Into Dust

Into Dust
Flora Winters
I do not own Smallville or any of its amazing characters.
Summary: If he can’t find true love…the blessing of the Moon will become his eternal curse. MM, Language.

Chapter Four

It was dark and there was a silver fog ghosting over the ground as I ran through the woods from my house. My stepfather was passed out drunk in his bed and Tim was more than likely stoned out of his mind right now. I really wished the stupid dick would overdose and die, and that my stepfather would drive his stupid ass off a short cliff. Maybe the two of them could go off a short cliff together. A funny scene from Death Becomes Her flashed through my mind and I chuckled through the tears. That had been one of favorite movies…when I had been allowed to actually own movies.

I stopped running and leaned my aching back against a tree so I could take a breather. My ribs hurt, but I am happy that they are not broken. But, I am going to have some lovely bruises come morning.

I took a look around and had no idea where the hell I was at. It was so dark and the sky was too cloudy for any moonlight or starlight to shine through. All the night creatures were making their spooky noises and I started running when I heard a twig snap from a little ways off from me.

Why in the hell am I out in the spooky woods at night for? This is a prefect place for a fucking hatchet murder to take place. Well, I guess being murdered that quickly would be better than going back to that house to die a slow death where my soul would be completely destroyed.

Was that the sound of feet running, or was that the sound of my heart racing as I ran over the dead leaves? There was something following me and I am too afraid to turn around and see what it might be. It could be a wolf, or it might be a bear. Did Kansas have bears? Is that a glowing green rock?

Snap!

Screw the rock!

I switched directions and the ghostly white fog swirled around me as I ran through the tall grass. There was something in the fog and it was going to fucking get me. Why the hell am I not screaming? I should be screaming and crying out for somebody to save me right now.

I let out a short yelp when my foot hit something hard and I fell flat on my face. I was too stunned to move and the wind had been knocked out of me.

The only sounds I can hear are the crickets chirping happily and my scared little heart racing like a frightened bunny rabbit in my ears.

I slowly lifted my head up and looked back at my feet. A cold chill ran down my spine. I had tripped and fallen over a gravestone. Now, wasn’t this just fucking perfect? I’m laying on my face, in the middle of the night, in a fucking graveyard. It couldn’t possibly get any scarier than this.

Snap!

I let out a gasp and scrambled to my knees to crawl behind a much larger tombstone. There was obviously something that was my size or larger in this spooky graveyard with me.

What if it was a fucking zombie?

That was when I actually started to hear heavy footsteps coming from something that was large…and it was getting closer.

What in the hell is it?

I am too afraid to peek over the stone to see what it is…and then I heard a girl talking.

It’s a ghost!

Wow, I really am a pussy. All I need now is some leather cat ears and a cute furry tail.

I’m going to die…I’m losing my footing.

“Clark,” the girl’s voice cried out in alarm.

And that was when I let out another yelp and fell flat on my side with two figures looking down at me in surprise.

“Darrian,” Clark asked in surprise as I rolled over and looked up at them, “What are you doing here?”

“And why are you hiding behind my parent’s grave,” the young woman asked.

“Uh,” I said and that was when I saw the horse, “Hiding…from that.”

“My horse,” she asked and turned to Clark, “Who is this? Why are you here, Clark?”

Clark helped me to my feet, “This is my new friend, Darrian White, and I’d rather not talk about it, Lana.”

“I was walking through the woods when I heard a snap,” I said with a slight shrug, “And that was when I felt into horror flick mode.”

Lana nodded her head, “Well, the two of you definitely freaked me out.”

“Why are you walking through the woods so late at night,” Clark asked me and I realized he had just released my hand. Had he been holding it for this long?

“Needed some air,” I lied and wanted to snarl at Lana’s horse for some odd reason. It was not nice spooking people like that.

I missed the sparkle of disbelief in his green eyes, “Why are you two here?”

“Space,” Clark replied simply.

“Visiting my parents,” Lana said and I noticed the pretty flowers in her hands.

“Oh,” I said looking down at the front of the grave I had been hiding behind earlier, “I’ll leave you to it then, Miss Ling. See you two later.”

“Lang,” Both Clark and Lana said at the same time.

“Sorry,” I said and turned away, “I’ve got to go.”

I thought I heard Clark say something but I was already running away. I was embarrassed, and filled with a new kind of pain I could not identify. I feel so stupid.

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Fog played around my ankles as I ran through the graveyard being careful not to fall again. Just how big was this place? It seemed as though it just went on forever and ever.

My side started aching and my breath left me. I stumbled and fell to my knees in pain. There was a dark shadow looming over me and I gazed up into the face of a giant stone angel with its head bowed in prayer.

My entire body felt like it was on fire and I curled up into a tight ball. What was happening to me? This was out it felt when…I was on the bridge.

