Karma's a Bitch and So Am I

L.A.: So, it's been a long time since I've been active here. Due to recent events, I felt the need to retreat into fanfiction again. I've always wanted to write a Ben 10 story and decided, what the heck, might as well try it out now. This is set between Alien Force and Ultimate Alien soon after Ben's secret identity is exposed. I've always wanted to play with a character who wasn't 100% likable in the beginning, but was still believable. This idea was what came from it. I hope you enjoy!

I am not a nice person. I figured I'd go ahead and get it out in the open right now. I'm not the outcast girl that has no friends but a heart of gold.

Or that sweet angelic girl who is constantly helping everyone.

Or the girl who says mean things but is hiding that she's hurting inside.

If we are going to go with stereotypical high school tropes, I would be the bitch. I'm one of the populars, I look good in a bikini, and with makeup and my blond hair and blue eyes, I can come off sexy.

I'm telling you this because this isn't a sob story. This isn't a story about the loser girl who dates the prom king. Or the girl who finds herself and is able to sway the masses to love and respect her.

I am not a good person and that's why all the horrible events that follow are full and well deserved.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I should probably start from the beginning. The day this entire karmic mess started.

The day that Stephanie declared that Julie Yamamoto was a whore.

"I mean it's so obvious." Stephanie said as she twirled her carrot stick in her ranch dressing. I'm pretty sure it's the same carrot stick she's had since the beginning of lunch period. Sometimes I wonder if Stephanie Watkins ever eats or if she gets her sustenance from her power over the student body and her enjoyment in spreading gossip. She's thin, but not anorexic. With wavy brown hair and bright green eyes, I'm surprised she isn't a model. In fact, I'm pretty sure modeling agencies have begged her to sign with them. She just doesn't want to deal with the time commitment.

"Oh, totes," Laura said, her head bobbing so rapidly it makes me worry she's going to have whiplash. She has a short black bob with blue eyes that were so big they remind you of doll eyes. Sometimes I fear that like a china doll, she's going to topple over one day and break.

"Care to elaborate on this epiphany?" Kate asked as I felt her nudge me under the table. Red haired, and blue eyed she gave Stephanie a run for her money. She happened to be my best friend since childhood. Probably the main reason why I was accepted into the clique. She was also one of the few people who could actually question Stephanie and not be afraid about it. She had that special affect on people. She could call them on their crap, and they'd still come back for more. Stephanie Watkins was our Gretchen Winers and Kate was the Gretchen whisperer.

"Because she's hanging all over Tennyson." Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I mean, they should get a room already. It makes it awkward for the rest of us."

That's what the nudge had been about. Stephanie, and the rest of the female student body's, infatuation with Ben Tennyson. Sure, it was just released that he was the superhero fighting off the alien menace. And sure, with his brown hair, green eyes, and athletic build he would qualify as cute. But, despite all those qualities, I had been around him in a group project. The guy was an arrogant self absorbed jerk. No, thank you. Let every one else fantasize about him.

"I mean, look at them now. Showy much?"

We all turned our attention to two tables down. Julie and Ben were sitting next to each other whispering conspiratorially. The sight wasn't that scandalous. Julie was his girlfriend.

Julia laughed as she cut her eyes at Ben.

"Ugh," Laura said. "Too much."

Stephanie nodded. "She's such a slut."

"Totally," Kate said. It came off breezy and amused. I'm pretty sure that Kate is the only other girl not interested in Ben. Unlike me, she finds every girl's infatuation more amusing instead of annoying.

I felt all three pairs of eyes on me. I was supposed to respond. I was supposed to answer correctly, even if I didn't agree with them.

"Yeah, Julie's a slut," I said as I shoveled some salad into my mouth.

When the final bell of the day finally rang, I had to resist the urge to leap out of my seat. I was so over school. The stress of upcoming exams and projects made me desperately want a doughnut. The only way I could eat a doughnut was if I ran. I wasn't like Kate, Stephanie, and Laura. I had to work for my body. My metabolism was slow and stubborn.

