My throat was raw. My eyes hurt when they opened. I screamed at the top of my lungs, but I couldn't hear anything over the sound of the rusty elevator slowly ascending. It creaked and rattled with every inch as it inched it's way up. What... what's happening? Eventually, my tired eyes closed and I lost consciousness to the steady noise of the elevator. In my dreams, I was at a house. No, not a house. It was too large, too many doors. A motel. I was leaning against a black car, and a faceless little boy ran down the stairs and hugged him tight. "Hey," I knew I said the little boy's name, but I couldn't remember it. Why can't I remember anything? The dream faded to white. White, everywhere. A white void. "Hello, Dean." I spun around to face the man. He was about my height, with black, tousled hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to gaze into my soul. "Where," my voice was clear, though deeper than I expected. "Where am I?" After that, a flood of questions erupted from my mouth. I was panicking. "What's happening? Who am I? Who are you? What's the elevator? Where is it taking me?" I was hyperventilating, so I bent over and put my hands on my knees to support me. "I'm just... confused." The man grinned like it was something he didn't do very often and awkwardly placed his hand on my shoulder. I stared at it, and he shamefully dropped it back down to his side. "I'm Castiel. Go now, Dean. You'll have your answers soon enough." Castiel's grin widened a little, then I was back in the dark elevator. A slumped back against the wall of the elevator and sighed. Suddenly, the creaks and rattles stopped, along with the elevator itself. A tiny sliver of light opened up on the ceiling, then slowly opened to reveal a bright blue sky. A crowd of gruff-looking boys crowded around the opening, all squinting to get a better look at me. "Who is he?" "Looks like a Slopper, eh?" A few boys laughed at that, but I didn't see what was so funny. "Shut up, Gally." A boy, who seemed like the leader to me, ordered the 'Gally' person. A few older boys jumped down into the elevator and pushed me up to the surface, then climbed out after me. The leader forced a crooked grin for a second before it returned to his scowl. He helped me up to my feet said, "I'm Alby. Welcome to the Glade."