Cult of Personality (Wade & Bliss)

[Wade Von Doom]

We got a weird one today.

A weird, dark, and strange story. One filled with hope and optimism for the future, but changed evermore to meet the demands of whom they look up to, and dare I say, even worship. Unintentionally, I should add, no one was expecting to be made what they became in this cult, and plenty of them might argue, 'it's not that bad.' That choice is left up to you, but we're getting too far ahead for that decision to be made. How did we arrive here, what are the key players, and who is this 'Ben?'

To start off, we need to go to the eastern side of the city. In a small building, one you would usually be in if you were trying to get your driver's license renewed, or just past the driver's ed test, there were plenty of people hanging around in the main lobby, sitting in uncomfortable chairs as they waited for their number to pop up. Most of these people were drug addicts, former drug addicts who were down on their luck, the impoverish who could no longer afford to keep their home, the mentally ill who needed therapy and support, lacking the resources needed to get it, and a small amount of runaways who were seeking to get a better life away from what they grew up in. Broken homes, abusive parents, siblings who teased and tortured sadistically, and a house that felt like it would collapse with the smallest of breezes by the outside wind. Why were they all here? For the same reason. They wanted something better.

The building was hosting a lottery of some kind. The lottery was hosted by a company that was promising to 'help and give a life to those who have never had one.' From the way it sounded, it seemed like a rehab center, or homeless shelter, just with fancier words. However, because of how many people wanted to join it, they didn't have enough room for everyone, and would only take in a couple from the hundred or so that put their names in. If it wasn't actually a hundred or so people, it certainly felt like it, as the lobby everyone was waiting in was cramped. With so many people fit into it, space was now becoming a luxury, and if you could find some space for yourself, make sure no one took it. You had to fight for it.

Miserable? You betcha, staying here was like pulling teeth, the tedious waiting time, and the claustrophobic feeling, leaving was a really fine idea if you've been there so long, your legs have turned to iron by how uncomfortable it was. But, if you left, your chances of winning went down. You couldn't hear your name from outside, and if you were desperate, a wish and a prayer was all that you had going for you in being one of the few announced. All you could do was wait. Wait to hear your name echo over the loud speaker, or finally be able to leave; returning to a life you wish was different. And unbeknownst to everyone in the lobby, that's exactly what the company was offering. Not just a home, and a community, but a completely new life.

An actual restart. No one knew what the company actually did, and no one knew it's little secret for where their members truly lived. All anybody knew was it offered help and a home, that's it. Not the amazing opportunity it truly was.

 

[Skye Bliss]

Novaline Norvak had been a runaway teen, her home life as all others there had been a terrible one since her mother had never truly wanted her, Nova had been a product of rape and she was never allowed to forget it either. Abused by her mother and pimped out a few times by the woman just so the two of them could get by, she was anxious to find help and a get away but it never came so she took matters into her own hands and left home.

In another year she would be eighteen anyhow and her mother made it clear she would be kicked out on the day of her birthday, so she decided why wait? She knew her mother would never report it, so she packed her book sack from school with as much clothing as she could and only personal items that either meant something to her which wasn't much or something worth value she could sell later for cash to help feed her or get her out of the city.

That day had never came either, instead she had just roamed the streets continuously and sleeping on empty park benches where she could. She had seen fliers posted up all over town about this company who was willing to help those in need, so she found where the ad led her and cramped in waiting for her number to be called. Glancing down at the number in her hand 25, she sighed and rested her black head of hair against the cold wall, closing her blue eyes as she waited anxiously to be called.

Sabrina was a red headed woman that sat across from Nova, her hair was down and brushed over one eye but she wore glasses, which was very curious since she was inside but it was because she had been sporting a black eye that she wanted to keep hidden from view. Her skin, unlike Nova's was not a pretty bronze color but instead a milky white one that made the bruise on her face stand out much more. She clung to the number she pulled, praying non stop that she would be accepted for whatever this company offered. Her husband was an abusive officer, she had tried running before but it had been in vain and he always had his friends helping to track her down, never believing that this man could be what she claimed.

