CHAPTER ONE

BLACK STREAM

"They say she cut out her heart and hid it, and the only way to kill her is to stab the heart."

"That's Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean you idiot."

"So, she can't die, like the cheerleader in Heroes...? What?!"

"... How did you even get a job here?"

Avaline had gotten used to walking down the halls of BPRD and hearing comments along the lines of these. She seemed to be a kind of guessing poll, a quiz, to some of the other officers. To be honest, her memories were quite vague of what had happened exactly and why she was, how she was. She was just as confused as anyone else, however she didn't let that on. In fact she just continued walking. Her blood tests had come back normal. She herself knew she wasn't normal. They knew she wasn't normal. The way she could heal herself from any injury. What they didn't know was the extent of how normal she wasn't, and she wasn't about to tell them and subject herself to more tests.

It had meant to be all in fun. A way of bonding amongst friends who had not seen each other in several years. Caving with friends on graduation day. She couldn't remember whose idea it had been now. In areas the cave stretched out miles in front of them. In others it was a tight squeeze just to fit through. Then there was the vast blackness where even a step wrong they would fall 100 ft down.

They were supposed to have come out the other side in the midst of a jungle and camp there before hiking on to see some archaeological digs and ancient ruins. She wasn't sure when she'd gotten separated from the others. A cave in made sure she couldn't go back the way she came and had separated her from the rest of them. Muttering under her breath she remembered seeing a movie like this about a group of women reconnecting. It didn't end well. In fact, from memory, she was sure they had all died except one in the movie. Her thoughts started to drift, what if her friends hadn't made it out after the cave in? Was she the exception like that movie?

Thankfully she had packed some snacks for herself as she sat laying on a edge, looking up 200 ft to the ceiling of the cave where light shone down on her from above. A river nearby ran swiftly, crashing against all the rocks. It seems it had rained above ground recently as the torrent became stronger, the water level becoming higher. She could only tell that 2 days had passed by the watch on her wrist. 2 days on her own in these dark stank caves. She wondered if she stayed here would they find her through the opening in the cave above her.

Getting up to her feet she intended just to stretch her legs, however not anticipating the rise of the water she felt herself fall backwards into the cold frigid water. It swept her along at great speed and all she could do was fight to keep her head above the water. Her teeth chattering from the cold she could feel herself shiver and tremble uncontrollably. Dropping down a waterfall she found herself swept further and up against a crevice. She had a choice, fight against the strong current and pull herself up against the wall, and wall climb with no tools to solid ground, or hope that this crevice led somewhere else.

The choice was not her own as she was sucked through the crevice and found herself immersed underwater. She couldn't tell which way was up or down. What ever way she swam, she seemed she hit rock surface. Her lungs fighting to hold on she found small air pockets in between rock surfaces to help. They were small and weren't going to last long. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed shimmers of light and swam towards them. Swimming up towards them she found herself in a little alcove and swam to the shore nearby.

A few more days passed, and she was still in the alcove. She had tried and failed to climb up and out of the cave even though she could clearly see trees and vegetation above. Instead she ate the vegetation around her and sipped at a small waterfall to get by. She had noticed ruins below her in the water, but was too tired to attempt to swim down to see. All she wanted to do was go home. Getting to her feet the rocks seemed to crumble beneath her, shattering like thin ice. All she could do was suck in a deep breath of air before the water took her into its embrace again. She found herself swept by under water currents into another alcove where the water rose high to the ceiling. She gripped onto the rock surface above without anywhere to go, all she could do was dive into the water again and swim, hoping to find a safe haven.

She noted more ruins below her. This whole cave system she had been pulled into seemed to be an old civilisation of some sort. The walls of this particular cave was dry and polished stone. She could feel unconsciousness trying to take her over as her lungs fought to hold on. Fighting further she swam through the water, through glistening shimmering substance, and towards the light ahead.

