Chapter Text
Few boxes scattered on the floor as she thanked the movers. She politely declined their offer to bring her things upstair. There weren’t much to carry. It was funny how one’s physical possessions could limit to just cartons to be moved in one trip. She didn’t even break sweats after that one trip. She didn’t think that she could break sweats here. Because of that goddamn yellow sun, it was a blessing and also a curse.
When she was a child, her planet Krypton was dying. She was sent to Earth to protect her cousin. But her pod got knocked off-course and by time she got here, her cousin had already grown up, become Superman and had a happy life with his fiancée. Her supposed baby cousin then sent her 13-year-old self to the Danvers. A trustworthy and caring family. Yes, she got all the love and support she needed. But she also lost her purpose the moment she landed. She had been trying to fit in. Walk like a human. Eat reasonable portion in front of people. Lowering her IQ to be like human. Don’t get her wrong. She didn’t see human as inferiors, she was just tired of not being able to do Calculus by heart from time to time. And the last but not least, hiding her powers at all costs. Even the cost being losing her very essence.
Her alienage. Not just from another country but from a totally different planet. Hell, a totally different galaxy. For one who had been to 12 planets and spoke dozens of languages fluently without a hint of accent, hiding it at all hurt. It was an insult. But to protect herself and her family on earth, she would do it in a heartbeat.
[My name is Kara Zor-El…My name is Kara Zor-El…My name is Kara Zor-El…] She chanted this particular sentence in Kryptonese like the Kryptonian prayers she did almost everyday. She did it when she first landed, sometimes even multiple times a day. She picked it up these recent days and added name-chanting to remind herself of who she was. To stay calm and most importantly to stay sane.
She put away all her belongings at human speed under an hour. The apartment was fully furnished and had everything she needed to last about 3 days. She exhaled and dropped herself on the couch. Turning on the flat screen and searching mindlessly. She opened up Netflix and picked a random cliche rom-com. It was getting really cold outside. Even though she could not really be affected by temperature, she could still feel the change. She liked Christmas especially. It reminded her of one of Krypton’s festivities but sometimes this reminder could overwhelm her. She watched the movie but not really paid attention. A soft sound snapped her out of whatever thought she was in. She looked up and saw tiny white dots falling slowly. It was snowing. She walked up to the large window by the living room. One of many things that Krypton didn’t have and never stopped amazing her. Kara turned back to the screen just in time to see a beautiful woman with darkest hair and palest skin stood she had ever seen in weaving snow. Flakes dotting on her wavy mane. Her green eyes popped up from the racing snow-white. A tantalizing smile manifested on her face and she flashed two rows of her teeth that could rival whiteness of the snow. Her lips was in gentle plum red making her look soft. The scene only last 6 seconds so Kara hurriedly ran to grab the remote and rewind. She rewound several times just to see that gorgeous smile again.
When she deemed that she was well into the definition of being creepy, she just let the movie played and only shifted her attention from the snow outside when that woman appeared. She moved onto some baking show after it ended and went to search for food. She found a bunch of take-out menus in one drawer and immediately called a Chinese restaurant to try their potstickers. Another wonderful invention from Earth. She was waiting for delivery when her phone rang.
“Hey.”
“How’s everything, Kara?” Said from the other end of line.
“It’s great. I organized everything less than an hour. No Superspeed so you can assure Maggie that I do not break anything…yet.” Kara said in uncertainty.
“You can break anything you like!” A shout came.
“Sorry, I should tell you that you’re on speaker.”
“I mean it, little Danvers. Don’t worry about that. Just relax.”
“Thanks, Maggie.”
“So, how’s everything?” Background sound indicated that she was being switched off speaker.
“I’m fine, Alex. It’s just day one. You don’t have to start panicking now.”
“I’ll always worry because you’re my little sister.” She could hear Alex’s frown clearly.
“Technically, I’m older than you.”
“But legally I’m your older adoptive sister so suck it up.”
There was a peaceful silence from both end.
“Seriously, Kara, you’ll let me know anything, right? Even the smallest things that you think I don’t have to know.” Alex pleaded. A rare tone from her protective big sister.
“Yes, Alex, I promise.” Kara said positively.
“Okay. Have you eaten?” Typical Alex, always looked out for her.
“I found a bunch of take-out menus and ordered from a Chinese place. By the way, thank you for that. Thank Maggie for me.”
“Of course. She made a list to her friend to stock everything she thought you might need before you arrived.”
“Rao, I don’t know how can I ever repay that.” Kara sighed audibly.
“Well, start with taking care of yourself would be great.” Alex said softly.
“I will.”
Her doorbell rang just in time. She buzzed to let the delivery up.
“That’s my food!”
“Alright. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Bye! Little Danvers. Stay safe. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Maggie yelled from afar.
“I won’t! Talk to you guys later!” She yelled back.
She dropped her smile as soon as the phone call ended. She went to fetch her dinner. Warm food cheered her up a little. She inhaled them all in 30 minutes and spent another 30 minutes being happy about the ice cream she found from the fridge. Alex and Maggie did think of everything. Grabbing all sorts of snacks from cupboards. She made a big mug of hot chocolate with extra whip cream and situated herself on the couch with blankets and pillows. She chose Friends this time. A familiar TV show with sweet drink and snacks were all she needed.
Well, at least for now.