Ashley thought she had a normal life, until she finds out she’s the daughter of the most missed superhero, Supergirl. Now she has to learn how to deal with powers she never asked for.
Chapters: 7 / ?
Words: 16,640
TW/CW: memory erasure, false memories, medical experimentation, detainment, injury, blood, emotional distress, panic attacks, trauma, manipulation, confinement, hospitals trauma, emotional distress, psychological truma/torture, loss of close ones, loss of loved ones, heavy themes, dark themes
For a second, she reached for her phone before remembering there was no reason to check the time. She wasn’t going to school.
She got out of bed, pulled on a hoodie, and walked toward the kitchen.
Kelly was already there, sitting at the table with her laptop open. A mug of coffee rested beside it as she typed something on the screen.
“Morning,” Kelly said without looking up.
“Morning,” Ashley responded without thinking as she headed toward the fridge, but something on the table caught her attention.
An old cardboard box sat beside Kelly’s laptop. The edges were worn, and the tape holding it shut had started turning yellow with age. It made her stop for a moment.
“What’s that?” she asked, motioning with her head toward the box before opening the fridge.
Kelly looked up from the screen.
“Oh.” She glanced at the box. “Alex brought it from the basement before going to work. It has your mother’s things inside.”
The words made Ashley’s stomach tighten. She looked at the box for a second before looking back inside the fridge, searching for something to eat.
“What kind of things?” she asked, more out of politeness and curiosity than anything else.
“Photos, her notebook, and a few things we thought you might want someday.”
Ashley grabbed an apple from the fruit drawer and closed the fridge.
“Cool. I don’t want it.”
She started walking back toward her room.
“You don’t need to look through it now,” Kelly said as she watched Ashley walk away. “But it’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready.”
Ashley nodded once, deliberately avoiding looking at the box again as she took a bite of the apple.
“Okay.”
That was the last thing she said before disappearing behind the door to her room. The kitchen fell quiet again as Kelly returned to whatever she had been working on.
--
Ashley closed the door behind her and dropped onto the bed, taking another bite of the apple. She unlocked her phone with one hand to check the social media, when a new email notification appeared at the top of the screen. She clicked on it as she saw the name.
From: Brainiac 5.
Hello, Ashley.
As promised, I have attached a copy of the Super Ring manual. It explains the ring's functions, how to use them, and what each setting does.
Alex has also received a copy for reference.
I recommend reading through it before attempting to change any settings. If there is anything you do not understand, feel free to stop by the DEO. I will gladly explain it.
— Brainiac 5
Ashley downloaded the attachment and opened it.
The first few pages were mostly technical specifications. Lists, diagrams, explanations of how the ring worked. She skimmed through most of them without paying much attention.
Then one heading caught her eye.
S.O.S. Signal
“SOS?” she muttered under her breath. “When would I even need that..” She stared at it for a second before scrolling past it. She didn’t want to think about emergencies right now.
Two more sections stood out as she kept reading. One covered the suit and its functions. The other was labeled Trackers.
She stopped there.
Ashley read that section more carefully. She wanted to know exactly what it did and, more importantly, whether they could see where she was at all times. She’d already had enough of people watching her, following her, deciding where she could and couldn’t go.
The first section was location tracking.
The ring could continuously share its location with approved emergency contacts. It could also automatically send its location if an emergency signal was triggered.
Ashley kept reading. The next section was health monitoring.
“Seriously? Health too?” she murmured under her breath as she started reading the list of things it monitored.
Heart rate, blood oxygen, body temperature, and stress response.
She frowned at that but kept scrolling. Below was another section. Kryptonian health monitoring.
Ashley slowed down as she read it through.
“The Super Ring continuously monitors Kryptonian physiology. It can detect rapid solar energy depletion, weakening cellular activity, and changes consistent with Kryptonite exposure or prolonged red solar radiation,” she read quietly. “He could just write it detects kryptonite symptoms and it would be good.”
Ashley kept reading.
"If critical readings are detected, the Super Ring will automatically notify approved emergency contacts."
She paused for a second before continuing.
She frowned.
The next section was flight monitoring.
The Super Ring could record flight speed, altitude, and flight path while in use. Those records could also be shared with approved emergency contacts.
Ashley stared at the screen for a second before continuing.
Emergency alerts.
Suit deployment notifications.
There were a few more tracking options after that, but Ashley only skimmed through them. Each one explained what information the ring collected, when notifications would be sent, and who could receive them.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, annoyed, before taking another bite of her apple. "Is there anything this thing doesn't collect data on?"
A knock on the door pulled Ashley away from the manual.
"Yeah?"
Kelly opened the door slightly.
"Jordan called."
Ashley looked up from her phone.
"He has some free time this afternoon and wanted to know if you'd like to stop by the DEO. He thought you could go over a few more things while you're not in school."
Ashley glanced back at the phone in her hand.
"He also said if you don't feel like coming in today, that's completely fine."
Kelly smiled a little.
"He just wanted me to ask."
"Yeah," she responded. "I could drop by." She looked toward Kelly. "Would you drop me off, or should I walk there?"
Kelly smiled slightly.
"I'd never hear the end of it if I let you walk there by yourself, I'll drive you."
--
When Ashley walked into the DEO, she headed straight toward Alex, who was standing near the consoles going over a report.
Alex looked up and smiled.
"Hey, kiddo."
Ashley barely acknowledged her. Her eyes stayed on the screen of her phone.
"Location tracking, health monitoring, Kryptonian health monitoring, flight monitoring, emergency alerts, suit deployment notifications…" she read before finally lowering the phone. She looked straight at Alex.
"Is there anything you didn't ask Brainy to implement to track me?"
Alex frowned. “What?”
Ashley looked at her clearly annoyed. “I asked if there was anything you didn’t ask Brainy to put into the ring to track me.”
“Ashley those are not there to track you.”
“They’re not?” She asked with a bit of sarcasm, “Because this category clearly says ‘Trackers’, and what I read there those things literally track me and send notifications to trusted contacts, which I believe you added yourself as one of them.”
"Yes, I did. But that's not why they're there," Alex responded.
"No?" Ashley asked. "Then you shouldn't have a problem with me turning them off."
Alex let out a quiet sigh.
"No, I would. They're there for your safety."
Ashley looked at her for a second. "Thought so."
Behind her, Jordan landed on the platform leading into the operations room. He slowed when he noticed the two of them standing there. Almost immediately, Alex's phone vibrated. She frowned and pulled it out of her pocket.
Super Ring notification.
Location tracking disabled.
Health monitoring disabled.
Then another.
Kryptonian health monitoring disabled.
Jordan glanced between Ashley and Alex without saying a word, while Alex slowly looked back up at Ashley, as more notifications were showing up.
"And you got a notification that I turned them off, did you?"
"Ashley, why would you do that?" Alex asked as she lowered her phone. "Those aren't there so I can spy on you. They're there to keep you safe."
"They keep you informed about everything I do," Ashley replied.
"They let me know if something happens to you."
"They let you know where I am, if I use the suit, if and where I fly, and now apparently if I decide I don't want to be tracked anymore."
"They're safety features."
"They're trackers."
Alex shook her head.
"Turn them back on."
Ashley didn't answer right away. She just looked at Alex, her expression firm.
"I'd rather not."
"Ashley, those features are there in case something happens to you."
"I know."
"Then turn them back on."
Ashley held her gaze.
"No."
Jordan finally stepped between them.
"I feel like I picked a really bad time to show up." Neither of them answered. He looked at Ashley. "You still up for training?"
"Yeah," Ashley nodded. "I'm still up for it."
She walked past him and headed toward the training room.
Jordan watched her go before looking back at Alex.
"Give her some time."
Alex sighed.
"I know she's upset, Jordan, but she just turned off every safety feature Brainy put in that ring."
Jordan nodded. "I know." He looked toward the training room. "I wasn't much different when I was her age."
Alex looked at him.
"I hated feeling like people were making decisions for me. The more they pushed, the more I pushed back." He glanced back at Alex. "She'll come around."
--
Jordan closed the door behind him as he walked into the training room.
"I think that would make a great lesson today," Jordan said as he looked towards Ashley. "How to control our anger."
“I’m not angry.”
He just nodded with his head as a small smile just crept on his face. “You just proved otherwise.”
Ashley frowned but didn’t answer.
"As heroes… or for you, still as a superhuman, we need to know how to control our emotions," he started as he walked through the room. "Our emotions can get ahead of our actions, and anger is especially important to control."
He looked right at her.
"When we're angry, our strength is sometimes the first thing we lose control over. We can hurt people without meaning to."
He paused for a moment.
"The stronger you are, the more important that becomes”
Jordan walked over to one of the training dummies.
"Hit it."
Ashley looked at him for a second before walking over.
"You sure?"
He nodded.
"Go ahead."
Ashley took a step forward before driving her fist into the dummy.
The impact sent it flying across the room. It crashed into the wall with enough force to leave a dent before falling onto the floor.
Ashley looked at it in surprise. Jordan kept his eyes on the dummy for a moment before looking back at her. He walked over to the dummy and put it up in its place.
"See? This is what I was talking about." He looked back at Ashley. "I asked you to hit it, and you sent it flying across the room because you had no control over your strength while you were angry."
He paused for a moment.
"You didn't decide to use more strength. Your emotions decided for you."
He stepped away from the dummy.
"Now imagine that wasn't a training dummy."
Silence filled the room.
"It could've been a person."
Ashley looked down at the floor.
"That's why learning to control your emotions is just as important as learning to control your powers."
--
Later that afternoon, Ashley came back home from DEO with Alex.
She didn’t even want to talk with Alex anymore, even though Alex tried to start a conversation on the way home.
As soon as they walked through the front door, Ashley headed straight to her room and locked herself inside. Alex only watched the door for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.
“I just don’t know how I’m supposed to talk to her anymore,” she said as she walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. “She turned off every safety feature in that ring because she thinks I’m tracking her.”
Kelly looked up from the mug she was holding.
"Technically, you do." She took a sip of her coffee. "You know where she is and who she's with at all times."
"I check where she is to make sure she's okay, not to spy on her. Now that we know she has Kryptonian DNA, the world isn't as safe for her as it used to be." Alex said as she sighed.
"You know how it was with Kara. I don't want history to repeat itself with Ashley."
