a teacher as his dad, but for his dad to be Mr. Summers.
"I'd like to see you try, " Eric Summers said, adjusting his bag.
"Oh, yeah?" the jock said, but faltered when he spotted Mr. Summers coming up behind Eric. "Lucky you daddy's a teacher."
Lucky is not the word I'd use.
"Eric?" Mr. Summers asked, "How many samples have you collected?"
Eric looked down as his father circled him, and I was reminded uncomfortably of vultures, "Just a couple, my glasses keep fogging up."
"Get with the program, Eric," he shouted.
"But, Dad-"
"Its Mr. Summers at school. You have ten minutes to complete the assignment. You better find every rock," Mr. Summers said, turning away and almost brushing me and Clark.
"Glad he's not my dad," pete said, and I wholeheartedly agreed.
0000
I watched the roiling clouds and listened for sounds of thunder from my seat on the bus, it looks like Mr. Summers was right about that storm.
Mr Summers climbed onto the bus, "Has anyone seen Eric? Apparently he's gotten himself lost."
I looked around and tried to remember if I had seen him after the confrontation with his father, I hadn't.
"I'll find him," Clark volunteered, gesturing fro me to stay put as he climbed off the bus.
I bit my lip and tried to ignore the feeling of dread welling up in my stomach.
0000
When Clark came back with Eric there was a huge commotion, but Clark wouldn't tell me anything until we were alone.
Apparently Eric had tried to kill himself by jumping off the damn, and when Clark grabbed him to keep him from going over they were hit by lightening, But for me, the most disturbing part of the tale was that when Clark reached over to pat out Eric's smouldering jacket, he had burned his hand.
"What else can you remember?" I asked for the fifth time.
"Honestly, Clara, enough."
I sighed, annoyed by Clark's blase attitude, "At least tell me if you experience anything weird."
Clark just ignored me and went to bed.
0000
The next morning the issue was still on my mind, but I didn't have the luxery to obsess. I had gotten to sleep late the night before and I had slept through my alarm, so I was in a rush to get our the door in time for the bus.
"Clark I could really use some help out here," Dad called from the car as I rushed past him, juggling a piping hot poptart.
I looked back to see Clark join him and thought nothing of it when Clark didn't make it to the bus.
I didn't even notice anything amiss until he was marked absent for first period.
0000
I had tried to track Clark down for an explanation all day, but he seemed to be avioding me.
Fortunately a talk with our parents turned out to much more fruitful, I learned that Clark had lost his strength and his speed, and had started to devolp nosebleeds, but when I confronted him about it he blew me off.
He may have seen it as a non-issue, our parents might think this was just another evolution in his powers, but I wasn't that naive. Clark's powers came from his genetics and a yellow sun, and as he was getting plenty of sunlight I could only assume that there was something seriously wrong.
0000
Lex stared out the window of the LuthorCorp tower in Metropolis, admiring the million dollar view of the city. He turned at the sound of footsteps to see Victoria coming up to him, followed by her father Sir Henry.
"Lex. You remember my dad?" Victoria asked rhetorically.
Lex walked over to greet them, plastering on a business smile, "Sir Harry? Victoria, I've been waiting forty-five minutes."
Sir Harry smiled smugly, "Oh, we were closing a deal."
"City of Metropolis giving you the recycling contract?" Lex asked pleasantly.
"Lex," Victoria said, stepping forward into Lex's personal space, "You seem upset."
Lex scoffed, stepping away, "This is the level of respect you show your business partners, I wonder if I made the right decision."
"You see, Lex, it doesn't really matter," Sir harry said gloatingly, which considering how nasal his voice was, made it two times as annoying, "THe deal is off."
"I'm sorry, I thought it was your life's ambition to crush my father."
"No, that's your life's ambition. Mine is to take over LuthorCorp," Harry said pompously, sitting down in a chair.
"How do you plant to do that without my shares?" Lex asked, his voice strained.
"You heard of Cadmus Labs?" Harry asked, and Victoria shifted uncomfortably.
