Chapter 5: Little Secrets

Kara walked between the two Jordan sisters as they set off the next morning. She missed her family terribly, but Emily and her sister had tried hard to make her feel at home. She supposed that as kidnappings went this one could have been a lot worse. She could’ve been tied to a chair in a remote cabin, at the mercy of…

“You look a little tired, sweetie,” said Emily, interrupting her daydream. “Did you not sleep well? Was the air mattress OK?”

Kara shook her head. “The air mattress was fine, but I had a nightmare that I have sometimes.” Now that she was outside in the sun her exposed skin was starting to itch: her hands, her face. It wasn’t severe but it was annoying. She scratched at it. Something about the situation echoed her nightmare last night but she couldn’t remember enough to know why.

Emily stopped walking. “Are you itchy, sweetheart?”

“A little.”

“Let me see.” She pulled Kara’s sweater sleeve up, lifted her arm, and looked it over with a practiced eye. “Hmm. I don’t see any signs of eczema or psoriasis. I think you’re having a slight allergic reaction. Maybe I need to get a different laundry detergent while you’re staying with us? If it gets worse be sure to let me know, or the school nurse if it gets really bad during the day, OK? I’ll bring you home something from work to soothe it a bit.” Kara nodded, and they resumed walking.

Soon they turned onto the campus of Milford Middle School. Caitlin headed for her homeroom with a wave, while Emily took Kara towards the administrative offices. Before she got there, she stopped. “Now, you remember the cover story, right? You’re registered as my foster child, but in case anyone asks you about your own parents?”

“Yes,” Kara recited, “my parents are Charles and Lorraine Kent. We live in Minneapolis and they work at the Minneapolis Star Tribune.”

“I don’t think anyone will give you a hard time about your name, or your brother or sister. It’s just your parents’ names and where they work that people know.”

“I understand. I read the comics that Dr. Penny brought me.” She sighed.

Emily stroked her hair. “It’s OK, sweetie.” She leaned down to hug Kara. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She straightened up. “Now come on. You need to get to school and I need to get to work.”

• • •


“Hi Kara, I’m Rob Kroum.” Kara shook his hand timidly. “I’ll be your homeroom and science teacher while you’re here. Just stand there a moment, OK?”

For the second time in two months, Kara was introduced to a classroom full of strangers while squirming in embarrassment. She hoped no one would decide to pick on her the way that Paige McArthur had at Larson. Having all of Metropolis vanish was too high a price to get rid of Paige, but only just.

“Everyone, this is Kara Kent. She’ll be joining us temporarily as she’s just in town for a short while. I won’t embarrass her by making her recite her life history, so you’ll have to interrogate her later on. Please try to make her feel welcome, OK?”

Mumbled assent came from around the room.

Mr. Kroum motioned with his hand. “Please find an empty seat, Kara.” She nodded and headed towards the back of the room.

“Bailey, could you share your textbook with Kara? Thanks. Everyone turn to page 34, OK?”

The redheaded girl sitting next to Kara gave her the once-over, before they turned their attention to the textbook.

• • •


By lunchtime her classmates were full of curiosity about the new girl, even more so because she was temporary. Everyone wanted to know what she was doing in town.

The moment she sat down in the cafeteria she was surrounded by a crowd of kids, and spent most of lunchtime being grilled. She answered honestly, substituting only a few details per the advice of her foster mother. Most of the kids were not interested in the details of her parents’ lives anyway, preferring to focus on her. They seemed friendly, but Kara still worried.

At Larson, she’d thought she was friends with Paige, only to find the girl badmouthing her clothing and her interest in math and science behind her back. Here, everyone was wearing a uniform, and no one told her she was a “geektard loser” because of her interests. Of course, Paige hadn’t either — at first.

One girl, a Eurasian brunette, commented, “That’s funny — you’re named Kent and your grandparents have a farm in Kansas? I don’t suppose they live in Smallville, do they?” A titter ran around the table, and Kara worried that the kids here would latch onto something else to tease her about.

“Um, their farm’s about a hundred miles from Wichita.” Kara guessed that Smallville was another name she should avoid. “You’re Megan, right?”

“That’s right, Megan Tong. You have a good memory for someone who’s just met a lot of people.”

Kara’s interest was piqued. “Are you related to Dr. Penny Tong?”

“She’s my dad’s sister. Where do you know her from?”