"I know. But Ashley doesn't understand that, and she probably never will," Kelly said as she took Alex's hand in hers. "I know how much you want to protect her, but if you don't let her breathe, how can she learn? Or live the life she has now?"
"I do want to let her breathe, but what if I give her too much space to breathe?"
Kelly was quiet for a moment.
"Then you'll be there when she needs you."
Alex looked at her.
"You can't protect her from every mistake or every danger. None of us can." She gently squeezed Alex's hand again. "But you can make sure she always knows she can come back to you."
After a moment Kelly spoke again.
"Do you know why she still talks to me?" Kelly asked quietly. "Because I let her have her space."
Alex looked at her.
"I don't expect her to tell me everything right away. I wait until she's ready." She smiled faintly. "And when she is, she comes to me on her own."
--
Meanwhile, Ashley sat on her bed, her eyes fixed on the cardboard box now resting on her desk.
Sometime while she had been out of the apartment, Kelly had moved it from the kitchen table into her room.
She knew exactly what was inside.
Things that had belonged to her mother. Things she had spent years wishing she could see.
Now they were sitting only a few feet away.
Ashley couldn't bring herself to open it. Not because she didn't want to know more about her mother, but because those things had been withheld from her for so long.
Now that they were finally within reach, opening the box somehow felt harder than never having it at all.
TW/CW: emotional distress, confinement, hospital trauma, heavy themes
⤷ Masterlist ⭑
Ashley took a slow breath and tried to focus on the sounds that mattered. Chairs scraping. Papers moving. Shoes against the floor. She forced herself to ignore everything else pressing in at once.
She could do this. She had already done it once today.
Cassie leaned toward her and spoke quietly. “Hey, you okay? You look really tense”
Ashley nodded, forcing a small smile. “Yeah... just distracted”
Mr. Garcia cleared his throat. “Alright, everyone, settle down. We’re starting with basic algebra, I want quiet and focus”
Ashley tucked her hands under the desk and curled her fingers slightly. Her thumb brushed against the invisible ring, and she concentrated the way Jordan had taught her. The noise dulled a little again. Not enough to disappear, but enough to sit through it.
She looked up at the board and tried to focus on the numbers.
Across the room, Jason leaned back in his chair, watching her. His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed the way she stiffened when someone dropped a pencil, or when a chair scraped too loudly. He glanced at Cassie, who was giving Ashley a small nod, then looked back at Ashley again.
Minutes passed slowly.
Ashley counted in her head to stay focused. She just needed to get through the class. That was it.
Something brushed past her desk and landed on the floor.
She flinched and looked down.
A paper airplane.
Ashley picked it up and set it on the edge of her desk, keeping her movements careful. Her heart was beating faster than she wanted it to. When she glanced back, she saw Jason still watching her.
Cassie leaned closer. “Ignore him” she whispered.
Ashley nodded and took another breath.
The noise kept building. Too many small sounds stacking on top of each other. Her jaw tightened, and her fingers curled against the ring again, hoping it would help more than it was.
Her pulse picked up.
She raised her hand.
“Mr. Garcia” she said, her voice tight. “May I use the bathroom?”
He looked at her for a moment, then nodded. “Of course, go ahead.”
She felt relieved.
Ashley stood and moved carefully between the desks, keeping her head down. She felt Cassie watching her, concern clear on her face. Ashley gave her a quick nod before stepping into the hallway.
Outside the classroom, the noise faded a little, but not enough. Her ears still rang, and her chest felt tight. Even with the ring, it felt like she could not get it fully to control her powrs. Either it was not working the way it was supposed to, or she did not know how to use it right yet.
She went into the bathroom and checked the stalls. When she was sure she was alone, she pulled out her phone.
She called Alex.It rang three times before she picked up.
“Alex,” Ashley said immediately, her voice shaky. “I can’t do this. It’s too much.”
“Okay,” Alex said right away. “Listen to me. Go to the nurse. Tell her you don’t feel well. I’m on my way.”
Ashley nodded even though Alex could not see her. “Okay.”
She ended the call and leaned against the sink, taking slow breaths until her hands stopped shaking.
---
Ashley walked slowly down the hallway toward the nurse’s office. Her head still felt full, like the noise had not fully let go of her yet. By the time she reached the door, she was breathing a little easier, but her hands were still shaking.
She knocked once before stepping inside.
The nurse looked up from her desk. “Hi, are you alright?”
Ashley nodded, then shook her head. “Not really, I felt sick in class, I went to the bactroom and threw up”
The nurse stood up right away. “Okay, sit down for me”
Ashley sat on the chair near the desk while the nurse grabbed a clipboard. “Do you feel nauseous right now?” she asked.
“A little” Ashley said. It was not exactly a lie, her stomach still felt tight, and everything felt off.
The nurse wrote something down. “Any fever? Dizziness? Headache?”
“My head hurts” Ashley said. “And I feel shaky”
The nurse nodded and kept writing. “Did you eat breakfast this morning?”
“Yeah”
“Anything unusual?”
Ashley shook her head.
“I’m going to call parent first and then your teacher and let them know you won’t be coming back to class,” the nurse said. “I’ll ask one of the students to bring your things down.”
Ashley hesitated. “I already called my guardian, she’s on her way.”
The nurse paused, then nodded again. “Alright, that’s good.”
She set the clipboard down. “You can lie down for now, there’s a quiet room in the back.”
She led Ashley through the door into a small room with dimmer lights and padded walls. Few sets of beds stood there in a row.
“Go ahead and lie down” the nurse said. “Try to rest”
Ashley sat down on the bed, then leaned back slowly. The room was quiet. Too quiet, but in a good way. The sounds from the hallway barely reached her.
The nurse pulled the curtain partway closed. “I’ll be right outside if you need anything”
Ashley nodded. “Okay”
She stared up at the ceiling, breathing slowly. For the first time since class started, her head felt a little clearer.
She don’t know how much time had passed, but after some time, she heard voices outside the room.
The door opened, and the nurse stepped in.
“Your guardian is here,” the nurse said before going back to main room, to talk with Alex.
Alex nodded politely. “Hi. I came as soon as she called.”
“She came in feeling sick” the nurse explained. “She said she vomited in the bathroom and felt shaky in class, she also complained about a headache”
“Yeah, I figured it might be like that” Alex said. “It’s her first day back at school after spending weeks in the hospital”
The nurse nodded, clearly understanding. “I don’t think she should return to class today”
“I agree” Alex said. “I’ll take her home”
The nurse handed Alex the clipboard. “I just need your signature here”
Alex signed it without hesitation.
As she handed the clipboard back, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in” the nurse said.
Cassie stepped inside, holding Ashley’s backpack in both hands. She stopped when she saw Ashley standing next to Alex.
“I brought your stuff,” Cassie said, wanting to give it to her but Alex grabbed it for her.
“Thanks” Ashley said.
Cassie hesitated for a second. “You gonna be okay?”
Ashley nodded and responded quietly. “Yeah”
Cassie gave her a small smile. “Text me later”
“I will”
Cassie stepped back out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Alex turned to Ashley. “You ready?”
Ashley just nodded her head, and they walked out together, toward the exit. Alex kept a hand lightly at Ashley’s back as they moved through the hallway.
Alex opened the passenger door and held out a pair of headphones. “Put these on.”
Ashley didn’t argue. She slipped them over her ears, and the sound dropped immediately.
She got into the car and shut the door.
Alex started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. She didn’t turn toward home.
They were heading back to the DEO.
---
Alex brought Ashley back to the same room she had stayed in for weeks.
Nothing changed since she was here last. It felt strange being back so soon, like she had barely left at all.
“Sit” Alex said, nodding toward the bed.
Ashley did, setting her backpack down at her feet. She pulled the headphones off and rested them in her lap.
Alex crossed her arms, watching her closely. “Tell me exactly what happened in class.”
“The noise wouldn’t stop” Ashley said. “I tried focusing like Jordan showed me, it helped a little, but not enough”
“And the ring?” Alex asked.
Ashley frowned. “I thought it was supposed to just… work.”
Alex’s jaw tightened slightly. She turned and tapped a button on the wall. “I need Brainiac in here.”
A few moments later, the door slid open.
Brainiac stepped inside, already looking at a tablet. “I was informed there was an issue.”
“The ring didn’t regulate her hearing” Alex said. “Not enough to keep her stable in a classroom”
Brainiac looked up at Ashley. “Did you activate the internal modulation settings?”
Ashley blinked. “The what?”
Alex’s expression shifted. “Explain”
Brainiac paused. “The ring does not function automatically, it responds to conscious input., without guidance, she has been relying entirely on her own control”
Ashley looked between them. “So… I was doing everything myself?”
“Yes” Brainiac said. “The ring is a tool, not a limiter, you were not instructed on how to use it?”
Ashley shook her head as she leaned back slightly, exhaling. That explained a lot.
Alex rubbed her forehead. “So she’s been walking into school with no real support”
“Correct” Brainiac said.
The room went completely silent.
Alex looked at Ashley. “You’re not going back to school tomorrow”
Ashley stiffened. “What?”
“Not like this” Alex said. “Not until you actually know how to use what you’re wearing”
She turned slightly, already pulling out her phone. “I’ll talk to Kelly tonight, we’ll switch you to home schooling for now.”
Ashley swallowed. “Cassie’s gonna hate that”
Alex softened just a little. “We’ll figure that part out later”
Brainiac tapped at his tablet. “I can begin proper instruction immediately”
Alex nodded. “Good”
She looked back at Ashley. “For now, you stay here, we’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again”
Ashley nodded slowly.
Being back in this room felt wrong. But for the first time that day, it also felt quiet enough to breathe.
---
By the time Brainiac finished explaining how the ring worked, Ashley’s head hurt again.
It was not the noise this time. It was the amount of information. Controls, settings, mental cues, different responses depending on how much focus she used. It was a lot, and most of it blurred together after a while.
Ashley sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her temple.
“I don’t think she’s retaining any of this knowledge” Alex said.
Brainiac paused and looked at Ashley. “The information is necessary”
“I know” Alex replied. “But not all at once”
Ashley nodded slowly. “I’m trying, it’s just… too much”
Brainiac considered that for a moment. “I can simplify the interface instructions. Step-by-step, most important functions first”
“Do that” Alex said. “Something she can actually follow”
Brainiac nodded. “I will prepare a simplified guide. Written and visual”
“Good” Alex said.
