WARNING: Dark Themes, Swearing.
A/N : In the series of flashbacks that you will go through, please note that James Daniel Ivory isn't present in any of them yet.. This is BEN's side of the story before he ever seen James before. That par will be for later. (This is the only thing I added in this chapter, don't be alarmed ^^) Thank you for reading :D
Chapter 8: Memory Lane
BEN's P.O.V
September 10th, 11 Years ago..
"Class, this is Benjamin. He recently just moved in town with his parents and he's 6 years old. He'll be your new classmate from now on! Please be nice to him. Ben, you can take that seat near Aidan." The kindergarten teacher, Miss Karen smiled, gesturing to an empty seat next to a chubby little boy with black hair, drawing something in his little notebook.
Ben nodded and silently sat at the empty chair. The teacher continued on to her normal plans while the students listened obediently. He looked around his new classmates. He was extremely shy, wondering how he would ever make friends here.
He was writing down some notes the teacher told them to take when he saw this girl with (H/C) hair and (E/C) eyes a few seats to his left. She was scribbling something down in a sheet of pad paper then folded it. She told her classmates quietly kids to pass it down.
"Here," Aidan passed the paper to Ben. Ben didn't know which kid to pass it to next and looked at the girl questioningly. The girl mouthed something along the lines of 'Open it'.
Ben looked at the paper and obeyed. He unfolded it and written in it in crayon was; 'Hiya, I'm (Y/N)! Would you like to play with me after classes?'
September 26th...
In the playgrounds, as per usual, Ben didn't really have anyone to play with. So he just sat by the bushes and tried to enjoy his boring peace as much as possible. But it was sadly short-lived.
"Poor kid. You wanna play with us?" A boy neared Ben with a group of others. They looked about 2 or 3 years older than him.
Ben's eyes lit up. Was he finally going to make friends? As Ben was about to respond, the boy grinned and landed a painful punch at Ben's stomach. He groaned in pain. Never had anyone harmed him before.. This was new to him.
Ben started to tear up a little bit. The group only sneered and teased him for being a wimp instead of stopping.
They continued to get violent. They gripped him by his blonde locks and brought him up to their level. They teased him for being weak and not fighting back. Ben was starting to stutter and cry. They didn't stop until..
"Leave him alone." A new voice told the group.
The group turned to see a little girl behind them. Hands on her hips and giving them the hardest glare she could do. "Or else what??" One bully scoffed.
"This!" The little girl kneed him where the sun don't shine, she was faster than the bullies so they couldn't hurt her. She looked like a total badass. Avoiding the sloppy attacks the bullies intended to hurt her with gracefully. The group either got confused and hit each other or they would trip on the ground face-first. They eventually grew tired of this all.
"Ugh! You'll pay for this!!" One bully said, red-faced. He signaled his friends to run away, leaving Ben bewildered at the girl. The girl stood her ground, proudly smiling.
"Yeah! I'll pay with my fists again next time!" She said. Ben was left speechless because of what this little girl did for him She savedhim.
"Th-Thank you.." Ben stutters. "No problem-o! Anything for a friend!" She said, turning around to meet him. "F-Friend..?" Ben said, confused. The girl only giggled.
"Of course! Don't you remember? I wanted to play with you since day 1. But you always went home early. I'm (Y/N)." She said with a smile. Offering Ben a hand.
"I want to be friends with you!" (Y/N) smiled contagiously. Then for the first time, Ben smiled as well.
~November 29th...
"Hi kids! My name is Professor Annie. I'm here with Professor Tammy. We come from a veeeeerrry special place! We would like to conduct some scientific experiments today," A lady dressed in a white lab coat said in a sweet voice. She had red hair and brown eyes and her pale cheeks were freckled. The other lady looked exactly the same. They were twins.
"In plain English, that means we get to play aaaall day long!!" The other lady, professor Tammy said, the children cheered.
"We will make you more stronger, smarter, anything you'd like to be~!" Professor Annie beamed.
"Now, kids, just form two lines. One for the girls and one for the boys, and then when we call your name, you can enter the next room and we'll see how healthy you little munchkins are!" Professor Tammy firmly pinched the cheek of Ben who frowned at them. (Y/N) was beside him and looked awfully excited.
But Ben, however, didn't want to become part of whatever 'games' they were gonna play. He just wanted to play with (Y/N) alone. So he slipped away while everyone was busy and distracted and went home. He was uninterested in playing with grownups.
February 19th, 10 years ago...