“She helped me out when I was in the hospital yesterday.”

This provoked another round of questions, and the discovery that she’d been found unconscious after an aborted kidnapping led to pronouncements of “Awesome!” around the table. Kara was cautiously optimistic.

As lunch was ending, Megan tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, Bailey Harker says you’re in her homeroom. We were wondering if you wanted to hang out after school today? I mean, I know you’ll be going home to Minneapolis soon, but if you want to…”

Kara considered this. “That sounds like fun, but I’d better check with my foster mom first.”

“OK! Do you have a phone number?”

Kara shook her head. “I lost my phone with all my other stuff. I have my foster mom’s number but I probably shouldn’t bug her while she’s working.”

Megan was scribbling on a piece of paper. “Here,” she said as the first bell rang. “Here’s my number. Give me a call later.”

Kara headed for class, somewhat surprised. Could she make friends here? It hadn’t happened in two lonely months at Larson.

• • •


“Hey girls, I’m home!” Emily called out as she closed the door. Both girls greeted her in return.

They were on the sofa doing homework. Kara only had to do reading, since she was out of sync with the lesson plan her classes were following. If she stayed in town long enough to catch up they’d give her more work to do.

Emily came over and sat on the arm of the sofa next to Kara. “I could definitely get used to this shift. How did the first day go?”

“Thanks Em, my day was fine,” drawled Caitlin.

“Hush, you. Kara?”

“It was OK, Emily. The other kids were pretty nice, and I understood most of what the teachers talked about. I think the subjects are a little different here than at Larson. Oh, and I met a couple of girls who wanted to get together after school! I told them I had to talk to you first.”

Emily thought it over. Ordinarily she would be all for it, but there was the risk of Kara innocently blurting out something that would cause the other kids to start taunting her. On the other hand, she couldn’t keep the child from making friends — that wouldn’t be fair, especially given her prior problems in school. She shook her head.

“No?” Kara’s face fell.

Emily smiled. “I’m sorry, sweetie, that wasn’t a no. I’m just worried about you, since you’re kind of keeping a secret…”

“It’s her secret identity.”

“Caitlin!” Emily sighed. “Do you think you can stick to the story we talked about?”

Kara nodded. “One of the girls asked me at lunch if my grandparents’ farm was in Smallville. I didn’t say yes ’cause it sounds like another thing that people know from comic books.”

“That was a good call, sweetie. Yes, you probably shouldn’t mention Smallville.”

“I said it was about a hundred miles from Wichita. Which it is.” Caitlin rolled her eyes, unnoticed.

“Who are the girls?”

“Bailey Harker and Megan Tong? She’s Dr. Penny’s…”

“Niece, yes, I know. Why don’t you see if they can come over here to start with?”

“OK, I’ll call Megan. Oh, I didn’t know the number here…”

“We don’t have a land line since we both have cell phones. Huh. I’m sorry, honey, you’ll just have to borrow my cell for now. I’ll have to go to the Verizon store and see if I can get you something cheap for emergencies.”

Kara wondered, What’s a verizon?

Emily shook her head. “Oh, right, I almost forgot. I got you some antihistamine cream for that itch. Is it still bothering you?”

“Not right now. I really only noticed it when I was outside in the sun.”

Emily frowned. “Wait, are you saying you only itch when your skin is exposed to sunlight?”

Kara tilted her head and thought. “I think so. While I was walking to school with you, and walking home with Caitlin, and when I was outside at school.”

Emily stood up. “Come with me.” Caitlin looked up as Emily led Kara to the front door, then outside. She got up and went to the door to watch.

The sun was low in the sky, leaving the front door in shadow. “Do you feel anything now?” Kara shook her head.

Emily spotted a sunlit patch halfway up the driveway and motioned Kara to follow as she headed for it. “Kara, honey, come stand here.”

Kara obliged, and felt her skin start to itch the moment she stood in the sunlight. She started to scratch. “Let me see your arm again.”

Emily examined her arm closely but didn’t find anything. “Is the itching really bad? Does it burn?”

Kara shook her head. “No, it’s just kind of annoying. It feels… I dunno… yucky? I didn’t really notice it while I was outside running around playing soccer for PE ’cause I was busy thinking about what I was doing.”

Emily started walking back to the cottage, Kara trailing behind. Emily had her hand to her chin, her brow furrowed. Once they were back inside both girls sat down on the sofa again and waited.

