Chapter 6 ~ Ben

I growled in frustration and closed my locker much harder than I intended to. As I tore off my light blue employee’s polo for the rec. center and put on my black one for my next job, my thoughts strayed again to that jerk on the rock wall. I could feel the heat rising to my face and I clenched my jaw in anger. It was people like that that really rubbed me the wrong way. They were so inconsiderate of how their actions affected other people; they were caught up in one giant bubble of me. That guy could have killed that girl �" Riley? �" for crying out loud!

I shook my head and muttered darkly under my breath. This wasn’t the first time that jerk �" Lance �" and I had had a run in, either. Every day of freshman and sophomore year, he was constantly making fun of or intimidating people, and he was so cocky that his head usually caused major traffic jams in the hallways. One particularly bad day, he even punched a kid and almost broke his jaw because he had looked at him the wrong way. That kid had been me.

That didn’t bother so much as the fact that nobody did anything �" no teachers, no students, no nobody �" to stop him terrorizing other people because he was the popular kid. He was the star quarterback, the ‘hottest guy in school’, etc. Once he had firmly established his dominance, he had stopped, but he still made my blood boil every time I saw him.

I shouldered my back-pack, shutting those memories in the back of my mind, and walked out of the rec. center, starting my mile walk to my next job. As I crossed the parking lot, I dug my math homework out of my back-pack and started working on is as I walked. Two years of working three jobs back to back and trying to stay caught up in school had taught me to be creative with my time.

While I was working on one of the problems, my thoughts unintentionally drifted to that girl that had fallen off the wall; Riley. There were two things that puzzled me about her. Number one, I couldn’t understand why she stayed with a boyfriend that obviously had little concern for her; but that was just a personal opinion. The second thing I couldn’t understand was why she was so intent on finding out who I was. I was a nobody. No one had really cared to find out about me before; and I was just curious what she hoped to gain. This morning, I had been satisfied in thinking that she was just trying to get new, juicy information to share with her friends; but after seeing how she had acted today at the rock wall, I somehow couldn’t see her as the gossipy, dramatic type.

I shook my head. Snap out of it, Ben. I told myself If you let your guard down, she might find out about the kids, and then they’ll be carted off to be dissected in labs while you get thrown in jail for kidnapping.

I set my jaw. I couldn’t let that happen. It was my job to protect those kids, and I had to do whatever it took to keep them safe. I would just have to forget about Riley, and put my curiosity on the back-burner.

I simultaneously walked and did my homework for the next fifteen minutes until arrived at my next job; a small, quality steakhouse called Kathy’s. A small smile crept up my face as I put my things away in my backpack. Out of my three steady jobs, Kathy’s was definitely my favorite. It was run by Kathy Hodges and her husband, Bill; two of the youngest and most loving sixty-year-old people anyone could ever meet. They treated all of their employees like family, and everybody couldn’t help but love them.

I walked in through the employee’s entrance, which led straight into the kitchen, and found Bill already hard at work, whistling tunelessly as he grilled a thick, eight ounce steak. The aroma nearly made my mouth water.

Bill turned his head when he heard me come in.

“Ben!” He said jovially, “How ya’ been kid?”

“Fine.” I answered with a smile “How’s business coming along?”

“We’re kind of in between rushes at the moment.” He responded, turning back to his steak “But they should start trickling in any time now.”

“Sounds good.” I said “What do you need help with?”

“Nothing yet.” He answered “Why don’t you go check in with Kathy? She’ll probably have some tables for you to wipe down.”

“Okey-dokey.” I headed out to the front of the restaurant, where Kathy was waiting to welcome the diners.

“Hey handsome.” She said warmly when she saw me, pulling me in for a hug and giving me a motherly peck on the cheek “How’s life?”

“Life’s good,” I said “Bill said you might have some tables that need wiping down?”

She chuckled “I don’t know how we got lucky enough such a hard worker” she praise, ruffling my hair affectionately “There’re a few tables in the back that haven’t been wiped; you can get started on those. Once that new boy gets here, though, I want you to let him finish them up so that you can help wait tables.”

“Yes ma’am.” I said with a grin. I walked off to do as she had instructed.

I had only finished one or two tables before the new employee reported for work. I handed off the rag and cleaning spray before walking back over to Kathy.

“Ty’s here.” I told her “What tables do you need me to get?”

“There’s a girl that I just sat down at table seven. She’s expecting a few other people, so she won’t be ordering just yet, but could you be a dear and get her something to drink? Maybe interest her in an appetizer too.”