"Ma'am, have you noticed anything strange about your son? Does he show any signs of sickness?" The teacher asked a woman. They were having a private meeting, just the two of them adults in one empty classroom.
Today, (Y/N) was absent. She couldn't bear whatever sickness she got. Ben wondered for how many days will she be gone. He was getting lonely.
"No. In fact, he's very healthy. Why?" The woman replied. Ben stood behind the wall, listening in to their conversation. He couldn't help it, for the past months everything around him was strange. Sick children, Disappearances of classmates, and what-not.
In the room was his class adviser and his mother.
"It's just that most of the children in my class claimed feeling very sick. Some of them even stopped going to school altogether! I'm really worried.." Miss Karen stared at the playing children through the windows, those who were left of her class.
"Ah. I'm not sure why that happens as well... Well, I have to get going now. My next shift starts in an hour." The woman, Ben's mother picked up her purse and stood from her chair.
"What's your profession, ma'am?" Miss Karen asked once more.
"I'm a researcher at this... Facility. Me and my husband research about human genetics and what- not. My co-workers are the professor twins that came by here a few months back."
I watched with an observant gaze and hear with a sharp ear..
June 9th...
"(Y/N)! There you are!" A woman called out to little (Y/N). Once again, (Y/N) had went missing and went off on her own. And her mother would always find her in this same amusement park. It was full of children and adults. Even families or young couples. So it was by luck did (Y/N)'s mother find her walking amongst the crowd all alone.
"But mooooooom! I haven't even finished my cotton candy yet. Can't we stay a liiiittle bit longer??" (Y/N) whined waving her stick of cotton candy.
"It's getting late. We need to get home now, we'll come back tomorrow. I have to work a night shift in a few hours, let's go," (Y/N) silently followed after her mother with a pout. They were nearing the gate when someone called (Y/N) from behind.
"(Y/N)! Y-You forgot your ribbon!" (Y/N) spun around to see Ben running towards them, holding indeed a ribbon that (Y/N) owned
She must have forgotten it when she was playing. She always wore that same (F/C) ribbon and made her hair into a ponytail or twin tails if she was feeling extra cheerful and happy. Ben could tell.
The ribbon was (Y/N)'s favorite one. 'It was a symbol of her happiness', she would tell Ben every time he asked about it. She told him that, whenever she lost it, he has to find it for her no matter where it went. Because (Y/N) was forgetful and Ben had a very sharp memory.
The boy caught up with her and panted in exhaustion. "Here," he handed her the ribbon. (Y/N) smiled. "Oh, thanks!" she took the ribbon and tied it around her already made ponytail.
"(Y/N)? What's the hold-up? Come on, let's go," Her mother called.
"Sorry, Ben. I have to go now because of my mommy's job. But I'll come back tomorrow. See ya!" (Y/N) chirped as she ran towards the car by the entrance, to which her mom was starting up.
The boy waved at her as she left. He was left alone again. And it was the time to go home for him as well. So he went on his way.
I wonder, (Y/N).. Where did that ribbon go? Do you still need me to find it for you..?
August 23rd...
"Your daughter is perfectly healthy, Mrs. (L/N)." The doctor assured (Y/N)'s mother. Ben, (Y/N) and her mother, were at a clinic after (Y/N) said the pain she felt was too unbearable. It was the first time Ben had seen (Y/N)'s mom. They looked quite alike.
"But (Y/N) is feeling all sorts of things! Hypothermia, Numbness, Fevers, Aches!" (Y/N)'s mother frowned. She was happy that they didn't find any problems in (Y/N), but her daughter was not one to just lie about anything.
"We found nothing wrong in her system. Please calm down," The doctor cut her off calmly.
"(Y/N), I need you to be a strong little lady. It may hurt a lot, but it's absolutely nothing. Withstand it and eventually, you'll find yourself stronger, faster, and healthier than everyone!" The doctor said with a very wide smile. Ben grew uneasy.
"Of course, doctor! I don't want to just lay in bed all day when I can play with other children! Laying in bed gets so boring!" (Y/N) pouted. The doctor chuckled and her mother gave her a weary smile
Anyone could have been involved in this whole charade.
September 28th...
"We have to move soon.." The voice of Ben's mom said in urgency. Ben heard his parents speaking to each other inside their room.
"They'll find us no matter where we go.. There's no point in that." The voice of his dad said. Ben was interested and curious at the conversation. He knew that eavesdropping was bad, but he wanted to know what's got his parents vexed.