Lex looked at her and her eyes shifted away guiltily, "I've been researching hem for about a year."
"Well, your research has paid off. I bought them. An hour ago."
"And with the profits you'll reap form their patents, you'll buy LuthorCorp outright."
"Tell your father," Harry said, getting up, "I said hello, come on girl," and with that he walked out, expecting his daughter to follow him.
Lex walked over to her and smiled sardonically, "Congradulations. I hope it was worth it," and with that he walked out.
Victoria turned to watch him go, but he didn't turn back.
0000
The next day he still wasn't taking me seriously, and to make matters worse he seemed to be enjoying the chance to not have to hold back, and he demonstrated by taking part in a basketball game with our classmates.
I appeared to be the only one taking this seriously.
On the bright side we had discovered where Clark's powers had gone to when Eric Summers saved Chloe from a mugging by flipping over a car with his bare hands. Right now the public, and Chloe, were in awe of him, a fact that made Clark feel jilted, but I was well aware of how fast public opinion could change.
By the end of school I had decided that I had had quite enough of willful ignorance.
I stormed into town, and I called Lex, gearing up for a rant, but it wasn't until he picked up that I realized that I couldn't give him the particulars.
"What's up Clara?"
I groaned, "I'm upset, but I just realized that I can't tell you about what unless I betray confidences."
Lex paused, "Then what can you tell me?"
"That a situation has arisen where everyone is being stupidly complacent and I'm the only one who sees how serious this is."
"Is there anything you can do about it?"
"Not unless Clark listens to sence, which he hasn't been."
Lex hummed thoughtfully, "Is it life threatening? Is it anything he can't handle?"
"Not right now," I admitted, no one seemed to be in immediate danger.
"Okay. In my experience, sometimes the best way for someone to get out of a mess is to clean it up themselves."
"You want me to try tough love."
"Clark needs to learn to fight his own battles, from what I've seen you two are always together, and whatever trouble you two get yourselves into, you always have his back. Clark's growing up, he needs to learn to handle himself."
"I'm not very good at being a bystander," I admitted.
"I noticed," Lex chuckled.
I smiled, "What about you? What are you up to?"
"That's confidential."
I sighed, "Then I'm going to assume it's business. Can I also assume you're winning?"
"Goodbye Clara," Lex said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Bye Lex," I hung up, feeling infinitely more relaxed than what I'd been like five minutes ago.
I looked around and spotted a 'for sale' sign on the Talon, the neighborhood theatre until it closed down.
A distraction.
0000
Lex walked into the office, smiling at the pair in front of him, "I got an urgent call you wanted to see me?" He asked Sir Harry and Victoria.
"How'd you do it Lex?" Harry asked, sounding defeated.
"Do what?" Lex asked blithely.
"Cadmus Labs. It's worthless."
"I know," Lex said in a fake apologetic tone. "Maybe you should have done your homework before aquring it so recklessly. Now you left yourself open for a hostile takeover."
Harry turned on his daughter and she stuttered in shock, "I read the report!"
"You mean that little piece of fiction you stole off my computer?"
"Is this your idea of having it covered?" Harry asked his daughter angrily, getting up and walking out.
"That's what you get for trusting family," Lex said to Harry as he passed him, "My father and I will be making an offer on our company in the morning. I'll tell him you said hello."
Sir Harry walked out without responding, and Lex turned to Victoria.
"Hoe could you do this to me?" she asked, adopting a hurt expression.
"You did it to ourself, Victoria. You thought you could make your bones with Daddy by taking m down," he said to his cufflinks, not bothering to look her in the eye as she walked up to him.
"It was just business," she said defensively.
"You call sleeping with me business?," Lex asked clicking his tongue, "I'd hate to think what that makes you."
She slapped him, hard across the face. "We could have been great together."
"I plan on being great all by myself," Lex said, a calm contrast to her barely contained rage, "You better check on your dad, he didn't look well."
