"I thought university was supposed to be a time for me to learn more about myself and have fun!" she exclaimed exasperatedly into the phone, "it's not my fault the professor is a nimrod that can't remember my name" she continued to grouse. "Mom, I just don't think I'm meant to be here, I really just want to go home" the line was silent.
There was a long pause before her mother sighed, "If that's what you want, but honey even when you were here you weren't happy and what about your father?" Stella had already thought about the strained relationship she had with her father she didn't want to go home to him, and if she were perfectly honest with herself she didn't even really want to go home, all she really knew is that she didn't want to be here.
"I don't want to go home, I just have nowhere else to go Mom! I can move out as soon as possible, I'll get a job and be on my own I just can't stand the people here, you know someone called me a Yank the other day! I don't even think California was a state much less involved in the Civil war."
She was shouting now and she knew why, before she had moved to this Podunk town for school she had defended the Civil war, claiming that the divers behind the southern insistence on slaves had been economical, comparing the actions of states like the one she was living in now to the current use of child labour used only three hours south of where she was born. Once Stella had moved to this small town in southwest Virginia it became clear that she didn't fit in, her lack of accent immediately identified her as the other and regardless of how hard she tried the people here weren't accepting.
"Sweetheart if you want to come home that's fine, I just want you to be happy." Her mother emphasized, Stella understood her mother had always wanted her to be happy and after 18 years of not being happy she thought this would make her happy, living away from home around the horses and nature Stella had always craved. But Stella wasn't happy and she knew that it was incredibly expensive for her family to have her here, better to go home and figure out what she wanted to do with her life rather than waste their money doing what she knew she didn't want to do.
As the conversation came to a natural end they said goodbye, her mother promising to look for flights for the end of the semester. Stella looked out the window, it was a beautiful day the sun was bright and reflected the new leaves in the trees perfectly, and everything looked soft. Stella knew that she was going to miss this part; this amazing beauty just wasn't a part of her life in California. Los Angeles was a mecca for fashion, celebrities, and beaches, but it couldn't offer this type of serenity. Her horses liked it better here and she was able to spend more time with them. Still Stella couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't where she was supposed to be.
She decided to go for a walk and maybe read a book, she changed out of the black pencil skirt and silk blouse she was wearing and into a soft green cotton shirt and riding pants and filled her old beaten knapsack with a blanket, book, and a few apples she nicked from the cafeteria. She walked out of the dorm and headed up to the barns, more out of habit than intention. About ten minutes into her walk she decided that she would head into the surrounding woods and find a nice place to think. She had only ever been there once before with one of her classes, but remembered that there was a small stream that ran by a meadow relatively close to campus.
Despite getting lost twice and totally turned around at least once she found the place she remembered, although even her most vivid memories of this place did not do it justice. With all of the rain recently the meadow was overgrown with wild flowers, and the small stream she remembered had transformed to a river. It was beautiful and it was all hers, she lay out her blanket and grabbed her book, content to just sit and read for the time. Eventually it became too dark to read comfortably and too cold to just sit still, she dragged herself up and back to campus reluctant to start the day again tomorrow.
She continued to go to her meadow everyday after classes, sometimes reading, sometimes just laying there thinking about all of the happenings of the world. It became her hideout, a place to go when she was upset or anxious or embarrassed.
Stella just lay there that afternoon, completely content with the way of the world, it was some time in the beginning of May, the exact day and time forgotten. Her world was warm and green and tempting, so different from the harsh cold of winter or the oppressive heat of summer. Wild flowers surrounded her; the grass was soft and soothing on her skin. As she contemplated all of the transgressions of the recent past her eyes became heavier, as if even the memory of her actions were too much for a conscious mind to handle, she slept in the meadow that brought her so much peace.
She awoke from her dream, in the dark, to the tapping of a foot on her back, noticing immediately that she must have rolled off of her blanket while she slept because the red snowman atrocity was nowhere to be seen, although she spotted her knapsack only a few feet away. She turned to face the offending foot, expecting it to belong to her roommate as had been the case multiple times in the past in similar situations. Stella was startled to see that, rather than the dainty foot of her roommate; it was shod in a heavy boot similar to the ones worn by the maintenance crew. She opened her mouth in apology as her eyes drifted up to meet the face connected to the foot.
However before she could get even a syllable formed she realized the pants and shirt were made out of a strange material that looked far too rough to have been made by machine, and he had a strange cape looking thing wrapped around his neck connected by only a small clasp. Her brow furrowed in confusion, this man looked as if he had stepped out of another century.