Ben leaned on the wall and peered in. He saw his mom pace around in circles, her hair was messy and he looked like she slept through the night without taking off he makeup that was now very messy. While his father held an envelope on his hands, scanning through it.
"This is awful.. What are they planning to do..??" His mother asked.
"If the experiment went wrong.. They're terminating the whole thing and the test subjects along with it.. Except for a few of them..." His father said, putting down the envelopes.
"We'll have to warn Mr. (L/N) now. I'm calling them." Ben's father said, walking towards the door. His mother followed as well. Ben hurriedly scurried and ran quietly towards his room.
October 1st...
Ben's parents were out today on a job meeting. When he asked of it, they would tell him that they were working on 'human genetics and experiments'. Which, he didn't really understand yet. Today, he was left home alone.
Ben decided that he was gonna check the envelopes on his parents room. He still knew it was bad, but he couldn't help but wonder about it. And so he did. As soon as he heard the roaring of his dad's car springing alive and leaving, he went up their room cautiously.
On the top of the envelope was 'Metamorphosis Project'. Ben opened the envelope and saw a bunch of paper sheets clipped together. Each had one picture of a person and some info regarding them.
And most of them, were his classmates back in school who moved away. But that wasn't what the files said.
Aidan McDoris: Dead.
Cause of death: Morbid physical metamorphosis, suicide by depression.
Lilia Hevis: Dead.
Cause of death: Organ failures, brain rot and heart attack
Eureka Shinamotto: Dead
Cause of Death: Stroke followed by Spontaneous Combustion
Huan Chi: Dead.
Cause of Death: Self Cannibalism and Major Dementia.
Ben flipped through the pages one by one. Almost all of his classmates back in kindergarten were pronounced dead here.. He hasn't seen them since, a year after kindergarten. He continued to scan through the pages until one page caught his eye.
(Y/N) (L/N): Alive.
First Phase:
Second Phase:
Final Phase:
Attitude: Energetic and Cheerful. Normal.
Notes: No signs of grave health complications. Surpassed illnesses and first set of side effects. Physically fit. No signs of major Mental, Physical, or Emotional change yet. Balanced child.
'What is this?' He wondered. He went to the back page and there was a fine print;
"The Metamorphosis project is strictly forbidden to be tackled on by any personnel of the facility. It is strictly assigned to sector 4B, led by Professor Annie Lewis and Professor Tammy Lewis only. And...."
It was too long ago to completely remember..
October 19th...
It was a stormy night. Rain had showered from the heavens as (Y/N) and BEN ran through the dark woods. It was not too long after that they heard a group of men running after them and shouting orders. They didn't know who they are and what they wanted, but the guns and intimidating tones in their voices were enough signs. They weren't friendly
The ground beneath their feet was muddy and slippery. Ben and (Y/N) ran and ran until they were before a vast and big lake. Before both of them couldn't stop themselves. They fell into the lake, hand-in-hand.
He just followed his instincts or was moved by fear. He clawed and flailed at the water and descended down to the nightly abyss. Bubbles were everywhere and the darkness didn't help with his vision as well. He could see her unmoving silhouette as she sunk down. (Y/N) wasn't the best swimmer as well.
He didn't want her to drown, so despite the burn his lungs were making him feel, he wrapped on arm around her waist and started to 'swim' up. Air was running low on his lungs, halfway there. But he still had at least half his strength. He wanted her to survive. So he took all of his strength and raised (Y/N) above water.
He tried to get up there himself, he flailed about and thought he was gonna die. But then, a hand reached out to raise him up from the water.
He gasped and filled his lungs with air. Coughing up good amounts of lake water that he had accidentally inhaled or swallowed. He looked up to see his savior. It was his father. Ben's eyes shined with hope.
"Dad?? Please, help (Y/N)!" In his father's eyes, was only remorse and pain.
"She.. Can't be helped.." He said as he picked Ben off the water and carried him away. Away from (Y/N) and into the deeper forest.
"Dad?? Dad No! NOO! We can't just leave her! (Y/N)!! Wake up!!" Ben shouted and tried to wiggle out of his dad's grasp. He saw their pursuers from afar and their flashing lights as they pulled (Y/N) of the water and took her away.
He cried out her name one last time, until he felt his throat get sore. That was the day that Ben and (Y/N) were separated. The day he thought he'd never see her again. The day, he saw her be carried away by some unfamiliar group. He could only imagine what would happen to her.
He wasn't able to protect her.
April 23rd, 4 years ago...