I wanted to scream but that might mean Clark and Lana would hear me. I was freezing, but my skin felt like it was melting from my bones.

I swallowed and moaned as I pulled myself up by gripping the base of the statue. For some odd reason the angel felt funny. Shouldn’t stone be cold…and hard?

I looked up in slight fear to see that I was gripping Clark’s legs. How had he gotten here so fast? How could I not of heard him? He had a very strange look on his face and I saw what it was he was looking at. It was my hands.

They were once again that long, shiny, platinum colored…and I was accidentally shredding his pant legs…but not the skin underneath. Just what the hell was he made out of…steel?

I pulled away from him and crawled back against a tombstone, panting.

“Its okay,” he said in a soft voice with a warm smile on his face, “I knew something was wrong when I saw the tear stains on your face.”

I pulled my knees in tightly and wanted to vanish into the cold stone. Even though I had on jeans and his hoodie…I could not stop shivering.

“How did you,” I tried to ask, but my mouth suddenly went funny, and I cried out in pain.

He was kneeling at my side in an instant with his strong hands gripping my shoulders. My eyes must have dilated, because I could not see anything.

He was warm. Clark was so warm…and he smelled so good.

“You’re burning up,” he said as I huddled closer to the heat his body seemed to just radiate, “I’m taking you to the farm.”

I felt him lift me up into his arms as if I weighed nothing. He held me close and that was when utter darkness took me under her wings as the roar of the wind raced all around me.

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I could hear voices on either side of me and they were filled with concern.

“His front and back are covered with them Jonathan,” a soft voice said in outrage.

Jonathan?

“I know,” he said and I could feel a gentle hand running through my hair, “But his…hands?”

“He’s different,” a different yet familiar voice defended, “Like…me.”

Clark?

I forced my eyes open and blinked several times to see worried faces looking down at me.

What was going on?

“Clark,” I whispered and moved my body a little only to flinch in pain.

“You’re okay,” he said and put his hand on my chest to keep me still.

His hand was so warm against my naked chest.

Naked?

My eyes widened and the instinct to quickly cover up came into play full force. I gripped the quilt and pulled it up to my neck and over my face to hide the tears of shame that were simply streaming from my tired eyes.

How am I going to explain this? I was in so much trouble. He would kill me now.

“Darrian,” Mrs. Kent cooed to me gently, “You’re okay.”

She pulled the cover away from my face and I saw her long nails and flinched away. The look of sorrow on her face horrified me.

All I had on was my jeans. They had seen my hideous body. They had seen my scars. They are seeing them now.

I gazed down to see the bandage that was covering up the bruise on my rib and the tears fell faster. I pulled the quilt around me tightly, like a shield against their eyes, and turned away.

I didn’t know what to do. I have never been in a situation like this before. What were they going to do? Were they going to tell?

My hands!

They looked normal again.

Clark?

He saw!

“Darrian,” Mr. Kent said in a gruff voice, “You’re staying here.”

“What,” I asked in shock and shook my head, “No, I can’t.”

“You are,” Clark said and those green eyes were filled with a burning hot blaze, “You can sleep right here in my bed.”

His bed?

My reaction to everything gave my one true dark secret away. I am such an idiot. I should’ve just licked my wounds and went to bed.

“What are you going to do,” I asked in fear.

“Help you,” Clark said and both his parents nodded.

“You can’t,” I hissed and got to my feet, “How dare you strip me down!”

Clark suddenly blushed, “You were bleeding…and…it is my hoodie.”

My bottom lip trembled and I backed away when Mr. Kent stepped towards me. In my mind I saw that hand being raised to strike.

“Don’t,” I cried out and put my hands up to shield my face which caused the quilt to fall at my feet, revealing me once more.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Mrs. Kent said softly and had a hand over her heart.

Was she crying? Why was she crying?

I opened my eyes to see that Mr. Kent looked heartsick and Clark just looked like a statue with some unreadable emotion on his face.

I slowly lowered my arms and wrapped them around myself in shame. I bit my bottom lip and turned my back to them so I could pick up the quilt to cover back up.

I stiffened when I felt that familiar hand gently grip my shoulder and I slowly relaxed, “Here.”

I turned around to see that Clark was offering me a pale green hoodie. The two elder Kent’s looked as though they were fighting some kind of battle on the surface of their minds.

“Who could do that to their own flesh and blood,” Mr. Kent’s internal voice raged.

“Monsters,” Mrs. Kent shrieked and I saw her wielding a scythe, “I would rather cut off my own hands that to ever use them to strike my child!”

“Stepfather,” I said out loud before I thought and the two of them looked at each other.

I took the hoodie from Clark and he actually took the quilt and held it up to shield me from their eyes as I quickly put the hoodie on. I didn’t know what to think.

