Chapter Text
L-Corp. The tall building with the modern brand extends high upwards in the sky. Kara has to tilt her head back and shield her eyes with her hand to avoid being blinded by the strong spring sun.
I'm busy, important and blessed with success, the building seems to speak to her. What do you want here?
The question is not unjustified.
L-Corp is located in the middle of a business district, where men in suits and fine styled woman hurry past her with quick steps. Mobil phone to the ear and coffee in hand seem to be standard equipment and they show it off, as if they routinely rule the world. Power and success weigh heavily in the air
Kara glances at the glass door that grants entry into the building and swallows roughly. That’s where she needs to go in and she’s all too aware of her ordinary outfit at that moment. Hastily, she smoothes out the wrinkles from her skirt and redoes the knot on her scarf. The silk polka-dot scarf is incredibly chic. Kara bought it especially for this day to look a little more grown up. Knotted anew, she finds herself ready and with renewed courage she takes a step forward when a black car with tinted windows drives by and blocks her way. Irritated, she waits for it to pass, but the car drives right in front of L-Corp’s entrance and stops.
Kara watches as the doorman leaves his post and stands ready to greet the arrival. With a gallant movement in a matching red uniform, he is holding open the back door of the vehicle. A woman steps out of it.
A elegant lady, wearing a floor-length coat white as snow. Her dark hair is long and tied in a perfect ponytail which bobs back and forth lively. Earrings flash briefly in the sunlight as she exchanges a few words with the doorman. Something about the way she moves makes Kara hold her breath.
Though, Kara can’t see her face, she’s sure this woman is beautiful. Her whole appearance, her elegance, as well as the ponytail that bounces up and down, simple -- every movement, foreshadows how lovely she must be.
Her observation however doesn’t last long. Seconds later, the ponytail is gone through the revolving door. Kara sighs. She also should go through the door now. According to the motto; grit your teeth and get on with it, if she doesn’t want to be late on her first day.
Her stomach drops and Kara would like to turn on her heel and run away. She resists the urge, it’s ridiculous. It’s okay to admit that she’s nervous. She has never entered such a building before, it feels intimidating and exciting at the same time.
The wind blows a slight breeze in her direction, which she takes as a hint to take another deep breath. A faint scent lingers there and rises to her nose. Kara sniffs a touch of perfume. The scent is thrilling and promising something new, but with the next breeze it’s already gone, without being able to define it better.
However, she can’t let herself be distracted longer. Kara tightens her shoulders and makes her way through the impressive glass doors.
„Good morning, I’m starting an internship today,“ Kara informs the lady at the front desk.
„In which department?“ Follows the returning question.
Kara thinks of the right answer. The lady in the costume is wearing a trendy short haircut and only when she doesn’t get an answer to her question does she look up from her counter.
„In the main department?“ Kara replies, noting that her answer sounded like a question.
Kara doesn’t know much about the internship. She’s glad she even got the opportunity. Without a scholarship, college is out of the question, so Kara has no other option than enter the working life so soon after graduating high school.
„What’s your name?“
That, Kara can answer. „Kara Kent.“
„Ah,“ the lady says, as if suddenly she knows something. „You’re the girl.“
She looks at Kara in detail for the first time. She even lifts her head to see over the counter down to Kara’s shoes. Embarrassed, Kara steps from one foot to the other as she is viewed. She can imagine what the verdict will be. Half of her clothes are borrowed and don’t fit properly. As the woman finishes her inspection, however, judgment remains absent and her expression reveals nothing Kara can make sense of.
„Here sign this, please.“
The lady places a document on the table, next to it a key card and an ID card with her name. Kara Kent. Stunned, she reads her own name engraved.
„There,“ the lady adds, tapping the spot where she expects Kara’s signature. Shouldn’t Kara read through the document first? Again, she feels uncertain.
„What’s this document for?“ Her name is one of the few things she owns, she won’t be flippant use her signature. Internship or not.
„It’s just a statement that I’m handing you the door card and an ID. With the door card, you can operate the elevator and enter the wing of the upper floors. You must not give this to any unauthorized person under any circumstances. With your signature you confirm that you have understood this.“
This makes sense to Kara and seems appropriate and worth her signature. She hands back the signed document and reaches for the items. She is secretly proud to have her own door card for this building. Now she officially belongs to the working life.
„Where do I have to go?“ Kara asks, not wanting to make a mistake. „To Lena Luthor’s, Girl. You won the main prize.“
Lena Luthor, Kara repeats the name in her mind. She knows how the name sounds when it comes out of her mouth. She tried it out and said it loud when she was alone.