“Okay, will do.” I replied. I started walking away, but Kathy called after me.

“Hey, Ben.”

I turned around. “Yeah?”

“She’s a real cutie.” She told me pointedly.

I rolled my eyes “Kathy,” I moaned “I’ve told you already; I don’t need a matchmaker. I’ll find my girl when the time is right.” I turned and started walking away again.

“You’re eighteen, Ben.” She called after me “If you wait much longer before putting yourself out in the dating world, you’re going to end up being old and gray like me before you find ‘your girl’.”

I chuckled and shook my head. Nearing table seven, I pulled out my pad of order slips and a pen.

“Can I get you anything to drink tonight?” I asked, not looking up as I quickly filled in a few things on the order.

“Just a water will be fine.” The girl answered.

I nearly dropped my pen. I knew that voice.

I looked up to see Riley sitting in the booth. I couldn’t believe it. Gone was my curiosity in why she wanted to find out so much about me. This was beginning to get a little creepy. It was almost as if she was following me… was she?

She had been perusing her menu and hadn’t noticed me yet. I had the hurry up and finish the order. Maybe she wouldn’t notice me.

“Okay, one water.” I said, hastily jotting it down on my pad. “Do you want an appetizer to go with that?”

“Yeah, actually, I’ll have a�"“ she closed her menu and looked up at me. I futilely tried to hide my face behind my three-inch-wide pad of paper.

“Ben?” She asked, cutting herself off “What are you doing here?” She had the nerve to sound surprised.

No longer trying to hide �" which was a stupid thing to do in the first place �" I gave her a guarded expression “I work here.” I told her bluntly “Why are you following me?”

She gaped at me “I’m not following you!” She protested.

I raised my eyebrow “Says the crazy, psycho stalker-lady.” I retorted.

Riley huffed in exasperation “You should be one to talk. Aren’t you the guy that takes kids off the streets, and then they’re never seen again?” She gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth as her eyes widened in horror; as if she instantly regretted what she had said.

All of the blood drained out of my face. How did she know…? My face hardened and I glared at her.

“Look,” I told her gruffly, leaning in close and lowering my voice “I don’t know what you saw, but you are messing with things you don’t understand. If you keep digging into my business, you could cause a lot of trouble for a lot of people. I hope that’s very clear.” I straightened back up and brought my order pad out again “What was that appetizer you wanted?” I asked coolly, hoping that I had settled the matter.

She quietly told me, and I nodded as I jotted it down. “Thank you.” I said “I’ll bring that out for you in a few minutes.” I hastily walked away.

I entered the kitchen and went to hand Bill the order, but I realized that my hands were trembling. What Riley had said scared me half to death. If she knew about me rescuing kids off the streets, who else did? The possibility that investigators could already be looking in to my comings and goings came to my mind. If that was true, it would only be a matter of time before somebody found the cabin. What would happen when they found out that it was full of kids with unnatural abilities? The thought was too awful for me to bear.

Bill noticed my pale face and shaking hands. “Ben, what’s the matter?” He asked with concern, leaving whatever it was that he was cooking and overturning an empty bucket for me to sit on. “Are you feeling alright?”

I sank down onto the bucket and put my head in my hands. “I’m fine.” I lied “I just need to take a breather.”

“Well, here.” He said, filling up a glass of water and handing it to me “drink something while you’re at it.”

I gratefully took the cup. “Thanks.”

“Are you sick?” Bill asked.

I shook my head “No, just a little shaken up.”

“What about?”

I had to think about how to explain to him what was upsetting me without letting the cat out of the bag. “What would you do if you found out that people that are important to you might be in trouble?” I finally asked him.

Bill looked at me gravely “Has something happened?”

I shrugged hopelessly “I don’t know. That’s the problem.”

“Well, do what you need to do to make sure everything’s alright.” Bill told me kindly.

I smiled wanly at him “Thanks, Bill.” I said “I’m gonna’ go make a call, and I’ll be back in to take that order out.”

“Okay, kid.” Bill said with a smile “Take your time.”

He hoisted me to my feet, and I exited the kitchen, heading to where I had stowed my backpack. I didn’t have a cell phone, and the cabin didn’t have a home phone, so I couldn’t exactly make call; but being a Seeker had its perks. After checking to make sure nobody was around, I dug into my back-pack and pulled out my ‘magical friend’; as I “lovingly” referred to it. The ball was completely dark, and I sighed in relief. The kids weren’t in danger. Just as a precaution, though, I held it up close to my face.

