Bip bip bip... what is that sound? Elara was engulfed in darkness, unable to open her eyes hearing distant voices and weird sounds. What's going on? She thought trying to move her limbs only to be met with failure. Her body felt numb and heavy, she started to panic. Bip bip bip bip bip bip again with that sound! Only this time it was faster and started to become clearer with each passing second. Am I hooked to a machine? Why would I be?

"Elara calm down sweetie, I'm here" she could hear her mother's voice but couldn't see her, everything was pitch black.

"Mom..." She whispered "I can't see you... hold my hand mommy I'm scared" She felt a hand wrap around her own but still couldn't see her mother. She missed her dearly and wanted nothing but to see her. Am I dead? Is my mom here to take me?

"Mommy please..." She begged her mom to show herself but still nothing.

"Elara, open your eyes, I'm here Elara, I'm right here..." At first, she thought she was hearing her mother and tried to open her eyes again "I'm right here sweetie" this time it wasn't her mother's voice.

She slowly opened her eyes and met a pair of green orbs, just like hers. She could feel tears rolling down her cheeks just as a sharp pain struck her through her shoulder.

"Ahhh! It hurts! I'm burning!" she cried out in pain as her grandpa tightened his grip on her hand. Nurses came rushing inside her hospital room and shot her with a syringe through her veins. It only took her seconds before she was thrown into darkness again.

Later that day, Elara's eyes snapped open and she blinked a few times before settling her gaze on her sleeping grandpa. She felt bad for him sleeping on that chair. He seemed to be very uncomfortable.

"Grandpa?" her voice was barely audible, but somehow he heard her and was by her side instantly.

"Oh, Elara! You gave me the scare of my life. How are you feeling sweetie?"

"You look tired" she joked wanting to make him laugh.

"Look who's talking" He chuckled shaking his head "Are you hurting?"

"I... my shoulder is a bit sore it feels like my veins are burning inside."

Daniel stayed quiet for a little while and reached for the bottled water next to her. He poured her a glass and helped her sit up a little so she could drink it.

"Thank you grandpa" she smiled sweetly at him, knowing he'll always be there for her.

"What were you doing in the woods? In a boy's shirt?"

Elara blushed and looked away "Oh my god! Sean! Is he okay? I ran when I heard noises and left him all alone..."

"The rangers only found you. They found his jacket though"

"I'm sorry Grandpa I should have listened to you"

"Regarding what subject exactly?"

Just as she was about to answer his question there was a light knock on the door and a young doctor came in with the brightest smile on his face.

"How is my patient doing today?" he asked Elara as he picked up her file to read through it.

"I'm feeling... I don't know how exactly, I feel different somehow. But I'm glad that wolf didn't bite my head off" she let out a sigh of relief.

"A wolf?" the young doctor raised an eyebrow, "you think a wolf did this to you?"

"I don't think Doctor Vern" she read on his name tag, "I'm positive it was a wolf. It was a huge one, bigger than a regular wolf."

Doctor Vern shook his head putting the file aside "Elara, you were attacked by a mountain lion, we don't have wolves in these parts of California."

Elara rolled her eyes and looked at her grandpa "I know what I saw" She looked back to the doctor with pleading eyes wanting him to believe her "I'm telling you it was a wolf. I still can see the look in the creature's eyes... I've never seen a wolf up close but I'm sure this one was abnormal."

"You were afraid, running for your life, worried about your friend; you could have easily mistaken your predator's nature. The California Wildlife service stated you were attacked by a mountain lion. Now I wasn't there, but I've seen this before, same bite spot, same size, and the same pain." He looked at her grandpa and offered him a smile "Don't worry Mr. Bell, she'll be just fine."

"Thank you, doctor, how long will you keep her here?"

"A couple of days the most, just to make sure she's fine. And also, the hospital psychiatrist will see her before she checks out."

Elara was looking out the window blocking their conversation out, I'm not crazy! She thought to herself over and over again.

"Grandpa, you believe me right?" She asked him as soon as her doctor was out of her room.

"Of course I do. I always told you to stay away from the woods, and always told you about the legends of Pine Hill woods, you just never listen to your old grandpa." He chuckled "But what matters is you're feeling better and you're alive. Hopefully, you've also learned your lesson" he winked before heading to the door "Get some rest, I'll be right back kiddo."

She watched her grandpa close the door behind him and scanned her room looking for her cell phone. It was nowhere to be seen and she wanted to check on Sean. Elara kept staring at the door waiting for her grandpa to come back so she could borrow his phone. Instead, she heard a soft knock and saw a tiny figure with short brown hair peak her head inside the room.

"Can I come in?"

"Soph! Of course, you can silly" Elara smiled warmly at her friend "Where's Laura?"

"She's right behind, she just saw a cute nurse and thought it was wise to be creepy and stalk him" they both laughed as Sophie carefully hugged her friend.

"So a mountain lion huh?"

"A wolf Soph! I swear to god it was a huge wolf."

