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Jilly Milly – Chapter 05

Written by marknew742 :: [Monday, 07 March 2005 13:43] Last updated by :: [Friday, 21 June 2013 14:56]

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Jill hopped off the bus in Smallville and took off her glasses. She didn't think anyone knew her here. She looked back towards Chester. Claire was still trying to get ready. Why was she still fussing about which dress to wear? Jill had told her that the blue one looked best. The green one made her look heavier and showed too much tit. Why didn't she just listen to her? Oh well, there was nothing Jill could do about that now. She walked through town toward the Kent farm, wondering what kind of a greeting she'd get. She'd been eavesdropping on the Kents a few times a day and was sure Superboy hadn't told Aunt Martha anything, but still, it was not as though she saw that part of her family regularly. In fact, she wasn't sure she'd ever been at her great aunt's farm, even though they lived less than twenty miles away.

 

Lost in thought, she noticed suddenly a woman screaming in front of her. A man had grabbed her purse and was getting into a car stopped on the corner, ready to drive away. What should she do? And what could she do without giving herself away? While she was thinking, the car accelerated and sped away. A policeman arrived, chased the car for a few blocks on foot and then gave up.

 

The woman was crying hysterically about having just withdrawn all the money she had saved for her daughter's wedding present. A policeman tried to console her, and then a police car arrived and the policeman got in and they took off after the car. Jill was relieved, until she looked ahead with her telescopic vision and saw that the crooks had turned off the main road and were heading in an entirely different direction. The police went right by the turn off, not even noticing the dust kicked up by the getaway car. Idiots! They'd never catch them. She could run into the station house and tell them to radio the police car with the right location. Sure she could! Either they wouldn't believe her, which would mean it would be a complete waste of time, or they would believe her, and that would blow her cover. Either way, Jill would lose.

 

Well, it wasn't her responsibility, but maybe she could help a little by slowing them down. She fired a burst of heat vision at two of their tires and blew them out. That should do it! She walked down the street, avoiding the sobbing woman. She hated when people got so emotional! She took one more glance to see what the crooks were doing. Oh god! They'd lost control of the car in the blowout and had crashed into a tree. She looked more closely. One of them was dead, the other moaning softly. His injuries were very serious.

 

Darn! Now what was she supposed to do? She kept walking and thinking. It didn't look like a very busy road, so it could be hours before anyone else went by. She couldn't tell the police anything herself. But she COULD ask Superboy to call the police and tell them where they could find the crooks.

 

Then they'd find the injured one and the money and give it back to the woman.

 

Perfect! She walked more quickly. The sooner she took care of that, the better. She should have never gotten involved in the first place. She was nearly out of town now and looked again. A car had stopped. Good! A couple of boys were there, looking into the car. Oh no! They were taking the money and driving off, leaving the man there. Assholes. And they had a cell phone too! She felt like blowing up their car too, but then decided against it. She'd killed one person already today and maybe two. People were such jerks!

 

She checked on Claire. Good, she settled on the blue one. She was just getting in the car with Joey. So far, so good.

 

She opened the farm gate and walked up the path. Superboy's father was out in his workshop, his mother wasn't in the house. She knocked loudly. There was no answer, so she pushed the unlocked door open and went in.

 

“Clark?” she called. “Clark? Are you here?” She wasn't sure why she called. She knew exactly where he was. She opened the door to the den.

 

“Jill?” he said, dozily. “Jill! What are you-”

 

She smiled. “Hi. I came by to visit.” She stood at the door. Superboy looked around anxiously. “Your mother is out and your father's in his shop. We're alone.” He nodded. “How are you feeling?”

 

He grimaced. “Pretty weak. My body's not adjusting very well to not having superpowers. I'm sleeping 15 hours a day.”

 

She walked closer until she sat down next to him and stroked his head. “Poor boy,” she said sympthetically.

 

“How are you?” he asked.

 

“Oh, great!” She laughed awkwardly, not meaning to boast. “Well, I was feeling pretty great until I came to Smallville. I saw a robbery. The police here are really dumb. Did you know that? They can't even follow a getaway car. So I tried to help by bursting the crooks' tires and I made the car crash instead. One of them's dead now and the other is badly hurt. I want YOU to call the police and tell them.”

 

“Why me? You're the one who did it,” he replied without much heat.

 

“They know you as Superboy. They won't believe me.”

 

“No. I don't want to. They think Superboy's away. If they know I'm back they'll start asking all sorts of questions.”

 

“But someone's hurt.”

 

“Well, YOU help them.”

 

“No. You're the super-hero! Not me.” He made a face. “OK, maybe not a SUPER-hero. But you can still be a hero. Just like you said.”

 

He glared at her. “No. You're the one who made them crash. It's your responsibility. Of course, if you give me my powers back, then I'll be able to help them myself. Or call the police.”

 

“Darn you! I'm here two minutes and already you're trying to make me feel guilty.”

 

He shrugged. “That doesn't seem to be possible.” He stared at her eyes intently to show his resolution.

 

Jill sighed, refusing to get into a staring match. She shrugged. “Fine then. I'll leave him there. It'll be on your conscience too. I don't see why I should care about some purse-snatcher.”

 

She took a breath and tried to settle down. “Come on, I didn't come here to start a fight with you. I came by to see how you are and maybe make you feel better.” She took off her jacket.

 

“You're just going to leave him there?” Superboy asked, staring at her cleavage, which was well displayed by her low-cut top.

 

She looked down at her chest and tossed her head. “I guess.” She laughed. “You like the color?” she teased, and moved closer. “The blue matches my eyes almost exactly.”

 

“It does,” he agreed, examining the upper portion of her top with obvious interest, having forgotten momentarily about the injured robber.

 

“So, don't you think we can sit next to each other?” She moved onto the sofa and Superboy moved over slightly. She put her hand around Superboy's back and moved her face closer to his.

 

He moved away slightly “You keep doing this. Every time we talk about something important, you think that you can distract me.”

