Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious.

Author's Note: Okay, okay, so the first Chapter 2 has been bugging me to no end, so I've decided to erase it and create this new one. Hope you like it?

\Dreamcatcher/

"Come on, Castor, you have to get up!"

Vega looks up from her seat on the rug and at André, signaling that it was his turn to speak his line.

"I can't, Sydney! I'm bleeding here!" André's face twists up in pretend agony, his free hand absently moving to his eyebrow. "The Scythe got me good."

"No, Castor, we have to go. If we stay here, the Scythe will come back and finish you off," Vega yells convincingly, her eyes widening in concern for her character's partner. I stand up from the couch abruptly, André raising his eyebrows in curiosity but continuing his line nevertheless.

"Where are you going?" Cat asks quietly, staring at me from where she's playing Go Fish with Beck.

"Your room. I left my phone in my bag," I answer blankly, moving swiftly up two flights of stairs to the second floor, and head for the pastel-colored door with a floral "C" hammered on the very middle. I frown at Cat's choice of colors as I enter her room. I nudge a small stuffed giraffe away with my boot as I make my way to my bag, kneeling down to rummage through the items carelessly thrown into it, but all of a sudden the air feels heavy and tense, and I double my efforts to breathe.

What the hell? I look around, trying to see if there's anyone in the room with me, but I'm alone. My skin starts to rise in goosebumps and I bite my lips together in confusion. I turn quickly, trying to find the source of the odd feeling, and my eyes land on Vega's purse. Without hesitation, I crawl over to it, checking to see if no one's followed me before opening it.

As soon as my fingers graze a dark-blue leather-bound book, I feel a sharp pain in my gut. I yank it out and a small charm falls down from between the pages, and my throat constricts.

What on earth have you got here, Vega?! I recognize the feeling as soon as I see the small Dreamcatcher on the ground in front of me. I pick it up carefully and the second I make contact with the accessory, the kinky feeling ceases. "Is this what I think this is?"

There's a small jade bead at the very middle of the Dreamcatcher, and for a second it looks like green smoke is curling inside of it.

The Dreamcatcher. Protector of the Pack Young. I close my eyes. A young werewolf shall be given a small Dreamcatcher to keep him from harm. The stone in the middle shall tell how he shall be protected, and one thing is certain: it never fails.

"Vega, don't tell me you're what I think you are," I hiss under my breath, and I fumble to place the Dreamcatcher back into the small book. I return it to her purse exactly the way I found it, and go back to my own backpack, the contents still littered on the floor.

Pain sears my chest as I remember when I was first given my Dreamcatcher, only to be taken away weeks later when I was transformed into the blood-sucking creature that I am now.

"Jade? Are you there?" I flinch when I hear Vega calling out my name, and I quickly swipe my phone from the bottom of my bag.

"What do you want, Vega?" I turn around to look at her.

"It's your turn," she replies simply.

"At least let me put my stuff in, will you?" I start to dump all of my items back into my bag, but then Vega kneels down beside me and shakes her head.

"No wonder your bag is always messy, Jade. Here, let me." She starts arranging my stuff neatly into my bag, whistling "Make it Shine" gleefully and I let her. Her head tilts to one side and she dangles my necklace in front of her eyes, the vial dangling from the chain and the red liquid sloshing inside.

"Blood," I say plainly, like it's the most normal thing in the world, and it's just that… Blood.

"Of course it is. I'm just happy it's not that chunk of fat you got at the hospital when we visited Rex," she chuckles, putting the necklace neatly in with the other stuff before re-zipping my bag. "Well, now that that's done, we should head back down to the basement."

She stands up, dusts her jeans, and offers me her hand. I glare at it suspiciously before taking it and she yanks me up to my feet.

"Thanks," I grumble, watching the half-Latina carefully as she makes her way to the door. I think back to all of the times I've been with her, but she doesn't show any signs of being a werewolf. Maybe she just bought it somewhere, but that doesn't explain the wonky feelings…

"Jade?" Vega's voice snaps me out of my deep thoughts. "You coming or not?"