“Thank you,” I whispered and quickly turned away from my own face when I saw it in his mirror, “I have to go home.”

“No,” Clark said shaking his head.

“We can’t let you go back there,” Mrs. Kent said, “Not after we saw this.”

“You don’t know me,” I said and looked for my shoes, “You don’t know him.”

Mr. Kent shook his head, “Let us help you.”

“I’m fine,” I lied and Clark knew it, “I’m fine.”

“You’re on the verge of breaking down,” Clark said in a sad tone, “That’s why you were in the graveyard. Does he hit you because you’re special?”

Special?

“When you feel yourself changing like you did tonight,” he said, “You have to run from him or you might hurt him like he hurts you.”

I’m special? Is that how he sees me?

“Look,” I said and slid my bare feet into my sneakers, “Thanks for your concern…but I can take are of myself.”

“How long,” Clark asked.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t answer. If I did answer…I wouldn’t shut up until it was all out.

“I have to go,” I said and moved to run from the room only to run right smack into Clark’s rock hard chest.

Mr. and Mrs. Kent froze in their tracks when I stumbled back with shock on my face.

“How did you,” I asked and then I saw his shredded pant legs. I looked at my hands in horror.

Special?

“I’m special, too,” he said and ignored the looks of concern he was getting from his parents, “Let us help you.”

The look on his kind face and the emotion in his warm eyes made my knees turn to jelly. He was different…I was different.

What the hell am I?”

“Weird things only started happening to me today,” I said slowly looking him over as if he might sprout wings or snort fire at any moment, “Jumping over that car, the weird claws, and the scary voice. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“What,” both elder Kent’s asked in alarm, “Clark?”

Their voices were so loud in my head. I was starting to get a headache. I’m losing my damn mind. Pretty soon I would be in a happy little padded cell, with a pretty ceiling, and a stylish straight jacket. “Straight” jacket? Now, that’s funny.

Clark shook his head at them, “I just found out that I’m really different, too. I thought I was just faster and stronger than everyone else. It turns out I have secrets just like you do.”

“Clark,” Mr. Kent warned.

“Stay,” Clark asked softly and was right in front of me in a blink, “Please?”

“We can help you,” Mrs. Kent said.

I shivered, “He’ll be so mad.”

“He won’t touch you,” Clark said and for some odd reason…I believed him.

“Why are you doing this,” I asked, “I’m nobody.”

“You’re Darrian,” Clark smiled, “My new friend.”

Friend?

“Plus,” Mrs. Kent said trying to lighten the mood, “You enjoyed my applesauce.”

It was yummy.

“I’m calling Ethan,” Mr. Kent said and left the room with something burning in his eyes. I really did not want to piss this man off.

“Who is that,” I asked and a cold chill wracked my body and Clark looked at me in concern. I partly smiled to reassure him that I was fine. But, I wasn’t fine. I don’t think I will ever be fine. Why, Mommy?

“The sheriff,” Mrs. Kent said, “I’m going to go make some tea.”

She left the room and I was all alone with Clark…in his bedroom.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, “I bet you wished you were with Miss Ling right now.”

“Lang,” Clark corrected with a smile, “And no…I’m glad to be here.”

I blushed, “Why?”

“My secret,” he said, “But, you should try and get some sleep.”

I turned back to look at his bed and my blush only deepened. Everything in this room smelled like him and my hands suddenly felt funny.

“That is so cool,” Clark said in awe as I gazed at my razor sharp talons. They reminded me of how the Dark Queen’s looked from the cover of a DragonLance novel.

“I don’t know what I am,” I said looking them over and let him touch them, “But, what are you?”

“Complicated,” he answered, “And confused.”

I nodded and kicked my shoes back off. The wooden floor was cold against the bottoms of my bare feet and I crawled back onto Clark’s bed. It was smaller that mine but it was more comfortable.

“I’ll be downstairs,” Clark said and walked over and turned off the light, “Just shout and I’ll be here in a blink.”

“Clark,” I asked, “Nightlight?”

Now who was blushing?

“How else am I going to find my way to the bathroom in the dark,” he asked, “Just pee until I hear water?”

I snorted. Nice save, Mr. Kent.

“Clark,” I asked.

“Yeah?”

“Stay with me,” I asked and sat up, “Even with a nightlight…the darkness is still scary…for me.”

He nodded and pulled up a comfy looking chair. I watched him take a seat and prop his feet up at the foot of the bed. It made me smile. He had very large feet. No wonder he looked so goofy in gym class today. He had not grown into them yet.

“Thanks,” I whispered and closed my eyes.

The pillow smelled just like he did. There was hint of something citrus and then…hay.

What the hell am I thinking?

I listened to Clark’s even breathing and that slowly lulled me away from all the hurt.

TBC…

Please review and tell me what you think.

Flora.