Deep as the Ocean || An OC x Ben Drowned story || Discontinued

The Pier

When he woke up it was to the soft voice of his mother calling for him. He blinked away the sleepiness from his eyes and sat up. The room was dark, barely any light coming through the curtains over the window. It was much cooler too. He felt for his glasses and pushed them on.

"Ben? Dinner time." His mother called again and he responded quickly. "Coming, let me get a shirt." His voice was still sleepy and slurred a little.

He swung his legs over the bed and knelt down next to his suitcase again. Unzipping it he picked a random tank top, black, and pushed his head through it. He walked to the ladder and climbed down. The hall was lit with dim lights. Distantly he could hear his father laughing loudly about something and the buzz of conversation. Following the sounds he went out the back door again and to the side of the condo. That side had a small patio.

There, his father, mother, uncle and a few guests were talking. He padded over to his mom who was smiling about something his father had said and waved at her when she glanced over.

"Oh, how are you feeling sweetie?" She asked, moving away from the conversation.

He glanced around at the few other guests, he didn't know any of them. "Er.. I'm okay, who're all these people?"

His mother glanced around, "Some people from your dad's work..." Her eyes were worried but she turned back to him with a smile on her face.

"Do you need anything? You slept for a couple hours.." He shook his head and gave her a one armed hug.

"I'm gonna go find something to drink." She nodded turning back to her conversation.

He stood on the cold stone a bit before walking slowly around the various adults and groups until he found a table. There was a cooler, he opened it and pulled out a soda can. Popping it open he took a sip of the sugary drink and wandered around the small patio. No one stopped their important conversations to notice the lanky blond teenager among them. There were only about twenty people all together but quite more than he had originally thought. Soon he became hot, he was wearing all black after all, and he slipped back into the house to change.

He climbed up the ladder one handed and pulled his still damp swim trunks on rather than the black sweatpants. He rummaged around and found his Nintendo 64 and turned it on. He sat on his bed and started playing Majora's Mask, the new game that had come out sometime around his birthday. He had beat it many times. Soon though he became bored of the tiny pixels moving around on the small screen and turned it off.

By now it was fully dark in his room and the party outside was much louder. The moon was high in the sky. He had finished his soda and he was kinda hungry so he moved back down the ladder. He walked back out of the house and snuck through the adults again, there were a few bags of chips which he grabbed one of and then slipped back out. It was somewhat humid at night, not as hot as during the day thankfully. The ocean looked beautiful reflecting the white light of the moon across its surface.

He popped open his bag of chips and started walking down to the beach. He was still barefoot but he didn't mind. He walked over the walkway and then his feet touched the still warm shore. He walked until he stood by the lapping waves. They were much darker than earlier. He was the only one on the beach. He watched the water wash up and over his toes and then his ankles and then pull away and go back out again. He munched on the chips a little, finishing the bag and putting the empty wrapper in his pocket.

When he did his fingertips brushed against something sharp. He winced a little and pulled the sharp thing out. It was the shell from earlier. Immediately he remembered the strange encounter as well. He looked up at the sky then back at his shell and then over to the distant pier. He wanted to go back. Maybe the mystery boy would be there. Unlikely but he still wanted to check just in case and look for clues.

He turned and walked quickly, just above the reach of the waves towards the wooden structure. The seashell clenched tightly in his hand. He was unsure what he would find there, probably nothing. Possibly answers to the million questions buzzing in his head like bees. Who was this red haired boy? Where did he come from? Why did he help me? Did he give me this seashell? Why were his eyes red? The flow of questions rotated over and over until he had reached the rocks. He climbed up them, slipping only once in his hurry and almost falling but catching himself with his empty hand. He reached the deck and rested for a second, kneeling on the wooden deck. The adrenaline of almost falling off caused him to pant heavily.

He breathed deeply trying to calm his nerves and then stood fully. The moon was still bright. The waves are still dark. A thin fog washed over the water and the clouds from earlier blew across the sky, sometimes blocking the moonlight briefly. He pushed himself fully to his feet and jogged down the wooden deck towards the end. His bare feet slapping on the rough wood in the relative quiet. He reached the edge and peered out over the edge, scanning the dark water. He kept a good couple inches from the edge, no way was he falling in again. Who knew, there might have really been a giant squid last time. He shivered at the thought and stepped back a little. Something caught his eyes below. In the water. Something moved. His heartbeat sped back up but he was frozen. Something moved towards the surface, just like a horror movie. He was about to be eaten by a creature of the depths.