I am back from the dead! Seriously, I died over Thanksgiving from eating so much turkey (I exploded) and am currently writing this from the Underworld. Who knew they had Wifi down here?
Anyway, we will be picking up where we left off. As I already said this in the last chapter, I currently have no one to thank. All this genius is mine :)
I would also like to send a shout out to Sallem Cortex 004. I know you like the hybrids, so this chapter's for you.
As always, comment and review and send me your ideas, suggestions, and requests for this story and it's sequel (which will come out much later).
Enjoy!
"Ben, do you know who that is?" Gigi asked.
Ben slowly nodded. "Hey, Paradox. Long time no see?"
The Professor chuckled lightly at the joke and dug around in his pocket, pulling out a small, brown paper bag. "Would anyone like a gumball?" he asked with a smile. The ghouls politely declined.
"Your loss," he shrugged, putting the bag back in his pocket. "Now then, shall I answer a few of your questions?"
"I was just about to say that!" Draculaura exclaimed excitedly.
Paradox smiled. "Ah, yes. I knew that. Now then, if you would all please a step backwards," he instructed. The ghouls all shared odd looks and dragged Ben backwards, just a giant Mayan wheel came crashing through the wall to their left and smashed into the opposite wall, crumbling to pieces as the ghouls glanced back and forth between the wreckage and Paradox.
"How did you do that!?" asked Spectra, digging out her iCoffin and pressing the record button. Paradox frowned. "I am afraid I will have to ask you put that away, Spectra Vondergeist. Draculaura, please refrain from texting, and Nefera? Please attempt to keep those lips of your shut tight." The ghouls all shared odd and confused looks as they did as Paradox instructed.
"How do you know our names?" Nefera demanded.
"I, dear girl, am a Time Walker. I have the ability to travel back and forth through time as much as I please! Within reason, of course." he added to the stunned expressions on the ghoul's faces. "Now then, you all must be simply bursting at the seams with questions. Lets begin shall we? Ben, I'm sure you have a question you are dying to ask."
Ben yawned. "Are Gwen, Kevin, Rook, and Grandpa Max alright?" Paradox nodded with a smile. "As usual, Ben, you are most concerned for those you love. Your parents are fine as well, though they're all a bit worried about you. I suppose I should have taken that into account when I opened up the time portal beneath you," he mumbled to himself, though not as quietly as he had hoped.
"Wait, what? You're the entire reason I'm here!?" Ben yelled, his exhaustion gone completely. Paradox seemed unfazed by Ben's outburst as he continued to explain. "Yes, Benjamin, I am. And I have brought you to this dimension for a very good reason." he added, calming Ben down slightly. "You see, I could not allow Zs'Skayr and Charmcaster's influence on this dimension's time line to go unnoticed. While I am glad that Hope has switched to the side of good, there is still the matter of Zs'Skayr to take care of." Paradox explained, Charmcaster's face turning a slight red at the mention of her real name. "You see, Zs'Skayr plans to conquer this dimension with ease, believing it will be far more easy than trying to rule over your current dimension. Should he succeed, disaster will befall not only this dimension, but all those known across time and reality."
"It's just Zs'Skayr. How bad could it be?" Ben scoffed.
"Unfortunately, it could be very bad. Especially now that Zs'Skayr has Frankie in his clutches." Paradox explained.
"WHAT!?" Ben roared, his angry voice shaking the very walls and causing the ghouls and Charmcaster to cower at his anger. Ben's eyes flashed red with rage, his breathing becoming raged and more beast-like. His calm fingers flexed and looked like razor sharp claws. "ZS'SKAYR TOOK HER!?" he roared, Paradox not moving an inch under Ben's enraged stare, as if he were expecting this. Jane and Spectra quickly approached Ben and each lightly grabbed an arm, gently stroking him as he started to relax.
"Yes, was that not obvious?" Paradox asked. "Anyways, Zs'Skayr has stolen Frankie as a power source for his device. Should it be successful, it will tear a hole in the space-time continuum."