Brainiac turned back to Ashley. “Focus on the dampening function only, everything else can wait for now”
Ashley looked down at her hand. “That’s the part I messed up, right?”
“Yes” Brainiac said. “But you never activated it”
Ashley let out a quiet breath. “Okay, so how do I do it?”
This time, Brainiac slowed down. He told her exactly what to focus on and what to ignore. Wihtout extra details, without how to use options. Just one thing only.
Ashley closed her eyes and did what he said.
The change was immediate.
The pressure in her head eased. The background noise dropped, like someone had turned the volume down instead of muting it completely. She opened her eyes slowly.
“Oh” she said.
Alex watched her closely. “Better?”
Ashley nodded. “Yeah, way better”
Brainiac tilted his head. “The dampening is now active”
Alex exhaled. “Good”
She looked at Ashley. “That’s all we needed today”
Brainiac nodded once. “I will have the simplified instructions ready by tomorrow”
“Send them to me, as soon as you finish it” Alex said.
Brainiac left the room without another word.
Alex picked up Ashley’s backpack. “We’re going home”
Ashley stood up, testing how she felt. The sounds around here were normal, like she never had powers. Just like it was before everything.
“Am I still switched to home schooling?” Ashley asked.
“Yes” Alex said. “At least for now”
Ashley nodded. She did not argue, but it was clear she didn’t liked it.
They walked out of the room together, heading toward the exit. For the first time since that morning, Ashley felt like she could breathe without fighting her own head.
---
They got home not long after leaving the DEO.
Ashley walked inside and headed straight for her room. She dropped her backpack on the floor and sat down on the edge of the bed. Her head still felt heavy, but it was quieter than it had been earlier.
A knock sounded on her door.
Kelly stepped inside. “Hey,” she said. “Alex told me what happened at school.”
Ashley nodded. “I’m okay now.”
Kelly watched her for a moment. “Alright. I’ll be in the kitchen.”
She left the door open when she walked away.
Ashley reached for her phone, planning to text Cassie like she had promised. Before she could unlock it, the doorbell rang.
Voices carried down the hallway.
A minute later, there was a knock on Ashley’s door again.
Cassie stood there, holding a notebook and a folder against her chest.
“I told you to text me later, but I figured I’d just stop by instead” She said as she walked inside the room closing the door after her.
She set the notebook and folder down on the desk and left her backpack on the floor beside it. Then she sat down on the bed next to Ashley.
“I’m worried about you,” Cassie said quietly. “You’re not the same since you came back from the hospital.”
She reached out and rested a hand on Ashley’s shoulder.
Ashley gave a small smile, but it did not look convincing. “It’s just… a lot happened” she said. “You know?”
Cassie looked at her for a moment, clearly not buying it, but she did not push her yet.
After a moment of quiet, Cassie started speaking to fill in the quiet, that started to fill the room
“When Mr. Garcia got the call,” she said, “it had already been a bit after you left.”
Ashley looked up at her.
“He stepped out into the hallway to answer it” Cassie continued. “When he came back, he asked someone to do a run to nurses office, I raised my hand, and he told me to bring your backpack there”
“That’s when you came” Ashley said.
“Yeah” Cassie replied. “People were staring a little, but not in a weird way. Just curious.”
Ashley looked down at her hands.
“Jason kept looking at the door” Cassie added. “Like you were going to come back any second”
Ashley exhaled slowly.
Cassie hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“At first” she said, “Jason thought you were hiding something”
Ashley looked up. “What?”
“He noticed you were tense before you left” Cassie explained. “The way you kept flinching and staring at your desk”
Ashley frowned slightly.
“But after Mr. Garcia asked me to take your backpack to the nurse” Cassie continued, “Jason kind of put it together”
“Put what together?” Ashley asked.
“That you were probably sick” Cassie said. “He said sometimes people act weird when they’re about to throw up or pass out, more jumpy, more anxious”
Ashley let out a slow breath.
“So he stopped asking questions” Cassie added. “I think it made sense to him after that”
Ashley nodded. That tracked. It was still uncomfortable, but at least it did not feel like she had been exposed. Ashley sat quietly for a moment.
Cassie shifted on the bed. “So… are you going back to school tomorrow?”
Ashley shook her head. “No.”
Cassie frowned. “Why not?”
“They switched me to home schooling,” Ashley said. “At least for now.”
Cassie stared at her. “Seriously?”
“Yeah” Ashley replied. “Alex doesn’t think it’s a good idea until I get better”
“That sucks” Cassie said.
Ashley nodded. “I know”
Cassie leaned back slightly. “I get why she’s doing it, I just don’t like it”
“I don’t either” Ashley said.
They sat there without talking for a bit.
After a while, Cassie checked the time on her phone. “I should probably head out”
Ashley nodded. “Yeah”
Cassie stood up and grabbed her notebook and folder from the desk. She hesitated at the door. “You better not disappear on me again”
Ashley gave a small smile. “I won’t”
“Good” Cassie said.
Cassie left, and the door closed behind her.
Ashley stayed sitting on the bed, listening to the sounds of the apartment. She could hear movement in the kitchen. Alex and Kelly were still there.
A few minutes passed before there was a knock on her door.
“Ash” Kelly said from the other side. “Can we talk?”
TW/CW: emotional distress, manipulation, confinement, heavy themes
AN: I don't have editor from this chapter so bare with my basic non-edited writing
⤷ Masterlist ⭑
It had been three weks since Jordan first started teaching Ashley how to control her powers.
It was not easy, and it took a lot of time. She still got frustrated during training, but it was not as bad as it had been before. She was starting to feel a little more sure of herself, which was new and strange. She could control her strength without worrying about breaking things, and she could focus her hearing without the noise of the world crashing down on her all at once. She no longer needed to wear the bracelet to dampen her powers, because for the first time she was able to keep them under control on her own now.
After the training Alex walked into the room holding a small box.
Ashley was sitting on the bed at that time, waiting. Her heart was pounding, and she felt nervous and excited at the same time. Being able to control her powers meant she could finally go home. Back to her own bed. Back to school. Back to her friends, and something that would feel closer to being normal, even if her life was never really going to be normal again.
Alex sat down beside her and places the small box in Ashley’s hands.
“It’s a gift” Alex said with a small smile. “For you, before I take you home”
Ashley turned the box over slowly, then opened it. Inside there was a ring. It looked simple and smooth. She picked it up, the metal was cold against her fingers.
“A… ring?” She asked, looking up at Alex.
“It’s DEO tech” Alex said “It helps dampen your powers when you’re not using them and gives you more control when you are. It also has built-in nanotechnology”
Ashley’s eyes widened a little. She knew what Alex meant by that’s. the ring was more than just a way to control her powers. It meant there was a suit hidden inside it, ready to appear if she ever wanted, or needed it.
She hesitated for a moment, before she slid the ring onto her finger.
As soon as it settled into the place, it disappeared.
“It has full camouflage” Alex mentioned “No one will know you’re wearing it”
Ashley turned her hand over, staring at the spot where the ring should have been. It was a strange feeling, knowing it was there, when she couldn’t see it.
Alex smiled softly before she spoke again “It’s yours think of it as a safety net, you’ve earned the right to finally go home, but this makes sure you’re prepared”
Home
The word sat heavy in Ashley’s chest. She wanted to feel relieved, but she also felt tense. Going home meant facing Kelly, Cassie and everyone she’d been avoiding. It meant questions she didn’t want to answer.
She nodded anyway “Thanks”
Alex stood up and hold her hand towards Ashley “Come on, let’s get you home”
---
When they got home, the smell of something sweet filled the house.
Kelly was in the kitchen, pulling a cake out of the oven. She looked up when they walked in, her face lighting up right away.
“You’re just in time,” she said, setting the cake down on the table. “I thought we should celebrate your first day back.”
She took off the oven mitts and placed them on the counter. “It’s your favorite, cheesecake with strawberries”
Ashley looked at the cake, then back at Kelly. “You’re being extra nice to me” she said quietly as she walked farther into the kitchen.
Kelly smiled wider. “We’ve always been nice to you”
Ashley did not answer. She stood there in silence, watching Kelly cut the cake into slices. Kelly had only ever made this for her birthday, never just because. Now she was making it right after Ashley found out the truth, and it did not make her feel better. If anything, it made her uncomfortable.
Kelly slid a plate toward her.
Ashley stared at it for a moment, then picked it up without saying anything. Alex and Kelly exchanged a look, but neither of them stopped her as she walked down the hall.
Once she was in her room, Ashley shut the door and locked it. She set the plate on her desk without touching it and sat down on the edge of her bed.
The room was quiet.
She stared at her phone for a long moment before unlocking it and typing a message.
Ashley: I’m finally home
The reply came almost instantly.
Cassie: ABOUT TIME. Do you know how boring life is without you?
Another message followed before Ashley could reply.
Cassie: Also I have like a million things to tell you. You owe me big for disappearing.
Ashley smiled a little.
Ashley: I want to hear everything
She paused, then typed another message.
Ashley: Want to meet? Just for a bit.
The typing dots appeared immediately.
Cassie: YES. Where?
Ashley looked at her locked door, then at the window. The fire escape was close and easy to reach.
Ashley: Park. Usual spot.
Cassie: Be there in ten!
Ashley locked her phone screen then set it down on desk. She pulled on her hoodie and slipped it over her head, then grabbed her phone again and put it in her pocket. She unlatched the window and listened, but the hall was quiet.
She climbed out carefully, stepping onto the fire escape and making sure the metal did not make any noise. Once she was outside, she closed the window behind her.
For the first time in weeks, she felt a small sense of relief as she started down the fire escape.
---
The streets were quiet as Ashley walked, her hood pulled low. She kept glancing around, half worried Alex or Kelly would notice she was gone, and half focused on getting to the park as fast as she could.
Their usual spot was a bench under the old oak tree. Cassie was already there, sitting cross-legged with a bag of chips in her lap. The second she saw Ashley, she jumped up.
“Ash!” Cassie rushed over and wrapped her arms around her so tightly that Ashley almost lost her balance. “You’re actually here. I thought I was going to have to break into your house and drag you out myself”
Ashley laughed quietly, her face pressed into Cassie’s shoulder. Some of the tight feeling in her chest eased.
