Guns fire and dying men shout in the distance. The air is thick with cannon smoke. Her grey uniform is dirty and torn. She hears the enemy approach on horseback. They are once again outnumbered. The woods offer them a place to hide until reinforcements arrive.

Someone kneels next to her. "Are you hit?"

She looks up and screams. The soldier has no mouth, nose, or eyes. She hears a pounding noise and shouting.

"Take cover!" someone shouts.

She dives behind a tree, but it's too late. She's been spotted. Boots approach and a gun fires. There is shouting then silence.

"Mose!" The earth starts to shake. "Wake up!"

Mose woke up gasping for breath dripping with sweat. Her pulse steadied as she looked around the room. She was safe and sound in bed. The only monster was a creature some liked to call Jacob Black. She glanced over at her alarm clock and saw that it was 8:03. She was officially three minutes late for breakfast. A mortal sin if you ask Jacob.

"Come on!" Jacob shouted through the door. "Wake up! It's time for breakfast!"

Mose tore off the covers and unlocked the door before Jacob knocked it off the hinges. He'd done it to his bedroom door during a wrestling match with Seth and ended up with a shower curtain as a replacement. Mose had no desire to share his fate. She didn't know why, but sleeping with an unlocked door made her uneasy.

"I'm up," Mose said. "Happy now?"

Jacob was vibrating with energy. Nothing got him more excited than food.

"Come on," Jacob said. "Mom made chocolate chip pancakes!"

That couldn't be right. There hadn't been a single piece of candy in the house since Halloween. Jacob must have been delirious from hunger.

Mose raised an eyebrow. "Chocolate chip pancakes?"

"Yes! He grabbed Mose's shoulders. "No soy, wheat or anything gross. Just pure sugary goodness!"

"Who is the woman and what has she done with Sarah Black?" Mose shook Jacob's shoulders. "We must inform the elders!"

Jacob pulled Mose into the hallway. There was no time for joking when pancakes were on the line.

"Come on!" he whined. "Mom says we can't eat without the birthday girl!"

Okay, I'm coming." Mose laughed. "Just give me two minutes to get dressed! You know the rules!"

"It's your birthday!" Jacob protested. "Everyone gets to bend the rules on their birthday!"

There were four breakfast rules in the Black house; No pajamas, no processed sugar, no cellphones, and no eating until everyone had arrived. The Black's believed it was important to spend some time together before rushing off to school and work. Other than the no-sugar rule, Mose enjoyed breakfast with the Blacks. She always left with a full belly and the confidence to take on anything the world could throw at her.

Before Jacob could catch her, Mose slipped back into her room and locked the door. She dressed quickly in a red flannel shirt and faded blue jeans. Like all her clothes, the outfit was a hand me down from the Black sisters. The shirt was too big and the jeans were faded, but Mose didn't mind. Anything that kept out the early winter chill was good enough in her book.

Mose opened her nightstand and fished out her bracelet. The sisters charm seemed to taunt her as she fiddled with the clasp. It had been a year since she arrived in La Push. She had yet to regain any memories of her past. It hurt that her sister had never come looking for her. Mose would have left no stone unturned if one of the Blacks went missing. Why wouldn't her sister do the same for her?

"Come on!" Jacob shouted from the kitchen. "I'm starving out here!"

"Coming!" Mose said. "Hope you don't waste away before I get there!"

Mose frowned and threw her bracelet in the trash. She didn't know who or where her sister was, but she knew exactly where Jacob was. He was waiting for her in the kitchen drooling over a stack of pancakes. He may have been way too energetic in the morning, but Mose wouldn't trade him for all the chocolate chip pancakes in the world. It was far past time to let go of the past and focus on a bright future surrounded by those who cared about her.

Mose entered the kitchen and took a mental snapshot. Mr. Black was pouring orange juice, Mrs. Black was flipping a pancake, and Jacob was banging his silverware on the table. That scene had repeated itself hundreds of times, yet it always brought a smile to her face.

"Finally! Jacob exclaimed. "Slowpoke is here so that means we can eat!"