"Isn't that what happened to you?" Ben growled, much more calm than he originally was.
"Yes, but should Zs'Skayr succeed, the future events will be far more dire."
"Aiiiii-eeeeehhhh?" Ghoulia wondered.
"No, Ms. Yelps. It will not create a black hole that will destroy reality. I shall obviously have to take you on a tour of time should you ever want to- uh, Spoiler." Paradox quickly remembered. "But, it will rip a hole back into the very reaches of existence. The 'Back of Beyond', if you will."
"And why exactly is that bad?" Skelita asked.
Paradox smiled at the skeleton before continuing. "You remember Maltruant, correct?" he asked, Ben nodding, though his expression had worsened. "The lunatic Clockwork guy? Wasn't he destroyed?"
"The same. You see, another dimension's Maltruant succeeded in remaking the universe in his own image. That dimension's Ben was able to barely defeat him afterward, but the effect was already done. To prevent the event from ever happening, I brought that Maltruant to a pocket dimension I had Azmuth create outside of the universe. A sort of storage closet of which only I have the key, if you will." he explained to the confused ghouls.
"Just out of curiosity, which alternate me was it?" Ben asked.
"Believe it or not, it was a female version of you." Paradox added with a mischievous smile. The ghouls instantly broke into fits of laughter as Ben fumed and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for the laughter to die down as Paradox continued.
"Unfortunately, that pocket dimension is rather close to this one, and should Zs'Skayr's plan succeed, he will open a pathway to the Back of Beyond that will release Maltruant and grant him the ability to try and make this universe in his own image. Needless to say, that can not happen, which is why I brought you here." Paradox explained. "However, once I leave, I shall not be able to return without the Time Walker of this set of dimension's permission."
"Wait, what?" Robecca wondered.
"Oh, I feel a second Time Head Ache coming on." Ben groaned.
Paradox chuckled. "Perhaps. I shall try to explain it as painlessly as possible. Now then, imagine that this dimension is a tree. At the base of the tree is the main time line, with the branches and leaves branching out into separate realities and possibilities." he started, the ghouls slowly nodding as they followed along. "This tree stands in the middle of a forest, where all the other trees represent completely different realities and time lines that have nothing to do with the original time line. A perfect example being the Ben 10 time line and the Monster High time line, which were are currently in."
"Okay, I am so confused," Venus moaned, rubbing her sore head.
"Eeeeeeee-aaaahhhhh." Ghoulia moaned.
"Hmm. Maybe I won't have to give you a- uh, spoiler." he quickly remembered. Ghoulia cocked an eyebrow, asking him to explain. "Ms. Yelps, there are certain laws of the space-time continuum that I must obey, one of them not revealing future events to past people or bringing past and or future versions of a person to the present one without good reason." he explained, most of the ghouls looking confused, though Ghoulia seemed to get it.
"So let me get this straight: There are like billions of clustered dimensions out there not even closely related to ours, as well as a few that are nearly parallel to ours?" Robecca asked. "Oh, I see why you get a head ache, luv." she said to Ben who smirked.
"This is fascinating and all, but do you have any idea where Frankie is? I'd kind of like to find her." Ben asked, obviously annoyed.
"Certainly. However, certain laws prevent me from telling you for certain." said Paradox. Ben frowned and stood up, sighing. "So let me get this straight: Frankie's been kidnapped by Zs'Skayr to power his all powerful weapon, which upon firing, will open a portal to this space-time closet of yours and release Maltruant, who will try to recreate the universe in his own image, and you're being cryptic? Now is not the time, Paradox! The girl of my dreams could be dead right now!" Ben roared, Paradox seeming to be unaffected.
