Chapter 7
"Every Smallville High Student needs to complete thirty hours of community service." Claire spoke as a whining Pete walked beside her. They were entering the Smallville Retirement Home with hello my name is tags on. "Hey Lana."
Lana walked out of one of the rooms with a smile. "You guys are doing the companion program too?"
"Yeah, I'm reading with Cassandra." Claire spoke with a smile as she made to enter the same room Lana had just left.
"She's an interesting woman. Some of the nurses say she can see the future." Said Lana with a light laugh.
Entering the room with Pete right behind her Claire saw an elderly woman sitting on a chair just staring out the window. "It takes two of you to read to me now, does it?"
"How'd you know there were two of us?" Claire questioned as she watched Cassandra turn around. The older woman's eyes were glassy and Claire could immediately see she was blind.
"Well, I'm blind, not deaf. I heard your little friend's shoes squeaking all the way down the hall." Cassandra said this as she motioned to the chair next to her.
Claire moved to sit next to Cassandra and Pete came to stand by Claire's side. "Can you really tell the future?" Pete asked.
"Way to go Pete. Real Subtle." Claire laughed.
"What's your name?" Cassandra questioned as she pushed her right hand out in the air in a sign of greeting towards Pete.
Pete reached out and took Cassandra's in his and shook it gently. "Ross, Pete Ross, Ma'am."
As Cassandra pulled her hand back from Pete's she smiled. "Mr. Ross, if you want your fortune told, go to the circus. Oh...and It's a long walk home, Mr. Ross. Check your pockets."
Reaching quickly to pat his pockets Pete looked to Claire in disbelief. "Oh man...I locked my keys in the car. You're on your own Claire." Then with that Pete took off out of the room and towards the parking lot.
"Now...what's your name?" Cassandra spoke as she held her hand out for Claire.
"My name is Claire Kent." However Claire did not reach forward to take Claire's hand. "Sorry, if I seem rude it's just…"
Cassandra pulled her hand back with a chuckle. "I understand." Then Cassandra began to cough violently. "Water…"
Moving quickly Claire grabbed a glass of water from the windowsill and handed it to Cassandra, but as the elder woman took the glass their hands brushed the glass became forgotten and fell to the floor. "Cassandra, what's wrong?"
"Someone close to you is going to die...very soon." Cassandra whispered.
After that morning at the home Claire found herself being over cautious of everyone around her. She had lost it at her dad for not letting her work on the equipment this morning and to top it all off as she was about to head into town to help Lana with the finishing touches on the Talon, Lex came barreling down the gravel road.
Once he came to a stop Claire moved quickly to meet him as he got out of his car. "You might consider rounding those curves at a speed that won't actually break the sound barrier." Claire spoke simply.
"Where's the fun in that?" Lex said with a light laugh. When he saw that Claire was not impressed by his joke however he stiffened up. "What's the matter?"
Claire ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "I met this woman at the retirement center, and she can kind of, see the future."
"Yeah? She tell you your future?" Lex questioned as he moved to stand a little closer to Claire.
"Lex, I know it sounds nuts, but when you talk to her, it's like she really knows. She said someone very close to me would…" Claire trailed off not wanting to say the word.
"Die?" Lex questioned. "Come on Claire. She knows when she has a good audience."
"You sound like my parents." Claire said with a small smile.
Lex shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled as well. "That's gotta be a first."
"I was just about to drive into town, mind giving me a lift instead?" Claire asked as she moved around the car to the passenger side.
With a smirk Lex obliged and the two got into the vehicle before tearing off down the road. The car ride was silent however, and eventually Lex decided to break it. "Claire, this is really bothering you isn't it?"
Claire turned from looking out the window to see Lex glancing at her from the drivers seat. "I think this woman is the real deal. Don't you wish you knew how it was all gonna turn out?"
"Life's a journey, Claire. I don't wanna go through it following a road map." Lex answered simply.
"Still it wouldn't kill you to drive more slowly." Claire said as she stuck out her tongue at Lex.
Lex used his free hand to reach over and take Claire's closet hand. Squeezing it he said, "Why? I have you as a friend. You changed my future once right? What's this woman's name anyway?"
