Monster High and Ben 10 do not belong to me.
This is a work of fiction.
Any resemblance to people, organizations, religions, and places is just a coincidence.
Possible grammar problems.
Chapter 16: What was once normal
On a screen inside a darkened room, a security video captured by a camera located several feet above was playing.
It was just a street in the early morning. Dawn was just breaking over the horizon, just enough for a light hue to be visible in the image. Nothing out of the ordinary. A streetlight flickering. Insects gathered, attracted by the light. An alley with garbage bags piled up. Anyone would think it was just an unimportant video until the distant sound of gunshots was heard accompanied by flashes of light from the alley.
Two figures stumbled out of the alley. One even fell because of the garbage accumulated in the place and his companion tried to help him. It was then that a third figure came out, this one had a gun and was pointing it towards the alley. Their features could not be distinguished much, they were only three people with dark clothes and with their faces hidden by balaclavas. They were robbers and they were fighting someone. Or, rather. They were running away from someone.
The gun wielder was unable to finish exiting the alley when he was hit by an icy mist that dampened the air, dropping his weapon in the process. His two companions tried to escape, but before they could take a step, a blurry figure rushed at them from inside the alley, knocking them to the ground and then exiting the image.
They tried to stand up and escape and turned to their companion only to see him trapped in a block of ice, except for his head. Trying to help him would only be a waste of time, and they cowardly tried to escape. The entity that was attacking them returned as they both looked up in fear. A huge shadow was cast on the ground, in the shape of some sort of large winged entity. They wanted to escape, but again that mist descended upon them. The third, frightened, ignored his comrade and tried to flee by throwing himself to the side.
He managed to get out of the camera's range of vision, but the attacker did not let him escape. Out of focus, the shadow followed him and everything returned to calm, with only two people frozen and a third presumably in a similar state.
Thus, in less than a minute, three thugs had been incapacitated by a mysterious entity. And it would have remained a mystery, had that entity not approached where those three thugs were.
His manner of appearing was strange. He just walked over and folded his arms in front of the three crooks. This was some kind of monster if his abilities made anything clear. Its humanoid appearance was rather thin, and wearing a striking blue robe with black patterns, but the strangest thing was that it seemed to be carrying a plastic bag with it as if it had just come out of a mini super.
The strange creature remained there for a few moments. Waiting for something to happen. It turned its head to one side, and the supposed robe unfolded, revealing that they were huge wings, a cross between a bat and a moth. The monster flapped its wings, taking off from the ground at great speed. Shortly thereafter, a policeman came into range of the security camera and, perplexed, examined the frozen thugs. The video came to an end shortly thereafter and the lights in the room came on. The people in there who were spectators were all police officers, mostly human. They were all summoned because of that strange video I had just witnessed.
One person stood in front of all the officers. With his bushy mustache and scowl, the Salem City Sheriff looked at all his subordinates before speaking.
"This video was from two nights ago. There is still no information as to what or who this creature is that caught the criminals." Some officers began to mutter among themselves, but the sheriff silenced them all with a hard stare. "What's worse, it's interfering with our work."
One of the officers raised his hand to be given the floor.
"Well, what about it? The guy seems to be doing our job. I wouldn't complain, it makes our job easier. Jimmy, you're the one who was sent to that area for strange noises and ended up catching a gang of thieves, right?" another officer nodded.
The policeman's words caused the sheriff's frown to only become more furrowed. This caused the officer to shrink in place, not wanting to be the focus of his boss's wrath.
"Easier?! He's directly interfering and obstructing the work of law enforcement officers! The robbers had to be sent to the hospital because of fractures they received from that monster!" this again caused some to start muttering. The monsters present merely remained silent, even if they were against the sheriff's words, they could do nothing. "Think about it! He decided to take justice into his own hands! Who knows what he might be capable of, he might start attacking innocent civilians! We must stop him and put him behind bars as soon as possible!"
"What about all the others?" questioned one woman, Officer Murphy, the same woman who had the first encounter with Malware. "He hasn't been the first or the last to do these things. I'm sure they've all seen those videos?" she looked at her fellow officers, who agreed with the woman. "They've all done the same things."
"I think I see the pattern here." Commented another. "They all seem to be fighting criminals. They all show up during the night. And more importantly, they all disappear before any of us show up on the scene, which may mean they know what they're doing."
"Trying to say it's just a gang war?"
"Either that or we're dealing with a superhero organization." He joked.
Once again the murmuring began. Opinions began to come and go. Some officers were for, others against, the monsters wisely chose to keep their opinions to themselves, no one would pay attention to them anyway or they would be singled out as accomplices. The way things were, despite having lent their help to the police, it could all go away if they got on the bad side of the guy with the bushy mustache and bad temper they called the boss. He was a difficult man to deal with, prejudiced and racist. Dealing with him was unpleasant if you were a monster.
"But how will we find these monsters?" questioned another policeman. "We don't know when or where they will appear." The policemen again began to talk, expressing options or suggestions.
The meeting continued for several minutes and only came to an end when the Sheriff could no longer stand the arguments of his subordinates. Everyone was dismissed and the sheriff went to his office.
As he entered, he rubbed his face wearily and bolted the door, then made his way to his desk. A black leather-covered swivel chair waited for him, next to a gray computer and a sheriff's nameplate on the desk. He took a seat and pulled out his phone, dialing a number and waiting for someone to answer.
The dial tone was heard three times before someone answered.
"Hello, Sheriff, to what do I owe your unexpected call?" questioned a male voice on the other end of the line.
"I sent you a copy of the last video. It's another one of those freaks, again." He replied as he typed something into his computer.
"I see. These last few months it seems that our city is being the peak of some very... unusual activity."
"You said you could handle this and I still don't see any change. I've got that reporter glued around my neck. I got reports that she's been hanging around other police stations and interviewing the freaks working there. She's been asking about the cat man and the others."
"We have a deal. I'll take care of it, you don't have to worry. Just keep doing your job, sheriff. I'll make sure Miss Harmony Burns doesn't write anything out of line. We can't let our police force not get all the respect they deserve."
