In the Silence

Chapter 1

Kara's driving her pickup down a deserted back road, windows down, bags of feed piled up in the back. It's a beautiful day, the wind blowing wisps of hair out of her neat braid, the air has yet to turn humid. The perfect start to summer. Up ahead a sleek black sports car comes into view. "Those damn city slickers," Kara mumbles under her breath as the car starts to swerve, "Christ! They can't even drive!" She mutters as she slams on the breaks. The car comes to a stop on the shoulder, Kara follows suit and jumps out of her truck.
"Ma'am do you need some help?" Kara asks as she reaches the car and taps on the window. The window rolls down revealing a young woman with dark sunglasses, and even darker hair.
"No thank you I'll just call someone." she says dismissively, not looking at Kara.
"Really it's no trouble, I have the tools with me, and any service is gonna take a while to get all the way out here." The woman finally turns, a look of annoyance on her face, and pushes her sunglasses up onto her head. Kara's taken aback when she suddenly recognizes the young woman.
"Lena?! Is that you?" Lena Luthor, heiress to Luthor Corp Oil, had once been a close childhood friend of Kara's. 
"Kara? Kara Danvers? I almost didn't recognize you!"
"Yeah it's been a while..." Kara says rubbing her hand along the back of her neck. "What are you doing back in town?"
"Well you know how my dad is, he thinks Lex isn't 'living up to his potential'- In other words dad's pissed And I'm supposed to straighten him out." Kara winces at the mention of Lionel Luthor, perhaps the most hated man in the County, if not the Province.
"Well you know how my dad is, it's all I've been hearing about lately." Jeremiah, being a fourth generation cattle rancher, was practically born to hate everything about the oil industry.
"Well hopefully he won't be complaining for much longer, I've got some ideas about how to run things he might appreciate."
"I sure hope so," Kara says as she turns away and walks back to her truck.
"Kara?!" Lena calls after her with a note of panic in her voice.
"I'm just gettin' my tools relax." She can't help but smile.

Lena can't seem to take her eyes off Kara as she works, 'its not like there's much else to look at in the middle of nowhere,' she thinks dismissively.
"Thanks for doing this," Lena's back in her car and looking up at Kara through her open window.
"Anytime." Kara gives Lena her number, "Call me if you get fed up with your family, maybe we can do something fun." Lena smiles and takes the paper before driving off. Kara stands in the middle of the road waving, Lena sticks her hand out the window and waves back.
———-
Later that night Lena locks herself in her childhood room, which feels just as foreign to her now as it did back then. Her dorm room at boarding school was what had always felt like home. Lex is out of control and Lionel won't listen to her ideas, he only wants her to pacify Lex, to get him back on track. She was planning on going straight to bed after all those exhausting arguments, but then she finds the slip of paper tucked into her pocket. Before she can chicken out she dials it.
"Fed up with them already?"
"You could say that." Lena reply's replies with a sigh. "How did you know it was me?"
"Ah, that's just what I say every time I answer the phone," Lena laughs at Kara's lame attempt at a joke, but instantly feels more relaxed.
"I don't know how long I can take this, staying in my old room was a bad call,"
"That bad huh? How long are you staying?"
"At least for the summer, I hope no longer but... I'll do what it takes."
"There's no where else you could stay?"
"Boarding school didn't exactly allow me to get to know my neighbours... and a hotel would be impractical."
"Hey I'm your neighbour! You could stay with me!"
"Thanks Kara, that's sweet, but I don't-"
"Don't worry, I don't still live with my parents - well I do i guess - but there's a bunkhouse I stay in and it's got an extra room?"
"That does sound better than my situation... but I think I'll try and stick it out, at least for a little while."
"Okay, my offer still stands,"
"Thanks. Now distract me. What's been going on in your life, and in town since I've been gone?"
They talk much later and longer than either one had planed, they part with the promise of doing something together soon.