"I thought you didn't want to know your future." Claire spoke with a smirk.
"Maybe I'll ask her for some stock tips." Said Lex with a chuckle.
"Cassandra Carver." Answered Claire. The two then drove the rest of the way in silence, and once they arrived at the Talon Lex dropped Claire off and then he left.
After helping Lana with the final touches to the Talon, Claire had decided to head home, but found herself standing outside of Cassandra's room instead.
"Are you going to come in or not, Ms. Kent?" Cassandra spoke from inside the room.
Claire bowed her head and slowly entered the room. "How do you do that?"
"When one sense goes, the others get...heightened. I must admit, after yesterday, I thought I'd never see you again. Please sit." Cassandra spoke as she motioned to the chair sitting in front of her.
"What you told me, I can't get it out of my head." Claire whispered as she leaned into the older woman.
"Imagine how I feel. When it first started happening, I, I thought it was a curse. I kept getting snapshots of things I couldn't control." Cassandra whispered back, then she leaned back in her chair and relaxed.
"When did they start?" Claire questioned, for some reason however she had the idea that she already knew the answer.
Sighing Cassandra appeared as though she was watching an old memory play out in her mind. "When I first lost my sight. It's funny, I woke up that morning, like any other. Then the meteors came. One hit a field behind my house. The flash burnt my optic nerves."
"I'm sorry." Claire said as she felt her eyes begin to glass up, knowing that she was the cause of this poor woman's pain.
"It's not your fault. It's amazing how one moment can change your life forever." Cassandra said simply. "Most people think I'm a fraud. People are afraid of the unknown, Claire. They only want to know if everything's gonna turn out alright. I can't guarantee that. What I can show you are sign posts on your journey. What you do with them is up to you."
"I've got so many questions in my life. I just want some answers." Claire whispered as she watched Cassandra stick her hand out slowly in front of her.
"Then take my hand." Claire reached forward and clasped Cassandra's hand in hers. Then she was pulled into what appeared to be a grave yard with millions of tomb stones surrounding her. Looking around she found tomb stones belonging to everyone she loved, there was Martha and Jonathan, side by side, reading loving husband and wife. Then there was Chloe and Lana, Pete and...Lex.
Claire felt herself collapse as she saw the stone reading Lex's and as she hit the ground she saw the puff of white cloth that encased her. Quickly she checked herself over and saw she was wearing a simple white wedding dress. Looking back towards Lex's tomb she read Lex Luthor, loving husband and father. "No!" Claire screamed to the sky just as the rain began to fall quickly on her.
As Claire's vision came back to Cassandra who sat in front of her she saw the look of disbelief on her face. "You saw that too?" Cassandra questioned. But Claire was too shaken up to answer and found herself running from the room. "Claire!"
Rushing back home Claire found herself collapsing to the floor of the farmhouse kitchen as she finally let the tears fall from her eyes.
"Claire, what happened?" Martha questioned as she rushed to her daughter and knelt down on the floor as she encase the young woman in her arms.
"I went back to see Cassandra, she...she showed me things, terrible things." Claire spoke as she continued to sob into her mother's shirt. "Everyone, was dead. Everyone in the world."
Jonathan stood looking down at his distraught daughter trying to come up with an explanation as to what was going on. "Look Claire, I don't know what you did or didn't see, but come on, you gotta consider the source."
"Your dad's right. We don't know anything about this woman." Martha spoke as she patted her daughter lightly on the back.
Claire pulled away from her mother and looked up towards her father. "I know she lost her vision in the meteor shower. I caused her to lose her sight."
"So that makes it so she can predict the future?" Jonathan questioned.
"Is it so crazy dad? I get hit by a car and I'm fine. I can walk through fire, and have x-ray vision. What's next?" Claire questioned with a raised voice as she stood shakingly from the floor.
Martha too stood and grabbed her daughter's hands in hers. "You can't let this one image, whatever it means, consume your whole life."
"What if it is my destiny? To out live everyone that I love. I don't want to be alone." Claire spoke as she began to cry again.
"You are the only person who controls your destiny, Claire." Martha spoke with a smile.
