Alicia's House
The wall clock showed 9:17 p.m. The second hand glided smoothly, filling the silence with a monotonous sound.
John Baker absentmindedly stirred the cold coffee cup on the table. Mrs. Baker smoothed the fabric of her apron, her eyes fixed on the window.
The night outside was too quiet.
The sound of a car engine broke the silence. They exchanged a glance.
"Has she come back?"
John frowned, pushing his chair back and standing up. His heart sped up for no apparent reason.
Mrs. Baker wiped her hands on the apron, following her husband to the door.
The pickup truck's headlights turned off.
The vehicle's door opened slowly.
A tall young man with a firm posture stepped out.
His eyes glinted for a moment under the streetlight.
Broad shoulders, dark jacket, an expression too calm for someone who didn't know where he was stepping.
"Who's that?"
Mrs. Baker tightened her fingers against the apron fabric.
"I don't know."
Clark climbed the porch steps.
The sound of his boots against the wood echoed through the cold air.
John stood still, his muscles tense.
The door opened before Clark could knock.
John's eyes met his.
For a second, no one said anything.
"Good evening."
Clark's voice was calm, controlled.
John narrowed his eyes.
"Can I help you?"
Clark tilted his head slightly, studying the man in front of him.
"I'm Clark Kent. I came to see Alicia."
The air seemed to grow heavier.
John exchanged a quick glance with his wife.
Mrs. Baker stepped forward, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.
"Alicia's not home."
Clark observed them both.
His pupils dilated slightly.
Their heartbeats were racing.
They were nervous. But not about him.
"Do you know where she is?"
Mrs. Baker hesitated.
John pressed his lips together.
"She didn't tell us."
Silence settled in.
Clark didn't move a muscle, but inside his mind, the gears were turning.
'Hunting someone who can teleport doesn't seem like the smartest idea.'
He could scour all of Smallville in seconds. He could sweep every street, every alley, every rooftop.
But Alicia wasn't just anyone.
She could vanish before even being seen.
He'd have to hunt her… and hunting someone like that required more than speed.
Patience.
His gaze swept over the two tense faces in front of him.
John was rigid, his jaw locked. Mrs. Baker, despite her soft tone, was nervously twisting her fingers.
'They're afraid of her.'
Not in an ordinary way.
Not like parents worried about a rebellious daughter.
It was something deeper. Something that had happened before.
Clark shifted his gaze inside the house.
The space was simple, but there was a stiffness in the air. A sense that those walls had witnessed things no one should see.
'They know more than they're saying.'
If Alicia was a problem, he needed to understand the root of it.
Her family was the starting point.
And Clark didn't have time to waste.
He took a deep breath, feeling the cold air fill his lungs.
Then he stepped forward.
John frowned as Clark took a step closer.
"We already said she's not—"
Clark raised his eyes.
His pupils glinted for a moment.
John stopped mid-sentence.
Mrs. Baker blinked, confused, her shoulders relaxing.
The air grew heavy.
Clark kept his voice calm, controlled.
"You'll go to your room. You'll lie down and rest. You won't leave until morning."
John's eyes glazed over. Mrs. Baker seemed to hesitate, but soon the tension drained from her shoulders.
Clark continued, his voice low, firm.
"You won't worry about anything. You'll just sleep."
John turned slowly, walking toward the hallway.
Mrs. Baker followed shortly after, her steps slow, as if in a dream.
Clark watched as they disappeared into the dark hallway.
He waited a few seconds.
No sound. No hesitation.
Perfect.
He gave one last look around the room before heading to the sofa.
He sat down, crossing his legs, his eyes scanning the space.
The house was spotless. Nothing out of place. No signs of violence.
But the air still carried something heavy.
Something wrong.
Clark rested an elbow on the arm of the sofa, his fingers tapping lightly against the fabric.
'Now, I wait.'
Alicia would come back.
It was inevitable.
She always came home eventually.
And when she walked through that door…
He'd be there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Ready.
---
The silence reigned in the house.
Clark was sunk into the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, his eyes wandering across the ceiling.
One hour.