0000
Lana's aunt, Nell, had decided to sell the flower shop as well as the Talon, and as Lana was in a permanent state of nostalgia she had been upset at the sale of the place where her parents met.
I didn't actually know this until I walked into the Talon and I somehow got roped into helping her clean up while being subjected to her many anecdotes.
In other news, Eric had turned violent, throughing the idiot jock boyfriend of his crush into a car, and when Clark tried to intrevere he recieved multiple cracked ribs for his trouble. (He got hurt, Clark is hurt, and where are you?)
But that wasn't my problem, I was staying out of it.
The only problem I was involved in right now was how to get Lana to stop talking.
This question was answered with the appearence of Clark, even if he was standing in the shadows like a creep. "I was driving by, I saw the light on. I figured it was you," Clark said, stepping out of the shadows, "Can I have a moment alone with Lana?"
I nodded, stepping into the backroom so they wouldn't see me eavesdrop.
"Are you okay? I called the house earlier, but your mom said you were asleep. I was really scared."
"I'm sorry," Clark said, grimacing (from the pain, he's in pain).
"How do you think Eric got that strong overnight?"
Clark + lightening +meteor rock = instant powers (and isn't that an unpleasant suprise?).
"I have no idea."
Liar.
"Can you imagine waking up one morning and having powers?" Lana asked lightheartedly.
"It's scary," Clark said softly, but quickly recovered, "I guess. I mean, look at Eric, it hasn't helped him."
"Thats true," Lana said smiling, probably happy Clark was engaging, "But I still always wished I could fly."
"Yeah, that'd be something, Lana," Clark said, eyes trained on her necklace.
"What is it?"
"Its your necklace. I never realized how beautiful it was until now."
Ew, I didn't want to hear this.
"This is going to sound really strange. Could I borrow it?"
"Sure," Lana said, shaking off her confusion to take off the necklace, "What do you need it for?"
"It's complicated. What ever happens to me, I promise you'll get it back."
I tried to swallow the cold lump that formed in my throught, but it didn't seem to make it any smaller.
"Your scaring me again. What is going on?"
I didn't hear a responce so I peeked out further, just in time to see Clark kiss Lana's cheek.
"Goodbye, Lana." Clark turned to leave and I wasted no time in following him outside.
"Clark!" He turned, and I wathed relief pass across his face, "You have a plan?"
"Yeah," Clark said, "He's got my powers, he might have my weaknesses. Are you going to help me?"
"He needs to learn to clean up his own messes."
I held tight onto Lex's words as i shook my head, "No, I think this is just one of those things you have to do on your own."
Clark nodded, "My powers, my responsibility. Wish me luck?"
"Always," I watched silently as he climbed into the truck, hating the silence, but I couldn't say 'goodbye'.
I walked back into the Talon to deal with a very rattled Lana.
0000
Eventually I got her to calm down so we could get back to work, being idle when Clark was in trouble made me anxious.
Depite my attempt to distrct myself when Clark showed up about three hours later I was practically vibrating. But all that tension dissapated when I ran foward and wrapped him in my tightest hug. If Clark was still lacking his powers I would have broken several ribs.
"Hey, I was just locking up," Lana said, sounding a bit bemused, probably at my behavior.
"I brought your necklace back," Clark said, adjusting the lead box in his hands while I climbed onto his back.
"This is beautiful, where'd you get it?"
"A friend. It's made of lead armor. I want you to have it. I figure, that way it can protect your memories."
"That is very poetic, and quite sweet, but can you go hime now, Clark? I'm beat," I whined.
"Is this your way of telling me I shouldn't wear my necklace?" Lana asked, ignoring me.
Rude.
"I don't want it to hold you back."
"Sometimes letting go is the only way to move foward," Lana said as we walked out of the Talon.
I listened with half an ear as they parted ways, but I couldn't get Lana's words out of my head as I walked to my workshop and visited my tree.
I pulled out my computer and sent a message to Lex, "Thanks for the advice."
Sometime you don't need to let go, you just need to change your grip.