Woo! Chapter 8 already! After a little visit to a certain website long while ago, it said that: a) the name of Ben's hometown is Bellwood and b) and his parent's names are Carl and Sandra and Gwen's parent's names are Frank and Lily. Since I don't know what they look like, I'm gonna guess, okay? When I mention the alien's names, I put their new name first then their alien name. Eg Nerine (aka Ripjaws). But I'll only mention their original names once. And plz don't get mad if I write "aka" a lot!
Now, on with the chapter!

Chapter 8: Back to Bellwood

"Alright! We're home!" Ben exclaimed, pressing his smiling face against the window of the RV as it drove into the familiar town of Bellwood. The teens (aka aliens), apart from Ralph (aka Wildmutt), looked out the windows as well in curiosity. The first thing they saw was a sign that said:

You are now entering Bellwood. Welcome and enjoy your stay.

Grandpa Max sighed cheerfully. "It's good to be back."

"So, what's it like here in Bellwood?" asked Reid (aka Fourarms), looking out the window with wonder.

"It's great," said Gwen with a proud smile. "You'll actually like it here. Wait til' I take you guys to the mall!"

"Now Gwen, let's not rush into things so quickly," said Grandpa. "Right now we got to get you and Ben back home, and maybe then later you can take them shopping."

"Yes Grandpa," Gwen said and she turned to the teenagers. "You guys definitely need new clothes, because those clothes remind me of a certain someone who hasn't showered nearly the whole vacation."

Ben stuck his tongue at her and looked out the window. The RV was now driving on a busy road that seemed to go on forever. The ten-year-old raised an eyebrow. Why did it look so familiar? Just then, he started giggling loudly, attracting Gwen and the teenagers's attention.

"What is he laughing at?" asked Nerine (a/n its says the name in the beginning).

"Who knows?" answered Phyllis/Stinkfly, pushing Ralph away as he started sniffing her. "Ralph, if you get near me, I swear . . ."

Nero-Amy/XLR8 looked out the window to see why what Ben was laughing at, and started giggling herself.

"Now what?" Peter/Diamondhead asked, looking at the giggling pair.

"Nothing," came their answers in unison.

All of them did not know that this was the same road that Ben, in XLR8's form, had hung the two bullies, JT and Cash, from their underwear on a tree. Just then, a big tree came into view, and, if you took a closer look, their were bits of material on two branches. When Ben and Nero-Amy saw it, they started giggling very loudly once again.

"You remember too?" Ben asked the girl.

Nero-Amy nodded, saying, "Well, duh! You were me at the time."

"You mean like, whenever Ben transformed into one of you guys, you know what he's doing?" asked Gwen.

"Correct," said Dexter (aka Grey Matter), "I seem to recall me sitting in a type of candy you call jellybeans."

Ben blushed. He had used the (ex)Galvan's form to count jellybeans to win a music player.

"I remember being in a net," said Nerine, shivering as she said it. "Before I knew it, I was back with you guys."

"Oh yeah, the Krakken thing," said Ben. "Man, Captain Shaw was so surprised to see me after the Omnitrix timed out!"

While Ben and Gwen talked to the seven teens, Ralph stopped growling quietly to himself and, on all fours, went over to Arden/Heatblast, who was quietly snoozing in his seat. Ralph nudged the snoozing teen once or twice before he suddenly woke up. He stretched his arms and yawned, and said to the dog-like teen, "What's up?"

To Arden's surprise, Ralph said, "Me bored. Play with me?"

Arden had a shocked look on his face, then his mouth curled into a smile.

Wildmutt's first words! he thought, smiling like a proud parent.

"Sure buddy," he replied, patting Ralph's head, though it felt awkward to do that. "What do you want to do?"

Ralph's head turned to the side, and Arden did too. He was looking Leila-Renee/Ghostfreak, who was resting her head on the table and snoozing. Arden raised an eyebrow, and he asked Ralph, "What about her?"

The wild-haired boy then said, "Wake up. Play with us."

Arden looked hard at him, then at the sleeping girl. She looked so worn out, and would probably lash out at anyone who disturbed her. The flame-haired boy obviously did want any trouble with her.

Beside, Arden thought, she looks so sweet when she's sleeping . . . what the hell's wrong with me?!

He slapped his forehead loudly, which thankfully the others didn't hear. Leila stirred in her sleep, and mumbled a few words. To Arden, the words sounded like . . . "sorry"?

The flame-haired teen was puzzled, but relieved that he didn't wake her up from her sleep.

But Leila wasn't just sleeping. For the first time in her life, she was dreaming.

In her dream, she was in a form. Not the human girl form. Not her true form. Her old form, the one when she was a he, when he was still in the Omnitrix. When he was still the old Ghostfreak everyone knew.

He was in a void, an identical void that he had been recently been in with the others. Ghostfreak was hovering in mid-air, and hovering in front of him was a ghost-like figure. It looked exactly like Ghostfreak's true form: same upside-down skull, same claws, same grotesque appearance. He, or she, looked at Ghostfreak with its one eye and said in a ghostly voice, "Remember me, young one?"

The dreaming Ectonurite gasped.

"No, it can't be you," he said in an equally ghostly voice, which sounded shocked, "I thought you . . . I saw you . . . how can you be here?"

"This may seem to be a dream to you, but in reality," the elder Ectonurite's 'face' drew nearer to Ghostfreak's own, "I am alive."

Ghostfreak shook his head in disbelief. "No . . ."

"Yes," the elder one said, smirking. "I am alive. You cannot deny it, young one."

"Renatus, please . . ."

"You do not WANT to believe me?!"

"I am sorry, but . . ."

"There is no sorry, child!" exclaimed Renatus. Ghostfreak backed away a little bit. Renatus was the only one he feared the most. The elder Ectonurite suddenly looked calm, and he quietly said, "Do not look afraid."

Ghostfreak nodded. "So, you are really alive? After all this time?"

Renatus sighed. "Yes. How many times do I have to say it?"

"But how did you live after what happened?"

The elder Ectonurite replied, "I shall tell you the next time I see you, child."

"But when will that be?" asked Ghostfreak, noticing Renatus fading away.

"Soon, Nicodemus, soon," came his ghostly reply, and with that, he was gone.

Ghostfreak felt his body be engulfed by darkness, and he started to scream as a familiar pain ripped through him.

Not again! he thought.

He continued to scream, his voice becoming lighter, his body becoming solid and fitter, and his single eye split into two, dark, violet eyes.

Leila woke up, suddenly screaming. Everyone in the RV looked at her as she stopped screaming and began to breath heavily. Arden looked at her with concern on his face.
"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Leila said quickly, "Just had . . . just had a scary dream."

The others nodded and went on with what they were doing, but Arden stared at Leila. She noticed him looking at her, scowled and said, "What are you looking at?"

"Are you sure that you're okay, Leila?" Arden asked, having found out her new name from Gwen. "I mean, I'm-"

"Just leave it," the girl snapped. "Since when did you start to care?"

The flame-haired boy frowned at her. Leila shook her head at him. Arden stuck his tongue out at her. She did the same. He made an ugly face at her. She made an even uglier one. Grandpa Max watched them in the review mirror and sighed.

There's something going on between those two, he thought. I'd better keep an eye on them.

And his eyes were back to concentrating on the road.

Chapter 8 is done! At least it is longer than the last chapter. :) Can you guess who the mysterious Renatus is? (It's so obvious!) I will be back on the week after my exams end, but I'll be here to sign reviews and stuff. :) Speaking of reviews . . . reviews are welcome. :)