The Old Woman Who Foresees the Future

To Chloe's question, Clark gave a vague answer to brush it off.

"We can go together."

Pete suggested they all head over together, then spread his hands.

"Too bad it's not summer—otherwise we could be lifeguards at the pool."

That way, they wouldn't have to be stuck with the denture-wearing old folks. But since spring hadn't fully warmed up yet, doing indoor volunteer work was still better than picking up trash and cleaning streets outside.

Chloe had already completed her community service hours, so she turned down the offer.

"She's not just watching me—she's watching Clark too."

David observed.

That Kara was chatting and barbecuing with a few girls, but her gaze kept sweeping over their way.

He was secretly watching her, and she was secretly watching him and Clark.

"What's her angle?"

"Chloe, you look cold. Want me to warm you up?"

A guy with thick blond buzzcut, wearing a football jersey, walked over. He was decent-looking and flashed a smile as he hit on Chloe.

"I can't believe you just said that out loud."

Flustered and embarrassed, Chloe was taken aback by how forward his line was.

"Don't get me wrong—I've got a blanket. Wanna come sit with me?" Sean raised an eyebrow, nodding toward the spot.

"Sean, you're not her type!"

Pete stood up, even though he was a head shorter, he didn't back down from staring Sean down.

David had heard of Sean—smooth talker, charmed girls, then dumped them not long after. Total scumbag.

"In biology class, the teacher paired me with Jenna from the other class for an experiment."

As a reporter for the School Newspaper, Chloe had naturally heard about Sean's reputation. She smiled.

"Didn't you dump her last week?"

"Technically, we dumped each other."

Sean didn't flinch. Seeing Chloe smile, he felt more confident.

"Wanna come sit with me? I promise I won't do anything, no matter how beautiful I think you are."

Finally, he softened his tone and used his best move—gazing at her with eyes so full of affection they could melt anyone.

A blush crept onto Chloe's face.

Not many people had ever complimented her like that. Who said no one liked her?

She glanced at Pete, who had earlier accused her of being jealous of Kara, and opened her mouth to say something.

"I..."

"Chloe, you haven't had a single drink. Just sitting by the fire—are you really that easy to get dizzy?"

David suddenly spoke up.

Teenagers often let impulse get the better of them without thinking through the consequences.

"Back off."

He looked at Sean and said just three words. Sean's eyes darted away—he'd heard that David had taken down Whitney and his crew single-handedly. He raised his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright."

Hitting on her was a lost cause. He turned and walked off, heading to join some friends calling him over to play football by the lake.

"Actually... I was just gonna give him my number to get rid of him."

After Sean left, Chloe calmed down and, face red, tried to save face in front of her friends. "I'm not stupid."

David shrugged. "Sure, let's say that's true."

That only made Chloe more embarrassed, but in the end, she thanked David and Pete, knowing they meant well.

Clark watched silently, lost in thought.

When family was threatened, anger made you strike like thunder. When friends were in trouble, you warned and helped them, bringing warmth like a spring breeze. Was his own brother really starting to place himself above others?

"Being ruthless to enemies... is that wrong?"

He shook his head hard.

He couldn't keep thinking about it—if he did, he felt like his own beliefs would be changed by his brother first.

David looked at Clark with confusion, watching him zone out and then shake his head, wondering what was wrong with him.

By the lake.

"The pizza's here."

"Sean, catch!"

Hearing the pizza had arrived, a football player tossed the ball. Sean jumped, but it slipped through his fingers.

Sean's football flew over and landed on the ice seven or eight meters away.

Seeing everyone else heading for the pizza, he grumpily went to retrieve it.

On the cold, hard, slippery ice, Sean had just picked up the ball when a crisp sound rang out.

Crack, crack.

What was that?

Sean felt as if drenched in icy water, trembling all over as he looked down.

Cracks spread across the ice beneath his feet. He dared not move, and was about to call out.

"Hel—"

The ice shattered directly, and he plunged into the bone-chilling lake water.

After a struggle, he drifted from his original spot. Sean couldn't break through the ice layer, drowned from suffocation, and soon went still—his limbs stopped thrashing as he sank toward the lakebed.

In the mud at the bottom, a faint green light glowed.

A large cluster of meteorites lay piled together.

Landing on the meteorites in the freezing lake, Sean's corpse had veins bulging and turning green—some startling transformation was quietly taking place.