I power walked to the parking lot, knowing that the others would be waiting for me. Stephanie had just gotten a new luxury convertible and she wanted to drive us home in it. She'd be revving the engine at me if I took too long.

I was outside and a few steps away from the building when I heard my named called. "Riley?"

I winced as I willed myself to turn around. Why of all people would it have to be Julie who called out? I know we're partnered for a science project but did she have to confront me now, especially with the others nearby?

"Hey Julie, something you need?"

She had her arms crossed and she looked serious. I'm pretty sure that's the competitive edge in her. She was a pro tennis player. I'm pretty sure that same mentality followed her in her studies. "We need to set up a time to meet for our project. It's due next week."

I heard a car honk behind me. I glanced back and saw the others girls in Stephanie's new sleek silver convertible. The top was down and their expression ranged from impatience to suspicious of me and Julie.

"I've got to go. We can talk about this later." I began to walk away, doing the classic about face dismissal.

I saw the others girls nod in approval.

A hand reached out and stopped me. "No. We need a plan. I don't want to be stuck doing this by myself."

I could feel panic well up inside me. It was Julie. The Julie that Stephanie despised. I couldn't let them see me being friendly with Julie. They'd disown me. I'd have no friends. Before I could think of a better option, I yanked my arm out of her grip. "Don't be such a spaz. We'll talk about it later."

I must have said it louder than I intended. Several people were staring at us slack-jawed.

Julie didn't flinch. If anything, she looked…disappointed. "You used to be a lot better than this." Julie sighed. "When did you become such a bitch?"

Stephanie blared the horn again. "Come on, let's go."

I hurried to the car. Not saying good bye. Not trying to let her words get to me.

I slipped into the back seat.

"What did she want?" Laura practically spat the word she.

I could feel Julie's gaze still on me as we turned out of the parking lot. "She's just obsessing over the science project."

Stephanie smirked. "She's such a spaz."

As if she sensed my discomfort, Kate squeezed my shoulder. "Yeah, she shouldn't freak on you like that."

"Totally." I said, but it lacked conviction. I know this because I could feel my stomach turning and something akin to guilt rearing its ugly head in the back of my mind. I could deal with anger, disinterest, and hate.

Disappointment though… that was something I wasn't comfortable with.

When Stephanie's parents splurged, they went all out. The convertible was a smooth a ride as it was fun. I was the first to be dropped off and was still wearing a grin as I entered my house.

"Hello. I'm home."

I was greeted by dead silence. This isn't new, in fact I'm used to it. The greeting was more a formality. Like I was trying to make the empty house feel better or something.

I'm not sad about it. I still see my parents every few months. It's not like they hate or ignore me. My parents are the type that love the idea of having kids but aren't good with the follow through. They love me. They care for me, but when their business requires them to fly overseas for a few months, they never feel bad about leaving.

They held out for as long as they could. Ten years actually…. when I was old enough to handle responsibilities and my brother was out of college.

That's my normal. And sure, it gets lonely sometimes, but I'm used to it.

I dropped my backpack in the kitchen before heading to the living area. Maybe I could put on some trashy tv for a little bit before I go for my run. Procrastination? Maybe. But, we all have our vices.

I entered the living room and nearly had a heart attack.

There was a body sprawled out on my sofa. Upon closer examination, I realized that the body actually was my dumb brother, Will, passed out on my couch. His head, with shaggy brown hair that desperately needs a cut, rested on one arm rest. One foot rested on the other armrest while the other dangles off the side of the couch.

I kicked the dangling foot.

He started. His green eyes snapped open and he stared at me accusingly. "What was that for?"

"You nearly gave me a heart attack. Next time text me so I won't accidentally hit you with a frying pan."

Will sat up as he stretched and popped the knots in his neck. "You live here alone. You should always be aware of your surroundings."

"You have a key."

"Doesn't matter. You should always be aware. Suppose an intruder had made a duplicate key?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

6 months ago, my brother had moved to his own apartment. It was a blessing, really. He's a slob. I could finally keep the house tidy. We didn't tell our parents on the condition that he would come check in on me. I don't know why he was worried. I'm more capable and adult than he will ever be.