"Yes. As much as I would love to stick around, time is of the essence," Paradox droned, checking his metal gauntlet's watch as a swirling blue portal opened up behind him. "I must be off now. But if you are looking for places to start, might I suggest asking Toralei and her sisters? I'm certain they may know a thing or two about Frankie's disappearance." he added. "Toodalooh.!" The Professor then stepped through the time portal without another word, the swirling vortex closing seconds behind him.
"I hate it when he does that," Ben moaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But if I do know one thing, I know that I am going to make Toralei pay for what she did." he growled, the ghouls sharing nervous looks, before their blood began to boil. The idol room was beginning to fill with utter hatred towards a certain trio of were-cats, and even Nefera was feeling slightly irked.
"I vow from here on that I will not stop until Frankie safe, Zs'Skayr is defeated, and Maltruant is nothing but a pile of scrap metal!" Ben roared as the ghouls clapped and cheered. "And I know just where to begin." he growled. Cue the dramatic music.
"That creepy guy wasn't kidding when he said he was going to pay us," Toralei meowed as she and her sisters sifted through the small pile of cash. They were currently in one of the many cemeteries under the full moon, counting the large amount of money they had been payed to lure Frankie to the shop. Toralei herself didn't know what had happened to Frankie, and she didn't exactly care at the moment; with revenge on Ben still as sweet as honey in her mouth, and the feel of hundreds of dollars between her fingers, she was happy. The sound of crunching leaves met her ears and she turned a moment too late to see a black and blue blur racing across the tombstone covered ground. Before she, Meowlody, and Purrsephone could react, the blur whizzed around them in a tight circle, stealing all their cash and tying them up with rows of heavy chains that felt cold and lifeless against their fur. The figure then came to a screeching halt in front of her, an enraged look on his face as he held the sack of cash in his hand.
"You are a monster, you know that?" asked Fasttrack. "And I'm not talking about a real monster, I'm talking about someone without a heart or soul in her damn body." he swore as the Omnitrix timed out and changed the Citrakayah back into Ben. Meowlody and Purrsephone flinched under his intimidating glare, but Toralei smirked.
"Now I am going to ask you some questions. The faster you answer them, the sooner you're out of those chains." Ben growled. Toralei scoffed and a blew a strand of her hair out of her face. "Please. As if I would ever answer anything you wanted to know."
"Funny. Spectra's blog says otherwise." Ben smirked. Toralei's eyes widened as Spectra, Venus, Robecca, Skelita, Gig, Jane, Draculaura, Lagoona, Abbey, Jinafire, Clawdeen, Ghoulia, Charmcaster and both De Nile sisters rose from behind the tombstones behind Ben. She felt hot breath down her neck, and she craned her neck to see a furious Clawd, Deuce, Gil, Heath, Hoodude, and even a miffed Manny Taur. Every single monster had an enraged look on their face, looking at Toralei with complete and utter disgust. Spectra herself floated up in front of Toralei, waving her iCoffin in front of the were-cats eyes. On the screen was an image for an article on her website, a video of Rath throwing Toralei into the fountain below the headline. Toralei hissed as Spectra smirked and drifted back over to Ben, letting her boyfriend take control again.
"Feel like answering some questions now?" Ben asked. Toralei growled, clearly stating that none of them would give any information, no matter what Ben and his friends did to them. Ben frowned and accessed the Omnitrix, Skurd sliding aside so his master could do his work. "I'm giving you one last chance: tell us what happened to Frankie, or I turn into Toepick." he threatened. The were-cats, needless to say, burst out into fits of laughter, unable to stop laughing at the ridiculous name. "You honestly believe we would be scared of something with a name like that!?" Toralei cried between fits of laughter. Ben did not look amused. In fact, he looked down right furious.
"I warned you." he said, barely even a whisper as he pressed the activation button lightly, guaranteeing a correct transformation.
