Chương 9: Creepy Neighbor
"Alright, we're here, folks," Max announced with a warm smile as they arrived, stopping by Vera's house.
"Damn, it's hot," Fred remarked, slurping on a slushy with a contented sigh.
"How come you always have snacks?" Gwen asked, her curiosity piqued as they got out of the vehicle.
"Want one?" Fred replied, pulling another slushy from his dimension storage with a grin. Gwen accepted the offer gratefully, given the sweltering heat.
Ben peeked at the neighboring house's window and saw an old person acting strangely, quickly closing the window blinds. "Okay. That's one way to wave a red flag," Ben remarked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
"Maxie!" Vera came out to greet them, her face lighting up with joy. "And you brought company," she added, hugging Max tightly, her voice filled with warmth.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Max said, his tone nostalgic. "We also have a special guest with us. The grandchild of my friend," Max said, presenting Fred to Vera.
"Oh, that's wonderful! Guests are always welcome here. And I see you're the same age as Ben and Gwen. Oh, how big you are!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she squished and pinched Fred's cheeks.
"His name is Fredrick Rodwell, by the way," Max introduced.
"Fredrick, nice to meet ya! You can call me Aunt Vera," she said cheerily, her voice full of kindness. "Come on inside," she invited as they headed in.
"Sniff. Sniff. Smells like old people," Ben remarked, wrinkling his nose as they entered.
"Come on, I'll serve you something to eat. I'm sure you're famished," Vera said, her voice brimming with hospitality as they sat down to dine. Ben grew impatient while they were eating and excused himself to go to the bathroom.
"So, Fred, is it alright if I call you that? How's camping with my Max?" Vera asked, initiating a conversation with him. As they talked, time passed by pleasantly.
Ben came back, barging in with a rush. "You won't believe what I'm about to tell you, but..." he said, his voice filled with urgency.
"Shh. Your Aunt Vera is sleeping," Max hushed Ben gently.
"Wait, really? It's still early. Anyway, there's something I gotta tell you. I came across this weird old guy in our neighborhood whose arms were all stretchy and his head turned all the way back. Then, after he saw me watching him do something shady, he started attacking me. I ran and borrowed his go-cart, but he chased me until we crashed, and the sprinklers went off, causing him to run away," Ben explained hurriedly, his voice rising with excitement and fear.
"Slow down there, champ," Max said, trying to calm him with a reassuring tone.
"Besides, don't you think you should apologize?" Gwen said, her voice tinged with concern, leaving Ben with a question mark.
"What now?" he asked, confused.
"Aunt Vera was hurt by you sneaking out to avoid her," Gwen said, her voice softening.
"Ahh, come on, she'll be fine. Anyway, I think it's hero time," Ben said, not caring about what Gwen had to say, his voice filled with determination.
Max gave a heavy sigh and stood for a minute. "If what Ben said is true, we should investigate, but don't turn into anything. It could be a false alarm," Max said, his voice firm yet cautious.
"Why is it that after getting that watch, you're always attracting weird things?" Gwen remarked, her tone a mix of frustration and curiosity as they went to check Marty's house, Vera's neighbor.
"I'll head to the guest room to get some shut-eye," Fred said, yawning deeply.
"That's what you get for gaming nonstop till we got here," Gwen remarked, shaking her head.
"Totally worth it," Fred smiled as he went to sleep, his voice filled with satisfaction.
"Boys," Gwen rolled her eyes as they went next door. The trio snuck into Marty's house and snooped around but ended up finding nothing.
"Guess going alien started messing with your head," Gwen mocked, her voice dripping with sarcasm as they found nothing suspicious in the house. They went back to go to sleep as well, given it was getting late.
"But I could've sworn I saw him," Ben said, his voice filled with doubt as they headed back.
"I think you should give it a rest, Ben. You can continue your hunt tomorrow, but now we gotta get some sleep," Max said, ending the investigation short and heading to bed.
The night passed peacefully, and the next day arrived.
"That was some good sleep. Morning," Fred yawned as he walked into the kitchen. "Y'all already up?" he noted, seeing Ben and Gwen in the kitchen.
Ben was rummaging through the fridge. "Why is there only prune juice? Can't we just have some normal food this vacation?" Ben grumbled, closing the fridge with a sigh.
"No cereal!" Fred remarked, hearing Ben complain. He then used mana telekinesis to take a small bowl out, opened a pink portal, pulled out some cereal, and poured it into the bowl.
"Isn't that a little bit much?" Gwen said, raising an eyebrow as she watched him eat from the small bowl.
"Hey, don't forget I'm part alien, so our daily intakes will differ," Fred defended himself as he ate.
Vera came down to the kitchen, her steps light. "Morning, everyone," she said in an unrefined tone.
"Good morning, Aunt Vera," Gwen replied politely.
"I made coffee," Vera added, holding a tray with coffee and water. But as she presented it, she slipped, spilling the coffee and water. Vera jumped, avoiding the water, and ordered Gwen to clean the mess.
"Man, I'm full," Fred said as he got up after eating. "Hmmm," he noticed something off as he turned into Overflow, blasting Vera with water.
"Fred!" Gwen and Ben cried, noting his rude behavior. But Vera, now on the floor doused with water, began to melt as if she was dissolving. Ben and Gwen gasped in shock.
"I sensed a change in her presence, and with her suddenly avoiding water like that, I figured something was up," Fred explained as the two stared in surprise.
"I'm guessing this is what Ben meant," Fred said as he turned back to normal.
"Could you at least warn us next time?" Gwen said, a bit soaked and clearly annoyed.
"My bad," Fred apologized, lifting his hand as it glimmered pink. A gust of wind filled the kitchen, drying up the place. "There," he said.
"That alien was awesome. What do you call him?" Ben's eyes glimmered with joy and curiosity.
"I don't name them," Fred replied nonchalantly.
"Boo. You at least have to name the aliens you turn into. Here, how about Overflow?" Ben suggested eagerly.
"Yeah, how about you save it for when you get access to it," Fred replied, declining the proposal.
"Anyway, while I was in my partial Anodite form, I also sensed that everyone in this town was replaced by an alien," Fred said, changing the topic. The two gasped at this realization.
"What about Grandpa Max?" they asked, their voices filled with concern.
Fred nodded. "But I know where they are," he said, turning into a Galvan and hopping onto Ben's arm.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Ben asked as Fred turned the dial of the Omnitrix and pressed it, turning him into XLR8.
"Not cool. You could've told me to choose this guy," Ben said, feeling a bit betrayed.
"No time. With my currently enhanced intellect, I became privy to what I presume is the enemy's goal. Hence, I chose the optimal transformation most suited for our next approach," Fred said, turning into Kineceleran himself as he jumped off Ben. Ben looked at Fred, not understanding what he just said.
"While I was in my Grey Matter form, I was able to understand more of the situation. We need to leave now, or it'll be too late. Grab Gwen and follow me," Fred explained urgently.
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