Her number was 30, but she had been there over two hours already, she knew she had until her husband got off of work and then she had no choice she would have to leave and forfeit her chance. There were many others waiting, not knowing what laid ahead of them but all willing to give it a shot.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

The two women, when they showed up, had to sign a ridiculously amount of papers. Around seven sheets stapled together on top of each other. It had basic information like first and last name, home address, age, birthday, any medical needs, if they had been to a rehabilitation or homeless shelter before, got a lot more medical questions than you would've actually thought, like if you've ever given birth, had an abortion, blood type, reason for coming here, names of relatives who could easily contact you, phone numbers, if you've ever used a credit card and if you'e ever been late paying late fees, questions that got quite specific. Though you could chalk that up to precautions to ensure that anyone abusive to you could not find you, and if you had any issues with addictions, you wouldn't find any chance to relapse.... Maybe.

It was a lot of questions. Either way, once both girls got their number, the waiting period was a good three hours. Names were looked through, had background checks made, and proper authentication was made to make sure their information was solid. Once each name was sort, the decision making was made. Another name added to the pile was Lucas. Lucas Blanchett, he was a 21 year old college transfer student turned drop out, because things in his life were.... Well, not as Messy as Sabrina and Nova's lives, his parents were never abusive to him, though certainly hard. His issues were more drug based. He had gotten into SOMAs and relaxers a lot in high school, having anxiety issues, with the added issues of bullies. Lucas had a crush on a kid in school. A male friend.

He was bisexual, and fell in love with said male friend, who rejected Lucas when he tried asking him out on a date. When rumors started floating around, some of the other kids added in that he was having sex with another one of the teachers in school, a middle aged gay teacher who tried keeping his private life that. Private. As these rumors became more openly discussed, said teacher quit over the harassment he was getting and constant questions of whether he was sleeping with an underaged student, while Lucas was bullied and called such great words as 'homo,' and 'faggot.' When he finally graduated, he wanted out of Australia, and found himself in the US, where his drug issues truly took over. Without anyone there to keep him in check, his grades failed, he dropped out, and never returned home. He had spent a year working odd jobs, but his last overdose was fatal, and he knew he needed help.

He didn't want to return home for that help, however. He stayed here, and found himself in this cramped lobby, awaiting to hear his number. '45.' With all names collected, and searched through, the background checks came in and everything was finally done, the choice was finally to be made.

"Do you have any favorites so far, sir?" A lady asked.

The man behind the company, the one picking out the names personally, rubbed his chin with his hand. "Hmmmm.... Well, this Nova girl interests me. Someone her age would definitely fit the island....... Sabrina as well, she doesn't quite state her reason for being here, it's a bit vague."

"Shall I throw that out?"

"No, no, I'll keep it in the pile....... Lucas seems the type to have around, he could join our guard program. We need more people to join that."

"Anyone else?"

"Hmmmm..." He took another minute to read through the names, looking over their information. "........ I think these five will do. The others don't have matching backgrounds, and I don't believe they'd fit the community. Announce their numbers and bring them to the back room, make sure they have stuff to eat and drink as well, I wanna talk to them personally."

After what seemed like 14 hours, finally the numbers were called. "May I have your attention. We have made our final choices........ 25, 45, 18, 54 and 30, please come to the front desks. Our staff will lead you from there." So it was the three managed to get their names picked. When heading to the front desks, they were lead behind them and through the small offices of the building, where they were placed in a room with a couch, a table full of sandwiches, and some bottled water.

 

[Skye Bliss]

Once the five numbers were called, there could be groans and disappointment that rushed through the room, but it quickly died down once the people began to spill out of the lobby and off to their lives. As they were all taken to the back room, they could see things were made a little more comfortable for them back there and were provided food and drinks.

It was a good thing since they had all been there all day, it was getting late now and Sabrina's husband would be looking for her calling around to her friends but no one knew where she had gone that day she made sure of it. Nova looked around and after picking up a sandwich she went to sit down on the couch next to Lucas who was already enjoying a sandwich and chips of his own. "Hey, I'm Nova." She smiled and mumbled as she sat down, greeting her would be neighbor. "What's your name?"

Sabrina the redhead seemed to be a bit nervous and was dead set on standing and not removing those dark oversized sunglasses, she hovered by the table and opened a bag of chips first before eating a sandwich, her green eyes lingered over to the woman standing beside her a blonde woman about 5'7. She had brown eyes and a bit more tan than Nova was, though her breasts had been a small and very perky b sized, she could have gone without a bra and it wouldn't effect the way they hung. Fitting inside a grown man's hand perfectly, her body was athletic and her long legs were toned with big calves which let Sabrina know the woman worked out and ran; it paid being married to a cop sometimes.