He felt himself become heavier, and much fatter than before as his gut bulged outwards and his legs became short and weak. His arms only grew a few more muscles on them before they fell limp to his side, still swelling with fat and useless tissue as the transformation continued. His fingers grew into dull claws as his toes become drab. A pair of black brief with a thick chain belt appeared on his sickly green skin as a heavy, cage-like helmet grew out of nothingness, held down by a large amount of chains, hoses, and locks. The most noticeable change however was his face. No one could see it, but Ben could feel it as it began to grow and shrink and swell and deflate in random spots, bony horns and knobs growing out at random intervals as sharp teeth lined his oddly shaped mouth. The final piece of the transformation was the appearance of the Omnitrix on the neck piece of the helmet, Skurd sliding to his station as the green light faded.
"This is the big, scary alien you threatening us with?" Toralei laughed, tears streaming down her face. "That thing is so ugly and fat! Toepick ignored her, his loud breathing echoing beneath his heavy helmet as he released the pistons with a loud hiss.
"Look away, dear chaps! Spare your sanity!" Skurd warned the others, oozing to the top of Toepick's helmet to avoid the horrors that awaited the cackling were-cats. Nefera, already having experienced the things that resided within the helmet, quickly turned away, shaking as the memories returned to her; the others were quick to do the same as the cage doors clanged down and slowly rolled open.
And then all hell broke loose.
The were-cats suddenly began screaming as loud as they could, unable to tear their fearful gazes away from the horrors within the helmet. Unholy growls and roars, hissings and screaming could heard within the dark recesses of the helmet as sinister things moved around inside, a few of them just barely managing to move out into the pale moonlight as the were-cats turned white with fear, their fur standing on end. Toepick then closed the doors on his helmet, just as the Omnitrix timed out. "I'm going to ask you again: what happened to Frankie?" Ben hissed, stooping down and edging his face closer to Toralei's so that they were less than an inch apart.
"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you! Some creepy guy in a hood payed us to lure Frankie into his shop! That's all I know!" Toralei wailed, her sisters fearfully nodding their heads to confirm the statement. "Just please, don't show us that hideous face again!" she pleaded with fear. Ben nodded and stood back up, casting a furious look at Toralei before he walked away, a furious Spectra, Draculaura, Gigi, Jane, Skelita, and frightened Nefera following after him.
"You got lucky," Clawdeen growled, stepping into Toralei's view and bearing her fangs.
"Had Ben asked us to interrogate you, we wouldn't have been so kind." Lagoona added. While normally a sweet and caring ghoul who could hold her own in a fight, Toralei had crossed the line and messed with two of her friends. This made her a much scarier person.
"Aaaaaayyyy-aaaaaahhhh." Ghoulia moaned, folding her arms over her chest and frowning.
"Ewww, Ghoulia. That's ghastly," Cleo frowned. "But it totally suites her." The ghouls then turned to leave, pausing as Charmcaster sauntered up to them, swinging a bronze colored key around her finger. "Good luck getting out," she chuckled darkly as she looped the key's string around the outstretched fingers of a stone angel, just out of reach. "You're gonna need it." she added, leaving with the ghouls as the guys came around to face Toralei, angered looks on their faces.
"Should I stone them, dude?" Deuce asked Clawd, reaching for his glasses.
"Stoning them would be a blessing," said Clawd, raising a hand and stopping Deuce. Instead, he stooped down and scooped up a handful of moist earth in his hand, squeezing his fist to form the lump of mud into a ball. He then hurled it at Toralei's face, watching with satisfaction as the brown slime covered her white face. The rest of the guys got into the act, gleefully pelting Toralei and her sisters with mud as the were-cats yowled for them to stop. Or course, the guys didn't.
"I can't believe Toralei would do something like this!" Lagoona cried out. "This is an all new low for her, selling out other students for money!"
"I always knew she was mean spirited, but I never pegged her as the type to do something as horrendous as that," Spectra frowned, drifting through the chilled air as the rest of the ghouls waked below, interjecting with their own opinions and comments.
