This fanfic takes place after the last two I did and they may refer back to them so if your confused you may want to read them.*
UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY teaser.
"It was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.'
Sam Levenson
Shelby opened her eyes. It was early morning, no one else was awake. She got up quietly and got dressed. She then walked out of the cabin and began across campus. She wanted to be alone to think. Normally she hated to be alone. Normally she had to many bad things to think about. But sometimes she wanted to be alone to think about Scott. Today wasn't one of those days. She wasn't thinking about bad stuff or about Scott. Today she had other stuff on her mind. Today she turned seventeen.
Peter rolled out of bed. His phone was ringing. His first thought immediatly was that something had happened to one of the kids at Horizon, that was always his first thought. He quickly got up and reached for the phone. "Hello." He said.
"Uh, Mr. Scarbrow?" Came a womens voice.
"Yes, this is Mr. Scarbrow." Peter said. He recognized the voice but couldn't place it.
"This is Mrs. Merrick. Shelby's mom." The voice said.
"Yes." Peter said finally placing the voice. " What can I do for you, Mrs. Merrick?"
"Well, I don't know if my daughter has told you or if you know, but Shelby's seventeenth birthday is today and I would like to do something special."
Peter hid his suprise. He knew Shelby's birthday was coming up, but he had been really busy lately working on his father's scholarship fund. "What did you have in mind?" He asked.
'Well, Jess has been wanting to see her sister and to come up and visit Horizon, so we made our way to town and I was hoping I could come for a visit."
Peter was kind of shocked. Shelby's mother always seemed like a nice person, but not nessacarily one that would go out of her way to do something nice for her daughter. But maybe that had all changed since Shelby's step father was out of the picture. "Well, I think that can be arranged. But I'm not sure we should make it a suprise. Shelby..." Peter's voice trailed off. He didn't want to say that Shelby didn't want to see her mother, but then again.
"I understand." Shelby's mom said quickly. "I mean, uh, we've only talked a few times since Walt left. Things are difficult for everybody."
Peter nodded his head, even though she couldn't see him. " I'll let Shelby know your coming then. You can come over after lunch."
"All right. I'll see you then." Shelby's mom Alice said. "Oh, and Mr. Scarbrow, Thanks again."
"Not a problem. We'll see you then." He said.
"Who was that?" Sophie asked walking up behind Peter and putting her arms around her mountain man.
"Shelby's mom." Peter said turning around to face Sophie. Sophie's face had a concerned look on it. "Today's Shelby's seventeenth birthday and she want's to visit."
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Sophie asked.
'I don't know. But I think Shelby's made a lot of progress since she came back and her and her mom haven't really talked about what happened so maybe they should."
Sophie nodded and then said, "I'm just not sure how Shelby will feel about it. She has been doing well the last few months, but she can still be hard to read." Peter nodded.
'Well, I guess we'll find out then won't we." He said.
Next scene
Shelby is sitting at a picnic table in the middle of campus. She's missed breakfast and knows that Scott's propably worried about her, but she still isn't ready to talk to anyone. She's enjoying the downtime. Earlier she'd gone for a walk in the woods. She'd returned just in time to see the cliffhangers headed to breakfast. She could tell they were trying to figure out where she was. She'd waited for them to go into the cafeteria and then had walked to the picnic table and sat down. She hoped they wouldn't say anything to Peter until after breakfast, which is why she'd stayed away until now.
The autumn air was cool, but Shelby didn't mind. She wondered what Jess was doing. What her mother was doing. Shelby's stomach turned. She still had trouble accepting that her mom hadn't known about what had happened. Shelby had trouble beleiveing that after so many years she was finally safe and that maybe life would be ok. She felt so old. She was only seventeen and already she'd seen and faced more things then most did in a life time.
"I can't beleive I leave this place this year." Shelby said quietly to herself. Since she'd come here this had really become home to her. The cliffhangers ahd become like family to her. She wondered if they felt the same kind of bond that she did.
"Hey, Shel," came a voice from behind her. She turned to see Peter and Sophie walking across campus. She groaned. She hoped they didn't know that she'd snuck off that morning.
"Hey." She said as they walked up.
"Why aren't you in breakfast?" Sophie asked.
"I, um, I. " She fumbled for an excuse. If she told them she went for a walk by herself there was a good chance she could get in trouble. If she told them she wasn't hungry alarm bells would immediatly go off inside there heads and she wouldn't be left alone for the rest of the day, which is exactly what she wanted to be. "I didn't feel like it." She said shrugging her shoulders. It was the best answer she could come up with.
Peter and Sophie exchanged glances and Sophie sort of nodded and then headed to the cafeteria. "Something wrong?" Peter asked, sitting down next to her.
"No." Shelby said. "Just wanting to be left alone." Shelby said, not trying to be too cold, but wanting Peter to take a hint.
Peter nodded. "Maybe, because it's your birthday?" Peter asked.
Shelby looked up. "How did you ...?"
"Uh, your mother called." At the mention of her mom's name Shelby's face sort of clouded over.
"At least she remembered." Shelby said.
"Yea, she..." Peter took a deep breath. "She's coming by after lunch. She brought Jess up to visit."
Shelby is shocked. "What?" She asks. She's excited that Jess is coming, but not as thrilled about the fact that her mom's coming. "Peter, I don't think it's a good idea. I'm not ready to talk to her."
"Shelby, I know things between you and your mom are difficult right now, but I think it might be a good idea."
Shelby shakes her head. " I have until after lunch then?" She asks.
"Shel, I can call and tell her not to come."
"No, if she's made the trip I'll see her." Shelby stood. "Besides I wouldn't want to do that to Jess." With that Shelby walked off.
UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY teaser.
"It was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.'
Sam Levenson
Shelby opened her eyes. It was early morning, no one else was awake. She got up quietly and got dressed. She then walked out of the cabin and began across campus. She wanted to be alone to think. Normally she hated to be alone. Normally she had to many bad things to think about. But sometimes she wanted to be alone to think about Scott. Today wasn't one of those days. She wasn't thinking about bad stuff or about Scott. Today she had other stuff on her mind. Today she turned seventeen.
Peter rolled out of bed. His phone was ringing. His first thought immediatly was that something had happened to one of the kids at Horizon, that was always his first thought. He quickly got up and reached for the phone. "Hello." He said.
"Uh, Mr. Scarbrow?" Came a womens voice.
"Yes, this is Mr. Scarbrow." Peter said. He recognized the voice but couldn't place it.
"This is Mrs. Merrick. Shelby's mom." The voice said.
"Yes." Peter said finally placing the voice. " What can I do for you, Mrs. Merrick?"
"Well, I don't know if my daughter has told you or if you know, but Shelby's seventeenth birthday is today and I would like to do something special."
Peter hid his suprise. He knew Shelby's birthday was coming up, but he had been really busy lately working on his father's scholarship fund. "What did you have in mind?" He asked.
'Well, Jess has been wanting to see her sister and to come up and visit Horizon, so we made our way to town and I was hoping I could come for a visit."
Peter was kind of shocked. Shelby's mother always seemed like a nice person, but not nessacarily one that would go out of her way to do something nice for her daughter. But maybe that had all changed since Shelby's step father was out of the picture. "Well, I think that can be arranged. But I'm not sure we should make it a suprise. Shelby..." Peter's voice trailed off. He didn't want to say that Shelby didn't want to see her mother, but then again.
"I understand." Shelby's mom said quickly. "I mean, uh, we've only talked a few times since Walt left. Things are difficult for everybody."
Peter nodded his head, even though she couldn't see him. " I'll let Shelby know your coming then. You can come over after lunch."
"All right. I'll see you then." Shelby's mom Alice said. "Oh, and Mr. Scarbrow, Thanks again."
"Not a problem. We'll see you then." He said.
"Who was that?" Sophie asked walking up behind Peter and putting her arms around her mountain man.
"Shelby's mom." Peter said turning around to face Sophie. Sophie's face had a concerned look on it. "Today's Shelby's seventeenth birthday and she want's to visit."
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Sophie asked.
'I don't know. But I think Shelby's made a lot of progress since she came back and her and her mom haven't really talked about what happened so maybe they should."
Sophie nodded and then said, "I'm just not sure how Shelby will feel about it. She has been doing well the last few months, but she can still be hard to read." Peter nodded.
'Well, I guess we'll find out then won't we." He said.
Next scene
Shelby is sitting at a picnic table in the middle of campus. She's missed breakfast and knows that Scott's propably worried about her, but she still isn't ready to talk to anyone. She's enjoying the downtime. Earlier she'd gone for a walk in the woods. She'd returned just in time to see the cliffhangers headed to breakfast. She could tell they were trying to figure out where she was. She'd waited for them to go into the cafeteria and then had walked to the picnic table and sat down. She hoped they wouldn't say anything to Peter until after breakfast, which is why she'd stayed away until now.
The autumn air was cool, but Shelby didn't mind. She wondered what Jess was doing. What her mother was doing. Shelby's stomach turned. She still had trouble accepting that her mom hadn't known about what had happened. Shelby had trouble beleiveing that after so many years she was finally safe and that maybe life would be ok. She felt so old. She was only seventeen and already she'd seen and faced more things then most did in a life time.
"I can't beleive I leave this place this year." Shelby said quietly to herself. Since she'd come here this had really become home to her. The cliffhangers ahd become like family to her. She wondered if they felt the same kind of bond that she did.
"Hey, Shel," came a voice from behind her. She turned to see Peter and Sophie walking across campus. She groaned. She hoped they didn't know that she'd snuck off that morning.
"Hey." She said as they walked up.
"Why aren't you in breakfast?" Sophie asked.
"I, um, I. " She fumbled for an excuse. If she told them she went for a walk by herself there was a good chance she could get in trouble. If she told them she wasn't hungry alarm bells would immediatly go off inside there heads and she wouldn't be left alone for the rest of the day, which is exactly what she wanted to be. "I didn't feel like it." She said shrugging her shoulders. It was the best answer she could come up with.
Peter and Sophie exchanged glances and Sophie sort of nodded and then headed to the cafeteria. "Something wrong?" Peter asked, sitting down next to her.
"No." Shelby said. "Just wanting to be left alone." Shelby said, not trying to be too cold, but wanting Peter to take a hint.
Peter nodded. "Maybe, because it's your birthday?" Peter asked.
Shelby looked up. "How did you ...?"
"Uh, your mother called." At the mention of her mom's name Shelby's face sort of clouded over.
"At least she remembered." Shelby said.
"Yea, she..." Peter took a deep breath. "She's coming by after lunch. She brought Jess up to visit."
Shelby is shocked. "What?" She asks. She's excited that Jess is coming, but not as thrilled about the fact that her mom's coming. "Peter, I don't think it's a good idea. I'm not ready to talk to her."
"Shelby, I know things between you and your mom are difficult right now, but I think it might be a good idea."
Shelby shakes her head. " I have until after lunch then?" She asks.
"Shel, I can call and tell her not to come."
"No, if she's made the trip I'll see her." Shelby stood. "Besides I wouldn't want to do that to Jess." With that Shelby walked off.
