The Angel, Hunters, and I

Monster

Chapter 7

Amelia had locked herself in her room all day, refusing to come out. Trent had come by earlier, found her lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling, and knew that it was best to leave her alone when she was like this. Except this time, it wasn't the usual reasons. Amelia had woken up from another nightmare, even more terrified knowing that the monsters were real.

So, there she lay in her bed, making up her mind to never go to sleep again. Granted, she probably shouldn't have been lying in bed, but she was paranoid that one of the monsters from her dream would hunt her down and kill her. It was night by the time she decided she needed to get up. She quickly took a shower and changed before heading out towards the little cafe at the other end of the campus. If she planned on staying up forever, she'd need some caffeine.

When she reached the little cafe, she was greeted with the warm smell of hot chocolate and all caffeinated beverages that kept her up on late nights studying for an exam. She ordered her usual drink of straight black coffee, and slid into one of the booths. She took a sip, accidentally scalding her tongue on its white-hot bitterness.

The warmth of the coffee cup she held in hand was very comforting, and she found herself slowly nodding off every now and then. She snapped out of it, shaking her head fiercely. If she intended on never having anymore nightmares, she planned on never going to sleep. Although, her plan wasn't exactly working.

She needed to distract herself. If she stayed in the warm cozy atmosphere of the cafe, she was bound to fall asleep and into the hands of her nightmares. So she groggily rose from her seat, fighting off the white blurs that appeared at the edges of her vision, and stumbled out of the cafe.

Amelia walked along the courtyard for a while, and stopped when she came across the water fountain. She plopped herself down on the edge, and stared into the water. Maybe if she fell in, she could wake herself up. But then again, the cold might cause her to get hypothermia, and she wasn't sure she wanted that. She weighed her option; Get hypothermia, or have to live through another nightmare? The choice seemed pretty obvious. Amelia found herself leaning towards the fountain, despite the rational part of her mind telling her otherwise.

"What are you doing out here?" Amelia was snapped out of her trance at the sound of a voice, and she quickly stood, spinning to see who it belonged to. She almost wished she hadn't. Castiel, the so-called angel, stood there before her, looking at her with a puzzled expression. Amelia groaned, and plopped herself back on the edge of the fountain, placing her head between her hands.

"Of course you're here. Can't you just leave me alone? Kind of having a mental break down." He stayed standing, his face set in concentration.

"I have to watch over you, there's no telling what trouble you could run into." Amelia groaned again.

That didn't make her feel better in the least. She shuddered at the thought. What if there was something watching her right now, waiting to sink its talons into her flesh? Goosebumps ran rampant along her skin, and she rubbed her arms to try and warm them up.

The angel sat beside her, and she tensed slightly. The memory of him brandishing a knife on her was still very fresh, and she wasn't sure he was actually safe to be around. Granted, the presence of Sam and Dean was still questionable. But Castiel seemed to not be all...put together.

And then there was the fact she could hardly believe he was an angel. Angels? That seemed pretty far fetched. She could understand demons. Everyone carried demons with them, whether they were the real deal or emotional baggage. But angels? It was harder to believe. Especially since they had done so little to help her in the past. She clenched her hands into fists. They hadn't shown, no matter how many times she had prayed.

"Are you really an angel?" Amelia asked quietly, turning towards the man in the trench coat. Castiel turned towards her.

"Yes." Well, Amelia gave him credit. He was blunt and to the point. An image of Castiel in a barn, a pair of black wings extended out behind him, flashed through her mind. Her eyelids started drooping, and she fought to keep them open. The thought of sleep terrified her. She wished she had never found out the existence of those monsters. She yawned, turning to the angel with a sudden thought. Did that make Castiel a monster, too? With that thought, her eyelids slowly drifted shut, and she fell into the clutches of sleep.

Castiel caught the girl as she slumped over into his arms, unsure of what to do. The last time he tried to do something to help out, Dean had only scolded him. He frowned at the thought, looking back down at the sleeping prophet's face. For someone who often had night terrors, her face seemed pretty peaceful.

The angel brought the girl back to her own apartment, laying her gently down onto her bed. He went to return to Sam and Dean, only to discover that the prophet was clinging tightly to his trench coat. He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remove himself out of her grasp, but to no avail. He continued like this for a few more minutes before he started to get frustrated. He examined her face.

Castiel couldn't put his finger on it, but something was different about this human. And it wasn't just the fact the girl could possibly be a prophet. She was different from Sam, Dean, any other human he had come across. The angel realized she wasn't going to let go anytime soon-of his jacket, that is.

Sighing heavily, he manuevered himself over the girl and beside her on the bed, his back pressing against the wall. He laid down, using a hand to hold his head up as he watched her sleep. The angel wondered briefly if this girl was the key to getting back home. Castiel pondered for a minute. He wasn't so sure he wanted to go home. But he could worry about that later.

He sensed a prescence, and although it was faint, he knew he was not alone in this world. Another angel had found its way here, and would no doubt come looking for this girl. The angel looked back down at her sleeping face. He would do everything in his power to stop them when they did come looking.