บท 41: Humanity's Light and Darkness!
Kayn strode through the front entrance of National City Technical High School, the familiar hum of students buzzing around him. He had been off the last two days with all the ORION and Grand Marshal stuff, but now he was back, ready to return to his regular routine.
He didn't want to completely give up on his normal life. As he walked down the crowded hallway, a familiar voice called out to him. Christopher, a tall, lanky guy with a perpetual grin, jogged up to him, falling into step beside him.
"Hey, Kayn! Heard you were out sick or something. Hope you're good, man," Christopher said, his tone light but then quickly shifting to something more serious. "But dude, did you hear? Kara's in trouble, like, big trouble. She's at the Principal's Office right now. Apparently, she beat the crap out of some bullies."
Kayn listened to Christopher and his eyes narrowed. In trouble for fighting bullies? That sounded exactly like Kara from the Comics. Due to her trauma, Kara naturally had anger and temper issues, which led to her acting out, especially towards bullies.
"Which office?" Kayn asked, already shifting his focus to where he needed to be next.
"The main one," Christopher replied, glancing at him with a mix of concern and curiosity. "People are saying she really lost it this time."
Kayn gave a nod of thanks and turned on his heel, heading toward the administrative wing of the school.
_________________________
Kara Danvers sat in the principal's office, arms crossed tightly over her chest, lips pressed into a hard line. Her jaw clenched as she stared at the floor, willing herself not to break the silence with the frustration brewing inside.
It wasn't the first time she'd found herself in a Principal's Office after a fight, and if she was being honest with herself, it probably wouldn't be the last.
Her mind replayed, the scene, Taylor and her crew, the classic popular mean girls had started up annoying her in the hallway. It was a constant scene of them trying to bully her.
From mocking her initial quietness and overall awkwardness. Usually, she could take the whispers behind her back, and even the normal bullying as it never bothered her, but it was different today.
They claimed she was clinging to Kayn like a slut and that he'll never like someone like her. Kara didn't know what happened, but something inside her just snapped when Kayn was brought up.
Taylor and her crew never saw it coming, and before long they were laying in the floor after she beat them up.
She was still replaying the fight in her head when the door opened, and Principal, Ms Jacobs walked in. Her usual warm demeanor was overshadowed by a stern expression, and Kara could feel the weight of his disappointment before he even spoke.
"Kara," Ms. Jacobs said slowly, sitting down behind his desk. "We took you in this school overlooking your previous incidents back in your old school. We need to talk about this."
Kara didn't answer at first. She just kept her eyes on the ground, her heart pounding against her ribs. She felt a knot in her chest that was far too familiar, a pressure she couldn't quite describe. She hated feeling like this, angry, alone, misunderstood.
After a long pause, she muttered, "She started it."
The Principal sighed, rubbing her temples,"Even if she did, this isn't how you handle things. You could've walked away. Reported it to a teacher, or come to me."
"I hate bullies," Kara replied sharply, her blue eyes flashing with frustration, "I'm not just going to let them walk all over me."
"And what about the other students?" Principal Jacobs leaned forward, her tone softening. "Kara, you're stronger than this. You know you are."
Before Kara could respond, there was a knock at the door. It creaked open again, and Kayn stepped in. He had that effortless confidence about him, and for some reason, that always seemed to calm Kara.
There was something about him that was different from the others at this school. Something familiar that made her tense shoulders ease just a bit.
"Kara," Kayn said, nodding at her before glancing at the principal. "Principal Jacobs, mind if I have a word with her?"
Jacob looked between them and, after a moment, nodded, "Of course, Kara, just reminder what I told you."
Ms. Jacobs stood out and left the room, closing the door behind her. As soon as the door clicked shut, Kara stood, pacing restlessly in the small office.
"I can't help it, okay? I just," she clenched her fists, her voice sharp with frustration. "Every time someone pushes me around, I lose control. I've tried, Kayn, I swear. I even go to anger management, but it...it was working...until today when they went too far."
Kara ran a hand through her hair, "No matter how much I try, they always find a way to get under my skin. I can't stand bullies, and when they come after me, I just… fight back. It's like I black out or something, and then they're on the ground."
Kayn nodded slowly, understanding the weight behind her words, "So it's not about them. It's more about what's going on inside you."
She stopped pacing, turning to him with a frown. "What do you mean?"
"You're holding all this in, Kara," he said, stepping closer but keeping his voice low, calm, "You're keeping everyone out, and then when someone pushes you, everything you've been bottling up bursts out. You're not just fighting them—you're fighting yourself. It's why it keeps happening."
Kara's shoulders slumped. He wasn't wrong. She had been reluctant to fully integrate into Earth. She wasn't like her cousin Superman, she grew up on Krypton, she missed her planet, her home, her family. No matter how close she got with Alex and her adoptive parents, nothing could replace back home.
This naturally lead her to be isolated on Earth, and left her to bottle up all of the frustration inside of her, which made her lash out when bullied.
"I don't know how to fix it, it's like I'm broken." Kara said with a sigh.
He shrugged slightly. "You're not broken, Kara. You're just angry. And that's okay. Anger's a part of who you are. But you've got to find a way to control it. Otherwise, it's going to control you."
She looked down at her hands, still shaking slightly, "You make it sound so easy."
"It's not," Kayn said, a small smile playing on his lips. "But I know you can do it. You're a lot stronger than you think."
For a moment, the tension in her chest lightened. Kara wasn't used to people sticking by her side. It was easier to just shut everyone out, to fight on her own. But maybe, just maybe, she didn't have to this time.
"I'll… try," she said softly, the words feeling foreign on her tongue as she hesitated, then asked, "Sometimes I wonder how Superman protects every Human, even the awful ones. He doesn't even kill the Super-villains."
"That's the thing about Superman," Kayn said, his tone thoughtful, "He sees the light inside everyone, even those buried in the deepest depths of darkness. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it fails."
"I'll never be able to see the light in people like he does," Kara admitted, her voice tinged with sadness. "I've always been isolated, and people see me as weak and try to bully me here. No one understands the pain and suffering I go through. It just makes me so... angry, and lost."
"You don't have to see the light in everyone," Kayn said, his voice gentle but firm,
"Everyone has darkness in their hearts, but the difference lies in how that darkness manifests. Are they a bully? That can be recoverable. What about a murderer? You need to understand society more and figure out your definition of 'too far gone.'"
Kara looked at him, really looked at him, and for the first time, she felt like someone truly understood. Maybe she didn't have to see the light in everyone. She always wanted to follow her cousins lead, be like him, but now she was taking the first step to being her true self.
She didn't have to follow his moral code, she grew up on Krypton, she lived a different life than he did, one filled with her own unique challenges that she can't copy from her cousin.
Maybe it was time she stopped idolizing Superman, and instead worked to become her own person, her own figure.
"Yeah, that sounds.....good!"
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