 

“I KNOW I can distract you,” she said softly, leaning over still closer to give him a better view. She licked her lips and then brushed his lips with hers. “And I KNOW I can make you feel better. Won't you let me try?”

 

Superboy felt a jolt of energy. Was THIS what everyone felt from kissing? It was somehow more than he'd imagined. He'd never felt it so strongly with Lana, but maybe it's because they were younger, or maybe he hadn't been as attracted to her as he'd thought. He closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss and let Jill's tongue probe his mouth more deeply. The lethargy he'd been feeling just seemed to sweep out of his body. He put his arms around her and held her closer, and she responded by turning toward him, her hands caressing his back, massaging him. It felt so good, just like on the park bench two days ago. He opened his mouth wider and shyly let his tongue go to work. His whole body tingled with pleasure.

 

Meanwhile, Jill had opened her eyes and saw Superboy was seriously into the kiss. She wasn't sure whether it was her kissing or something else, but, as she had planned, she immediately started to inspect his body with her X-ray vision. Sure enough, something in her saliva was interacting with the small amounts of super serum he still had in his body, and it was emitting chemicals that were now racing around his system through his bloodstream. The levels were only a tiny fraction of what was in her system, but probably because his system was already sensitized to them, or perhaps because he was Kryptonian, he was reacting to them quickly. His muscles, which felt soft when she first held them, were already firming a little. Good. But was it enough yet? She couldn't be sure. She touched his head lightly to show him she wanted more and he responded, pushing his tongue further into her mouth. His hands started to wander too, moving slowly from her back to her sides and then to her breasts. She didn't want that – she wanted him absorbed in kissing her – so she took his hand and moved them off her breasts. He didn't struggle, so there was no contest of strength, which was fine with her. She would not have wanted to lose, and she didn't want to win … yet. He was a pretty good kisser she had to admit, and she was feeling more and more aroused. Her scent felt like it was drowning the room and she wondered whether he smelled it too. She shifted uncomfortably. Now she wanted his hands on her breasts … and more. But no! That's not why she was there! She broke it off, breathing rapidly, her face flushed.

 

“No!” she said, huskily, her eyes dilated and her face flushed. “I – uh.” She was breathing heavily and so was he. “Oh, Superboy!”

 

“Jill … I never imagined how much I --”

 

“Oh I know!” she said. She held him, trying to regain control of herself. She kissed him again, lightly. “Do you remember the first time, when you kissed me, when we floated up into the air?” He nodded. “That was so special.”

 

“Uh-huh,” he said, still breathless.

 

“Could you … again?” she said, realizing she was practically in his lap. She kissed him again, a long, wet kiss.

 

“I don't know – I haven't been, uh, flying much.” He couldn't bear to ask whether she could fly.

 

“Oh, please. Won't you try at least?” She put her arms around him and kissed him again, playing with his tongue. She felt him sigh and hold her. She moved her leg against his crotch gently, feeling his erection and rubbing her leg against it. He thrust his hip back at her, so she assumed he liked what she was doing, so she continued, increasing the pressure slightly but he kept pressing harder against her. This was interesting! She whispered in his ear, “Come on, Superboy, let's fly,” and then went back to kissing him. She felt a murmuring in his throat and then a slight pressure against her legs. She opened her eyes and they were hovering a few inches off the sofa! How was he doing it?!! She quickly examined his body, using her super-vision, her hearing and her sense of smell, even her hands. They rose higher, nearly a foot in the air now and started to float across the room. And then she saw! She understood! And she KNEW she'd be able to do it too. She held him tighter and rubbed harder against his penis, thinking he DID deserve a little reward. His breathing quickened and they started moving downwards. Was he distracted? This was her chance! She concentrated and they stopped moving and then reversed course, back over the sofa. It was HER doing; she was sure of it. She stopped trying to fly and pushed against him harder.

 

“Oh, Jill … I'm going to …”

 

His body convulsed and he gripped her more tightly. They dropped down onto the sofa. She felt a wetness against her pants and lifted her leg and made a face.

 

“I'm sorry Jill, I must have …”

 

“Yeah, I guess you did,” she said. “You DO still like me, don't you?” she added, teasing him again.

 

He was still breathing hard and looked fatigued again. “I've never – I mean – I didn't think I'd –

 

“Maybe I should try to wash it off,” she said, getting up and walking to the bathroom. It really wasn't very much. She dabbed it with warm water and dried it with her heat vision and then came out. Superboy had covered his lap with a blanket. She looked through it. There was a lot more on him. He definitely didn't look well. She wondered about something and looked more closely at the stain. It was TEEMING with the chemicals from the super serum! Poor Superboy! He'd just spurted out most of the super-nutrients she'd just given him. He'd probably lost most of his power again. Oh well, it would have been only temporary anyway.

 

He reached for her and she smiled, extending her hand. He pulled on her and she stepped forward a bit. “Hey … Jill. You're not mad, are you?”

 

“No,” she said, not putting much conviction, or warmth, in her voice. He pulled on her again. “I guess you must be feeling better,” she added.

 

“Yeah, I was. Funny. I was feeling like I was getting my powers back before, when we were, you know, kissing. And now I'm feeling weak again.” He shook his head. “Jill, come down. Kiss me. I'm … curious about something.”

 

Well, Jill thought, he might be stupid, but he's not a complete idiot. She bent down and kissed him – on the cheek.

 

“That's not what I meant!” he said, a little annoyed. “What is it? You're acting very distant all of a sudden. I thought –

 

“You should be able to control yourself better,” she said. This was fun.

Serves him right for fooling around with that Jessica!

 

“Jill! You know, you're very sexy. I just … couldn't help it.” He looked into her eyes and then down at her breasts. They were so large.

 

She looked back at him. His honesty was kind of touching. Sometimes she wished she could be that … simple. She sat down and held his hand. “I'm sorry. I've never been with a guy who … you know, spurted on me. It sort of got me out of the mood.”

 

“Jill. Please kiss me – the way you were before. I think … I think it had something to do with my feeling better.”

