Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Survivors

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 12: School Days

Kara had faced many challenges since arriving on this planet. She had fought a Black Bear, been shot at, chased through a grocery store, used a port o potty and slept outside in all types of weather while keeping a baby safe and fed. Nothing had made her as nervous as what she would face this morning.

“Look at you two! Adorable!” Eliza pushing aside a stray hair off Alex’s forehead and looking at Kara’s face, for what the girl wasn’t sure.

“Adorable isn’t quite the look I am going for this year, Mom, but thanks.” Alex grumbled. She was pleased with her appearance as she felt she filled out the jeans she wore a bit more than last year. The simple red t shirt and white button down shirt over it, was loose but stylish. Kara however, would have looked adorable if she didn’t appear to be facing a firing squad.

“Smile little sis. Mom insists on pictures on the first day of school every year.”

“Not in these jeans!” the blonde whispered fiercely, still not comfortable with denim covering her this closely. The tee blue t shirt with a rabbit of some sort did not go to her knees either. The girl did enjoy her braided hair that Alex had done for her. Still the horrors that would come were greater in comparison to her appearance.

“Those jeans are perfect on you. You can wear your new dress tomorrow if you want.”

“Nobody wears dresses to school, Mom.” Alex reminded her.

“Stand still and smile you two.” Eliza ordered. Alex grinned and Kara planted the largest fake smile she could manage on her face.

Alex noticed the look on her face. “Kara, you look like a psycho. Ease up on the smile. Think of Pot Stickers.”

The smile turned gentle and genuine and while she still had the dreamy look in her eyes, Eliza snapped four photos.

“Perfect.”

“You girls ready? I’m sad to see the summer end. It has been amazing.” Jeremiah admitted, walking down the stairs. “Maybe I should drive you two instead of walking. I know you don’t like to be dropped off Alex, but the less she is seen the better.”

“If we keep her hidden people are going to really talk. If we stick to the story, which is mostly true, then people will get over it quicker and she can blend in, right Dad?”

Jeremiah had a hard time arguing that. He just hated to see them go. Walking would give Kara more time to contemplate running back to the house. He could tell she was shaking, despite the calm demeanor she was badly faking.

“Okay. Speaking of blending in, Kara, in Math class don’t get all the answers right. Not everybody gets everything right all the time. If you go through the year with perfect scores your teachers are going to want to give you IQ tests and pass you through more grades or bring more attention to you. The less the better, right? Shoot for between 90 and 98 percent.”

“I promise Jeremiah, I won’t get all the answers right. I will blend in.”

“I know you will, sweetheart.”

The parents kissed both girls on the head, surprising Kara when they told her they loved her. Not that she doubted it, but it still came as a surprise whenever she heard it. The blonde picked up her cousin from the floor.

“You have never been away from me for this long in your life. I don’t know what is going to happen in this place but if I don’t make it out, please be happy and live life for both of us.”

“Melodramatic much? We are going to school, not the Middle East. Put Squirt down and lets move kid.”

Jeremiah picked up the boy and the two parents watched their girls walk down the drive and onto the street behind the house. It was only a mile and a half walk but they hated it. Alex had insisted last year that she was old enough, so of course they gave in.

“Could you have ever imagined this would happen at the start of the summer?” the man asked his wife.

“That Alex would find an alien girl and baby in a cave, sneak her food, camping and baby supplies, sneak her into the house to use the bathroom and we would meet a Martian who gave us adoption papers for both of them? Of course, I imagined it. I’m surprised it took this long. Don’t forget to bring the DNA strand results home. I need those results for the next chapter.”

“Yes dear. Maybe I can figure out a way to work from home. We could spend all day not getting any work done.”

“Yes or you could spend all day feeding and changing Clark’s diapers while I work. Now go, do your job and do most of mine as well. I love you.”

“I love you. We need to get her a cell phone in case Alex gets separated from her. You think she is going to be alright?” he asked worriedly. While he agreed she needed to be at school he also worried bout things he hadn’t seen but knew could happen. Mainly panic attacks and anxiety. So far she had not had any of these symptoms but knew it could be a matter of time.

“Alex will keep her safe.” Eliza assured him.

Kara was feeling quite a bit of anxiety, especially when the school came into view. She stopped and stared at the busy building, the number of moving cars in front, the hum of constant conversations and the sheer number of kids.

“Last year of Junior High then we are freshman. Hard to believe I have gotten this old. I remember when you were a muddy little mess living underground who couldn’t keep a kid’s butt clean. Time flies, huh sister?”

“I don’t want to go in there.” the blonde told her immediately.

“You did’t want to fly and look how that turned out.”

“I got stuck in the air and couldn’t get down. A Martian had to help me down. It was frightening and embarrassing but the pizza was good.”

“I will be with you every step. Now there is one thing I need to warn you about. School starts and classes begin and end by a loud sound. We call it the bell. Once the bell rings the hallways are going to be very loud. The bell itself is a very sharp sound and very loud. I am going to warn you before it happens so you can prepare yourself but until you get used to it, its probably going to bother you. Just grit your teeth and handle it like you always do. You are brave to do this Kara. If I didn’t think you could handle it, I would have told Mom and Dad. There isn’t anything you can’t handle, right?”

“RIght?” she agreed, not sounding confident.

Alex grabbed her hand and the two crossed the street while Kara fought to not close her eyes, due to the sounds and smells of so many running vehicles and people in one place.

Kara did her best not to notice the stares her and Alex were receiving. She did her best to drown out the questions, everyone asking either who she was or is that her. Some were saying she had a baby and her parents kicked her out of the house so she lived with the Danvers. Others said she was a runaway from an abusive home, a ward of the State the Danvers had taken in. She heard the word orphan used quite a bit. None of these were directed towards her but in conversations between those staring at the two. Looking at the ground, she held onto Alex’s hand tightly and followed her.

“Pick your head up.” Alex told her.

“What? Why?”

