𝑵𝑶𝑻 𝑨𝑳𝑶𝑵𝑬 + 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘁

2

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The waves still kicked on the side of the shore as if it were a Jack being born from its mother Kangaroo. A seagull glided above them as it was leaving it's current spot in search of more food. A house in the distance shown as clothes lay pinned on a clothesline; but it was no use to set them out for dry seeing how it was still raining. Drenching everything that stood in its path.

Clark started to swim towards shore before fining reaching land and prepping himself up to see where he was. A man arriving in this so called home, gathering a few bags to head inside as his wife met him and helped him in. Clark rushed out from behind the house as he checked to see if he was able to use any of the clothes on the line, but he wasn't so he kept on searching till he noticed the clothes in the open trunk.

Silently apologizing in his mind for taking them, he grabbed them and headed off on his way. He made sure to check if anyone nearby was watching him. Didn't want to be named a thief yet strolling around with nearly limited amounts of clothing on. Fixing the jacket he took, he covered himself pretty well before stopping; sighing a school bus that had stopped off some kids nearby. That's when he remember of the time when the incident happened.

You were sitting beside Clark as the bus traveled but some bullies were picking on both you and him. Clark tried to get them to stop bothering you but it wasn't working. "Clark, I'm fine.. thank you though." You told him softly but he knew you were clearly lying. "Hey, ass-wipe." A bully named Pete spoke. He was a chubby looking fellow with natural red hair. "What do you think? You see the game?" He asked trying to spark a conversation.

That's when the girl, you had found out that had a crush on Clark, spoke up. "Leave him alone, Pete." She told the bully what he said next bothered you more however. "What are you, his girlfriend? I wanna hear what he has to say." Pete mentioned at the girl. "Knock it off." You mentioned as you looked at him. "Or what? Huh?" Pete mentioned.

Suddenly the tire of the bus blew and caused the driver to swerve to the side but because of an incoming vehicle, he swerved again; breaking off the side ledge of the bridge and landing straight into the water. Due to the sudden collision with the water, you managed to hit your head hard and gain a cut or two. Apparently the girl nearby did too. "Are you okay?" Clark asked you and before you could even give him a response, he raced towards the back of the bus.

Breaking open the door and venturing out. Meanwhile, you along with your classmates, were struggling to get some form of oxygen. Based on the angle of the bus, your air was fully enveloped under water as the other girl still had some form of oxygen. You weren't losing air that much compared to the others but it still hurt to try and hold your breath for as long as you could.

That's when the bus started to resurface and most of the classmates could be heard gasping for a breath of air. You were coughing up bits of water you had managed to inhale during it all and Clark overheard. Once you were okay, you looked behind you to catch a glimpse of Clark heading back into the water. Only later to come out with Pete. Through the window, you gave him a nod.

"My son was there. He was in the bus. He saw what Clark did." Helen, Pete's mother could be heard speaking inside the home as you were seen outside with Clark. Your mother allowed you this time to go over. She wasn't as understanding as most mothers would be with their child. "I know what he did." Clark's father spoke as you placed a hand on your friend's shoulder. "What you did, was a good thing. You saved our lives." You mentioned and he gave you a side smile before looking back down. The parents were speaking amongst themselves as you sighed.

"My momma don't like who I am." You mentioned attempting to sound like her but failed. Clark looked up at you wondering what you meant by it. "Says I'm different. Doesn't treat me as kindly as your parents do." You added and he gave a look before taking your hand. A small smile appeared on your face before your mother's car horn could be heard down the driveway. Sighing at the sight, you squeezed Clark's hand before letting go. "I must go before she locks me in the basement for not listening." You half joked but it was the truth.

Once you were gone, his father came out to meet his son. Looking around for him, since he was no longer on the swing, he found him sitting on the trunk of a pick up, near the corn field. "I just wanted to help." Clark started to say once he heard his father's footsteps approaching.

"I know you did, but we talked about this. Right? Right? We talked about this. You have..." Jonathan started to say before sighing. "Clark, you have to keep this side of yourself a secret."

"What was I supposed to do? Just let them die?" Clark stated as he looked back down, not wanting to face his father. The meaning behind his son's statement made him sigh because he knew that Clark was only trying to do the right thing- but sometimes doing the right thing, can result in to many dangerous outcomes.

"Maybe." Jonathan sighed before admitting the truth. "There's more at stake here than just our lives, Clark, or the lives of those around us." That's when Clark looked at him. "When the world... when the world finds out what you can do it's gonna change everything. Our... our beliefs, our notions of.. what it means to be human. Everything. You saw how Pete's Mom reacted, right? She was scared, Clark."

"Why?" Clark questioned without looking at his father that had now moved to sit beside him.

"People are afraid of what they don't understand." Jonathan told him as he looked at his son. "Is she right? Did God do this to me?" Clark asked in a sad tone as he glanced over at his father. "Tell me." Clark insisted and his father remained silent before bringing him over to the barn; pulling on a chain that revealed the alien pod that was hidden beneath it.

A sheet that had been covering it with bits of dirt and hay that had managed to sneak it's way in while in hiding, was soon brushed away and taken off. "We found you in this." He told his son. "We we're sure the government was gonna show up on our doorstep but no one ever came." He added and Clark took a step further as he lightly touched a part of the pod; taking in its features and design.

Pulling out a box that was hidden in a compartment nearby, Jonathan opened it up, observed the object before handing it over to Clark. "This was in the chamber with you. I took it to a metallurgist at Kansas State. He said whatever it was made from didn't even.... Didn't even exist on the periodic table. That's another way of saying that it's not from this world, Clark. And neither are you. You're the answer, son. You're the answer to 'are we alone in the universe'."

"I don't wanna be." Clark mentioned as he returned his gaze towards his father.

"And I don't blame you, son. It'd be a huge burden for anyone to bear. But you're not just anyone, Clark, and I have to believe that you were.... that you were sent here for a reason. All these changes that you're going through, one day.. one day you're gonna think of them as a blessing. When that day comes, you're going to have to make a choice. A choice of whether to stand proud in front of the human race or not." His father told him with a few pauses in between.

Clark attempted not to cry as he spoke up. "Can't I just keep pretending I'm your son?" His father pulled him closer as he gave him a hug. "You are my son." Jonathan started to say before continuing on. "But somewhere out there you've.... You have another father too, who gave you another name. And he sent you here for a reason, Clark. And even if it takes you the rest of your life, you owe it to yourself to find out what that reason is." His father finished as Clark looked at the object that was given to him to see an S.