In the elevator, Kara rides up with other employees, each ones are busy on a cell phone or tablet. They only look up briefly when the elevator opens, they all have something to read or typing away with nimble fingers. Kara doesn’t own a mobile phone, so she focuses on the display that reveals which floor they’re on. The higher they go, the more people step out until she is soon alone.
Not for the first time, she wonders why Alex insisted on taking this internship. L-Corp is way out of her social league. Alex knows that better than anyone. Still, Alex pulled all the strings for her. She’s been really dogged about it and if Kara does well, maybe she’ll get a permanent contract at L-Corp which would be more than she can dream of.
Alex says she’s still only half-baked and can learn a thing or two at L-Corp.
That doesn’t mean Kara is stupid. Kara knows some things. She knows exactly how many foreign words her favorite book contains and she has looked up every single one of them and knows their meaning. Kara loves words and she likes to play with them and say things like, that affects me only peripherally, like when Alex wants something from her that Kara doesn’t feel like doing. Kara knows nature and she can name the flowers and trees in her favorite place. She knows what the wind sounds like there, when the frogs start croaking and sometimes she can smell when it will start raining.
She also knows how to get by in life without a family and little money and how to find a place to sleep.
That’s probably one reason she came here, because she knows everything could be worse for her. Kara is different from the others. She can fly and has powers she can’t always control and expensive things break. Alex knows about her secret that she can’t share with anyone and Alex has bailed her out more than once.
Once upstairs, another reception desk awaits her with another lady working. The lady is quite a bit younger and she raises her head when she notices Kara’s footsteps.
For the second time, she is looked at but this woman seems more sympathetic, a friendly smile is curling on the woman’s lips.
„You must be Miss Kara Kent,“ she says kindly and it sounds like she was just waiting for Kara, almost like Kara was someone special. Besides, she called her Miss, like a real employee.
„That’s me,“ Kara replies, returning her smile.
„Welcome to L-Corp. I’m Jess.“ Jess rises to greet her and Kara takes one long look at her round belly pushing between them. Jess is pregnant.
Kara’s head is spinning. Words like Exel, SAP and develop-management echo there. In the first few hours of the internship, she learned all kinds of things about what a good secretary’s job is. These programs for example are important to do the work. The best, however, is the company’s software named L-easy, Kara has come quickly become familiar.
Jess organizes a lot of things for Lena Luthor and is the master of her daily schedule. Kara finds it odd that she schedules her daily routine. She even made a private appointment for the hairdresser. „But Kara, Mrs. Luthor has her hands full, she has more important things to do, so she has staff to help her organize everything, you know?“
Kara doesn’t know. But that’s why she’s here, to learn new things she has no idea about, even if they’re such funny ones as organizing a hair appointment.
Kara keeps looking at the heavy oak door where Lena Luthor’s office is. She looks so intensely, as if she could magically move the door with her gaze and make it crack open. But she’s not a magician and she’s not lucky too. Either Kara was copying or running errands when Lena Luthor came out of her office. Jess assured her to be patient, as soon as she has time, Mrs. Luthor will come to greet her.
„She has a particularly busy schedule today.“
Kara is so curious, she would love to risk her x-ray vision, but she doesn’t. She respects people’s privacy. Besides, next to her is the black folder whose papers she has sorted in and which need Lena Luthor’s signature. Jess has promised her, she will later be allowed to take the folder to Mrs. Luthor.
And so, although her name is everywhere, Kara has yet to meet Mrs. Luthor.
As Kara’s stomach growls loudly, Jess laughs and sends her off to lunch. She doesn’t do lunch herself but since Kara is so young, she definitely has to take the breaks, youth protection and safety at work and all that.
Kara takes her break in the kitchen. She did not think to bring something to eat with her. Somehow she thought it was included here, like in her old school. How naive she is.
Alex explained some things to her in advance, but she forgot to mention something so important, like how you have to bring your own lunch to work. Maybe because Alex doesn’t know it any better. She doesn’t work in such a building.
Alex is her social worker, or rather her supervisor, since Kara is still a minor. But Kara looks up to her as if she were her older sister. She is the most important person in her life, the only constant and Kara loves Alex to death. That’s why she doesn’t want to disappoint Alex in any way, and that’s why she came here today to start her internship. Maybe it also has to do with Lena Luthor, because without her approval it wouldn’t have been possible, but this story stands under a completely different chapter.