"That's impossible El"

"What's impossible?" Laura asked walking in gracefully and sitting on the bed next to her friends.

"Elara thinks a wolf attacked her..."

Laura bit her lower lip "well it might be. I heard rumors about the woods, huge wolves coming out every once in a while"

"See! I told you it was a wolf." Elara rolled her eyes hating that no one believed her. "Anyway, have you heard about Sean? Is he okay?"

Both her friends exchanged a look before staring at Elara as if she was crazy.

"Sean is completely fine El, why wouldn't he be? He said he wasn't with you when the wolf attacked you." Laura knew Sean was lying since they found Elara wearing his shirt.

"He was, he's the one that told me to run" she frowned "Why would he say he wasn't with me? We were... well we were about to..."

"It's okay El, don't worry about him. Maybe he lied so people won't call him a coward for leaving you behind" Sophie took Elara's hand in hers and smiled "what matters is you get out of here and we can graduate"

The three girls spent some more time together before a nurse came in asked them to leave. Elara's grandpa was nowhere to be seen, Abigail, the nurse, informed Elara she saw him leave the hospital in a hurry. Elara found it strange but after eating and taking her pills she felt too tired to think about it. After staring at the ceiling for a while, she drifted to sleep.

"Elara... Elara wake up" slowly, and sleepily, Elara opened her eyes and saw a woman with pitch-black eyes and long raven black hair staring into her green orbs. Blinking a few times Elara abruptly sat up and gazed up at the woman in front of her.

"Mom? But... how?"

Elara's mom smiled warmly and stroked her hair gently before cupping her face "I'm so relieved you're safe. I couldn't show up earlier, I wanted to but Daniel was here"

"You..." Elara was so confused "Mom you're not really here, you can't be"

"With time, you'll come to understand how I'm here. But for now, I just need to warn you. Beware of your friends, seek the guidance of the elders, they will help you reach your potential. You are very special Elara, always be reminded of that."

"You're not making any sense mom, what elders? Why am I special?"

"The Tiassili Elders. You can find them when you're ready, you'll know where to go."

"Mom, who are those people? Why would I seek guidance from them?"

Her mother turned her head toward the door when she heard Daniel speak with a nurse just outside the room. She looked back at Elara and placed her hand on her daughter's forehead.

"I have to go now. Go back to sleep." She whispered as Elara involuntarily closed her eyes and fell asleep.

When she woke up again, Elara saw her grandpa drinking coffee by the window. He looked pale and worried.

"Morning Grandpa," she said trying to sit up.

"Finally you're up! You've been asleep for two days Elara. You got me worried." He sat on the chair next to her "You were calling your mom constantly. Were you dreaming about her?"

"I don't remember pop" they sat in silence while the nurse checked her vitals before paging Dr. Vern. As soon as she was out Elara looked asked about what she could remember from her dreams "Grandpa, do you know the Tiassili elders?"

"Where did you hear that?" he looked confused and fidgety all of a sudden.

"I don't know it keeps popping in my mind. Have you heard of them before?"

Daniel shook his head getting up "I should call the nurse to check up on you."

"Oh... Ok Grandpa!" Elara put up a smile just for the sake of her old man not giving up on finding out what her mom was talking about.

Elara was kept at the hospital for another two days, her shoulder injury was healing well to the point she only remembered having one when they were changing the bandages. She visited the hospital psychiatrist twice and made sure to avoid all talk about the wolf or even the visions she was having.

It was crazy but since she was bitten she kept seeing her mom. Growing up she would dream about her every once in a while, the dreams feeling vivid and real. But this was different. Maybe it's the drugs they are giving me? Elara shrugged putting on her shoes and getting up. Her grandpa was checking her out and taking care of all the formalities and papers.

She walked to the window and smiled at the sight of Laura and Sophie in the parking lot near her grandpa's truck. They were holding flowers and balloons looking all excited. These two were just amazing. Elara had many friends, but Laura and Sophie held a special place in her heart.

Walking out of the hospital with her grandpa, Elara was about to run toward her friends when she felt dizzy all of a sudden and felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back but saw no one, only heard a whisper.

"Your wings already exist, all you have to do is use them and fly. Be strong, just like you're supposed to be."

Daniel held his granddaughter in place "Are you okay?"

Laura and Sophie rushed to check on their friend worried and about her. After making sure she was fine, they all headed to Daniel's truck, with Laura sitting upfront while Elara and Sophie sat in the back.

"Here's your phone, the rangers found it in the woods" Sophie handed the phone to Elara "I've charged it for you."

"Thank you, Soph, you always think of everything." Elara quickly checked her inbox and found lots of messages from her friends but none from Sean.

She called him despite Sophie's glare but Sean rejected her call.

"The bas..." she stopped herself when she heard her grandpa's chuckled "Sorry Grandpa". She let out a sigh feeling disappointed but at the same time, happy nothing really happened between them.

Elara received a text from Sean and eagerly opened it only to get a punch to the heart.

Sean: "Don't call me again."