The lights inside the party were hot, and trapped inside his heavy Stormtrooper helmet, Soren's face was drenched in sweat.
There was nothing fun about this party, so Soren and Clark snuck out and headed to the host's backyard to get some air.
They wandered over to the pool, and Soren ripped off his helmet, revealing his sweaty face, "Phew, it's so hot in there!"
Clark was still wearing his Darth Vader helmet.
His dark costume blended into the night, with only the smooth surface of his helmet reflecting tiny specks of starlight.
The heavy helmet turned toward Soren, and Clark's muffled voice asked, "Do you want me to get you a cup of ice water?"
Soren shook his head, looking a little disappointed.
He fiddled with his lightsaber and said, "I didn't know your Halloween parties were like this... Back at my hometown, Halloween parties were so much fun! Every year, I dressed up as…"
Dressed up as you, Batman, Captain Kirk, and even SpongeBob!
"I'm sorry," Clark said automatically.
Soren waved it off, "Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault."
Clark raised his big black-gloved hand as if he wanted to pat Soren's head but hesitated and pulled it back.
Suddenly, Soren turned his head, as if listening carefully to something.
The loud music from the party boomed in the background, but mixed in with the cool night breeze, there was a faint sound of crying.
Crying on Halloween night?
It felt like the beginning of a scary movie.
Soren tugged on Clark's cape, whispering, "Clark, do you hear that? It sounds like someone's crying… it's from over there, it's from the east of this street!"
Clark tilted his head, causing his helmet to tilt too.
After a moment, he nodded, "Yeah, you're right."
As he spoke, Clark removed his helmet, finally revealing his face.
Soren's expression grew serious.
"Does someone need help? Should we go check it out?" he asked, frowning.
They could hear the sound because of their heightened senses.
While Soren's hearing wasn't as sharp as Clark's super-hearing, his genetically enhanced abilities still made his hearing far superior to most humans.
If they hadn't noticed the crying, no one else likely would have, and there might be no one to help.
Clark seemed to pick up more details with his super-hearing.
He opened his mouth, hesitated, but then nodded, "Alright, I'll go with you."
The two of them followed the sound along the street, finally stopping behind a single-story house on the east side of the block.
The woman's hysterical screams and crying were now loud and sharp, piercing the night air.
Even standing by the bushes under the window, they could hear the heated argument clearly from inside.
Apart from the screaming woman, there was also a male voice that sounded vaguely familiar.
Soren motioned for Clark to stay quiet and crouched down along the wall, trying to make out what was going on inside.
A woman was sobbing and shouting, with a thud of something heavy hitting the carpet, "You can't do this... no! No! I hate you! You evil little demon! You must be a curse sent by the devil!"
Even from outside, they could tell that the woman was not in a stable state of mind.
The man's voice, equally loud and full of frustration, responded angrily, "What more do you want? Is this enough? I just got home from my part-time job! What did I do to deserve this? Please, calm down, Mom!"
The woman's voice became even shriller, shouting, "No, you want to hurt me! You want to kill me! You're a lying devil... devil! I should've drowned you when you were born in the bathroom! Ah—don't come near me!"
There was a series of loud crashes, followed by sounds of a struggle.
The woman screamed, "What are you doing? Let me go! Help! Somebody help me, please! Help!"
But her cries were drowned out by the boy's desperate shouts, "Calm down, please, Mom! I'll get your medicine, just take today's dose, okay?"
When Soren recognized the boy's voice, his eyes widened in shock.
Soren covered his mouth with his cold hands, trying to stop himself from making any sound.
...That voice—it was Whitney's.
Whitney, the guy who always acted so fearless and reckless at school.
Whitney, the school idol of Smallville High School.
But now...
No one at school seemed to know about this.
Soren had never heard anyone mention anything about Whitney's family life.
Like everyone else, he had just assumed Whitney was a spoiled troublemaker.
Soren thought back to how Clark had hesitated earlier, and suddenly, it all made sense.
He turned his head and asked Clark in a low voice, "Is that why you didn't want me to come? Did you already know? About Whitney's mom..."
Clark pressed his lips together and nodded.
His eyes dropped, and his long, dark lashes cast a shadow under his eyes. "I once ran into Mrs. Fergus when she was lost in town. I helped bring her back home."
"So, Whitney's been picking on you because you know about this?" Soren guessed.
Teenagers at this age are often sensitive.
Their pride is fragile, and they're afraid of being looked down on by their peers.
They'll do almost anything to fit in, to be seen as popular.
Whitney had such a perfect image at school, he must have hated that Clark knew his secret.
To Whitney, Clark's very presence was like a thorn in his side—one he desperately wanted to get rid of.
That's why Whitney always bullied and pushed Clark around.
It was his own insecurity driving him to do it.
Clark nodded his head again but then shook his head, "I'm not sure. Maybe he just doesn't like me. But I do know he works after school every day, and on weekends, he holds down three jobs. His life is much harder than mine."
So, when Soren threatened to tell Kansas University about Whitney's behavior, Whitney quickly gave in.