She hopes to find something edible in the kitchen, in her imagination there is a buffet ready, but when she enters the kitchen there is a yawning emptiness on the countertop except for a fancy coffee maker. Kara’s mood sinks instantly, as an alien she burns more calories, hopefully she can hold out until the evening without eating anything. Another challenge on her first day of work.
As she looks at the coffee machine, an idea comes to her mind. Time and time again, she heard that coffee replaces a meal. Many adults skip their lunch and smoke and drink coffee instead. Kara has no money for smoking, so it has to be coffee. While it seems unimaginable to her to give up food, on the other hand, she’s never tried it and today she has the opportunity. Coffee belongs in the working world and Kara wants to feel grown up.
That is only than, she recognizes there is someone in the kitchen.
A woman is standing on her tiptoes to reach the top shelves. The ponytail is tied so high up, it must be painful. It bounces back and forth eagerly while the woman is busy searching the shelves. Kara recognizes her immediately. The long white coat is gone, of course. She wears a dark suit with trousers, like a man. So far, all the women Kara has met today have worn a skirt or a dress. Maybe this lady hasn’t been told that pants are out for women in this building. But Kara has a hunch that this elegant lady has no problem with that matter.
Kara looks at her long neck as she stretches. It is so delicate, Kara is afraid it might break, as long as the woman stretches her back. A birthmark sits on her neck and suddenly Kara is perplexed. Something about it seems vaguely familiar, but she can barely catch the thought before it’s gone from her mind. So she just stares.
She’s been staring at this woman’s perfect side profile for a little while now and when she realizes how unmannerly her behalf is, she shakes herself out of her thoughts and looks away. Good thing, the woman doesn’t notice her presence.
„Enjoy your meal,“ Kara mutters. The choice of words the only one she can think of at this moment. Jess has used it after Kara has left for lunch.
The stranger doesn’t seem impressed by this choice of words. She is frantically searching through cabinets, pushing spices, dish soap and cans to the side, definitely looking for something. Maybe she didn’t hear Kara.
Should she making herself heard? Then again, the woman seems too involved in her search. She utters small silent curses and mumbles to herself; Jess you little snake, where did you hide them, which Kara can understand thanks to her super hearing.
Kara shrugs her shoulders. She’s going to get to the bottom of the mystery of making coffee. The machine looks pretty expensive and fancy, most likely you just have to push buttons anyway. Kara randomly grabs a cup and sets it in place. Granted, she’s never made coffee before, but there’s an icon on the machine with a coffee cup. All she has to do is press this button, easy as pie. Noisily, the machine roars to life.
Kara risks a small glance behind her, as she waits. She can’t watch this any longer.
„Can I help you find something?“ Kara asks politely. With her x-ray vision, she can certainly help. Alex has forbidden her to use her powers, but if it earns her points from new colleagues, Kara is sure, Alex will understand. She can use her x-ray vision secretly.
For the first time, the stranger turns around.
Kara is shocked. Without her own doing, her mouth opens wide in astonishment. The sunlight from the window shines directly into the woman’s face, emphasizing a pair of eyes, of such green, and then Kara realizes that her second eye is blue, like the sea. Whereby the green clearly stands out. It catches her completely off guard and panic rises in her chest. This sight -- of course -- she’s seen these eyes once before, when she was 11 years old, and her portfolio has been full of them ever since. One blue eye and one green, how unusual. She has always wondered. And never again has she seen such a wonder of nature in another human being. This tiny and precious memory hits her like a bolt of lightning.
This is Lena Luthor. She has drawn Lena Luthor.
Her extraordinary eyes are accentuated by perfectly shaped eyebrows. Her skin is flawless, it resembles a painting and the mouth, the mouth is pure perfection. Kara feels immediately in danger and she quickly turns away.
She reaches for her prepared coffee and thinks about how to survive the presence of this woman. Hastily, she takes a sip. Ew, the coffee tastes bitter and is the nastiest drink she has ever tasted. But Kara’s thoughts are entirely with the woman and so she bravely takes a second sip, only for her wild sensations to stop.
„Would you like some milk in your coffee?“ The woman asks, who is not only outrageously good looking, but also has an exciting voice.
Kara would like to scoff, she feels attacked by this beauty and this voice.
Instead she nods, that’s all she can manage. She doesn’t trust her own voice.
The brunette sets the bottle she holds triumphantly in her hand down on the table. This must be what she was looking for. A noble bottle of golden liquid, interesting. Then she opens the fridge to look for milk for Kara.