“Send a message to Jenna.” I said quietly. The ball began to glow faintly, waiting for me to give it my message “Hey, Jen.” I told it “I just wanted to check up on you guys. Please do your homework, and double-check to make sure all the doors and windows are locked tight. I expect everyone to be in bed when I get back, ‘kay?” I paused, thinking if there was anything else I needed to remind them about “Alright, I think that’s it.” I finally said “I’ll see you later. Love ya’!” I gently threw the ball into the air, and it hovered in front of my face.

“Make sure nobody sees you.” I told it. It instantly disappeared, and I felt it zoom past my ear. With that squared away, I turned and re-entered the kitchen.

“Everything all right?” Bill asked as he handed me Riley’s finished appetizer.

“Yep, everything’s good.” I told him “Thanks.”

I grabbed a tray and headed out, balancing it on my hip. As I neared Riley’s table, I noticed that her jerk of a boyfriend had arrived on the scene. I inwardly groaned and put my emotions in check. I didn’t want to create a scene.

I came up right next to the table, and caught the last snippet of their conversation “…couldn’t come.” Lance explained “Brittany had other plans.” He looked up when he saw me standing there “Do you need something?” He asked arrogantly.

I smiled thinly as I resisted the urge to punch the guy in the face. I turned and addressed Riley.

“I have your appetizer,” I said, placing the plate in front of her “and your water. Did you want lemon with that?”

“Um, no thanks.” She told me, her eyes moving from me to Lance as if she expected trouble.

I nodded and took out my pad and pen again. “Are you guys ready to order?”

“I’ll take the biggest burger you have with all the trimmings, and a coke.” Lance told me, not even looking at the menu as he thrust it towards me.

I grabbed it from him, even though my hands were itching to whack him in the face with it instead. Riley ordered a small steak with a baked potato, and politely handed me her menu. I walked off, shaking my head in exasperation. Guys like Lance really knew how to get under my skin.

The next hour or so went by without incident. I got to wait on other tables where the diners weren’t quite so rude, and I managed to keep my cool when I delivered the food to Riley’s table. As I made my way back and forth between tables, I kept my eye on Lance and Riley; for what reason I have no idea. I noticed that Lance did all the talking around mouthfuls of burger, while Riley quietly picked at her food, only half-listening and seeming to have other things on her mind.

I was clearing off a table that had just been vacated when Lance rose from the table, reaching into his pants pocket and digging out his phone. Without even excusing himself, he walked off to the men’s bathrooms. Riley watched him go, but maintained her silence. I shrugged and started taking my tray of dirty dishes back towards the kitchen.

I passed the hallway to the bathrooms, and overheard Lance’s cell phone conversation.

“Yes, I’m with her.” He said “What do you expect? She’s my girlfriend.” There was a pause as he waited for the person on the other end of the line to say something. I was opening the door to the kitchen when he said something that made my blood boil “Well, yeah. You’re my girlfriend too.”

I pretended to be very busy with something on my tray so that I could hear the rest of the conversation.

“I know that we were going to be watching a movie at your house,” Lance continued “but can’t it wait until after dinner?”

I could faintly hear the girl’s angry voice on the other end of the line.

“Okay, okay!” Lance surrendered, cutting off her angry tirade. “Why don’t you wait for like, ten minutes, and then text me. I’ll tell her that it’s from my dad, and then I’ll come over. Okay?” He waited for an answer “Okay, love you too. Bye.”

I hastily entered the kitchen, hoping he hadn’t noticed me eavesdropping.

“Hey, you!” Lance called, dashing my hopes.

“Crap.” I muttered to myself before poking my head out of the kitchen. “Did you need something?”

“Yeah,” he replied, cracking his knuckles. I readied myself for the tirade.

“Can I get a refill on my Coke?”

I blinked. Was that it? “Umm… yeah, sure. I’ll bring it out in a sec.” I replied, disappearing back into the kitchen and shaking my head at myself.

I put the dishes in the sink and filled up another glass of Coke. I left the kitchen again and was going to bring the drink to the table, but something came over me when I saw Lance talking with Riley as if nothing had happened.

I don’t know what possessed me at that moment. Maybe Lance just brought out the worst in me, or it could’ve been that I was finally getting my revenge for my nearly broken jaw. It could’ve been that, crazy, psycho stalker-woman or not, no girl deserved to be played with like that. Whatever the reason, I did something utterly and completely immature that makes me queasy to think back on.