"Pfft. Should have let Abbey teach lesson she never forget," the yeti scoffed. As all the ghouls made their own comments and gave their own opinion's on how to make Toralei pay once they had gotten Frankie back, Ben was lagging behind the group, his head near the breaking point. Not only was Frankie missing and in the clutches of own of his worst enemies, Maltruant was on the verge of returning, and someone within Monster High had made it all possible without a second thought. Though he chose to believe Paradox, as the Time Walker was never wrong, he couldn't help but worry about his family and friends back home. He knew they must have been worried sick, frantically scouring the reaches of the universe for him. But he knew that they would never find him. Until Maltruant and Zs'Skayr were defeated, he would remain trapped in the Monster High realm without a hope of getting home.
Glancing up, he noticed another person walking behind the group, though she didn't seem to be doing it directly. Despite being wrapped up in a warm jacket to combat against the chilly wind, Nefera was still shivering, fear in her eyes as she held herself tightly, her breaths quick and ragged. Worried, Ben walked over to her, leaves crunching under his feet as he walked to her. He gently put his hand on her shoulder, quickly drawing it back when the mummy flinched and relaxed when she saw it was him.
"Oh. It's you," she mumbled, turning away from him.
Ben bit his lip, almost afraid to ask something. "Are you okay?"
Nefera sighed and shook her head, keeping her frightful gaze off of Ben. "No, I'm not. Ever since you turned into Toepick that night, I've been haunted by nightmares. Hundreds of them." she explained in a quiet voice. It was an enormous stab at her pride, but she felt that she couldn't stop talking, finding it easier to talk to someone who didn't judge her for her actions or reputation without seeing it for himself. "I've tried everything; idols, amulets, even inviting that creepy Boogie girl over to watch my dreams, but nothings worked. I'm scared to even sleep at night." she admitted, a thin tear trickling down her face as she slowed her walking to a slow shuffle.
"Maybe I can help? I've got an alien that might be able to help you sleep." Ben suggested.
Nefera glanced down at him, the mummy being a good half a foot taller than Ben. "You're welcome to try. I've tried everything and nothing's worked." she sighed. Ben gave a small smile and lightly touched her arm. "Nefera, when I first met you, I thought you were nothing up a stuck up brat who always had to have her way and loved putting down others as a past time," he said, Nefera eyes seeming to get sadder as he perfectly described her. "But now, I see nothing but a small, helpless little girl whose been pressured to be something she's not. You've acted mean for so long, you don't know how else to act. When you want ask to for something nicely, you demand and threaten for it because you don't know what else to do. You're afraid inside, afraid that if you take off the Halloween costume you're forced to wear, people will treat you differently. But I can tell you that won't happen. Sure, it may take a little ajusting, but they'll accept you if you let them. So, let me help you. Let me help you get over his nightmare, okay?" he asked, taking her hand in his and giving it a light squeeze.
Nefera turned a very subtle shade of red and slowly nodded. "Okay. I'll try."
Nefera lay on top of her bed, already dressed in her night gown with the lights off. A small candle burned on her nightstand, the only light she dared to turn on. While she didn't suffer from nyctophobia like her sister, she still kept the candle burning, hoping against hope that it would help ward off the hellish nightmares that plagued her. She nearly screamed when there was a light tapping on her window. She scooted off the bed and lightly ran across the floor to the windows, opening them inward and nearly screaming again when she came face to face with the startling face of a Necrofriggian. The alien silently floated in through the window and landed on the floor, folding its wings closed as a bright green flash filled the room, changing Big Chill back into Ben.
"You ready?" he asked, activating the Omnitrix again. Nefera nodded as she closed the windows and went back to her grand bed, crawling under the covers as Ben lightly pressed the activation button with his finger, assuring a correct transformation as the green light washed over him and changed him. His skin turned a light lavender in color, his entire body shrinking down to about half a foot tall. Ben felt an itching on his backside and craned his neck to watch as seemingly fragile, butterfly-like wings sprouted and began to automatically flap to keep his small body size airborne. His toes melted together into two small claws as white gloves appeared over his delicate fingers. His cheeks turned pink and rosy as his hair turned violet and curled back. His ears became pointed and elf like as a green and black dress covered him, the transformation complete when the Omnitrix appeared on his chest.