"So what do I owe the honor of your presence today?"

"Thought I stop by and check in before my HAA meeting."

It was the dumbest acronym I had ever heard. I told him that once and he merely brushed it off as me being too naive to understand. Then again, the Human Against Aliens were a very passionate bunch. Ever since its was revealed that aliens existed, many, like my brother, were in fear that they would come, hide among us, and take over the world.

He nearly had a stroke when he learned that Ben Tennyson went to my school. The fact that Ben protected the world from aliens seemed to be unimportant. He still had alien in him. I had to promise multiple times not to associate with Ben… which was easy because Ben's an arrogant weirdo. I had no desire to interact with him.

But, I knew that wasn't why Will was here. He knew better than to lecture me about his beliefs. Their bi-weekly meetings lasted several hours. There was only one reason he was here.

"I'm not making you dinner."

"Come on. Don't you want your big brother to not starve?"

"No, I don't, but you know, there are these magical things called fast food and take out that seem to miraculously do the job for me."

Will stared at me in mock horror. "You want me to eat something unhealthy?"

"You'll live." I brushed past him as I headed for my room. "You can check the fridge for anything you want. I'm heading out for a run."

Will muttered something indistinguishable.

I felt a smirk creep up. We both knew that he wouldn't bother. He'd either try to wait me out or eat fast food.

Game on.

There's a park about ten minutes down the street from where I live. I always enjoy running there. They keep up the trails that weave through the trees and have beautiful flower bed displays. A small fountain with benches surrounding it is in the center of the park. That's where most of the families congregate.

I prefer to run in the tree filled area. There's rarely anyone ever there so I could let my mind wander and enjoy the quiet. I guess in most major cities this would be considered unsafe. But, where I live, the thought never crossed my mind. It was just me and the forest. Just the way I like it.

I had been running for about 20 minutes when I finally slowed my pace to a walk. I had been slowly working my way up to 30 minutes recently. I wasn't there yet, but I was making good progress.

As I walked, I felt my heart rate and breathing slow down. I always loved this part of my run. Alone with only the sounds of wildlife to accompany my cool down. Sunlight peaked through the tree limbs creating elaborate dancing shadows on the ground. It was soothing.

As my gazed drifted down to the ground, my usual serenity was interrupted by a strange thought.

The light was wrong.

The shadows still danced and flowed about like normal, but there was something about the light. It was brighter, whiter, almost… alien.

I tried to push the thought out of my mind. I was imagining things. Still, the feeling of unease wouldn't leave me.

I figured out why a few moments later. The trees were quiet… too quiet. There was no sound of wildlife.

I'm not a person prone to paranoia, but this was starting to feel like the beginning of a horror movie where the first victim is unceremoniously killed. I wasn't waiting to find out. I turned back ready to bolt.

That was when flash of bright light descended from the treetops and nearly blinded me. I felt as if I had been rooted to the ground. My body was frozen as I stared in horror at a bright light, that looked almost fluid, approached me.

"Species Terrain." An androgynous robot-like voice boomed out to me. White tendrils wavered out of the white light and snaked towards me. "Compatibility percentage: 20%."

Move body! I screamed in my mind because nothing else would move. It was like I was disconnected from my body. A mere passenger helpless to stop the snaky tendrils that wrapped around my body.

I had heard of alien attacks. Heck, my brother would tell me horror abduction stories until he was blue in the face. But, as stupid as it sounds, I always assumed it would happen to someone else. Never to me.

"Recommendation not advised." The tendrils had wrapped around my body, the tips now hovering on each side of my temples as if poised to attack.

What was it waiting for? Did it want to torture me more before it killed me? Did it feed off my fear?

Because I knew my fear was obvious. I'd be screaming if my throat hadn't locked up. I could feel my eyes water. Why? Why was this happening?

"Warning. Survival rate at 10%. Shutdown imminent. No other recommendations nearby."

