It had been 13 years since Elena Vincent had been placed into foster care after a neighbor had found her alone and curled up on the floor. No one had believed her when she had told them about the bright light or the wings etched on the floor. Instead the police had written it up as a breaking and entering that had gone wrong and with no other relatives to take care of the small girl they had no choice but to put her in the system. She'd found a home with a couple unable to have a child of their own. They treated her as if she were their own child clothing her, feeding her, doing all the normal things a family did.
Elena however wasn't normal. It started almost immediately after she'd been adopted. At first the terrible nightmares were of the very night she'd lost her real father and she would wake up crying and shaking clutching her stuffed rabbit. Her new parents the Coopers, grew concerned about this and began to take her to see a child phycologist. Every Friday after school Elena saw Dr. Corrigan and talked to her about her terrible dreams. Dr. Corrigan was certain she was simply suffering from post traumatic stress after witnessing the death of her father and that the dreams would go away eventually once she was able to accept what had happened and move past them.
Instead of dissipating as she grew older the dreams persisted and explained to not only include the horrible memory of that night but new nightmares that were so gruesome and detailed that the Cooper's and Dr. Corrigan grew concerned and had her put on medication which made Elena feel sick. She could tell she was scaring her adoptive parents so she began to lie and tell them that the dreams had stopped for fear that they would send her back and not want her anymore if they knew she was 'broken'.
Now at the age of twenty she laid in her bed starring up at the ceiling afraid to close her eyes and sleep. All week long she had been feeding her body full of caffeine both in pill and drink form, anything in order to keep herself awake. Now however her body was aching for sleep and fight as she might she knew what awaited her the moment she gave in. Nightmares...they were so harmless to many but just two years ago the consequences of hers had become very real.
It was a nightmare she had that she'd come home to find her adoptive parents dead on the floor, the windows shattered very much like what had happened to her father only instead of wings etched on the floor there were burn marks and yet her parents were not burned they were simply lifeless. It had been a nightmare just like the many she'd had before but this one had come true. She'd come home from school only to find that her nightmare had come true and that was the day she'd run away.
Now two years later she was still running away from herself and what had happened. Whatever had happened to both her father and the Coopers had been her fault of that she was sure. She had caused their deaths but why and how was still a mystery to her. Since then she had avoided getting close to anyone for fear it would happen again. The memories haunted her mind as she felt her eyes being to droop closed. She tried to fight it, to stop herself but to no avail, sleep had claimed her.
She had experienced these nightmares long enough to know when she was dreaming but she couldn't wake herself from them try as she might. They were always vivid and extremely real, even now she could smell the smoke that lingered heavily in the air causing her to cough as though it were trying to choke her. This dream was no different, it too felt real. It was warm, too warm for Elena's liking that she could feel herself being to perspire as she began walking. The ground beneath her was cracked and caked with a dark red stain. The further she walked the heavier the smoke got but something was pulling her in that direction.
As she drew nearer a sight appeared that caused her to cover her mouth in a gasp. She'd found the source of the smoke; a pile of bodies haphazardly strewn upon one another set on fire burning slowly. The smell of the burning flesh was enough to almost make her gag and she stepped closer making out the various limbs. One of the figures in the pile opened it's eyes and stared directly into hers opening its mouth as Elena jumped back startled. It seemed as though it were trying to tell her something and just as she moved closer a shadow began to engulf her.
She spun on her heel to see what it was that was blocking the light when there before her stood a man with a pair of wings protruding from his back extended outward. "I found you at last Nephilim. It won't be long now", the deep voice rumbled. Something about it was vaguely familiar to her but she couldn't place it. He was reaching for something, a sword she realized as he unsheathed it pulling it out. In one fluid motion he moved and Elena knew it was going to slice her open and just as the blade was about to meet with her flesh she awoke, sitting straight up in her bed breathing heavily the sheets wet with sweat. She looked around remembering where she was as she placed a hand to her head commanding her body to calm itself while she processed everything.
"Nephilim", she whispered the word out loud to herself. This word sounded familiar. She forced herself to think back to that horrible night and instantly remembered not only where she had heard that word but the voice as well. Whatever was going on it had to do with this Nephilim word she was convinced and vowed that she would look into it more.