"Pesky Dust!" the Nemuina purred happily. The little alien fairy fluttered over to Nefera's head, landing next to her head. "Now close your eyes, and let me do the rest." he instructed. Nefera, still nervous, did as she as she was told and closed her eyes. She heard a sort of tinkling sound, like a thousand tiny chimes had sounded off near her head, and began to feel tired. She somehow knew that Pesky Dust had a hand in it, and that suited her just fine. She slowly sank into a soft bed of blackness, a kind and warm voice lulling her to sleep.
The darkness began to fade away as scenery began to form around her. Soon, she was standing in the courtyard of Monster High at night. The area was devoid of any sign of the student body, and the school looked like it was abandoned. As if her legs had a mind of their own, they pulled her forward, walking themselves up the steps of the school and down the dark hallways. An open locker door quietly squeaked on its hinges in a cool breeze that swept its way through an open window, chilling her as it rushed past her; she instantly regretted wearing her night clothes.
"Ben?" she called out nervously, wrapping her arms around herself.
When nobody answered, she quietly turned a corner and stopped cold. Standing there, right in the middle of the hallway, stood Toepick. Nefera felt her blood run cold as she gazed upon the alien, its helmet thankfully shut tight. The two of them stood there silently for what seemed an eternity, sweat pouring down Nefera's face as she waited for the inevitable to happen, for the cage to open up and the horrors and terrors within to come out and tear her to pieces as she screamed in agony. There was a sudden flash of green light to her left and she turned to see Ben standing there with a small smile on his face. His eyes brightened as they laid themselves upon her and he intertwined his fingers with hers, giving her hand a small squeeze. Nefera felt much better than before and watched as Ben raised a hand, a ball of bright green energy forming between his fingers. He then cast the ball at Toepick and Nefera watched as the hideous alien exploded into a million pieces, raining down as multicolored confetti.
Pesky Dust watched as Nefera slept peacefully, confident that the horrors that lay within the helmet had been banished for good. The Omnitrix timed out a few seconds later and Ben silently moved to the window, ready to take flight and leave without a trace. He climbed to the window ledge and paused there a for a moment, thinking. After what seemed forever, he slowly backed down from the window sill and went back over to Nefera, gently taking her hand in his and squeezing it lightly. A small formed on Nefera's lips, and Ben smiled. He lightly kissed her forehead and bid her good night before silently stalking over to her desk and finding a spare piece of parchment. He found a pen and scribbled something down on it, folding it in half and setting it down on the side table next to Nefera's bed.
He then ran to the window and slapped the Omnitrix, the green light washing over him. His skin started to harden, becoming unbearably hot and solid as rock. It suddenly split apart, floating like bath toys on a rapidly appearing magma sea. Hot, molten lava swirled and pushed it's way through the cracks and crevices of his skin as Ben's bones literally melted away. His hair began to burn, smoke curling lightly off it until it burst into flames, casting the room in a bright light. His fingers disappeared altogether as white hot lava covered them and solidified into a sort of gelatin like substance. His toes melted into two digits that resembled claws as his eyes turned bright yellow.
"Heatblast? Why can't you ever work with me, Omnitrix!?" the Pyronite rasped with frustration. Skurd was fortunately asleep, unable to deliver one of his snarky comments as he usually did. With a sigh of annoyance, Heatblast jumped out the window and thrust his hands down, commanding fire to rush out of them and keep him hovering above the ground. He then angled his hands just so, so that he was thrust forward at a violent speed, swooping and rushing through the air on his fiery jet propulsion. He flew over the town of New Salem in silence, the only sound breaking the still night being the crackling of his flaming head and body.