“Because you should. They are going to talk and in a week it will be old news. They don’t matter. What matters is you are going to greatly improve my math scores and I am going to teach you a lot about the biology of life on Earth and you are going to help me defend my title at the Area Science Fair this year. I’ve won it four years in a row and my genius little sister is going to help me make it five. Your locker is next to mine. We can put our books away so we don’t have to carry the packs everywhere. Whatever you do, stay next to me.”

“They are talking about me. They will talk about you.”

“Let them talk. In ten years we are going to be making bank and they are still going to be working small time jobs in this damn town.”

The two made their way to their lockers, and left everything except the first period English book and binders. They made their way down the hall, Kara still keeping her head down, trying to come to grips with everything around her, when a girl walking towards the two moved into Kara’s path, attempting to knock her over.

Instead the girl hit a brick wall of blonde alien and tumbled off to the side, grabbing her shoulder.

“Watch where you are going!”

“I’m sorry…”

“Watch where you are going, Becky. I saw you move into her way. Don’t do it again.” Alex told her before Kara could finish her apology. The blonde who Kara thought was very pretty but had a nasty look on her face, walked up inches from Alex.

“Looks like Danvers grew a spine over the summer. So this is her? You are the orphan right? Your parents died in a fire? I heard you started it.”

Kara froze, not knowing how to respond.

“I…”

Alex pushed the girl and the entire hallway stopped walking and watched.

“She did not start a fire. Don’t say another word to her. Ever.”

Kara watched the two, totally lost. She had not expected anyone to speak to her about… her parents. She knew everyone talked around her but to be openly accused of something that wasn’t true was strange. Were all children here violent? Was Alex the only one who cared about anyone?

The blonde was drawn out of her instant depression when she saw this Becky girl move towards Alex, seemingly to push her. Keeping in mind Jeremiah’s advice to blend in, Kara did not throw the girl into a locker. Instead she stepped between them and placed a hand on this Becky girl’s shoulder.

“You are not allowed to do that.” Kara told the girl quietly. Becky attempted to brush the smaller girls hand off but was unable to move it. “You are not allowed to touch her. Yes, I am an orphan. No, I did not start a fire. I don’t like fire. I am very sad my parents are dead. I do not understand why you are mad or walked into me but you will not touch her.”

Becky Rainer looked at the smaller girl who was stronger than she looked. She also noted the hallway was still watching and she wasn’t able to push a nerd and a freak away. Instead she smiled and backed away.

“Be seeing you around, Danvers.”

“I doubt it. You spend most of your time under the bleachers, right? I’m usually studying since I will be going to Stanford in five years and you are going to be waiting tables and still spending time under the bleachers.” Alex told her. Picking on her was one thing but bringing up Kara’s parents was another. That was a line no one would cross.

“Go back to Eight Mile.” Kara instructed the blonde then continued to walk with Alex by her side. The showdown over, the rest of the kids lost interest.

“You didn’t break anything on her did you?”

“No. I was very gentle.” Kara assured her.

“Thats good. She is all talk, likes to think she is the social queen of the school. For some reason I guess she thinks I’m an easy target. She doesn’t think so anymore. Way to handle yourself.”

“Thanks?”

“Just don’t break anything on anyone. Remember we have to keep a low profile. Oh and chill on the Eight Mile references. We weren’t supposed to watch that movie. Mom is pretty cool about what she lets us watch but she has her limits.”

“Is that why the Eight Mile Blu Ray is in the Cinderella package?”

“That is exactly why.”

The bell rang and Kara nearly screamed, dropping her books and placing her hands over her ears, her heart thumping from the shrill sound.

“Oh crap! I’m sorry Kara. I forgot! Listen to me, listen to my heart beat.”

Kara could not though, lost in a world of pain that seemed to last forever but was only five seconds. Once the noise had stopped she began breathing again and dropped her hands. Alex handed her the fallen book and binder.

“Sorry? I will do a better job of warning you, I promise.”

“It’s okay. I have to get used to it. I made a scene, didn’t I?”

“No you didn’t.” She assured her. “Not in front of anyone who matters. Come on. That’s the first bell. Once we are in class another will happen in five minutes meaning class has started. Grit your teeth, focus on anything you can, just be ready for it. You got this or do you want to go home? It’s okay if you do. I’ll go with you.”

Kara shook her head. “I got this. I promise.”

Alex grudgingly agreed. Kara did well with sounds but something so unexpected could cause her pain.

She was more prepared for the second bell but Alex knew it still hurt. They sat in the back, desks side by side, and thankfully the teacher did not ask the new kid to tell the class about herself, something Alex had worried about.

“Today Class,” The teacher Miss Comte, started, “we will be starting our study of Romeo and Juliet. If you would all turn to page twenty in the text we can take ten minutes to read act one and then discuss.”

Kara did as told, beginning to read…

“Alex?” she whispered.

“Yeah?”

“I thought in English we would be reading stories in… English? What language is this?”

“Its English… but different, like really old. No one talks like this anymore.”

“Why would they want to? How am I supposed to understand this?”

“I’ll get Mom to pick you up a contemporary translation book.”

“Okay…” Kara agree doubtfully. Alex rolled her eyes.

“There is a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio in it playing Romeo. We can watch it on Netflix.” she whispered.

“Awesome! I love Jack. Rose was evil. Rose isn’t going to kill him in this one too, is she?”

“No, this is before he met Rose. If the teacher asks just tell her there was a gang fight between two families that didn’t like each other and the prince threatened to kill them if they fought again. Romeo is bummed this girl Rosaline would rather never have sex than have sex with him.”

“It seems like sex causes a lot of problems on Earth.”

“You aren’t kidding.”

“Alex and… Kara isn’t it?” Comte asked. “You two are having a lively discussion. Kara, I understand you are quite bright, having skipped ahead a grade. Could you tell us what you believe is happening in Act 1?”

“Romeo is bummed that Rosaline won’t have sex with him and there was a gang fight between two families and the Prince was mad and threatened to kill anyone who fought again. I’m not understanding his logic of using deadly force to stop violence but this method seems common on this… story?”

Comte stared at the girl for a moment while Alex held her breath.

“Very good Miss Danvers. Your newest sister is as bright as you are, Alex. Congratulations. Does anyone else have anything to add to her summation? No? Okay, lets move to Act 2.”