"Coming," I murmur, following her back down to the basement. I rub my palms together before hiding them in the pockets of my jeans. How am I supposed to bring it up? How am I supposed to ask her about it? She'll know I went through her bag.

Maybe I could just tell her that I went through it. This is Vega. She didn't even freak out much when I went into her room.

It's decided. Right after this rehearsal, I'm asking her about the Dreamcatcher.

;

"Alright, guys! See you tomorrow!" I wave at my friends with a large grin, which turns into grimace when I realize how hoarse my voice is.

"Vega! Get in the car before I leave you here to walk all the way home!" I give my friends one last wave before getting into the passenger's seat and strapping the seatbelt on with a frown.

"Why do you have to be so mean? And I thought we were friends…" I trail off, watching as Jade shakes her head.

"We are friends, Vega. I just wouldn't be me if I suddenly went all goody-two-shoes like you," she chuckles.

I partly smile at the fact of her admitting that we're friends. I notice that she does that often, confirming our friendship, and it just feels better every time. "So you're not gonna let up with the insults? Even just a little bit?"

"Nope."

"That's reassuring."

"It better be." She rolls her shoulders, speeding up and driving through a red light. I grip onto my seat as we do, but thankfully it's somewhere around midnight, and there's nobody at the intersection.

"Is that necessary?"

"What's necessary?"

"Running through a red light! Is it for reputation, or do you get a kick out of near death experiences," I say skeptically, narrowing my eyes at her. "Or maybe you just want me to leap out of your car again."

"Relax, Vega. The sooner I bring you home, the sooner I can go to bed. I get tired too, you know."

"Still, what if we get in an accident?"

"Jesus, Vega. Stop worrying like a mom. I have killer instincts." She smirks at the comment.

"I don't doubt it one bit," I reassure, patting her shoulder before relaxing in my seat. Almost instantly, the weight of the day slams down on me, and I find myself nodding off more than once.

Without warning, the car jerks to a stop, and I look around wildly, both of my hands moving to grasp Jade's arm for support.

"What happened?" I gasp, eyes wide with surprise.

"Relax, Vega. We're here." She points out the window and I let out a sigh.

"Oh. And I was just getting cozy," I mumble with an embarrassed giggle.

"Your bed is way cozier. Trust me." Jade suddenly frowns, her two fingers trapping my chin and forcing me to look up into her eyes. "What's wrong now, Vega? Or do you want me to carry you to your room?"

"Nothing. It's just—You know—I'm pretty wazzed that Matt ditched me." I shrug. "Oh well. Can't please everyone, can we?"

"Yep. But don't worry. Those people you can't please are most likely a bunch of moronic douchebags who'll probably end up begging on their knees." She winks at me and I let out a breathy sigh.

"Wow. Jade West is being reassuring," I comment.

"Are you still not used to it?" She arcs a pierced brow at me.

"What, with your constant snark and insulting nature? Of course I'm not used to you suddenly becoming my own little ray of sunshine." I smile. "But I like it. A lot."

"Call me your little 'ray of sunshine' again and you're dead-meat," she jokes, leaning over to kiss my cheek affectionately. "Now go home, friend. It's Friday tomorrow, and you know what happens after school."

"Game night," I answer, stepping out of the car. "Oh, wait, Jade?"

"Yeah?"

"Is that 'carry-me-to-my-room' offer still up?" I ask hopefully.

"Nope," she replies with a snigger. "The offer expired just one second ago."

"Typical. Good night."

"Oh, wait, Vega—"

"Yeah?" I turn around to face her, and I can easily see the conflict in her blue-green eyes.

"Well—You see… I…" She shakes her head and sighs. "Never mind. I'll see you around, Vega."

And just like that, she leaves, honking the car horn as a final goodbye before disappearing around the corner. I let a smile touch my face before crossing the lawn and pushing through the front door.

;

Ah. Definitely better than the last, I think. What about you? Better or worse?