It has been about 7 years since he ever saw (Y/N), his old home, his old school ever again. They moved right after that incident, his parents quit their jobs and found new ones. He was 6 years old back then, but now he is 13. Everything had changed since then.. He no longer had any friend.
His father was also eaten away by the guilt and regret. Even more than him, maybe.. Every weekday evening, he would come home drunk. He would shout incoherent slurs at them. His mother would cry a lot and became increasingly paranoid. Closing every window and door, Stare at the lawn from behind the curtains and window blinds. While Ben felt four things;
Denial. He refused to believe that (Y/N) was gone and was taken away.
Anger. He was infuriated at everything around him.. But he was mostly angry at his father. His father who did nothing to retrieve (Y/N) that day.
He even Pleaded day and night for his parents to at least go file a police report and find out where (Y/N) is. But they refused.
Depression. He realized he couldn't do anything about it now. His hopes of seeing her bright smile and hear her voice was crushed.
Then lastly.. It was nothing at all. His emotions never bothered him anymore. His heart didn't ache as much, his mind wasn't clogged, just blank. But the thought of (Y/N) still lingers in his mind somewhere, he pushed it aside and pretended he wasn't thinking of it. He thought that maybe this way, it was better for him. He didn't exactly moved on, he didn't want to or maybe he couldn't do it completely.
Devoid of emotion.. Devoid of hope.
Benjamin was sitting on the floor, playing a game that he almost was finishing today. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. He thought that the game was very special.. He noticed the signs of the game. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Sadness. But he hadn't gotten a sign of one thing yet.
And it was acceptance and resolution. Both Ben and the game didn't have that yet. But because of that, Ben sought to finish the game and see how it ended. Hoping that, he would pass by his daily darkness through this while at it.
The most melancholic feature of the game yet was the loss of Navi.. Link's companion and friend..
And as well as the Elegy of Emptiness.. Devoid of any emotion and always gazing down on anyone with it's undecipherable grin and glazed eyes.
The empty shell of a once innocent child dragged away to fend for himself in a cruel and crumbling world.
"Benjamin, come over here!" Ben's father called from the living room. Ben stood up and thought that it was about time he stopped playing for the day anyway. He closed the whole thing and took the cartridge from the console. Walking to the living room.
"Yes, dad?" Ben noted that his father was surprisingly sober. He drunk almost everyday, rarely taking a break.
"We're going out." He simply said as he stood up from the couch, going over outside and starting up the car. Ben followed.
"Where's mom?" Ben asked as he wiped some dust that his cartridge was collecting. "Ah, she's just getting documents for a new house.." His dad answered. Ben noticed he was going a little too fast, they almost crashing at another car.
Ben slightly jumped on his seat because of that, but asked his dad about this 'new house'. But his dad didn't answer.
He mumbled a curse as he noticed the sticker of his cartridge peeling off. He tried to fix it when his dad suddenly swerved the car to the right, making Ben jump in surprise and rip apart the whole sticker.
"Dad! Be careful!!" Ben's shoulders sagged in the sight of his ruined cartridge. The sticker went clean off and all it left was blank whiteness. Ben reached at the side of the car door to find a black sharpie, not wanting to mix this up with other games that had also been ruined, he wrote 'MAJORA' on it to be labeled.
It took about an hour and a half before they finally stopped. They were in the forest. The same damned forest where he last saw (Y/N). And the same lake in which they almost drowned in.
Ben left his cartridge at the car and gazed at the forest. He stood before the bast and familiar lake and gazed into it. "Dad, why are we-?" Ben couldn't finished his sentence as his dad pushed him into the cold lake with all his strength.
Ben immediately sunk and flailed about. He still didn't know how to swim all these years.
"I'm so*-ry, son... Thi-.. -only way for you t-...." The words of his father was drowned out by the water, he couldn't hear some words. Ben's heart pounded and he was choking on the water, desperation of air kept him trying his best to at least keep his face up from the unforgiving embrace of lake.
"*!**D-*AaaA*-D?!" Ben gurgled, bobbling up and down the water, flailing. "Son.. We- .... -ll dead men anywa-... But you n..-ed to.. -on..." Ben's dad sobbed. "This is... Better than wha-... -ey'll do to us... - find where we ar-.." His dad extended a hand at Ben only to clutch his flailing left arm.
"-ly... -Way.. -to... -Ind and end the-...-Save-... H-...r .... I... -e.... -ou... S-..Son..."
