Dream Catcher Dream Breaker

Chapter 9

Emma stood outside of the prison with a bag containing all of her belongings. She had to borrow clothing from the prison; her old stuff was still a bit tight even after losing some weight. Luckily it wasn't orange; it would be less noticeable. They found a white T-shirt instead and a good pair of jeans. Emma also had some extra cash from Neal and her yellow Volkswagen.

She was waiting for Sky to pick her up, Emma had learned to drive under Neal's care, but she never got a license. Emma wouldn't risk being thrown in jail right after getting out. So Sky would be driving over with her mother, and one would take the yellow Bug back.

It felt so strange to be free, no...it felt so weird to be away from Neal. Emma wouldn't be living in stollen hotel rooms; she'd have her own room and possessions.

Before Emma could get nostalgic, a car drove up and parked. Both Sky and her mother exited the vehicle. It was easy to see that they were related, similar bold clothing choices and physical features. Sky ran up to Emma, she didn't give her a hug; instead, Sky held out a bag.

"What's this?" Emma took the paper bag with curiosity.

"Open it in the car, I want us to have time to celebrate once we get home." Sky gave a big smile, "My mom made a cake."

Emma gave Sky a slight hug, "It's been a month, and it feels like a year."

"Was it that bad without me?" Sky asked, walking with Emma to the Bug.

"I had a bad roommate for a while...then one day I woke up and she wasn't in the room. I was alone for the last two weeks, except for group activities. Felt strange to be alone again, fending for myself." Emma got into the front seat next to Sky and handed Sky the keys.

Sky began to drive to her home, "Open the bag. I'm sure you'll love what I have packed."

Emma looked inside the bag and laughed, "This is amazing. How did you even remember all of this?"

"Luckily, your cravings seemed to stay the same for the most part, I even put in some saltines for you." Sky joked with her, "I know you love those."

"You got me a burger, hot cocoa, pop tarts, mint ice cream, and pickles. I doubt I'm eating any saltines anytime soon." Emma smiled, "thank you."

"You have no need to thank me, it was literally the least I could do for you. This month has been pretty strange for me as well. Missed having you around." Sky beamed, "I missed hanging out with someone who wasn't my mom."

"Glad to be of service," Emma took the burger out of the bag and took a bite. "I could get used to real food that's not mush or saltines."

~~~

Sky stood beside Emma's bed and began to sing very offkey, "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Emma, happy birthday to YOU!"

Emma smacked Sky with her pillow while her eyes were still closed, "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get out of bed; we have a whole lot of plans for today. We are going to be regular teenage adults!" Sky sounded way too excited for eight in the morning.

Emma slowly sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes, "How much coffee did you have?"

"Only 1 cup, and it was decaf. Get downstairs, we start off the day with birthday breakfast." Sky did her signature jazz hands and closed the door.

Emma slowly got out of bed, she was having some cramping, but she was getting used to the pain. She went to the bathroom, took care of what she needed to, and put on a robe. Emma tried to remember what happened on her birthday the year before, but multiple yawns kept her distracted. To get some caffeine, she headed downstairs to see balloons and streamers everywhere.