Dododex
ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion
The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)
Chapter 30.5: Tertia Via Ad Amorem
Chapter 30.5: Tertia Via Ad Amorem
Chapter 30.5: Tertia Via Ad Amorem
“Whoop him! Whoop him!”
“Show that punk who’s boss!”
“FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!”
Ben shuffled through the ever growing crowd, most of which had their phones out. His eyes pierced through the opening and he saw two guys standing off against each other on the cracked asphalt. The sun beat down on him harshly, causing his ears to ring and his head to feel hot. Metal beams off in the distance held up ceilings which gave a bit of shade in this harsh heat. Of course a fight was going to happen about now, the heat had probably made someone mad and delusional.
Ben pushed his way to the front of the crowd, much to the dismay of some of the people recording the fight. A guy in a plain gray compression shirt with tan cargo pants stood with his arms crossed, a smug smile on his face. The guy facing him had barred teeth and clenched fists. He was tall but skinny and pale. A girl was standing beside him, clutching onto his arm, her legs shaking and a dark expression on her face.
“Ian,” Ben muttered to himself as his eyes spotted the gray shirt guy. His gelled up hair shined as the sun hit the two of them.
“It’s not my problem your girl decided she wanted to get all comfy with me,” Ian spat, “That’s on you for not tending to whatever needs she was feeling. I didn’t even know she had a man. So I suggest you back off, Michael, or I’m going to have to hand your ass to you.”
“Ooooh, I wouldn’t let that slide if I were you,” a random person whispered in the crowd. The tall guy scoffed.
“You wooed Hannah into liking you! And I am NOT going to let you get away with that!”
Michael began to stomp forward, and Ian grinned, when suddenly someone began to push through the crowd. A boy in a long sleeve, thin red shirt wearing blue basketball shorts made his way to the center, sweat pouring down his face and an exasperated look in his eyes.
“Ian, stop! You can’t fight him,” the boy said.
“Paul,” Ben thought.
Ian turned to Paul, and Paul grabbed Ian’s forearm tight.
“If you fight him, you’re going to get in trouble. Your chance at going to university will be ruined! Please let’s be sensible, just apologize to him and we can all go home.”
“Hey, idiot! This is none of your business, so stay out of it!” Michael barked at Paul. Paul looked at Michael with pity, before turning to Ian. He tugged at his arm again.
“Come on. Let’s go now. Ben, John, and Carlos are waiting for us.”
Michael suddenly ran forward and slammed his fist right into Paul’s nose.
SNAP!
“OW!” Paul cried, clutching onto his face. Blood began to seep from his nostrils onto the palms of his hand. His nose seemed slightly misshapen, and he fell to his knees. Ian instantly knelt down to support him.
“Paul!” Ian said. Tears began to brew in Paul’s eyes, and everyone began to murmur amongst themselves. Michael smirked.
“I said that this is between me and this punk right here. Now look at you blubbering on the ground-”
Ian instantly rose from the ground, reached his arm back, and socked Michael right in the chin.
POW!
Michael’s head went flying up, and Ian grabbed by the hair and ran to the support beam, slamming it right into the pillar.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Blood splattered onto the ground, and onto Ian’s shirt, and residue was left onto the pillar as Michael’s arms slumped almost lifelessly, back and forth, back and forth. With heavy gasps, Ian let go of Michael and he collapsed to the ground. Gasps rang throughout the crowd, and Hannah began to scream so loud that the stars would be able to hear her if they had ears.
Ben couldn’t help but watch.
“Should we call the ambulance?” a random girl asked in the crowd.
“Yeah. We probably should,” another random guy replied back. As Paul groaned on the ground, two familiar figures rushed through the crowd and picked him up. John and Carlos. John grunted loudly as he lifted Paul and placed him so he was leaning on a pillar. Carlos wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead.
“It’s going to be alright Paul,” Carlos said. Paul muttered some gibberish weakly. John looked on hopelessly, his lip quivering and his hands as still as rocks.
Ben backed off into the crowd, and Paul’s eyes darted over to Ben’s. Instead of Paul’s frown growing heavier, it grew into a smile. Ben smiled back, and after just a second of contemplation, walked in to help him up.
~
“His head really was bashed in, he’s not going to die but we can’t assure he’ll still harbor any of his… past motor skills.”
“Oh my baby!” a mother wept as the doctor told her the heavy news. Ben sighed as he looked at the two. Michael had started this conflict, but did he truly deserve this?