“I missed you so much” Cassie said, pulling back. “Weeks without you felt like months”
Ashley opened her mouth but did not say anything. She didn’t need to. Just being there was enough. Cassie grabbed on her wrist and pulled her back toward the bench. “Come on, sit, you owe me at least an hour”
Ashley let herself be pulled along and sat down beside her. Cassie pushed the bag of chips into her hands.
“I swear, without you, school was unbearable” Cassie said. “Do you know who I got stuck sitting next to in math? Jason, he spent an entire week explaining some zombie game to me”
Ashley shook her head. “I think I would have lost my mind”
Cassie smirked. “See? Friendship is shared suffering”
Ashley rolled her eyes, but she felt warmer than she had in weeks.
After a moment, she shifted on the bench and stared at the path in front of them.
“Do you still run that blog?” she asked quietly. “The one about Supergirl”
Cassie blinked. “Yeah, of course, why?”
Ashley shrugged. “Just wondering”
There was a short pause before Ashley spoke again.
“Do you think she would be a good mother?” she asked. “Supergirl, I mean”
Cassie frowned a little. “That’s kind of random”
Ashley picked at the sleeve of her hoodie. “There were people visiting the hospital., dressed as superheroes for the kids, one of them was dressed as Supergirl, and I saw her talking to this little girl, she was really gentle with her” She hesitated as she was telling this small lie. “It made me think”
Cassie nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think she would be, she was not just about saving people, she maked them feel safe too.”
Ashley stayed quiet. Her chest ached, but she did not say why.
Cassie nudged her shoulder. “You okay?”
Ashley nodded. “Yeah… just tired”
“Then we can just sit” Cassie said. “No talking required”
They stayed there for a while, listening to the leaves and the distant city noise.
After a bit, Ashley checked the time. “I should head back”
Cassie looked at her, concerned. “Yeah, probably”
Ashley stood and gave her a small smile. “Thanks for coming”
“Anytime” Cassie said. “Text me when you get home”
---
The walk back home felt quieter.
Ashley kept her hood low and stayed close to the shadows. When she reached the building, she climbed the fire escape the same way she had earlier. She opened the window, slipped inside, and closed it gently behind her. She was sure no one had noticed.
She turned around and froze.
Alex was standing near the door, arms crossed.
Ashley’s stomach dropped.
“Seriously?” Alex said. Her voice was sharp. “Sneaking out at night? Do you have any idea what could have happened?”
“I didn’t think anyone would notice” Ashley said quietly.
Alex stepped closer. “That’s the problem, you can’t think like that, you don’t have full control yet, one mistake and someone could get hurt, or someone could see you”
Ashley swallowed. “I just wanted to see Cassie”
“I get that” Alex said. “But this isn’t safe, you’re not invincible”
Ashley nodded, staring at the floor.
Alex did not move away from the door. “You’re going back to school tomorrow” she said. “That means you need to be careful, with your strength, your hearing and everything else. One slip and people will start asking questions”
“I know” Ashley said quietly.
“I need you to really understand that” Alex said. “This isn’t just about school, it’s about keeping you and everyone else safe”
Ashley nodded again. “I understand”
Alex watched her for a moment, then sighed. “I’ll be watching” she added. “Whether you like it or not”
She paused. “I already sent a doctor’s note to your school. You won’t be going to PE anymore for a while”
Ashley gave a small nod.
Alex finally stepped aside. “Now get some sleep.”
Ashley waited until Alex left before sitting down on the bed. Her chest felt tight, and she stayed awake longer than she wanted to.
---
The next morning, Alex parked the car in front of the school.
Ashley sat in the passenger seat, hands folded in her lap, staring at the building. It looked the same as it always had, but her stomach still twisted.
Alex glanced at her. “Remember what we talked about” she said. “Be careful and pay attention to your powers, don’t draw attention to yourself.”
“Yeah” Ashley said quietly.
Alex reached over and squeezed her shoulder once. “One step at a time”
Ashley nodded and opened the door.
The noise hit her as soon as she walked inside. Lockers slamming, people talking loudly, someone laughing too loudly down the hall. It all pressed in at once, and her chest tightened.
She slowed her breathing and focused, like Jordan had taught her. The sounds dulled enough to manage, but they were still there, sitting just under the surface.
She kept her head down and made her way toward her classroom.
When she stepped inside, she stopped for a second, scanning the room. Then, she saw Cassie. She had already claimed their usual seats by the window. Her bag was sitting on the desk beside her, clearly saving the spot. When she noticed Ashley, her face lit up.
Ashley felt some of the tension ease as she walked over and slid into the empty seat, setting her backpack down. Cassie leaned closer.
“You made it” she whispered. “We’ve got Mr. Garcia first, algebra.”
Ashley nodded. “Lucky me”
Jason walked up, heading for the seat next to Cassie. He stopped when he noticed Ashley sitting there. He hesitated, clearly unsure, then shrugged.
“Oh, uh… never mind” he said, moving to a different desk.
Ashley glanced at Cassie. “Guess I helped you out”
Cassie smirked. “Big time”
As the room filled up, the noise started to build again. Chairs scraping. Papers rustling. Someone tapping a pencil over and over. Ashley clenched her jaw and focused on breathing, trying to keep it under control.
Mr. Garcia walked in and dropped a stack of papers on his desk.
The sound made Ashley flinch.
She grabbed the edge of her desk and forced herself to stay still. Her thumb brushed against the spot where the ring sat on her finger, invisible but there.
TW/CW: emotional distress, frustration, detainment, confinement, heavy themes
⤷ Masterlist ⭑
The training room was plain – at least it felt much more plainer than what Ashley had in mind for a training room meant to teach her to control her powers. It was just four reinforced walls, a table pushed to the side, and a few pieces of unfamiliar DEO tech scattered across it.
Clark stood in front of her, now dressed in civilian clothes, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Your mother used this room to train in her free time” he said as he moved towards a panel on the wall she hadn’t noticed before. “It doesn’t feel like a good room to train in” Ashley replied, folding her arms across her chest as if trying to hold herself together.
“This room is more than you think” Clark’s fingers moved over the panel, pressing a sequence of buttons. With a mechanical hiss, sections of the floor, walls, and ceiling shifted, panels sliding away to reveal sleek, hidden mechanisms. “It’s specially designed to withstand Kryptonian powers”
Ashley stared at the shifting walls in stunned silence. Mechanical sounds from the walls moving echoed within the otherwise empty space. The room suddenly felt larger, more alive, than when she first stepped inside. Clark stepped back from the panel, giving her a reassuring look. “This is a safe space, Ashley” he said “No one’s going to get hurt here”
Her jaw tightened in response. “You can’t promise that” she muttered with a frown.
“There’s no one here who could get hurt anyway” Clark replied gently “It’s just you, me, and a room built to take anything you can throw at it”
Ashley stared at him for a long moment, trying to read his face. He simply stepped back towards the panel and tapped at it again to turn everything off. Just as quickly the room turned back to that plain room of before. “Why did you turn it off?” she asked curiously.
“We won’t be needing all that for what we’re starting with,” Clark said. He stepped closer to her, nodding towards the bracelet that was dampening her powers. “May I?”
Ashley hesitated, her fingers brushing over the metallic band “If I lose control again—”
“I’ll be right here” Clark promised, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
Reluctantly, she extended her arm out so Clark could take the bracelet off with one click. Instantly after the removal, Ashley could feel a subtle weight lifting from her body; it was as if something inside her finally had room to breathe again.
“What’s now?” she asked, her voice quieter than before. She was still afraid of what she could do — and now without the bracelet on her wrist? She felt stressed.
“Super-hearing” Clark said “It’s one of the trickier abilities to get under control, but if you can learn to filter sounds, it’ll make everything else easier”
Ashley frowned “So I’m going to hear the whole building?”
“Not here” He replied, shaking his head “The walls here are lined with lead. Outside noises won’t reach you”
Ashley shifted her weight, unsure what to do with her hands now that the bracelet was gone. “So… what am I supposed to listen for?” she asked, confused.
“Me” Clark said simply “Just focus on me, my breathing, my heartbeat, nothing else”
She gave him a skeptical look “That’s it?”
“That’s it” he confirmed. “Close your eyes, take a breath in, let the rest of the room fade”
Ashley reluctantly obeyed, her eyelids shutting out the sterile walls. At first, she heard the faint hum of the lights overhead, but then there was a sharp, high-pitched buzz that seemed to dig straight into her skull. She snapped her eyes open with a wince covering her ears.
Clark’s gaze on her was steady “Too much?”
“It’s… too loud” she admitted “Way too loud”
“That’s normal at first,” he said as we walked up closer to her “You’re not used to filtering yet. The trick is to choose what you want to hear and let everything else fade into the background”
Ashley frowned, taking her hands off of her ears. “Easier said than done” she mumbled.
“Maybe. But you’ve got me to help you through it” Clark replied, his voice low and steady; hoping to calm her. “Let’s try again. This time, focus on me”
She hesitated, then drew in a deep breath and let her eyes fall shut once more. Sound came in waves. The constant, piercing buzz of the overhead lights. The faint crackle of electricity running through the wall panel; and the soft whoosh of air through the vents. It was like standing in the middle of a crowded room with everyone whispering at once.
But then, through the chaos, something steadier emerged. A slow, rhythmic beat, so faint she almost missed it. Clark’s heartbeat. She tried to focus on it, but it was like holding a candle in a storm. “Take a breath in and out… and focus on one sound” Clark murmured, his voice so quiet it was almost part of the silence.
He was deliberately keeping it soft, careful to not add another layer to the noise pressing on her. Ashley took another deep breath, forcing her shoulders to relax. She focused on the steady thud-thud again, and finally managed to let the other sounds slip into the background.
Clark gave a small nod of approval, his voice still quiet. “There you go, that’s it”
For the first time since they had started, Ashley didn’t feel like the noise was about to crush her. It was still there, but now it felt like there was a distance between her and the sounds. Clark glanced at his watch “That’s enough for today. You did really well”
Ashley nodded, though the weight in her chest hadn’t fully lifted. Clark stepped forward and gently took her hand in his before slipping the bracelet back on her wrist. Not long after, they left the training room together. Clark led her back to her room within the DEO, where Alex was already waiting for them both.
