Kara was already a badass.
In short, under her intimidating gaze, Jonathan didn't know what to do for a while.
"You said Atlantis was real? Seriously?" Jonathan seemed deeply concerned about the existence of the mythical kingdom.
Kara shrugged and suddenly leaped into the air, raising her hand.
In the next second, a baseball landed perfectly in her hand.
Jonathan's eyelid twitched at the sight. Had this kid just thrown a baseball around the earth?
Leaving aside the fact that the baseball remained intact after such a high-speed journey, how much strength would it take to achieve that?
More than a lot.
"You threw the ball just so the dog could fetch it?" Jonathan looked at Kara, dumbfounded. "Are you serious?"
Even the dog gaped, staring at Kara in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me?"
Kara landed lightly on the ground, waved the ball at the dog, and prepared to throw it again.
Jonathan couldn't help but remind her, "Maybe decide first if you're playing with the dog or yourself."
Kara tilted her head playfully. "Dad, since when did you learn to be so snarky?"
She tossed the ball again, this time into a field nearby, where the puppy eagerly ran after it. Then she turned back, hopped onto the pickup truck, and relaxed.
Jonathan put his arm around Kara's shoulder with a sigh. "When did you grow up like this? I still remember the first time you and Clark came home."
At the time, Kara had been distrustful, guarded, and even hostile toward him and Martha.
It had taken months for them to gain her trust enough that she let them take care of Clark day and night.
It was even longer before Kara herself was willing to call them "Mom" and "Dad."
Without them realizing it, time had flown by. Kara had grown up, and in just a few years, she would be thirty.
If she were more traditional, Martha would have been thrilled to arrange blind dates for her, hoping she'd settle down early, find a husband, and have a few kids.
They had even mentioned it a few times, but Kara had always been adamant about her disinterest.
She once outright told them not to bother. If they wanted grandchildren, they could push Clark to find a girlfriend instead.
Poor Clark got caught in the crossfire.
Clark, for his part, was also growing up, and in the coming year, he would have to decide whether to attend college or start working after high school.
If it was the latter, maybe he'd settle down earlier, but that wasn't Kara's concern.
"Dad, focus on teaching Clark to bring home a girl. Who do you plan to leave the farm to otherwise? Me? I don't want it," Kara teased.
Jonathan frowned, annoyed. He wasn't dead yet, nor had he planned to pass the farm on to her.
"Get some rest, and stop worrying about Clark," Jonathan grumbled, unable to continue the conversation. He left in exasperation, muttering to himself.
Kara smiled, unfazed. She glanced at the dog, who had just retrieved the ball and brought it back to her. She smirked and used her telekinesis to lift the baseball into the air.
Without even touching it, the baseball shot upward, soaring into the sky until it disappeared from sight.
The dog stared at Kara with a mixture of betrayal and resignation before getting up and walking away. It wasn't going to play with her anymore.
Jonathan couldn't accompany Kara when she left for the city, so she had to take the train.
With Clark's help, the siblings arrived in Metropolis together.
As they stepped off the train, Kara walked ahead. She wore a crisp professional suit and glasses, carrying a suitcase full of clothes. Despite its size, she handled it effortlessly, as if it were empty.
Clark, however, wasn't as lucky. Despite Kara sparing him the burden of kitchenware, their parents had insisted on sending her off with a TV.
Kara had protested, pointing out that Metropolis had plenty of options, likely cheaper than their hometown. But Jonathan and Martha were firm, so the TV came along.
Now Clark carried the TV in one hand and a bulky package containing Kara's new bedding in the other.
Kara, unbothered, found the sight amusing.
"Why do you have a little brother?" Kara teased herself internally.
Answer: To carry stuff.
For them, of course, it wasn't heavy, just inconvenient.
As they made their way out, Kara noticed a news broadcast on a wall-mounted TV. It was about the tornado from the day before.
However, since there had been no footage of the incident, the anchors were simply discussing the event with no mention of Kara's involvement.
Kara wasn't surprised. She assumed higher authorities had suppressed the information, possibly connected to Dani's department.
Such secrecy was understandable. News about aliens or potential threats from space could easily cause mass panic.
Better to let only a few people know than to spread unnecessary fear.
Kara glanced at Clark with a smug look.
Clark read her expression and mouthed silently, "Dad's overreacting."
Kara snorted in amusement.
Clark shook his head, exasperated. "Just try to stay low-key for now, okay?"
"Sure thing, Clark. And hey, whose sibling is more awesome? Me or you?" Kara quipped with a wink.
With Clark's help, Kara quickly arranged her new home.
Not bad—just buy what you need directly from the nearby shopping mall.
That's why she had said it was more convenient to shop nearby rather than worrying about preparing everything beforehand.
Of course, Clark had been recruited as her labor force again.