Ben got up from the seat in the hospital.
“Who cares. That’s on him,” he thought to himself. He pried his eyes away from the mother. But, something in his heart was betraying him. Was this really ‘right’?
Ben had that feeling inside of him that something like this had happened in Ben’s past. And that, somewhere deep inside, he was the one who had hurt someone like Michael.
“Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t,” a voice in the back of his head muttered, “Maybe-”
The voice blurred out as Ben entered the room where Paul was being housed. As he opened the door he saw Paul sitting up on a hospital bed with a bandaid on his nose.
“You’re all done,” the nurse muttered gently to him. Paul winced as the nurse put a sticker on his arm, and she walked out of the room to leave Ben and Paul alone. As the nurse closed the door behind them, Ben slowly walked up to Paul. Paul looked at Ben, but he did not smile.
“I’m sorry I didn’t step in to help,” Ben said, his arms dangling by his sides, “I should have helped deescalate the situation with you. But I chose to stand by the sidelines.”
He clenched his fist.
“I thought Ian had it all handled.”
“Ben, it’s okay. Really,” Paul said gently, “I just didn’t want any of this to happen. That’s what hurts me the most.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“These fights. They’re just- I don’t understand it all, really. Why we have to fight,” Paul explained, his eyes shuffling to his feet which dangled over the bed, “Why can’t we all be friends?”
Ben’s eyes darted to the floor. The quartz was cleaner today.
“I don’t know, Paul. That’s just how people are.”
“Maybe it’s because of their love. It makes them act up,” Paul added, “Do you think that… Michael really loved Hannah?”
Ben shook his head.
“No.”
“Well. I think he really did. I want to assume the best. He cared a lot for her. Maybe he didn’t know Hannah was cheating on him all along and assumed- You never know, Ben.”
“You’re really understanding of someone who broke your nose,” Ben muttered. Paul smiled at the comment.
“I guess. Hey, is Ian doing alright?”
Ben shook his head again, slowly, and Paul frowned.
“The police have him in custody. The others are visiting at the moment. He surrendered willingly, but- that look he gave me…”
Ben shuddered.
“I think he saw me in that crowd.”
“Ben, you don’t think Ian hates you for that do you?” Paul said, “He’s our friend. I don’t think he hates you.”
“Maybe he does.”
“But you can’t assume that unless you really know, Ben,” Paul responded firmly. He shut his eyes tight, “Please just relax for a bit, Ben. Really this is all just a bad day. Even though it’s a Friday…”
Paul looked at Ben with bright eyes.
“How about you go get some fresh air? Go to that taco place nearby. Whatever it was called… I forget. And hey while you’re at it you don’t mind getting me some too? I would like some chicken quesadillas with a side of curly fries.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Ben turned around and began to walk out the door, when Paul suddenly called out one last time.
“Hey Ben?”
Ben turned his head.
“Yeah?”
“Do you… feel bad for Michael?”
Ben turned his head back.
“No.”
Ben walked out the door and closed it behind him. He looked down the hallway. The doctor and the mother were gone, but the weeping still remained engraved in his memory. He could hear her cries and shallow sniffling echo in his ears.
“Oh my baby!”
Ben rubbed his eyes and walked out of the hospital as quickly as he could. The faster the haunting echo left his mind, the better it was for him and for the others.
“I don’t care, I don’t care,” Ben muttered to himself, “I don’t care I don’t care.”
~
Ben was fiddling with a coin, spinning it around in his fingers and bouncing it from one hand to another. Per Paul’s request, he was currently at the store that sold tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and other Mexican cuisine.
Ben loved tacos. In fact it was his favorite food. He always went out on Fridays to get a few carne asada tacos. It was a tradition of his, and sometimes he would go out with his friends if they weren’t busy. But because of what happened today, they were indeed busy.
“Next!” the lady at the cash register shouted. Ben let the coin flip in the air one last time, and it landed heads in the palm of his hands. He pocketed the coin and walked up to the register.
“Well hello! Good to see you again Benjamin, the usual?” she asked. Mrs. Dugo was such a sweet lady, she and many of her colleagues had started this restaurant to make their living, and Ben was one of their very first customers, which Mrs. Dugo was grateful for.
“Yeah, yeah the usual,” Ben replied with a soft smile, “But can you add a chicken quesadilla with a side of curly fries? And make that second order to go please.”