The Sheriff smiled at the words of the voice on the other side. He knew he could count on this other person, despite his questionable methods, he knew he was someone capable. Not for nothing was he now running for mayor of the town.
"If that's all, then I'll end our call. I have to accompany my niece to buy her new school supplies."
The call thus came to an end. The sheriff smiled as he crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back in his seat and put both feet up on his desk. He was confident. He would clean up that town and keep the police name on the top. He didn't care what kind of dumb monster got in his way.
"They will learn the hard way not to mess with the police. No matter where they are or who they are." Ignorant of the truth The sheriff kept an arrogant smile plastered on his face.
He could not know that all his search and seizure efforts were going in the wrong direction, for he was only one person responsible. One person who was enjoying his day elsewhere.
The sun was in charge of illuminating the entire city, due to its geographical location and proximity to a desert, that city used to have somewhat high temperatures so it was not strange that people actively sought a way to cool off. The city's public swimming pools were busy. Ice cream stands had long lines of customers. And coffee shops and fast food restaurants were suffering from over-ordering their cold drinks.
In one of these fast food places was a young couple. A boy and a girl, both seventeen years old. The girl, a young woman with a tanned complexion and black hair tied in a high ponytail, was dressed in a long-sleeved red shirt with a peach-colored sweater. Her attire consisted of a long-sleeved red shirt with a peach-colored sweater. Along with brown boots and green shorts.
The boy on the other hand was none other than Ben Tennyson himself.
Like everyone else in town, the two young men were enjoying some cold drinks while chatting. Although it didn't seem like it since they always seemed to have a battle of egos every time they met, they were both in a relationship and it had been several weeks since they had met so they didn't miss the opportunity to have a date and catch up.
"You know, Kai, being a hero is less fancy than people think." He commented with an exhausted sigh. "Chasing that guy through sewage was horrible.
The girl held back her urge to laugh at her boyfriend's experiences, but she knew that if she did it would make him angry.
"Gosh. That sounds like quite an experience." The boy's eyes sharpened as he watched his girlfriend hold back the urge to laugh. "I don't envy you at all."
"Bleh." The boy merely stuck his tongue out at him. "Days like this I just want to take a vacation."
"Vacation?" she questioned raising an eyebrow curiously as she took a sip of her smoothie. "The great Ben Tennyson wants to take a vacation? Really?"
"Of course. Even Rook has had a vacation and he's a workaholic." He replied and mimicked his girlfriend, taking a sip of his drink. "I miss the real taste of grape." Was his complaint.
"Real taste? What do you mean?"
"Forget it. I've been thinking about taking a few days off, but..."
"But?"
"I don't think I can do it." The boy looked down at the glass containing his smoothie and squeezed it lightly. His girlfriend noticed something strange in his gaze, weariness. She knew Ben had a sort of a chosen one complex. He was always trying to shoulder all the world's problems, even if it wasn't his responsibility. "I'm a hero, that's my job. My responsibility is to save the world."
Kai leaned back in her seat, thoughtful. When she first met Ben he was a very immature child, in his defense, he was ten years old, but in all the time they didn't see each other he changed, he was no longer that child, now he was a teenager who matured, not enough to stop being a fool, but now...
"And to think that the great hero of the universe, can't lead a normal life." She looked up at the sky with boredom, some birds passed over them both next to a distant airplane. "Locked in a cage you took it upon yourself to make."
"It's not all that bad. I get stuff for free. Sometimes." He commented as if it was another one of his typical innocuous jokes. His girlfriend was not amused as she looked at him with concern. "What?"
"I'm worried for you. Can't you rest? Take a few days off? Even your partner took a few days off to go home, and you say he's a workaholic."
"I didn't say he's a workaholic... At least I didn't use those words." Kai looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "Maybe... Grandpa Max also suggested a few days off, but I don't know what I could do. I mean, I'm sure the land won't disappear just because I'm gone for a few days."
"Since you mentioned that. In a few weeks I'm going to go explore some ruins that were found in the Himalayas, and I need an assistant. would you like to accompany me?"
A sarcastic laugh escaped Ben's lips.
"Assistant? Who do you think you're talking to?"
"With someone trying to make up for 'something' by repeating all the time that he saved the universe." Her response caused Ben to choke on his drink and shoot her a glare. The girl for her part drank her milkshake with complete innocence. "I was just saying."
"How funny." Although he wasn't going to say it, he entertained the idea of accepting the proposal. Go with his girlfriend on a trip. Her and him. The idea tempted him, but he had a responsibility, and that came first.
"I'm sorry, Kai. You know I can't be gone for long."
"Ben, don't you think you really deserve a break? Get away from all this, if only for a while. Someone else can do your job." She insisted, but the expression her boyfriend put on was answer enough. Resigned, the girl merely finished her drink.
"Are you upset? I promise you..." Before he could finish speaking, several police cars sped across the street and the watch strapped to his wrist began to beep. "Come on... Kai, I..." He tried to excuse himself as he stood up, but his girlfriend only gave him a sympathetic look.
"You don't need to say anything, just go." She replied with a smile. "Next time, let's go to the movies."
"I promise, we will."
"And I'll pick the movie."
"Uhg... okey! But make it something Indiana Jones!" the boy rushed away, but not before looking over his shoulder to where his girlfriend was standing. The girl gave him a thumbs-up as she smiled at him.
But suddenly, everything became a blur. Like a watercolor canvas on which a bucket of water was thrown. The paint ran off creating only an indistinguishable stain.
"Beeen... Beeeen... Beeeen... Mom, Ben won't wake up." Said a distant female voice that was electrifying.
"This kid... He's gone all night and when he comes back he falls asleep on the couch?" commented a mature female voice, but just as electrifying as the first. "Benjamin! Wake up!"
"Eh?! What? Kai!? WOAH!"
THUUD
The sound of a sixty-pound object hitting the immaculate carpet of the home was heard, followed by a groan and whimper.