 

She looked at him skeptically. “What do you mean?”

 

“I don't know. Maybe something in your saliva or your mouth. Let's just try it.”

 

“But … I don't know.” She looked at him and then bent down and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, letting him put his tongue in her mouth briefly before she drew away and stood up. “This sort of makes me feel a little used, like you're experimenting on me instead of kissing me.”

 

He stared ahead. “I felt something, definitely. Let's try it again.” He held his face up. She stood above him. “Jill!”

 

Sighing, she bent down and gave him another kiss, longer this time. “MAKING me do this is NOT helping me get BACK in the mood,” she said, sounding more annoyed.

 

“Then sit down next to me, like before.” She complied, but kept a distance.

“Come on, Jill. I really think –

 

A door opened. “Clark! Is somebody here?” It was Martha. She walked into the room. “Oh! Excuse me.” She looked more closely. “Is that little Jilly-Milly?”

 

Jill felt like burning her to ashes with one blast of heat vision for calling her that but instead smiled and said. “Hello Aunt Martha!” She jumped up right away and went to the older woman to give her a hug.

 

“My you've grown. I don't think I've seen you since you were two and Allie was born. You've really grown up! What brings you here?”

 

“Oh, I, uh, I had some things to drop off in Smallville, and then I thought I'd look you up. I'd uh, never met, uh, Clark before and so we've been talking.”

 

“That's very nice. He hasn't been feeling well. He needs some company. Can I give you some cake and some milk? Clark?”

 

He looked at Jill in panic, indicating no with his eyes, so Jill said. “Oh yes! I think I can have a little piece. But just a little. You know, my diet!”

 

“Your diet? Why, you have a LOVELY figure Jill. Doesn't she Clark?” Jill followed Martha into the kitchen. “Clark, you ARE joining us, aren't you?” an edge creeping into her voice.

 

“Uh, I was feeling a bit tired, Ma,” he said, looking down at the still dark stain on his pants. He stared at it, trying to dry it with the remnants of his heat vision, but managed only to warm it slightly. Jill spied on him, enjoying his predicament. Just then, he spotted a pair of gym shorts he'd left in the den from earlier. He grabbed them and quickly changed, then walked into the kitchen. Martha and Jill looked at him strangely, but said nothing.

 

“Well, you do look a bit better to me, Clark. Jill, I think your visit has done him some good. You should come more often.”

 

“Thanks Aunt Martha. Maybe I will.” She looked at the clock. “Uh oh! It's almost time for the last bus! I can just make it if I leave now!”

 

Martha looked at the clock. “Oh my! You're right. And our car isn't working properly, otherwise I'd drive you. Dear, you'd better hurry.” She stood up.

 

“Let me get your jacket. And take this cake for your mother and Allie. I'm sure they'd enjoy it.” She followed Jill to the door. “I wish Clark could walk with you, but you know, he's still ill and he'd probably slow you down. But do come back!” she called. Jill waved and disappeared down the path at a rapid pace.

 

Jill continued walking toward town, then cut into the fields away from the Kent farm. It was quite dark, with no moon. This would be perfect! She threw the cake away then concentrated and lifted off the ground, slowly at first, then rising through the air more rapidly. She hung five hundred feet in the air and did a slow somersault. “YES!” she cried out. “I CAN FLY!!” She oriented herself, then started moving toward Chester, picking up speed as she went. The wind was in her hair now, blowing it straight back behind her. She stretched out horizontally, as she'd seen Superboy do it, and flew still higher, so that she could see miles in every direction. It was beautiful, incredible. She rose still higher and stopped herself, perched in the sky, a mile above the ground. She was super! She could do it all!!!

 

She looked down at Claire, sitting in the balcony of the Chester Cinema. Joey had his arm around her, with his fingers touching the edge of Claire's breast.

 

Claire seemed happy enough. Jill looked at her, and then back at Joey. Well, HE was pretty aroused. She wondered if Claire knew. And he was bigger than Superboy! She chuckled to herself. She'd have to tell Claire later. Kissing Superboy had really turned her on, but she couldn't go back there. She felt restless. She used her super-vision to scan the area and spotted a carnival just over the border in Missouri. It was a good thing she'd found it. It was the last night there and it looked like they were already packing some things up, but here'd definitely be stuff to do there! She flew, steadily increasing her speed again until the wind against her was too strong and she slowed down. After just ten minutes she dropped into a field outside of the town and then jogged over to the field.

 

It was the same carnival that had come to Chester earlier in the year and she recognized some of the rides she had ridden with Claire in the summer, but somehow the rollercoaster and ferris wheel didn't interest her. She went to the Midway and decided that the games would be fun. She waited on the line for the Ring the Bell game, listening to the man in back of her bragging to his date about how he'd knock the bell right off the pole and complaining about having to wait for a girl to go first. This would be fun. The carnie kept up a good patter.

 

After ten minutes it was her turn. “All right, here's a little GIRL who wants to try. Always like to give the girls an EXTRA try. Four tries for a dollar for the girls, three for the men. Here honey, can I help you with the mallet? Hey, look, it's as BIG as she is, folks. Give her room. Step right up and have a go!”

 

Jill put her coat down and her purse and took the mallet. Except for the evening playing with Jack's weights she still hadn't gotten around to exercising, so she wasn't sure how she'd do. It didn't feel too heavy and she waved it back and forth a little, giving her muscles a little work. She raised it over her head and hit the disk. The knob rose three quarters of the way up.

 

“Whoa! Look at that! She's stronger than she looks, folks. She's been eating her spinach. Give her room, let her try again!”

 

That was pretty good, Jill thought. Better than she expected. Already the mallet felt pretty light. She swung it around and hit the disk again, harder, and the knob went straight up and rang the bell.

 

“Hey! Hey! She's a little demon, isn't she? She must be Superboy's cousin! She gets a prize. Will she go for a bigger one?” Jill nodded yes. “OK, she's a player. But she has to know that winners have use the big mallet. Right?”