To reward him, Kara cooked a sumptuous dinner for Clark herself.
"When did you learn to cook?" Clark asked, surprised.
Kara smirked. "Are you kidding? I've traveled all over the world. Not only have I seen the sights of countless places, but I've also sampled almost every cuisine there is. While traveling, I took the chance to learn how to cook."
Thanks to her super learning abilities, Kara could master recipes just by watching once.
Now, she might be the only gourmet in the world who's thoroughly studied global cuisines.
She'd even once considered opening her own restaurant if her application to The Daily Planet didn't work out. It wouldn't be strictly Chinese or Western, but a mix of global menus—a true fusion restaurant.
But that plan was unnecessary now.
Clark devoured the meal with gusto. Kara had made chicken nuggets with potatoes in a pressure cooker, followed by braised pork. The dish Clark liked most, however, was the sweet and sour pork.
Kara was a bit helpless—wasn't that supposed to be more popular with girls?
Still, she found herself acting like the doting older sister.
What really caught her attention, though, was how Clark seemed entranced by the steamed rice she'd made in the new rice cooker she'd just bought. It was his first time trying rice like that, and he couldn't get enough of it. He practically camped out next to the cooker, eating enthusiastically.
Kara managed to grab only one bowl for herself.
"What's with this kid?!" she thought, amused.
In truth, Martha's concerns about Kara living alone were unwarranted. After all, Kara had spent weeks traveling the world solo. She was more than capable of taking care of herself.
Clark was even tempted to move in with Kara, but he eventually flew back home that night, unable to resist his sister's food.
Before he left, Kara warned him not to brag to their mom about her cooking.
"I still love the meals Martha makes—it tastes like home," she said.
Clark smiled and promised. Then, he said goodbye and flew off into the night.
Once he was gone, Kara sighed, looking at the mess left behind. With no choice, she cleaned everything up.
Kara arrived at The Daily Planet office building again. This time, she wore an elite white-collar outfit—except she swapped the skirt for trousers and paired it with small flat leather shoes.
Her beautiful long hair was tied into a simple ponytail that hung neatly behind her. She kept her glasses, giving her the look of an intellectual older sister.
Today marked the beginning of her official work, and she carried a folder with her, containing the plans she had worked on over the past week. The editor-in-chief had asked her to propose ideas for her column, and Kara didn't disappoint.
She had created three distinct proposals:
A travel column. A food column. A cultural and traditions column.
It was up to the editor-in-chief to decide which one to approve.
When Kara arrived, most employees were already at their desks. Perry White, who had become something of a mentor, greeted her warmly and accompanied her to the editor's office.
In the office, the editor-in-chief reviewed the three proposals. His expression grew increasingly serious, his brows furrowing.
Perry couldn't help but ask, "Editor-in-Chief, is there anything that needs fixing?"
Kara, on the other hand, remained completely calm, as if the situation had nothing to do with her. Perry sneaked a glance at her, thinking she was oddly composed for a newcomer.
Finally, the editor-in-chief looked up, glanced at Perry, then shifted his gaze to Kara. Taking a deep breath, he said, "These three proposals are all excellent. I'd accept them all if I could."
Perry's eyebrows shot up in surprise, while Kara remained unfazed.
The editor-in-chief continued, "But since you're still new, I think it's best if you start with just one column. Once you gain experience and build a reputation, we can explore the possibility of adding more."
In essence, her proposals were so good that the editor-in-chief wanted to accept all three, but protocol dictated otherwise.
It was a testament to Kara's skills—most employees struggled to land even one column.
Now, the decision was up to her.
"Which one do you want to begin with?" the editor-in-chief asked.
After a brief moment of thought, Kara chose the travel column. It aligned with her experience and offered opportunities to share her perspective through writing and photography.
Thus, Kara began her work at The Daily Planet. Though she didn't have her own office yet—nor did Perry—she was given a desk, marking the start of her new chapter.
From that day on, Kara commuted to work daily, enjoying at least one day off each week.
Since she wasn't a reporter yet, she didn't need to chase breaking news. Instead, she focused on writing at least one column a week.
Her writing style quickly gained popularity among readers. Some even came to the newspaper's doors, requesting daily articles from her.
When the editor-in-chief approached her about it, Kara simply shrugged. "If I write something every day, I'll run out of material eventually. Maybe get someone else?"
The editor-in-chief could only sigh in exasperation. "If I could find someone else, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
For a while, everything was calm. Kara seemed to settle into her new life, almost forgetting the tornado incident and her fleeting stint as Supergirl.
But could she really keep a low profile forever?
A year into Kara's new life, an unexpected piece of news shook the world.
Bruce Wayne, the long-lost son of Wayne Enterprises who had disappeared seven years ago, suddenly returned.
Even in Metropolis, the neighboring city to Gotham, the news dominated headlines.
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