"Hi, my name is Sabrina, what's yours?" The blonde doe eyed woman looked up at the obviously abused and battered woman with a kind and gentle smile, holding out her hand as she responded simply with "Kelly." Then she took a bite of her sandwich after she had looked inside of it to see what it was before even taking a bite, despite the fact she was very hungry. Once she discovered that she had turkey breast, she was satisfied and began to wipe off most of the condiments that were on it, leaving a very thin layer before wiping her fingers in a napkin.

"I see you're health conscious, do you run as well?" Sabrina was desperate to find someone to talk to in order to take her mind off her husband that waited at home for her; by now he would be so angry there was no way she could return home now and not be hurt severely. It had gotten to the point that Sabrina began to fear for her life, thinking that her husband would kill her and how easily it would be to dispose of her body and cover up the crime, that was why she was there and Sabrina was desperate for this.

"Yeah I run every day, I'd go nuts if I couldnt keep a healthy lifestyle. Do you run?" Kelly was more open to being spoken to now that Sabrina showed an interest in health and fitness, they spoke a few minutes about a few health trends they both had tried and which ones they liked best and which ones actually worked and which did not, Sabrina was visibly loosening up now and the two women had moved the conversation over to the couch where they would introduce themselves to Nova and Lucas before long they were all chatting as if they had known each other for years and all got along fine.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

Lucas sat right down on the couch when he entered the room, wanting to sleep at this point in the night, even if the sandwiches actually looked decent. Probably subway pick ups with the bags of chips and such. He laid his head back against the cushions and closed his eyes, dosing off for a couple minutes. His hair was a darker blonde color to Kelly's, and his skin color seemed pale. He always enjoyed having a beach tan look about him, since, while cliche, considering the country he came from, he did actually like surfing. He was an outdoors-man, and since his current living conditions didn't give him many chances to enjoy being outside, especially if it was the winter time, he was lacking in any exercise he would've enjoyed. Though, that's not to say it's the only reason his skin was a light color.

His hair was longer than it should've been, he had a stubble turning into a beard, and his clothing disguised how skinny he actually was. If Nova didn't sit down next to him; waking the Aussie, you would've thought he died the moment his eye closed. Lucas, thankfully, jumped his head upwards, feeling the couch shift. Rubbing his eyes, he looked back over to Nova and gave a small smile. "I'm Lucas.... Nice to meet you." He said with a hazy voice, looking ready to pass out for the whole night and maybe all of tomorrow. "Sorry, I've, uh, been having trouble sleeping." He quickly explained as he tried waking himself up more. Seeing her dig into her sandwich, his stomach growled loudly enough for Nova to hear, and eventually Lucas quickly stood up to grab some chips and a sandwich. "Jesum, I'm hungry. That frggin' lobby was the most uncomfortable place in the world, I'm shocked people stayed as long as they did." It was a bit of an endurance test for sure, and once Lucas finished his sentence, he dug right into his sandwich. He didn't care what was on it, as long as it was food, he went through half of it in thirty seconds flat.

When the two others sat down, Lucas moved over to give them some room. The only one left out of all of them was the fifth person, another girl, this one being of a much darker skin color. She was African american, with short black hair, dark blue eyes, and was leaning against the wall as she ate her sandwich. She wore a leather jacket and keep to herself it seemed, not wanting to socialize with the others. Lucas though was enjoying the company. They were getting along great so far, and he decided to ask the magic question. "So, what brought you all here?" He asked once he finished his sandwich and gulfed down the rest of his chips.

"I, uh..... Well, I'm hoping to give myself some help.... I came down with a bit of a bad habit, SOMAs and anti-depressants, and it got to a point where I knew I couldn't keep living like that. This place was available, and I'll admit, it sounded a bit sketchy. I mean, looking it up, it has photos of a mansion on some beach, the place looks way too good to be some rehab center, and it did ask for a lot of info when I did the sign up sheets. But, it's January, and I don't have many means of getting around so.... Yeah." Lucas left out the more exact details of his issues, but the general overview was honest. He needed help, this place offered it, and even now, he still wasn't sure if this place was going to rob everyone of their money, or con them into a pyramid scheme.