“I think I did good.” Kara whispered.

Alex barely held in a laugh. “Yeah, you were perfect.”

The older sister whispered much quieter this time what was going on in Act 2 but thankfully Kara was not called on again.

Kara did better in Geography since it was spoken in English. She had read up quite a bit about the nations on Earth but was fascinated to know more while everyone else in class tried to stay awake.

Kara did not enjoy biology.

“We are really going to have to cut this poor creature open?”

“This poor creature is a frog and he is already dead.” Alex explained.

“The smell in this room is horrible. I want to vomit.”

“Please don’t. Now watch me. It is very important you learn this.”

“Its important to learn what a frog looks like inside? Are a lot of surgeries performed on frogs on this planet?”

“Uh… no. But they have similar organs to all creatures including humans and most likely you.”

“Oh. I knew that.” Kara lied.

“Sure you did, Blondie. Now let me give you a tour of this bad boy.”

After Kara was released from the smell of Formaldehyde, Alex complained about the upcoming class.

“If you don’t like it why do you take the class?” the younger girl asked.

“Because it was this or band and I am not joining the band. Those uniforms and football games, nope, not happening. Art is boring and ridiculous but it is better than the alternative, trust me.”

The first instruction seemed simple enough. The teacher instructed the class to draw something in pencil, anything they want so long as it comes from the heart. The teacher was a bit of a free spirit.

Kara worked non stop, not having really drawn anything since she had left Krypton and forgot how relaxing it was. Towards the end of the period, she stopped and looked at Alex’s drawing.

“What is that?” the blonde asked.

“A cat.”

“Really?”

“Yep, it’s a cat cut open with its organs laid out. I think it would be cool to perform a heart transplant on a cat but Mom won’t let me adopt two from the pound even though I am sure one would make it. I could pull this off. I hate to see another cat die but sacrifices have to be made for science. I think I could get one with a terminal illness so… yeah its probably a bad idea. At least right now. I wouldn’t have the right tools for the job. It’s hard to find an oxygen mask and ventilation tube small enough for a cat. The medications I would need to administer during surgery are pretty much illegal for me to own. What did you draw?”

Kara slid her paper over and Alex’s mouth dropped open. On it, in different shades of carbon lead, complete with shadowing and lighter shades detailing a hole in the roof in the cave Kara had lived. In vivid detail Alex recognized herself peering inside. She looked great, the brightest shade and the details were like looking at a photograph. She was bent over, barely missing the top of the opening and her face looked… kind.

“Kara, this is…”

“It’s the first time I saw you. The teacher said to draw something from the heart. I am here because of you. I was very scared when you found me. I thought of running past you. You can have it unless she keeps them.”

“I’ll make sure she gets it back to you. I had no idea you could draw like this. This is beautiful. Why didn’t you? Run from me, I mean.”

Kara shrugged her shoulders. “Your voice was the first kind voice I heard and your face was the first kind face I saw and I guess I knew inside that I needed you. That I could not… couldn’t do it on my own. I wanted to be with you. Even on Kry… there, I never had any real friends. We were only allowed to interact with the family. You are my first friend. I… don’t know. I am just glad I didn’t.”

“This… thank you. I’m glad you didn’t too. I wish I could draw you like this. Art isn’t my strong point.”

“I like the picture of the dead cat.” Kara argued, trying to make her feel better about the sad picture of the dead… something.

US History was a breeze. Kara was not asked any questions but soaked in everything. Watching her listen to the teachers today was fascinating. Alex was brilliant in the subjects she loved and did her best to stay awake in the ones that she didn’t. Kara seemed to absorb everything with fascination. She had come so far from when Alex saw her that she forgot everything on this planet was still new to Kara. Clark would grow up knowing nothing but Earth but everything Kara saw and learned, she was seeing and learning for the first time.

Math went well. Kara held her tongue, instead whispering to Alex that the teacher was like Cheddar Bob in intelligence and there were many fallacies in his methods. Kara Danvers, Astronaut, was the Marshall Mathers of Math.

In between classes Kara asked another question that had been bothering her.

“Did I eat too much at lunch?”

“What? No! By your standards you practically starved yourself. I’ll remember to bring some candy bars tomorrow for you to chow down between classes so you don’t feint from hunger.”

“So it wasn’t my eating… nobody sat with you at Lunch because of me. Are your friends staying away because of me? I can eat alone if you…”

“Kara stop. People here, they don’t really like people like us. Smart people basically. Nobody sat with me last year, but I was usually studying so I didn’t care. You aren’t the only one who never had a friend. Now we have each other. Stop thinking you are holding me back. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time at school. The look on your face when we dissected the frog made the whole day worth it. You ready to go home? I bet Clark is missing us. Mom hasn’t had to handle a baby on her own since I was born. I bet she is exhausted.”

“Yes… what are those people doing?” the girl asked, pointing to a few kids signing a sheet on the wall.

“Oh God, they are signing up for Choir. Its so lame. They meet after school three times a week for an hour and sing. I guess they put on a concert at Christmas or something.”

“They sing?”

Alex stopped, frozen in her tracks.

“No.”

“But…”

“No.”

“Jeremiah said I can’t play volleyball. I don’t even know what that is. I saw a picture in a magazine of some girls hitting a ball over a net but don’t know the rules.I wouldn’t ever wear those shorts anyway. The beach is one thing… but maybe you can make more friends there?”

“I don’t need more friends. Besides I was saying no to you. I am not waiting around for an hour for you when we could be chilling on the beach before dark with Munchkin. I am not singing. I can’t sing. I don’t want to sing. I don’t like to sing… what are you… don’t do that! Seriously, is that a tear? Are you making yourself cry? You are thinking about the Notebook again. I am not joining a Choir. There is no way. Neither are you. We can sing all we want at home. I’ll let you watch Mama Mia as much as you want but no, not this. I’m drawing the line, Kara.”

An hour later the two finally made it home to a surprisingly happy Eliza. Apparently Clark had not worn her out today.

“How was school? Did everything go… okay?” she asked the two but was looking at Alex. A happy Kara answered instead.