Kara breathes a sigh of relief as soon as the green eyes turn away and the woman’s attention is on the fridge. Kara calms down a little, the woman can’t know how hard her heart is pounding.
Then the ponytail swings around eagerly.
„Here you go. Milk for your coffee,“ the woman -- most likely Lena Luthor--offers, setting the milk on the center of the table and gesturing invitingly.
„Thank you,“ Kara replies, dumping a good portion into the vile beverage. She fills the cup to the brim until not one more drop fits in. Of course, she now has trouble picking up the cup and drinking properly from it without spilling anything. Awkwardly, with two hands, she takes the cup and carefully sips her coffee with now milk in it.
„Better?“ A perfect eyebrow moves up, waiting for her judgement.
„Much better,“ Kara answers out of politeness. In truth the bitter aftertaste continues to stick to her tongue and she longs for a lemonade.
„Good,“ the woman says and a faint smile curls her lips. She picks up the bottle of golden liquid she’s been so desperately searching for and uses it to pour a good amount into a glass. Kara watches as her beautiful mouth touches the glass with her red painted lips, as they open slightly. Her head is tilted back a little as she gulps the drink down her slender throat.
Kara can only stare. The woman is fascinating, where did she learn to drink from a glass like that?
That eyebrow again. It rises up in amusement and a bit disapprovingly. „Not a chance.“ Lena Luthor says.
„What?“ Kara asks way too quickly, noticing that her face is getting hot. She’s never blushed before but at this moment she could swear she’s blushing under that pair of eyes. She’s always laughed at Alex when she’s blushed, then, when they went shopping at the grocery store and the black-raven woman, with the black rimmed eyes was behind the register. Now, for the first time, she has a clue.
„The look on your face, the way you were ogling my brandy. As long as you don’t like coffee, you won’t like a drink as much. There’s apple juice in the fridge, try that, Child.“
Child, that term of endearment is akin to a cold shower. Kara doesn’t know what to say to that. The fact that she is labeled to a child in the woman’s eyes bothers her.
Lena Luthor does not seem to expect an answer. Her green eyes are fixed on the bottle of brandy, as she pours herself another glass. She makes a loud that sounds forbidden.
Kara has never drunk alcohol, but she is sure that it is not good for the body. She has known too many people who became addicted to it, to guess that.
„I’ll stick to coffee,“ Kara counters, deciding in that moment that she will make coffee her new favorite drink. Come what may.
„Are you sure caffeine is right for you yet? Your bones are still growing, aren’t they?“
The second insult. The woman keeps looking at her and Kara’s heart sinks and she lowers her gaze. Gone is her courage.
„On the other hand,“ the woman goes on, then pauses for a moment, „--maybe you should try your coffee with sugar. Maybe you’re just a Sweetie?“
Kara’s heart is suddenly pounding very fast. Had she just been called Sweetie by this woman?
„Maybe,“ Kara replies boldly, as if considering whether she is cute or not and her coolness returns a bit. She takes another sip and this time it doesn’t feel quite as bitter.
„Maybe,“ Lena Luthor repeats, dragging out the word, „you should drink your coffee from a mug with a cute puppy on it to make it taste even sweeter.“
Is that an insult again? Kara isn’t sure. Puppies are really cute, but placed on a mug? Kara has no idea and so she replies coolly. „It’s tempting, but I prefer this mug,“ Kara answers and demonstratively taking another sip. While doing so, she tries to drink as sensually as the brunette did and so - on impulse, she licks her lips afterwards.
The brunette's gaze follows the movement and Kara blushes again. The woman seems to evoke this in her. Then Lena Luthor crosses her arms in front of her chest. „That’s my cup,“ she says challengingly.
Huh? Kara looks at the mug more closely and recognizes a hologram consisting of two L’s on the black background, which unite with each other. Of course, LL stands for Lena Luthor, why didn't she recognize this.
Now, Kara is sure her face is turning into a deep shade of red. Not out of embarrassment at having taken possession of the supposed mug. No, she couldn’t have known that. But she can't think of anything else, that she touched with her mouth the same place, the sensual mouth once did. Does that mean she kissed Lena Luthor somehow? In the most distant way. Far away. No, that’s nonsense, she has never had such thoughts before and she uses the same dishes as Alex. No, the thought is ridiculous.
Lena Luthor keeps looking at her and Kara dismisses the thought.
„I can see by the look on your face that you just put one and one together. I must say Kara, you’re grown into a pretty young lady. You probably don’t remember me. I’m Lena Luthor.“