 

[Skye Bliss]

The room seemed to be overflowing with chatter, but as soon as the magic question was asked what had brought them all there, Nova and Sabrina both shifted uncomfortably. Sabrina knew better but she wasnt expecting the question that fast, she was reluctant to tell her story and wasnt going to go first. As she looked around the room at the other four remaining people in the room, wondering if one of them would go first though she noted Nova's reaction was like her own. It was what made her realize that she had unintentionally gave away her difficult home life with her body language.

Despite the obvious to Sabrina, Nova was the first to respond her face turned downward the young lady revealed that she had only been a young adult and not very long, having left home due to an abusive mother who did not want her because she was a product of rape. It inspired Sabrina that such a young girl could have so much courage and end up taking care of herself on the streets. Her heart went out to Nova and she instantly felt that motherly connection to the girl and her courage gave Sabrina enough to tell her own little background story.

She cleared her throat and slowly pulled down the dark shades to reveal the black blue and purple bruise that was around her swollen eye. Nova gasped when she seen how bad it looked, lifting her hands to cover her mouth with wide eyes. "My husband is on the police force, and he is abusive to me... it's gotten worse over the years, that I'm afraid of him and for my life. This place seemed like the answer, I need this to work, so I hope it's no scam." She looked at Lucas as she said that part, looking around the room for anyone else to take the potem.

Kelly smiled and waved around the room at everyone, her sunkissed bright almost white blonde ponytail bounced as she turned her head to look at each individual as she spoke. "My story isn't as unique as these two lovely ladies here, its just as simple as I was running when I came across the flyer and well... I'm not gonna lie, the pictures of this place is what drug me in here and kept me in that lobby. Anything THAT nice, I have got to visit it at least once." She clapped her hands together, in a sort of so there you have it fashion as she waited for the next person to take over.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

Lucas suddenly wished he didn't open his mouth because of the awkward silence after a while. Not because he didn't wish to hear their stories, but because he realized it was hard for them to speak on their reasons for coming. He figured they'd be dark, but to see Nova and Sabrina struggle through describing their situations, he wanted to give them both hugs. Sabrina especially, since she was in a situation of do or die, that if this didn't work, god only knows what'll happen to her. Putting a hand on Sabrina's knee, he looked her in the eyes, unsure of what to say besides his small gesture. Now he was truly hoping this place wasn't a scam.

Kelly's on the other hand, if you wanted to be caught completely off guard, why the fuck was she here? Honestly, the first start by Lucas was dark, then Nova made things darker, Sabrina was the darkest of all of them, and Kelly seemingly had NO issues at all, which Lucas smartly blurted out once she finished, "Um.... D-Don't take this the wrong way, but.... Why were you picked?" He had a clearly puzzled look on his face, since he figured everyone here was for said reasons, to get help. She didn't need help, she was just curious, and somehow her name was chosen out of everyone in that room. Why did they pick her?

"Well, what makes her any different from you all?" A voice echoed out from the doorway on the other side of the room. A man was standing in the doorway, with striking blonde hair to match Kelly's, while wearing a blue button shirt and grey jeans. His voice was clearly British, a received pronunciation type of accent, with a voice that was quite calming, yet slightly husky to it. Imagine a Pierce Brosnan, and you'd have Ben. A young Brosnan though, not old Brosnan. He certainly was nice to the eyes, a handsome man with short hair slicked back to meet with his professional sounding voice. "It's nice to meet with you all. I'm Ben, Ben Forbes, I run the De St. Castine community. While yes, Kelly certainly doesn't match your 'unique' backgrounds, that isn't to say she shouldn't join. Our community isn't for just for those who seek asylum to help with their problems, it's building a foundation of healthy living. We promote a lifestyle of good relations with others, hopefully giving you a new lease on life, and we choose those we believe will benefit and give back to our community. Who knows? Maybe Kelly will be our health instructor for everyone living there."

He had a small smile on his face, a comforting one as he looked to all four of them on the couch. "Even Miss Jill over there could be a delightful neighbor." He said, looking to the black woman behind him. "We're not here because we want your money, or wish to have you sell products. Your people. Human beings who have been given bad cards in life, and if they continue down that route, it could end in the worst of ways. I've seen it happen before plenty of times, and it's hard to see when so much opportunity is wasted. Because they didn't have the means, or didn't see they had them, to help them. If you feel uncomfortable, however, and don't wish to stay, you're free to walk out. I won't stop you. The commitment you're making will be a big one, and it's better to not regret your choice later down the line." He waited for anyone to make a move or say something, seeing if all five of them would actually leave.