"Are you all right?" Frankie asked. The young woman was propped up by the couch, watching with childish curiosity the peculiar tenant her home held.
Ben, sore, sleepy, and out of energy, began to pick himself up off the floor. The boy shook his head and dropped to his knee while holding his nose.
"I think I broke my nose." He commented in pain. "Why did you push me?" he questioned.
"Nobody pushed you. You just fell." Replied Viveka, who kept her arms crossed and a disappointed expression. "How many times have I told you, if you're going to sleep, do it in the bed we offered you."
"Not enough. Besides, that mattress is too hard." He replied, standing up and brushing his clothes from the dust. "It's like for someone who weighs three times what I do."
"It was Viktor's." Viveka added. "Just, go wash up and come to breakfast. It's already ten in the morning." With that said, the woman just walked towards the kitchen, from where a strong aroma of coffee was wafting out. "Viktor!"
"What?! The coffee pot needed some work!"
Ignored the nagging that was born from the kitchen. Frankie watched as Ben sat on the couch, ignoring what her mother had said and just rubbed his face. This caught her attention. Ben, unlike how he was at one price, cheerful and energetic, was different now. Maybe he'd had a bad night's sleep.
"Are you feeling all right?" she asked. "You look more tired than usual. Did you have a nightmare? My magazines say if you talk about what you dreamed then the fear goes away." She gave him a big smile, but only earned a look that expressed Ben's confusion.
"No..." the boy stretched his arms, then stood up, thundering his back, almost as a ritual that drove away drowsiness. "It wasn't a nightmare. It was just a dream."
"And what did you dream?" she asked as she watched him walk around the corner to the couch.
"That I was having a smoothie." He said on his way to the stairs.
"Did you dream about a girl?" she asked. Ben paused. Frankie swallowed saliva, she didn't want to be intrusive, but she was curious. She didn't know much about Ben, and ever since she'd seen the picture the boy had on his phone she'd been curious.
The curiosity of someone inexperienced in love who had her problems. Was she Ben's girlfriend? If so, then maybe Ben could give her some romantic advice. His magazines weren't very helpful in cases like this.
The boy said nothing for a few seconds until he turned his face and looked at her over his shoulder. She swallowed saliva, fearful that the question had upset him.
"Y-you spoke in your sleep ... and ... Y-you said Kai when you woke up." She added sheepishly as she rubbed her hands together, but tried not to look strange and fervently moved her hands in an attempt. "I-I mean you can dream and dream about whoever you want and ... I was wondering about that."
Ben looked away but didn't seem offended or annoyed by the question, rather somewhat unsure how to respond.
"Yes, that happened. I think it was a memory." He replied matter-of-factly as he rubbed his chin. "It was from before I ended up here, I think." Frankie blinked. She hadn't expected something this direct or that he would just tell her. Was she like her friends said? Was she just supposed to ask him things?
"And... that means you two... liked... each other?" she asked sheepishly.
Ben arched an eyebrow. That question was strange. The way he asked it was strange.
"I guess. Hey, I'm hungry, how about we continue this not at all strange conversation over breakfast?" Frankie just nodded, happy that she would get answers. Ben, though, was more confused. The girl was strange.
They both separated, Ben went upstairs to the bathroom to wash his face and Frankie went to the kitchen, only to see her mother scolding her father for some reason.
Frankie was just finishing sorting out the silverware she used for breakfast. Her pouting expression showed that she was upset. Ben didn't show up to continue talking and that made her angry.
"Ben you're an idiot..." she muttered as she washed the last of the glasses and set them down.
"You're not the first to say that." She turned in surprise, unexpected to find Ben at the place setting table, and with a box of cereal in his hand. As if these were simple snacks, he ate them from the box without much ceremony.
"You bought that cereal again? Mom says they're not healthy." She commented, but Ben just downplayed it.
"I really like these things." He said, as he took a look at the box and then went back to eating.
Frankie looked at that with a resigned expression. It wasn't the first time Ben had eaten without showing respect or manners. Or even bothered to ask for a bowl so he could eat properly. She sighed and reached into one of the furniture for a blue bowl and passed it to the young man.
"You better wash it off when you're done eating." She demanded, while Ben just shrugged and dropped the cereal into the bowl. They were chocolate-flavored cereal balls, though they would be incomplete until they had milk in them.
Before long, they were both seated at the table. Frankie watched as Ben savored his breakfast. She, not wanting to offend her lodger, spared the comment that he looked like a duck who just swallowed rather than chewed his food.
"Hey, where are your parents?" he questioned.
"My mom to go to the university to check some things for the new school year." She replied. "And she took Dad because he tried to upgrade the coffee pot."
"That explains that thing over there." They both focused their gaze on what looked like an artifact far from any coherent shape, at least for an appliance.
For moments, silence reigned between the two. Only interrupted by the crunching of chocolate balls. Frankie kept one gaze fixed on Ben, something the young man tried to overlook, but found uncomfortable.
"Hey, can you, can you stop looking at me? It's weird." He asked.
"Are you going to tell me more?" she asked. "About the girl."
Ben stopped eating and let out a deep sigh. He didn't want to talk about it if he was honest, but if it would make Frankie stop looking like a fetishist, so be it.
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything!" she exclaimed a little too excitedly, which made Ben recoil for a few seconds.
"Uhg... Her name is Kai."
"I already know that! I want to know other things! like when did you meet...how did you fall in love? Does she know about your transformations? What about dating? Did you...did you hold hands?"
"Why do you want to know that?" he questioned with genuine confusion. His question caused Frankie's cheeks to take on a darker color, and she looked away as well.
"Ma... maybe there's a boy I like."
"Is it me?" he questioned as he returned to his breakfast. The question without a hint of tact caused Frankie to look at him perplexed. "What? I'm a great catch."
"No. What made you think that?" Ben shrugged once again. "His... his name is Jackson, but there's also this guy Holt... And both of them..." Frankie began to talk and talk, and though Ben seemed to be listening to her, it wasn't the case. The boy disassociated completely. He wasn't interested in hearing about other people's romantic problems. "Ben... Beeeen... BEN!"
