"Dad!!, Mother!!, there is something inside the bushes'' Clara gasped for air as she rushed inside the tent. Every muscle in her body was tense as she whispered in a panicked voice, "monster" She ventured down.

She gasped out before continuing, "Dad, there is a green monster in the trees." She finished speaking.

Ricky couldn't help but laugh at Clara's panicked outburst, and their parents soon followed suit. "Clara, calm down," her mother said, trying to soothe her daughter. "What is it you said you saw in the bushes?" Clara took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts before speaking, "I saw a monster. He jumped from tree to tree and then. And then. And then. He launched himself in my direction."

Clara only realized that they were all laughing hard. Even her father was laughing too. "Come on Clara, are you sure it wasn't a monkey. Because I believe there's a lot of monkeys in this jungle." Mr Grayson finished returning to his reading.

"I know what I saw and I am not playing around! Believe me it was a green monster." Clara could feel her frustration and anger boiling over as her family continued to dismiss her concerns. She wasn't going to let them believe that she was just imagining things.

"Listen to me, all of you." She closed the book her father was reading right in front of his face and she wasn't done yet, she pulled her mother's phone then she tossed it away. "I am serious and each and every one of you needs to hear me out. This jungle is creepy and we shouldn't stay here for another second!" Clara felt a sense of relief as she let out all her anger towards her parents.

"Someone is in trouble" Ricky made sure to warn his sister, for the fear what might happen after her outburst wasn't going to look good.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE YOUNG LADY!! YOU BARGED INSIDE OUR TENT SCREAMING LIKE CRAZY THEN YOU GOT THE GUTS TO TOSS MY BOOK AND YOUR MOTHER'S PHONE AWAY!!?

" Dad, it's not what it looks like, you are in danger. We all are….." she finished.

"YOU ARE THE ONE IN DANGER YOUNG LADY" He sat down for a second, breathed for a while then he stood up again. "Where are the firewoods I sent you to get?" He watched Clara as she stood there trying to fumble words out that might probably piss him off.

"I…I… was coming with it then I saw the beast…"

"GET OUT!!" He spat.

"Honey, what she was saying might be true you can't just send her out. It's nine o'clock" Clara's hope returned after her mother's voice came in their confrontations. At least her mother took her side for once. They exchange glances for the first time. "Thank you mother" She sighs.

Mr Grayson glared at his wife as she sat there hugging Clara. "Wife, can't you see she is misbehaving? She has been acting like this ever since she slept with her BOYFRIEND!!." He said growing irritated by the minute.

"I DID NOT SLEEP WITH MY BOYFRIEND!!" She stood up suddenly after she finished those words. "How can you be so oblivious?" She threw her hands in frustration, feeling as if she was hitting a brick wall. "I've explained this to you a hundred times, but you still won't listen to me!"

Mr Grayson glared at her.

"GET OUT! Until you fetch 50 logs of firewoods don't come back."

" The monster is out there. There is no way I am going to get myself killed for YOUR DUMB DECISIONS" Clara yelled, surprised as her own thoughts escaped her lips.

" CLARA!!" Her mother Escalated. " Your father is right. Don't come back until you finish with your punishment." Her mother's low voice was what pained her most. "What has gotten into you?"

" I was thinking you understood me mom, what a mistake that turned out to be" With that, she came outside trying to digest what really happened. She saw a beast in the trees, she had come all the way to her parents to warn them about it and instead she got kicked out.

She sat by the side of the tent with her face buried in her chest. "Clara!! leave!" Mr Grayson exclaimed after he saw her shadow while she leaned on the fabric.

Clara moved away from the tent, but kept turning back as if she was hesitant to leave. There was an excited chatter and laughter coming from inside.

However, there was no way Mr Grayson would allow her to stay. If she was to return to the tent, she had no choice but to follow his orders.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Reeds searched for food, swinging from tree to tree as he followed the scent of something strange yet edible.

As Benjamin Reeds crashed into the campsite, the ground shook beneath him. His eyes burned bright with green fury as he sensed the presence of people nearby. When he barged into the tent, however, he found it eerily silent and devoid of life. His hunger grew stronger by the minute, urging him to find some sustenance.. 'How can I smell people in that tent and still I couldn't find them. This is pointless' he thought to himself. Discouraged and starving, he was about to give up when his thermal vision picked up the tell-tale signs of life, strangely coming from another campsite.

The savory aroma of roasted meat wafted towards him, enticing him with each breath. He licked his lips in anticipation, already imagining sinking his teeth into the succulent meal he smelled.

He moves as the moonlight glints off his sharp fangs, giving him an almost ethereal appearance. The delicious scent of fresh blood beckoned to him from within the flaps of the tent.

Nearing the tent, his movements became more animalistic carrying him forward with remarkable speed. His eyes glinted with a manic, feverish excitement as he drew closer. In his mind, he could already taste their fear and see the hot blood pulsing beneath their skin.

There was a certain anger in the way he moved, as if he were deeply offended by the mere existence of these humans who dared to live, breathe and enjoy life. His muscles coiled like springs, each in movement anticipation.

As he covered a distance of 29 meters in a matter of seconds, Benjamin Reed's heart raced in his chest, his breathing accelerated as he prepared his fangs. With a sudden burst of speed, he lunged towards the tent, ready to unleash his monstrous fury upon his helpless victims.

"Monster!!!" Clara saw the sight of a dark green creature with scales that adorned his body and his claws were akin to that of a bear. Her screaming became a distraction for him.

Benjamin turned to where her voice came from and saw Clara running toward him with fear drawn on her fragile face. Despite being no older than sixteen, she peered at him with big blue eyes.

Benjamin watched as the tip of her golden brown hair brushed her shoulder, covered by the blue thin fabric of her dress running towards him, he felt a jumble of conflicting emotions churning in his chest. Benjamin saw the fear in her eyes and felt a powerful urge to distress her.

For a moment, he was frozen, unsure of how to act. But however his instincts took the best part of him.

Terror choked Clara's throat as she raced towards the yard of the tent, fumbling with the flap hands shaking so badly she could barely grip her fabric. "Mom, Dad, please come outside!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, "The green monster is here!"

She watched its scales glistening in the moonlight, advancing towards her. Without hesitating, Clara grabbed the nearest weapon, a hefty wood, and swung it with all her might at the creature's chest.

Clara watches as the log shattered as it hit the green creature. At this moment she was out of plans. She was expecting her father to come out of the tent to maybe shoot the green creature but her predictions didn't go her way.

She was betrayed..

Benjamin Reeds looked at the girl in front of him, and everything about her reminded him of someone in a bad way.

"What is your name?" He locked eyes with her. Clara felt her heart skip a beat as he roared in her face, the wind carrying her hair away in a wild whirlwind.

Through the dim lighting of the night, Benjamin stared at Clara as she stared back at him with a look of terror on her face. He knew she saw him as a monster, and that only deepened the pain in his heart. In that moment, Benjamin had an impulse to sink his fangs into her neck, but instead of giving into his darker nature, he acted on a sudden idea.

He moved with a-fast speed, Benjamin swept Clara off her feet and ran with her into the depths of the jungle where even he, didn't know well.

Clara!" She screamed as the creature snatches her daughter away.

Clara's mother, Mrs. Grayson, could do nothing but gaze in horror as a dark green creature carried her daughter away into the night.

****

Thank you for reading my story. Please note that I plan to write about 1000 chapters so stay here and continue with the reading. There are a lot of things that might happen while Benjamin Reeds finally receives the Wicked Schemes system Also don't think he is already strong and therefore it's pointless for having the system because his enemies will be creatures most of us haven't heard about in books.

Happy reading.......