I spat. Right in that jerk’s Coke. I then took a straw and stirred the liquid thoroughly, just to make sure the saliva was evenly distributed.

With a smirk on my face, I took it over and put it in front of Lance, who was completely oblivious. He immediately picked it up and took a big swallow of it. I just stood there with a satisfied smile on my face.

Lance looked up at me with a raised eyebrow “Was there something you needed?” He asked.

I just continued to smile “Nope. Nothing. Enjoy your drink.” I walked off.

“Weird.” I heard Lance mutter before taking another big gulp. I just laughed on the inside. Ignorance really was bliss. I continued on with my duties as if nothing had happened, even though I was in much higher spirits. However, those happy feelings were cut short when Lance got that staged text.

“Oh, that’s my dad.” I heard him tell Riley. I clenched my teeth. I could totally hear the lie in his voice. “I gotta’ go. Do you mind taking care of the check?” He didn’t even wait for a response. “Okay, thanks. Bye!” With that, he got out of the booth and left.

“Why do I get the feeling that wasn’t his dad?” Riley muttered to herself bitterly. She sounded close to tears. Without another word, she exited the booth, paid her check at the front, and walked out.

*          *          *

Several hours later, I trudged home on a dimly lit street. I was dead-tired, and could barely keep my eyes open. I had finished my shift at Kathy’s about an hour after Riley had left, and had gone straight over to Jacobsen & Co.; a construction firm where I had the job of unloading crates of construction material and putting them in the proper warehouses. Since there were only a few forklifts, and they were reserved for the more senior employees, I had to do most of the heavy lifting by hand. Needless to say, it had worn me out.

As I continued to walk down the street and fought to keep my eyelids open, a car turned onto the street and illuminated the sidewalk in front of me. I was mildly surprised by this. It was sometime past midnight, and most cars were usually off the streets by now. I just shrugged my shoulders, though, and continued walking. It was probably just some teenagers coming home from a late-night movie.

I expected the car to pass by me, but it slowed until it was cruising right next to me. It was a black Lexus with tinted windows, and adrenaline started to pump through my veins, fighting back my exhaustion. It wasn’t exactly the safest thing to have strange cars following you on a dark road after midnight. I kept walking with my head down, still hoping that they would just pass me by.

My hopes were dashed when one of the windows rolled down. It was so dark that I couldn’t see who was inside, though.

“Hey, kid,” a deep voice called out “do you know a Ben Christensen?”
            My senses immediately went on high alert, and alarm bells started to sound in my head. This was too creepy. How was it that they singled me out on a rarely used road, and were looking for someone with my exact name?

“Never heard of him.” I lied.

The man laughed. “Sure, kid. Whatever you say.” He said with a dangerous edge to his voice, as if he could see right through my lie. “Listen, if you do run into him, could you give this to him?” I saw the stark white shape of an envelope appear through the window, and I tentatively grabbed it. The man continued “And could you tell him to make sure he does what the letter asks? ‘Cause if he doesn’t, those kids he has hiding in his cabin might get hurt, and we don’t want that happening, do we Carl?”

Another man, I assumed it was the driver, chuckled darkly “Nope, we sure don’t.”

My hands clenched around the envelope as I tried to keep them from shaking. My heart leapt to my throat, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as my breath started to come out in ragged bursts.

Both men laughed and sped away. I stuffed the envelope in my sweatshirt and kept walking as if nothing had happened; I couldn’t betray any emotions. They could’ve still been watching me. My hands continued to tremble in terror, and I couldn’t quite get my breathing under control. What monumental mistake had I made that suddenly let everyone know about those kids?

My heart was racing in my chest, screaming at me to get home as fast as I could, but I continued to calmly plod on. I walked right past where I would usually turn off to get home; hoping that if they were watching me, it would confuse them. I walked for another ten minutes on the same road, not lifting my head or turning to look back. It was the longest ten minutes of my life. Once I felt sure that I wasn’t being followed, I disappeared down a small side-street, just as an extra precaution, and then sprinted as fast as I could back home. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, urging my legs to churn faster and faster.

I made it to the cabin in record time and veritably flew up the porch steps. I feverishly unlocked the front door and stepped inside. I closed the door and locked it tightly behind me before I started prowling through the house. I opened and closed every door, counting the sleeping forms inside each room. When I came to the last room, and opened it and quickly counted before closing it again and sighing in relief. All the kids were present and accounted for.

After I calmed my racing heart, I wearily walked into the kitchen and turned on the light. I plopped down that the table and pulled out the envelope the two men had given me. I examined it for a minute. It looked like just an ordinary envelope; so why was I holding it like it would come alive and bite me?

