Part 6 – Maturing
December 2016
Lois heard Olivia’s growl of frustration, followed by the sound of all the pamphlets being dumped into the recycling, and sighed. This had been Clark’s suggestion, seeing as Olivia refused to talk to either of them about post-secondary education options. At the beginning of her senior year there had been entire days at the high school where universities, colleges and trade schools were on school grounds to entice students to consider them for furthering their education. According to Olivia, she’d done the rounds, but had given the excuse she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. She’d gone on a tour of Met. U. with some of her school friends, and had returned just as uninterested as she’d been before.
Clark had advised her to leave Olivia be, let her figure out her own path forwards, but Lois hadn’t been able to resist passing on to her daughter the pamphlets Jimmy had handed her that morning. She’d specifically asked the ex researcher if he could dig up some information on schools that weren’t within New Troy, a wide geographical range, as well as a diverse selection of academic offerings, to try to entice Olivia to consider any of the options.
As Olivia stomped out of the kitchen and up to her room, Lois entered, wanting to confirm the fate of the shiny pamphlets. There was one missing, Lois noted, one that she’d added as an afterthought. An information pamphlet on Metropolis Trade School, one where Liv could go if she chose to pursue something entirely different. Lois smiled, glad that Liv had shown a little interest in one of the available options.
****
March 2017
“Why? Why do I have to?” Liv demanded angrily, her hands on her hips. “Just because you and Dad did, doesn’t mean I have to do the same!”
“What are you going to do?”
“Take a year off, work, travel,” Olivia said confidently.
This was the third time this month they’d had this argument, and it was always when Clark was away, thought Lois ruefully. When he was home, Olivia would deflect their questions, and Clark wouldn’t push for an answer, but Lois was getting impatient with their daughter’s refusal to have a plan after graduation.
“We’re not asking you to determine the rest of your life, you know that. Take some classes, general studies, see if anything catches your eye. Or, there’s plenty of interesting options through Metropolis Trade School. You could do a few courses there and have a qualification fairly quickly. Once you have any certification you could earn more than mowing lawns.”
“What’s wrong with mowing lawns? I did well last summer,” Olivia snapped back.
She had done well, Lois agreed. She’d set up her own little lawn business and had earned a small sum of money mowing, weeding, and planting flowers. Clark had even purchased a used truck on the guise of needing another vehicle for the household. Lois knew it was so Olivia had something to drive and could put her tools in the back.
“You can’t do that forever! You could go to school, do some business management classes, and then start up your own landscaping company if you wished. Your father and I would support you in whatever you chose, but you have to choose something.”
“I’m choosing to take some time off.”
“Ok, we can talk about this further, but for now, there’s a few schools that have the later free application deadline. We can submit your applications now, there’s no charge, and you can make a decision later once you’re accepted. Otherwise if you change your mind over the summer, it might be too late.”
“Trust me, Mom, I’m not going to change my mind.”
Lois winced as the front door slammed, hearing the truck start up in the driveway. She and Clark had tried to give Olivia some space during the last semester of high school, and as she quickly approached her eighteenth birthday, to allow her space to spread her wings a little. So far, all Olivia had done was dig her heels in. The lack of interest in her own future frustrated Lois and they butted heads frequently over the issue. She was sure this wouldn’t be the last time before the end of the school year.
****
June 2017
She and Clark clapped and cheered as they watched Olivia cross the stage to receive her diploma, Martha Kent gently dabbing her eyes beside them. Olivia had done exceedingly well in school, graduating near the top of her class with excellent marks in all of her subjects. They were all deliriously proud of her.
It had been a crazy few months, Lois reflected as Olivia joined her friends for the remainder of the ceremony. Olivia still refused to apply for post secondary education, and had rebuffed all attempts at any conversation in regards to a job for the summer. Her little landscaping business had seemingly ended, though as Clark reminded Lois, once Olivia turned eighteen in less than a month, owning a business and paying taxes would become more complicated than a minor with a lawnmower, so perhaps it was wise that she let that drop for now.
Lois smiled up at her husband as he hugged her. “We did well, I think.”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Oh, you two,” remarked Martha, wiping away the last of her tears. “You’ve both done a wonderful job of raising that girl, but there’s one thing that’s left.”
Lois nodded. Martha had disagreed with their decision not to reveal Clark’s super identity as Olivia got older, and had been fairly vocal about it in previous years. This last year, after the loss of Jonathan, she’d stopped asking them, which had initially relieved Lois, but in a strange turn of events, had made Lois more anxious to tell Olivia.
