Better post quickly while I can access the boards!
I love this story. That was a great portrait of Lisa and a chilling description of the world many kids share with their peers - oops, make that not
peers, but other kids their own age:
Status was king at Lisa’s school. The richer kids taunted the poorer. The beautiful kids made fun of the ugly. The weak were left in the dust socially.
This is so awfully true.
The bracelet has taught Lisa to cheat:
She felt guilty about the cheating when she didn’t have the bracelet. Normally she would never do anything like look through the teacher’s desk at the answer sheet.
Normally she wouldn't do this, but now she will, and does.
And she is colder and more selfish:
The story about Katie was untrue, of course. Her boyfriend had made it up in front of his friends. Lisa had heard the whole thing. It wasn’t her concern, even if normally she’d have tried to defend the girl.
She didn't defend the girl who was the target of malevolent slander.
The worst thing is perhaps that the teachers
like this new version of Lisa:
Teachers loved the more confident version of her. Normally the last one to raise her hand in class, she was more assertive now, and they were complimentary.
But Lois is still able to take the bracelet away from Lisa:
Lisa was sullenly giving the bracelet to her mother. At least Lois still had that much hold on her. If it hadn’t occurred to Lisa before, it would soon that Lois no longer had the ability to force her to do anything.
I think Lisa already knows that Lois can't
force her into doing anything. But I also think that Lisa knows that Lois has done her very best to be a good mother to her. And I also firmly believe that if you have been a reasonably good parent, your kids will probably give you the benefit of the doubt and obey you when you tell them that they must.
Of course, if Lois had tried to reason with Lisa and had lectured her on how dangerous the bracelet was, that tactic could have backfired rather badly. Lisa could easily have retorted that she
needed the bracelet and Lois was in no position to argue that she mustn't have it, because she - Lois - had no idea what it was like to be Lisa. And Lisa would be absolutely right about that.
By the way, did Lisa really set fire to those classrooms? And if so, did she do it in a fit of anger?
He needed to meet her as Superman sooner than later.
Absolutely! Superman is the one who can make Lisa see the error of her bracelet-ways, because he is the one who understands not only how she needs it, but also how it will destroy her. Of course, if Superman is going to make Lisa behave nicely, he'd better start shaping up Clark Kent, too!
And Lois and Lisa are going to live with Clark? That's a good idea. I like it.
As he removed his hand from her shoulder, Lois realized that it still tingled where he’d touched her.
She felt an old, forgotten feeling in the pit of her stomach, one that she’d been sublimating for years. The last time she’d felt it had meant an unending amount of trouble for her. Lois had a feeling that this time wasn’t going to be any better.
She was attracted to him.
Crap.
Crap! Very PG. (Well, I expected her to say 'damn' or something.) Anyway, I
love that Lois is still attracted to Superman. Now Clark only has to confess that he is Superman and then he has to start turning himself into Mr. Nice Guy. So bring on part 10, Shayne, because I can hardly wait to see where you are taking this!
Ann
.