"I'm gonna go for a walk." Claire declared quickly and rushed out of the farmhouse before her parents could say anything to stop her. Claire rushed towards the Mansion and let herself in through the back door.
Once she was in the home she made her way up to Lex's office and entered the room to see him sitting behind his desk. "Claire?" He questioned as he stood from his chair to meet her halfway.
Claire did not say a word as she threw her arms around Lex and held onto him tightly as she began to cry again.
"Claire." Lex whispered as he embraced the young woman. "What's the matter?"
"I went to see Cassandra again. She showed me things, terrible things." Claire spoke right before her sobs overtook her and she felt her entire body shake. "Everyone was dead Lex."
Lex moved to held Claire's head against his chest with his hand. "Shh…It's alright."
The next morning Lex decided he wanted some answers. He had spent half the evening comforting Claire. So here he was tracking down Cassandra Carver. One of the orderlies had told him she was on the patio taking in some sun. When he arrived he saw a woman matching her description and moved toward her. "Cassandra Carver?"
"Do those expensive shoes come with a name?" Cassandra questioned back.
Lex smirked as he sat down at the table she was sat at. "Lex Luthor."
"Oh. Of Luthor Everything Incorporated?" Cassandra said with a laugh.
"More or Less." Lex spoke as he leaned back in the chair, taking in the elderly woman in front of him.
"And what does the savior of Smallville want with an old blind woman?" Asked Cassandra.
Lex placed his hands on the table in front of him before answering. "You seem to have made a real impression on my friend Claire."
"So, you came to see for yourself?" Cassandra questioned.
"Claire's not stupid. If she says you know things, there must be something that made her think that." Said Lex as he watched the woman, for being blind it sure seemed like she was watching him he thought.
"What gives me the feeling, you're not here for stock tips, Mr. Luthor?" Chuckled Cassandra.
"Call me Lex. I was hoping you could give me some insight into Claire."
"And you call her a friend, do you?" Asked Cassandra suspiciously.
Lex pulled his hands off the table and placed them in his coat pockets. "She saved my life, but she's also a mystery. I am of course willing to treat this as a professional service."
"Save your money, Lex. I can't tell you about Claire, even if I wanted to. I can only tell the future of the person I touch. Hmmm?" Cassandra questioned as she placed her hand out in front of her.
"I don't need to know my future." Lex said simply.
"Why? Because your father already has it mapped out for you?" Questioned Cassandra as she pulled her hand back.
"I believe we make our own destiny." Lex spoke standing from the table and looking down at Cassandra.
"You don't want a glimpse of what it is you'll make? Maybe I'll see your friend Claire with you, in the future, by your side...or maybe I'll see something else." Cassandra spoke pointing her eyes to where Lex now stood.
"Goodbye, Miss Carver. It's been enlightening." Lex then turned and headed back into the building. However as he was leaving he missed Claire arriving, only by seconds.
Claire made her way through the building and found Cassandra sitting outside enjoy the fresh air.
"Claire, is that you?" Cassandra asked as Claire approached. "The other night you left in a hurry. Sit. I...I''d hoped you'd come back."
"I'm sorry. You saw that...whatever it was." Claire said simply as she began to chew on her bottom lip with nerves. Slowly she sat herself down in the chair across from the elderly woman.
"I always see them. The question is, how did you?" Cassandra questioned.
"Was I not supposed to?" Claire spoke as she focus her attention on Cassandra.
Cassandra sighe. "Nobody ever has."
"Why me?" Claire asked.
"Because, we both know...you're not like other people." Cassandra whispered.
Claire sat back in her chair and quickly looked around the yard to make sure no one was listening. "Sure I am." Said Claire slowly.
"No Claire. I've seen you...before we ever met. More than once, I've touched people, and I've seen such pain and...but then you were there, and the pain was gone. I think that's your destiny Claire, to help people. To save them from darkness." Cassandra spoke seriously.
"How?" Claire questioned.
"Well, that's for you to figure out. You can fear the future, or you can embrace it. The choice is yours. People will need you, need you to save them, to save him."
"Him?" Asked Claire at her words.
"Claire, your secret is safe with me." Cassandra said simply then she went back to looking out into the sky.
