Alicia's House, Bedroom
The silence in the room was so dense it felt like its own entity, spreading across the walls, enveloping every shadow. The clock on the nightstand ticked softly, a monotonous, distant sound. But to Alicia, none of it mattered.
Clark was there.
In front of her.
In her bedroom.
Her chest rose and fell quickly, her blood pulsing hot beneath her skin. Her gaze fixed on him, absorbing every detail as if it were the first time. The dim light illuminated his perfect features, his deep eyes, his steady stance.
'He came to me.'
She didn't know how, she didn't know why. But that didn't matter.
Nothing mattered.
Only him.
Clark tilted his head slightly, analyzing her expression, taking in every reaction. The gleam in her eyes was pure fascination. No hesitation, no doubt.
Alicia opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Clark raised an eyebrow, taking a small step forward.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
The air seemed to vanish from the room.
Alicia's stomach churned, her fingers gripping the sheets.
'He wants to come in.'
Her smile grew slowly, her eyes narrowing with barely contained excitement.
Clark kept his expression calm, waiting.
She blinked, her thoughts tangling.
'This can't be real. He's here. He came for me.'
A shiver ran through her entire body.
Alicia raised one hand, making a gentle gesture toward the room.
"Of course… come in."
Clark stood still for a moment.
Her eyes sparkled.
'He's just making sure I want this. But I do. I've always wanted this.'
She rose slowly from the bed, walking toward him, her bare feet sliding across the cold floor. Every movement deliberate, every breath heavy with anticipation.
She stopped just inches from him.
Her heart pounded.
Clark remained still.
His gaze dipped slightly, catching the way she bit her lip, the subtle tremble in her hands.
She was waiting.
Waiting for him to say something.
Waiting for him to accept her.
Alicia tilted her head slightly.
"You're here for me."
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
Her smile softened, almost dreamy.
Clark didn't respond.
He simply stepped into the room.
Alicia's heart leaped.
'That means he chose me.'
She stepped back slowly, her eyes locked on him.
Clark scanned the room, his gaze cold, calculating. But she didn't notice.
All she saw was him.
All that mattered was him.
The room felt smaller, the air warmer.
Clark closed the door behind him.
Alicia bit her lip.
'Now there's nothing between us.'
Her smile widened.
Clark crossed his arms, maintaining his firm stance.
"You went to my parents' farm."
Alicia tilted her head, her eyes gleaming.
"Of course. I had to find you."
Clark kept his gaze fixed on her.
"You found out I don't live there anymore."
Alicia sighed, taking a small step forward.
"It was disappointing, I'll admit. But nothing I couldn't fix."
Clark furrowed his brow slightly.
"Fix?"
Alicia smiled.
"You're not alone, Clark. Look what I can do… my love."
The air around her shimmered for a second.
FLASH!
Clark blinked.
Alicia vanished.
For a moment, the room was empty.
Then, another flash.
FLASH!
She reappeared behind him.
Her arms slid gently over his shoulders.
Her fingers trailed across the fabric of his jacket.
Clark remained still.
Alicia leaned in, her warm breath brushing the back of his neck.
"See? I can be anywhere, always with you."
Clark's eyes narrowed.
Not because of the teleportation.
Not because of the game she was trying to play.
But because of something else.
'What did she just call me?'
He turned slowly to face her.
Alicia smiled.
Her eyes shone, her expression brimming with unshakable certainty.
As if this were normal.
As if he belonged to her.
Clark observed every detail.
The way her chest rose and fell with contained excitement.
The gleam in her eyes, more intense than any ordinary emotion.
The anticipation on her lips.
'This lunatic called me her love?'
Her expression was pure euphoria.
As if every second of this moment was being etched into her mind as something sacred.
Clark blinked slowly.
The teleportation didn't matter.
The real problem was how she saw him.
Not as a person.
But as a prize.
As an obsession.
And the obsessed… they were never predictable.
Clark exhaled silently.
'This is going to be a problem.'
Alicia slid her fingers gently down his arm.
"I have something to show you."
Clark remained still.
Alicia bit her lip, her eyes gleaming as if she were about to unveil a special gift.
She turned, grabbed something from the drawer, and returned to him with a stack of photos bound by a rubber band.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, as if this moment were the pinnacle of everything she desired.
Clark took the photos.
Slowly, he removed the rubber band.
The air grew heavier.
He flipped to the first image.
Flames frozen in time.
Dante. His burned body, skin cracked. Embers still glowing on the asphalt.
Clark.
In the midst of the fire, holding Dante by the neck.