He swooped low over a strand of trees to avoid a collection of storm clouds heading way, taking great care to not burn the branches and start a searing inferno. He was almost out of the woods when he heard a loud thwack and a cry of pain. He came to a screeching halt and turned around in the air to look down, biting his lip and wincing when he saw Bonita Femur lying on the forest floor, seemingly unconscious. He flew downwards, just as the Omnitrix timed out and reverted him back to his human form. He tentatively touched Bonita's arm and nearly fell on his butt when she jolted straight up, holding her head. "Oh, uh, hi, Ben." she said nervously, wincing at the sharp pain in her head.
"Mind telling me what happened?" Ben asked, helping the hybrid to her feet.
Bonita's face turned bright red. "Um, you know how my dad is the Mothman?" she asked, tapping her fingers nervously.
"Let me guess; you saw me as Heatblast and was attracted to the light." Ben summed it up. Bonita nodded her head, seeming to feel incredibly embarrassed about it. Ben smiled and took her hand, gently pulling her in a direction. "C'mon. You crash at my place for the night," he told her. "Don't worry. Spectra will be okay with it, and we can call your parents too." Bonita nodded and followed after him, her wings fluttering slightly.
As they walked along, Bonita couldn't keep her eyes off her Ben. She would glance up at him, admiring his handsome features before quickly looking away so Ben wouldn't notice. Why was she so attracted to him? She didn't seriously believe that the handsome, kind, and heroic boy walking next to her would like someone as fearful, cowardly, and shy as her. Did she? She glanced over to him and noticed that his face was scrunched up in an odd way. "Um, Bonita? I don't mean to be rude, but that smell coming from you?" he asked.
Bonita blanked before realization crossed her mind. Her face turned a dark shade of red as the blood rushed to her cheeks, her lips fumbling over her words. "Well, uh, um, y-y-you know how f-female moths attract m-males?" she stammered, feel so incredibly embarrassed. Ben cocked an eyebrow and shook his head.
"Sorry, but biology was not always my strong suite," he admitted.
"W-well, uh, w-w-we, um, release a p-pheromone when w-we, uh, r-r-really l-l-l-like someone," she faltered, her face so red and hot she felt like she was standing next to an active volcano. "I-is it g-getting h-hot out here?"
her
Ben gave her an odd look before sighing and giving a small smile. He gently took her hand in his and gave it a small squeeze. "Bonita? Do you like me?" he asked suddenly, and Bonita swore her face got even redder if that was possible.
"Y-yes." she admitted shamefully, bowing her head in disgrace, afraid that the kind, sweet boy in front of her would reject her love and shatter her heart into a million pieces. Ben reached with a finger and gently pulled her chin up so that he could she her pink, tear stained eyes. "Bonita, I may not have known you for very long," Ben began. "But if it would make you feel better, I'd love to get to know you, too. You're unique in your own way, and I admire that, even if you believe you're not special. And that's why I'm going to do this."
Before Bonita could ask what he was going to do, the watch wearing hero softly pressed his lips to her, and all of her worries melted away. She didn't exactly know what she was doing, but she was faintly aware of her arms wrapped around his strong shoulders and to his neck, faintly aware of his arms gently wrapping around her waist and pulling her close, being careful to avoid her delicate wings. She could feel her frail antennae wave gently around her head, lightly stroking Ben's hair as he gently pulled away from her. She almost wished it hadn't ended, but the need for air was above all else.
"C'mon." Ben smiled, taking her hand and leading her from the woods and onto the sidewalk. She followed with light red cheeks and a smile on her face, knowing she was well safe and sound with her new lover. They walked in soothing silence down the sidewalk and back towards Spectra's house, hand in hand. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of smokey, twilight colored eyes were watching them from the shadows. She had witnessed the whole event, everything from the visit to the De Nile domain to the kiss shared between the two lovers. The person was not jealous of them, rather she envied them. She wished she could make friends and lovers as fast and as smooth as the watch wearing hero, but knew she was stuck with the friends she currently had. She was okay with them, but she was mentally kicking herself for not being more outgoing and open, wishing she could stray from the safety of the shadows for a brief moment. She shook her head to shake herself from her thoughts and looked up to see Bonita standing under a lamp post, alone. Twyla cocked and eyebow and pursed her lips. Had Ben already abandoned his new lover?
