Chapter 31: The Hard Days Are Still Ahead

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The next morning, at dawn, the school grounds were quiet and peaceful.

Azu and Clark walked past a small farm stand in front of the school, named "Honey Cave." The old, brick-red stand looked like it had seen better days, with peeling paint and most of the original color faded away. The sign was worn and barely readable, displaying only part of the word "Honey."

Azu tossed a dollar into the box at the Honey Cave and took a few honey sticks. Ever since Peter had bought him one, he'd grown to love the taste.

Clark looked at the honey stick Azu handed him and asked in surprise, "Where did you get the money?"

"I earned it by helping my dad pull weeds. He pays me a dollar each time," Azu said, proudly explaining that his money was all earned through labor.

"But lately, Dad says he's starting a 'wages and incentive program,' giving me all the weeding tasks for seven dollars a week." Azu didn't realize that his "capitalist dad" was making him work harder for what was essentially the same allowance, but he felt quite proud of it.

Clark felt a little envious and thought he might earn pocket money too. "Maybe I can help my godfather clean the barn; that way, I can earn some money."

"We can make money together, Clark," Azu said, but he quickly grew glum. "I should have ten dollars by now, but Dad said I couldn't have it all at once. He's put it in the bank 'for safekeeping.'"

Clark thought about it and said, "I think that's good. Isn't money supposed to grow in the bank?"

Clark had yet to learn one of the world's oldest tricks—that parents often say they're "saving money for you until you're older," only for that allowance to vanish without a trace. Unaware, Clark and Azu continued toward school, honey sticks in hand.

At the school gate, they saw Lana saying goodbye to her aunt. "Bye, Auntie," she waved, then turned to head into the schoolyard, but she tripped on a rock and fell hard. Her backpack flew forward, spilling her books all over.

Seeing Lana fall, Clark darted over with a speed Azu had never seen before. "Are you okay, Lana?" he asked, helping her up.

"I'm fine. I just tripped," Lana said, gritting her teeth as she thanked Clark, though her knee was throbbing from the fall.

Relieved, Clark quickly gathered her scattered books, but as he bent down, he noticed a green pendant on the ground. The gem glowed faintly, looking much like a stone his godfather had shown him once. Curious, he picked up the necklace, only to feel a sudden wave of weakness, as if all his strength had been drained.

He staggered backward, dropping the necklace with a clink. Just as he was about to fall, a strong hand steadied him.

"You alright, kid?" a deep voice asked.

Clark turned to see the school security guard, an elderly Black man with a steel-bristled beard, looking at him with concern. Clark recognized him as "Old Horace," the guard he had seen on his first day of school.

"I just felt a little dizzy, Mr. Horace, but I'm okay now," Clark said, rubbing his forehead in thanks.

Lana, who had picked up her necklace, looked at Clark with worry. The pendant was a keepsake from her mother, and she'd always carried it with her. She thought the necklace had somehow hurt him.

Horace put away his clipboard and squinted. "You don't look too well, kid. You should get checked out at the nurse's office."

Though Clark protested, he was promptly escorted to the nurse's office. Old Horace gave a quick glance at Lana's necklace, his expression growing complex.

At the farm, Peter received a call from Officer Chandler, who told him about last night's police pursuit of a serial robber near the Smallville River.

"Smallville River?" Peter mused after hanging up. Could it be that the criminal was the "merman" from the story he'd told Azu last night? He shook his head, dismissing the thought as absurd but was sure the guy was a strong swimmer familiar with the area's terrain.

As he pondered the details, the phone rang again. Hearing that something had happened to Clark at school, Peter threw on his coat and rushed out. As he drove, the sound of a nearby river grew louder, and the dense trees gave way to a grassy, winding riverbank. The Smallville River's waters gurgled along the shore as Peter sped toward the school.

When he arrived, he headed straight for the nurse's office, where Martha McDonald, Clark and Azu's teaching assistant, breathed a sigh of relief at his arrival. Feigning a first meeting with her, Peter greeted the beautiful but visibly concerned teacher before turning to Clark and Azu.

"Are you feeling unwell, Clark?" he asked, patting Clark's head.

"I'm okay now, godfather," Clark said quietly. "But it was that stone."

"What stone?"

"It was Lana's necklace. I picked it up to give it back to her, and then I felt dizzy. It was like the stone you showed me, godfather. Lana's necklace feels the same."

"Kryptonite?" Peter thought, realizing at once that Lana's necklace must contain the substance. If Lana carried Kryptonite unknowingly, it would follow her everywhere. And with Clark's budding interest in Lana…

Peter looked at his foster son with an odd expression and thought to himself, "Savor these peaceful times, kid; the hard days are still ahead."