Back on shore, the football players devoured steaming hot, delicious pizza, no one noticing Sean's absence.

"The dealer gets twelve point five percent, six months of feed costs are five percent, plus eight point two percent on the mortgage, and the chipper repair fee..."

Early in the morning, Martha and Jonathan frowned, punching numbers into a calculator as they tallied the past six months' income and expenses.

"Fifty-four thousand five hundred and one dollars."

Clark listened for a few seconds and came up with the answer before the calculator.

Hearing about the chipper repair fee, he scratched his face awkwardly.

"If I hadn't been so reckless and stuck my hand in the chipper that day, we'd have saved over a thousand in repairs."

"Now let's calculate the income." Jonathan didn't scold his eldest son, gently taking the bill.

David glanced at the remaining ledger before Jonathan could start on the calculator.

"Income is sixty-seven thousand three hundred and fifty-seven dollars.

So it sounds like our Farms made over ten thousand in half a year?"

He raised an eyebrow.

The couple put down the bill and calculator, unsurprised, and let out a breath.

Martha faced her two sons, who had been exceptionally bright since childhood, and smiled.

"At least we didn't lose money, right?

Besides, the most valuable treasure in this family is the two of you."

"This isn't something you should worry about. Didn't you agree to do community service with Pete? Go on, hurry."

Jonathan waved his hand, shooing away his two sons who hadn't yet started college.

The weight of life shouldn't fall on two students.

Arriving at the town's Nursing Home.

"Room 206 needs an attendant. Please report to Room 206."

A voice came over the intercom.

Every student had to complete thirty hours of community service. David was no exception. The three of them came to the Nursing Home together and received their assignments.

A beautiful Black-haired Girl in a Magenta Shirt turned her head as she pushed a cart full of books out of a room.

"Hey, Lana, what a coincidence, you're here too."

Clark waved and greeted her, pretending it was a chance encounter, though his voice betrayed a hint of nervousness.

"You're volunteering here too?"

"For a while now." Lana greeted the three of them with a faint smile.

"What tasks did you get assigned?"

"I need to accompany Cassandra while she reads."

David and Pete stayed quiet, leaving the chance to talk with Lana to Clark. David's task was to play chess with an old lady.

"Cassandra? She's interesting."

Lana showed a teasing expression and smiled.

"The caregivers all say she can predict the future—sometimes just minutes ahead, sometimes a person's whole life."

"Have you tried it, Lana?"

Hearing Clark's question, Lana didn't reply, just shrugged—clearly she didn't buy it—then pushed her cart off to deliver books to the next elderly person.

"Seeing the future?"

Pete didn't react much, David raised an eyebrow, but Clark's attention lingered more on Lana's retreating figure.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

Inside the room, an old woman with blind glasses, her hair streaked white, face full of kindness, was reading a Braille book with her fingers.

"Don't just stand there. It's rare to have three people read with me. Come in."

She suddenly spoke.

Clark, Pete, and David exchanged glances at the doorway.

Joy from Cassandra +1, +1.2...

David's eyes flickered as he discreetly sized up the old woman.

A real Metahuman, and not a weak one—but whether she could see the future was another question.

Still, did this old lady really need someone to read with her? How do you read along with Braille?

"How did you know there were three of us?"

Pete asked, puzzled, as they stepped inside.

"My eyes may be blind, but my ears aren't deaf yet." Cassandra's voice was weathered as she answered, but it didn't fully satisfy Pete—were blind people's ears really that sharp?

Cassandra took off her blind glasses, accidentally knocking the book off her knee.

Pete, standing in front, stepped forward to help pick it up, brushing his hand against the old woman's.

"What's your name, young man?"

The old woman set the book down unhurriedly and asked.

"Pete Ross."

"Mr. Ross, your road home today will be long. Check your pocket."

Cassandra revealed a mysterious hint of a smile.

Pete felt his pocket and found his car keys missing—no idea where he'd dropped them.

"I'll take off first. Looks like my volunteer work's done for today. You two brothers take care."

He shot the old woman a surprised look, a flicker of resignation crossing his face, then said to the pair.

After Pete left.

"You two are brothers?"

Cassandra looked at them, rising from her chair—not at all like someone blind—and turned her face precisely toward them, her smile kind.

"What are your names, gentlemen?"

A bit late on the update—added an extra thousand words. Please keep reading.