A word from the author –

I started watching Ben 10 at the beginning of the summer, so you can say that Ben and I spent the vacation together. I'm obsessed with him and his adventures right now, and since last term my teacher taught my class story writing and I kind of fell in love with it, I couldn't help but to write this fanfiction.

The episode The Alliance and Back with a Vengeance really touched me. My insides actually went sour and painful when I watched to scene where Ben ran away and the part where the Omnitrix was ripped forcefully off his wrist. And that very night I saw episode 26, I had a nightmare, the very one that Gwen had in the story.

That's where the plot came from.

I spent about two weeks on this, a little more than I expected, with all that holiday homework untouched on my desk. I'm having trouble with grammar, but I swear I'm already trying my best. I'd really appreciate it if you guys review, so that I'd know how I'm doing and do a better job next time.

This is my first fic, so there's bound to be mistakes here and there. Please feel free to point them out to me, so I can improve. I've got to admit, it's really exciting putting stuff that I write on the internet and having people commenting on it. It feels good to know that somebody's actually appreciating what you write, or at least being your teachers on the internet, correcting what's wrong.

Thanks!

Disclamer: I don't own Ben 10.

GWEN

Chapter 1 – Haunted

I woke up panting and sweating, the scene before me slowly dimming away. I found myself in total darkness, gasping desperately for air and clutching my heart so tightly it hurt. It was beating so fast I was afraid it would jump right out of my chest.

Calm down, Gwen, I thought, that wasn't real.

My blanket has somehow fallen off my bunk and my pillow has managed to escape to somewhere near my feet. I realized then I must have been thrashing quite a bit in my sleep.

It's a dream, just a dream.

I took a glance at my digital clock. The glow-in-the-dark numbers and the two flashing dots in between were the only things I could see.

It was three-forty in the morning.

It's a dream, okay? And dreams can't hurt you.

There was a sudden need for fresh air, so as my eyes came to focus of my surroundings I slid silently from my bunk, careful not to wake my cousin and grandpa. I didn't want to be caught out of bed in the dead of the night. I would have to tell them about my nightmare, and I certainly didn't want to. Seeing that memory replay in my sleep was bad enough. There was no point in describing it to them and torture myself in the recollection again.

Grandpa was snoring loudly at his driver's seat. I gave one last look at my cousin on the bottom bunk. He's fine, I told myself, he's right there. It's was all but a nightmare.

He was sleeping soundly, alright. His pillow, like mine, was out of place. He was dangling half-way out of his bunk, so that his head was touching the floor. I guess that's the way all doofuses sleep.

I tried not to laugh and wince in disgust at the same time. The dweeb was drooling like a sick dog.

But at least he wasn't troubled by disturbing visions every time he closed his eyes.

I grabbed a flashlight, slid into my trainers and made my way quietly out the Rustbucket. I seriously needed a walk.

I guess that incident affected me quite a bit.

That dream has been haunting me since that fateful day. Sorry, did I say dream? I meant a nightmare. A terrible nightmare. One that scared the living daylights out of me.

Anyway, I'm getting pretty sick of myself. It's been two weeks since we last met Vilgax. Who on earth gets the same nightmares for fourteen days in a row? That only happens to fictional characters in books or the TV.

I turned on the flashlight. There was nothing but trees. Grandpa has decided to camp out here in the forest. It seemed okay during the day, when the sun was shining and all, but now, with the moon nowhere in sight...the pines look rather creepy to me.

Nevertheless I went a little way into the mist of pointy, prickly leaves. A little walk couldn't possibly hurt. Besides, fresh air does everyone good. I mean, that's what they always say, right? Take a couple of deep breaths, and you'll be fine.

I wish it were that easy.

The RV was soon out of sight. I decided that if I kept walking in a straight line, I couldn't possibly get lost. All I had to do was to retrace my steps and I'll be back in bed again.

I thought how real the nightmare felt, how everything in the dream happened exactly how it had two weeks ago, such that I thought it was history repeating itself and not just the result of my restless brain.

Then I told myself that I was out here to take a healthy stroll, and not to spook myself by running the memory through in my head again in a creepy forest in the middle of the night.

I was walking deeper and deeper into the woods, but I was hardly aware of it. I was too busy trying to keep my mind away from the nightmare. I was trying not to think about it. Not that I was doing a great job. Everything I set my eyes on, every sound that found its way into my ears, refused to leave me alone.

The green light.

The Omnitrix.

Vilgax.

The screams.

Urgh. Why can't they just leave me be?

I thought about telling Grandpa about these dreams. What would he say? That's there's nothing to be worried about? That everyone gets freaky nightmares? Or would my dreams mean something? What if they foretell the end of the world? Or a massive alien invasion? I couldn't help but remember the last time Ben had nightmares about Vilgax, he got hunted down by that creepy tentacle-beard alien the very next day.

On second thought, I wouldn't tell Grandpa. There was no point making them worry about insane conclusions I've randomly jumped to.

I felt envious of my doofus of a cousin. He was there too when the incident happened. It wasn't fair that I was the only one being haunted day and night and being driven out of my sleep by that one memory.

I could have slapped myself for thinking such a thing. "Cut it out!" I shouted furiously. My voice echoed through the trees. "You don't want Ben having those nightmares. You having them are bad enough."

"First sign of madness, talking to your own head," a voice sneered back. I groaned in frustration.

A slight breeze pecked at my cheek. "Anyway, they're just stupid nightmares," I said forcefully, trying to sound confident. I didn't notice the sweat that was forming on the palm of my hands. "The real thing happened weeks ago. It won't ever happen again. Nobody's going to get hurt again. Vilgax is in Null Void. He's not coming out. After a while I'll get myself occupied in other stuff and the dreams will simply go aw –"

At that very moment I tripped on a particularly large stone on the ground. The flashlight was knocked out of my grip and landed somewhere three feet away. I stumbled, trying to regain my balance, but in vain. I fell towards the damp forest floor. Something hard hit the back of my head, and I everything went black.