CHAPTER TWO: 'Explore The Horizons'

"Y-YOU'RE FIRING ME?" Kara stuttered. Her boss, Cat Grant who was deemed to be one of the most powerful women in all of National City (by the New York Times) due to her high position as the CEO of CatCo Magazine, approached Kara's desk with a cardboard box.

The personal assistant watched helplessly, eyes wide with shock at the sudden ambush. She looked at her best friend, Winn "the IT guy" who gave her a frantic shake of the head and a shrug. (Frankly too scared to ask what was going on.)

Cat gathered her things into the box, (including a small Superman figurine that Cat rolled her eyes at, but chucked it into the box anyway) like it was her last mission on earth. "But...why? Miss Grant, if this had something to do with the green smoothie incident—"

"Shh." Cat hushed the girl, finally placing the small cactus plant into the box that Kara (tried) to maintain.

She found out that cacti were succulents and didn't need much watering, (thus less care) so she chose the plain plant to make her workspace appear more 'alive.' That was the day after Cat walked into the building and rolled her eyes. "Kiera, go bleach those sunflowers. They're brighter than your hair and it's annoying me."

"Miss—"

"Zip. It." Cat said through gritted teeth, before catwalking her way to the elevator, the distinct sound of her heels clicking against the floorboards to announce her moving presence.

Kara didn't need to be told to follow her, as she quickly caught up to Cat just as the elevator door closed, surprised that Cat managed to walk that far and fast in heels (then again, it was Cat Grant). The ride was silent. Awkward. And dreadful, as Kara was left to wonder about the fate of her career.

She played with her thumbs, and when that wasn't enough, she fidgeted with her glasses before deciding that her hair needed some finger combing.

"Stop fidgeting, Kiera." Cat scolded.

"Sorry." Kara mumbled, looking down at her feet instinctively, as her arms dropped to her sides. The elevator door dinged, and out stepped Cat who didn't need to manoeuvre her way through the seventeenth floor of the building, as a path was already created for her instantaneously.

They reached their destination, an empty, white room with one spacious white desk in the centre. It was quaint, a small hole in a wall, but it was something if it was decorated well. Why wasn't it decorated anyway?

Kara thought of the question until realisation dawned on her. Oh. Oh.

"You're not firing me." The blonde said softly, more to herself than to Cat.

"Correct Kiera, I'm not. I'm promoting you." Cat said, as she plopped Kara's belongings onto the desk. Her face neutral as she put the information in a nutshell. It was Cat's 'meeting mood' as Kara liked to call it.

Where Cat stood more straighter than she would at the regular meetings held in her office, filled with Kara herself, journalists, photographers, interviewers and other important assets to her company. It exerted her confidence, her role and her leadership that she had over these people, which Kara had always admired.

Her voice was clear and her face was neutral to hide emotions other than approval and disapproval. A small smile or her usual pursed lips and narrowed eyes to distinguish the two. (It was usually her pursed lips and narrowed eyes.)

"Promoting me? To what?" Kara asked as she took in the information and the office. Her office.

"That Kiera, is for you to decide. There's only so much you can experience from being a personal assistant. I want you to explore the horizons." Cat explained.

Cat sighed, and the younger blonde knew Cat was going to break out of her meeting mood. It was an indication that for a brief moment, Cat can relax a little, let down her guard and exhale a breath before giving Kara life advice she didn't know she needed.

"What I'm saying is, what kind of a boss would I be if I didn't let you reach your full potential?" Cat asked rhetorically. This vulnerable part of Cat she only entrusted and revealed to Kara, was showing. And she was honoured by the rareness of it.

"Thank you, Miss Grant." Kara said with an earnest smile before hugging her boss tightly without asking. She very much cherished her relationship with Cat. At times she was like a scolding mother, a boss and mentor but most importantly, a friend.

"Alright, that's enough." Cat dismissed the hug as she sniffled a bit, before walking back to the door to leave. "Good luck. Kara."

The girl's eyes went wide open at the correct pronunciation of her name. She's waited four years for this moment.

"And if you need me, you'll know where to find me."

Kara chuckled at that, "No, Miss Grant if you need me—" the blonde tried to joke with her boss with a personal assistant joke, but Cat's unamused straight face shut Kara up immediately. "Yeah, I'm gonna… stop." She said lamely to herself, as Cat had already left the room, heels clicking down the hall.

That evening, Kara waited for her sister on her couch dressed in nothing but her comfortable sweatpants and her National City University sweatshirt. She was watching the news as she waited. Ironically, working in a busy news outlet didn't keep her up to date with what's going on with the world. She was too busy managing Cat's personal matters and being of assistance.

"Sorry, I'm late!" Alex made her way into Kara's apartment, having a set of keys herself in the case of emergencies. "Caught up in work stuff."

The younger Danvers sister never knew what 'work stuff' was. She'd ask her sister but all she'd get was, "Sorry kiddo, it's classified." All Alex could say about her job was that it was "kinda like the FBI." And Kara left it at that. But sometimes Alex would show up injured, sore, bloodied and bruised. It worried the younger Danvers sister, but all she could do was either: scold Alex into getting a new job or help aid her wounds.

Luckily, it wasn't one of those nights.

"About time!" Kara huffed from as she got up from the couch. "I'm starving." She frowned in confusion at Alex's choice of clothes. Her usual jeans and leather jacket attire wasn't the usual dress code for sister nights which consisted of Alex's pyjama pants and Harry Potter T shirts.

"Why are you dressed up?" Kara asked. "And why isn't there takeout?" She whined. She was really looking forward to pizza and potstickers.

"We're celebrating." The redhead replied, as she grabbed her younger sister by the shoulders and pushed her down the hallway to Kara's bedroom.

"Celebrating what, exactly?" Kara asked, as she was steered to her wardrobe.

"Your promotion!" Alex exclaimed. "What? You think I wouldn't know? Why didn't you tell me earlier!"

"Winn." Kara deadpanned, as she pieced it all together. "Okay, I didn't tell you because I don't know what I'm being promoted to."

"Well, it's a promotion nonetheless. I'm proud of you." The redhead congratulated her sister with a warm smile and a light squeeze to the shoulders. "Now, hurry and change! We're going to the Alien Bar." Alex instructed before leaving her sister's bedroom to give her some privacy.

"Why do they even call it the Alien Bar?" Kara shouted from her room.

"I don't know, it's just got weird vibes there." Alex responded. "But they've got good beer, so I'm not complaining."

Kara wasn't expecting spending the night out, so she opted for her usual jeans with a plain white T shirt and a beige leather jacket. She looked at herself in the mirror, blonde curls cascading down her shoulders and her glasses resting on the top of her nose. All she found was the embodiment of her average, mundane life staring back at her.

She was Kara Danvers. Twenty three years old, with fairly bad eyesight, had an affinity to all foods except kale and is— was a personal assistant to Cat Grant. And that's why she should go out.

She should enjoy this night. Celebrate. Cherish. Cherish another round of memories with friends she called her family. Cherish this feeling of self achievement through her unexpected promotion. (And cherish the fact that Cat Grant said her name right.)