 

Jill shrugged. So this was the carnie trick! Well, it was fine with her. She took the new mallet, which was twice as heavy as the first one. She lifted it slowly, tossing it back and forth to get the feel of it while she exercised her muscles. This would definitely be fun. She lifted it over her head and slammed it down on the disk and the knob rose smartly up and hit the bell. The crowd cheered and the carnie stared at her, frowning and chomping on his cigar.

 

“Can you believe it? The little girl won the prize! She took the big animal.

All right. Step aside little Hercules. Time to give someone else a chance.”

 

Jill held on the hammer. “Just a minute. You said I get four tries. I want the grand prize.” She pointed to the $100 on the sign.”

 

The carnie glared at her. “You trying to hustle me?” The crowd started shouting. “Only kidding folks. This is the fairest carnie you'll ever see. I said four tries, she gets four tries.”

 

He stood close to her, so she couldn't rock forward to hit it without stepping on him. All right, she'd have to do it with just her arms. Fine. She lifted the hammer and slammed it onto the disk. The knob zoomed up the chute and made the loudest sound yet against the bell. The carnie stared openmouthed while the crowd cheered. Jill resisted the temptation to twirl the mallet around with her wrist, but held onto it until the carnie gave her five soiled twenty dollar bills, which Jill examined closely before putting them in her purse. That was fun. Now she stepped aside. She wanted to see how the next man did. She handed him the heavy mallet and watched closely as he moved it sluggishly.

 

“Step right up everyone. Everybody gets a try. ANYbody can win.” Jill noticed he wasn't giving him the lighter mallet. He obviously didn't want more winners, and the man was too proud to ask for the lighter one after Jill had rung the bell with the heavy one. He lifted it slowly over his head and hit the disk. The knob went up one quarter of the distance and then down again.

 

“Aww. He forgot his spinach tonight folks. Maybe he needs lessons from the young lady.”

 

The man stared at Jill in disbelief and then spit on his hands and lifted the mallet again and slammed it against the disk, groaning loudly. The knob rose halfway and then settled back down.

 

“You see folks, it's not just size and strength. It's technique. That's why anyone can be a winner, even the ladies. Now he's got one more try to win this little stuffed animal for his girlfriend.” The man tried to lift the hammer and put it down. “I think he hurt his back folks. Too bad. Next in line please, next in line.” The man snuck another glance at Jill, who left smiling to go to the next attraction.

 

She'd tried to knock the milk cans over with a baseball last summer and failed miserably, not even getting one down, even when she'd hit it. It was even worse because Allen had done it – after he'd spent five dollars in the process. Well, it would be different now. She paid a dollar for three balls and got ready. She noticed one couple who had been watching her at the last game. Well, she'd show them something. She reached back and threw the ball and missed entirely, throwing over the cans. Damn! She needed to concentrate more.

 

The carnie laughed. “Yes folks, even in these days of women's lib, girls still throw like girls!” There were some chuckles from the men. Well, She'd show him. She aimed more and threw harder, hitting the lower left can and knocking four down, leaving two next to each other. The crowd cheered.

 

“Well, well. Nice one little girl. But that's a hard split. How're you gonna knock two down right next to each other?” Jill stared at them. Well, that would be a problem – for most people. She gripped the ball and tossed it in the air a couple of times, spinning it. She'd have to get it exactly right. She reached back and threw a hard spinner. It hit the right side of one can and shot into the other, knocking them both down. She clapped and happily took another prize, then gave it to a little girl who was balanced on her father's shoulders. This was great!

 

What was next? She looked around the grounds and saw the usual stuff – a two-headed baby, a smart monkey that could do sums. There was a long line of people to see “Gudrun – the World's Strongest Girl.” Ha! Jill bet she could show them a thing or two about female strength! Then she saw a tent with a thousand dollar prize. OK. She'd have to guess how many M&M's were in a VW Beetle. Too easy! She counted them quickly, then walked up to the booth.

 

“One dollar a guess. One dollar a guess. You look like a smart girl. Do you want to guess?”

 

Jill nodded and gave him a dollar.

 

“How about 975,411?”

 

The carnie smiled. “Nice try, young lady, but I'm sorry. Next! Who's next?”

 

“But that's the number!” Jill protested.

 

The carnie looked at her disdainfully. “Oh it is? I bet you counted them yourself.” Jill set her teeth and glared at him. He motioned to the VW. “Go on, count them. Better yet, we'll count them together after I'm finished tonight,” he added, leering at her and grinning, showing his brown teeth.

 

Jill wrinkled her nose and shook her head. She should have known they'd try to cheat her. The whole carnival looked cheap to her now. She felt like breaking something and then noticed another contest. Now this would be a good way to get back at them.

 

Jill walked into the tent. “Step right up. Who wants to armwrestle Sven The Strong Man? $50 if you beat him once. $150 if you beat him with each arm. Just $3 a go.” Sven was just sitting down to armwrestle a large farmer. Sven was unshaven with long dark hair and sat in a chair without a shirt. She couldn't see how big he was, but his chest and shoulders were broad and his arms were thick. The farmer was big too, and he gave his $3 to the barker and sat down on a small, rickety chair, trying to get comfortable. Finally he set himself and planted his legs. The two locked hands and started. The farmer immediately started pushing and moved Sven's hand back slightly. Sven looked at him, bored, and held the position for a moment, then slowly put the farmer's hand down. It took all of fifteen seconds.

 

“Well, THAT was a challenge, wasn't it? Sven loves a challenge.” Sven opened his mouth and yawned and then flexed his muscles. “Who's going to try now?”

 

A lettered high school football player walked up to him, egged on by his friends. He held up his hands to the crowd like he'd just scored a touchdown and faced off against Sven, making little threatening movements. There were several whoops from the crowd, and Sven looked annoyed. “You sir? You have the $3, young man? I guess he's mowed his Momma's lawn this week!” the barker said to goad him. “What's your name sonny? Brendon! Well, Brendon, let's see how strong you are.”