“Yes! It was cool once I got used to it. Guess what? No, you weren’t there, how could you guess? Alex and I joined the Choir!”

“The Choir? Alex that is great! I didn’t know you liked to sing!”

“I don’t.” Alex grumbled.

“Then why…”

“Because somebody has puppy dog eyes, a strange ability to pout very effectively and can cry on command by thinking of Allie and Noah. I’m sure Rose and Jack played a part in this as well. I will not be singing. I will be lip syncing next to Alicia Keyes while she puts the those dorks to shame.”

Eliza smiled, recognizing that Alex wasn’t too upset. She had obviously done it so Kara could be a part of something.

“Hey Kara? Show Mom the picture you drew in art today.”

Kara reached into her pack and pulled out the her drawing of Alex. Eliza was speechless for a moment.

“Wow. This…”

“I know right? Little sis has some skills that don’t involve being an astrophysicist. Pretty cool huh? Thats going up in our room so don’t even think about the fridge. I may get a frame for it. How are you doing Munchkin?”

Alex picked a happy, wobbly Clark up, then noticed he needed to be changed and handed him to Kara. “I signed up for the Choir, you are changing the diapers tonight. Enjoy.”

The rest of the week went well. As predicted by Alex, the conversations about Kara died down considerably as other social drama of junior high took center stage. On Saturday Dante arrived once again and Alex accompanied them to the cave since Kara had accepted she would not stay away regardless.

Once again, Dante had brought his suit but this time did not put it on right away.

“Aren’t you going to put your suit on?”

“No, I won’t be needing it today. Today, I want you to think again of all the things that made you angry last week. Did people talk about you this week at school?”

“Yes, but it stopped for the most part by the end of the week. One girl almost got into a fight with Alex because she asked me if I started the fire that killed my parents. Kids can be mean. Even when I wasn’t being talked about, it seems all they care about is talking about other people. Then they are nice to those people minutes later. It is deceitful. I cannot understand their motivations. Alex isn’t like that.”

“How did you feel when the girl suggested that you caused a fire that killed your parents?”

“I was sad… shocked? Is that right? I didn’t really have time to react. Alex pushed her and she was going to push Alex and I stopped her. I didn’t hurt her. I just put a hand on her shoulder so she couldn’t get to Alex.”

“Did you think about it afterward?”

“Yes. I was not angry. I was just…”

“Sad?” Dante suggested.

“Yes.”

“Okay. Today I want you to think about everything that has made you angry, everything that has made you sad. Do not be afraid to feel. Feel the power building up in you. Do you remember how it felt last week?”

“Yes.” she admitted.

“Good. This time, and this will not be easy,I want you to build up that power, that rage and sadness and when you think you cannot hold it in anymore, you are going to stop. You are going to pull it back. You will not let it control you.”

“I can’t.” Kara told him.

“You can. I have no desire to die of heat stroke in this cave. If I did not think you could do this, I would be in the suit. I believe in you. Believe in yourself. Learn to hold it in, control it. Do not let it control you. Once you feel the power, bring it back, calm yourself and hold it. This will be harder than letting go. Letting go is easy, stopping was more difficult but you had that release. You will get no release this time. This time you will douse that fire before it is unleashed.”

“Only if you put on the suit. If I mess up…”

“You won’t. You are going to trust me after this to not let you drown. I am going to trust you not to let me burn. Lets do this Kara. Really try. The sooner you can do this, control your fear and anger, the sooner you can stop worrying about burning Alex or the house when you sleep at night. I know you want that, right?”

“Yes.” she whispered. Kara looked at the rock, concentrating on the week before. Her thoughts were mixed because despite the needless cruelty not only to her but to each other, Kara had enjoyed the time with Alex. She had enjoyed Choir, and had impressed the teacher. She had gotten used to the smells in biology and was fascinated by Alex’s knowledge of living things or things that used to be alive. The week wasn’t too bad and the good offset the bad. It may have even surpassed it.

So Kara thought about Astra. She thought about Non. She thought about what they would do to the Danvers if she was found.

She thought about the horror stories she had listened to about Rozz when her parents did not think she could hear. Kara remembered every chance her mother had to tell her about Astra, about Krypton, about why she had become Kal’s caretaker and didn’t.

Then she felt it. It was coming. A strange pressure in her head, not heavy or painful, more like a fire that needed gasoline, a thirst that needed to be quenched. The feeling was heady, overtaking most of her thoughts as if all her anger and sadness merged into an expression of pure power.

“Your eyes are glowing. Bring it back in. Take control of your fire and douse it.” Dante whispered behind her. Kara heard him in some part of her brain, she knew she couldn’t let go of the power. Keeping her eyes open wasn’t difficult, it would have impossible to close them now. Here entire body was heating up from the inside and she knew it needed release or she would explode.

“Good. Build the power, flex it, control it and put it down. Your anger does not control you Kara. Only you control you.”

Kara gritted her teeth and tried to pull back, to douse the flames. Every part of her wanted to explode but if she did Dante would be dead.

After a long thirty six seconds, Kara screamed, pushing everything she had, only instead of out, it stayed in her until the pressure lessened. She continued to fight, controlling her breathing straining her young muscles, her entire body locked until the flame was gone, her body cool and her vision no longer red.

Kara fell to the floor face first, Dante catching her before she touched the ground and rolled her onto her back. Kara closed her eyes for a moment and opened to see her mentor smiling over her.

“What the hell did you do!? Why was she screaming?” Alex yelled, running inside, only bumping her head twice in the dark entrance. She saw Kara on the ground and ran to her, practically pushing Dante aside.

“Kara? Are you okay? What is going on?”

“I stopped them.” the blond whispered. “I actually stopped them. It hurt but I did it.”

“Yes you did. You flexed your muscle but did not strike. Now you will be able to call on this power at will, knowing that you can stop it if you wish. Next week we will work on calling it up without becoming angry. You know how it feels now. You know how it feels to let loose and now you know how it feels to take control. I am proud of you Kara. You have done an outstanding job. Wanting to fight is easy. It is in the nature of people like us. Having the strength to hold back and not fight is much, much harder. Are you feeling up to swimming?”