"EH? Ah, sorry."
"Were you ignoring me again?"
"Of course not."
"And what did I say?"
"That you are in a love triangle and want my vast experience."
"I didn't... I said exactly that."
"Quiet. In my personal experience. They'll both have to fight for you while a cat girl mind controls you." With that said, Ben stood up and took his bowl to the sink. "Everything ends up working itself out on its own."
"What?" she questioned confused, perplexed, and questioning the boy's mental sanity. "Why would a cat woman mentally control me?"
"I didn't make the rules." Was his response as he headed for the living room and Frankie followed him.
"Your answer makes no sense! How would she control my mind? That can't be done."
"If you only knew." Was his reply as he plopped down onto the larger couch as if it were a bed. "If you want to hang out with them so badly, just come out. What's the worst that could happen?" Ben was silent, recalculated what he said, and spoke again. "You know what? Ignore my advice, I think I just muddied everything up big time."
Frankie just sighed. Ben was no help and didn't understand most things he said.
"Can you at least tell me something about your time with that girl, Kai?"
Ben kept silent. Telling his past was a strange thing to do, usually, everyone knew almost everything he did. The bad thing about being famous. He never had to be telling things.
"How did you meet?"
"Well, that's a long story. It all started when I was ten years old."
The morning passed. Not having much else to do, Ben spent his time answering Frankie's questions and asking a few in turn. Of course, unlike her, he preferred to ask other things, for example, how far along they were with interplanetary travel. To his chagrin, she told him not much, although they were still working on that.
Unfortunately, travel between universes was pure science fiction in that world. At least Frankie said so. He knew the girl's parents had different thoughts on the matter. Still, the likelihood that she could return home by scientific means was extremely low.
Ben, lying on the couch once again, raised his left wrist and looked at the Omnitrix. Using that device to return home was something he considered many times. Alien X could do it, although he preferred to avoid messing with the fabric of reality, he had no idea what might happen. Another option was to use his more intelligent aliens. Though he lacked the knowledge to do something like that. He wasn't Azmuth, and even his smartest alien would first have to learn how to do it. Not to mention that he was technically broke and living off the goodwill of a family of Frankenstein's monsters.
That sounded odd even by his standards.
Even with those distorted standards and quirks native to that world, the world was starting to get boring.
Too boring.
Sure, playing the superhero caused him to be away from the Stein home a lot during the evenings, and that entertained him, a little, but the fights were easy, if he used Big Chill he just needed to turn them into an ice cube and that was it. He needed something more exciting soon.
Along with that, Viveka didn't trust him much for disappearing during the nights, that woman kept an eye on him whenever she could. No matter the fact that he said he was a hero, they didn't believe him and he was watched because of that. To Frankie Ben's mother, he was just a boy with too much unpredictable power.
Viktor also kept an eye on him but for other reasons. Although he used to bribe him to turn a blind eye. That sounded worse than it was. It allowed him to study Upgrade, albeit with clear boundaries drawn. And he was only doing it because Viktor and Viveka were working on making prosthetics that could replace missing limbs and according to Viktor, maybe using Upgrade was the key to making those prosthetics more natural. He was fine with that, as long as it wasn't used for anything else.
The bad news was that, even if he tried to bribe both of them, he only worked with Viktor on rare occasions and as long as his wife was not around, Ben was strictly forbidden to touch the car/spaceship. The pieces of the vehicle rested in a pile in the garage, covered by a plastic cover. No one was to go near it. Especially Viktor.
Although Ben kept the idea of rebuilding the car in the back of his mind. The car was great no matter who you looked at it and he wanted to go out and drive. He missed doing that with Kevin and playing races. Even if he preferred motorcycles. He was sure sooner or later he would have the right excuse to rebuild it.
Along with all that, there was the idea, or rather a whim, because of Clawdeen. Going back to school - should he? It would be odd for a teenager, or in Ben's words, a young adult, not to attend classes, wouldn't it? It wasn't just a whim. Of course, it wasn't.
Returning to class would be an excellent facade. Although he was aware of how dangerous it could be for others if his identity was revealed once again. That and studying for exams while saving the world is very difficult.
"Hey, Ben." Frankie's voice interrupted his thoughts. The girl was leaning back by the safety railing of the staircase and holding her Icoffin in hand. "Clawdeen sent a message. S0e says she won't be in today because she has to go with her mother to buy some things for school."
Ben sat up and looked at his friend. Noticing that she seemed somewhat upset, but he didn't know the reason.
"Why didn't she text me?" he questioned confused but answered himself. "Oh right, my phone's no good." he made no further comment. He returned to his self-absorption, which prompted Frankie to frown.
"Since when are you and Clawdeen so close?" She questioned. "We're not that close."
"I don't think we're that close. We're just friends." He replied while keeping his eyes on the watch on his wrist.
"I know you see each other almost every evening. I think you two are good friends - why didn't you ever invite me?" She questioned again.
"It's a secret thing between me and her." He replied. "Besides, you and I live together, I think that makes us even closer."
Frankie merely sighed and walked to the couch.
"I don't feel that way. We hardly talked at all. Today was the first time since we met that we really chatted!" she complained as she took a seat on another of the couches. "Real friends do things together. They go for walks. They go shopping. They go to the movies."
"Clawdeen and I never went... No, wait, technically we went out to the Coffin Bean together once."
"You see! You're more Clawdeen's friend than mine." She folded her arms. "I don't see that as fair."
"What are you, six years old?" he questioned, which earned a reproachful look from the girl. "Right, I forgot that part." Ben pondered Frankie's words and finally nodded reluctantly. "That's okay, I guess we could go for a walk and see the city together, as friends."
Frankie smiled at that and stood up hurriedly.
"You mean it?" she questioned.
"It's better than lying here for the rest of the day."
"Fangtastic!" the girl exclaimed. "I'll go change and we'll go out!" she ran up the stairs, leaving Ben behind, who merely fell back once more lying down, returning to his original position.
