Chapter 1
“Ben! I need a Grande, Iced, Sugar-Free, Vanilla Latte With Soy Milk.” Carmen handed Bennett the cup and he set to work, the liquid in the cup going from a dark brown to a light milky color to a caramel looking shade, he finished off the order and set the cup down quickly putting the correct lid on it and calling out the name.
“Kenzie!” He called out, a girl filtered over, her long blonde straight hair pulled up into a tight ponytail, her head was glued to her phone as she took her order.
“Ugh, these pictures all look horrible.” She mumbled as she walked away, her two friends trailed after her holding similar coffee cups and chattering loudly.
Ben set off with the next cup, then the next. His work letting him focus on nothing else.
At ten o’clock Ben slid the lock on the door into place and breathed out a heavy sigh.
He slipped off the ball cap he was wearing and the fake black rimmed glasses he had sported for the last five hours.
Thank you Clark Kent, Ben thought as he headed into the back room, Your disguise actually works.
“I still don’t understand the need for all this.” Carmen said picking the black glasses from his hand as he walked by.
He turned to face her, “I wish there wasn’t a need for them, but Carmen, you should try having a World renowned Superhero for a dad.”
Carmen scoffed letting Ben take the glasses from her hand, “No thank you, he’s already my uncle and I don’t need any more paparazzi showing up at my place, my mom had to file three restraining orders this year.”
Ben shrugged, walking away from her backwards, “We filed fifteen.” He turned around and opened his locker setting the glasses inside, though he put his hat back on covering up his dark brown hair and shading his eyes.
He grabbed his bag and the paycheck that sat in his locker then after playfully jabbing Carmen in the side in a goodbye he left.
The alleyway behind the small cafe was barley lit, a street light twenty feet away at the alleys end was the only light giver and it flickered uncertainly. Ben pulled his cap down further and headed off in the opposite direction of the light.
He splashed through the small puddles that riddled the cracked road, and as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light he pulled his hat up a bit to look around.
Still the same graffiti stained walks and bad smelling dumpsters. It highly contrasted with the rest of his life, yet this was what he preferred. Not necessarily the dingy alleyway and the smell but the peace, the silence. No crazy stalkers, fan girls, paparazzi, no one snapping pictures or following him...at least he hoped not.
He slowed down a bit as he turned to look behind him. Empty and silent except for his steps which padded softly against the asphalt.
His dad had taught him how to walk silently, even on the creakiest of floorboards, but Ben had long since fallen out of that habit, along with many others.
Perhaps it was because he scared to many people by silently appearing behind them, or maybe it was because his father had stopped teaching him things like that.
Bennett pulled his jacket tighter and finally made it out of the alleyway and onto a more busy road, another half mile walk up that road and he paused between a copse of bushes and trees.
He pulled the keys out for his Lagonda Taraf, the inside of the car lit up as he turned it on and the almost silent car pulled out from its hiding spot.
It was almost ten forty. He might be home a little early today.
It took another twenty minutes to drive to the front gates of the five hundred acre property his father owned, twenty foot cement walls, painted to look like bricks, surrounded the entire estate and high definition cameras with heat and movement detectors were placed every five feet. Along with razor wire, and electric wire running over the top and under the ground, five guards stood sentry at the gate, as they saw the car approach they opened the gate and Ben did his signature “OK” sign at them as he passed, it was a small signal telling them that he was in fact the real Bennett Slader, and they weren’t letting in an impostor.
At top speed it took two minutes for Ben to reach Slader Manor which sat abutting the mountains that sat behind it. The heavily wooded forests around the manor trapped in the darkness of night and Bennett once again wished there was more staff at the house, more staff or more people, just anyone to chase away the nervousness he felt when staring off into the dark, waiting for something to jump out and come chasing after him.
He parked in the garage lining up with the other ten cars that took up the space.
He let the garage door behind him come to a full close before he stepped out of the car, another habit.
He grabbed his hat which he had taken off and slung his bag over his shoulder, heading into the house.
He dropped the keys off on the small table next to the garage door that led into the house, Walking over to the intercom he pressed the ALL button, “Dad, I’m home.” He said this every time but had gotten used to the silence he received in reply, for his dad would not be home until way later, if he came home at all.
Bennett's gut twisted up even more then it always was at that thought.
Having a dad with super powers, you would think Bennett wouldn’t even think twice about his father’s safety but when he was fighting other supers with the same if not more powerful abilities...well…
Bennett shook his head, to tired from the day to add more stress.
“Ben!”
Ben jerked as his name was yelled across the room. Ben had wandered into the kitchen and was sifting through a pile of mail he had found laying on the counter.
“Matt!? Whats your problem?!” Bennett scowled at his best friend, a somewhat short red headed kid with a smile that could put the sun to shame, “You almost gave me a freaking heart attack.” He mumbled, looking back down at the mail.
“Glad you made it home in one piece! From the looks of this magazine it seemed as if every girl would be trying to hunt you down and maim you for going out with Jenny Manning! I mean, seriously dude, out of all the girls, you pick her?” Matt bounded up the few steps that separated the main living room from the kitchen, he slid over to the fridge but not before sliding the magazine he was reading across the counter over to Ben.
Ben looked down at the cover page, it was a picture of him with his arm draped over Jenny Manning, a girl from his school, shoulders. Jenny had a broad smile splayed across her face but Ben only looked mildly amused. He knew where the picture had come from.
It was from a school group project. When the group had gotten all together to take a picture of their finished project, Jenny had not so subtly pushed the other girls, and guys, out of the way so she could stand next to him and put her arm around his waist for the picture.
The paparazzi were getting desperate.
“I can’t believe you believe this stuff.” He looked back down at the other mail.
“Oh I don’t, but it’s got some juicy details in there about your supposed date with her, I just love the gossip column. Oh man, you should see some of the stuff they write about you.” With a hand full of grapes Matt slid the magazine back over to himself, “If magazine gossip columns had ratings..." He shook his head, whispering "R" under his breath.
Ben rolled his eyes, “I don’t even know why we have those magazines around the house anyway, for some reason my dad likes to get them to see what they’re saying about him.”
Bennett sighed at himself pushing the mail away, the butler had already been through the mail throwing away the fan mail and stowing the important letters and documents.
“How long are you staying?” Bennett yawned and started for the servant staircase that led up to the other four floors.
“I’m staying the night, Mrs.John is making gruel for breakfast tomorrow so most the kids are skipping out tonight. I’d much rather eat Henry’s bacon and eggs and annoy you all morning.”
Bennett waved off his friend, yawning again, he still had homework that was do online tonight and he hadn’t even started.
“Night.” Matt said, heading off to his own room.
Matt had been Bennett's best friend ever since they were eight years old. Well, Bennett had been eight years old. Matt was almost nine months older then Bennett but if you didn’t know them you never would’ve guessed it, Matt was practically a child, always messing around with people and cracking jokes.
When Matt was thirteen Bennett had designated him a room since the kid spent almost all his time at their house anyway.
Now four years later they were still best friends and Matt had made that room his. Specifically with the posters all over the walls the uncleaned connected bathroom and the floor strewn with papers and dirty clothes.
That night his dad came home at 12:30, early compared to some nights. When his dads soft footsteps sounded from down the hall Ben sighed and was finally able to relax and close his eyes, but when the footsteps stopped at his door he held his breath, wondering if his dad would finally knock. He didn’t.
