by Rainbowfox Ari » 01/03/2008 11:08 AM
Receiving no answer from his father, Benji sighed, and wriggled a bit to get comfortable, lying down on the grass again. He had a headache now, and he wanted to go to sleep. Sleeping was one of the ways he got rid of those headaches and stuff after all. So he curled up against his father, and closed his eyes, slipping into the world of dreams with a smile on his face, and his white hair tousled and messed up from his previous adventures.
He woke a few hours later with not an inkling of where he was. It was dark now, and most of the other people in the park had gone home. This wasn't where he wanted to be right now, and it was scary. He didn't like the dark. Looking around for his father, he found him not there. Fear started to set in. It wouldn't be until much later that he realized this was an elaborate dream.
Another boy was standing a little outside his field of vision, and he got up to investigate, moving over to the boy to find that he looked exactly like him. White hair, orange eyes, pale skin. Only this boy had a scar over one eye.
"I'm Ben." the other said, quietly. "You're in great danger. I came here to protect you. But you're not safe here. Your dad can't protect you here. He can't even come here."
Benji's eyes went wide, hearing that, and he cringed, snatching his hand away from the stranger.
"I want my daddy. DADDY!" he called, afraid.
"He can't hear you, and he won't come. You've got to get out of here, though. It's not safe here. Take my hand. Follow me."
Reluctantly, Benji took the other boy's hand, and was led from the park quickly and quietly, being dragged to a small 'cave' that he didn't remember being there.
"Where's this?" he asked his doppleganger, shivering slightly. When had it become cold?
"This is a safe place. I'll stay with you here for now. You can't go back there for a while. Not until it's safe again. Your daddy can't see these things like you and I can."
The other boy pointed to a large, scary something that had entered the park they'd just left. Benji almost screamed, but the other boy put his hand over his mouth.
"Shhh. Don't attract it. It can't get in here, but I don't want to take the chance. Just relax. Relax, and everything will be okay. I'll take care of you. It's just going to be a while before you can go back. Hey... do you want to play a little game while we wait for it to go away?..."
In the waking world, Benji's body had gone limp. Cold. The boy's eyes had fluttered shut as if he'd passed out, and he was senseless to everything. His hand twitched maybe once or twice before going still. His breathing plummeted, and his heart rate followed. There appeared to be no cause. But whatever the reason, Ente's little boy was now completely unresponsive. Comatose.