With a groan she came to in another alcove and looked up to see more ruins. A circle of polished stone, an old well sat nearby. She could see water shimmering inside it. Though she felt she'd had enough of water, she really needed to keep her sustenance up. Standing over the well she considered the ill health cons and the pros of drinking the water. It could be like salt water and end up making her delerious. Or it could be fresh water. Taking a deep breath of air into her lungs she sipped at the water and drank it down. Eating at some of the nearby vegetation. She sat down leaning against the well and closed her eyes. Just a small nap she told herself.

Avaline's eyes fluttered open, darting back and forth, taking in the sights and sounds around her. She regained consciousness on a bank of a lake. Trees greeted her from over head. Smiling she raised her arms in victory of making it out of the cave. Though she couldn't remember exactly what had happened inside the cave, or how she had gotten out. She figured an underwater river had swept her into this lake. The waterfall rumbled over cliffs nearby in a deafening roar, disorientating her further. She was starting to think that well water had been salt water or something else. Maybe it was the vegetation she had eaten.

She could feel the grass groan as she walked over it. She could hear the wind caress through the trees overhead. She stopped and stood still with her eyes closed. She could feel everything. Every living being. Birds overhead. Trees. She could hear them breathing, feel them breathing as if it was her own breath. She knew there was a town nearby. She could feel the people walking in the marketplace. She could even count the number of people though she knew they were miles from her. Tripping she stumbled down the mountain and crashed into a stream below. Her body crunching up against rocks. She opened her eyes with a groan again just to watch as her body healed. The cuts, the bruises. The rib jutting out of her chest.

She wondered as she watched the sunlight filter through the trees above. "Am I dead?"

"News reports only state she was found almost 2 weeks after she was separated from her friends. Miles from the original cave system they had entered."

"Did a search party find her?"

"No. She walked into a township on her own."

Avaline was growing tired of all the conversation about her. Then again, she had flown in from Washington and joined this team a few weeks earlier. She half expected it. They thought she was psychic because she could stand outside a building and tell everyone how many people were in there and where exactly those people were.

"I wonder if she can kill just by looking at someone..."

"I wonder if she can read minds."

She didn't really need to read the minds of human men to know what they thought about her.

Her body wasn't petite... What was it the men thought? That she had curves in all the right places... However, she wasn't tall either. Her skin was like porcelain, her lips sat in a natural rosy pink pout and blue/gray eyes that seemed to shimmer and dance in the light. In fact when she was a child, she was often told she looked like a porcelain doll with her wide eyes, her complexion and her wavy dark blonde, golden light brown hair. Her hair as a child used to sit in ringlets and bows. Now it sat in gentle waves down her back and past her hips. She had it tied back into a braid that swung back and forth as she walked down the hall. Making her way into her private room she lay down on the bed and listened as the Red demon and his fiery girlfriend argued down the hall way. Even now she could feel the little life growing inside of her. She doubted anyone else, even Liz knew just yet.

The strangest thing she found about herself was her memories. She could remember things long before anyones years. She could look out over a valley of houses and buildings and construction and remember the days it was all nature. How the green pastures below reached out to the nearby rivers and forests. The wildlife running about in freedom. It brought tears to her eyes and physical pain about all the destruction that had come and gone.

Her eyes shot open, not allowing her to fall asleep. She could feel them. All of them dying. Miles away. It was humans. A whole room full of them. She groaned and rubbed her face thinking not another massacre. A high school shooting, it was too late for that. Someone going postal, who knows. With a sigh she lay back on her bed again. Hoping slumber will take her. Then she realised, one of the beings, wherever this massacre was taking back, was old. Very old. Almost older than time. Her thoughts slowly drifted to the old being. She had known of elves being in the city and nearby surroundings. But they kept to themselves and stayed hidden.

Loud crashes and screams came down the halls breaking her thoughts. Liz and Red at it again. More talking, she could feel Abe and Manny were in the room talking to the two of them. Then came the blaring screech of the siren overhead.

"Time for work" she sighed as she climbed to her feet and put her boots on.

"Never a dull moment..." She muttered under her breath.