Clark gave Alex a brief nod, greeting the other. “She’s progressing. We started with super-hearing today. It’s difficult, but she’s already learning to focus on specific sounds and how to filter them.”
Alex smiled at the news. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out Ashley’s phone. “You did good, Kid. Here” She handed her the phone “Try not tell everything to Cassie”
Ashley didn’t turn it on at first, the phone resting in her hands like she had forgotten how to use it. She sat down on her bed staring at the dark screen for a long moment before pressing the power button. The phone lit up after a moment, flooding with notifications. Cassie’s messages popped up one after another:
Cassie: Where have you disappeared to?
Cassie: Are you okay?
Cassie: Your bully got detention today, wish you could’ve seen that.
Cassie: You missed the quiz in Mr. Garcia’s class, it was so easy to get points.
Ashley’s chest tightened.
It was all so… normal….
School drama, easy quizzes, and Cassie being Cassie; as if nothing had changed. Except everything had. At least for her. Ashley tapped the message field, her thumbs hovering over the keyboard. What could she even say to Cassie?
Hey, sorry I disappeared. Turns out I’m an alien?
Ashley pictured Cassie’s reaction – wide eyed with excitement, rapid fire questions, and not a single second of peace after. No. Definitely not.
So… you know Supergirl right? Turns out I am her daughter.
Her stomach twisted at the thought. Cassie would absolutely lose her mind over that, in the worst way. It would be all over social media before the day was over. Her thumbs brushed over one letter, just enough to trigger the typing indicator.
Cassie: Ash?
Ashley could almost hear Cassie’s voice behind the text, impatient and worried, not letting her off the hook.
Ashley: Yeah, I’m fine. Kinda. I’ve been… in the hospital.
She winced at the lie. She’s never had to lie to Cass before. They were best friends! They never hid anything between each other!
Ashley: It’s nothing serious, but they are keeping me under observation. Didn’t have my phone on me.
Cassie: WHAT?! Since when? Why didn’t you tell me?
Ashley bit lip as she typed another message.
Ashley: I didn’t want you to worry.
Cassie: Too late for that, dummy. I’m coming over right now.
Ashley’s pulse jumped.
Ashley: No you can’t. Doctor’s orders. I have to rest and avoid visitors for a while.
Cassie: Fine. But you better text me every day, or I'll ignore those orders and come to visit you.
Ashley let out a slow breath and set her phone down beside her. Every word she’d just sent felt heavier than the bracelet on her wrist.
Days passed since that afternoon.
Clark was there daily, guiding Ashley through something new with her powers. After super-hearing, the next on the docket was super-strength. Clark said it should be one of the easier abilities to control – at least compared to heat vision or flight — but for Ashley, it was anything but easy. Strength wasn’t like hearing, where she could focus on one thing and tune out the rest. This was about control without holding back too much, a line that was painfully hard to find.
They were in the training room again; it felt smaller than usual, as if its reinforced walls were closing on her. Clark stood a few steps away beside a metal crate. “Just lift it straight up” He instructed. “Don’t throw it, don’t crush it, just lift”
Ashley crouched and wrapped her fingers around the handles of the crate. Taking a breath, she tried to pull the crate up.
The crate didn’t budge.
Her jaw tightened. She tried again, harder this time.
Still nothing.
A low growl of frustration escaped before she could stop it. She could feel her muscles straining.
“Breathe,” Clark reminded her calmly, “It’s not about forcing it, but about balance.”
A wistful look crossed his face as he looked at her. “You know Ashley, when I was teaching Jordan, he struggled with this too.”
Ashley froze mid movement, looking up at him. “Jordan?”
Clark nodded. “Yeah. It took him a while to understand as well”
“I didn’t think he… I mean, isn’t his mom-“ She stopped, remembering bits and pieces of his life. She knew so little of it, meanwhile he knew all about hers.
“His mom’s human” Clark said gently “Regardless he had his own struggles with powers. It takes time to learn to control them”
“Well maybe I am worse than him,” Ashley mumbled.
“That’s not what-” before he could finish speaking she was moving.
She let go of the crate and walked over to the table. Without a second’s glance she was reaching for her bracelet and snapping it back on her wrist..
“Ashley-“ he started to speak,
“I’m done for today” she replied, her voice flat but shaking a bit as she cut him off. She didn’t wait for him to say anything else before she walked out of the training room entirely, heading straight to the room where Alex was waiting.
Clark watched her go.
He knew she was struggling, but teaching her was far more difficult than it had been teaching Jordan all those years ago. After a moment, he pulled his phone from his pocket and called his son.
Ashley stepped into her temporary room in the DEO.
She barely glanced at Alex, who was still scrolling through her phone at the desk. Without a word, Ashley sat on her bed and pulled her own phone out. “You’re back early” Alex noted, setting her phone aside, “What happened?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it” Ashley muttered, not looking up as her fingers danced over the screen. Alex studied her for a moment, then nodded slowly, “Okay”.
Alex got up, giving Ashley her space, and stepped out into the hallway where Clark was already walking towards her. “What happened in there?” she asked him quietly as he stopped in front of her.
“She’s frustrated,” Clark responded. “Today was worse than usual. She can’t get her strength under control, either she can't lift things or she cannot stop from accidentally throwing them up.” He stopped for a moment before continuing, “I think my way of teaching just… isn’t working for her”
Alex frowned. “So what now?”
“I called Jordan. He’s coming tomorrow to help. He went through the same thing when his powers came in. I thought maybe he could get through to her in a way I can’t” he replied.
A small smile appeared on Alex's face. “Yeah… knowing what happened back then, I think it might be a good idea”
The next morning, Ashley walked back into the training room expecting another round with Clark. Instead, a tall boy with messy dark hair and an uncertain smile was standing beside Clark with his hands shoved into his hoodie pocket. Clark smiled warmly at her arrival. “Ashley, this is my son, Jordan. He’s here to help out today”
Ashley silently gave them a small nod.
Jordan offered her a small, awkward smile in return before glancing at his dad “Hey, why don’t I take this one alone? Might be easier without you hovering”
Clark raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, but didn’t argue. “Alright. I’ll be right outside if you need me”
Ashley watched as Clark stepped out, the heavy door clicked shut behind him. The room suddenly felt quieter. Jordan shifted his weight and gave her a lopsided grin. “So… Do you wanna hear about the first time I really got a sense of what my powers could do?” he stopped, but she didn’t respond, so he continued.
“I was at a bonfire that I got invited to. Things got messy. Jonathan, my twin, tried to step in to save me… and well…I may have accidentally shot my heat vision. Stuff exploded everywhere but I ended up saving Jonathan in the process”
Ashley looked down. “Your beginning was better than mine,” she said quietly. “I almost… killed someone”
Jordan didn’t respond at first, letting her have a moment to breathe after what she just said.
When he started to speak, it wasn’t a lecture. He described how things looked like for him when he was first learning to take control over his own powers. How he was confused, frustrated, and felt like he would never get control over this. Spoke how after some patience and time, he finally succeeded. After he was done speaking, he let the silence fill the room. Then he nodded toward the crate. “Now… want to give it another try?”
Ashley took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out while forcing her shoulders to relax. She crouched slightly, gripped the crate, and tried to lift it. At first, it barely budged, making her frown in frustration. Jordan stepped back, giving her space.
Another deep breath.
This time, the crate lifted a little higher.
Ashley’s eyes widened in surprise. She was finally lifting it steadily! She could feel the thrum of her powers! She could feel how her arms didn’t shake wildly or felt like she was going to fly out of control using her strength. Jordan looked at her, at the same time she looked at him.
“I… I did it” she whispered.
Jordan smiled with a hint of pride in his eyes.
“See? I told you! Takes some patience, that’s all”
Ashley nodded slowly, still staring at the crate “It… it felt different this time” she said, carefully setting the crate back on the ground.
“That’s the start” Jordan said “Once you get used to it, things get a lot easier. Just trust yourself”
Easier said than done
Ashley thought, feeling the weight of her own doubts.
What comes next? She wondered. Will I ever be able to fully control this?
Jordan noticed the tension in her shoulders and took a small step closer.
“It’s okay” he said gently “You don’t have to figure it all out at once. I know it feels impossible at the moment, so we’ll take it slow. I’ll be here every day, showing you how to control it” he paused for a moment before continuing “It felt impossible for me too, when I first started. I wanted to give up a hundred times, but I’ve learned a few things….ways I wish my dad taught me. I will show you how to do this. You are not alone”
Ashley took a deep breath, letting his words sink in. She glanced at Jordan and managed a small, genuine smile. “Thanks…” she whispered
Jordan nodded, returning the smile
“Anytime” he said simply. “Now come on, I will teach you one trick”
TW/CW: detainment, containment, emotional distress, heavy themes
⤷ Masterlist ⭑
The room was silent.
Not the kind of silence Ashley was used to — this was the kind that came after destruction.
Heavy and tense. Waiting to collapse in on itself.
Ashley stood in the center of it all.
Her breath hitched. It felt like something was pressing down on her chest. Tears streamed freely down her face. She looked at her hands through the blur of tears. They were shaking. She hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, she had only tried to push Lena away. She only meant to push her away. But now Lena was slumped against the wall, unconscious and bleeding.
“I didn’t mean to” Ashley whispered, her voice barely audible. “I didn’t…”
Footsteps echoed down the hallway, sharp and urgent, too many to count. Then the doors burst open. Ashley turned toward the sound, still crying, and then she saw her.
Alex.
After scanning the wreckage, Alex’s eyes locked onto Lena slumped against the wall.
“Check her” she ordered, with an urgent voice. Two agents moved immediately, kneeling beside Lena to assess her condition. Alex took a step forward, slow and measured — her eyes shifting to the girl standing in the center. Her niece. Ashley
“Ashley” she said gently, voice low.
Ashley flinched at the sound of her name. “Don’t” she breathed, stumbling back a step. Her whole body was shaking now. “Don’t come closer”
Alex paused, taking in the trembling hands, the scorched walls, the faint glow still dying in Ashley’s eyes. Her voice softened even more. “You’re scared. I know”
Ashley shook her head frantically. “I hurt her. I didn’t mean to… I swear I didn’t mean to. I just—” she gasped, voice cracking, “I just wanted her to stop lying.”