Kara took Alex’s hand and sat up. “She isn’t swimming. You probably caused her to have an aneurism. Wait until I tell Mom and Dad about this. Your Martian is going to have some explaining to do.”

“No, I am fine Alex. I am… exhausted but I am fine. I want to swim.”

Dante looked at Alex. “You bring your suit?”

“Of course. I saw Kara had hers on underneath her clothes. I can’t let her swim without me. She may be able to fly but floating isn’t really her thing. You are really okay?”

“I controlled it, Alex.” Kara told her, still disbelieving she had. “It didn’t control me. I could feel it and I stopped it without closing my eyes. It hurt, but I did it.”

“Great. Meet at the beach. I will change into my wet suit in here and the both of you can learn to swim like sailers.”

By the time the two made it home in the late afternoon, Kara announced that she was fine and had made a lot of progress. Alex announced that Kara had been screaming to the blonde’s irritation. Assuring Eliza and Jeremiah that she was okay, she played with Clark, ate her usual amount of food and was in bed by 8 PM, sleeping dreamlessly through the night.

The next morning, the customary drive taken, Kara found herself in the same room with J’onn.

“How was school?”

“No one told you? I thought Dante…”

“Dante doesn’t say anything about how you are doing, other than you have come far. He isn’t the sharing type. I asked him once and he told me he had it handled and it was between the two of you. Besides,I have been overseeing Naval drills in the Pacific this week, near Hawaii. Did you enjoy it? School?”

“I loved to draw and sing. Alex and I joined the Choir. The teacher said I am very good. It is strange to sing in front of people and to draw and allow others to see.”

“You didn’t sing or draw on Krypton?”

“Yes I did. I sang for Kal all the time, and I drew almost every night. But my drawings… we didn’t actually have a refrigerator to hang them on. All the art in our compound was purchased from an… I guess you would say artist Family? Their compound was on the… what would be considered here the Northern tip of the planet. Our family was not encouraged to have hobbies outside our specialties. I made a sculpture, it was small and crooked but I was young. My father liked it. He put it in our living area. But my drawings… I kept them in the desk by my bed. I… I don’t know why. I should have been studying, learning our family’s history back to the birth of life on Krypton. There were false case studies my mother prepared for me to analyze. I got more attention for completing difficult equations than I did for art. I suppose it was my secret. I am not sure why. Maybe it was the way I was made.”

“But now?”

“Alex, Eliza, Jeremiah, they really liked it. Jeremiah brought a frame home and Alex hung it in our room.”

“How does that make you feel?”

“I guess… proud? I am not sure. Pride was not encouraged. Pride means that you feel as if you cannot be better. It was not enough to be good at something, you were encouraged to be better, to further knowledge. Pride was a hindrance to this. Pride was settling for what had been done and not moving forward.”

“But that was on Krypton. Here it is okay to be proud of something. You are able to feel pride and keep getting better. It is okay.”

“Was it like that on Mars?”

“Our young were encouraged to grow, to be better than their parents but… yes, we are… were very proud of our children. Our culture was very different. We all communicated mentally for the most part. Our families were merged, sharing mental bonds open to each others thoughts and to a lesser degree all Martians shared this with all our kind.”

“It must have been very difficult to have such love and deep connection severed. Is that why you are so kind and help so many aliens?”

J’onn nodded his head. “That is a part of it. I know what it is to be different, lost and feeling all consuming grief. I know that there are many times I feel that I do not deserve to be alive when everyone else is gone. Do you ever feel like this Kara?”

The blonde dropped her head. “I feel… sometimes… it is wrong that so many are dead but I am alive because of… no other reason than who my family was. I sometimes don’t feel worthy.”

“But other times you do?”

“I have kept Kal El alive. He is loved.”

“Do you believe you are loved?”

Kara nodded her head. “I am told often that I am loved and I believe them. I will fail one of my missions though. One of my purposes for surviving was to teach Kal about our home, our traditions, our family. But he would be better off not knowing. I know he will eventually have the same powers I do and I will have to explain why. I will have to explain why he can never be discovered because of who we are, why we are hated by so many for no other reason than our name. I will not tell him our family were the greatest scientific minds on our planet because he will wonder like I do, why they couldn’t save Krypton. I will lie to him about how beautiful the planet was. I won’t tell him about the poisoned water and the quakes. I won’t tell him about the howling winds and poison rain. I will not teach him to pray to Rao. He will be told of Krypton but he will grow up human. He will never see the crystals. He will never be in danger. He will be told he must hide. I am grateful he will never remember the horrors we faced, leaving the planet, landing here, hiding. I will remember for both of us.”

“You mentioned the crystals. Have you determined how they work?”

“Yes. Kal touched one and a hologram of his father appeared. He even scanned me and recognized me. They only work for him. Jor El spoke English. He had loaded his consciousness and knowledge into the AI and told me why I was chosen. I was chosen because my parents would not assist him in building the pod unless I was kept alive. I was told I am his bodyguard and he is the future of our people.”

J’onn internally flinched but did his best to not show his anger.

“What did you do?”

“I told him I was more than Kal’s bodyguard. I told him Kal will never learn about Krypton. I took the crystals and placed them in the backpack. Then I went to the beach and found stones to provide additional weight. I waded out as far as I could and then I threw the bag as far as I could. I have studied maps of the area and I knew there was a drop off just past a small coral reef, a ledge really. I know the bag landed there. Even if the stones did not have the appropriate weight I know they will not wash back. You can send your men to retrieve it but Kal’s DNA will never be used to operate them. If you can find another way, information to stop Aunt Astra, take them. I just never want to see them again.”

J’onn looked at the blonde, so meek at times and unsure and at others so strong and steadfast.

“I think those crystals are exactly where they belong. They are the past. You survived. You deserve to be here and it has nothing to do with Kal El or your family. You are special, Kara. Would you like to fly today or take a Sunday off?”

“I can do that?” she asked, surprised.

