The Double K Farm for At Risk Youth - How it Starts

[stands_for_hope]

It had been a hard year for the Kents.

The loss of a father, a husband, had hollowed out mother and son, though thankfully they'd managed to make due on the farm between the both of them. But that was just the financial parts. The farm felt empty without Jonathon Kent, their home felt empty, and Clark...

Clark was so angry with everyone, with everything. It wasn't fair.

He could do so many things, so many things, but he hadn't been able to do anything when his father's heart had given out. He hadn't been able to do anything when Jonathon Kent had dropped dead in a field while Clark was at school. He'd just been there to get pulled into the office, take the phonecall from his mother.

It was doubly hard to go through his days now. Before, there'd been a bit of a barrier between the people who liked to tease him; Jonathon Kent had been respected and folks had looked out for Clark because of it. They still looked for him, but now it was more about sympathy and less of a willingness to put themselves between him and trouble.

That's why he was here. Twelve years old, pushed against a chain link fence, holding onto the fence pole for their sake as much as his own. Anger boiled up inside him, anger enough to make his eyes start to lighten to red, anger enough to make him want to do things he couldn't do, shouldn't do. Because people were mean and cruel and they picked on weakness like a pack of jackals, even if the weakness was feigned.

I can't do it. I can't hurt anyone.

It was like a screen door trying to hold back a tidal wave. He was shaking and his eyes were so hot. He just hoped he could hold on long enough for them to get bored. Long enough for someone to wander by. He just had to hold on.

Comments

[stands_for_hope]

Steve tucked up against Bucky, the only one who could really get him to let go of a bone he was gnawing on for good or ill.

"Bucky used to be at an orphanage run by nuns."

Martha's face said exactly how she felt about those nuns.

[kolodnoykovki]

Bucky nodded. "Catholic orphanage. Mean nuns."

"That's one part of a Catholic upbringing that I got to skip out on," Michael admitted.

But that was when Bucky looked at him and blinked as if it had only now occurred to him. "Do you go to Midnight Mass at Christmas?"

"When I can, yeah - I was planning to go this year." And then, working on a hunch, he asked, "Do you want to go?"

Bucky nodded, biting his lower lip. "Please."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve nodded firmly.

"We weren't sure there was a Catholic church anywhere around here. I've only seen Protestant ones."

[longdaysknight]

"There's one a couple towns away," Michael nodded. "And I happen to have a really awesome car, so we can get there, no problem."

"Um." Mike pursed his lips. "Do I have to go?"

And Michael shook his head. "You don't have to. It's your choice, Mike. I'm not going to force you either way. Religion is very personal, and everyone's allowed to choose their own approach, in my opinion, whether that means being devout and going every week or never going or, like me, only going on the big holidays."

[stands_for_hope]

Steve looked over at Bucky with a bright smile. They could go to midnight mass for Christmas! His mother would be so happy. She hadn't found a place she could go for mass around the town.

Clark gave Mike's hand a little squeeze.

"I haven't found anything I like for religion, exactly. Some of the stuff that came with me has some symbols and stuff that I really like, but I haven't found anything around here that I really like."

Martha smiled a little and nodded to Clark.

"We did some research a couple of years ago to see if there was a religion that Clark liked. He hasn't found anything yet and that's just fine. It's just fine if he never finds something he likes. But if you ever want to look into it, we still have all the books."

[secondtry]

Mike nodded. "I... I don't know. I'll think about it. Mom never did anything like church, but I did get accused of being Amish a lot." He shrugged. "I never really understood it..."

"Amish people don't use technology," Michael explained. "They believe it's a way of being worldly instead of reverent. I'm not an expert in it or anything, but I know that much."

[stands_for_hope]

"We have some Mennonites not too far from here in a little community if you'd ever like to see something similar," Martha offered, "and a few of them even show up to the market if you'd ever like to talk to one of them."

Clark nodded.

"One of the girls, Miss Leanna, she likes to buy Ma's strawberries and sometimes she brings a few candies she made with it to market to share with me too."

[longdaysknight]

"Mennonites use more technology than the Amish," Michael put in. "They aren't quite as isolationist."

"Isolationist?"

"Isolationists like to keep to themselves. Amish tend to stay in Amish communities unless they're selling what they've made. Mennonites come out in public a little more often."

