Chapter 6.
"So this is the Wall of Weird then?"
Lois stood staring at the myriad newspaper cuttings, copies of police records and photographs that Chloe had posted onto one wall at the Torch. The whole thing was downright bizarre and left Lois wondering if she'd accidentally stumbled upon the freak capital of America.
Chloe looked up from her computer. "Yeah, I have a fetish for the weird and unexplained. For a small town, Smallville is a pretty eventful place."
"I don't know, Chlo. Looking at this makes me wonder if there are aliens living among us. Maybe that meteor shower brought a bunch of human-looking creatures with special powers that just love the farm lifestyle. Did you find anything?"
"Maybe. Check it out. Kevin Grady, lives right here in Smallville and by the looks of things, he loves a bit of off-road biking."
Lois walked over to the computer to look at the image. It was a profile page showing Kevin as a member of the motor cross club. He was the same age as Chloe and lived in a small rural hamlet between Smallville and Metropolis.
"How did you find that?" asked Lois.
"Let's just say I have some skills and leave it at that," Chloe replied, before clicking the mouse to bring up another window that showed the website for Grand View Motor Cross Park. The site had numerous pictures of bikers in motor cross action, plus several group photos. Kevin could easily be identified in these when comparing the images to his membership profile.
Lois peered closer, hoping for a pang of recognition. She came up blank. "If that is our guy, I don't know. Maybe we need to find him and ask."
"I'm way ahead of you there, cuz. I was thinking of going over to his house to do just that. We should take Clark along in case things get a little heated."
"He can handle himself?"
"He doesn't look for trouble but yeah, he's really strong and can handle himself."
Lois pictured Clark's bare chest from the night before and flushed briefly. Chloe was still looking at the computer screen so didn't notice. There was no doubt in Lois' mind that Clark could handle himself.
"Clark will still be around somewhere. What say you and I go find him?" suggested Chloe.
The two of them left the Torch and headed out into the halls before coming to a stop as they spotted Clark talking to Lana beside her locker. Lois didn't recognise the girl but she felt her stomach lurch when she noticed how puppy-eyed Clark seemed to be when talking to her. Was she his girlfriend? Did he have a girlfriend? Was this that Lana girl who Clark only had eyes for? He'd not mentioned anything yesterday. As if aware of Lois' presence, Lana looked over to her and her face changed from nervous to inquisitive.
"Lois, hey. Clark told me about what happened yesterday. How are you feeling?" Lana then realised Lois was still suffering from amnesia. "I'm sorry, you probably can't remember me. I'm Lana."
Lois stifled a little wave of nausea at that confirmation. Not because she knew anything about Lana but because she was the reason Clark Kent was off limits. "Lana? From the Talon? Yeah, no, I'm still trying to get my memory back. Chloe tells me I was a senior here for a few weeks."
The bell rang and Lana sighed with relief as she had an excuse to get away from Clark's puppy dog look. Having earlier had an argument with her boyfriend Jason over her future plans, she'd come to school a bit rattled and when Clark had come over to talk, things had been very awkward. He was apologetic and unsure of what to say, and for the briefest of moments she wondered if he might ask if he could have another chance with her. Saved by the bell.
"Well, I'd best get going or I'm gonna be late. Lois, I hope you get better soon. I've already arranged cover at the Talon to give you some time."
With that, Lois, Clark and Chloe all watched Lana scurry away. Lois paid attention to Clark's expression of longing as he saw the tiny brunette disappear around the corner. Chloe was indeed right about how Clark only had eyes for Lana Lang.
Chloe sensed a bit of tension in the air and decided to change the subject to the relevant matter at hand.
"Oh, the Sheriff asked to speak with you. I know you can't remember anything but she wants to hear your story for her report," she said to Lois before turning to address Clark. "Hey, we found out who the card belongs to and we're on our way to check it out. You coming?"