Waiting wasn't a problem, but the monotony was.
Alicia would come. He knew it.
Still, time dragged on.
His fingers drummed against the arm of the sofa.
Then, a sound.
THUMP.
Something upstairs.
Clark lifted his head, a smile forming before he even thought about it.
'Finally.'
He didn't move. He just listened.
The faint creak of the floorboards.
The soft thud of something being set on a table.
The controlled breathing of someone who thought they were alone.
The smile widened.
'Alicia Baker, welcome to your own trap.'
---
The room was dark when Alicia appeared in a greenish flash.
The familiar smell of the place hit her instantly, mingling with the scent of the still-warm burger in her hands.
She flopped onto the bed without ceremony, biting into the food while kicking off her shoes.
'Idiots.'
Her parents were unbearable. Always had been. But lately, they were worse.
Always with that look of fear, their voices trembling as if they were walking on glass when they spoke to her.
'As if they're the victims.'
The soft bun crumbled between her teeth. The taste was good, but not enough to shake off the irritation.
She didn't want to fight. But they insisted.
'If they keep this up…'
The thought lingered in the air, heavy with something dark.
She took another bite, chewing slowly.
Would she kill them?
Maybe.
If they tried to stop her from being with Clark, she wouldn't hesitate.
They didn't understand. They never did.
But he would.
Clark was different.
He was hers.
Alicia licked her fingers, tossing the wrapper to the side of the bed.
Her gaze swept the room, her body relaxing.
Home.
Alone.
Or so she thought.
The door opened.
Slowly.
No rush.
The sound was faint, but enough to make her freeze.
Her eyes widened.
The air grew thick.
His silhouette filled the doorway.
Alicia's heart raced.
Clark.
Clark Kent was there.
In her room.
In her house.
A shiver ran up her spine.
'How?'
Her breath faltered.
Was this a dream?
No. It was real.
Too real.
His gaze was calm, but firm. As if he'd always been there.
Her smile appeared before she could even think.
'This… this is wonderful.'
Alicia sat up slowly on the bed, her eyes locked on his.
"Clark…?"
Her voice came out almost as a whisper, a mix of surprise and ecstasy.
Her chest rose and fell quickly.
'He came to me.'
Her mind spun, her blood pounding in her ears.
'This means something.'
Her hands gripped the sheets.
'He cares about me. He wants to see me.'
Her smile widened.
"Did you follow me?"
Her eyes sparkled.
Clark remained still, watching.
Alicia tilted her head, taking in every detail of him.
'He came because he needed me. Because he wanted to see me.'
The world around her seemed to fade away.
Nothing else mattered.
Just him.
Just Clark Kent.
And now, he was there.
Close.
So close.
Her smile softened, almost mesmerized.
'This means he's mine.'
Clark blinked slowly, absorbing every expression, every nuance of her face.
'She really believes it.'
That he came there for her.
That this scene meant something.
'This crazy girl must be imagining a bunch of things that make no sense.'
The way her eyes shone, the way her chest heaved with quick breaths, the way she looked at him like she was about to throw herself into his arms.
'I'm the romantic fantasy she's built in her own head.'
What was worse?
The fact that Alicia genuinely thought this made sense, or that she'd already decided he was hers?
Her obsession was palpable.
It pulsed in her eyes, in the way her entire body reacted to his presence.
'This isn't attraction. It isn't desire. It's something much worse.'
Clark sighed inwardly.
'This is going to be a hassle.'
He didn't look away.
Alicia would take that as a sign of reciprocation.
She wanted to believe he felt the same.
Wanted to convince herself he was there because he wanted to be.
But the truth was simple.
She was a problem.
And problems needed to be dealt with.
He just hadn't decided how yet.
Alicia leaned forward slightly, her eyes gleaming with an emotion Clark recognized instantly.
Obsession.
She bit her lip, breathing fast, soaking in every detail of him as if he were a divine vision.
The room was silent, but the weight of the tension filled every inch of the space.
Clark remained still, watching.
She truly believed it.
Believed he was there for her.
Believed this was fate.
Alicia's breathing grew heavier, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"You came."
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