I found Zeke sitting on the edge of the dock, her feet dangling over the edge. As soon as I landed, I turned human, walking over to her and sitting down. We both remained silent, looking at the dark blue water as it reflected the moon. Finally, she sighed, "What do you want?" I gasped, "Why, my dear Zeke, are you acting so cold towards me?" She smiled slightly and looked at me, "I am terribly sorry, sir. What is it that you want from me?" I grinned, "There you go. I owe you a smoothie don't I?"
"Yeah, you do."
"Wanna go get it?"
"Not right now."
I frowned, "Not even if we raced?" She shook her head and I sighed, "You aren't going to let this go are you?" She sighed, "I ran away. I want to stay away. I never wanted to be reminded about it. Then she shows up." I smiled slightly, "Since when did you start running away?" Zeke glanced at me. "I haven't known you for very long," I said, "but I've seen you in action. You never back down and always fight back. Why are you running now?" She remained silent so I continued, "Why don't you go check things out yourself?"
"Why would I do that?"
"You won't stop running unless you know exactly why you're running."
She stood up slowly, "You don't have to but… Will you wait for me to get back?" I nodded and smiled, "You bet." She smiled slightly before pulling up her scarf.
(Switched P.O.V.)
Zeke ran along the rooftops, looking for her mom. So far, she hadn't been in any of the hotels in Bellwood Zeke had checked. She closed her eyes and her senses suddenly took over. She came to a sudden stop at the edge of the roof then jumped over the street landing, almost soundlessly, on the fire escape of an apartment. The blinds were open and, inside, sitting on a couch in front of a TV was her mom. None of the pictures on the walls seemed familiar to Zeke. A man, in his early thirties stepped into the room. He said something Zeke couldn't hear and leaned in, kissing her mom on the cheek. As soon as he left, Zeke opened the window, slipping inside and disappearing in the dark. She crept behind the couch and sat there, silently. Who was that man? Why was her mom staying with him? What is going on? She took a deep breath and said to herself; I am the Ninja. Melody and Zeke don't exist right now. Then, she stood up, turning around to face the TV, "Are you Marcie Dawson?" she asked.
Her mom stood up and turned to face her, "W-who are you?" Zeke's eyes narrowed, "Do you want to know about your daughter or not?"
"I do..!"
"Then listen to me now."
Zeke closed her eyes for a second, "That man. He's not your husband, is he?" Her mom's eyes widened, "How did you know..?" Zeke did her best to hide the sharp stab she felt in her chest, "Z- Melody told me everything about her family. She also wants to know what has happened to her family." She put her hands on her hips, "And it seems to me like you're cheating on your husband."
"No… I'm not cheating. We filed for divorce a week after Melody ran away. The man here is my boyfriend."
Zeke's eyes widened, "I see. And why are you here?" Her mom's eyes watered, "I just want my daughter back." Zeke's blood boiled, "And what makes you think she wants to come back?"
"The world is a scary place to a 14-year old."
"So, she'd rather give up any freedom she has gained over the past few months in order to return to a broken family? Yup, seems about right."
Her mom took a step back, "Are you implying that I don't know what's best for my own daughter?" Zeke held her gaze, "That's exactly what I'm saying. Marcie, go home. Your daughter doesn't want to come back." Her mom frowned, "Who are you to say what my daughter does and does not want?!"
"She sent me to find you and deliver the message."
Her eyes widened, "She doesn't...want to come back?" Zeke sighed, "That's what I've been trying to tell you this entire time." She threw her hands up, "What could possibly be so great that she'd want to stay?"
"She has friends."
Zeke closed her eyes, "She has friends who care about her and would run to her side at a moment's notice. Something I'm sure no one would do for her back home."
"She has plenty of friends back home!"
"Here, she has friends that would say she's wrong and argue with her, friends that she'd constantly pick fights with, and friends…" The first face that came to mind was Ben's, "that would make a complete idiot out of themselves just to make her smile." Her mom fell silent so Zeke continued, "If you continue to look for her, I will track you down. I've seen how happy she is here. Don't take that away from her." Then, she threw down a smoke bomb, disappearing in a flash of red.
(Normal P.O.V.)
Footsteps woke me up. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked up at Zeke who stood over me, "Did I take too long?" I sat crisscross and patted the spot next to me, "No. C'mere and sit with me. I got you something." She raised an eyebrow and sat next to me, her feet hanging off of the edge of the dock. I handed her a smoothie, "Here's your victory smoothie." Her eyes widened, "When'd you get this?"
"Jet Ray is really fast. I picked it up then got back as fast as I could."
She looked down at the straw, "You didn't have to…" I took a sip of my own smoothie, "Oh, I know. I wanted to. Smoothies make everything better." Her body shook slightly, "Thanks…" I hooked my arm with hers and leaned against her, smiling like an idiot, "I know; I'm so awesome!" She laughed and looked at me, a smile on her face, "Maybe. But I can still kick your butt when it comes to racing." I shook my head, taking another sip of smoothie, "Just you wait!" We laughed the night away.
I know! I'm sorry this is so dramatic! It doesn't match Ben 10 at ALL ~
I swear, it will not be like this next time!
Good god if it is...
Plus it's kinda short...
Anyways!
I hope you all enjoyed and don't be afraid to leave your feedback! (I really don't care if it's good or bad :P)
See you all next time!
-ShockScythe