"She's very weird." He muttered to himself.
An hour later, both young people were walking through the city. Frankie, as her parents instructed, kept her real nature hidden behind a lot of makeup, though she wore an outfit that was less wintry and more in keeping with what she often wore. Jeans, and a white shirt with a tie. On Ben's side, he was the same.
The summer sun was beginning to make its descent on the horizon, it was still hours before sunset so the temperature was still high.
During the walk, Ben just listened to Frankie talk. She was quite excited to show him around the city. A city he had already toured several times to familiarize himself, but he didn't want to make her feel any less. She was trying hard to be a friend.
"So what do you want to do?" questioned Ben with some boredom. "This was your idea, so you decide."
"You don't have to be so cold, you know?" she scolded. "My magazines always talk about the best outings being to the malls! The Maul is a great idea!"
"She sure is weird." Ben thought as he listened to her ramble on. The boy compared her to another person he knew, his half-cousin, Lucy. Frankie was energetic like her, as well as rambling too much. "How's she doing?" he thought. "I haven't talked to her in a long time."
The noise of the city. The summer wind. The cars passing by. It was all a symphony that engrossed the young man. Thinking about home, lately, was something he did a lot.
"Hey ben. Hey listen to me!"
"Uh?" the boy blinked and returned to the real world only to find an annoyed Frankie staring at him. "What's wrong?"
"You weren't paying attention to me! You're rude!" she scolded him.
"What was that you were saying?" he asked, getting her to pout. "I'm sorry, I kept thinking."
"I asked you where you'd like to go first!" Frankie folded her arms in annoyance.
Ben looked around. He already toured the city many times, he could come and go almost without getting lost and if he did he just needed to start flying. Was it necessary to tour it?
"Uh... Surprise me?" he said with a dubious expression, which caused Frankie to arch an eyebrow. A nervous chuckle came from the boy before he spoke again. "You're the guide."
Frankie's expression changed, her smile became huge, pleased at Ben's response. A thousand and one ideas flashed through her mind to surprise him and take him to many interesting places in the city. With a spark of excitement in her eyes, she began to walk with Ben through the streets.
The summer was ideal for people to spend more time away from home, enjoying their vacations, especially teenagers who should soon return to school.
She drove him around, trying to get Ben to enjoy the vibrant life of her city. The streets were a bit crowded with people of all ages, enjoying the warmth brought by the sun and the characteristic bustle of summer.
It took him to the city's capitol, walking through a street market that was nearby. The place was dominated by bright colors and delicious smells, all being sold by the locals. Even a few monsters were at their stalls, selling with big smiles their wares. Especially a plant woman who had a flower stall, redundant as it was.
Although Frankie was a vibrant girl full of energy, Ben didn't show that, he just walked around with his hands in his pockets, wondering if there was anything to eat around the place that wasn't organic.
Frankie pulled him so he wouldn't be left behind.
Frankie poked around the stalls and every chance she got she would show Ben something different, ornaments, bags, and even some funny-looking masks. Ben began to smile a little more at that. It was funny to see Frankie being Frankie.
The afternoon wore on and on, and unbeknownst to him Ben began to enjoy the experience of being in another city being a tourist or something like that, it reminded him of when he was a kid traveling with his grandfather and cousin.
Ben began to sink into that feeling of familiarity that made him feel good and in turn enjoy himself a little more, starting to keep up with Frankie. His friend didn't hesitate to take out her ICoffin so she could take some pictures, and although Ben denied it at first, he didn't hesitate to make silly poses for every picture to ruin them, of course, Frankie retaliated by putting some filters on him that left him with bunny ears and a bunny nose.
"That better not end up on the Internet." Was Ben's warning on more than one occasion.
"Hahaha. You look adorable!" she replied with a chuckle.
"That's enough, give me that phone!" Ben tried to take the device from her, but her friend was quicker.
"Never! This must go to Instagram!"
"Don't even think about it!"
The afternoon progressed and for a moment Ben managed to forget about many things that bothered him. His situation and problems and being just another teenager.
During sunset, Ben and Frankie were at Riverfront Park, the girl had taken him to the park to see the carousel, but they couldn't get on as Ben didn't want to wait for a turn. At that moment they were both drinking smoothies, something that was Ben's idea while chatting about trivia.
"And on the ferry they sponsor weddings." Frankie finished relating, she, with all excitement had been telling Ben about all the things going on during the year at Riverfront Park, from outdoor theater, to state fairs, and more.
"Why would anyone want to get married on a ferry?" he questioned as he took a sip of his drink.
"Because it's romantic. Duh." Replied his friend, but Ben didn't quite get it. "I'd love to have my wedding on a ferry. The water reflecting the light of the full moon. It's a dream."
"Puff. If you say so." He replied as if it was no big deal, to which Frankie stuck her tongue out at him. "Remind me to pay you back for this Smoothie. I don't like owing stuff."
"Relax, it was nothing, I can buy you a drink or two." Frankie played with her fingers for a moment. She felt somewhat insecure about one thing with Ben. "Thanks."
"What, why, for not breaking your phone? I'm still considering it."
"For wanting to be my friend. I know being a freak can be weird."
"Meh. I'm friends with Clawdeen." Was his reply to then chuckle? "Don't tell her I said that."
"Still..." she squeezed her glass of Smoothie a little, Ben noticed, but just took a few sips of his drink. "I didn't tell you, but Jackson didn't go on our date and... I think it was because I'm a monster and he's human." Ben paid attention to that, it sounded familiar and a name came into his head. Esther. She wasn't quite human and neither was he, but there was a spark. "Ah... I haven't heard from him since all that happened. Do you think I should talk to him?" Frankie looked at him, trying to find support as she did with her friends, but he just kept the straw in his mouth and drank his smoothie. "Ah... You must think I'm being dumb or something."
Suddenly, the cold touch of Ben's smoothie cup was felt on the girl's neck and she let out a startled whimper and looked at him in annoyance.
