Crossing Worlds

Welcome to Smallville

I don't remember how I arrived here. My earliest memories are with the Lang's. Mom said I just walked to her and Lana out of nowhere and comforted the crying girl. The proof was in Time Magazine since it used to be one of their cover images. Mom tried finding out who my parents were, but when she couldn't find them she adopted me when she did Lana. They're the only family I'd ever known.

I sat in front of the school drawing in my sketch book while people walked around me talking and laughing. I was a loner, which was probably best. As I'd grown up I'd noticed different things about me from other kids, so I'd kept my distance from most. Except Lana and people she brought me with her to see.

"What are you working on?" Lana asked me and I showed her.

"Just drawing what I see." I told her.

"I wish I could do things like this." She said looking over some of the pages.

"If you'd taken the time to practice, then you could." I told her and she just smiled which soften the look she gave me.

"You sound like Nell." She said.

"Sadly, on this, she was right." I laughed.

"I was doing other things." She reminded me.

"I was doing other things too, remember?" I asked her. "Next reason?" I asked making her laugh.

"I don't have the patience for it, I guess." She told me.

"I'll accept that, for now." I told her and she smiled at me. "Any way we could avoid going to class today?" I asked her hopeful.

"I think Nell would actually skin us." She told me and I sighed.

"Yea, that sounds like mom. Nell the skinner. Or would be flayer?" I joked and she just shook her head at me.

"Why so into skipping class suddenly?" she asked me.

"Just have a weird feeling." I told her. She gave me a worried look and I just shook my head. "Forget it, it's probably just cause of what your friends like to do to the freshmen of our class."

"You mean the myth of the scarecrow?" she asked me.

"Of course," I told her. "It's not safe being a fish in these waters."

"It's just a rumor. Nothing true." She told me and I tossed her a look.

"So says the girl who will never get picked for it because of a certain jock who happens to be her boyfriend."

"Whitney wouldn't do that to anyone." She told me and I shook my head.

"Sometimes you amaze me, Lana." I told her. "So eager to see the best in people."

"And you're eager to see the worst?" she asked me and I shook my head.

"No, but..." Suddenly, Clark Kent fell to the ground, scattering his books everywhere next to us. Lana and I bent to help him get his stuff gathered together as he tried to get himself up.

"Neitzsche. Didn't realize you had a dark side, Clark." Lana said handing the book back to a hunched over Clark.

"Doesn't everybody?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I guess so." She agreed. "So what are you? Man or superman?"

"I haven't figured it out yet." He confessed.

"Lana there you are." We turned to see Whitney coming towards us. He and Lana shared a kiss as Clark and I picked up his stuff.

"Hey, Clark, Ashlee." He greeted before turning to his girlfriend. "I was wondering if you could do me a humongous favor. Could you check over my English paper? I didn't finish it until 2:00 AM. So, I'm not too sure about the ending."