Jake took the Jeep to go to class. The others had gone to campus, with one or two of the other roommates, as this was a day where his classes didn't coincide with anyone else's class schedule. He either had to drive back himself or wait for them for several additional hours on campus.

He decided to just go to the house on his own, instead of twiddling his thumbs on campus, waiting for them.

He drove down the driveway, past the vast gardens, and out of the main gates of the property.

He was still learning his way around town, and he was glad to have a day to himself where he was able to drive, instead of being a passenger, so that he could learn his way around better.

The view was different from the driver's seat. He made a right onto the main road, which put him on a winding road that overlooked the ocean. It was a great view to have as he drove to class each morning.

The road winded down towards town and winded up to go home. For this part of the drive, he liked being the passenger rather than the driver, so he could just watch the ocean. Having to drive the winding road was a little nerve wracking.

Jake winded down the road, and applied the brake, as he came around the curves. He came close to the curve which he hated the most because it curved too sharply. He gently applied the brake, as he'd been taught by the others, but the brake pedal just went straight to the floor. He had no brakes!

He cursed profusely as he pulled the steering wheel quickly to the left, and then quickly back to the right, to keep the Jeep on the winding road.

Jake tried to step on the brake again as a black fog came across the road in front of him. He felt the tires slipping on the road as the Jeep gained momentum and sped, more rapidly, down the hill.

The Jeep went through the black fog, and Jake suddenly felt overwhelmed with hatred. It surrounded him, and he felt suffocated with it.

A booming, evil, laugh came out of the fog, giving Jake the chills. The hill to the left began to landslide, and Jake swerved the Jeep to avoid it. He hit the guardrail on the right side of the road, and the Jeep started to fall over the cliff.

Evil laughter came out of the fog again. Jake didn't know what to do as the Jeep slipped quickly down the loose rocks.

He started to see visions of his life flashing by as he prepared for his death. Jake pictured the man and woman that had raised him as their own flesh and blood, even though he wasn't.

He saw his adopted sister, who was annoying at times, but whom he was grateful for having in his life.

And he saw his new family: Emily, Raven, George, Ray, and even Tony. And suddenly, right as Jake thought about them, he did know what to do. He needed to wake up!

Jake ordered himself to do so. It had to be a dream. He couldn't lose this great new life that he had. He would fight for it, if he had to. As the Jeep continued to slip, he continued to say, "it's just a dream, it's just a dream."

As he finally felt stillness, Jake opened his eyes, relieved to see his bedroom.

He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself and reached over for the glass of water, which he was keeping quite frequently on his nightstand, and drank the whole thing without stopping.

******************************

After his shower, Jake headed downstairs to get a some breakfast before his classes. He dropped his backpack under the kitchen table and headed towards the refrigerator.

Jake stopped, hearing a noise outside towards the front door. Still being jumpy from his nightmare, he crept down the hallway and opened the front door cautiously.

He slowly slipped his head through the door, peering outside. The morning sunlight shone onto him, caressing his face with a peaceful feeling.

Jake looked over the front yard, scanning it slowly with his eyes, but he didn't see anyone. He looked down, and there was a large box sitting on the top step of the porch.

Jake picked it up and found that his name was scrawled across the front. He assumed that it must be a birthday present from his parents, since no one else knew that it was his birthday, as he hadn't told anyone.

Jake brought the package inside, closing the front door behind him, and headed into the kitchen. He set it down on the kitchen table and opened up the box with a touch of excitement that his family had remembered to send something.

Getting through the crumpled up paper, he pulled out a large sketchpad and colored drawing pencils. That was odd, Jake thought, as his parents had never encouraged his drawing.

He flipped through the pages of the sketch pad and a small card fell out. Picking it up, he opened the card, it read: Jake, your path has not yet been chosen for you. Choose your own path. Love, Aurora. P.S: Happy Birthday, today or tomorrow, whichever you decide.

He dropped the card on the table. Aurora?! It couldn't be. Aurora wasn't real! Was she? Jake absently flipped through the sketchpad as he thought it over. Something else fell out and fell to the floor.

He picked it up, and his heart stopped, as his eyes saw that it was a picture. It was an actual picture of Aurora! She was exactly as he remembered her. There she was -braids, overalls, and all. She lit up the photo with the cutest grin anyone had ever seen. Aurora was real! He had always hoped that she was real, but for her to actually be?!

Jake sat down in the chair with a thud. He re-read the card again. It was on a simple, plain, white card, that you could find anywhere. The writing was printed and looked like a girl's handwriting- nice, neat, and rounded.

He picked up the box it came in. It was just a simple, brown, box that you could get from any packaging company. The handwriting was similar to that which was on the card, but it had only stated his first name.

There was no return address, and there was no stamp, so it didn't come in the mail. It must have been dropped off. Jake studied the picture again in disbelief. He laughed nervously and excitedly.

Finally, he kissed the picture enthusiastically, "I knew it!" he cried, with a giant grin.

"Hey, man, what's all this?" George asked, coming into the kitchen and seeing everything sprawled across the table.

Jake grabbed at everything quickly to clean it up- to cover it up. He slipped the picture and card back into the sketch book, shoved it and the pencils into his backpack, under the table, "Uh...birthday present," Jake said simply, as his heart was racing.

"Hey! You didn't tell us it's your birthday!"

"It's no big deal," Jake said shrugging. He went to the side door and tossed the box in the recycling bin, next to the door.

"Of course it's a big deal! We'll take you out on the town tonight."

"It's okay," Jake said, grabbing some milk from the refrigerator. He looked up, seeing George's doubtful face, "Really!" he insisted, as he poured the milk into a glass.