"Why did you do that?" she complained.
"You make too much trouble for yourself. Human, monster, in the end there's not much difference. We both like smoothies." Frankie looked at him as if the idea had suddenly sprouted a second head, but soon began to laugh. "Now why are you laughing? Did I say something funny?"
"It's just that you're so dumb." Was her reply as she wiped away a fake tear. "Thank you. Maybe you're right."
"Of course I am! And that's why you owe me another Smoothie."
"Haha, idiot." She nudged him lightly. They were both silent, and Frankie felt a little better. "Hey, how about taking one more picture of us? For keepsake."
"Don't you think we take off too many already?" he questioned. "I don't want to see my face with this bunny filter again."
"Come on, just one more!" The young woman made puppy dog eyes and Ben agreed, reluctantly. "Perfect!" she hastily pulled out her Icoffin once more and raised her arm high. "Say fang!"
As she prepared to take the picture, a cry for help was heard, not far from where they were. The photo was then taken and when she reviewed it, Frankie realized that Ben was not in the photo. She turned to where her friend was seconds before, only to see him running towards the source of the scream.
"Ben!" she shouted and hurried after him.
The distance between them was not much and was only shortened when Ben stopped short and she was able to catch up with him.
"Ben! Why did you run?" he questioned.
"I heard someone calling for help, but..." Frankie noticed three people at the scene. A young woman, maybe thirty years old, a little girl, and a girl she knew.
"Draculaura?" questioned Frankie as she saw her friend on the spot.
"Frankie! What are you doing here? And..."
"Ben." Hastily said the boy. "We already knew each other, but I was a little taller. I helped you when you fell." Draculaura looked at him a little confused but understood in the end.
"Oh! Clawdeen and Frankie told me about your new look. It's great to finally see each other again." A choked cry caused Draculaura to return her attention to the girl who was hugging her mother and the mother was looking disapprovingly at the vampire. "Again, sorry, he's usually more considerate of other animals."
"Your rat with wings caused this! Now how are we going to get him down from up there?" questioned the woman pointing to the nearby tree. Frankie looked up, finding there an orange kitten, who looked very frightened.
"Rat with wings?" asked Ben.
"Count Fabulous is not a rat with wings!" complained the vampire. "He's a sophisticated flying rodent."
"Oh, a bat. That makes a certain amount of sense and is very stereotypical." Ben added, only to have Frankie give him a light jab with her elbow. "Hey... uhg... Anyway, I think this is all an exaggeration, I thought it was something else."
"Anything else?" questioned Frankie.
"Yeah! Like, I don't know, a real problem! Not a little girl and her cat!" Ben was ready to leave but stopped when he heard the girl sobbing.
"Easy, look at me, I'm not a bad vampire, I promise I'll bring your pet down." Draculaura, entering a state of nervous desperation tried to make faces to stop the girl from crying, but only succeeded in making her hide even more in her mother's dress. "Uh..."
Frankie, unable to leave her friend alone and wanting to help the little girl came over and squatted down so she could talk to her.
"Hi, my name is Frankie. You can rest easy, we'll put your kitty down."
"Simon." Shyly replied the little girl. "His name is Simon."
"Then, I promise we'll help Simon. Right, Ben?" she questioned looking at him.
The boy stood with his arms crossed and his gaze averted, something that made Frankie roll his eyes.
"Ben! She needs help, you ran over here to do it." She scolded.
"It's not the same. I thought it was something else. You should call the fire department or get some ladders." The boy didn't hide his disappointment, something that made Frankie look at him angrily. "What? Oh come on, it's just a cat!"
Draculaura, who did not think like the boy, approached him with a look of seriousness.
"Ben, although it may seem insignificant to you, this cat is very meaningful to the little girl. A pet can be more than an animal, it can be part of the family. Helping Simon can make a big difference in this little girl's life."
Draculaura's words did not make Ben reflect, but he did seem conflicted about it and finally turned his gaze to the girl. Her eyes were teary and she was trying to convince him with that look of tenderness.
Ben tried not to look at the girl looking at him pleadingly and ignore Draculaura's words, but in the end, his sense of duty got the better of him. He was a hero after all, even if he didn't see the hero in the situation.
"Fiiiine, I'll climb the stupid tree and take the cat down." The boy paced, muttering to himself how demeaning the situation was. "Some hero of the universe I turned out to be..." he muttered in annoyance. "If Kevin finds out about this he's not going to leave me alone."
As Ben reached the foot of the tree he looked up, the cat was there just as the girl had said, only about ten feet high.
"Can you climb by yourself?" asked Frankie. "I can help you."
"Help me? I'm Ben Tennyson, shut up and watch." He said in an overbearing manner before he began to climb with ease. In the blink of an eye, he was high up on the same branch the little kitten was stuck on.
"Be careful, he may still be scared!" warned Draculaura, but Ben paid no heed. The boy only started to reach out his hand, to have the cat throw a scratch at him, which he managed to avoid. "Ben!"
"Fuuu..." he growled. It would be much easier to transform and put it down, but the problem was explaining that later to people who could see it, like the mother and the girl.
The boy tried to get closer to the animal and tried again to reach out his hand, unaware that the branch was beginning to creak under his weight.
"Ben! I don't think that branch will hold you much longer!" warned Frankie, but she was ignored, the boy was focused on his goal, save the cat, give it to the girl, and leave, a simple and easy plan to execute.
In one final stretch, Ben managed to reach over to the cat and grab the back of its neck to keep it from moving and didn't hesitate to celebrate.
"Ha! I'm the best!" His celebration was short-lived, as when everything seemed to be under control, the branch finally gave way, breaking and sending the teenager and cat tumbling to the ground.
"Ben!" his friends shouted as they saw the boy hit the ground. They rushed to his aid, only to see that he was holding the cat in his arms, protecting it from harm.
"Are you okay?" asked Frankie worriedly.
"No..." he complained.
"Simon!" the girl came over as well, excited to see that her pet was rescued, and took it from the arms of the brown-haired young man. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she repeated over and over as she hugged her cat.
