Survivors

Chapter 10: School shopping, arm wrestling and a message from beyond

Kara woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. The girl was a bit disoriented at first, not understanding why there was daylight in the room. She had never slept an entire night without waking since arriving on this planet but appeared to have done so this night.

Standing and stretching her arms over her head, she let out a yawn and felt as if she could go back to bed if not for the rumbling in her stomach. Kara noted that Alex had already awoken and heard Kal being fed breakfast downstairs. He was still accustomed to eating out of her hand she supposed, because his eating habits were worse here than on Krypton and he tended to make a mess. She moved quietly to the bathroom, brushing her teeth with the delicious flavored gel that Alex insisted she could not swallow. While everything on Earth seemed more...manual, the scents and tastes were exquisite. The water here was clean and not made in labs, the air, while horrid around cities, smelt fresher in some ways out on her own, especially when she had been in the wooded and mountainous areas. She also enjoyed what Alex called the sea breeze. While the ocean tasted horrible, she did enjoy the feeling of floating and the scent of salt on the water. The food opened her eyes to so many possibilities. On Krypton there were of course different flavors but all were based around the same element, making the tastes all similar in a way. Eating food here was unexpected. The taste of a tomato was so different from the taste of a cucumber or an apple. It was apparent that this food was not grown in labs, but in the soil where she had her first encounter with an onion and raw potatoes.

Kara did feel a bit horrified when she learned what eggs were but Eliza assured her no baby chickens were killed. Alex told her she did not want to know where the bacon came from so she did not ask. Her question about steak was given the same reply. Kara knew that the meat was from living creatures, and had learned from television and books that humans used what they referred to as animals in general, for food, clothing, seat covers, jackets and numerous other purposes. It seemed cruel to her but she admitted the food was delicious. Animals were also used to make food for other animals, making the girl wonder if those animals knew that they were eating their own. Wildlife predators like the bear but even more impressive the lions and crocodiles fascinated her. Apparently animals here weren't sentient but they did have personalities and familial bonds which Kara associated with sentient beings.

Earth was strange in that way. She admitted to herself that it was a fascinating place. It hurt to think about Krypton but constantly comparing the Earth to her planet would not do her any good.

Taking the hair brush, she manually began the taming of her wild blonde hair. Without a Kelex, she had to do her own hair, but found she didn't mind. Her hairstyle had always been chosen for her. Here she could do as she pleased apparently, but Kara liked her hair. It was the one feature of her father they shared and she felt this was a bond between them if small but better than nothing. Everyone else claimed she was identical to her mother in every other feature. Looking at the small elastic string on the counter, she pulled her hair back and repeated the process she had seen Alex do on occasion, making a ponytail on her own. This was acceptable in public as well as in private here. She supposed she would have to learn to braid her own hair as well.

Making her way downstairs and into the kitchen, she was greeted by three smiling faces and one covered in applesauce.

Alex was trying to decide what was different about Kara. Then she realized what it was. "Look who decided to get out of bed with a smile on her face!"

"Did you sleep well, dear?" Eliza asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Yes, thank you."

"Good." Jeremiah told her. "I am moving your bed from that window and lining it up next to Alex's. You can sleep on your side from now on and not be distracted by the stars."