Clark's eyes moved to the next one.
Him dropping the incandescent body.
The third.
His silhouette amid the ashes, the fire consuming everything around.
Clark stayed silent.
Alicia leaned forward slightly, her eyes scanning his every reaction.
"Fascinating, isn't it?"
He looked up at her.
She was smiling.
Clark turned to another photo.
One last one.
The destroyed workshop. Police sirens in the background.
And in the middle of it all, him.
Alicia slid her fingertips along the edge of the photos.
"I knew it was you that night."
Clark closed the stack.
Alicia's breathing grew heavier.
"You're not like the others."
Clark slipped the photos into his jacket pocket.
Alicia leaned in, her face too close.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Clark maintained his firm stance.
"These photos need to be destroyed."
Alicia laughed softly.
"You think I'd care about that?"
Clark narrowed his eyes.
"Then why did you take them?"
Her smile widened.
"To have you with me. To prove you exist. To keep something real of you."
She licked her lips, her eyes glazed over him.
"But now I don't need them anymore."
Clark kept his expression neutral.
"Because I have you. All to myself."
The air thickened.
Alicia stepped closer.
Clark didn't move.
The obsession in her eyes was undeniable.
She didn't care about the photos.
She didn't care about the risks.
She only cared about him.
Clark's eyes traced every microexpression on her face. The rapid heartbeat. The uneven breathing. The subtle tension in her facial muscles as she tried to contain her excitement.
She was lying.
Of course she was.
Alicia took photos to sell. He'd seen it in her mind the moment he held the images. But now, the game had changed.
She saw him that night.
And that rewrote the entire story in her head.
Those records, once mere material for shady deals, had become sacred mementos. Proof of a destiny only she could see.
Clark kept his gaze calm, as if accepting her every word.
Alicia leaned in further, her fingers brushing the edge of his jacket.
"You're not mad, are you?"
Clark blinked slowly.
'Mad? I'm already an entity in her head.'
She bit her lip, her eyes full of expectation.
'If I said anything now, she'd turn it into a sign.'
Alicia slid her fingers gently over the fabric of his jacket, almost as if staking a claim.
"Now that you're here, those photos don't mean anything anymore."
Clark kept his expression neutral.
A lie.
But a lie she needed to believe.
He reached into his pocket, feeling the bulk of the photos there.
'If I destroy these photos in front of her, this whole thing becomes a ritual.'
Her eyes sparkled as she saw him touch the photos in his pocket.
She was waiting for it.
Waiting for him to accept.
Waiting for him to destroy them as proof he was with her.
Clark let go of the pocket slowly.
He wouldn't give her that moment.
Alicia's eyes gleamed, still expecting a response.
Clark took a deep breath.
"I'll keep them."
Alicia blinked.
"Huh?"
Clark tilted his head slightly.
"If they're that important, they're better off with me."
The gleam in her eyes grew.
'It worked.'
She brought her hands to her chest, her smile soft.
"I knew you'd understand."
Clark stayed still, letting her interpret the situation however she wanted.
But in his mind, the gears were turning.
He could erase her mind.
He could rip out every memory, rewrite this story however he pleased.
But the problem wasn't just her obsession.
It was the teleportation.
Alicia was unstable.
Dangerous.
But her power… it was too convenient to simply erase.
Clark crossed his arms slowly, studying her.
'If I take her powers away, she's no longer a threat.'
Alicia kept smiling, oblivious to what was running through his mind.
'But if I do that, I lose a resource that could be useful.'
Clark weighed the possibilities.
He could hypnotize her.
Erase her fixation.
Set an invisible boundary in her mind.
But she'd still have the teleportation.
And power… it always corrupted.
He sighed inwardly.
'I could rewrite everything. But is it worth it?'
Alicia clasped her hands, gazing at him with adoration.
"You're thinking about us, aren't you?"
Clark blinked.
'Good Lord, how does her mind come up with this stuff?'
Alicia took a deep breath, touching her own skin as if feeling the energy of the moment.
"I knew we had a connection."
Clark didn't react.
She was so trapped in her own reality that she didn't need a response.
The problem was simple.
If he erased her… the teleportation would be lost.
If he let her be, this obsession would grow.
Clark exhaled silently.
The decision was made.
He wouldn't take her powers.
But he'd make sure Alicia was never a real problem.
His eyes narrowed.
Alicia kept smiling, waiting for him to say something.
But now, Clark didn't just see an obsessed girl.
He saw a piece.
And pieces were used.
In the best way possible.
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