"Where did you get that iPhone?" Mrs. Estrella asked her daughter when she arrived from school today, obviously wealthier than when she left home.
"I don't know!" she argued for the tenth time, which was true. "I just found it in my bag! But it had a letter, saying it was for me! Look." She said, thrusting a piece of paper to her mother.
"Let me see that," she held out her hand, Rye reluctantly gave her iPhone in. Mrs. Estrella examined it closely.
"What's that Joy?" Her father asked, directing her question at Rye's mother.
"Rye got an iPhone as a gift today." She said, still examining it closely.
"Oh really?" her father sounded shocked, even happy. "Well then, let her keep it."
Mrs. Estrella turned to look at Mr. Estrella and gave him a look that said keep quiet for now. She turned the iPhone over, examining the back now. On the back, rather than a picture of an apple that has a bite out of it, it was a glowing reddish orange crystal in the shape of an apple.
"This is fake, honey." She said, handing back her iPhone. "But you can keep it, I guess." She said with a shrug and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
She was lying on her bed, staring at her iPhone and wearing the dream bracelet. They had all gotten these things, Abby, Rye, Mae, Alena, Rye, Ryou, Abel, Ramon, Bret, Nina, Kaye and Fine. They had mysteriously appeared in their backpacks just after Dumbledore had disappeared. Their dream bracelets were tweaked with a little now, they could visit each others' dreams, no limitations.
"So what do you guys want to do?" Abby asked, they were all in her dream. They were in some sort of land that was made purely out of candies in chocolate; even Abby's butler was made out of chocolate… a huge chunk of his arm was gnawed off, apparently by Abby herself.
"I know what I don't want to do," Bret said as he sank down on the cotton candy sofa. The peppermint sun was setting, the candy cane birds were sleeping in their nests, it was getting dark. They've been here for almost five hours. "Eat." He said. They all agreed, Abby looked taken aback, she, of course, was enjoying this candy coated paradise. Abby kept suggesting things they could do, most involving eating more or swimming in a lake of milk chocolate, in the end, she gave in.
"Fine! What do you guys wanna do?" she asked.
"How about we go to-." Nina was about to suggest Kaye's dream, but she was cut short by what she saw. An old man was standing not too far away from them, he had a long white beard, he was old, be he looked wise, half moon spectacles were perched on top of his nose-.
"Nina," Ramon said, waving his hand in front of the girl. "what were you going to say?" Nina blinked twice, she looked back at where Dumbledore had been standing, but now, he was gone.
"Oh, I was going to suggest Kaye's dream," she hesitated for a moment. "But I think it's getting late, we should all get back now." They all went back to their own dreams, but not without Abby offering them more chocolate bunnies before they left.
Nina was strolling in the park under the night sky back in her dream. She heard someone stumble from behind her, she turned around in a flash, prepared to attack, even if this were still a dream. She focused her eyes on the dark figure on the pavement in front of her, it was moving, she looked closer, it was Ramon. She lowered her guard and helped him up.
"Ramon what are you doing here, in my dream I mean?" she asked him. Ramon was dusting off his clothes, then he replied, "I came to talk to you."
Nina raised an eyebrow, if Rye were here, she'd be jealous again of that eyebrow raising power…
"What?" she asked simply, it was all she could think of. Ramon was leaning in closer now, so close Nina could hear him breathing. Ramon moved closer, his lips were an inch away from Nina's, they both closed their eyes, moving closer still, then Ramon threw a water balloon at Nina's face.
"Ugh! Jerk!" she said, shaking the water on Ramon. They both laughed, Nina thought of catapults and big water balloons, which immediately materialized out of no where. Ramon grew wide eyed, he tried thinking of those things too, they appeared beside him, but it was Nina's dream, she had control, she immediately turned the water balloons into birds and the catapults into swings.
They played for quite a while; they were running on the grass, the sprinklers were on, they were soaking wet. Ramon stopped in the middle of the park, just under a cherry tree, the light of the moon had a romantic effect on him… Nina stopped beside him, holing his hand tight. A minute ago, they were staring at a distance, but now, they were locked in a tight hug, lips practically glued together, the light of the moon shining down on them.
Bret and Fine were in an open field, animals grazing here and there. It was sunset; they were sitting on top of a hill, enjoying the view in front of them. Fine's head was resting on Bret's shoulder, Bret, stroking her hair. Bret sat up straight, Fine had a quizzical look on her face. Bret answered her unasked question. He held out his hand, then as if by magic, his guitar appeared in it. He took Fine by the hand, helping her stand up, he knelt down in front of her and started singing to the tune of 'Trouble'- Never Shout Never.
He looked up at Fine at the end of the song, took her hand, and started kissing it, as if it were the most valuable diamond on earth.
Kaye and Abel were by the beach, the sun was just about to rise. They were standing in the ocean, the water was up to their knees, holding hands, they walked along the beach, oblivious to all the birds chirping, all the fish looking at them.
"So Abel…" Kaye began as they sat under the palm tree, absorbing the wonderful view of the sunrise in front of them. "What do you think of…?"
"Think of what?" he asked.
"This sunrise!" she improvised poorly. Abel looked disappointed, but said, "oh, it's very beautiful."
"Uhuh…" Kaye mumbled to herself.
"Beautiful like you, Kaye." He said after a moment's pause… Kaye turned to look at him, to see any hint of mockery on his face, but there was none. Abel ran the back of his hand on Kaye's cheek, making her blush, he stopped at Kaye chin, holding it close. Kaye closed her eyes, in a second, their lips were locked together, birds began to sing, the sun had fully risen now.
"Do you think they're ready professor?" Aina asked. They were in the astronomy tower of the headquarters, Dumbledore was looking through a telescope. He removed his eye from the telescope and turned to look at his two assistants.
"They are, and always will be ready, Aina. But let us wait for the right time," he said. "I do not see anything urgent happening right now." As if on cue, a flash of red light shone from the glass ceiling of the astronomy tower, a planet had exploded.
"But then again," he added as an afterthought. "it's better to get them when we're sure they're ready!"
And at that, Aina and Darah went storming out of the tower, heading for Manhattan, where their heroes lay in their beds right now, sleeping soundly.
"Do you really think it's urgent, sir?" a new voice asked from the corner, Dumbledore turned to look at him.
"If planets are exploding, Jace," he said. "Then I am sure that this is urgent."