None did, with Lucas speaking up. ".... I don't think we have much to lose." Maybe not Kelly, she might actually have a life. But, no objections to staying and seeing what Ben had to offer. They only had themselves to blame for what happened yet. "Well," Ben started to speak, standing up from the coffee table he sat on while talking to everyone. "If you have all your belongings, and haven't forgotten anything, come follow me." He lead them to the back of the building, in what seemed to be an empty garage. Yet, there were strange markings on the ground, like burns.

"Here, put these on." He handed each of them a small ring, which had a strange glow in the center of it. Neon light green. "Now, I realize how this'll turn out, because you aren't the first to do this, and probably won't be the last, so do keep questions for after we arrive.... Oh, and don't stand up straight away once we arrive, slowly do that, you'll feel air sick if you do." He had something in his hands, a small object that looked quite funny.

​

"Off we go then." With a big smile, Ben pulled the rotater around the side, and suddenly everyone was engulfed in that same neon green light. The ground below them disappeared, and t felt as though they were falling from the sky; jumping out an airplane with no parachutes. This lasted what felt like eternity, this feeling of fall with no end, as the world past by them in this strange neon green tube. Thankfully though, it only lasted a good few seconds, and when they finally landed on some sort of ground, everyone would be laying there, feeling dizzy and disoriented. When they felt like they could stand without vomiting, they would see the island they were on was, as the flyers showed, quite beautiful.

Next to them was a smaller island, with fewer trees and more sandy beaches, but here was the big tell to everything not being right. There were two moons orbiting the sky. And as well, seemingly a few miles away, was this big ass thing:

It was big enough that they could see it from where they were standing, which had those same strange markings on it. And again, before they could make any response to what the fuck just happened, a holographic screen suddenly appeared in front of it, with a robotic male voice speaking to them.

"Hello! And welcome to the De St. Castine community project. This project was made by Ben Forbes, and it's focus is to create a community from the ground up, one that promotes diversity, love, companionship, positivity, and healthy living. The planet you are currently on is Planet 4546B, and houses plenty of alien oceanic life, along with several unknown alien machines and weapons, like the rail-gun you can see in the distance. The De St. Castine mansion is filled with the best luxury furniture you would find in any luxury hotel, along with a gym, swimming pool, play room, kitchen, and several hundred bedrooms within the main mansion itself. We are also expanding the mansion add more housing and activities, such as boating, surfing, fishing, and even island exploration, should you feel daring enough to see what lies beyond the sea. We realize the sudden change and drastic way you arrive here will cause hysteria, panic, depression, surprise, and horror. Please do visit the local therapists to help with these mixed emotions, and should you feel the need to vomit, or have discharged any bodily fluids during transportation, please visit the local tailor, who will supply you with new clothing, and wash your dirty ones. Thank you, and have a wonderful stay on the island!"

The hologram disappeared, and Ben stood there with his hands together. "So I do realize the strangeness of this situation, so I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have." He was very calm, and Lucas clearly looked very worried and scared as to how all this happened.​

 

[Skye Bliss]

The room grew quiet as they all heard a new voice being added to the group of already existing ones, it caused the focus of them to all shift towards the entrance where they all sort of stared in awe at Ben. The blonde haired man that immediately began to put the others in their place and telling them exactly what his program was about and for. People with all sorts of backgrounds, personalities, and issues some money wise and others physically mentally or abused; or just people with skills they could use.

Everyone would have to work together on the island and give a little of themselves or offer a bit of their expertise to the community. Nova lifted her hand and stated for the entire group to hear her as she offered a smile to Kelly, "I personally don't care what brought us each here, as long as everyone respects me." She had learned how to toughen herself up and stand up and speak when she wanted others to hear her or her opinion, "So, congratulations for being accepted Kelly and it's nice to meet you. All of you."