Mose sat down in her usual seat next to Jacob. "Glad to see you haven't wasted away yet."

Jacob didn't respond. He was too busy gulping down bites of pancake. Mose hoped she wouldn't have to try out the Heimlich maneuver they learned in health class. Jacob wasn't even breathing between bites.

"Happy birthday, Mose!" Mr. Black said as he filled her glass with orange juice. Mose took a sip. As always, it was freshly squeezed and perfectly sweet. Mr. Black would make millions if he ever decided to bottle it.

"Happy birthday," Mrs. Black placed three pancakes on Mose's plate. "May this year bring you love, prosperity, and joy!"

"Hppyh Bfrhday!" Jacob said with his mouth full of pancakes.

"Thank you," Mose said with red cheeks.

She took a bite of her pancakes. Mrs. Black's food was always good, but the pancakes were on a whole different level. They were golden brown and had the perfect ratio of chocolate chips to batter. Mose savored each bite. She knew that tomorrow breakfast would go back to whole grains and fruit.

"Any big plans birthday girl?" Mrs. Black asked.

"Maybe some hiking," Jacob suggested. "Or a dip in the creek?"

Mrs. Black glared at her son. If looks could kill he would have been reduced to ash. She didn't like Mose going anywhere near the woods after what happened last year. She worried Mose would get lost and never find her way back home.

"Nah," Mose said quickly. "I was planning on a trip to the mall."

The tension vanished from Mrs. Black's face.

"A shopping trip sounds like a wonderful idea. Those jeans have certainly seen better days." She reached into her pocket and offered Mose three wrinkled twenties. "I wish it could be more, but this should be enough to buy the basics."

Mose felt a twinge of guilt but accepted the money with a thank you.

"Get a few new shirts too," Mr. Black said and added in an extra fifty dollars. "We can't have our daughter running around in rags."

Mose shifted in her chair. She couldn't look Mr. Black in the eye. It had to have been a mistake, a slip of the tongue caused by early morning tiredness. He hadn't meant to call her his daughter. That would be ridiculous. He already had three children. He needed a fourth child no more than a cat needed a second tale.

Mose stared at the money in her hands. $110 was far too much money to spend on clothes for a child that wasn't their own. She took the money and pushed it into the middle of the table.

"You should keep your money," Mose said, blinking away tears. "I have enough clothes."

Mrs. Black got up and placed her hands on Mose's shoulders. She started rubbing her back as she had during the three long weeks Mose spent in the hospital. It was a tender gesture that made Mose's heart rip in two. She didn't derve motherly love from someone who hadn't given birth to her.

"Mose, there's something we'd like to ask you." Mrs. Black started. "You don't have to give us an answer now, but I'd like you to think about it."

Jacob stopped chewing and flashed Mose a toothy grin. It was the same smile he wore on the day his parents agreed to take Mose in as a foster child.

"Bringing you home was one of the best decisions we've ever made. You've filled this house with love and laughter. Your kindness, resistance, and strength continue to amaze me." Mrs. Black said softly. "You may not have been here long, but we consider you part of our family. You deserve the money and everything else we can give you."

Mr. Black stood up and joined his wife behind Mose. "I can't imagine this house without you. We'd like to adopt you."

Really?" Mose asked. "Are you sure?"

Tears ran down Mose's cheeks. It had to be a cruel dream. People wanted to adopt cute little kids not brain-damaged teenagers covered in scars. In a few minutes, she would wake up, eat a kale based breakfast, and go back to wondering what she would do when the Blacks kicked her out.

Does Jacob want another pancake?" Mr. Black laughed. "Of course we're sure!"

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Black," Mose said. "I would be honored to be a part of your family."

"Welcome to the family," Jacob said, pancakes forgotten.

"You can call us mom and dad if you'd like," Mrs. Black said, blinking away tears of her own. "All our other children do."

"Okay mom," Mose said. "Thank you."

Mr. Black picked up the money and offered it to Mose. "Now that we're family will you let us give you a proper birthday present?"

Mose accepted the money with a smile. "Thank you, dad. Thank you for the money and everything else."