“Kara, I do not control you. I realize your family has suspicions but I am not here to turn you into a weapon. I think you need to learn to eventually master it, in the event of the worst case should you ever need them but it isn’t necessary. You will never be forced to do anything you do not want to. You have my word.”

Kara decided he was being honest but still wanted to test him.

“I do not want to fly today. I want to go home and watch Romeo and Juliet.”

J’onn smiled at her, suspecting as much. “Then your Romeo awaits. Just don’t model any future behavior after those fools. They were not quite role models for teenage love.”

The following week started off rough as the first of the Coastal storms hit the town of Midvale. Kara and Alex were sitting in English when the first thunder occurred. The blonde had not been in a storm since she was caught after leaving Alex the first time in the abandoned cabin.

Alex asked if she was alright, noting the sweat on her brow. Kara hardly ever sweated. The only time she had seen the girl sweat was when she found Kara laid on her back in the cave on Saturday.

Alex noticed Kara’s hand shaking, focusing intently on the book on front of her, despite despising Olde English.

Finally after another thunder bolt, Kara spoke up, something she rarely did and asked the Teacher if she could go to the restroom. Comte must have recognized that Kara was not well, she was pale and sweating and quickly gave permission. The blonde left the room quickly, almost too quickly but none noticed.

Alex waited a few minutes, hoping Kara just needed a moment to collect herself. When five minutes went by and Kara had not returned, she was beginning to panic, having visions of the blonde running off and away from the storm at incredible speeds.

“Miss Comte, can…”

“Go check on her.” the teacher told the girl immediately. Alex moved without hesitation, thinking she should search the bathroom first, in case the blonde alien had actually gone inside it. Opening the door she saw no one but definitely heard her. Moving to the stall closest to the wall, she jerked it open and found Kara curled between the toilet and wall, eyes closed and shaking, breathing rapidly. Her face looked as if was in pain and her cheeks were red, the sweat worsening.

“Kara? Kara talk to me.” Alex asked her, bending over the girl. Kara could not hear her.

Instead the girl was lost in a world of fear. She was not thinking of Krypton or any of the nightmares she had endured. She just knew in class that she had a feeling of foreboding and had to get away. Running and hiding was all that was on her mind but the second she feel into the corner, she felt as if she were about to be killed. Fear took over, not nightmares, no target for her power, just an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

Alex shook the unresponsive girl, trying to break her trance but it did no good. She relaxed when Kara’s breathing evened out, only to panic once more when she realized the girl had fallen unconscious from hyperventilating.

“Damn it! Wake up Kara, you are seriously freaking me out.” Pulling her phone and seeing there were no bars, Alex reluctantly left her to sit in the bathroom stall corner, calling Eliza who picked up immediately. She knew Alex’s call tone and her daughter would never call unless there was an emergency.

“Whats wrong?”

A frantic Alex on the other end, calmed herself enough to talk. “Kara passed out in the bathroom. I think she had a panic attack and I don’t know what to do! Should I tell a teacher, get a nurse? They can’t look at her closely. Should I try to wake her? She was freaking out! She wouldn’t even open her eyes or talk.”

“Stay with her. I’m on my way. Call for the nearest teacher but do not let them call an ambulance. Tell whoever she had a panic attack and I am bringing her medicine. I will be there in five minutes.”

Eliza ended the call leaving Alex shaken and alone, waiting for help. She ran back into the bathroom, Kara still not up. Trying to wake her once more, Kara still lay limp, sleeping as deeply as Alex had ever seen. Checking her pulse she was relieved that her heart rate was normal. She ran out of the bathroom again and into the next class where Mrs. Alvarez was going over the Louisiana Purchase.

“I need your help now.”

The teacher told her class to stay put and ran behind Alex who was already trying to pull Kara out of the stall.

“She had a panic attack. My mother is in her way. Please don’t call an ambulance. Mom is kind of a doctor and has Kara’s medicine. Kara will be so embarrassed if she is taken out by an ambulance. She doesn’t need more anxiety.”

The teacher helped her pull the girl out and lay her gently on the floor.

“She needs…” the teacher started, panicking a bit herself.

“If you call an ambulance she will be so embarrassed she would never come back to school.”

“Does this happen often?” the worried woman asked, trying to decide what to do with an unconscious student.

“Her parents… they died in a fire but there was an explosion and Kara heard it. The thunder…”

“You poor child.” Alvarez whispered. Taking a paper towel and slightly dampening it, she patted Kara’s face, trying to cool her feverish skin off. A minute later Eliza burst in, handing a very confused Clark to Alex and scooping Kara up in her arms. Eliza was not a large woman by any means but had no problem picking the thirteen year old up.

“Thank you for your help. Could you please tell Alex’s teacher that Kara was sick and Alex accompanied her home. Please do not tell anyone but her what happened and ask her that she keep it quiet. I do not want this getting out.”

“Of course.”Alverez told Eliza who was a woman on a mission. Walking out the nearest exit, Alex following behind and doing her best to keep Kal dry, the four made it to the car, where Eliza buckled Kara into the back seat and Alex buckled Clark in his baby seat.

“This is my fault. I knew I should have kept her home today! I saw the weather report and thought… I thought the noise might upset her but I let her go anyway. I’m an idiot!” Eliza huffed, in frustration at herself. “Alex call your father and tell him what happened.”

Kara woke three hours later in her bed, the storm having passed. Jeremiah, Eliza and Alex were sitting by her bed, nearly causing the blonde to shout in surprise.

“Hey you. Feeling better?” her sister asked.

“What happened? How did I get home?”

“You passed out in the bathroom.” Eliza told her, brushing her hair with her hands. “Do you remember?”

“Kara shook her head. “I remember being upset, being afraid. I felt like I couldn’t breathe and my chest hurt. I remember going to the bathroom but that is all. Did anyone see me?”

“No, none of the kids saw you. Alex found you and I brought you home before the class bell. Only one teacher knows and she won’t say anything. Your English teacher just thinks you had a stomach flu.”

Kara looked at Alex. “Did I embarrass you?”

“You have really got to stop worrying about that. You scared me is what you did. The next time you are feeling like that you need to tell me so I can take you home, okay? Promise?”

