Not fair. That's the thought that replayed itself in my head as I ran away from the house. It's not fair that I'm the only one in Smallville with powers, it's not fair that my birth parents didn't want me, no matter what planet or solar system or galaxy they're from. I don't care that I'm an alien, but why. Why did they send me here? I vaguely heard Pete and dad yelling my name from the front of the house as I ran faster than any car. I ran and jumped, sailing high above the town, and landed with a hollow thud on the old water tower. My cell phone buzzed and I set it down and turned it off, knowing it was dad.
I sat there, trying to calm down, but I felt myself crying. All the sounds from Smallville hit my ears at once, and I winced, trying to ignore them. I saw under the ground, and I smelled everything from here to the edge of Kansas. I sighed, and again tried to keep myself under control.
An hour later, I was done crying, and my powers were under control again. I sat there until around midnight, and I stood, stretching my legs. I glanced down at my phone, then at the rusted ladder to the top of the tower, and shrugged. Nobody can get up here, and if they can, nobody wants up here. I broke several rungs along the ladder just in case, and jumped home.
When I finally got home, I just climbed through the window to my room, not wanting to disturb mom and dad. I laid down in bed, and was asleep within seconds.
I slept soundly that night, no weird dreams. The next morning, I went downstairs and saw mom curled up in dads big chair, asleep, dried tears on her face. I shook her slightly, to wake her.
"Mom? Are you OK?" I asked, gently. She sat up, and looked at me, confused for a moment. Her voice cracked when she spoke.
"Clark, honey. When did you get back? Are you OK?"
"Mom, I'm fine. I got back around midnight last night. I asked if you were OK. Are you?"
Fresh tears spilled down her face, and she choked back a sob, before gesturing to the couch. "Take a seat, Clark.. I have something to tell you.."
I sat on the couch, watching mom as she dried her face, and she took my hand gently.
"Clark, last night, before you got home, the police called me... They found your dad dead, in his truck... It flipped over on the side of the road and he took a pretty bad hit... They're saying that an 18 wheeler hit him..." She choked back another sob, and then watched me, as I rose and hugged her tightly.
"Everything's gonna be OK, mom." I said quietly, then checked my watch. "I'll be back at noon. I'm just... I'm going to go clear my head, and I'll bring back lunch or whatever, is that OK?"
She looked up at me, dried her face once more, and stood. "Yeah... I need to go... do... Something... I need to clear my head too... Be careful, Clark.. Please...?"
"Yeah, I'll be careful. Love you." I ran out the door and jumped away, to that old water tower. I sat there for awhile, thinking, and before I knew it, I was crying. Why did he have to die! It should have been me. I was the son that ran. I was the one that wasn't able to accept who I am... I saw my phone and turned it on, just in case anyone needed to contact me. I had a few missed messages, so I clicked on one and read it. Pete, Lana, Lana, Pete. Dad. I clicked on the latter message, reading it. Soon enough I was crying harder.
"Clark, I know that you're angry that we never told you about your heritage, but… You have to understand, we were scared enough, taking in a child we just found. On top of that, the things you could - can - do… We thought you were going to be taken from us. I know you can do amazing things, son, and I'm sure that you can help people with these gifts that were given to you. And I know I may not be your biological father, but I raised you the best that I could, and as far as I can tell… You're my son, not some man's from some planet out there. I love you, Clark. And I am very proud of the man you've turned out to be. Please come home."
After a few hours, I sprinted home, with a bag of fast food in my hands. I set it on the table, my heart and head heavy with guilt. I yawned.
"Clark, honey, are you okay?" Mom said, worried.
"Yes."
"You don't seem okay. Clark… Sweetie.. Do you need me to call Lana, Pete? Lex? That nice boy Arthur? You know, from the school."
"Mom, I'll be fine. Thanks. I think I'm gonna go to sleep, though." I said, yawning again.
"Okay… Sweet dreams.."
I went upstairs and laid down, trying to contain my anger.
As I laid in my bed, tears dancing in my eyes, I couldn't help but feel exhausted from the day's events. I laid my head back and fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.
