When this world is no more
The moon is all we'll see
I'll ask you to fly away with me
Until the stars all fall down
They empty from the sky
But I don't mind
If you're with me, then everything's alright
-Everything's Alright; by Laura Shigihara
These aren't my hands. They can't me. They can't be mine.
That thought swirled in Anika's mind, filling her with an even greater amount of fear. None of what was happening made an ounce of sense, and that seemed to fuel the emotions swirling within the teen. That seemed to make the situation even worse. It became apparent that the more fear Anika felt, the more out of control the cold became. The ice became thicker on the walls and floor; the air seemed to become thinner, almost unbearable, but in reality, it didn't bother Anika one bit. In fact, the cold itself went completely unnoticed. It felt almost. . .right.
But that didn't change what was going on. Anika's sudden adjustment to the dropping temperatures didn't, and wouldn't, erase what was happening.
Anika looked at her hands. She looked and she looked and she looked — but it was like her brain couldn't process what it was seeing. Her hands — her olive-colored, human hands — somehow morphed into black and blue, four-fingered appendages. Her body and limbs seemed thinner, more elongated in a way. Then there were the wings. God the wings. They draped around Anika lazily, and she had no idea what to do. She wanted to scream, but she didn't have it in her to make a sound. She wanted to cry, but it was like her eyes couldn't produce any tears. That seemed to be when the cold set in. Ice started forming on the walls, collecting on the ground, too. The temperatures kept dropping, and the ice started spreading and thickening at a faster rate.
Almost at the same rate Anika's emotions started spiraling.
What's going on? Anika thought, her heart hammering in her chest. What's happening to me?
The fear seemed to grow in strength, mixing in with panic and uncertainty. Nothing was making sense, and Anika's racing thoughts was in no way making it better.
Then came a loud slam. It came from the other side of her door, and it held a great deal of force. The ice coating Anika's door cracked just a little, and the abruptness of it was enough to snap her out of her trance. Instantly, her head turned towards her door, the panic and fear in her worsening. She couldn't let anyone see her. There was absolutely no way.
I-I can control ice in this form, Anika thought hurriedly. Let's see what else I can do. . .
Another slam hit her bedroom door, causing her to jump onto her feet. Anika's heart was pounding in her chest, her breathing becoming erratic. She had to figure a way out without being seen. If her family saw her in such a horrendous state, then God only knows what they'd do to her.
Looking down at her legs and feet, Anika felt a chill run up her spine — and she was certain it had nothing to do with the coldness around her. Her legs and feet were decorated in the same black and blue pattern; only her feet had three toes instead of the usual five. There were two long toes in the front, and the remaining one in the back. Anika let out a breath, a puff of steam — or maybe chilled air —coming out when she did so.
Another slam on the door. The ice was starting to crack significantly. Anika knew that the door could take a few more hits before slamming open.
"Okay, you've got this," Anika murmured, trying to formulate a plan. She gasped at the sound of her voice; it sounded distorted, almost inhuman. Her chest clenched at that. She hadn't even thought about checking her face. She'd been so focused on everything else. Hesitantly, Anika lifted her trembling hands to her face, and what she felt almost made her pass out. Her face was bony, with no visible nose and an almost deformed mouth. If Anika even wanted to call it a mouth. It seemed to remain open, and no matter what she did, she couldn't move it. When her hands moved to the top of her head, she didn't feel her usual head of hair. She was completely bald.
What the hell happened to me? Anika thought frantically.
With one final, powerful slam, the ice shattered and the door slammed open. Almost instinctively, Anika's wings wrapped around her body, almost shielding her from whoever was coming in.
"Anika, what. . .?" There was a long pause, and the air seemed to grow heavy. The cold rushed out once the door opened, and the couple standing on the other end looked mortified at what they saw. "Anika?" The girl's mother, Dede, looked around before focusing on her daughter.
"What is this?" Dede's husband, and Anika's stepfather, Antony took a step back, raising his arms anxiously. "What's going on?"