I felt a cool feeling on each side of my temples. As the white light drew closer, the coolness spread through out my body.

It was too much. I couldn't deal with this situation. I couldn't think of how my family will never know what happened to me. I was just another soul lost to the world.

My eyes drifted close.

"Begin process."

Numbers, words, indistinguishable images, rushed through my mind. I felt like my brain was going to overheat from so much info. Info I could not understand.

As I faded from consciousness, I heard a quiet female voice whisper. "It's going to be okay."

And then… I was gone.

Cold… hard…

Those were the first thoughts that flooded my brain when I came to. I was lying on the ground. Judging from the wildlife sounds, I was still in the park.

I was…alive?

My eyes snapped open as I slowly sat up. I felt okay. A little achy from laying on the ground, but that was it. I glanced down at my hands. I still had 10 fingers. I wiggled my toes in my shoes. I thought I could still feel all 10 toes.

I got to my feet. My legs were a little shaky but held. Everything looked normal. The mysterious light was nowhere to be seen.

Which begged the question. Had I imagined the whole thing?

It had felt so real. Too real.

I unconsciously shivered as I wrapped my arms around my waist. I couldn't have imagined it. And yet, there was no trace that anything had happened.

I didn't know what to make of the situation. There was really only one thought in my head. I wanted to get home as soon as possible.

Apparently, Will had given up on the idea of me cooking him dinner because he was gone by the time I came home. It was a relief, really. I felt shocky, out of sorts, and I didn't have the energy to put up a front.

Actually, now that I was home, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep. The entire experience wore me out and all I wanted to was go to sleep where my mind would remain blissfully blank about the whole situation. Grabbing a banana, I quickly ate it and went to bed. I was asleep in a matter of seconds.

I was really starting to think that I imagined the whole thing. I checked myself in the mirror in the morning, but I still looked the same. Nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was normal.

So, as I settled in my desk for first period, I tried to ignore the uneasy feeling that lingered from the day before. There was no evidence. I was fine.

A piece of paper was unceremoniously dropped in front of me. Our teacher, Mr. Gladstone, continued to distribute papers. "You have 15 minutes to complete the quiz. Turn it in when you're done at my desk."

I picked up the paper and winced. History Pop Quiz. Mr. Gladstone had warned us yesterday we would have one, but with everything that had happened I had completely blanked on studying.

As everyone started their quizzes, I sighed as I set down my paper and picked up my pencil. Might as well get this over with.

First Question:

What was the original name for New York?

Crap. I had no idea. We had covered it last week, but that was during Stephanie's melt down over finding out that Julie was dating Ben again.

"Accessing Archive."

I nearly jumped out of my skin. What the heck was that?

Glancing around, I see that no one else had reacted. They hadn't heard the voice. Maybe I imagined it?

I returned my attention back to the quiz. I had no idea the answer. I would have to make it up. I wrote the first thing that popped in my head. Nouveau Yorkshire.

"Incorrect. The answer is: Nieuw Amsterdam"

This time I yelped, causing a couple of students to turn and look at me in annoyance. I hadn't imagined it. There was a voice. A definite voice that only I could hear.

I could feel myself hyperventilating. I needed to get out of here. I needed space.

I promptly stood up, paper in hand, and approached Mr. Gladstone's desk.

He eyed me suspiciously. "Finished already?"

"I need to go to the nurse."

He didn't buy it. His eyes narrowed. "You can't claim you're sick just because you don't want to take a quiz you didn't prepare for-"

"I'm having lady problems."

Mr. Gladstone visibly flinched.

I know, it was a low blow. Taking advantage of Mr. Gladstone's obvious discomfort at teenage girl's time of the month problems but I was desperate. If I didn't get out of the classroom in the next few minutes, I was pretty sure I would start screaming.

"Still," he hedged.

I clutched my stomach and moaned softly.

A couple of students looked up at us.

A fresh sheen of sweat appeared on Mr. Gladstone's face. "Go. You can make up the quiz at break."

"Thank you." I practically bolted out of the room.