“Of course. Coming right up!” Mrs. Dugo shouted some Spanish order into the kitchen, and then turned back to Ben, clicking a few buttons on the cash register. Ben’s total came up.
“That’ll be $13.05,” Mrs. Dugo declared, looking at Ben with a smirk. Ben nodded, pulling out three ten dollar bills. He handed it to Mrs. Dugo, and she loaded it in the cash register.
“Keep the change, kay?”
“Of course. Thank you, Benjamin,” Mrs. Dugo reached forward and pinched Ben’s cheek, shaking it like she was his grandmother, “I can’t believe you don’t have a girlfriend yet. You’re such a gentleman!”
“Yeah yeah, thanks,” Ben replied sheepishly, “But, I never cared for that stuff. I’m fine as I am now. That’s all that matters to me.”
“Aww, come on, don’t say that mijo, having a lover by your side is always the best! You can kiss and cuddle and-”
“Yeah, YEAH, I know,” Ben shot back, scratching his head lazily.
“Well, just wanted you to know!” Mrs. Dugo giggled, “You know I have a daughter your age. Goes to your school too I believe. I think you two should meet.”
“That sounds great and all, but I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Okay… Well, enjoy your time here!” Mrs. Dugo called out as Ben left to go find a table.
Ben let out a sigh as he plopped down on the booth of a two-seater table, shuffling around in his seat before finally relaxing, breathing steadily and looking at his surroundings. There were many couples chatting together, holding hands or feeding each other or drinking out of the same glass. Ben smiled as he looked around. He found it comforting how happy the people of this town were, even with everything going on around them. Even with…
“I don’t care about that,” Ben thought to himself.
A few minutes later, one of Mrs. Dugo’s co-workers came around with a plate of 2 carne asada tacos and a glass of chocolate milk (along with a bag that said THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU that smelled like chicken). A weird combination, but Ben always found it delicious.
“Here you go, enjoy!”
“Thank you, sir.”
The waiter walked away, and Ben grabbed a taco. He wanted to finish this meal quickly so that he could deliver Paul’s meal.
But as he took a bite out of the taco, he couldn’t help but scrunch up his face in disgust. Despite its savory and saltiness that Ben particularly was fond of in carne asada, things just felt…
Duller.
He took a look around his surroundings. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying their meal fine. One man was even eating a boatful of the same carne asada tacos that Ben was eating, and he didn’t get the ick.
“Why does it taste like this?” Ben thought. He took another bite, but this time it tasted even worse. He almost gagged, but luckily with a swig of chocolate milk it went down but even that tasted a bit thick.
Ben blinked his eyes again, and looked at Mrs. Dugo who seemed her outgoing self. There’s no way any of her colleagues had messed with the food, right?
It wouldn’t make sense. He had known them for the longest time!
“SHE was the one who recommended it to me. I would think-”
Just then, the door to the restaurant opened up and the bell contraption rang, and Ben’s eyes darted to the door. A girl walked into the premises. It was her.
She was well known by everyone at Altos High, and the ones that did know her were most likely friends with her. Not only that but she had to have been one of the smartest girls in math class, she had always been participating when the teacher asked questions and even got higher test scores than Ben.
She was a nice girl, but Ben didn’t necessarily feel attracted to her at the time. Ben didn’t know why she was here, but he noticed her waving at Mrs. Dugo with a smile. It was as if they had known each other for a long time.
Then she turned around and began walking toward Ben.
Ben blinked his eyes, squinted at her, then decided the most polite thing to do was wave. He waved at her softly and with a bright smile on his face. She waved back and gave Ben a smile.
“Hey! What are you doing here?” Ben asked curiously.
“Ah, nothing really,” she replied while looking around the place. She was wearing blue jeans and a white blouse, and her hair was…
What did her hair look like again?
Ben didn’t remember, but this was the day he found himself drawn to her.
“Well, there’s got to be a reason, right mate?” Ben said as he took a quick glance at his food.
“Of course there is. But… It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out,” she replied with a giggle. Just then Mrs. Dugo herself walked up to her with a plate of tacos. Mrs. Dugo gave them to her, and she said something in Spanish before she walked away, giving Ben a wink. Ben squinted at Mrs. Dugo in confusion.
“I don’t get it,” Ben finally admitted.
“Come on. It can’t be that hard,” she said, widening her eyes at Ben, “Our last names?”
Ben blinked again, and then nodded in realization, astonishment in his eyes.