“Yes. How long have I been asleep?”

“Only a few hours. Are you hungry?” Jeremiah asked, still shaken from the call a frantic Alex had given him and wishing he didn’t work so far away from home.

“No. I just want to lie here longer if that is okay?”

“Of course.” Eliza assured her. “I will fix you a sandwich or five and you can eat in bed. Would you mind if Clark lays down with you? I can tell he has been worried. He hasn’t been happy since we got you home.”

“Yes, I would like to have him with me. Thank you.”

Alex got into bed with Kara and Clark and the three just laid for the rest of the night, only sitting up to eat sandwiches and later pizza Eliza had brought them, while Jeremiah and Eliza sat downstairs learning everything they could about anxiety attacks and finding remedies that could help which did not involve drugs. There were not many, other than the simple meditation techniques which focused more on preventing panic attacks. Finally Jeremiah made use of the phone Connolly had given him for the first time.

“We are moving, whats going on?” Connolly answered.

“No emergency.” Jeremiah told the man immediately. “I need to get into contact with J’onn. It was thundering today…”

“And Kara had a panic attack. How severe?”

“Enough that she hyperventilated and passed out.” the man admitted.

“J’onn is in Washington this week for a series of meetings. Is she okay for the moment?”

“Yes…”

“I will be there first thing in the morning.”

“You? What about Dante?”

“Trust me, Jeremiah.” Connolly told him and ended the call.

True to his word, Connolly did show up at 7 AM. Kara and Alex both stayed home from school that day, Alex refusing to leave her side. Although Kara seemed fine and had dressed for school, no one was fooled and Eliza told her there was no way she would be going today. Connolly walked in and asked Kara if he could speak to her alone in her room. The blonde agreed, and he followed her upstairs.

“What do you think he is going to say? Should we trust him?” Eliza asked.

“We are about to find out. I put Clark’s monitor in her room this morning in case he wanted to talk to her alone. I hate to ease drop but there is no way I am not going to listen to what he says to her.” the man informed his wife and made his way to his bedroom where he could listen with the volume very low.

Connolly for his part didn’t care if anyone was listening. He had never seen Kara look this drained in the times he had seen her.

“Mind if I sit?” he asked the girl, pulling a chair in front of her where she sat on the edge of her bed.”

“No, thats fine.”

“You had a panic attack yesterday. Do you know what those are?”

“No, not really. I have an idea. I don’t remember much.”

“You won’t because when this happens you aren’t really thinking. You are overcome with fear. Thats okay. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Can I tell you a story about a boy who had panic attacks? It isn’t a very happy story but I think you have been through enough that you can handle unhappy stories.”

“I can handle it.”

“I knew a boy who had a father who wasn’t very nice. He was only 5 years old but he knew that his father hurt his mother quite a bit, especially when he got drunk. The boy was scared of his father and so was his mother.”

“Why didn’t his mother take the boy away?”

“Because despite everything he did to her, she loved him. One day he had a gun and threatened to kill her. They fought and he dropped the gun. The boy took it and wanted to protect his mother so he pulled the trigger.I bet you have watched enough action movies to know what happens when a trigger is pulled, right?”

“Yes.” the girl admitted.

“The boys mother was upset. He didn’t understand why. His ears were ringing because of how loud the gun was. His mom took the gun away from the boy. She then used it to kill herself.”

“Thats horrible.” Kara told him, not imaging why anyone would do this.

“Yeah, it was. The boy had panic attacks like you, every time he heard a loud noise like thunder or a gun or even watched a movie where a gun was fired he would let his fear take over. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t move and he thought he would die. This lasted a long time. He didn’t have good people looking after him like you do.”

Kara took this in. She had seen many action movies and read enough online, watched enough news to know humans did horrible things to each other.

“Did… he get better? Did they stop?”

“Yes they did. When the boy was eleven he was taken in by a good man, like the Danvers have taken you in. He had never spoken to anyone about what happened but he found himself opening up to this man, telling him everything. The man was very wise, He had been a warrior and knew battle but he also knew peace. So the boy learned to meditate. To focus on anything besides the sounds he heard that scared him. He learned to fight, to take control of his life and his fears to an extent, the same way Dante is helping you take control of this heat vision of yours. But that wasn’t enough, because the fear of thunder and loud bangs still caused him to hesitate, to stop what he was doing and focus on drowning out the fear. So the man who took care of him, finally took him to a gun range. He was fifteen and though he was older, the sights and sounds of the place scared him. Max… Max, this man, talked to him, stood next to him and stayed by his side while the boy fired a gun for the first time since he was five. He was scared, but he did it again anyway. He kept doing it until the fear was silent. It would always be there but it never controlled him again. When he heard the sound of thunder it didn’t bother him. Gunfire stopped bothering him. He actually became a pretty good shot. Do you know why?”

“No.”

“Because he faced his fear. You aren’t there yet, but one day you will be.”

“I need to fire a gun?”

“God no. Stay away from guns. You are going to face your fears in a different way. You are going to recognize your triggers, know why they make you feel the way they do. You are also going to learn to meditate, something Dante is going to teach you this when he sees you in two days. You are very good at drowning out most of the sounds you hear that bother you. You wouldn’t be able to stand being in school if you weren’t. Now you are going to take it to the next level. You are going to be able to know when something like a panic attack is coming over you and recognize it. You are going to leave class and take Alex with you. Find a quiet place and you will learn to empty everything in your mind. You will escape your body. You will drown out everything, no sight, no smells and no sounds until you feel at absolute peace. This isn’t easy and you won’t be able to do it right away but with practice it will come to you easily. Until then if you feel like it is going to happen for now, let your teacher know you need to go home. I am going to tell you some things you can do right now to help with them, to lessen them and eventually through meditation and being at peace with yourself this will no longer bother you. I wouldn’t say that to everyone. But you are strong. Do you want to hear about these techniques?”

“Yes.”

Connolly spent the next ten minutes talking to Kara about recognizing triggers, breathing deeply and trying to calm her heart rate. Counting backwards in her mind or focusing on advanced mathematics problems until Eliza can come to her, and as a last resort flexing and relaxing her muscles. After he was finished he ruffled her hair to Kara’s annoyance and met Jeremiah and Eliza downstairs.

