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Ben heard the footsteps before he saw who it was.
He already knew who it would be.
“Ben,” came his cousin’s soft voice. It wasn’t a reprimand. It wasn’t even a plea. It was a simple statement. An expression of a name.
Ben didn’t say anything, continuing to stare down at the water that crashed against the shore.
He could feel the rain slide down his face.
Gwen’s legs came into view at the corner of Ben’s vision.
Ben could feel the rain stop. He could see the pink glow of Gwen’s mana from above, shielding him, shielding them, from the elements.
Ben still didn’t look up. He continued to stare down, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks.
Very dimly, he could hear the sound of rain pattering against the umbrella of mana Gwen had manifested.
The roar of the waves drowned out the noise of raindrops.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Gwen shift, sitting down next to him.
“Ben,” she said softly.
Ben could hardly hear it over the sound of the waves. It wasn’t because the waves were loud.
No, the waves were separated from Ben by a few dozen metres of cliff-face, the black stone appearing to swallow all light from the setting sun.
“Why are you here, Ben?” he heard Gwen ask.
Ben drew his legs up to his chest, resting his chin on his knees. He didn’t reply.
Gwen sighed. It wasn’t laced with irritation or annoyance. It was merely a sound. An act of exhalation.
“Please, Ben,” Gwen said. “Say something.”
Her voice was still soft. It wasn’t pity or sadness that made it soft. It wasn’t disappointment.
It was sympathy. It was empathy. That’s what made her voice so quiet.
Ben kept his silence, staring at the foam that arose from the dark blue depths.
As the sky continued to darken, the glow of Gwen’s mana became more prominent. And yet, Ben could still only barely hear the sound of rain.
Gwen shuffled a bit, shoulder brushing his. After a moment of hesitance, her head came to rest upon Ben’s shoulder.
Ben didn’t react. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to.
He did.
It was just that he didn’t have the energy to. He simply didn’t have the energy to care about anything else other the dark waves that crashed against the rocky cliffs.
The sun continued to sink lower and lower.
The clouds slowly began to disperse. The pink glow was no longer from Gwen’s mana, but from the beautiful performance the sun was putting on.
Ben lifted his gaze from the dark depths, watching the sun sink into the ocean.
The ocean was painted in warm yellows and dusty pinks. Orange highlighted each wave that crested.
Ben blinked.
He felt his cousin on his shoulder. He lifted his head off his knees and slowly, so painfully slowly, rested his head on top of hers.
Ben exhaled, feeling Gwen’s hair rub against his cheek as the sun continued to sink lower and lower.
Ben heard footsteps behind him.
They were heavy.
Ben didn’t move or speak as Kevin sat down next to him with a thump.
“You’re a hard man to find, Tennyson,” Kevin said.
Unlike Gwen who had kept her voice soft and smooth, Kevin’s voice was loud and jarring. It disturbed the peace and quiet.
But still, Ben remained silent.
Kevin sighed when Ben didn’t say anything, but otherwise kept silent, enjoying the sunset.
As the last rays of the sun dipped below the horizon, Kevin asked, “Why are you here? How did you even find this place?”
Ben sat up, lifting his head off Gwen’s. He tilted his head up, looking up at the darkening sky. Out of the corner of his eye the last rays of twilight dimly illuminated their faces.
“I found it when I transformed into Jetray once. I was just flying over when I spotted it.”
Neither Gwen nor Kevin said anything in the face of Ben talking. For a moment it was silent.
Ben reached out with a hand, fiddling with the Omnitrix. The projections highlighted his face in green, throwing his eyes into a deeper shadow.
Ben slowly twisted the dial, flicking through the aliens.
“Why are you here, Ben?” Gwen asked again, her voice just as soft.
Ben stilled, fingers resting on the dial as he stared at Chromastone’s projection.
“I don’t know,” Ben said. “I just–” He cut himself off, shrugging helplessly. “I don’t know.”
The sun had sunk below the horizon, casting the world in its own endless shadow. It was a new moon tonight.
Ben looked up at the sky. Away from the city lights, it was a marvellous sight.
The Milky Way splashed across the sky, hundreds of stars speckled across the black canvas of the night sky.
Ben looked up and thought of the countless aliens out there. Of the countless planets, each with unique cultures and ideals.
“We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.”
“Lovecraft,” Gwen murmured softly, looking at Ben, his face no longer highlighted by the glow of the Omnitrix. Even so, she could still make out the dark circles under his eyes.
“Grandpa said it once,” Ben said, his face towards the cosmos. “When I asked him what was out there.”
“A warning of the dangers,” Gwen noted.
It fell silent again.
Ben’s eyes scanned the night sky as the stars became more prominent.
His eyes lingered on the various constellations, mentally drawing the lines in his head.
He had taught himself how to see the constellations in the night sky. Many late nights of tossing and turning had meant he had little to do.
Kevin stood up. “Come on, Tennyson. Let’s go home already.”
Ben looked away from the stars and looked at Kevin and the extended hand his friend offered.
Gwen sat up straight, also standing up shortly after.
Ben sighed and grabbed Kevin’s hand, using it haul himself up.
As they made their way down to Kevin’s car, Ben cast one last look at the dark ocean.
The darkness that surged and crashed was almost like a siren’s call.
But then, so was the sound of Kevin complaining about having to drive his car off road just to get here. So was Gwen scolding him and laughing.
Ben felt a small smile cross his face as he followed his friends down the back of the cliff, Gwen’s mana lighting the way.
By the time they got the car, Ben was tired. He slumped into the backseat, feeling himself start to nod off.
Vaguely, he heard Gwen ask, “Do you think he’ll be alright?”
Then, just as Ben went to sleep, Kevin replied, “Of course he will. We’re hardly going to give up on him.”