Thanks for reading!

Now it makes sense. But why run away, poor Clark, first losing his parents, now he is so worried about hurting those he cares about after two years that he runs away. Poor Clark. He can't catch a break. So sad, yet so good.

Beautifully done as always Vicki.

It's hard to imagine Superman being afraid of anything but the changes he's going through without the guidance of the Kents have to be terribly frightening for young Clark.

What awaits him in the East? We'll find out in Chapter 5...

Poor Clark indeed. He's scared he'll hurt or kill someone. And without the Kents there to teach him how to control his powers, he's lost. And young and kinda stupid, so running definitely looks like the best option here. Poor kid!

Thanks for reading!

Thanks, Val! Yeah, Clark is scared out of his mind. I don't blame him. If I had laser eyes, I'd be freaking out too. It's definitely harder on this Clark, doing it all on his own, without his parents.

Destiny awaits in the East!

For a tale that wasn't supposed to be dark, this is quickly turning into an angst-fest. Poor Clark is doing what he believes he has to do to protect the innocent, which is totally in character for him. And unless his face shows up on a TV or in a newspaper, poor Grandma Tildy may never see him again. I wonder if Clark will think about that aspect of his leave-taking, that he leaves behind people who care about him and care for him. As long as he's been there, and as helpful as he's been, some of the younger boys will miss him terribly. He's become a big brother to many of them by now, and Chen will miss him also. He might even wonder if he did something to drive Clark away.

If destiny awaits in the east, DC, then will he meet a teenaged Lois and get involved with her somehow? Makes me wonder if she needs a hero just about the time Clark appears on her radar.

Keep them coming! I like this different take on alt-Clark.

Hi, Terry! Definitely some angst - wouldn't be a young Clark tale without it, I think. And we do have some more dark stuff to get through, even as Clark goes East.

Lois...ah...Clark has a few, shall we say...pit stops? before he gets to her. She'll show up...eventually. Not to worry.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the rest!

I read this back when it was posted, but wasn't signed in. Then I got totally distracted by Wonder Woman and forgot to come back to post comments.

Poor Grandma Tildy, Chen and the rest of Clark's friends. They are going to wake up to discover him missing with no idea what happened to him or why. They are going to be so worried about him.

Looking forward to the next chapter and finding out where Clark ends up next.

Ha! No problem! My brain/muse gets distracted all the time!

Everyone will be upset by Clark's disappearance, but well, we won't see it. Maybe in the future but not in this story.

Clark is off to one very uncertain future...

Aww. Poor little Clark! Looking out for everyone when he's scared to death of his own powers. I do hope we see Chen again at least, maybe sometime in the future or even one of those sequels you mentioned. I'd love his reaction to meeting Clark and possibly even learning about his powers as a full-grown Superman.

Off to Metropolis for Clark then, eh? Can't wait to see where he lands. Perhaps near the Lane family....

He's headed East. I never said where in the East. Hopefully, you'll like what my muse cooked up.

Chen...I'm toying with a sequence in my head now. Just trying to decide if it'll be in Fic 2 or Fic 3. Stay tuned...

And thanks again for reading!

Damn! That would serve me right for assuming, as they say...

Maybe it's a friendly encounter. Maybe Clark recognizes him instantly but Chen doesn't recognize Clark. Maybe Chen recognizes Superman as his best friend who went missing Clark Kent and goes after the alien who made a pod person out of his childhood buddy... no, back it up, too dark. Although I may have just thought of a new challenge idea.... I mostly want to see Chen again in any capacity.

Oh no! Poor Clark! Hasn’t he been through enough?!

LOL! It's me so...expect more bad things.

Aww, Clark leaves his home, this time by choice. He never gets a break. I can understand why he's leaving but it is still sad to see him loose another place he has been living in.

It would have been nice to see him learn to control this ability in a place he felt comfortable but it's totally in character that he didn't want to bring danger to the others in the halfway house.

I hope he will see the others again and will be able to explain why he left, or at least part of his reasons to leave. Poor Tildy, Chen and the other boys, poor Clark they all deserve much more happiness in their lives.