With trepidation, I broke seal and took out the paper that was inside. What I read instantly filled me with dread.

 

Young Mister Christensen:

 

I have recently been informed that you know that whereabouts of something that I want desperately. I am sending this letter to you as means to make an arrangement. I know that you have little to no money, and that you are struggling to maintain three jobs to sustain yourself and the little family you’ve collected. I also know that the safety of those children is of utmost importance to you.

This is what I have to offer. Every night, from midnight until one, I will post a man at the street corner of Kathy’s steakhouse. Bring the Seeker (I am sure you know what I’m talking about) there. Once the Seeker has been safely transferred into my custody, you will receive one million dollars to help take care of yourself, and I personally promise that no one will ever bother those children again. This is not a promise to be taken lightly.

I do realize that the decision to release the Seeker to me may be a hard decision to make; knowing this, I will give you time to think it over. Just know that, I am not an overly patient man. The longer I have to wait, the likely it will be that your young friends might be harmed.

 

Sincerely,

            Dr. James Dunnagan

 

I dropped the letter on the table as if it had burned me. It sat there, the words staring up at me innocently. I just stared at it, and I knew that, tired as I was, I wasn’t going to be getting any sleep that night.   

Author's Note

What do you think? :)

Reviews

[Calibaster]

There was only one mistake in this, and it was when Kathy said,"I don't know how we got lucky enough such a hard worker," I think it would sound better if you said,"I don't know how we were lucky enough to get a hard worker."

This story distinctly reminds me of X-men, especially the mutant, But it also seems to have pulled in some of Percy Jackson and the Olympians into it. That might have been unintentional, but then again, it might not have. Oh well, I totally love this story, and I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter with anticipation. You are a very good writer, and I have the feeling that you read a lot, like me! I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to read my book, it's not half as good, or long as yours is, but your reviews could really be constructive.

That was a great write and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Keep up the good work! :) :) :) :) :) :) (I love smiley faces :) :) :) :) :) A lot!!!) :)

[A. L. Allen]

Oh my goodness!! Thank you so much for all of your reviews!!! :D

I did notice those few mistakes that you pointed out, and I fixed them on the document that I have on my computer, but it seems I forgot to fix it here as well. :P Thanks for pointing those out and reminding me! :D

I would love to help you with your book. :) I've been pretty busy lately, so it might not be until the weekend until I get to it, but I'll definitely try to read it as soon as I can!

Thank you again!!!!! :D

[Calibaster]

Thank you back!!!! :) :) :)

[Calibaster]

I really did love it!

[Astrid Elaine]

I've just spent the last half hour (at least) reading all these chapters. At first, I was a bit skeptical, but I'm really caught up in it now. Ben's character is strong and honest, and his protectiveness of the kids is great. I'm still wondering why Riley would put herself in her situation, when she seems to be pretty intelligent and logical. Can't wait to read more!

[A. L. Allen]

Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you like it! :D

I will let you know when I post more chapters.

Thanks again!

[The XYZ Writer]

People, give Ben a break sometimes.

Lost myself reading this; literally (edit: lol just as Breezy said) Until I checked the time, then I realized how long I'd been reading. How does your work flow so perfectly Ally? It's an awesome chapter, needless to say. XD

Riley. What did I tell you before girly? A kick to the shinbone always makes things better trust me...

I can't wait for the next chapter! >.<

[A. L. Allen]

Hahaha, I'm so glad that you liked it'! I'll try to finish the next chapter fairly soon. :D
read moreHahaha, I'm so glad that you liked it'! I'll try to finish the next chapter fairly soon. :D

Thanks for the review!

[Summer'sBreeze]

Yipee! First review XD

Uh oh, Ben you better watch out. There's a new goon on the lose.

Ally, you did an amazing job with this chapter. I literally lost myself into this, you make
the characters so life like.
Amazing work as always. :))

Can't wait to see what happens next!

**Edit

RILEY DUMP THAT JERK"S SORRY BEHIND!!!!!

Also I did find this...

She chuckled “I don’t know how we got lucky enough such a hard worker”

Just a small rewording is all. ^-^

[A. L. Allen]

Hahaha, I'm glad you liked it. :)

I went I read through to find that typo that you pointed out, and I found quite a few more that need fixing. -___- The work of a writer is never finished. Thanks for letting me know about it! I'll fix it as soon as I can. :)

Thanks for the review!