Alex’s eyes didn’t waver. “Ashley… I know what this is. What’s happening to you. You’re not losing control because you're a monster. You’re changing because you’re Kryptonian.”
Ashley froze, stunned by the word. Kryptonian.
“You think I don’t understand” Alex continued, keeping her voice calm, grounding. “But I’ve seen this before. I’ve helped someone through it”
Ashley’s gaze darted between Alex and Lena, her breath catching in her chest again. “Then why does it feel like I’m breaking apart?”
“Because you’re overwhelmed” Alex said. “And that’s okay. But you’re not alone. You don’t have to go through this alone”
Alex pulled a small syringe from her bag, filled with a diluted green serum Ashley’s never seen before in her life. Alex kept her voice calm but serious.“This will help calm you down,” Alex said gently. “It’s temporary. Just enough to keep you safe while we get you somewhere safe. Somewhere where you can learn to control your powers”
Ashley’s eyes widened as she stared at the syringe. “What is it?” she whispered, fear creeping into her voice as her body continued to tremble.
Alex gave a small, reassuring nod. “It’s a substance from Krypton. It’ll weaken your powers for a little while, nothing permanent. I promise. It’s the safest way right now. Trust me, okay?”
With careful precision, Alex injected the serum into Ashley’s arm. Almost immediately, Ashley’s trembling slowed. Seconds later, an agent standing behind Ashley caught her as she lost consciousness. Alex motioned to him. “Let’s move her.”
She looked to the agent carefully supporting Ashley’s weight. “We’re taking her back to the DEO for containment.” Then, turning to the rest of the team, she added, “Make sure this place is cleared. I want no traces left behind.”
----
It wasn’t long before Ashley woke again.
She sat up quickly, her heart pounding as she took in her surroundings. The sterile walls and sleek equipment told her she was back at the DEO, a place she recognized but didn’t want to be at. Ashley’s eyes darted around the room, landing on Alex. Her aunt stood quietly on the other side of her bed, focused on a monitor. Alex’s expression was unreadable as she checked the data streaming in.
Ashley didn’t notice how calm everything had been since she woke up, a quiet steadiness settling over her without her realizing it. She swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Alex…”
Alex turned instantly, her head snapping toward the sound. When she saw Ashley awake, sitting up, her expression softened. The tension in her shoulders eased as she crossed the room slowly. A small, reassuring smile tugged at her lips.
“Hey,” she said gently, kneeling beside the bed. “You’re okay. You’re safe now.”
“What did Lena do to me?” she asked quietly, her voice rough, uncertain.
Alex’s smile faded, but not from guilt — from understanding. She settled a little closer.
“Lena didn’t hurt you,” she said softly. “She was trying to help you but she didn’t know how far things had already gone.”
“She put things in my head,” Ashley said quietly, her eyes distant.
Alex hesitated, then sighed. “Your powers, Ashley. They’re not just… random. They’ve been inside you all this time. And something triggered them.”
Ashley looked away, thinking about what could have been the trigger. Suddenly she found herself remembering her past birthday, where she felt something was off when she was on the way to her best friend’s place.
“If they’ve been inside me my whole life, why was I never told? Why didn’t anyone say I have powers? That I…” Her voice faltered as realization struck her….. “Who is my mother?” she asked suddenly, locking eyes with Alex. “You never talk about her. You never said her real name or showed me any pictures. What are you hiding?”
Alex met her gaze, knowing this moment had been coming for a long time. Her expression tightened for a moment, then softened as she met Ashley’s eyes.
“That’s complicated,” she said carefully. “There are things you don’t remember, things that were… set aside for a reason. Not because you don’t deserve to know, but because sometimes the truth can hurt more than protect”
She paused, searching for the right words. “What happened with Lena… it’s just the beginning. We need to take this one step at a time”
Alex’s voice was steady but gentle. “I’m here for you, no matter what. Remember that”
----
Ashley didn’t know how long she’s been kept at the DEO.
There were no clocks or readily accessible electronics in her room to tell the time – she was unaware several hours had already passed since her arrival when the door to her room opened for the first time. Ashley looked up and saw a tall figure step inside—Superman.
“He’s here” Alex said quietly, her voice steady. She hadn’t told Ashley anyone was coming, especially someone like him. Ashley turned her gaze away, unable to face him. She noticed Alex getting up from her seat at her bedside.
“She’s still a bit unstable. Don’t force her to do anything” she heard Alex whisper to Superman.
Not long after the whispered warning, Ashley heard Alex leave her room altogether. She didn’t know how to feel being left alone with Superman. Eventually, Ashley turned to face the superhero again. Ashley’s voice was barely above a whisper, filled with frustration and longing.
“Alex doesn’t want to answer any of my questions… but did you know my mother?”
Superman’s eyes softened, and he took a slow breath before responding. “I did. More than you probably realize”
Ashley’s voice trembled, a mix of hope and fear. “She was Supergirl, wasn’t she?”
Superman nodded slowly, his gaze steady but gentle. “Yes. She was.”
“Then why? Why was I told my whole life that she died during childbirth? That I never knew her?” Ashley’s eyes searched his face, desperate for answers.
He hesitated, then sighed deeply, the weight of years pressing on him. “We… we had to protect you. After she died, it was too dangerous for you to know the truth. So, your memories were erased to keep you safe.”
“Erased?” She asked with tears in her eyes. “Why? What was so dangerous that you had to take that from me? The only part of her I had…”
He looked down for a moment, guilt flickering across his face.
“It wasn’t my decision” he finally said, his voice low and regretful. “I was against it, but others thought differently”
Ashley’s eyes burned with tears. “Others? Who? And why didn’t anyone tell me the truth?”
Superman paused. "It was Alex. She thought you were born fully human. You never showed any Kryptonian traits. She thought it would be easier on you after Kara’s death… less painful.”
Ashley’s hands clenched at her sides, with frustration and hurt. “Easier? By erasing my memories?"
“I know it sounds cruel but…”
“It is cruel” she cut in, her voice shaking. “Did anyone ever stop to think about me? About what I needed? My right to remember her? To know who I am?”
Superman took a breath before speaking again. “I know this is a lot. It shouldn’t have gone down like this,” he said quietly. “I didn’t come here to make it worse.”
Ashley looked away, her jaw tense.
“They called me because they didn’t know what else to do,” he continued. “But I didn’t show up just because they asked. I came because I care. About you. About what happens next.”
Her eyes flicked back to his face. “But you don’t even know me”
He didn’t answer right away.
Instead, Superman reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of familiar glasses.
He slid them on without saying a word.
Recognition hit Ashley hard. She was stunned into silence. Not that she needed to speak. Clark noticed the recognition in her face and gave a quiet smile. “I’ve been around, Ash. I kept my distance, but I never stopped looking out for you. Kara… she would’ve wanted that.”
He looked down for a second, then back at her. “She loved you more than anything. And I made a promise, that if anything ever happened, you wouldn’t be alone.”
Clark sat down on the edge of the bed, close enough to be near but not crowding her. “Look, when I was your age, I didn’t understand what was happening to me either. I remember accidentally breaking things, scaring myself in the process. Like the time I shattered a window while trying to catch a ball. I didn’t mean to, but it felt like my own body was working against me”
Ashley met his eyes, hesitant.
“I was scared, confused. I didn’t want to be…’different’. It took me a long time to learn how to control it, to be okay with it” he paused, then said softly, “You’re not alone in this. I’ve been where you are, and I want to help you find your way”
Ashley’s voice was quiet. “But what if I can’t?”
Clark smiled gently. “You can. And I’ll be here every step of the way. You don’t have to figure it all out right now.”
He looked at her with steady warmth. “Kara believed in you. I believe in you, so if you’ll let me, I’m gonna teach you how to use and control your powers”
“But… what if I hurt someone again?” Ashley asked, looking down at her hands. “What if I won’t be able to control it?”
Clark’s voice stayed calm and steady “Then we will work on it together. We’ll start small, take it step by step. It’s not uncontrollable once you understand how it works.”
Her eyes lifted slightly, a hint of realization in them. “Why don’t my powers work now?” she asked. “I didn’t realize until now how peaceful I’ve been feeling.”
Clark’s smile softened. “That’s because Alex put something on you while you were out.”
Ashley frowned. “What do you mean?”
He reached for her wrist and turned it so she could see a thin silver bracelet under her sleeve. Up close, there was a faint green shimmer in the metal.
“There’s a small amount of kryptonite in these,” he said. “Not enough to hurt you, just enough to take the edge off your powers. It gives you a chance to breathe without worrying about losing control. My guess is you didn’t even notice it was there.”
Ashley stared at it, her voice low. “So this calm I’ve been feeling… it’s not really me?”
“It is you,” Clark said, his tone firm but gentle. “The bracelet doesn’t change who you are. It just quiets everything so you can think. Once you learn control, you won’t need it anymore.”
Ashley kept looking at the bracelet. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about it, but for the first time since she woke up, she felt something other than fear. Clark watched her for a moment, then spoke quietly. “This is just a tool, Ashley. It’s not the answer. The answer is you learning how to trust yourself.”
She looked up at him, uncertainty in her eyes.
“I can help you get there,” he said. “Not by telling you who you should be, but by showing you how to control what you’ve been given. No more surprises, no more accidents.”
Ashley hesitated. “And you’ll actually be there? You’re not just saying that now because I’m… like this?”
“I’ll be there,” Clark said without hesitation. “Every step.”
She glanced back at the bracelet, turning it slowly on her wrist. Her voice was quiet. “Okay. I’ll try.”
A small smile touched his face. “That’s all I ask.”
The door opened then, and Alex walked back in. She took in the scene — Clark still sitting on the bed, his hand around Ashley’s, both of them calm in a way she hadn’t seen earlier. Something in her posture relaxed, just a little. Alex’s eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise. “I have to say... I didn’t expect you to take all of this so well.”
Clark glanced down at Ashley, then back to Alex with a small, confident smile. “She’s tougher than she looks. She’s scared, but she’s ready to try.”
Alex nodded slowly, her voice softer now. “Good. Because this is only the beginning. But I’m glad to see she’s not giving up.”
Clark gave Ashley’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I won’t leave you until I help you control it. I promise.”
