AWAKEN ; benny weir [2]

five

"I really hope you all ate this morning, because this might get rough."

Ms. Weir scanned upon the teenagers standing in her backyard. Ethan stood to her left while Benny and Sarah awaited the grandmother's instructions. Training couldn't come any sooner.

"Uh, was it required to eat breakfast?" Benny joked, raising his hand. "Because, I ate some Lucky Charms this morning and I don't know how much of a breakfast that is— OW!" 
Sarah chuckled at his reaction to her punch. Sometimes, he talked too much.

"Listen up, kids," Ms. Weir began. "You two are best for combat, while Ethan is more of a thinker. The only way your powers can excel is through enough practice."

"Practice makes perfect, I guess," Sarah sighed. "How are we gonna train?"

"Simple. You'll fight each other."
"WHAT?" Benny whined to his grandmother. "She'll totally kill me!"

"It's called learning, dude!" Ethan shouted. "How else are we supposed to kick Stern's ass?"

"Language, dear," Ms. Weir favoured, waving her arms at the mage and vampire. "Get ready, you two!"

Benny couldn't help but dread what was about to come. He couldn't tell if he didn't want to exercise, or if he didn't want to know the extent of his power. 
The vampire stood opposite of him, smirking at her friend as Sarah knew she was going to kick his ass.

"Okay, wait— do we really have to do this? I don't want to hurt her."

Sarah raised an eyebrow at Benny.

"...Fine, I don't want her to hurt me!" he exclaimed.

"Ready?" Ms. Weir bet.
"NO, I'M NOT! WHAT THE FU—?!"
"—Go!"

Benny flinched at the sight of Sarah's fangs flying out of her gums. The vampire's eyes flicked from brown to bright amber, staring the spellcaster down like he was going to be her dinner.

"Uh, Grandma? I'm lost..."

"No, you aren't! Just focus!" Ms. Weir tried to tell him.

"Come at me, dork!" Sarah yelled, trying to fester his frustration. "Why don't you hit me with some of that fairy dust, huh?"
"It's not fairy dust, McFang," Benny informed her, raising his hands in surrender. "And I'm still not gonna fight you."

"Okay... then I'll fight you." 

Within a single second, Sarah used her vampiric speed to rush behind Benny and twist his wrist behind his back, instantly leaving him stuck in place.

"That was unsurprisingly quick," Ethan smirked.

The seer nodded to the vampire, ushering Sarah to begin their plan. 
Ethan, Sarah, and Ms. Weir had devised an idea beforehand without Benny's knowledge. Since Ellie was out for the meantime and she was one of their most brutal assets, they needed some muscle. Benny was their best bet, even if they had to force the magic out of him.

"Why aren't you fighting back, Benny?" Sarah annoyed, twisting his wrist more and more between his shoulder blades. "Is this what would've happened if you had to fight Stern by yourself?"
"What? No— would you quit it?! OW—!"

"Of course, you're too big of a wuss to throw some glitter at me," Sarah kept talking.
"Sarah, let go..." he groaned through grit teeth. 

Sarah could tell that Benny was getting a bit angry, so she kept pushing.

"What would've happen if Stern did something even worse to Ellie?" she bugged. "Is this what you would've done, you chicken shit?"

"God, cut it out!"
Benny could feel that purple colour wash over his eyes, along with that annoying haze. A high-pitched tone vibrated against his eardrums as he huffed in response.

"I-I wanted to—!"

"—Protect her?" Sarah finished for him. "Please, like you could've done anything—!"

"—SHUT UP!"

Sarah's eyes widened in fright as that familiar magenta colour flashed out of Benny's pinned hand. She tried to keep him in her grip, but even when she used her vampire strength, Benny pushed her off with minimal force.

"I did everything that I could to help her, and this is what I get?! Are you KIDDING me?!" 
Ethan and Sarah stared at their friend in horror, while Ms. Weir couldn't help but sadden her eyes at her grandson. She felt that this would happen.

"What else was I supposed to do?! You all know I couldn't have done more, so stop lying and shut up!"
Benny held his hands up to Sarah and forced them to shine brighter to match his angry eyes. Before Ethan and Sarah could allow him to blow them to shreds, Sarah used her speed to pin his arms to his sides, while Ethan ran behind Benny to hold him still.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up," Ethan repeated in a haste.

The mage only grew with more fury as he tried to thrash out of their grip, but Ethan and Sarah wouldn't budge. "LET GO OF ME!"

"BENNY! Listen to me!"
Sarah yelled in his face, forcing him to hear her.
"We know you tried to protect Ellie, and it didn't work out like you wanted, but you still did it!" she cried, panting from exhaustion. "Stern could've done something way worse to her, and because of you, he didn't! You saved her, alright?"

Benny huffed into Sarah's face, watching his vision return to its normal capabilities. His white knuckles were left to hang by his sides and the purple glow from the palms of his hands dissipated. 

"...Could you let go of me now?"

------------

"We have a plan then, right?"
Ms. Weir and the teenagers surrounded the cot where Ellie laid unconscious. 

"We have a plan... wait, what's the plan again?" Benny questioned.

"Ethan is going to hold onto you and guide you two into Ellie's mind," Ms. Weir said again. "You're both going to talk to her and see if she can help us wake her up."

"Got that, pea-brains?" Sarah smirked to the boys, who both responded with an eye-roll.

"Hold on, I've never taken anyone with me in my visions," Ethan halted. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Did you not hear Grandma's lectures on how our powers got stronger? That's the whole reason why you didn't go into our little trancey thingy," Benny told him, fiddling with his fingers. 

"He's actually right," Ms. Weir explained. "You wouldn't have woken up or went inside of Benny's mind if there wasn't more strength in you, right? You can do it, honey."

"... Alright, let's rescue Ellie."