 

Brandon sat in the chair and flexed, although his long sleeves blocked the crowd's view of his muscles. He gripped Sven's right hand and squeezed. Sven frowned and squeezed back. “Hey boys, this isn't a date. Let's go!” the barker shouted. Sven pushed on Brendon's hand, let Brendon's face go red, and then slammed his hand to the table.

 

“Awww, it looks like age and experience won out this time everyone. Sorry son. Come back in a few years!” He murmured to Sven in a whisper only Jill could hear not to intimidate the customers, and Sven just growled back. “Well, who's next? Who wants to try? No takers. Well, I'll increase the prize to $75. $75 if you beat him once. $200 if you beat him with each arm. Just $3 a go.”

 

Jill looked at Sven. He'd just beaten two strong guys easily. He must be pretty powerful. Jill wondered whether she was strong enough to beat him. She didn't want to be made fun of, or even worse, to get hurt. She wished she'd exercised more so that she'd be sure that she was stronger than any normal person could be.

 

“Come on folks. Doesn't anyone want to try?” He shot a glance at Sven, annoyed that he had beaten the boy so easily that no one else seemed to want to try.

 

“I will!” Jill said, her voice squeaking a little. Everyone turned to look at her, and there was a ripple of laughter in the tent.

 

“You?” the barker said incredulously.

 

Jill walked up to the front tentatively and nodded. Sven looked at her and scowled. “I ain't gonna do it! She'll get hurt and they'll shut me down!” he growled in a husky voice.

 

“No I won't. And … and I promise I won't complain,” she said. Sven waved his hand at her in disgust. “Really. I'm stronger than I look,” she added. She went to the podium in front of the barker and picked it up. “See?”

 

A murmur went through the crowd. “That's the girl who rang the bell on the hammer game,” one of them whispered and told the story to the people around him.

 

Jill pulled three dollars out of her purse and put it on the podium. “I'm ready,” she said, and sat in the chair next to Sven, who looked down at her with contempt.

 

“This is ridiculous,” he said, standing up. The crowd booed and hissed. He glared at them and sat back down. “OK, OK. But somebody's gonna get hurt, and it's not gonna be me!” he declared. “I ain't goin easy on you, Missy, cause you're tryin to make me look bad.”

 

“I just want my fair chance,” Jill replied evenly. She took off her jacket and folded it onto the stage and then put her hands together and pressed as hard as she could, getting some last minute exercise and hoping it would be enough.

 

“Look. She's praying for strength,” someone in the crowd said, respectfully.

 

Jill made her expression more serious and looked downward. Let them think that, she thought, increasing the pressure on her hands.

 

She looked at Sven and lifted her right hand to his. It was immediately lost in his much larger one. He looked down at her, his eyes distracted for a moment by her breasts, then he grimaced and squeezed her hand. Jill returned the pressure and was pleased that his squeezing didn't hurt her hand at all.

He seemed confused by her failure to cry out, but he just looked more determined. The barker said “Start!” and Sven began to push her hand. He quickly pushed her halfway down, to Jill's surprise, but she put all of her power into it and managed to stop him halfway. She grit her teeth and countered with as much strength as she had, hoping to make the match last. He pushed her another two inches down, leaving her just an inch and a half before she reached the table, but she could feel it was easier to hold him back – the strength must be flowing into her arm! She kept pushing. Sven looked at her in shock and the sounds from the crowd grew louder. She had already lasted longer than the two men before her. Sven gripped the table with his other hand, his knuckles turning white. His arm started shaking and his face turned red. Jill slowly pushed his hand back to the middle, then over the top and onto the table. YES! The crowd cheered. Jill stood up and held her arms over her head, while Sven and the barker stared at her in amazement.

 

“I want to try the left hand now.” The barker and Sven looked at each other and gave each other a little nod.

 

“Well, well, the little girl wants to go for the $200! Very interesting match, ladies and gentlemen. Very interesting! Sven the Strongman will accept her challenge, and if she wagers her $75, Sven will pay her $500 if she wins! Will she accept?”

 

Jill couldn't believe it. Was he crazy? “I accept!” she replied. The crowd cheered. Jill put her arms together again as if she were praying and pushed, but she felt unbalanced, her right arm now felt much stronger than her left. She looked at Sven, and then realized this must be another carnie trick. He must be left-handed! She looked more closely and saw that indeed his left biceps were much thicker than his right. She put up her hand. Her left arm had always been much weaker! She tensed her left biceps several times, trying to pump some strength into it.

 

“I think she's a little worried,” the barker announced. “Sven is ready to begin. You have five seconds Miss …”

 

“Uh, Pill.”

 

He smiled. “Miss Pill. Well, I hope you've taken your magic energy pill, Miss Pill. I know you'll need it.”

 

They locked hands and Sven quickly pushed her down near the table. She was pushing as hard as she could, but his arm was like a rock. He grinned at her, indicating this was more like it. He felt completely in control now.

 

“Why look, ladies and gentlemen! Miss Pill is just barely holding on. How long will the valiant little girl last against the Mighty Sven?”

 

Jill didn't know herself. She was pushing with all of her strength, but his arm was immovable! She COULDN'T lose to him. She just COULDN'T!! Her whole body strained. She closed her eyes, tensing every muscle in her body. And then suddenly, it happened. A flood of energy poured through her, as though the Hoover Dam had just given way. As though the strength she'd had before had been just a puddle of water and now was the Pacific Ocean. Her whole body seemed to vibrate with power, her mind sprung to life, as if it were moving now with incredible speed and everything else around her had slowed to a crawl, the world erupted in a million new colors, and the force of Sven's arm seemed like no more than the tickle of a baby's hand. It was all she could do to stop herself from rising into the air, smashing through the roof of the tent. But she could. She felt like she had perfect control. She looked into Sven's eyes with supreme confidence. He seemed to sense a second-wind in her and decided to end the match right then. He applied another surge of power, but now it was Jill's arm that was immovable as a rock. She let him try, and then pressed her palm against his and steadily brought him over the top and onto the table. She'd done it! She'd won!