“We’ve got it planned,” Lois assured Martha. “There’s her birthday, and then the neighbourhood Fourth of July party to do first. After, we’re taking a little vacation, courtesy of Superman Air,” Lois said as she winked at her husband.
“Mom, are you sure you don’t want to join us?”
“No, honey. It’s a family vacation…”
“And you’re family!” insisted Lois. “Plus, you’ve known about this longer than I have, and Olivia is less likely to blow a gasket if you’re there.”
“I think it’s best if it’s just you three. If you want me to join you after the dust settles, I’ll gladly come out. Are you nervous?”
“Terrified,” admitted Lois.
“She inherited her mother’s temper,” quipped Clark. “That’s all you’re terrified of.”
Lois playfully punched Clark’s shoulder as Martha laughed.
“You’ll do fine, and she’ll recover quickly. Trust me.”
Lois hugged Martha as the class valedictorian stood to speak. She missed most of the speech, lost in thought about what the next few weeks would bring, not realizing the ceremony was over until more cheering erupted and the sea of students threw their caps in the air.
For better or worse, Olivia was no longer a child. Her birthday was after the last day of school, which would be followed by being trusted with the family secret. Hopefully after that, Olivia would decide on a path to take.
****
July 4th, 2017
“Liv, honey, are you joining us soon?” Lois called up the stairs as she returned for the plate of snacks. “David is joining us.”
“Who?” Olivia asked, sticking her head out of the bathroom door.
“David. Isn’t that his name?” A family had moved in shortly after Christmas, and their oldest was a year older than Olivia, a handsome young man, attending Met U on a hockey scholarship. Lois suspected Olivia had a little crush on the boy, but there had been little opportunity for the two young people to mingle.
“Declan, Mom. It’s Declan. And I’m just finishing up here, I’ll be out when I’m ready,” Olivia responded as the bathroom door shut.
Lois laughed, wondering how long her daughter would spend getting ready. Every year the neighbours in the cul-de-sac gathered for an Independence Day barbeque, complete with multiple barbeques dragged out to the street, tables and chairs set up in the road, enough food to feed a small army, and lots of wine and beer for the adults. “If you’re planning on eating, you’ll have to join us sooner rather than later, otherwise all those hungry kids will eat everything!”
“Fine, Mom. I’ll be out in a bit,” Olivia shouted from the bathroom.
Lois grabbed the tray of desert squares she’d picked up from the store earlier, closing the door behind her as she walked down the driveway to join the party.
It was a beautiful day; clear skies, and no wind. The fireworks would be going off at sundown throughout Metropolis, and they were close enough to one of the larger parks that they could watch from the driveway, meaning they wouldn’t be caught up in the traffic snarl that ensued once the celebrations ended. Lois hoped Superman wouldn’t be busy tonight. He’d almost missed Olivia’s eighteenth birthday a few days prior when an emergency had called him away. Thankfully he’d made it in time to meet them at the restaurant and they’d enjoyed a wonderful dinner with their daughter.
“Is she on her way?” asked Clark with a kiss.
“She’s getting ready. You know how long she normally takes, and I mentioned Daniel is here.”
“Declan, honey. It’s Declan,” Clark reminded her.
She grinned as Clark’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he saw the young man in question talking to one of the other dads. Olivia hadn’t shown much interest in dating anyone, but both she and Clark had picked up on the blushing and awkward stuttering when Duncan was around. While she found the crush amusing, Clark’s bristling at the mention of the young man was even more hilarious.
“What’s cooking?” Lois asked to distract him, knowing she would tease him about this later.
****
Lois looked around as the first firework went off overhead. There were still fifteen minutes until the city fireworks began, but that didn’t stop some people setting off their own whenever they pleased. She heard the sound of another firework someone had named ‘The Superman’ as it was supposed to sound like Superman flying before exploding in a bright blue and red burst of light. Most of the time they sounded nothing like it, but this one sounded much better.
The lawn chairs had been moved into better positions to see around the trees for the display, and Lois, with a light sweater on against the late evening chill, sat, sipping on a glass of wine. She smiled at Clark as he sat down beside her. It was a pleasant treat to get all the way through this evening without him being called away.
“Where did Olivia go?” asked Lois, looking around the crowd of people as the sky grew darker. Olivia had made an appearance long enough to eat dinner, mingle a little, and then disappeared again.
“I’m sure she’s around somewhere.”