I woke up the next morning to a crash. I ran downstairs to see what was wrong.
Mom was downstairs cooking some eggs and had forgotten her hot-pad, and had burned her hand. I ran over, getting some cold water, and blew on it with cold breath. I poured the cold water on it, glad that I had gotten here before any real damage could be done. "Mom, are you okay?!"
"Yes, Clark, I'm just fine." She said, waving me away.
"Okay… You're positive?"
"Yes, Clark. Go on, go do your chores, go out and talk to your friends. I'll be okay here." Mom said, pushing me towards the door. "Honestly, Clark. Go on."
I sped off and did all my chores, finishing within the hour. After I had finished, there was an empty feeling from just doing my own chores. I did all of dad's chores silently, at normal speed, finishing about 2 hours and a half afterwards.
Heading inside, I ate my breakfast while mom talked about what she was planning on doing in town today. "...And then I'm going to go to Lana's aunt's flower shop, and maybe get some roses or dandelions for your dad's grave, maybe go to the thrift store. What are your plans for today?"
"I might go over to Pete's, maybe Lana's," I shrugged. "There's not really much I felt like doing today. Maybe I'll just stay home, watch old movies or read or something." I took another bite of bacon.
"Okay, well… If you want to have some friends over, that's okay too. I know it's going to be a hard adjustment, so… You feel free to tell me if you need anything." She said, lightly brushing a lock of my hair out of my face. I couldn't help but feel even more depressed at that. I may have lost my dad, but she lost her husband, her best friend, and I was sitting here feeling sorry for myself. I sighed and went and put a movie in, laying down as she walked out the door. I dialed Lana's number after realizing that I didn't feel like watching a movie.
"Hello?" Her voice rang through the phone, and I could hear a somewhat loud crashing noise in the background. Water. She was getting ready to shower.
"Hey, Lana. It's Clark. Are you doing anything important?" I said, my voice wavering. She picked up on it in record time.
"Give me just a minute, okay? I was about to shower and come up to see you, but my shower can wait." She set the phone down, and I heard the water stop crashing against the tub. She put her ear back on the receiver. "Clark, honey, listen. I'll be over as soon as I can, okay?"
"Okay.." I said, my voice catching. The phone call ended, and I laid back against the couch, trying to calm down. Lana knocked on the door 30 minutes later.
She was standing there, a worried look on her face. Her green eyes searched me, attempting to find what was wrong. He hair was pulled into a hasty ponytail and she was wearing simple jeans and a tank top. The moment I opened the door she launched herself at me and hugged me tightly. "Are you okay?! What happened?"
I hugged her back before answering. "I.. My dad died last night.. And… And I wasn't sure if I was able to be here alone."
"Alone? Where's your mom?" Lana asked, confused.
"She went to your aunt's flower shop for some flowers and stuff for the grave. Plus she needed to distract herself."
"Ahh… Okay. Well, I'll stay here with you. Okay?" She said, taking her tennis shoes off. She walked over and sat on the couch, and I followed, sitting down. Lana had put a movie in, and was now leaning her head on my shoulder, my arm around her.
I don't really know how or why, but we had fallen asleep somehow, and when I woke up, Lana was in the kitchen, cooking something. From the aroma in the air, I assumed it was pasta.
I sat up, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. "Lana?" I called out, yawning. "What time is it.. And what are you doing?"
"I figured that you'd be hungry when you woke up, so I'm making spaghetti. 5:30." She walked over, kissing me lightly on the cheek.
We ate the food she made, and it was good. Soon after, we sat on the couch and watched a movie, bored out of our minds.
Eventually, Lana had to go home because she had chores to do. I went outside and breathed in the air, clearing my head. I thought of the abilities that I had, apparently from an alien planet. I thought about my strength, my speed, my ability to heat things up with a glance, or jump higher than anyone else on the planet. Is this what the people on my homeworld did all the time? Am I just a normal being from their perspective? If I am, why send me away? Am I here to do something great, to rule over humans, or to make my own fate? There are so many questions, so much I don't know.