With a start she jerked awake and jumped from her bed, the room instantly responding to the movement and turning the lights on to the lowest setting. Looking around frantically to see if…if what? For some reason she couldn't remember what had caused her to wake up, but the thin sheen of sweat on her skin and the increased beating of her heart were sure signs of something.
Taking one more look around Doctor Elizabeth Weir sat back down on the bed letting her head drop into her hands. She hadn't had dreams like this since she was around thirteen, when her brother had been killed, when it became stupid to be afraid of something that wasn't real. It had seemed that simply denying that they were there had gotten rid of them, but now they were back. These dreams that seemed so real and seemed to come true, dreams that had reduced a strong child to tears when almost nothing else could, had been haunting her again for the past four nights. Brian had been the only one she'd ever told about the dreams, right before he died.
Firmly pushing all thoughts of her late brother from her mind, Elizabeth ran her hands through her hair and looked around her room one more time. Everything was as she left it; papers thrown all over her small desk, her clothes from yesterday still on the floor because she was too tired to put them away, and her book, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky was still open on the nightstand. Yet something was out of place, as if there was someone lurking on the very edge of her vision, but no matter how fast she turned her head it was only a shadow.
Briefly entertaining the thought of going back to bed and getting some more sleep she decided against it. Standing up and making her way to the bathroom for a quick shower, Elizabeth noticed that her hands were shaking. Quickly clenching them into fists and ceasing the slight movement, before removing her clothing and stepping under the hot spray.
After washing away the remnants of the dream she donned a pair of black pants, a long-sleeve red top, and a pair of boots before heading for the door. From the doorway Elizabeth glanced around her room again, anxiety rising with the unseen eyes, and noticed that it was only 0430, the night shift would be the only ones up. Resolutely turning and striding out into the corridor she didn't see the papers on her desk be rustled by a non-existent breeze.