The fading afternoon light filtered through the windows of the school newspaper room. The sound of footsteps in the hallway had dwindled to faint echoes. Chloe straightened the printed pages on the central table. Alicia, perched sideways on the couch, scrolled through her phone, lingering on a recent memory.
Clark was still analyzing the video's final frame when he heard her voice.
"You should head to the field."
He blinked slowly, shifting his gaze from the screen to Chloe.
'Go? Now?'
"You just said this was a priority. That we'd tackle it together."
Chloe crossed her arms firmly, showing no hesitation.
"That's exactly why you need to see it for yourself. If I just show you everything, it's not an investigation. It's a report."
Clark looked away for a moment, pressing his lips together.
'She asked me to stay. Said she wanted to work together. And now this?'
"So you didn't call me here to work together. You called me to send me away?"
Chloe shook her head slowly.
"No. I called you because I trust you. But this needs your eyes on the ground more than your friendly shoulder."
Her answer was logical. Clear. Professional.
But the sting of disappointment burned quietly.
'They say one thing, feel another, then expect you to guess the third.'
Clark leaned back in the chair, arms crossed.
'Not even telescopic vision, super-hearing, or microexpression reading can crack the female mind.'
'This must be the final level. And I'm stuck in the intermediate stage.'
Chloe turned back to her papers. Alicia fiddled with her phone, pretending not to listen but catching every word.
Clark stood slowly. The chair scraped across the linoleum with a dry sound.
"I'll check out what's happening on the field."
He spoke without anger, but without warmth either.
Chloe nodded without looking up.
"If you find anything weird… come back. And tell me."
Clark walked to the door, his steps measured.
Before leaving, he glanced over his shoulder.
"I'll be back. Just don't send me away again when I do."
The door closed behind him with a muted click.
The hallway was empty, silent. Clark walked slowly, but his mind raced.
'The girls say they want partnership, but what they really want is control… when it suits them.'
'Or maybe I'm taking it too seriously. Maybe I just… want her to want me to stay.'
He pushed through the side doors, feeling the cooler air hit his face.
The field lay ahead.
Clark stopped in the shade of a tree and observed without moving.
The players were stretching in a group, but their eyes weren't on the coach. Or the drills. They were on the cheerleaders.
Specifically, Amanda.
She laughed with Danny at her side, and he grinned like it was the highlight of his life.
'They're not even pretending anymore.'
Clark crossed his arms.
'This isn't practice. It's a parade with high-end babysitters in charge.'
The cheerleaders scribbled on colorful clipboards. Their expressions were focused, but their behavior was commanding. One ordered Danny to retie his shoes. Another pointed at a player's knees, complaining he was sweating too much.
The coach went unnoticed.
Jason—or rather, the new "assistant coach"—stood with his hands in his pockets, expression neutral.
But Clark noticed his eyes.
Jason was watching the cheerleaders. Not the players. It was subtle, but it was there.
'He's caught on, at least.'
Practice continued. Amanda snapped her fingers twice. The players stopped warming up instantly.
Danny turned immediately and ran to her.
The other cheerleaders grew irritated. They started calling their respective players like it was a competition.
"Come on, Brian. You're not done yet."
"Tyler, get over here. Now."
Clark narrowed his eyes.
'They're running this practice. Literally.'
He glanced at the blue cooler by the bench.
Two cups were half-empty. The lid, poorly closed.
[X-Ray Vision: Activated]
Clark scanned the cooler for a second. The water inside shimmered with a faint green hue. Not normal. Not healthy.
'Of course. Manipulation through ingestion. Basic chemistry. Emotional control amplified by visual bonding. It's all the same as what I saw in that other life…'
[X-Ray Vision: Deactivated]
He took a step forward, then two more.
He reached the bench, glanced around, and discreetly aimed his heat vision at the cooler.
Fsssssssshhhh
Two seconds. Vapor began to rise.
POP
The lid swelled and burst with a muffled snap. The green liquid spilled, staining the ground.
At that moment, the players froze mid-action.
Danny threw himself in front of Amanda without thinking, like a rushed bodyguard.
Other boys did the same for their respective cheerleaders. Arms raised, shielding postures, eyes wide.
The girls weren't hurt but looked annoyed at their wet clipboards.
Amanda cursed under her breath, shaking the damp paper.
"Great. Everything was written here."
Clark walked slowly toward the bench.
He glanced at the ground, then at the steaming liquid.
'They're drinking this stuff straight.'
Jason turned as he approached. Hands in pockets, expression calm. But his eyes, alert.
Clark stopped a few steps away. His smile was light, but his handshake was firmer than needed.
"Clark Kent. Just came to meet the new guy at school."
Jason returned the grip. His posture held, but his fingers twitched for a second.
"Jason Teague. Pleasure."
Clark kept the smile.
"You've got a Dean vibe. Ever heard that before?"
Jason raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Not often."
"You should. Something… familiar." Clark glanced around, unhurried. "And that green water… doesn't look too healthy."
Jason didn't react. He just glanced at the burst cooler.
"Could be bad refrigeration."
"Yeah, could be."
Clark turned calmly, his steps relaxed. But before leaving, he glanced over his shoulder.
"Nice meeting you, Dean. See you around."
Jason narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't respond immediately.
He just watched as Clark walked off the field, unhurried, hands in pockets.
'Strange kid.'
Jason's gaze slid back to the players, still frozen, and the cheerleaders, busy drying clipboards with paper towels.
'But not the strangest I've met today.'
He walked to the midfield line, stopped firmly, and clapped his hands hard.
CLAP!
CLAP!
"Let's go, people. Three laps around the field. Then tactical drills."
The players exchanged quick glances.
No one moved.
They all turned their heads at once, toward the cheerleaders.
Amanda rolled her eyes, exasperated.
"Go, Danny. It's fine."
The other girls followed with subtle cues—a nod, a raised eyebrow, a permissive smile.
Only then did the boys start moving, one by one, like soldiers awaiting orders from superiors.
Even while running, they kept looking back, as if seeking constant approval.
Jason watched, clipboard in hand.
'Things have changed since my school days.'
Clark rounded the corner of the main building and entered the side hallway, now nearly empty.
The school's silence was comforting. Familiar.
He didn't rush his steps.
"Now I just need to talk to Chloe about the water, sort this out with her and Alicia, and then check if Isobel's awakened in Lana."
The orange light of late afternoon streamed through the hallway windows, painting the floor with golden patches.
Clark ran a hand through his hair and kept walking.
The world didn't stop. And the questions only multiplied.
But now he had pieces. It was just a matter of fitting them together.
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