"Boo."
With a yelp, Twyla jumped free from the darkness of the shadows and into the bright light of the street lamp, landing at Bonita's feet. The hybrid gave a small squeak and instinctively flapped her wings to rise a few feet into the air before settling back down. While the bright light of the street lamp didn;t overly hurt Twyla, she found it to be a little uncomfortable, finding the cool safety of the shadows to be more to her taste.
"Despite you being the daughter of the Boogey Man, you aren't overly quiet," a reptilian voice rasped. "Did you know that you mumble to yourself when you're thinking?" Twyla turned to see what looked like a faded purple colored lizard materialize out of thin air. While it bared great resemblance to a standard lizard, it stood on its hind legs and was about a foot taller than Twyla was. It had black face with a single horn bowing backwards. Three eyes decorated his head, the alien's right one being red, the middle being green, and the last one being blue. Before Twyla could say anything, the alien literally faded away into the night before her very eyes before appearing right next to her ear.
"Your name's Twyla, right?"
Twyla jumped again. Even after getting used to scaring her friends by her sudden appearances on a regular basis, she was not quite used to it happening to her. Twyla nodded and felt Bonita's delicate hands help her up from the sidewalk. There was a sudden green flash and the Merlinisapien disappeared to be replaced by Ben. "Any particular reason you were watching us?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest. Ben noticed that the faded girl didn't blush and swoon over him like all his ghoulfriends had. It didn't bother him, but it was something to notice.
"I was just wondering how you do it," she said shyly.
"Do what?"
"Make friends and get ghouls to fall for you so easily." she answered, gesturing to Bonita, who turned red at Twyla's words. Ben smiled and bent down so he was eye to eye with her. "Well, it's not that hard. I just be myself I guess. I take it you're not exactly popular at school?" he asked, and Twyla sighed and nodded her head. Was it that obvious? Then again, it wasn't hard to guess that the daughter of the Boogey Man would have a hard time making friends.
"What would you say if I told you I'd be your friend? Maybe I can help you be a little more social." Ben offered. Twyla processed the proposal. Was he really offering to help her? After just meeting her, despite the fact he new she was there the whole time? Her thoughts were a storm, but it was clear that Ben's intentions were true, that he would help her succeed where she had failed.
"Thank you." she breathed, a small smile crossing her face. Ben smiled back and took her hand, giving a good shake. "I don't think we were really ever introduced. I'm Ben Tennyson, and this is Bonita Femur." Ben said warmly. Twyla smiled and shook both their hands, glad that she could have two new friends to call her own. "Nice to meet you, Ben," she said. "I'd love to know more, but I have a job to do. Gotta go find more nightmares to eat." she added with a small smile, waving good-bye and melting into the shadows of the night. Ben and Bonita watched her go, standing under the streetlamp for a few moments before continuing the walk to back to Spectra's house.
Hopefully Spectra would be okay with another house guest.
And that's it! Paradox's purpose has been revealed at last. And for those of you awaiting word on Frankie, I promise to work on that next chapter.
I sadly have to admit that the chapter got kind of bad towards the end, when Twyla appeared. However, since a lot of readers were asking for Twyla to appear, I tried to work that in. I promise to smooth things out next chapter.
As always, review and comment below with your ideas, thoughts, suggestions, and requests. I shall try to post at least two more chapters in December, but that is sadly where things get really busy. Updates were be sparse in the Month of Merry, but I shall keep this story alive (despite me having perished over Thanksgiving)!
Hasata Luego!