Ashley didn’t say a word, but the steady calm in her eyes said enough.
TW/CW: medical experimentation, detainment, injury, blood, emotional distress, panic attacks, manipulation, confinement, emotional distress, heavy themes, dark themes, repressed memories
⤷ Masterlist ⭑
The day went by faster than she expected.
Ashley barely spoke to her guardians. She didn’t really want to. But Kelly came into her room at some point, bringing her something to eat, she didn’t say anything, just left the plate and sat nearby for a bit. Ashley ate in silence.
Monday came like nothing happened. She went to school like always. Same bus. Same routine. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Except… everything felt off.
She kept looking over her shoulder. Turning her head at sounds that didn’t seem loud but somehow still made her flinch. No one else noticed anything weird. No one else looked uneasy. But something was keeping her on edge.
When she got to her first class, math, with Miss Jackson, her favorite, she tried to settle down. She sat at her usual desk and pulled out her tablet to take notes like always.
Then the bell rang. And it hit her like a shock wave.
Ashley flinched, hands flying up to her ears. It felt like the bell had gone off right next to her head, way too loud, way too sharp. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block it out, but it barely helped. The sound echoed inside her skull like it was bouncing around in there, refusing to leave.
Nobody else reacted. Just her.
She kept turning her head, trying to ignore the sounds, the chatter, the footsteps, even the faint humming of the lights, but nothing got better. Something about the noise felt wrong.
When school finally ended, Ashley didn’t go home. Instead, she sent a quick message to Cassie:
“Sorry won’t come today. Will explain later”
Then she texted Alex:
“I’ll be at Cassie’s place after school”
It wasn’t a total lie, Cassie’s place was safe and she often went there after school, but Ashley needed more than that tonight.
She headed straight to L-Corp.
When she walked into the building, she headed straight to the reception desk. “Hi, I wanted to talk with Lena. My name’s Ashley Danvers” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
The woman behind the desk glanced over a few papers before handing her a small access card. “She’s in her office, 6th floor” the woman said with a light smile.
Ashley nodded, thanked her, and took the card. Then she made her way toward the elevator.
Ashley stepped into the elevator, put the cards on the pad before pressing the button for the 6th floor. The soft hum of the lift and the quiet ding as the doors opened greeted her. She stepped out into the sleek hallway and walked straight to the glass door with Lena’s name etched in bold letters.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked gently and pushed the door open. Lena looked up from her desk and said, “I was informed you wanted to talk.” She motioned toward the chair across from her.
Ashley hesitated for a moment, then sat down. “I don’t really trust Alex,” she said quietly. “So I came to you for help.”
Lena’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she kept her voice calm. “Alright. Tell me everything.”
Ashley swallowed hard, looking down at her hands. “I feel like I’m going crazy,” she said quietly. “Some sounds are so loud… I barely survived school today.”
She leaned in a little, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I could even hear the door opening on the other side of the building.”
Lena’s eyes flickered with interest, but she stayed composed. “That sounds intense. Have you experienced anything like this before?
“N-no, that’s why it feels like I’m going crazy,” Ashley admitted, her voice trembling slightly.
Lena stood up from her chair, her expression unreadable. “Alright,” she said, “come with me. I want to run a few tests, my lab has some advanced equipment that might help.”
Ashley nodded, trying to steady her nerves as she followed Lena down the hall.
When they got to the lab, Lena pointed at a cot near one of her computer setups. “Go ahead and sit” she said, already grabbing one of her portable scanners. Ashley sat down slowly, glancing around. The place looked sterile, high-tech, and very Lena. Not exactly cozy.
Lena clipped a small device onto Ashley’s arm to check her vitals. It beeped softly, reading everything in real time.
Typing something quick into her computer, Lena turned back to her. “I want to run some deeper scans,” she said. “Just to be safe. But I’ll need to give you some mild sedative. It’ll just help your body relax for more accurate readings.”
Ashley hesitated for a second. She hated not being in control, but… she also didn’t want to feel like this anymore. Like she was falling apart, like she was going crazy. “Yeah, okay, that’s fine” she said quietly.
Lena nodded and prepped the injection. “You won’t even feel it.” And she didn’t. Her eyes barely had time to flutter before everything faded out. Once she was fully under, Lena let out a quiet breath and got to work.
She slipped a sleek metallic band around Ashley’s head, a Kryptonian device, something Kara had once left behind, long forgotten in Lena’s collection. It lit up as soon as it connected. Then, with practiced ease, Lena wheeled Ashley toward the back of the lab, into a shallow extension of the room where the wall jutted out slightly, forming a quiet, tucked-away corner. It wasn’t marked on any blueprints.
The scan began. And almost immediately… something felt off.
Lena narrowed her eyes, watching the readings scroll by. There were parts of Ashley’s brain activity that didn’t make sense, not for a human, not even for a Kryptonian. Whole sections were… blocked. Not just inactive, they were sealed, like someone had gone in and locked them up tight.
“What the hell…” Lena muttered under her breath.
She tried running a deeper scan — and even that hit resistance. These weren’t just natural memory gaps. Someone had done this on purpose. Inserted walls. Left pieces of her mind behind metaphorical doors and threw away the key.
Lena frowned and leaned in closer to the monitor. This wasn’t something she’d ever seen happen naturally. And suddenly, things started to click. This was why Ashley never developed powers. Why all those past checkups with her and Alex showed nothing — not even a hint that she might be Kryptonian. Whatever had been done to her… it didn’t just lock up her memories.
It was blocking her powers too.
Lena stared at the screen, jaw tight. Whoever did this didn’t want those memories getting out, but now that her powers were waking up, those blocks were starting to crack anyway. If she didn’t get ahead of it, Ashley was going to spiral, physically, mentally, and probably with a few walls blown out.
She reached under the console and unlocked a hidden drawer, fingers moving over neatly arranged tools until she found what she needed — a small device, no bigger than a USB stick. She held it up to the light, checking that it was still intact, then nod to herself.
Lena stood and walked back into the containment room. Ashley was still lying on the cot, her body completely still under the effect of the sedative. Her breathing was steady, but Lena’s wrist monitor showed her vitals slowly creeping higher. Something inside her was waking up.
She pressed the device to Ashley’s upper arm. It hissed softly as it latched into her skin, a small green light blinking on.
Without hesitation, Lena walked back to her computer and activated the barrier. The entire wall shimmered before turning into what looked like a smooth mirror. From the outside, she could see in perfectly. From Ashley’s side, she wouldn’t be able to see anything at all. Just herself.
Lena sat back at her desk, pulled the interface forward, and tapped the command to start the injection.
The device lit red once, then began its process.
Ashley’s vitals jumped at once. Her back arched off the cot for a moment, her eyes snapping open — not conscious, but reacting. They fluttered closed again, but something had shifted. Lena could see it on the screen. The data feed had changed completely.
No more blurry interference. No more blocks.
Now, images were forming.
She leaned in as the monitor translated Ashley’s brain activity into visual output. It was coming together like a dream forming in real time. A child’s perspective. Smaller angles. Echoes of voices. Footsteps that sounded louder than they should. The world was hazy, but the emotional imprint was strong.
And then she saw her. Blurred at first, but unmistakable. Blonde hair. A familiar red-and-blue outfit. A woman speaking softly.
“Kara…” Lena whispered, watching closely. Ashley had seen her mother. Remembered her. This memory wasn’t lost — it had been locked away, buried behind walls that someone didn’t want her to break through. But now those walls were cracking.
And Lena wasn’t going to stop until she understood why.
She kept watching as the stream of memories played out on the screen. All of them were from Ashley’s early childhood, viewed through the blurry lens of a small child’s perspective. But one thing stood out immediately. Every single memory that had been locked away had one thing in common—Kara. Whether it was moments with Supergirl or personal glimpses of her mother, every trace of Kara had been buried deep in Ashley’s mind.
Lena leaned back slowly, her expression darkening with realization. This wasn’t random. Someone had deliberately erased every memory Ashley had of her mother. Not just hidden them, but sealed them away so tightly that even her powers couldn’t break through until now.
Whoever did this didn’t want Ashley to remember Kara at all.
But then, suddenly, the feed cut off. Lena blinked, confused for a second, then quickly looked toward the containment room. Ashley wasn’t on the bed anymore.
The wires, monitors, and sensors were still there, tangled and abandoned like someone had ripped them off in a hurry. But Ashley… she was standing now. Pressed into the far corner of the room, her back to the wall, her breathing quick and shallow.
She was staring at the barrier. Straight at it. Her eyes wide, panic written all over her face. Lena’s stomach dropped. Ashley couldn’t see through the one-way mirror—or at least, she shouldn’t have been able to.
“Ashley, please calm down,” her voice echoed into the containment room.
Ashley’s head snapped toward the ceiling, eyes scanning for the source of the voice. She still looked shaken, her breathing fast and shallow.
“What did you do to me?” she asked, her voice sharp. “What are those memories?”
Lena’s eyes flicked to the vitals still displaying erratically on the screen. Heart rate spiking again. Stress levels off the charts. She didn’t want to say too much, not when Ashley was already on edge — but staying silent wasn’t an option either.
“They’re yours,” Lena said carefully. “They were always yours.”
Ashley shook her head, faster this time. “No. You’re lying.”
Before Lena could respond, a sudden blast of heat shot from Ashley’s eyes — a crack of red light slamming into the barrier wall. It didn’t break, didn’t even scorch, but the sheer force of it was enough to make Lena flinch back from her console.
Ashley slid down the wall with a heavy thud. She stared at her hands, eyes wide with fear.
“What’s wrong with me?” she whispered, her voice trembling. She didn’t look angry — just scared. Confused. Like she didn’t recognize herself at all.
Lena stared at Ashley through the barrier, where she was not able to see out. Her powers been strong already. Too strong. She wasn’t just unlocking ger dormant genes, she was waking up to a new identity, that been buried down forcibly, and the consequences been stacking faster than Lena could keep up with it.
She needed answers, more data. Something to explain what was happening before it spiraled completely out of control. Lena moved quickly, scanning the lab, checking every monitor and drawer for equipment that could help her get a clearer read on Ashley. Her thoughts were racing faster than her fingers. Then — a sudden slam and a thud after. She spun around just in time to see Ashley was on the opposite side of the containment. Sitting on the ground propped up on her hands, her whole body trembling, and clearly crying silently.