"Stay away from me." The distorted voice came out in a hiss, with the girl crouching down to make herself look smaller. She could practically feel the fear coming off Antony, and it made her heart skip a beat. Dede, on the other hand, looked relatively unfazed by what was in front of her. It was like she saw something like it before.
"It's okay, sweetie," Dede said, her voice gentle. She carefully made her way over to Anika, maneuvering over the ice almost effortlessly. "It's fine. We're here."
"We?" Antony exclaimed. "How can this be a we problem? I have no idea what the hell is happening!"
"Tony, you have to calm down." Dede threw a dirty look her husband's way. Emotions were already running wild, the last thing anyone needed is an unneeded freak-out. "I'll handle this."
"Go away," Anika cried, shuffling back. "Just leave me alone!"
"Nika, do you trust me?" There came the soft voice again. Why did her voice have to be like that? Why wasn't she scared? Anika was ready to explode with fear, and here was Dede, practically fearless. It didn't make sense.
"Why aren't you scared?" Anika murmured, glancing up at her mother. "I'm a monster."*
Kneeling in front of her, Dede reached out and gently touched her daughter's shoulders. Despite the freezing temperatures in the room, Anika's skin, even her wings, were colder. But that was the least of anyone's concerns. The best option was to keep everyone calm.
"You're not a monster, Nika. You're still my daughter."
Looking at her mother, Anika felt a wave of emotion wash over her. Her mother was in no way repulsed by her. The only person who seemed even remotely upset with what was going on was Antony, but that was to be expected.
"Everything will be just fine, okay?" Dede said softly, giving her daughter's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You don't have to be alone on this."
S.J.
Anika remembered that day vividly. She remembered the emotions, she remembered her mother's kind words and support. But most of all, she remembered the cold. In that form, that blasted alien form, Anika could remember how the freezing temperatures didn't even bother her. It was a rather comforting feeling, in that alien form. But for Dede and Antony, that frozen bedroom had been a nightmare.
A lot of things changed after that day. Anika's life took a big leap into unknown territory. She was exposed to a world she didn't even know existed. Aliens and an intergalactic police force. . .who would've thought? And to top it all off, Dede was a retired member of that force. All of that left Anika feeling as though she had no idea who her mother was. For years, Dede kept her past a secret; she made sure no one close to her knew of her past endeavors. But when that transformation occurred, that was when everything was exposed. After that day, that was when Anika started to doubt herself. What else had Dede kept a secret? Were other bouts of weird transformations bound to happen?
On the other hand, very few of Anika's questions were ever answered as she got older. Dede's knowledge on aliens proved to be useful, but a hard pill to swallow. Life in the Martinez household took a bit of a dark turn, with how things were being handled and how everyone was expressing themselves. Anika struggled greatly with her half-alien status, and Dede struggled to help her daughter understand what was going on. Antony, in the end, left the family. He couldn't handle the pressure of what was going on.
As time went on, Anika learned to control her abilities. She even learned how to revert back to human form at will. It was a handy skill, one Dede praised her for. That didn't make things easier, though. Anika still couldn't understand why she had to be so different. Why was she the one who had to be different? Dede and Antony were so normal. They gave off no signs of being aliens or even half-aliens. Then again, Anika never gave off those signs in the beginning, either. It was devastating, but she had to adapt somehow.
And sometimes that means. . .leaving.
(A/N):
First off, I'd like to apologize for the wait on this chapter. I had a bit of writer's block, and I was doing my best to write this in a way that was at least decent. If you guys have any form of constructive criticism, please give it. I'd love to know what you guys think about the story so far. I'd appreciate it greatly.
I own nothing in the Ben 10 universe. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the socks on my feet. If you have ideas for OCs or subplots, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.
I'll have to add this in before I forget, but this story takes place during ALIEN FORCE. Also, if I end up writing big AF storylines wrong or I write a canon character — i.e. Kevin, Ben, Gwen, etc. — incorrectly, please tell me. I'd hate to find out later that I made a whole bunch of mistakes and will have to rewrite them. It's been years since I've even thought about anything Ben 10 related. So please bear with me.
With that, I digress.
Thank you guys so, so much!
Be kind to one another, okay?
Sloane Johnson