“Ohhhh, she’s your mother!”
“Yes. I’m glad you’ve figured it out. Now can I sit here? I need a place to put my tacos down.”
Ben saw the chair in front of him and waved his hand at it.
“Of course.”
She put the plate of tacos down and then scooted the chair out, letting out a sigh as she sat down on it, putting her leather purse onto the table. She picked one of the tacos up and took a bite out of it, chewing softly and with a smile. Ben looked back at his plate hesitantly, and she raised her eyebrow.
“Something wrong with your food?” she asked. Ben looked back up at her and shook his head.
“No. Of course not, no.”
She looked into Ben’s eyes and smirked.
“I see that look in your eyes. Tell me what’s wrong with it.”
Ben couldn’t believe it. How did she know?
“I don’t know, it's just… It doesn’t taste right today,” Ben answered truthfully. She shuffled in her seat, until finally speaking.
“Well maybe you just need to try something new.”
Ben looked at her tacos, filled with pork marinated with spices and pineapple bits. Ben blinked at it before his stomach rumbled again. She laughed and pushed her plate toward Ben.
“Why don’t you just give it a try?”
Ben eyed the taco for a bit before grabbing it and taking a bite out of it. It was al pastor, and the flavors of the spices and meat melted in his mouth as he continued to chew on the morsel. The pineapple bits made it even sweeter, and Ben couldn’t help but take a few more bites.
“This is- This is-”
“Really good, huh?”
Ben nodded, taking one last bite and finishing the taco.
“Sometimes, you just need something new in life,” she explained, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair, “Going through the same loop over and over again makes people go crazy, right?”
“Right.”
The two just sat there a little while longer, and Ben could feel her staring into his eyes. She squirmed in her seat again before asking another question.
“Say,” she said suddenly, putting a leg over another, “I heard you got really high state test scores. But… you rarely study or bother putting effort into learning. Why’s that?”
“Where’d you get that from?” Ben asked curiously.
“Your eyes,” she said while tilting her head to the left, “You know what they say? Fall in love with a person’s eyes, because eyes never age. People shrink, their faces wrinkle, and people grow weaker but our eyes will always stay the same.”
Ben blinked his eyes for a moment, staring off into the nothingness before nodding.
“I guess you’re right on that,” Ben said, still confused by HOW she even found out by just his eyes, “But still, how did you- how did you know?”
“Well, think about it like a book,” she answered softly, “We read and we get information from the text. When you look into someone’s eyes, that tells you everything you need to know.”
Ben looked into her eyes… but there was nothing but the deep, thick brown that resided within. Unmoving and still, and all that remained of Ben’s memory of her. Her eyes… her eyes were the prettiest of all. And no matter how hard Ben tried he could never read those deep eyes.
“You’re confused as to why you can’t read my eyes,” she observed with a wink, “Don’t worry. It’s not you. But some people are more complicated than others. They are harder to read. It’s like reading a poem. They are harder to read and understand, but they have the most beautiful stories to tell.”
She looked off to the side and noticed a couple kissing. She narrowed her eyes at them, and looked back at Ben.
“You were one of them, if I am going to be truthful,” she said, “Before today, you always had that dull look in your eyes. As if you didn’t care. You… don’t care about this life, do you?”
Ben looked down at his plate of carne asada tacos, ashamed.
“It’s okay. A lot of us are lost souls,” she reassured him, “But you should find a reason to. When you stop caring, food doesn’t taste right anymore. You stop caring about strangers, and then, about those close to you… And finally, you stop caring about yourself entirely.”
Ben squinted his eyes and noticed the white blobs covering her face getting stronger and more aggressive, “Find a purpose… Okay? Promise me… Promise me you will find a purpose in this life.”
She reached forward and caressed Ben’s hair out of the way, taking one final look into his eyes.
“And promise me one day you’ll be able to understand others as I have.”
The world began to tear apart around them, and soon Ben was forced out of his memory. Cruel of the world, yet necessary for his well-being. Ben blinked his eyes a few more times, and looked at the flower one last time. He could feel her touch as he stared into the bulb, and he could sense her presence. It was almost as if she was there with him.
“I get it now,” Ben said, pocketing the flower, “It’s all about understanding. I need to understand Samuel. And then I’ll be able to read his eyes… just like how she could read mine.”
Ben walked off to his hut, that feeling in his heart unchallenged.
That feeling of hope.