[stands_for_hope]

"I'll introduce you to Miss Leanna," Clark assured him. "She's really nice."

[secondtry]

Mike nodded. "Okay." Because he trusted Clark. If he didn't they wouldn't have been dating.

[stands_for_hope]

Clark was about to lean over to kiss his cheek again (because he liked doing it quite a bit) when he cocked his head and tilted his ear towards the door.

"They're on the way in."

[kolodnoykovki]

Bucky gave Steve a little nudge. "Get finished eating and I'll go get your sketchbook. You're gonna want it." He knew that. And a part of him thought for sure that he'd love Neala. The others... well, he'd find out.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Well, yeah," Steve said with a shrug in between bites of pancakes, "I always want my sketchbook. I just didn't want it to get breakfast on it."

[kolodnoykovki]

"I'll be right back." He squeezed Steve's shoulder, and then he was going up the stairs to fetch sketchbook and pencils - so Steve wouldn't have to worry about getting up and down and losing his breath.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve reached over to try and catch him but he'd been stuffing pancake in his face and he'd missed him. He made a grumbly noise and rolled his eyes a little.

Bucky needed to eat!

[longdaysknight]

"Don't worry about him," Michael smiled. "He'll be back in a minute. I'll go greet our company." And then he'd come back to eat - because he wasn't done yet, either.

And indeed, out at the end of the driveway, the van was starting to approach, Neala behind the wheel again. It parked again where it had the day before, and equipment was already floating out into place where it had been the evening before. There was, however, a quiet disagreement over a new scorch mark on the van's interior, which Meghan was apologising for profusely. "I really, really didn't mean to!" she was saying, and Neala was sighing.

"Not to give you a hard time, but you've got to be careful with those sparklers of yours."

[stands_for_hope]

Steve had gotten his new hearing aids popped in as soon as he'd been washed up and his head perked up the second he heard Neala's voice. He stood up and went to the back kitchen door to watch the group slip out of the van.

Clark frowned thoughtfully over at Mike. Huh.

[longdaysknight]

Ahdri's feet weren't touching the ground - as usual, though she was directing the placement of the equipment with her long, delicate fingers. "She's just excited," the psychic murmured in her odd, echo-y way.

"I know," Neala exhaled, "but her excitement left a burn mark in the headliner and I'm the one who has to explain it."

Mike listened - and then he suppressed a laugh.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve giggled a little from his spot at the door, hoping they didn't notice him watching all of it.

Inside, Clark smiled a little to himself and gave Mike's hand a squeeze.

[secondtry]

Mike returned the squeeze, pulling himself over to Clark and resting his chin on Clark's shoulder. "You're gonna be awesome today."

But with everything set up - even a computer, which had an awning erected over it - the assortment of newcomers headed toward the house. Meghan and her purple skin and hair, Ahdri and her thinness, Emin who carefully walked at a normal speed, Bani who was somewhere between male and female, and Neala, who dwarfed them all.

[stands_for_hope]

Martha went out to the kitchen door to join Steve, beckoning them in.

"We've got breakfast in here!"

[longdaysknight]

Michael was walking up the steps with them and took the door to wave them inside. "Come on in. Martha made some great quiches, and I made some pancakes. There's a pot of coffee on and we can always make more."

"Thank you," said Meghan, trying to rein in her emotions to a grin, but there were still little sparkles floating around her hair in all different colours.

[stands_for_hope]

Steve's eyes were wide as he took them in, clearly in wonder, and he ran back to his spot next to Bucky's chair. Clark waved to each one of them as they came in.

"Hey! Did you guys sleep well?"

[longdaysknight]

"I had a very good night," Bani answered. "And I think the others did, too. I didn't hear much in the way of tossing and turning, anyway."

"Well as I ever sleep away from home," Emin agreed.

Bucky was trotting down the stairs, book and pencils in hand to place in Steve's lap. Just in time, it looked like.

[stands_for_hope]

Clark leaned up to take a sip off of the orange juice cup. Steve, for his part, scooped up the sketchbook and pencils and immediately started working before he even asked for an introduction.

Martha just chuckled.

"All of you, this here is Steve. He's Bucky's best friend and he's a lovely boy and something of an artist. Steve, sweetie, this is Bani, Meghan, Neala, Emin, and Adhri."