"What's okay, really?" Raven asked curiously as she walked in sensing the tension between Jake and George.

"Jake's forfeiting his birthday," George complained, annoyed, like it was George's birthday, not his, that he was bailing out on.

"No way, no how," Raven growled, just as annoyed with him, "When's your birthday?" Raven asked, behind him, grabbing the milk from over his shoulder.

"Today," Jake said, shrugging, as he poured his cereal into a bowl.

"EMILY!" Raven yelled out the doorway.

"Ow!" George grimaced, putting a finger in his ear, "Eardrums, woman!"

"Good lord, what is it?" Emily asked, bounding down the stairs with Ray following quickly behind.

"Today is Jake's birthday, and he didn't tell us! And he's saying that he's not celebrating his birthday at all," Raven rambled on in explanation.

"I said that it's no big deal, okay, guys? I don't like my birthday," Jake muttered, sitting down grumpily.

"Why don't you like your birthday?" Ray asked, sitting down, as well, at the table. "Who doesn't like their birthday? Presents, cake, what's not to like?!"

Jake sighed. He looked at the waiting eyes around him. He sighed again looking away.

"What is it?" Emily asked him gently.

"I'm adopted," Jake answered, not looking at them.

"Is that all?" Raven scoffed, "I'm adopted too. No biggie. There's no shame in that."

"And," he took a deep breath, "my birthday is really tomorrow. Not today."

"Well, why'd you say it's today?" George frowned.

"My adoptive parents changed the date when they found out my birthday."

"The thirty-first?" Ray asked in confusion.

"Ooohh, Halloween," Raven cooed in reverence. She looked at the others with a grin.

George put an arm around her shoulders. Her arm went around his waist and hugged him sideways.

"Yup, Halloween," Jake said, shaking his head, "My parents thought that having a birthday on Halloween was creepy."

"It's not creepy," Raven insisted, stepping away from George, and put her hands on Jake's shoulders, "It's totally awesome having your birthday on Halloween!" Raven shook him in excitement.

"And, it's Raven's birthday tomorrow too," Emily grinned.

"So much for the surprise," Ray muttered under his breath. Emily gestured to Raven in explanation of her saying something about the big day.

Ray nodded, noting Raven's excitement of sharing a birthday with Jake.

"Yes! We can be birthday buddies tomorrow," Raven said, sitting on Jake's lap, and wrapping an arm around him.

"Unless you want to celebrate on your altered, totally fake, birthday," Raven said to Jake, batting her eyelashes at him.

Jake looked at her for a moment in thought. He'd never celebrated his birthday with friends before. It had only ever been his parents and his sister. And to do it on his real birthday? That would be nice.

Jake never understood his parents caring that his birthday was on Halloween, except that they found the holiday a bit creepy and yeah, his dreams coming true could be creepy as well.

He looked around the room at his new friends. They didn't find anything creepy or freaky about him. He was perfectly normal in their eyes and he liked it. He liked them.

"You know what? Screw it. This year I'm not at home so, yeah, let's celebrate on my real birthday," Jake said determined.

"Alright!" Raven kissed him enthusiastically on the cheek. She turned towards Emily, keeping her arms around Jake, "And we need two cakes!"

"Chocolate," Jake aimed a grin at Emily.

"Ohhhh! Now you're talking!" Raven gave him a high five.

"Okay, you two conspirators," Emily patted them both on the shoulders as she walked over to the refrigerator. She opened the door and peered inside. "I need more eggs," she shut the door.

"I'll get some after Tae Kwon Do," Ray offered, looking up from his bowl of cereal.

Raven climbed off of Jake and grabbed a box of cereal off the table. Emily opened a drawer, pulled out some money, and handed it to Ray with a list of other groceries to buy.

"You offer to pick up some eggs, and you end up bringing home the whole damn store," Ray said sarcastically, shaking his head, as he put the items in his pocket.

"You like those Corn Pops, don't you, mister?" Emily pulled his bowl away.

"Okay, Okay. Don't mess with a man's Pops," Ray pulled the bowl back.

"I thought so," Emily sang, walking away, and headed back to the fridge.

"Geez, she's so manipulative."

"Let me see that list," George leaned towards Ray, sticking a hand out. Ray pulled out the list from his pocket and handed it over to him. "Pen?" George asked the room.

"What are you adding?" Emily asked curiously, returning with a pen, and handed it over.

"Some real food," George didn't look up from the list, "Not chick food," he muttered in disgust. Emily shook her head amused.

Jake looked at the clock and groaned. "Can we skip class today?"

"As long as it's not Brian's," Emily said seriously.

"He knows where you are...always," Raven said mysteriously, and looked around the room, her eyes wide, as if Brian really was there in spirit, watching them.

Jake's eyes widened in fear,"Is he keeping tabs on us?"

"Probably," they all answered at the same time and then laughed.

They all gave in and went to class, despite the fact they desperately wanted to skip and stay at home. Brian grinned when they all came in. "Glad you all decided to come to class today," he told them with a wink.

They all sent him a glare. He and Emily laughed. "I told him," she said reassuringly and sat down in her chair.

"Kiss up," Raven pushed Emily's shoulder lightly, as she walked past her, on her way to her own seat.

Brian kept the class short, and wished them all a safe and happy Halloween dismissing them. It almost wasn't worth coming into class, Jake thought as he headed towards the door. Brian chuckled as they left the room, making Jake wonder, just how much Brian did know. In Jake's other classes, he wasn't so lucky, he had a full day, but the day went quickly, and he was at home before he knew it.