In that moment Lena knew. This was too much for her to handle, more than she could help on her own. She grabbed her phone and dialed one number without hesitation.
“I need you in the L-Corp workshop. Tell reception I called for you. Access code 1972. I need DEO help now” She said the moment the line connected, and her voice sounded urgent.
It wasn’t long before Alex arrived, fully suited up with a few DEO agents at her back. Lena didn’t call often — not like this, so they came prepared for anything. But nothing prepared them for the sight that met them inside.
The lab looked like a war zone. Equipment shattered, deep scorch marks along the wall, and Lena, slumped in the corner, blood trickling from a cut on her temple unconscious.
And in the center of it all stood Ashley. Tears streaming down her face, her hands trembling.
It had been almost sixteen years since she was born. Her mother died right after giving birth—she never even got the chance to meet her. Ashley was adopted right away by her aunt and her wife. From as far back as she could remember, she never liked them. To her, they were always too overprotective—never letting her do the things other kids could.
But she always had that one friend, though—Cassie. They met in primary school when Ashley was seven and Cassie was eight. A year difference didn’t matter; from day one, they just clicked. It wasn’t long into their friendship that Ashley learned Cassie lived with her grandparents. Her parents were always away, somewhere far, but her grandmother was more than enough for the young girl—warm, kind, understanding.
But let’s get back to Ashley.
Her life wasn’t easy. Not even close. She tried more than once to rebel against her “Guardians” as she always called them. Never “moms”, never “aunts” or anything remotely affectionate. Just Alex and Kelly, never anything else.
She tried to learn about her birth mother too, even since she found out she was adopted, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find anything about her. Her guardians refused to talk about it, and as for the internet? There was nothing. It was like her mother never existed. Like someone had wiped her off the face of the Earth.
Alex—her aunt, is the one who adopted her. She works at the DEO, the Department of Extranormal Operations. Ashley had been then several times, mostly for medical checkups. For some reasons Alex didn’t trust any other doctors, not even regular hospitals, so she brought Ashley there herself. But Ashley had taken advantage of her visits, snooping around the system whenever she had the chance. But even the government files didn’t hold anything about her mother. Under “parents” it simply said: Unknown.
Yesterday had been another one of those DEO visits. Alex ran some blood tests, same as always. Nothing came out of it. Ashley still didn’t understood why she couldn’t just see a normal doctor like everyone else.
But today wasn’t about that. Today was her birthday, her sixteenth, and she had plans.
Cassie helped her set up everything, a full birthday party at her place. Her parents were gone again, and the house was theirs. No overbearing adults. Just music, friends, and a night that finally belonged to Ashley.
She woke up early and checked to see if Alex and Kelly were still asleep, which they were, before she threw on some comfy clothes on, an oversized black shirt and red shorts. She didn’t even brushed her hair, just ran a hand through it, shot a quick message to Cassie, and rushed out of the door, heart pounding in her chest.
The bus was about to arrive, and she couldn’t afford to miss it. Cassie’s house wasn’t that far, but walking would take about an hour, where the bus took only twenty minutes.
Ashley arrived at the bus stop with two minutes to spare. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The street behind her was empty… but she could’ve sworn someone had just whispered her name. She turned quickly but there was no one. The whole street was still.
The bus rolled in right on time, putting her out of the uneasy silence. She climbed in and took a seat near the window, pulling out her phone
Ashley: In bus :3
Cassie: Can’t wait! Everything’s ready for you! <3
This was the first year Alex hadn’t planned anything ahead for her birthday. Finally, Ashley could celebrate with her friends. She sank into the bus seat, lost in her thoughts. She nearly missed her stop but jumped out just in time. Cassie was already there, waiting with a smile. They both hugged and walked together, chatting the whole way. The house was decorated, the fridge full of party food.
“Are you ready for your sweet sixteen?” Cassie asked as they walked in. Ashley paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
“Of course, but I’ll probably gonna take a nap first” She said, rubbing her eyes “Couldn’t sleep that good last night”
“Again? Girl your sleep schedule is messed up” Cassie laughed, slinging an arm around her. “You should just move in with me. I’d take way better care of you” She was joking… mostly. Cassie had always wished Ashley could stay with her, especially during the months her parents were gone. At least then neither of them would be alone.
“You know Alex would never let that happen” Ashley replied. She wasn’t joking, she would really love to move in with Cassie during the time her parents are away, but Alex would probably be checking on her every hour.
“Maybe one day” Cassie said “When we go off to college”
They dropped the topic as they walked inside. Ashley kicked off her shoes and went straight for Cassie’s room, curling up under the blanket on the bed. Cassie in the meantime started prepping, lying out makeup, pulling dresses from the closet, making sure everything was ready for later. She left the room to let her get some sleep. By the time the clock hit 11 A.M. Cassie decided to finally wake her up.
“You’re still sleeping, huh?” She said softly. Ashley yawned and rubbed her eyes but nodded. Cassie helped her sit by the vanity mirror and started working on her makeup.
“Okay now try not to fall asleep on me” Cassie joked.
“I’ll try” Ashley mumbled her response, trying to stay still.
Cassie took her time. She wanted everything to be perfect. By the end of it, Ashley’s face looked ethereal—soft tones, gentle shimmer. She brushed through her friend’s hair, debating whether to style it differently, but decided to leave it natural.
Then came the dress. Cassie pulled out two options from her wardrobe and held them up. “Which one do you prefer?” Ashley just shrugged, the usual “you pick”
She handed over a long, one-shoulder dark blue dress. Lighter blue floral designs curled up from the hem toward the shoulder—simple but elegant. Ashley took off her clothes and slipped into the dress. Cassie helped with the zipper and turned her toward the mirror.
Ashley stared at her reflection for a long moment… and smiled. Just a little. But it was real.
“I’m gonna go unlock the doors and check on the setup downstairs” Cassie said with a grin. “Be right back.”
Ashley nodded, still staring at herself. Cassie had outdone herself.
But then… “Ashley!” She jumped at the sound of Cassie’s voice from downstairs.
“Coming!” she called back, glancing at the mirror one last time. Only… something was off, there was someone in the mirror, standing behind her. She spun around, heart racing… but no one was there. The room was empty. She didn’t even look back at the mirror again. She just left, quickly walking downstairs, past the strange cold feeling crawling up her spine.
People had already arrived. Friends with small gifts—nothing fancy, just thoughtful things. The music was playing, the mood was light. Ashley sat on the couch, smiling when someone talked to her, but not really present. Her mind kept flashing back to the mirror. The voice. The silence. Was she going crazy? Should she talk to Kelly? Probably not. She’d tell Alex. And that was the last thing Ashley wanted.
“Girl, what is up with you?” Cassie asked, finally noticing the way her friend zoned out. Ashley looked up. Everyone was watching her, concern in their eyes.
“I’m just… tired” she said weakly, forcing a smile. Cassie tilted her head and gave her a look.
“Come with me. Let’s talk,” she said gently. Ashley stood, but halfway to the other room, she froze. Her legs gave out—and she collapsed.
“Ashley!” Cassie screamed, dropping to the floor, cradling her head. Her friend was unconscious. Her breathing was shallow. Panic surged through her.
“Someone get my phone! Call Alex—she’s in my contacts!” she ordered, trying to stay calm. A girl grabbed the phone and quickly called. It rang once. Twice, then a voice picked up.
Silence. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just keep checking her breathing” The call ended. No questions, no location needed. Of course, Alex knew where she was. Cassie clutched her friend closer, brushing hair from her face.
“Hold on, Ash” she whispered. “Please”
Alex arrived barely ten minutes later, stepping into the house with the kind of quiet authority that made everyone instinctively move aside. The front door had been left open for her, and without saying a word, she dropped to her knees beside Ashley, checking her pulse with practiced fingers and shining a small flashlight into her eyes.
“She’s coming with me,” Alex said sharply, already moving.
Before anyone could protest, she had gathered Ashley into her arms with surprising ease and was already out the door, focused and fast. Cassie and the others stood frozen for a moment, the weight of what had just happened settling in the air.
Back at the DEO, Ashley was placed on a medical bed, surrounded by machines and sterile white lights. Alex wasted no time, she drew blood, scanned vitals, and ran every advanced diagnostic available to her. None of this was normal, and Alex knew it. Something was wrong — deeply wrong, and she wasn’t going to wait for answers to come to her.
No irregularities. No foreign substances. No spikes in neural activity or indicators of illness. Every result blinked green, and yet none of it explained why Ashley had collapsed without warning. Alex sat in the medical bay, eyes glued to the monitors, jaw tense. She hadn’t moved from her spot for hours.
Then finally, Ashley stirred. Her eyes fluttered opening slowly, unfocused and blinking against the too-bright light above her. “Hey” Alex said softly, leaning over her. “You’re awake”
Ashley looked confused at first. She clearly didn’t understand how she ended up in here. “You fainted” Alex said, keeping her voice calm even though her eyes were sharp, scanning every micro-expression. “Cassie called me. You weren’t responding.”
Ashley didn’t said anything to that. She glanced at the machines again, then back at her niece. “We ran every test. Blood work, vitals, scans. You’re… perfectly healthy, according to all of it” She spoke as she walked closer “But I am still worried about you, because nothing shows why you lost consciousness”
After a quiet moment, Alex reached into her pocket and pulled out Ashley’s phone. She handed it over gently. “Cassie’s probably still anxious, waiting for any kind of update” she said, offering a small, careful smile.
Ashley took the phone without looking at her, her fingers moving instinctively as she turned on the screen.
“How long have I been unconscious?” Ashley just asked as she grabbed the phone and turned on the screen.
“Few hours” Alex responded, as she watched her niece with worried expression.
They got back home about an hour later, Alex wanted to make another checkup before she would bring her back home.
Ashley didn’t say a word the whole ride.
Kelly was already waiting when they walked in. She looked worried, clearly had been for a while, but Ashley didn’t stop to say anything. She just walked right past her, straight to her room, and closed the door behind her without a word.
She sat on the edge of her bed, not even bothering to change. Her phone was still in her hand, but she didn’t feel like messaging anyone right now. The makeup Cassie worked so hard on was, smudged and she just stared at the floor, blankly.