“Did she and Declan go for a walk?” She was relieved to get Clark’s full attention at the mention of the young man.
“No, he’s over there with his folks.”
The truck was still in the driveway, but given how many people were in the cul-de-sac, there was no way any of them would be driving out unless tables and barbeques were moved. Had Olivia gone for a walk by herself?
“Clark, I’ll call her cell phone,” Lois said as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, quickly dialing Olivia’s number. “Can you hear it ringing?” She watched as he tipped his head, searching for the ringtone. As a child shrieked in delight behind them, Clark winced and covered his ears.
“It’s not close by and there’s too much background noise to hear any further out,” he said.
Lois stood up and began to quickly walk up the driveway. “I can’t explain it, Clark, but something doesn’t feel right.” She opened the front door of the house, spotting Olivia’s keys on the side table right next to it. “Liv? Liv, are you home?” The feeling of unease turned into a feeling of dread. A knot in her stomach began to form as she ran up the stairs to Olivia’s bedroom.
The once perpetually disastrous bedroom had turned into the neatest, most organized, room in the house at the beginning of Olivia’s senior year. Lois had found it unnerving at first, but had become used to it, grateful she wasn’t constantly stepping on dirty laundry when she entered. Right now, the room looked sterile.
All the books that usually sat on the shelves above the desk were gone, along with all the trinkets and knick-knacks that usually adorned the top of the dresser. Framed photos on the wall were gone, and the holes filled in.
“She isn’t in the house,” Clark stated as he joined Lois in the bedroom.
Lois stepped over to the dresser and opened the top drawer, knowing she’d find it mostly empty. Clark stepped beside her to open the closet where several boxes stacked neatly.
Clark peered over his glasses. “Here are her belongings,” he confirmed. “All packed up.”
“Her backpack is gone, the hiking one, not her school one,” Lois said, in shock.
“She wasn’t taken by anyone, she left of her own will.”
“But when?” Lois asked as she left the room, unable to be in there a moment longer. “When did she have time to do all of this? This morning she was fine, this afternoon, she was great, and now she’s just vanished? Did she call you?”
Clark shook his head. “No, but I haven’t checked the land line,” he said as headed downstairs. He picked up the phone and seconds later Olivia’s voice could be heard as Clark played the waiting message.
“Hi Mom, Dad. I’m fine, everything’s fine, there’s no need to worry. I told you I wanted to take some time off before I decided what to do, so that’s what I’m doing. I’ll keep in touch, let you know I’m ok, but I’m not telling you where I am. Please don’t look for me, and don’t send Superman to find me. I’ll be fine. Love you both.”
Before the message was over, Clark had already spun into the Suit as they heard the fireworks display start outside.
“Can you tell where she is?” Lois asked as she played the message again.
“I can’t hear anything other than birds, and a breeze. It’s like she’s out of the city completely.”
“She can’t have gone that far.”
“Call Jimmy,” Clark instructed as he headed for the back door. “Get him to find out where she called from.”
Lois dialed Jimmy from her cell phone as Clark took off into the night, his exit disguised by the noise of the fireworks outside.
****
Liv, her hands shaking, turned off the phone after leaving her parents a message. She had no doubt that they’d get Uncle Jimmy to find out where she’d called from and she didn’t want to be still here when he did. She put the phone in a waterproof bag, and tucked it under a small pile of rocks. No one would accidentally find it, and with her perfect memory, she’d know exactly where it was. She did not want to take it with her, knowing she wouldn’t be able to use it anyway.
She looked around at the landscape, completely different from that of New Troy. The empty spaces, mountains and nothing but wildlife, was a refreshing change from the closeness and noise of the city. The sun was still quite high in the sky, but that was accounting for the time difference between Alaska and New Troy, and as she’d researched, the sun would barely set here at this time of year.
Taking one last look around, she carefully lifted off, still in awe of this latest power to develop. She’d practiced as much as possible, but it had been hard to do in the suburbs. Her destination was on the other side of the Pacific Ocean but her confidence in her ability to fly had not been enough to convince her to fly straight there. Instead she would be flying over land, heading over Alaska, over the Bering Sea, following the eastern coast of the Pacific until she reached her destination.
Hoping she would have enough speed to fly undetected, she began to pick up more speed, flying faster than she’d ever flown before. She needed to be long gone before her parents undoubtedly contacted Superman and they figured out where she’d called from. Watching as the land below her was left behind, the sea spread out before her, she let out a laugh of delight at finally feeling free.
****
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