In the hallway, I made a beeline to the restroom. I knew I had to go by the nurse's office later to keep my alibi; but, right now, I needed to be by myself.

Once inside, I checked the stalls to make sure that I was alone before approaching the sink. I let the water run for a moment before splashing some in my face. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I could see why Mr. Gladstone was so eager for me to leave. I was pale with pronounced dark circles under my eyes.

I took a deep breath as I tried to calm down. I needed to get a grip and right myself. There was nothing wrong with me. I was just imagining things. Still… what had happened back there?

"Terran anxiety is often expressed through bouts of panic, sweating, and increased heart rate."

My heart nearly stopped as I whirled around frantically. I was alone in the bathroom. I made sure of it. Still, I heard that voice as clear as day…

No… I wasn't hearing it in the bathroom. I was hearing it in my head. My breath came out in shorts spurts as the horror took over me.

"It is advised that appropriate measures be taken to calm anxiety. Prolonged exposure due to stress can damage to the body."

I was hearing voices in my head. I was officially going crazy.

"Incorrect. Although Terran host compatibility was 20%, download would not commence if host were unstable."

Wait, download. That sounded familiar. The events from the forest unfolded in my brain again. I thought I had imagined the entire thing. But now, to my horror, I realized it was all true…. which mean that I was possessed by an alien. I was literally the plot of a B-rated Science Fiction movie.

A lump had settled in the pit of my stomach as a shaky laugh escaped my lips. "I have to be dreaming. This can't be real."

"Incorrect. Host is currently awake and in full control of body faculties."

I flinched. Having a voice in my head was weird…too weird. I had felt like my privacy had been invaded. That a sacred part of me had been violated.

I hadn't realized that I had been clinching the sink. I released my hold as I felt the tingling sensation of blood rushing back into my fingers.

I needed to focus… not freak out. If this was the plot in a B-rated science fiction movie, then there was always a way out. A way to break free. I had to cling onto that thought. It was the only way to keep me sane.

At least so far, the alien hadn't taken control of my body. Except for answering questions, it was almost as if it wasn't there. Might as well use that to my advantage. If I can find out what's inside me, maybe I could find a way to break free.

"Who are you?"

"Error. Answer not found. Please rephrase the question."

Seriously? I'm possessed by an alien with amnesia? I guess that was why the alien sounded so robotic and computer-like.

"Okay," I sighed the word out as I scrambled around in my mind figuring out what I should ask. "What are you?"

"Error. Answer not found. Please rephrase the question."

"Oh, come on," I groaned. My patience was running thin. I wanted answers and I wanted them now. "There's a you and there's a me. What are you as an entity?"

"Error. Answer not found."

I resisted the urge to bang my head against the wall. Who knew being possessed by an alien could be so frustrating?

"Attempting possible answer. There is no you. There is no me. There is we."

We? What the heck does that mean?

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. It looked like the same reflection I've seen every day of my life and yet, I could almost see a flicker of something strange in my eyes… something alien.

I resisted the urge to shiver. "Okay then. Who are we?"

It was as if the floodgates were opened. I wasn't in the bathroom anymore. I was in the middle of a void with images flashing by at a rapid rate.

"We are the the Archive. Devised by the Adytos. We learn all. We see all."

Algorithms, images of aliens, art, music flew by rapidly. So much knowledge at the tip of my fingers. It was powerful. It was overwhelming.

"We have collected knowledge for centuries. Our database is massive. Normal intelligent beings cannot navigate our knowledge."

It was too much…

Too much information was flying around me. I wanted it to stop, but at the same time I didn't. It was tantalizing. All those answers. Right there. A mere thought a way. It made me feel powerful. It made me feel overwhelmed.

"Therefore we need a host. A grounding form that keeps knowledge in order. That is why we use our Terran form."

Suddenly the knowledge stopped swarming around me. It was in order, easy to glance through.

"We are the Archive. Our Terran form is the Index."

L.A.: I'll leave it on that cliffhanger. Next chapter will have more of Ben in it. Please READ and REVIEW!