Sabrina smiled as she nodded, adding in softly as she looked at Ben and expressed her own thanks. "I really need this to work, so thank you as well, for accepting me. Life or death situations give you two options to choose from, choose to fight and survive or to just roll over and give up. If I wouldn't have come across that flyer of yours advertising your program, I would have died. By my husband's hands. You will never know how grateful I am to you."

She quieted down and once he told them to follow them if they had everything Sabrina looked around about to ask what to do if she had nothing, but they were all instructed with strict guide lining rules that would have to be followed and were told to hold all questions until after arriving so she kept quiet.

Sabrina and Nova shared a nervous look as he told them all the possibilities of things that could possibly go wrong and instinctively the older woman took hold of the younger ones hand and pulled her close as they closed their eyes. Suddenly all that could be felt was the falling sensations, both girls kept their eyes closed and clung to each other as they were being transported.

Kelly kept her eyes open the entire time, fear freezing her in shock she was unable to close her eyes, move or anything. She seen everything, the glowing green neon lights that engulfed all of them and everything around them. The symbols and weird looking writings even illuminated and shone brightly for a second before suddenly all she could see was a blue sky above her, and felt solid ground beneath her as she laid there in the sand.

Screams could be heard until they arrived, Kelly had done both urinate and vomit on herself during transportation, but all of them rested for a while before even attempting to get up. Until her head stopped spinning, is when Kelly finally clutched at the sand and her stomach as she sat up slowly.

Sabrina and Nova had found themselves on the ground in a hug when they arrived, and each asked the other if they were alright the moment they were able to sit up and speak. Hearing Ben's voice as they began to slowly stand once they were successful in sitting up, Nova held her head gently and all looked worn out and exhausted but they listened quietly as he spoke to them allowing their questions to be asked now though it was only Sabrina that had enough courage and strength to actually speak loudly and clear enough for him and everyone else to hear her. "How do we purchase things on the island and, what's up with the two moons?" None of them were stupid, but she wanted to make sure she hadnt been seeing things, though she felt relief wash over her for the first time in ten years. Ray would never be able to hurt her again, she vowed never to think about him or that old life again. "And is there a map of the community so we will know where to go for what? I was unable to bring anything so I'll need clothing and personal care items." It seemed like Sabrina was the most eager out of all of them to get started on her new life, Nova was more or less just disheveled and disoriented.

Kelly was the only one who had soiled her clothing with bodily fluids, she was starting off this adventure off with embarrassment as she was the only one to still be sitting in the sand instead of standing, not wanting anyone to see what happened since she was a proud person. Though she listened for the answers to the questions that Sabrina asked, refusing to move until she watched the others walk away to go off exploring on their own.

"Where will we be staying?" Was the only thing that Jill asked Ben as the others began to all move in closer to the leader as they looked around at the stunning view that was their own from now on; a different world from Earth apparently.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

Well it was good to see everyone was taking travel well.... Except Kelly, Ben could see she didn't look to well. At least the wind was blowing away the oder, so no one could smell her. "Well," he started, answering Sabrina's eager answers. "The island is delivered goods and supplies weekly by our supplier. If there's something specific you want, all you need to do is talk with our Community Managers, along with whatever the cost may be. We have jobs around the island and on the campus that do pay you, as we're hoping to make a self-sustaining economy on the island, growing our own crops and herding animals. The work is to give you something to do, and the money allows you to buy whatever it is you may want." As they headed up to the mansion, they walked up a flight of stairs made from rocks, and they could get a much clearer picture of the mansion itself. It was big, and while they could only see the mansion, they could also see other paths leading around the hill to the back of the island.

"The two moons, as the video says, is because of us being on an alien planet. Now, normally, we would integrate you into the community more slowly, as such intense travel and surprise can make a lot of the newer members feel uneasy and nervous, but, I made the decision to be more quickly about since.... Well, I wouldn't feel right sending you back out into the cold. Or back home." He looked to Sabrina as he said that, giving her a wink. "There's a map of the place already set up in your rooms, and you'll be sleeping inside the mansion itself. Each room has a king-sized bed, and can be customized to be whatever it is you wish it, so don't worry about damaging anything. Any clothing and personal care items will be supplied, again, if you need anything specific, just ask one of the community managers, and do walk around to explore the area, a lot of the community would love to meet with you all." When they arrived on the lawn of the mansion out front, they could see how populated the place was.

