There was a dull aching sensation on the right side of my head. My eyelids felt unusually heavy as I pried one eye open. Instead of the navy blue tent above me it seemed to be rock. Startled I shoot up and then cried out as sharp pains took my left side.
Gasping and now following awake images from last night came to me, Olivia's scream and the blood red eyes. No. Sheer terror, I was taken by a Vogelartigen.
"Are you all right?" a low murmur asked.
I jumped and searched around the dimly light cave for the source of the voice, but saw nothing. I shuffled backward toward the cave wall.
"I didn't mean to scare you," the murmur replied, "I'm Ben."
There was a soft sound of feet padding against the floor of the cave, I pushed myself closer into the wall and drew my feet up to my chest expecting the very worst when out of the darkness emerged a long faced teenager with oddly colored yellowish red eyes, a narrow face and a large dimpled smile.
"I'm sorry," he said softly looking downcast.
"Wh…what are you?" I whispered in a hoarse voice.
Ben's head snapped up and starred intently at me. His eyes grazed over me wholly and they suddenly widened, "you're a Grimm!" he exclaimed.
Edmund had once said there was a uniqueness that came with being a Grimm. He wasn't sure if the Wessen could smell it, or see it as we could see their true faces or it was just instinct, but some could. Ben whatever he was could.
"You don't look like a killer." Ben noted.
Slowly I began to remove my feet from where they pressed against my chest. My stiff aching muscles protested in pain but I slowly extended all of my limbs outwards. Ben seemed to be examining me, something that irked me. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and my stomach do fast flips. What did he find in my five foot two ordinary appearance?
"What are you?" I repeat this time much louder than before.
"Good question," Ben replied, "my mum's a Vogelartigen and my dad's a Blutbad," he shuffled his long arms rapidly motioning to himself, "make of it what you will."
At first my mind didn't seem to process what it was hearing. A Vogelartigen and a Blutbad had a child together? Years ago Aidan once asked if that was possible and both of his parents said no because they're different species. Aidan. My mind wondered over to the Schmidts? Were they even alive? Olivia's shrieking scream that was in repeat in my head over and over again made it seem less than likely that she was dead, murdered in cold blood.
"What happened to the people I were with?" I asked.
Ben blinked a few times, "they only brought you in."
The realization slowly sunk into me. It had numbing effect on my body.
"You're not gonna be sick are you?" Ben questions backing up quickly, "your whole face just turned green."
"How could you-
"Vogelartigen are known for their keen eyesight in the dark." He answered as if it should have been obvious, "I have traits from both of my….parents."
There was a slight bitterness to his to tone. His thin lips scowled slightly as he kicked at a small rock on the cave. It scattered on the ground, spinning before spotting itself.
"Why are back here?" I asked abruptly.
He frowned, "because eveytime we go hunting I uhh accidently let the prey go." He shrugged his shoulders, "my whole tribe thinks I'm a freak, abnormality…well aside from Uncle Ed."
"Where is the tribe?"
"Out hunting…they won't be back until the sun is up again."
An uneasy silence settles over the two of us. My thoughts were swirling what were they going to do to me? Why haven't they killed me yet? Oh no. Are they going to make it slow and tortuous? Worse, I thought of my parents, waiting at home for a daughter that is never coming back. It broke my heart into tiny pieces thinking that they'd be so upset.
"I've never been able to morph into a Blutbad or a Vogelartigen …," Ben said quietly a far away look in his eyes, "my parents thought somehow by combining their genetics they'd create some kind of super monster…..I was such a disappointment to them." His shoulders hunched considerably and for a moment I'd wonder if he'd begin to cry. If anyone should be crying it should be me, but I couldn't. Emotions at this moment seemed to be too much for me to bare. It was as if my body had switched to auto-mode and I was just running in a robotic like way.
"Why are you telling me this?" I said.
I hadn't meant for it to come off as Standish as it did. He shrugged his bony shoulders again.
"You seem nice."
"You don't even know my name."
"It's Anastasia," he replied, "and no I can't read your mind. It was engraved into your dagger."
"Oh." I replied stupidly and then in a quiet whisper I asked, "what are they going to do to me?"
Ben looked sullen and truly upset, "I don't know Anastasia….whatever they do….you didn't deserve it Grimm or not."
"Thank you I guess."
A/N: What do you guys honestly think of Ben? Please let me know because it'll decide his fate….
