The forest was dark. It was impossible to see anything that wasn't a few feet in front of her. The only noise was of feet stepping into dry leaves on the ground.
She continued walking until she saw light between the trees. Running, she came to a stop when she saw the house on fire. It was the only light on the darkness, but it wasn't a good light.
Then, she heard the screams. No scream like that could be human. Tears came into the girls eyes and she let a scream of her own.
Emma woke up with a start. Her breathing was erratic, and she knew something wasn't right. It was then that she smelt the smoke. Thinking it was just her imagination because of the dream, she was about to go back to sleep when her older brother, Lewis, came into her room.
"Emma!" he called. She got up from her bed and hugged him. "We have to go", he continued. He then pulled her by the hand, and before they could leave the room, she grabs Snuffles, the teddy bear Stiles gave her on her last birthday.
As soon as the siblings walk out the door, Emma can see the flames on the walls. They make it hard to breath, and she starts to cry. "Lewis? Where are mommy and daddy?" She asks in a small, tearful voice.
"I don't know," He answers. "Look, you need to get out of here, okay? I'll go get mom and dad, but you need to go."
"But I don't want to leave you!" the eight year old cries, holding on to the twelve year old boy.
Lewis crouches so that he is the same height as his sister. "Look, I promise, I'll be right with you. Now go." He lets go and watches as Emma runs down the stairs. Once she is down, a beam falls on top of the stairs, preventing anyone to go up of down. Knowing he will never see his little sister again, he whispers one last "I love you" and runs into the flames to find his parents.
Outside the house, Emma looks up to the flames, her mouth open in a silent scream and tears streaming down her face. It is then that she hears the sirens. Fire trucks and police cars fill up the street, but she cannot move.
It is only when a man in his early thirties come to her that she finally moves. He opens his arms and she jumps into them, crying softly into his shoulder. The deputy stands up and takes her with him, away from the burning house and to one of the ambulances.
"Hey kid" John Stilinski says quietly to the girl. She doesn't say anything, but turns her head towards him. "How about after you get checked up I take you home and you and Stiles can have a sleepover?" He continues and she slowly nods her head. "Great. Do you have Snuffles?" He asks, knowing that the girl cannot sleep without him, and she nods again. "Okay"
Half an hour later, John is just pulling up on his driveway. Emma fell asleep on the trip home, so he takes her in his arms and brings her to inside the house. His wife, Claudia, is waiting awake for him in their living room. As soon as she sees the little girl in her husband's arms, she stands up, but he only shakes his head, indicating that he will be right back.
John climbs the stairs and silently opens the door to his son's room. Finding him sound asleep, he carefully lays Emma down besides Stiles. As if feeling each other's presence, both children roll closer to each other, and finally, for the first time that night, Emma sleeps peacefully.