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Our playful bantering was then interrupted by a couple of guys who started teasing him. “Looks like somebody finally got a girlfriend,” was what bugged both of us the most. He put me down and glared at them. My knees and legs finally had gained sufficient strength to hold up my body. “Violet!” I called to my sister, “Do you have anything else to eat? I’m starving!” I said, hoping some more food would give me more energy. “Yeah, I’ll go throw something in the oven for ten minutes and I’ll be back after I fix something decent.” She said, heading for the door. The boys continued to bother Shane and I and we were both getting annoyed. “Will you shut up?!” Shane and I yelled at them multiple times. “What are you two going to do about it?” They yelled back at us. “Wasn’t that enough proof that I’m strong enough to take out most of this room single-handedly?” I asked extremely annoyed. “Yes, but you can barely move!” A couple boys said to me. Just then Violet came back with a meal to serve the entire family and a few extras, but no more than eight hungry people would be able to eat. She set it on the blanket that Rose had set out from last night. I hadn’t noticed them pack up all the camping stuff that they had used to wait for Shane and I last night, but they had, somehow. So Shane, Jasper, Joshua, and my family all started eating. Kevin sat down next to me and started plucking food off of Shane’s tray, getting a few complaints in return for the food. Violet eventually got tired of hearing the complaints and piled the rest of the small amounts of food onto another tray for Kevin. He thanked her and started on his meal. His eyes got wide and he swallowed. “You could easily be a professional cook you know,” he said to Violet. “Most people who try my cooking say that.” She responded with an appreciative smile. When I finished I laid my head on Shane’s lap, and he lazily stroked my hair, and I fell asleep after about a minute. // I was staring at the sky, and it was sunset in my dream. It was the most beautiful sunset I had seen in my entire life. Its beauty was overwhelming, and I gasped aloud. The beautiful shades and hues of pink, orange and yellow faded together in a perfect harmony that was so peaceful, that the pains and stresses of life faded into a distant reality that could never intrude this peace and natural yet godly and unbelievable beauty. The shades blended together perfectly, the yellow bordering the setting sun over the lake and trees. The lake and trees were bathed in its’ warm yellow glow. They were washed into a yellow hue that made the trees’ healthy green slightly yellow in the most beautiful way. The sky that faded from yellow nearest the sun, with mild clouds that were bordering the sunset so perfectly, as to reflect each hue of yellow, orange, pink, blue and even a tad of purple. The clouds made the beauty of everything come out to its best ability, and they were reflected in the gently rippling water. In the water was a family of swans, and the parents were swimming together in harmony, unlike so many human parents. The family of swans was bathed in the hues of the sunset as well, and it made them look even more beautiful, which is hard for a swan. As I took the scenery of this dream in I looked behind me to see even more, and there was Shane. His skin was bathed a yellowish orange, and he was magnificent. // And then I woke up. The noise in the room was too loud for me to sleep in. As I came back to consciousness, I saw Shane and the rest of my family struggling with most of the other kids there. //The children are revolting!// Was my first thought, and then I almost laughed at my stupidity. I drowsily walked over to Shane to see what the fuss was about. As I lumbered over, I caught the attention of a bunch of kids. “Hey! She’s awake!” They exclaimed, stopping the whole fight. “What’d I do?” I asked, my speech slurred with sleep. “But barely. They’ll be beaten by the time she’s completely awake.” Kevin said, and then he turned back to fighting Shane and Jasper, who were teaming up on him. That woke me up and really ticked me off. The fight had started again, except now it was a whole lot louder. “WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!?!?!” I bellowed at the top of my lungs and voice, silencing the entire room, stopping every fight that was going on. I walked over to the nearest kid and picked him up by the collar of his shirt. “What is happening?” I asked in a calm, soft, and threatening voice. “Shane and his brother got into a fight and everybody is siding with Kevin.” The boy said anxiously. “Why are you fighting?” I asked Shane, while setting the boy down. “He won’t stop bugging me about finally getting a girlfriend and he says we won’t last for two weeks.” Shane said while coming over to me and gathering me into a hug. I thought of how much we had been hugging today, and realized that this was the most contact I’d had with any boy outside of my family in… since my last boyfriend. “Well, he can think and say what he wants, but I’m not letting go of you for a while.” I said, knowing it was true. In the front of my mind, I hoped with all of my strength that he wouldn’t rip me apart like my last boyfriend did. “Sorry we woke you.” He said ruefully. “How about you take me home //before// I faint from exhaustion? I do enjoy sleeping in my own bed.” I said while yawning. He chuckled softly and picked me up. He cradled me in his arms like an infant. “If you start rocking me I swear…” I said teasingly. “Thanks for the idea.” Shane teased me and started rocking me gently. I was so tired that I didn’t even mind. I heard some teeth clench and almost laughed. Instead I just smiled. Today had been a very long day, and it was time to go home. He started walking and the motion lulled me back into sleep before he had left the building. // The beautiful sunset was here again, and this time my eyes didn’t take the time to take in the gorgeous sunset in front of me. Instead they began searching for Shane at once, but this time he wasn’t here. In his place was my ex-boyfriend. I couldn’t even remember his name anymore; Shane was on my mind much more than an ancient past was nowadays. “Where is he?” I asked this ancient past. “Won’t you come back to me? I’m so lonely, Molly come back to me.” Said a familiar voice that felt like I’d known in another life, but this voice had no more power over me; it was my ex-boyfriend’s voice, but now I had somebody else to take mind to a new world. “No. You ruined my life for so long, and you had your chance. Now it’s time for me to move on, you blew it.” I responded, near tears at having to admit how much he had meant to me and how much power he’d had over me. Then he began to fade into a new form. He became Jasper. “Molly, what about me? I was kind to you from the start, and you’re just going to abandon me, choose Shane over me?” He asked in a shaky voice. No, this was only a dream, nothing in a dream should sound so loud and close. “Where is he?” I asked Jasper. // Then I woke up, feeling like it was way too hot and tears were streaming from my eyes. “Molly? What’s wrong?” Shane asked worriedly. My mind was suddenly crystal clear. “Did somebody say my name?” I asked page 14