The Next Generation (FIRST DRAFT)

Chapter 9

Ben was frozen. It couldn’t be her, but it was. His mom was standing right in front of him. Ben panicked. 

    “Uh...who?” he said, extremely unconvincingly.

    “You know you’ve always been a terrible liar, right?” his mom replied.

    “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

    “Yeah right. Anyway, what happened to your face?”

    “Spray paint?” Ben said, not completely lying.

    Ben’s mom reached up to touch his face. Quickly, he pushed her hands away, not knowing exactly what touching his skin would do to other people. “I-I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he laughed nervously.

    “Why, are you worried I’m going to break you?” she asked. 

    “Something like that.”

    She laughed. “It’ll be fine,” she said as she pushed through his hands.

    Ben braced himself for something bad to happen, but surprisingly, nothing did. 

    “Why are you so cold?” his mom asked. She pinched the edge of some peeling paint. “Are you saying the metal isn’t the paint, but the skin tone?” she gasped as she pulled it away from his face. “What did they do to you?” she said with pain in her voice. 

    “They found a way to save me.”

    “You call this saving? I wanted you to have a normal life, not be called a freak.”

    “Well they couldn’t do that.”

    “How is this even legal?”

    “I honestly don’t think it is.”

    “They can’t get away with this,”

    “Hey,” Ben said, looking directly at his mom and holding her hand between her. “What’s done is done. It’s going to be okay. I’m still here,” he said, trying to reassure her. 

    “I know, but that’s exactly what I’m worried about. How are you supposed to live like this?”

    “I don’t know yet, I’ll find a way,” he answered, knowing he would have to leave her again.

    “Ben, I need you to come with me inside, we’ll figure this out together.”

    “You know I can’t do that.”

    “Then at least just for a bit so we can talk. Tell me what happened.”

    “I don’t want to put you in danger like that.”

    “You, dangerous? Please, you couldn’t hurt a fly,” she laughed. 

    Ben gave her a look. “I was not talking about me. I was talking about the people who are after me,” Ben said with a chuckle. 

    “Who’s after you?”

    “The people who made me like this.” Ben scratched his head sheepishly. “We kinda broke out of the hospital and may or may not have smashed through a few doors…,” he trailed off.

    “Young man, that is not how I raised you,”

    “I know, I know, we just didn’t really have a choice at the time.”

    “That still doesn’t make it okay.”

    Ben sighed and turned around to press the button for their floor before anyone else could call the elevator. “When we get to our floor, I’m going to need you to make sure there’s no one in the hall first because…,” Ben. trailed off as he gestured to his face. “This.”