The next day came and Claire found herself being led through the Luthor Manor by Lex. He had called her and asked her to come over, saying that he had something extremely important to show her. Claire followed in silence as Lex led her down a long hallway, reaching a lone door at the end of the hall.
Lex opened the door and allowed Claire to enter first. His talk with Cassandra has him thinking of Claire all night.
Claire entered the room to see a demolished car sitting alone in the center of the room. "Is this the Porche from, I don't understand." Claire turned to look at Lex then back to examine the car in front of her. "Why do you still have it?"
"I once read about a rich man who survived a hotel fire. He hung onto the ledge for an hour before the fire department rescued him. Afterwards, he bought the hotel, always stayed in that room." Lex spoke as he placed his hands in his pants pocket. "When they asked him why, he said he figured fate couldn't find him twice."
Turning Claire looked at Lex. "I thought you didn't believe in fate?"
Lex sighed and moved to stand next to Claire. "I don't, but everytime I look at this car, I wonder. I had a team go over this thing inch by inch. They tell me there's no way the impact could have ripped open the roof like this."
"They must have made a mistake." Claire said simply, not really sure as to how she would be able to avoid Lex's questions about the subject.
"Do you remember anything about the accident?" Lex spoke as he moved to stand in front of Claire. He looped a finger around her chin and forced her to look at him.
"No, just that I pulled you out. That's it." Said Claire as she began to chew on her bottom lip.
Lex let his hand drop from her chin. "I thought that you might be able to tell me more."
"I'm sorry." Claire said simply.
"It's a little strange to be walking around when every shred of evidence says I should be dead." Lex took a small step back and shrugged. "An unsolved mystery, I guess."
Claire stepped forward to close the distance between them again. "Maybe fate has something else in mind for you."
"You've been spending too much time with your friend Cassandra." Lex said with a slight laugh.
"Well at least she doesn't dwell on the past." Claire reached forward and placed a hand on his cheek. "Lex, you're alive. The question you need to ask yourself now is, where do you go from here?"
"Well I don't know the answer to the question." Lex spoke as he leaned down his lips only an inch away from Claires. "But I do know that I want you with me, while I try to figure it out." He then closed the distance between them and kissed her.
Later that day after Lex had dropped Claire off at home he made his way back to visit Cassandra. He entered her room with a bouquet of flowers and slowly approached her. "Well, you're the last person I expected to walk through my door." Cassandra said simply without turning to look at him.
"I come bearing gifts." Lex said as he indicated to the flowers she would never be able to see.
"So did the Greeks." Spoke Cassandra.
Lex moved to see down on the bed across from her. "I wanted to take you up on your offer."
"Hmm...I thought you controlled your own destiny." Said Cassandra as she leaned forward slightly towards lex.
"I do, but certain things have happened in my life. Signs I don't want to ignore." Lex said simply. "I lived when I should have died. There must be a reason for that. You see, I don't want to do good things. I want to do great things."
"Well you don't need me for that."
"What's the matter, Cassandra? Are you afraid of what you'll see?" Lex questioned as he held out his hand.
"You've been warned." Cassandra spoke as gripped Lex's hand in hers. "Hold onto her." Those were the last words Lex heard from Cassandra, he then felt her hand go limp in his, and when he looked up at her she was unmoving.
Pulling his hand quickly out of hers he moved towards the door. "What did you see?" Lex questioned. "I need some help in here! Somebody!" Lex called as he rushed from the room. As he moved to make room at the doorway for the orderlies, Lex saw Claire rush by him and into the room.
"Cassandra." Claire said sadly as she looked at the older woman.
"I'm sorry, she's gone." One of the men spoke as he checked her vitals.
"She saw it." Claire whispered.
The man turned to look at her. "Saw what?"
"Her future." Said Claire before she turned to leave the room and made her way straight into Lex's waiting arms. "What were you doing here?"
Lex patted Claire's hair as he head rested on his chest. "I asked her to look into my future and then, she died. What she saw killed her."
Pulling away from him Claire looked up at Lex. "You did not kill her, you can just stop thinking about that right now. She predicted this was going to happen."