Chapter 13 (edited)
Since the incident happened so suddenly and even involved Kara and her friends, the school granted the three of them a three-day leave to recover and adjust.
Jennifer truly needed the time to sort through her emotions. She knew Kara had killed the man, though she hadn't revealed this to anyone—not even Dani. It wasn't that she didn't trust Dani, but Jennifer, always gentle and empathetic, feared how this revelation might affect the friendship between Dani and Kara.
Kara, meanwhile, had been whisked away by her adoptive family immediately after leaving the police station.
The car ride home was tense. Silence stretched uncomfortably as Jonathan drove. Martha sat in the back seat with Kara, her hand gently gripping her daughter's in a gesture of comfort.
"Kara, are you okay?" Martha asked, her voice soft and concerned.
Kara smiled faintly, patting her mother's hand. "I'm fine, Mom."
"Hmph. Fine, are you?" Jonathan shot a glance at Kara through the rearview mirror, his voice steady but carrying an edge. "Tell me the truth, Kara. You were the one who killed that man, weren't you?"
Martha's hand trembled, her grip loosening. She had suspected it deep down but hadn't dared to acknowledge it. She wanted to believe her daughter was still the kind and gentle girl she had raised.
But Jonathan pressed on. "We know what you're capable of, Kara. We saw what you could do when you showed us your powers. Don't think for a second that you can hide this from us."
Both parents knew the extent of Kara's incredible abilities. Super strength, super speed, flight, heat vision, x-ray vision, microscopic vision, telescopic vision, super hearing, freeze breath—her power set was staggering. Even now, they weren't sure they fully understood the limits of her abilities.
Kara turned her gaze out the window, letting the cool breeze play with her golden hair. The silence hung heavy in the car.
"Kara?" Martha's voice broke the quiet. "Please, tell me it wasn't you. You didn't kill him, did you?"
Kara sighed deeply. "Sorry, Mom. It was me."
The car came to a screeching halt in the middle of the road. Jonathan gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white. His usually composed face showed a flicker of shock and disbelief.
"Kara…" Martha began, her voice trembling.
Jonathan exhaled sharply and turned the car around, heading back toward town.
"What are you doing?" Martha demanded. "You're not taking her to the police station, are you? Jonathan, she's our daughter!"
"She killed someone, Martha," Jonathan said sternly. "This isn't a small mistake we can brush aside."
"But she's just a girl!"
Kara finally spoke, her voice calm but firm. "Mom, it wasn't like that. He had a gun. He shot me in the eye. The bullet shattered on impact. If it had been either of you, you'd be dead."
Martha's hands flew to Kara's face, her fingers brushing over her daughter's flawless eyes. There wasn't a scratch or scar to show what had happened, a testament to Kara's invulnerability.
Jonathan's grip on the steering wheel relaxed slightly, but his tone remained stern. "You're saying it was self-defense?"
"It wasn't just that," Kara replied. "He threatened me. He said he'd come after me, my family, everyone I care about. He might not have been able to hurt me, but he could've hurt you, Mom. Or you, Dad. Or even Clark. I couldn't take that chance."
Jonathan's expression softened, but his voice carried the weight of a father's authority. "You can't just kill people, Kara. That's not justice. That's vengeance. Is this the kind of person you want to be? Is this what being a hero means to you?"
Kara frowned, her eyes narrowing. "What's the point of locking up people like him, Dad? They escape. They kill again. And innocent people pay the price. How many lives have been ruined because so-called heroes refuse to do what's necessary?"
"Kara, stop," Martha interjected, her voice pleading.
But Kara wasn't finished. "The world doesn't need heroes who enable criminals. It needs heroes who protect the innocent. And sometimes, that means making hard choices."
Her voice carried an edge of steel, and for the first time, her parents glimpsed the immense strength and conviction within her. Jonathan exchanged a worried glance with Martha. They had always known their daughter had the power to reshape the world, but now they understood the burden of guiding her moral compass.
After a long silence, Kara softened her tone. "I'm not a monster. I don't want to hurt people who don't deserve it. But I won't let anyone threaten my family."
Jonathan sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Just… promise me this, Kara. Promise me you won't take a life unless it's absolutely necessary. We raised you to be better than that."
"I promise," Kara said, her voice steady.
Jonathan started the car again, driving the family home in silence. There would be more conversations to have, but for now, they all needed time to process what had happened.