Emily finally shook her head. “It must be some kind of phototoxicity, but… I’ve never heard of a kind like this. Were you taking any kind of medication before you were kidnapped?” Kara shook her head. “I hope the kidnappers didn’t give you anything while you were unconscious. Has it gotten worse, better, stayed the same?”

“It’s been the same all day.”

“Hmm. Well, if it’s like most photosensitive reactions it should fade over time; I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. Let me know right away if it gets any worse, though, especially if you see a blister. If that happens at school, go to the school nurse immediately and call my cell phone, OK?” Kara nodded. “I think I’ll go over your blood work again Monday in case I missed something.”

• • •


“Megan! Tell your brother dinner is in ten minutes!”

Megan spoke into her smartphone. “Just a minute.” She held it away from her face then called, “OK, Mom!” Her mother came from an Italian-American family and was somewhat obsessive about meals. Then again, so was her father’s Korean-American family.

She resumed her conversation. “OK, I’m back. I’m sorry I can’t make it tonight; we have to leave after dinner for my dad’s cousin’s wedding in New Jersey. We’ll be gone all weekend. I don’t know what Bailey’s doing…”

“Megan!”

“Oops, just a sec.” She walked into the den, where her brother sat pounding on the keyboard of a laptop, and tapped on the top of the display. “Kevin?” He didn’t answer.

“Kara, I’d better go. I’ll see you in school Monday, OK?… Yeah, bye.” She ended the call, then turned her full attention to her brother. She tapped on the display more insistently. “Kevin!”

Her brother, one year older, spoke into the headset he was wearing. “My sister wants something, guys. Yeah, I got it.” He didn’t look up. “What’s up, sis?”

“Mom says dinner in ten. Well, nine now, I guess.”

“Guys, dinner in nine. I think we can finish this game.” He looked up briefly. “Tell Mom I might be a minute late.”

Megan nodded, and headed off to the kitchen to help set the table.

Fifteen minutes later she sat with her hands in her lap as her mother glowered at the doorway, and her father sighed as he looked at the clock on the wall.

Kevin dashed through the doorway. “I’m really sorry, guys.” He grabbed a Vanilla Coke from the refrigerator, then took his seat at the table.

Their mother Alice folded her arms. “Kevin, I don’t like it when video games are more important than your family.”

Kevin popped open his Coke. “I’m sorry, Mom, but we were playing 3b3 in Starcraft. I can’t just quit in the middle of a game or I’ll be letting my friends down.”

“You should have thought of that before you started the game! You knew dinner was coming up, and we have a long drive this evening.” She sighed and started to pass dishes around the table. “Besides, you should spend more time with your friends and less time on the computer.”

“Mom, that’s how I spend time with my friends.”

Megan tried her best to hide her smirk.

Their father Martin asked, “How was everyone’s day?”

“OK,” said Kevin affably, then started eating. It became apparent there wasn’t going to be anything further, so both parents turned their attention to Megan.

“OK, I guess,” she said. “Oh, there was a new girl in the sixth grade today.”

“Really?” asked her mother, glad to have a topic of conversation with one of her children for a change. “Did a new family move into town?”

Megan shook her head, excited. “No, you’re not going to believe this! She was kidnapped, but the police found her out on Cedar Beach Road, unconscious. They’re saying the kidnappers got scared and dumped her. She was in the hospital yesterday but she’s OK now.” Even Kevin looked up, interested.

“Where is she from? Where are her parents?”

“They’re reporters and they live in Minneapolis, but the police are having trouble finding them for some reason. So she’s with a foster family in town until her parents come to get her. You know, Emily and Caitlin Jordan?”

Her mother nodded. “She’s a long way from home. It’s frightening to think what might have happened to her if the kidnappers hadn’t chickened out. Wow, that’s quite an adventure!”

“Anyway, Bailey and I are getting to be friends with her, and I was on the phone with her earlier. She wanted to get together tonight, but I told her about the wedding.”

“What’s her name?” asked her father.

“Kara Kent.”

Kevin, who had just taken a large swig of Vanilla Coke, started coughing violently, spewing soda all over his dinner.

“Kevin! Are you all right?” asked his mother anxiously. He nodded, even as he continued to cough in heaving spasms. She stood up and went to fetch paper towels. “How many times have I told you not to drink in such big gulps?”

• • •