Speak || A Twilight Fanfic

Chapter 17

Dreams.

Terrible dreams.

Gabriella Swan had been plagued with them since she was a little girl. They mostly happened after she had heard a particularly scary story or when she had caught a glance of a movie she shouldn't have. She remembered running into her mother's bedroom, crying as her heart hammered in her chest, begging to be let into the safety of her bed. But Renée would always say her dreams were not real, and all she had to do was go back to sleep.

Dreams were supposed to be just that. Dreams. Figments of imagination lacing into the subconscious. They were supposed to be fictional. The only place where fantastical stories could occur. They didn't stream into reality. Not really. Other than some odd deja vus, the only place dreams ever came true was inside the head.

But somehow, Gabi's dreams had spilled into her life, sewing themselves into the fabric of her existence. No longer was there any distinction between fantasy and reality. Vampires, werewolves... all of it was real. They weren't just characters in a book. They were people she walked by in school, they were people that knew her family, they were people that were her friends, they were people that she loved.

As darkness still engulfed her, the younger Swan wanted to believe everything that had happened in a matter of an hour or two was merely a dream that she would wake up from. Instead, when her eyes fluttered open, she found herself in a house that she did not know, surrounded by people she knew less. Her head was pounding, her back was sore, and her arms stung. If there was anything that could tell her that she was awake, it was the uncomfortable pain her body was in.

"Don't move too quickly," a kind voice told her. "You took quite the hit there."

Her eyes struggled against the sunlight that streamed into whatever room she was in, worsening the headache she already had. "Can someone close the blinds?" she managed to croak out as she heard someone scrambling to cover the windows with fabric. "The light really hurts."

"Tell me what you're feeling, Gabriella?" Sue Clearwater was the one to speak. Once the room had darkened, she was able to recognize the woman. "Do you know where you are? What year is it?"

"I know I'm at the rez," Gabi struggled as she tried to sit up on the couch she had been lying on. "Not sure who's house, but I'm fairly sure we're still in Washington. And it's 2006."

"That's good," the woman smiled. "And do you know why I am asking you these questions?"

"Well, if it's to see if I've lost my mind, you can rest assured that I lost it the second I found out werewolves and vampires are real," she responded. "Other than that, to check if I got a concussion from trying to get in the middle of a fight between two werewolves. Look at me, talking about werewolves like it's not the craziest thing in the world. Because it is crazy, and they are real! Am I right?"

"I think she's okay," Sue chuckled as she spoke to whoever was behind her. She reached out her hand and placed two pills into Gabi's hand with a cup of water. "Take these, it's acetaminophen. Every six hours while symptoms last. If you feel any unbearable pain, nausea, or start vomiting, get to a hospital quickly. And as for your scrapes, just make sure you clean them and cover up the one on your forehead."

"So, we're just gonna pretend that what I just said isn't crazy?'

"Honey," she smiled, running a hand tenderly across her arm. "I already knew. But there are other people you should talk about this with. And it's not me."

"I guess," she sighed, downing the pills with the water. "Thanks, Sue."

"Sure thing, honey. I'm getting used to fixing up girls that the boys never intend to hurt."