"Are you alright," the strange man asked with concern plastered on his face. Stella couldn't help but stare his hair was long, ending at his shoulders and he was covered in dirt and sweat. Despite all of these clear detractors Stella couldn't help but think that the man was incredibly handsome. His blue eyes probed hers and she realized he was still waiting for her response.
"Yes, yes I'm fine I must have just dozed off for a moment" she whispered, silently cursing herself for sounding like such an airhead. He looked at her as if unbelieving.
"Where are you from? Are you lost?" he asked again his voice soft as if expecting her to run away. He was starting to irritate Stella, she had always had little patients for those that thought she was weak.
"Look, I'll just be heading back, I'm living at Hollins it is only a short walk" she looked around unwilling to keep eye contact with the man. She had walked back many times in the dark, she knew where each tree was and had easily remembered the path with the least amount of poison ivy.
The man now looked incredibly confused "Hollin?" he questioned "I am afraid you are a great deal farther than a short walk from there." He looked at her with sympathy "I have not heard of someone living in Hollin in this age. That city was long ago destroyed."
Stella looked at the man she now believed to have a few screws loose. She had not noticed that he had not pronounced the name of her school correctly, many people did, it was just one of the few perks of going to a school of less than a thousand.
"I walked from there to here, I can most certainly walk back" she exclaimed, confused by the man's insistence that Hollins didn't even exist.
The man shook his head, but rather than continuing the conversation he simply looked around and began gathering wood and setting up what looked like a makeshift camp. Stella knew she should go, her roommate would be getting worried and she was hungry, the small sandwich she had eaten for lunch seemed so long ago, but Stella could not move she was transfixed watching the man with his strange attire and strange actions.
He looked up at her and motioned for her to sit, she paused for a moment not entirely trusting of the strange man she had only just met. She quickly turned and picked up her knapsack before returning to sit across from the man, who was now working on starting a fire. She watched him for a minute before stopping him. She reached into her knapsack and got out her lighter, making quick work of the fire before sitting back down looking at him curiously, his expression mirrored hers.
"What is that?" he asked abruptly. Stella hadn't been expecting that one, everyone knew what a lighter was even if they didn't have the same tobacco addiction she did.
"A lighter. I know I know, smoking kills. Whatever, we're all dying in the end aren't we?" she was defensive she couldn't help it, her mother was always attacking her for the habit. As she finished her small speech she rummaged around in her bag again pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lit one, taking a long drag. She looked at him again; "So I just helped you out and I don't even know your name," she stated looking at him expectantly.
"People around here call me Strider," he shrugged "my given name is Aragorn." he looked at her expectantly as if that should mean something.
Unsure what to say, she just nodded "Stella," she held her hand out waiting for him to shake it. Now it was his turn to be confused, but rather than to show it, he grasped her hand and they shook. He looked down at her clothing, he seemed at a lost and Stella noticed.
"I'm a rider, at Hollins that is, I was going to go for a ride this afternoon after I got back but clearly I fell asleep." He still seemed lost. "Horses?" she said almost annoyed at his ignorance, "I ride horses, competitively. That's why I'm dressed like this, these," she plucked at her pants "are riding pants." He nodded in comprehension. "So, what do you do?" she asked sounding rude, although she rationalized it that she had given him her name, rank and title while he just stared at her blankly.
"I am a ranger," he answered swiftly although it seemed as if there was something that he wasn't telling her, she didn't mind she hadn't told him everything either. Stella nodded, he seemed like a man with a purpose.
"Where are you headed?" she asked again, realizing that she was probably getting on his nerves with the questions.
"Bree," he answered looking at her again "about a day and a half in that direction," he said, pointing behind him. Stella was headed in the opposite direction but she couldn't help but want to go with him, he gave the impression that he was on an important adventure, 'maybe he's backpacking' she thought. She just nodded. She decided she was going to ask if she could go with him, 'why not?' she thought, ignoring the little voice in the back of her head that gave her a million reasons not to follow this man the first being that she didn't even know him.
"Would you take me with you?" she blurted, before looking at her feet embarrassed by her sudden outburst. "I just mean, I really have nothing else going on and I want an adventure before I go home." She mumbled her justification refusing to look up at him. Then she heard it, a deep rumble she identified as him laughing.
"What I am doing now is no light hearted adventure, I fear it would be dangerous for you" he looked at her again his eyes piercing her, looking for something. Stella became annoyed and glared at the man.
"I can very well take care of myself, as if I have not faced horrors you could not even imagine." she muttered with a look that could kill. The pair stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.
"Fine, you can come. I did warn you that it will be dangerous," he looked at her again. "I am going to get some sleep now, I suggest you do the same, we will leave at first light," he turned around and began getting comfortable ignoring the young girl still looking at him.