Tar and Feathers by Dianna Maring Rated: G Submitted: August 2003 Lark was thinking alone in her room. Two boys had asked her to the spring dance. She was having trouble deciding between them. There was Fred. He was handsome and popular, but Lark didn't know him that well. The dance would be a good opportunity to get to know him better. Then there was Eric. He and Lark had talked a couple of times in study hall. Lark thought he seemed really nice. ***** Nineteen-year-old CJ sat in his college apartment. He was doing well in college and he enjoyed it. He especially enjoyed having an apartment across from his girlfriend, Sheila. CJ's phone rang. "Hello?" "Hi, CJ. It's Sheila. I was wondering if you could do me a favor." "Sure. What is it?" "Could you look after my parrot, Captain Chatter, while I visit my family over spring break? I don't think he'd like to make the long trip." "OK. I will." "Good! I'll bring him right over. Bye, CJ." "Goodbye, Sheila." ***** Lark looked at her clock. It was time for her to go to work. Six months after she turned sixteen she had finally gotten her driver's license, a car and a job working as a waitress at a restaurant. She went out of the house, got into her car, and drove to work. When Lark got to work she saw Fred. He was at a table talking with some of his friends. "Ultragirl's a freak. She and her family don't belong here. They should be locked up for experimentation, or go back to Krypton where they came from," said Fred. Only one boy at the table noticed Lark was watching them. She tried to ignore them until they left the restaurant. Fred obviously didn't know that Krypton was destroyed and Superman's children were born on Earth. ***** There was knock on CJ's door. It was Sheila and her parrot. "Say hello to CJ." "Hello, CJ. Hello, CJ." "Be careful what you say around him. He's good at picking up phrases. Especially when people are talking on the phone. Here's his food. His dishes are in his cage. You just need to fill them up when they're empty. You might want to put a blanket over his cage at night. He can get a little noisy." Sheila handed the cage and the food to CJ. "Well, I'll see you in two weeks. Goodbye, Captain Chatter." "Goodbye, Sheila. Goodbye, Sheila." Sheila left CJ's house. "Captain Chatter. Captain Chatter. Pretty bird. Pretty Bird." CJ sighed. It was going to be a long two weeks. ***** When Lark came home to dinner, she picked at the food on her plate. Lois and Clark noticed something was eating at their daughter. After Louis and Clara left the table, Lark stood up to leave. "Sit," said Lois. "Is something bothering you?" asked Clark. "Am I a freak?" "No, of course not." 'They have to say that. They're my parents,' thought Lark. "Who called you a freak?" asked Lois. "Some boy. He said that we don't belong here." "Do you think all the people that we save feel that way?" asked Clark. "No." "Well then, his opinion against all those people's opinions doesn't matter much does it?" "No, I guess not." Lark went to her room to call Eric and tell him she would go to the dance with him. ***** "Sheila's bossy. Sheila's bossy. Adam's a tattletale. Adam's a tattletale." "Shut up! You've been here two hours and you're already starting to annoy me!" "Shut up, Sheila. Shut up, Sheila. Shut up, Adam. Shut up, Adam." CJ was wondering who Adam was when the phone rang. "Hello?" "Hi. It's Louis. Clara and I are going to our first dance tonight. I wanted to ask you a question." "Go ahead." "What do girls like?" "Well, a thing one girl may love another might hate. They're all different. The only way you're going to find the right kind of girl for you is if you just be yourself. It helps to be nice to them too." "How's Sheila?" "She's fine. She's on vacation. I'm looking after her parrot." "You like her, don't you? "Yeah, she's a wonderful girl. One in a million." "You should tell her who you are." "I can't find the right way. I just can't go up to up to her and say, 'I'm Marvelboy, Sheila'." "Thanks for the advice, CJ." "Anytime, bro." ***** At the dance, Eric and Lark came out of the gym to get some soda. Fred came up to Lark. "I want to know why you didn't pick me," said Fred. "It was something you said about Ultragirl." "Why would that matter to you?" "She happens to be a very close friend of mine." Lark and Eric went back into the gym to slow dance. Fred met a friend of his. "Hi, Nick." "Hi, Fred. You should have seen Lark's face when you were saying those things about Ultragirl in the restaurant. She looked really hurt. It was almost like you were talking about her." "That's it!" "What?" "Oh, nothing. I have an advantage over Lark's little boyfriend. I know her secret." ***** The two weeks were up. Sheila would be there any minute. "Don't say anything bad around Sheila, OK? Thanks." "Anytime, bro. Anytime, bro." CJ was wondering if the parrot had understood him, until the bird began to talk again. "I'm Marvelboy, Sheila. I'm Marvelboy, Sheila." "No! Don't say that!" "I'm Marvelboy, Sheila. I'm Marvelboy, Sheila." "Shut up, you stinking bag of dust mites!" There was a knock on the door. "Hi, CJ." "Hi, Sheila." "Hi, Sheila. Hi, Sheila." "I see you took good care of Captain Chatter." "Wonderful girl. Wonderful girl. One in a million. One in a million." "Did you teach him that, CJ? You're so sweet." "Yeah, I guess I did teach him that." "I'm Marvelboy, Sheila. I'm Marvelboy, Sheila." "I didn't teach him that!" "Of course you didn't. Every morning my little brother Adam would run around with a towel around his shoulders pretending to be Marvelboy. It was nice seeing my family again. You should come meet them next time." "Maybe I will." Sheila turned to leave. "Uh, Sheila?" "Yes?" "Never mind. Forget it." "Goodbye, CJ." "Goodbye, CJ. Goodbye, CJ." Sheila shut the door behind her. CJ thought maybe he should have told her, but then he thought again. The secret was too dangerous to tell anyone. The End.