Act II
Chapter 14 ━━ Dream

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Running through the dark forest, Shelley abruptly changes directions desperately searching to find a way out. "Hello! Anybody here?!"

Ahead, through the darkness of the thick forest, she sees sunlight; a clearing. She hurtles toward it and bursts into the sunlight. She looks into the view around her to find herself now in a meadow filled with the delightful smell of the Tulips. "Where am I?"

"Shells..." 

She spins to the familiar voice behind her to see a russet colour wolf emerging from the forest. It is way larger than a normal wolf and its brown eyes look so familiar. 

It steps closer to her every second and she stands at her spot, watching with enchantment.

As it stands right in front of her, she raises my hand reaching to pet its soft-looking fur…

Shelley snaps her eyes open to find herself lying on her bed. She sits up, the dream still weighing on her mind… A knock on the door brings her into reality and Charlie enters carrying two gifts.

"Happy birthday, Shells."

"Thank you, Dad." 

He hands her the gifts after a warm hug. "Go with this one from your mom. We coordinated - well, she coordinated me."

She unwraps the gifts to find a silver ring with a band of small diamonds glistening through the middle. "Oh my god, it looks so expensive." 

"It is a gift from your mom." 

"Renee? Oh my god." She slides the ring into her finger which fits perfectly like it's made for her. "Tell Renee that I love it."

"Yeah. Sure." Charlie gives her a nervous smile and changes the subject. "So… you're not gonna open my gift?" 

She unwraps the other box to reveal a scrapbook. 

"I got one for Bella too. You can put your pictures in, record your senior year-man, senior year." Charlie rambles. "You kids have gone so old."

"Say that to yourself, old man." She jokes, making him laugh. 

"Yeah. Yeah. Wanna give Bella her gifts?" 

"Yup." Knotting her hair into a bun, Shelley rushes into her sister's room and screams before jumping into Bella giving her a bear hug. "Happy birthday, Bella!!!"

"And I brought your gifts!" Charlie joins them in no time.

"Dad, we agreed, no gifts."

"At least mine's not wrapped." He hands it to her. It's a digital camera. 

Bella's pleased, despite herself. "Okay, this is kind of great. Thanks, Dad."

"You think your gift is the coolest? Hey, look here, Bells." Shelley shows her ring.

Bella observes it with awe and looks at Charlie, who gives her a look which the blonde does not understand. "It is beautiful." 

"Yep." 

Bella opens the wrapped gift to reveal an identical scrapbook as Shelley's.

"To put your pictures in, record your senior year-man, senior year. How'd you get so old so fast?"

"Not that old." Bella says.

"I don't know. Is that a wrinkle?" Charlie asks, pointing at Bella's face and Bella races to the mirror to search her face to find no wrinkle.

"I was kidding." Charlie and Shelley laugh at her reaction and high five.

"So not funny." 

"For me it is." The blonde grins at her sister, making Bella show her middle finger.

"Bella." Charlie warns her and Bella rolls her eyes when Charlie walks out of the room. "Alright, everyone get ready for school!" 

Since Esdras decided to pick Shelley up from home to surprise her early in the morning with his birthday greetings, here they're arriving together as all eyes on campus are turning to them, filled with curiosity, jealousy, envy. 

"Everyone's staring." She states. "And it's weird."

"Not that guy over-yeah, he just looked." Off his rakish, but reassuring smile, Esdras wraps an arm around her waist as they walk forward. 

"It's not like they haven't seen us together before." She says.

"Ignore them." Esdras grins. "Your birthday is definitely a day to celebrate in a better way and I'm trying my best to make it perfect."

"With the showoff? People will think that we're dating." 

"So what? Let them think as they want."

"Whatever." Shelley shakes her head as they see Bella and Edward snogging each other's faces. 

"Just perfect." She mumbles, making Esdras chuckle. "Bella hates the fact that she's getting older every day."

"What about you?"

"People age every day. It's a rule of nature."

"And being a vampire can break the rules of that nature."

"It is."

"And you and Bella can celebrate your birthday with a gang of rule-breakers." He announces.

"You're kidding, right?" She turns to him with an exciting look. 

"Nope. Alice's idea." Esdras winks. 

They start toward school… but Esdras stops, hearing something in his mind. Irritated. "Someone wants you."

"Shells!" Jacob jogs up, carrying a used car part, long black ponytail wagging. Even though he is 16, he looks 18 due to his tall, muscular body, but the gregarious Jacob is a little klutzy, still catching up to his growth spurt. He nods to Esdras, who moves off to the side but eyes them. 

"God, Jacob, what are they feeding you on that rez, steroids? You're huge." Shelley says as he pulls her into a hug.

"Wouldn't seem so drastic if you came around more."

"Yeah. Right. But isn't your school, like, ten miles that way?" She asks him, wrapping her arms around him, hugging back.

"Just here buying this for the Rabbit. I'm almost done with the rebuild. Gotta come take a ride when it's done." He says showing the car part to her. Then he looks as if he remembers something. "Oh, and hey, happy birthday. Your dad told my dad. So…" He pulls from his coat a small woven DreamCatcher, feathers dangling from it. He hands it to the blonde. "I saw it the other day and thought of you - it catches bad dreams."

"This, I need. It's great." She places a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Jakey."

A smile appears on his face as red rises on his cheek where she kissed. "Anything for you."

"The bell's about to ring." Esdras says and the bell rings at the same time. 

Jacob gives Esdras an amiable smile, with just a hint of snark. "Ooh, look at you, all psychic."

"I don't have that particular gift. But I can read a watch. I'm clever that way." Esdras comments and they share a tight smile. 

Shelley intercedes, squeezing Jacob's arm. "Bye, Jake, and thank you once again."

"Yeah, see you later!"

Esdras guides her away. As they walk off he speaks. "How come Jacob Black gets to give you a gift and I don't?"

"I told you. He's been my best friend since we were in diapers." 

"Friends don't spend two weeks looking for the perfect dreamcatcher." Esdras rolls his eyes.

"Stop reading his mind if he bothers you so much."

"Little hard to tune out." 

She just laughs, but Esdras looks back at Jacob with resentment where Jacob holds his gaze.