 

And better yet she sensed that somehow her body was now tapping into the energy of the super serum in a new way. That must be what Superboy's body did. Her cells must have adapted to it, must be permeated with it. That must explain the sensitivity Superboy had to the traces of it in her saliva, and now she had it too!

 

She looked up. Sven was glaring at her. Tough! She looked for the barker to collect her $500. Where was he?

 

“Hey, where's my money?” She turned around and then turned again so see Sven leaving through the back door of the tent.

 

The crowd was still murmuring in amazement. A man clapped her on the back. “Hey, great show!” he said. “You've been with the carnival long?”

 

“I – no I”

 

He gave her a card. “Listen, Miss Pill. I'm an agent for Ringling Brothers. If you ever want to try the big time, look me up.” He winked at her. “You really had them going. You have a real talent.”

 

“But I – uh thanks.”

 

She pushed through the crowd. She couldn't believe they'd thought it was an act. Well, she didn't really want to demonstrate her superpowers to them to prove her victory was real. But more importantly, where was the barker with her money? She used her super-vision and, scanning the carnival, traced him to the trailers behind another tent. He was talking with a manager, holding his cash box in his hands. Sven was just joining them, looking angry and rubbing his left shoulder. Jill walked purposefully toward them, then saw five men leaving that area and walking in her direction. They looked very determined.

 

Why, they were coming for her! She'd show them! Then she thought again. A big fight was the last thing she wanted. No, she had to avoid them. She turned around and walked toward the entrance but then spotted them again. They had split up to get around her, and two were heading for the entrance while the other three were closing in on her. With the crowd starting to thin, they'd find her in a couple of minutes. She reversed course now, going back toward the trailers, away from the crowds until she was behind a tent. She'd show them – if she was right about her powers. She looked intently again at the barker in his trailer. He was standing with his cash box, counting the evening's receipts. Perfect. She headed for him, first at a jog and then increasing her speed steadily until she was moving at a blur, through the trailer door, snatching the money in the box and then fleeing out the door and rising into the air, before he even saw that his money was missing. In seconds she was several thousand feet above the carnival, laughing at the barker looking down at his empty box in astonishment. Well, he'd no doubt have a difficult time explaining this one to the manager! She flipped through the bills. Only $300, but it would do.

 

Gripping the bills tightly, she flew higher and higher, immune to the cold and not even noticing the thinning air. It was exhilirating, and so beautiful! She could see the whole state now, the lights of the cities and the small tiny communities scattered around, the pinpoints of lamps in the isolated farmhouses. And looking at the sky she saw the Moon, Mars, and Saturn. She could visit them, skate on Saturn's rings, kick up dust on the moon, hurl Phobos at Deimos and watch them crash onto Mars' surface, then watch Earth's astronomers ponder what unknown forces might be responsible! She let out a deep, contented sigh and marveled at the stream of ice crystals that formed in a trail from her mouth, realizing only then that she hadn't breathed for minutes. She positioned herself horizontal to the earth, gazing at the stars, stretching her telescopic vision to greater and greater distances. Imagine what Claire would say if she could see what Jill saw! Then she suddenly remembered Claire and her date. She flipped over and located Chester, which with the Earth's rotation had drifted 400 miles away. So, where was she? The movie had let out. She wasn't at home. Then she spotted her, in Joey's car, parked near the Kilton's abandoned farm. Was she all right? Well, she wasn't struggling. And she still had most of her dress on. She checked on Joey's pants to make sure they were still zipped. Fine for now, but she'd better keep an eye on them. She hurtled back to Chester, then noticed that her jacket was flying off in pieces, the frigid temperatures of the upper atmosphere, followed by the heat of her descent, proving far too much for the ordinary denim. The blouse and skirt quickly followed, leaving Jill no choice but to fly into her house at super speed and get new clothes. She slipped out the window and then flew back toward Claire, more slowly this time to preserve her clothing. She'd have to get something more durable to wear, and had a good idea what that would be, but she wasn't ready to so that – yet.

 

She was a thousand feet above Joey's car now and she looked down at them again. Uh-oh. Joey was unzipped, and Claire wasn't pulling him closer anymore.

 

Her hands were on his chest, pushing, ineffectively, as Joey was pulling her head down to his crotch. What a jerk! Jill had half a mind to burn him to a crisp with one blast, but decided against it. She'd need to do something a little more subtle. She drifted down to the road and walked up to the car, knocking on the window.

 

“Hi Claire. Hi Joey. What's up?” She opened the door and put her hand over her mouth, pretending to stifle a giggle. “Oh, I see what's up!”

 

Joey scowled. “Hey! Who – what the fuck are YOU doing here, Jill?”

 

Claire was looking at her too, relief mixed with embarrassment. “Jill! Oh I – you didn't have to –

 

“Now Claire, you should have known I couldn't go ALL Friday night without seeing you. I MISSED you!”

 

“Hey, would you MIND, Jill. Claire and I were BUSY – in case you didn't notice,” he said, draping his shirt over his rapidly shrinking penis.

 

“Oh gee!” Jill replied. “I DID notice something,” gesturing to his crotch, “but I think it's GONE now. I was hoping Claire could walk me home. I got lonely. I mean, it's fine, Claire, if you want to stay and PLAY with Joey. Or we could walk home together and talk, like we usually do. It's up to you.”

 

Claire looked at Joey's open pants and his angry face. She grabbed her purse and opened her door. “Thanks Joey, for a great date. MOST of it was really fun, ok?”

 

Joey sat there stunned as the girls walked away from the car. He'd never had a date end like that. Sure girls usually resisted at first, but that was all part of the game. Everybody knew that – it was just what they did to keep their “reputations”. And she would have gone along with it too, if only her friend hadn't interfered. What an idiot he was being, letting them just walk off! What was Jill doing out here by herself anyway? It must have been some kind of prearranged plan between them. That just made him madder. Obviously Claire KNEW about this spot – probably from Helen or Barbie – and KNEW he knew too. She obviously wasn't as innocent as she'd pretended. She was being a fucking tease, that's what! He jumped out of the car. No WAY they were going to get away with treating him like that! He ran toward town in pursuit. They couldn't have gotten far – and it was at least a fifteen minute walk into town.