“I’m guessing you are going to tell her teacher’s about this. She needs to be able to get away. I would recommend keeping her home on days that storms are in the forecast.”

“Yeah, we figured that. I read about the techniques you told her about already.” Jeremiah told the man. Connolly was not surprised he had been listening. He would have been to if it was his daughter. “You couldn’t have given her a less violent story to make her feel better?”

“Sorry, It’s the only one I know. She had been through too much to go for fairy tales. J’onn thinks she hasn’t even begun to deal with grief over her parents death, considering how much she has had to deal with already. I am guessing you are going to keep her home tomorrow as well. Dante was planning on starting meditation with her on Saturday anyway. Its going to take a while for her to get a handle on this but she will. Thanks for calling. If there is ever anything we can do, especially something like this, don’t hesitate.”

“Thank you for coming.” Eliza told him as he walked out.

“Hey Connolly, what happened to that boy?” Jeremiah asked before the man got into his Jeep.

“He became a Navy Seal working for a Martian. Weird world we live in huh? I guess that is what makes it interesting. Have a good day guys.”

The weekend went well and the anxiety attack was not spoken of. After her meditation time and swimming lesson on Saturday, Kara was back to her smiling self, finally convincing Jeremiah to watch Mama Mia with her and playing with Alex and Clark on the beach. She did not see J’onn on Sunday because he was still stuck in Washington in meetings but the Martian did call her. Whatever he said in the short phone call made her laugh so the parents supposed it wasn’t too serious a conversation.

On Monday the Danvers met with the principle first thing that morning and explained the situation. She was sympathetic and promised to discreetly talk to Kara’s teachers.

Tuesday afternoon Alex was a but surprised when Micah Sanders asked her to join fellow students after school at the beach. Micah wasn’t exactly the type that would normally be caught dead associating with those who weren’t cheerleaders or as Alex fondly referred to as, sluts. She agreed that her and Kara would be there.

“Do you have to bring her? I realize she follows you around everywhere but your parents do give you a break every now and then, right?”

“She doesn’t follow me. We stay together because I want her with me. If it bothers you then we can go to the beach near my house. No big deal. Thanks for the offer.”

“No wait! Its fine. C’mon and hang with us. You never talk to anyone.”

“No one ever talks to me.” Alex countered.

“Maybe if you came to the beach others might. Please?”

Alex suspected something was up. She wasn’t stupid. There was no way out of the blue she would be asked to go out with this crowd if they didn’t have bad intentions.

“She will go.” Kara told the boy, having listened to the conversation.

“Looks like your little sister has made the decision for you. See you there.” he told her with a wink and walked off. A very annoyed Alex turned on Kara.

“Why did you say that?”

“Because I know you want to go. I can stay back. It’s okay Alex.”

“I don’t want to go.”

“It isn’t right that people won’t talk to you because of me.” she countered.

“Whatever. If I go, you go. You got me into this mess. They want something and I want to know what it is I guess.”

The rest of the classes flew by and Alex and Kara found themselves on the beach with the half the eight grade class. It was too cool that day to swim but kids seemed to be just hanging out anyway. Micah asked if he could talk to Alex alone. Kara gently pushed her and walked away, looking at the Seagulls overhead, wishing she had bread to feed them. Perhaps if she snuck off she could take Clark to the beach by the house and Alex could spend time with others for a change.

Alex kept her eye on Kara but was curious what Micah wanted to talk to her about.

“Hey… why is she staring at the birds like that?”

“She likes birds.” Alex answered shortly.

“Oh… okay. Listen, is the rumor true?”

Alex was instantly alert.

“What rumor?”

“You know, that the baby living with you is her kid. Becky said she stayed out two days last week because she had morning sickness and is pregnant again. Does she like have an older boyfriend…”

Micah’s questions were cut off when Alex hit him in the mouth, splitting his lip.

“Stay away from her and stay away from me. No rumors about her are true and tell Becky if she doesn’t shut up I am going to beat the hell out of her.”

“You split my lip!”

“Be glad I didn’t kick your nuts…”

All conversations and interest in Micah and Alex’s conversation ended when they all heard the crash. Kara took off running, Alex hot in her heels. By the time Kara arrived at the scene of the crash, Alex was only seconds behind her, followed by everyone else who had been on the beach. A car somehow turned onto its side and slid into a power line post, knocking the line down.

“Stay back Kara. We don’t know what electricity will do to you.” Alex told her, grabbing her arm as tightly as she could. Kara was focused on peering inside the car. She saw a baby in a car seat and the mother behind the steering wheel.”

“I can get them out Alex.” she told her sister.

“No! You are human and human’s call the Fire Department which is what half of those around us are doing.”

“There is a baby inside.” the blonde told her, stepping towards the car.

“Kara, you can be hurt. You don’t know if you are indestructible, not from this. If you move them and they have injuries you could make it worse.”

Kara heard her, understood what she was saying, but she also saw the gas leaking from the car towards the downed power line.

“The fire department won’t make it…”

With wide eyes, she saw everything happen as if it was in slow motion. She saw the spark, she saw the gas light up and saw the trail of fire going into the car. The vehicle exploded, so loud that Kara screamed, but once again in slow motion she saw the metal of the car flying, the fireball right behind it. She reacted, grabbing Alex and throwing her to the ground, covering her sister with her own body. Once the noise was over, Alex looked out from under Kara and saw several students had been injured in some way but none appeared dead. She also knew that had Kara not knocked her over a piece of metal would have taken her head off. Kara rolled off and Alex could see the gash in her shirt where the metal had hit her back and bounced off, leaving no marks except a wide gash in the cloth.

“Alex, are you okay?”

“Yeah… yeah I’m good… thank you…”

“Oh Rao.” Kara said, looking at the car on fire. Her eyes wouldn’t stop staring and Alex regained her sense enough to remember there had been a mother and baby in that car.

“I let them die, Alex. I let them die. Rao forgive me, I let them die.”