His dad forcefully shoved him down and let him be eaten whole by the lake then left him without another word. Ben's sunk to the familiar dark abyss. His last dying breaths, he could see before his eyes in literal, physical bubble forms.
Ben did not see the look on his father's anguished and grieving face.
Ben's lungs felt as if it was being crumpled like paper. His eyes were violated by the dirty and mucky water, burning it and making it hurt. Ben could taste the putrid liquid around him..
As his father left him to die, the last thoughts that entered Ben's mind were the following:
"Why would you do this..? To your own son...?!"
"I want to see her.. God, at least grant this one wish..."
"It hurts.. It burns.."
And just when he thought this was the end for him, He heard the engine of the car come to life in the surface and the snapping and rustling of leaves that were massacred under the wheels. His father had drove the car into the lake. Crushing Ben under it's heavy weight.
Ben felt more pain. He opened his already sore eyes, but saw only red. No other color. Just crimson, crimson, crimson.
"Why did you let me drown dad..?"
September 10th, 3 years ago...
BEN found himself strapped to a bed. Shadows looming over him, checking his pulse and prying open his half open eyelids to see how his eyes where. Tuff luck for them, BEN didn't really have those.
BEN was dazed but slowly regained his burred sight and blocked hearing. He shook and wiggled, trying to free himself.
"UNSTRAP ME SO I CAN DISEMBOWEL YOU ALL!" He yelled as he tried to reach for one of the figures, failing unfortunately.
How was he captured? He was just communicating some random stranger via cleverbot. Then everything around him glitched out. It became too unstable for him, so he decided to leave and stay away for a while.
Only, it was no ordinary stranger. He wore a white lab coat, thick glasses around his brown eyes, and messy brown hair.
He and the man were in an office of some sort.
He was some guy who worked in this place he's been thrown into. As soon as he saw BEN, he smirked in triumph and called guards to sedate him and here he was. He didn't even know where he was exactly. All he knows is that he was getting the fuck out of this room.
BEN tried to use his.. 'Powers'. Electricity gathered around his palms, he grabbed hold of one of them, the number of volts were enough to kill a human. The person collapsed to the ground, twitching as he died.
"My my, what a strong one." A feminine voice squealed in delight. "What a fine specimen. Kudos to his captor." Another feminine voice beamed.
BEN's eyes was focused on his left, his vision slowly adjusting. He could see the grinning face of a woman with red hair and freckles about her pale face. BEN had wondered if he was just having a nightmare for a moment, because he saw the same woman on his right. Mirroring each other.
"No no, wondrous little lab-rats should stay put!" Someone held BEN's right arm down. "In plain english, you won't be getting out of here any-day soon." The woman in his left said as BEN saw her pass something over to her twin. A syringe. BEN felt excruciating pain on his right arm, then he blacked out after that.
I never did escape that place after. My stay was very long.
~End of Flashbacks~
Present Time,
That was what BEN could remember regarding (Y/N) and himself.. Sweet and bitter memories that died alongside 'Benjamin'. But he wasn't the same person anymore. The struggle of fighting for life while air was taken away from him back then is still fresh on his mind. Reminding him how cruel and cold the world is.
He never knew where his parents had went to after that. Maybe they moved? Maybe they died?
Not long after he was captured, each escape attempt led them to weaken him. Move him to higher prison cells.
He never knew what happened to (Y/N) after she got caught. But they must have did something to her. Her mother didn't know of this as far as he knew. He rarely saw her anywhere unless (Y/N) got herself lost. He never found the right moment to introduce himself. Maybe that was why she thought I was a 'new' friend of (Y/N)'s.
Or maybe, her mind has also been altered in the same ways as (Y/N) as well. Or she just simply forgot about him.
The Metamorphosis Project. A secret experiment conducted amidst mere little children. The facility ruined his life. And whatever they are trying to do back then must still be continued now.. It is unpredictable. The project has claimed many lives.. The lives of people who were once his classmates in his earlier years.. That Ivory boy may have some answers. And BEN will get them.
He wondered how (Y/N) ended up here today. Living a normal life. Everything had also changed. People, places, everything. Bitterly, BEN reflected on himself. It wasn't fair. All of it. He was supposed to be here, alive. He was supposed to be 17, while (Y/N), she was 16.
BEN, knowing that with him around there was danger. He knew that (Y/N) was a lab rat as well. Like him.. The sad part is that she didn't know and she is completely vulnerable. He stared at (Y/N) who sat beside him on a bench. They were still at the old amusement park. And so he decided,
Your life is important, (Y/N). Never again will I let you go.