 

Jill cocked her head. “Uh-oh, he's following us!”

 

Claire clutched her Jill's arm. “What are we going to DO? I can't walk any faster in these shoes. I'm already out of breath!”

 

“Don't worry.”

 

“Jill, I DON'T want you to hurt him or anything.”

 

Jill stopped for a second and sighed. “But it would be FUN.” She looked at Claire's pleading eyes. “Oh, all right! Come on, this way then.” She pulled her into a field.

 

“Where are we going? I can't walk in the mud with these!” Jill reached under Claire's ass and lifted her off the ground with her arm and carrying her like a baby. “Hey! What are you doing?”

 

“Sshh! I'll tell you in a minutes. Just be quiet, ok?” Jill ran more quickly now, holding Claire, and slipped behind a barn, then rose into the air slowly into the dark, glad again for the new moon.

 

“Jill!! You can-”

 

Jill put her free hand over Claire's mouth. She leaned over and whispered, “I'll tell you in a sec. But we have to get away first, without him seeing us – or HEARING us!” Claire nodded. Jill looked back. Joey was standing in the middle of the road and then looking in the field, but sensibly not looking in the sky. “I think we're clear of him,” she said softly. “Now we have to find a place to land in town.” They kept to the dark areas and dropped down into the park near Claire's house, hugged each other, then ran holding hands to Claire's. Her mother opened the door.

 

“Claire! And Jill! What's so funny? And where's Joey? I thought you were out with him.”

 

“Oh she was, Mrs. Simmons,” Jill answered quickly. “But I ran into them, and then Joey lost something and we got bored while he looked for it, so we left.”

 

“The poor boy! Claire, I'm not sure that's right. If you go out on a date you're supposed to come home with the boy. After all, he paid for the movie, and dinner, and I'm sure he expects –

 

Claire reddened. “Mom! You're not going to take his side, are you?!”

 

“Claire, dear. I'm just giving you some helpful advice. I used to be young too, and boys expect a girl to pay attention to them, to be polite and not to run off with her friends just because she suddenly decides she wants to gossip instead of waiting patiently for the boy to finish what he's doing. I mean, you see Jill everyday. I can't imagine what you girls have to talk about that's so important that it can't wait until the next day. Now when I used to date your father, he would get distracted by every car he walked by, just like a little dog I thought, but I didn't walk off. No. I waited for him to remember I was there. You know, there are plenty of tricks a girl can use to get – and keep – a boy's attention. Maybe I haven't talked to you enough about them. Dressing for instance. Now, if I were you, I would have worn that green dress. It's a little more … attention grabbing. You're a grown up girl now, Claire. You should know what interests boys, and boys like it when girls-”

 

“Mom! He was going to make me suck his dick!” Claire screamed.

 

Mrs. Simmons jumped and looked at her daughter and then Jill. Then back to her daughter. “Well! This is outrageous! What did you DO to make him think you would DO such a thing! I am VERY disappointed in you, Claire. VERY disappointed. I really thought you were old enough and sophisticated enough to go on dates and now I see that you're not. Go up to your room right now!” The two girls shrugged and started up the stairs. “Not you, Jill! Claire is grounded. She needs to be alone to think about what she's done. And you're to go home Jill. Your mother's been looking for you. And no phone calls!”

 

“But Mom –

 

“Claire, I'm counting. One, two, three …”

 

“All right, all right!” Claire said, screaming and crying and running upstairs.

 

Jill looked at Mrs. Simmons with cold anger. “That is so unfair. Claire didn't do anything wrong.”

 

“And you mind your own business, young girl. When you know enough to be someone's mother, then you can do what I'm doing.”

 

“I would NEVER do what you're doing!” she said and stomped out of the house.

 

“Don't you talk to ME like that Jill Pell. I'll tell your mother. I'll tell her how disrespectful and –

 

Jill whirled around. “Yeah? And she'll tell you what an empty-headed windbag YOU are. EVERYBODY KNOWS it TOO!” She turned again and left Mrs. Simmons to stew. What an idiot!

 

She walked down the block toward her house and around the corner and then looked back into Claire's house. She was on her bed, crying hysterically. Mrs. Simmons was in the kitchen, drinking a sherry for her “nerves.” Jill looked around her to make sure no one was watching, then flew up to Claire's window, opened it and entered the room, and stood next to her, moving so quickly that she seemed to appear magically.

 

“She's wrong you know. She doesn't know you at all,” she said soothingly, stroking Claire's hair. Claire turned suddenly, her eyes widened.

 

“How did you – she'd KILL you if she found you here.”

 

“I don't think so. Besides, if I hear her coming I can leave as quickly as I came in.” She raised her eyebrows. “Super-speed has its advantages!” Claire nodded in awe. “You wouldn't BELIEVE what's happened to me tonight! I went over to Superboy's house, and like I'd thought, kissing him DOES give him a little of his powers back. So I had him show me how to fly. And it was SO easy.”

 

“I can't believe he helped you, just like that! I mean, if I were him, I'd be so angry at you.”

 

“Well, I sort of tricked him into doing it. He doesn't actually know he helped me. I mean, he REALLY has the hots for me, Claire. He like couldn't help himself. But I'll tell you all the details later. It was really funny. Anyway, after I left him, I was kind of playing around, flying, and I saw this carnival, over in Missouri.”

 

“You flew all the way to Missouri?”

 

“Uh-huh. It was so cool. I won this strength game, you know, Ring the Bell, and then I did this armwresting contest, with a real strong man! I mean, this guy was beating everybody easily, he was so strong, and he almost beat me! I was trying so hard, straining every muscle and then, all of a sudden, I like passed some kind of threshold, and it was like all the superpowers were mine. Maybe I'd used up all the old, human energy sources, so all that was left in me was the super stuff. And it all just CAME to me! Total strength, super-speed, invulnerability. Claire, I flew 40 miles into the sky – where there's no air – and it was, like, no problem. It must have been a hundred degrees below zero and I didn't even FEEL it!”