"Yes, yes...please...someone get me a smoothie." Frankie rolled his eyes, knowing his friend was fine, at least his love of smoothies was.
She helped him to his feet, while Draculaura carried on a conversation with the woman, who still seemed annoyed with her, but not that annoyed.
"Really, I apologize for Count Fabulous' behavior, he's politer, I think something scared him." The woman just sighed, there wasn't much more reason to stay angry, it all worked out, even though the boy got hurt.
"Just, make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble." The woman looked toward Ben, who was being tended to by Frankie. "And tell your friend that it was nice of him to help us."
"He's a hero to me and to Simon." Added the little girl.
The family of two and a cat soon left and Draculaura approached her friends, seeing that Ben was in good condition, at least he could walk.
"I won't do that again..." he heard him say. A small bat with a bow tie and pink sweater made its appearance, flying around the boy for a few moments. "That bat dresses fashionably?" he questioned.
"That's Count Fabulous, my pet." Explained the vampire as she held out her arm and the little flying mammal clung to it like an eagle, only its head was pointing to the ground. "You and I are going to have a long talk."
Frankie greeted the little bat and did not hesitate to take out her phone to take some pictures, the little bat did not refuse at all.
"Uck... I hope this doesn't take its toll on me." Complained the boy as he tried to thunder his back. "Even Vilgax didn't hit this hard."
"Cheer up, you were able to help that little girl." Commented the vampire. "She said you were her hero."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say..." the boy trailed off a bit, letting out a few whimpers and refusing to be seen showing any more weakness. "It was just a cat..."
"For me, helping in little things is the same as in big things." Draculaura stroked her pet bat who purred at her touch. "When you help one person, you also help them all."
"Ben didn't seem to think so. It was pretty dry." Frankie commented as he looked over towards Ben, who was more focused on his back pain than everything around him.
"Maybe." Draculaura also looked at Ben, but she smiled. "But of one thing I'm sure, he did it only because he thought it was the right thing to do."
Frankie didn't add anything, just looked at Ben. Her friend might have been right. Ben was someone with a good heart.
"Frankie, let's go! My back is killing me!" Ben started to walk away from both of them, to which Frankie sighed, resigned that she couldn't talk to her friend a little longer.
"I'll text you when I get home."
"Alright. Come on Count Fabulous, we have to make dinner. Uh! Smoked vegetables, how does that sound?" vampire and bat walked away from Frankie, who after a second or so hurried to catch up with Ben.
The two teenagers walked in silence, with Frankie glancing furtively at Ben now and then. She still didn't know much about her friend, he was a strange boy, and though he seemed annoyed, something told her he wasn't entirely. Helping out and getting a few thanks perhaps cheered him up a bit.
"Super hero, eh? I'm starting to believe." She commented, earning a bored look from Ben. "What?"
"Nothing. Nothing. I'm just tired."
"Me too. It was a fun day, don't you think?"
"Something like that."
"Next time, let's invite our friends."
"You will say your friends." The boy crunched his bones again and let out a groan of satisfaction when he got it. "Mind you, I don't know anyone. But, sure, it sounds interesting. Do you think your parents will let me use the car?"
"I'm pretty sure they don't."
"Oh."
"But we can try to convince them."
"Something is something."
Late that same night. The crickets were playing their nightly symphony, filling the air with their sounds. In the Stein family home, Ben was lying in the attic of the house, contemplating the starry sky through the window. This was his "room" and before it was used as a room for a monster created by Frankiee called Hoodude, a space improvised just for him that he had managed to remodel a little to his liking.
The holographic watch on his wrist was activated, illuminating the place with a dim light as it displayed the time: 1:30.
"What should I do? I feel so... uneasy," he thought as he watched the zero turn into one. "I'm still not sure how I can get back, or what I can do here. I've been a hero for years, despite the hardships. I want to help, but does that mean I have to find another way to do it?"
Ben still had in his mind what had happened that afternoon. The chance at a normal life he had been given, but he quickly interrupted when he sensed a sign for help. He felt it was his responsibility, yes, but a cat? That seemed too stupid and cliché.
He tossed and turned in his bed, unable to fall asleep and his mind filled with a thousand thoughts. Recurring images of times when he enjoyed a normal life played over and over in his head. Seeing his friends spending time together, enjoying everyday activities and just relaxing without worries. Even going to class and being picked on by two fools. A part of him longed to get that back. Something he left behind for doing his duty.
"I'd like to try... I've given up so much. Is it wrong to want to get it back? I've sacrificed more than anyone else. Wouldn't it be fair if I could enjoy a little?" questioned Ben amid his inner turmoil.
A feeling of dissatisfaction grew inside him and looking at the back of his hand he saw that he hadn't actually dodged the cat's scratch, marls of claws were there, with a little dried blood. He never realized that.
A mark for being a hero? It wasn't like others.
he glanced at his watch again and his thoughts returned to his hero's work.
He knew the world had its problems, even if there weren't supervillains on every corner, but he longed to be able to do more than just stop idiots with big-mugger complexes and cats in trees.
He began to make comparisons with people who led normal lives and exercised "heroic" professions, policemen, and firemen, he was not like them, he wondered if he had lost too much in his way as a hero. Did envy take hold of him? Did he envy people with nothing more special than a normal life?
"Everyone says the same thing. There are other problems here too. But, even if there are no super villains, I want to be able to do something else," he whispered to the universe, hoping to receive a response.
Ben turned his attention to the few items that had killed him in that world. Among them was the music player of his partner and friend, Rook. Without much thought, he reached out and took it and put the earphones connected to the device in his ears and hit play. It was a mix of songs that he and Kevin did, a way for Rook to get more acclimated to Earth. As he listened to the mix, Ben returned his attention to all the other things he had there, and while most of it came with him, one thing didn't, a brown paper bag he kept in place.
He once again reached out and took it. He hadn't rummaged through that thing since he got it and didn't return it to his owner because he forgot. The superhero's life was like that, he forgot things.