In the pool, several people were swimming, the tennis courts had two teams of two playing against each other, and off in the distance two more could be seem taking a walk on one of the paths. Inside had even more people. "How many people do you have?" Lucas asked, taking in the scenery of both the island, and how populated the place was. "Including you, we have well over 50 people. And that'll hopefully keep growing as we develop the housing on the other end of the island." Ben replied.

"... Sorry, but.... Are you--"

"I'm not an alien if you're asking that." Ben quickly interrupted. "This is why I integrate people more slowly, because explaining how you all arrived here is tricky. But, I'm not an alien. Fully human, just like the rest of you."

"Then... How did this all happen?"

"Short answer: we're in another universe."

Lucas immediate went confused look at Ben. "..... What?"

"I'm from your world. This little thing here," he pulled out that strange device again. "is how I travel. The technology behind this is old, older than even I know what it is, but when I was a teenager, I happened upon it. My father was an archaeologist, and from one of his many expeditions, he brought me back. Hadn't a clue what it was, but he figured I'd like it, as I enjoy strange objects. Turns out, one night fiddling with this, I happened to arrive on this island.

As best as I can tell, the technology originates here on this island. And if you change the dials, it doesn't just lead back to earth. I managed to find myself on various worlds, some similar to earth with history changed, others I found myself on alien planets and civilizations. Upon returning, I felt my old life was a bit 'meh,' considering I could now freely jump between worlds in a matter of seconds. So, once I was of age and graduated, I went traveling. Made a fortune in it as well. However, every universe I passed through, I came across people who were in the same situation as you all. Alone, scared, without help, and living on the streets. Their worlds were cruel to them, and I decided 'why not bring them with me?' Give them a new start on life. One completely cut off from the previous lives they had. It admittedly grew a little bigger," his fingers did the small sign, "than I originally thought it would, I promised myself just five people max, but thaaaaaat eventually turned to ten. Then fiften. And now fifty.

But, I do it because I feel people deserve it. When they have potential, why waste it? And why squander away in a world that threw you away, when you can make something better here?" While it sounded noble, and to some degree, it was. Ben's..... Not entirely being honest. He means it when he believes in giving people a new life, but it's one that is more misguided. Ben's vision here wasn't to create a new world. The others would find that out in the future. For now though, Lucas was fascinated by Ben's story, and ate it up. This was beyond anything the five had seen before, and Ben presented it to them on a silver platter. A new world. A new life.

Literally.

 

[Skye Bliss]

Nova had attached herself to Sabrina as they roamed closer to Ben, hearing him talk about the new world they had all been taken to. Lucas had asked the question that all had been wondering as soon as the words alien planet, had he been an extraterrestrial but he had answered before Lucas was even able to finish the statement. All had seemed to relax whenever he had told them that he was from planet earth as they all were, but they were offered a new life without the harsh living conditions each had faced in their lives. Sabrina had perked up and smiled with a little blush going to her face when Ben had told them all he had rushed this "batch" of people to the new planet, instead of making them go back to the abusive lifestyle or out in the cold, in that moment she had felt singled out but in a good way as if he had been her saviour.

She smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear, forgetting the bruises her husband had left her on her eye and face. For the first time in years she felt relaxed as if she was untouchable, it was a relief for her and she was now excited to start her new life as she sported the black eye her husband had marked her with instead of trying to hide it as she had been doing. Sabrina had smiled brightly for the first time showing her genuine smile and pearly white teeth. Nova had walked ahead with the group as they approached the stone mansion, Kelly stayed behind until she was the last one on the beach following with her head hung down lowly in shame.

Lucas had seemed to have an immediate crush on Ben, or at least that is what Nova thought, whispering to Sabrina whom she was already looking at as a mother or older sister figure. The only one who was off to a bad start was Kelly, who was lagging at the end of the group. She tried to wave at Ben to stay behind so that she could have a few words with him, as he did she approached and whispered to him with embarrassment written all over her face. "Ben? I um, I am in need of a bath and new clothing pronto. Does anyone ever have these reactions?" She looked down at herself and shook her head as she folded her arms over her chest.

"This is so embarrassing!" Panic could be heard rising in her throat but felt all over. The rest of the group had went ahead and entered the mansion walking up the steps as they passed the rose bush and garden scenery that the occupants had planted so all new comers would have a personal feeling to their new home, instead of something like a hospital or some place of doom.