Linilya stared down at her trigonometry homework and sighed. The numbers all swirled around together in her brain, making them all look the same. She didn't see the point of taking math in the first place, but it was a mandatory course, so she dealt with it. Her CD player was blasting in the background, filling the attic with sound and music.

The attic had been made her room when she started college. It was finished and furnished to her satisfaction. The nice wooden floors had several place rugs set out. A large dresser and a chest of drawers were along one wall. Little trinkets and signed sports items littered the tops of the furniture and posters of female athletes adorned the walls. A desk was off in the corner with her computer, printer, and scanner. One door led off to the closet and another led to a bathroom. A microwave and mini-fridge sat on a stand in another corner. A flat screen TV hung on the wall opposite her large bunk bed. The top bunk was overflowing with stuffed animals and toys, while the bottom was made up with green and blue sheets. A nightstand rested by the bunk with an alarm clock and a telephone. A CD tower stood by her desk, filled to the top with CDs and DVDs.

She sat on the floor, surrounded with pillows and school supplies. Her ceiling fan blew gently down on her back, cooling the room. She rolled her pencil between her finger and her thumb and sat dumbfounded, staring at number six on page 276. She hummed quietly along with the music, letting her brain slip away somewhere else.

"Screw this," she said, and slammed the book closed. "Pre-calc is completely pointless anyway."

Linilya jammed her book into her backpack and threw it in front of her door. She heard a loud thumping noise and turned to the door to see Tigger, her two year old Great Dane, running into her room. He rushed up to her and started licking her face. Linilya giggled and pulled the humongous dog into a hug.

"Hello, baby. Hello. What's up, huh? Miss me today? I know," she said, ruffling his fur. "How's my buddy?"

Tigger barked deeply, the sound briefly drowning out the music. He pushed his nose against her cheek and licked it, leaving a slobbery trail on her face.

"Ew, gross! Tigger!" she cried, pulling away, giggling. "Disgusting!"

Linilya stood up, smoothing out her clothes. "I know. I know. You want to go for your walk. All right then. Let's go!"

Linilya took Tigger downstairs and grabbed his leash out of the garage. She hooked the leash to his collar and opened the garage door. Tigger took off, pulling her along behind him down the sidewalk. Linilya smiled, looking around at her neighborhood. It was a nice little area; most of the people were friendly and kind. Though, the male population needed some serious work. Most of them were her age, but they were unbelievably immature.

Linilya had always had problems with guys. They treated her like an object, like a toy. Linilya knew she was pretty; she'd inherited her mother's looks. But she never went around advertising it. She was modest and humble, never letting anything go to her head. Her long curly red hair was unusual and her vivid green eyes always held a mischievous sparkle. She was shorter than most girls her age, though not tiny. She possessed a slender, lithe frame, and a beautifully formed body. Her facial features were very smooth and rounded, and her skin was a nice honeyed tan.

Men had never taken her seriously, always playing with her mind. They treated her like a little baby. Not to mention, the only thing they ever had on their minds was sex. She didn't know how many had dumped her because she wouldn't sleep with them. Several had attempted to force themselves on her, but somehow she'd managed to avoid it. She even had troubles with her own father, though not sexual ones. He had left her mother and her when Linilya was only two. He'd come back every month or so and beat her mother, until she was black and blue. When Linilya had turned ten, she started to receive beatings too. Her father told her that if she told anyone, he would come back and kill her and her mother. Her father had finally been apprehended and put away in jail for several years. Linilya and her mother could rest easy for a while.

Linilya didn't consider herself a girly-girl. She much preferred a pair of pants and a shirt to a dress or skirt. She didn't like cheerleading at all, let alone consider it a sport. She entertained herself with basketball and soccer, and every now and then she would play field hockey or swim. Every morning before school, she'd go on a mile run with Tigger. Her room was very neutral, not decorated with flowers and such. When she was growing up, she always wanted to play with the boys. So not only was she harassed by men, but she was also alienated by her own gender due to her lack of femininity. She didn't think of herself as tomboyish, just athletic. Linilya couldn't understand what was wrong with that.

She was also very smart, receiving the highest marks in the class. She was in all advanced courses and was doing extremely well. She had graduated from high school as valedictorian with a 4.3 grade average. And she loved to read. Oh, how she loved to read. One of her favorite past-times was to get lost in a good book, particularly The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was her favorite book.

Her favorite characters were the Elves. Elves had always appealed to her. She could imagine their glory and beauty as if they were standing right in front of her. They were the oldest and fairest of all the beings of Tolkien's Middle Earth. Ever graceful in their movements and mellifluous in their speech, Linilya found the Elves most intriguing. If only she could become part of Tolkien's world, all her misery in life would dissolve. To be an Elf, she thought, would be the ultimate existence.

Linilya was so deep in thought, that she didn't see the car tearing around the corner. She heard the brakes squeal, and her reverie was interrupted. Her eyes rose and landed on the bright flash of metal before her. She froze, rooted to her spot in terror. Tigger barked, then whimpered as he looked on from the other side of the street.

The car swerved, but not enough, ramming into her at full speed. Linilya flew up onto the hood of the car and smashed into the windshield. She rolled over the top and down the back, finally landing on the hard pavement below. Linilya was conscious long enough to hear the car squeal away. Then, her world went black.

"Nineteen year-old female. Serious injuries to the skull and back. Probably some broken ribs and a major concussion, possibly contusion. Internal bleeding but we don't know from where. Most likely stomach."

"Get me some blood and get her on oxygen, stat!"

Linilya drifted in and out, the voices barely echoing through her brain. Her head pounded, her whole body ached. The scene of the crash raced through her mind, reminding her of what had happened. A faint beep, beep could be heard, and she guessed it was the heart monitor. She must be in the hospital. She struggled to open her eyes, but the pain consumed her and she lost her battle. She wanted to move, wanted to scream Help me! But nothing would work.

"She's going to need surgery on that knee. The patella is shattered."

"Her skull is cracked in three places. I think that's more important. There's too much intracranial pressure. She needs surgery there first."

"Get a surgeon in here! We're starting to lose her!"

The beeping grew slower in her mind and she started to panic.

Beep…beep…….beep……….beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppp…………….

"Ready, clear!"

Linilya was shocked almost off the gurney.

"Clear!"