He pulled out the contents, realizing that it was a night light, something a child with night fears would no doubt use. Having the object in his hands confused him, perhaps Cleo had a younger brother or sister who was afraid of the dark and that's why she went to buy that device?
Ben pushed him back inside, not wanting to meddle in the family life of the girl who had tried to get rid of him multiple times when he was Upgrade. He left the bag in its place, thinking that he should return it. Frankie was Cleo's friend, she could do that for him. It was just a night light anyway.
The night continued, and Ben was immersed in his thoughts, searching for answers as the light from his holographic watch gently illuminated his face in the quiet atmosphere of the attic. The crickets continued their nightly symphony, creating a backdrop for the internal storm Ben was experiencing.
During the afternoon of the following day, Viktor was together with Upgrade in the basement of the house, a place that functioned as the man's laboratory.
"Day seven... the cells show no signs of life..." The man let out a sigh and turned to look at the six-foot alien, who was rummaging through all the stuff. "What did I tell you about touching anything?" Viktor noticed something strange about him, usually Ben was more talkative and sarcastic. He would have had a witty reply ready, but now he seemed more distant. He was just staring at a reflective metal tube.
"Kid? Are you okay?" for a moment there was no response, which confused the man even more. "Hey, Benjamin." Hearing his name made the alien snap out of his stupor and turn to look at him. "What's the matter with you? You're awfully quiet."
The alien took his time to answer. His body language showed his insecurity in speaking, which made Viktor a little strange. Was Ben really that insecure? He was strange.
"I'm... I'm a little confused. That's all." Upgrade said as he sat down on a bench and took the tube in his hands. The alien looked at his reflection in the glass of a test tube. His lone eye glowed for an instant.
"Confused?" questioned Viktor. "What's got you confused?" Again, Ben was shy. As if he had a hard time talking about what he was feeling. Viktor blinked and trying to understand the signs tried to run away from the situation. "You know, I think Viveka would be better to have this conversation with."
"What the hell are you thinking, dude?" he questioned. "Whatever it is, it's not that. It's... something else."
"Does it have anything to do with the cat you saved yesterday?" he asked and Ben looked at him a little surprised. "Frankie mentioned it a couple of times, she also said you started acting distant again. I'm glad my daughter is making friends, but you don't seem very determined whether or not you want to be friends with her. Does it have anything to do with her being..."
"Why does that seem so important?" he questioned irritably then rubbed his eye. "Where I come from, things are different. Very different. All the time there are problems, that's why I do this. I trained to hone my skills with every alien and even though I can do it... I... I can only do so much here. This is the only way I can prove I'm a hero..." The young man opened and closed his fist. The sensation of the nanomachines doing his bidding felt like it always did, but unintelligible to him, it was a strange feeling. "But what did I get? A scratch and falling out of a tree! It's frustrating!"
For the first time since they had met, Ben opened up a little with Viktor. It wasn't something he did regularly.
"I understand." The boy let out a sarcastic laugh. "What are you laughing at?"
"Are you being condescending?" scoffed the alien. "I don't think you understand me. Back home I was someone famous, fought evil and spent a lot of time away from home. But now..." Ben declined, his attitude turning a few moments grayer. "I'd never been gone for so long and I'd never ended up in a world where... where things were so different." Viktor looked silently at the alien who, despite being incapable of showing much emotion, happened to be very expressive. "I used to spend all my time trying to save the world and now...this world...doesn't need saving." Ben looked down at his hands. "But why does this make me feel so... confused?"
"It may be because you've been in a dangerous environment for many years and certainly aren't used to relaxing." Ben looked a little confused at the monster. "I'm also inclined to think you have warrior blood in your veins, your body craves fighting, the peaceful life is not for you."
"Are you...accepting that I'm a hero from another dimension?" he questioned, perplexed at the idea that the stubborn man finally accepted reality.
"Not at all. But I accept that there are things about you that I don't quite understand. I don't know what your life has been like and I'm not your father to tell you what to do, but as an adult I would advise you to take it easy. why don't you relax?" questioned Viktor. "You said it yourself, this isn't your world and the only latent threat is Malware, but with you here, it won't be a problem, will it?" Ben nodded. "So, just be a kid your age. Enjoy your life while you're young. In these peaceful times, it's best to do that."
The alien's body was covered in green and once again Ben was there. The boy had a thoughtful expression, which Viktor took for granted and his words went quite deep into the boy.
"Live a little, no one is going to judge you because you choose to do something or choose not to do something."
"I'll keep that in mind." The boy got up and headed for the exit door, but before he left he stopped. Viktor looked at him, wondering what stopped him.
"what's wrong?"
"Do you think... I can go to school?" he asked turning to him.
Yes, I was late. I have no excuses, just that I was late. Well, I still have one, reading everything again I observed that I made several errors in terms of the script, plot holes, or nonsense things. This is what I get for improvising as I go along. Anyway, after a depressive picture and several tests, I reached this result with the help of several who spoke with me. Thanks, by the way, and sorry for not mentioning them.
I don't want to prolong myself so I'll just say that I wrote a new story, very different from this one, to begin with, it's rated M and it's a crossover between Assassin's Creed and Monster Girl Encyclopedia, with Edward Kenway as the main character.
Side note, I designed a web page with the same theme for a final exam. This is another excuse for why I disappeared.
Long live shameless self-promotion.
If you're going to read the story, don't expect anything extreme, I don't plan to write lemon but other things.
Coming back to this story.
This time, things are different. The cops are on the scene more appropriately I think and also Ben is showing signs that he misses home. I think that only enhances his character. In addition to showing more parts of his personality, like that he makes jokes in not very appropriate situations.
This chapter has changed a lot, it doesn't compare to one that has 21 versions, it's not a joke, I made 21 versions and few seem to me.
I wanted to do it differently and I think that Draculaura being so good and loving to animals can give Ben a certain perspective that he doesn't usually see.
I think now everything fits better.
Without further ado, see you in another six months.