 

“That's just unbelievable.”

 

“I know.”

 

“Oh Jill, I'm so happy for you.” She hugged her friend and then started weeping again. “But I'm so MISERABLE! He was being nice all evening. I mean, his hands were all over me, but he was being very gentle and not pushy about it and he'd stop when I'd ask him to stop and then suddenly, when I told him I DEFINITELY didn't want to, you know, he just CHANGED and got so MEAN. Maybe my Mom is right. Maybe I like led him on and then he just COULDN'T stop! But I didn't KNOW!”

 

“Claire! It wasn't your fault. It WASN'T! I mean, like, were you supposed to look ugly for him? It's HIS responsibility to control himself, right?”

 

Claire nodded. “I don't KNOW.”

 

“Shit! Your Mom is coming!” Jill vanished out the window and hovered nearby.

 

“Claire? Who are you talking to?” She opened the door.

 

“No one, Mom. Nobody's here.”

 

“I could have sworn I heard voices – Jill's voice. You spend too much time with that girl! She's rude, and a bad influence on you!”

 

“Mom!! She's my best friend!”

 

“Well, you should find other friends. Her family thinks they're so important! They think they're better than anyone else.”

 

“They ARE important Mom. You said so yourself.” Claire looked down at the carpet. She felt crushed. Jill was her best friend! What would she do? Then she had a flash of inspiration. She spoke, but didn't look up at her mother. “Maybe I can ask Jill if Mrs. Pell can get you on the Garden Committee this year. You know, she's the chair.”

 

“She is?!” Mrs. Simmons paused. “Do you think she would?” She paused a moment.

“Well, maybe I'm being a bit harsh. Jill is still young and immature. She has a lot to learn. You're polite and modest. You can teach her. It's probably for the best, for everyone, if you stay in touch with her. Were you going over there tomorrow? Well, uh, do mention that Garden Committee thing to her mother. Remind her about my gardenias, the ones that took second three years ago. They were SO beautiful.” She sighed. “Well, it's been a long day for you dear. You should go to bed. Boys are funny sometimes. Remind me to tell you about my date with the captain of the football team – before I met your father of course.”

 

“Yes Mom.”

 

Mrs. Simmons kissed Claire's forehead and left, saying, “The Garden Committee!”

 

Claire ran to the window and immediately, Jill appeared outside, trying hard not to laugh. “I'll see you tomorrow. Gotta go – I'm two hours past my curfew!”

 

Jill streaked home, landing in the back yard and slipping around the house to the front door. She opened it and found her mother waiting for her, dozing in a chair by the door. “Do you know what time it is?” she said, waking up quickly. “Where WERE you?”

 

“I was in Smallville, visiting Great Aunt Martha and then I took the bus back and found Claire, and then I went to her house and then I came straight back.”

 

I called her mother an hour and a half ago. She was supposed to send you right home.” Jill shrugged. “Don't be disrespectful to me Jilly-Milly! Whatever Mrs. Simmons told you, you know when you're supposed to be back home. It's your responsibility.”

 

“Mom! I was practically around the corner. It's no big deal!”

 

“Your following the rules IS a big deal, and it's no less important now that you're growing up than it was before. Your father will be back in the morning, and he'll talk to you about losing priviliges. I've half a mind to take your phone away, for one, and keeping you in after dinner. But he'll decide and you had better listen.”

 

Jill flashed her eyes at her mother. Why, if she only knew what she could do now. She'd never DARE to – No. This was her mother. She had to control her temper. It was her secret, and she wasn't telling anyone but Claire. She'd deal with it another way. She turned around and went up to her room and slammed the door. Allen was laughing in the next room. Well, Jill would deal with him too, later. She washed and got into bed and turned off the light quickly. Her mother looked in on her soon afterwards, maybe to talk or maybe to lecture more, but Jill wasn't going to give her the chance and pretended to be asleep. Her mother pulled the covers over her and kissed her hair and then left the room.

 

When Jill heard the door to her room close she turned over and got to work. She had some reading in bed to do, but she didn't need any lights or books. No, she'd use her X-ray vision to read elsewhere. She looked downstairs first and focused on her father's office, searching through his files until she found the cache of letters from Mrs. Wilton. She read through them, noting the dates and other useful details. Then she went to his financial files. There wasn't much there. All right. Maybe his accountant knew. She found his office address and a few minutes later was reading his files too. Wow! There were a lot of interesting secrets here about all sorts of people in the town. But right now, she'd concentrate on her father. Just as she'd suspected, he was making a LOT of money from the town hospital. She was sure that $1.4 million last year was more than he was supposed to make, but she couldn't really tell what was legal and what wasn't. Oh well, she memorized the information anyway. It might come in handy later, when she could understand it better.

 

She found the file with her father's investments. That was interesting. Some of them were supposed to be “hidden.” They were called the “Red” accounts. Well, she didn't know what it all meant or why it was wrong. But $4 million was a lot to be hidden. She was sure she could use that information too, if she had to. That was probably enough. She sighed, feeling a little guilty about it. But there was no way she was going to let them ground her or tell her what to do.

 

It was three a.m. Now. Everyone was asleep in the house. It was so frustrating to be stuck here when she could have been halfway around the world, on a beach in Australia, or Hawaii. Or climbing a mountain in the Himalayas. Or even on the moon. She looked over at Superboy. He was sleeping like a lump, snoring.

 

So was Claire. Bill Burton was having some kind of wet dream, the way he was humping his sheets. She laughed. Then she got an idea. It was still early evening in Australia. Three minutes later she was watching an “R” movie at a theatre there. No WAY her parents would EVER let her do this! She settled back into bed, satisfied, and watched movies around the world until it was time for her to get up.

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