Chapter One-New World
It was a day and she hated it. Despite enjoying a good camping trip with cousins once in a while this was complete bullshit. The woods didn't seem to end and the creatures avoided them. Speaking of the forest, it wasn't familiar to her let alone the stars. All she wanted was to meet the famous Charles Xavier but instead was stuck with a worthless book nerd.
"Where in hell are we?" she demanded.
The other more petite girl looked up from her book. While the surroundings reminded her of Europe but it felt off to her. She can't even pinpoint the reason why. A few times she tried to reach out to Professor Xavier, Jean Grey or even Psylocke.
"Yi! I want to know or I'll….," the first girl huffed. A few coppery sparks flew off of her.
"Nicole," the girl, Yi, interjected.
"Don't call me that!"
More sparks flew off of her. Despite it being better than what her family calls her she still hates her birth name. Yi took note of the situation and knew Nicole needs a lot of training.
"I'm sorry but I do not know where we are. Nor do I like being threatened," she gently but firmly told her.
Nicole just glared a bit but backed off. She blew a stray kinky lock she inherited from her black mother. Though the genes from her self-proclaim Creole father didn't help either. She was simply a mess mass of cultures and races.
She brushed off some newly added dirt to her favorite worn-out jeans. Her football jersey was just as dirty. In her high school's history, she was the first girl on the football team. It wasn't easy for her but with time she won the team's loyalty and friendship.
Yi, really Eun-Kyung, had bone straight hair and place in a neat bun. Compare to the Amazonian Nicole, she barely stood five feet. Which was seven inches shorter than Nicole. Eun-Kyung was the walking trope of a bookworm or a librarian depending on one's definition and outlook.
"I think we need to find a town or place to rest," Eun-Kyung finally finish mulling over. It was for the best since she didn't want to carry a half-dead mutant around. Besides the said mutant really needs work, a lot of work maybe giving her a week of hell should do the trick.
"No duh genius," Nicole sarcastically said. "And I thought all Asians were smart."
Eun-Kyung decided not to fall down Nicole's level.
"I guess we go that way," Nicole pointed in a random direction. She really didn't know why but she felt something about that direction.
It took Eun-Kyung a while to realize that Nicole was pointing true north. She didn't know if this was a part of Nicole's powers or just a lucky guess.
"Better yet we should find a river," she remembered what her grandfather told her.
"I guess that would be a better idea since we could follow it to a town or city," Eun-Kyung put away her book in her bag. "First we need to find a river."
Nicole stood up, grabbed her bag and started moving in a random direction. This time it was south and didn't question her discussion. Eun-Kyung freaked slightly. They should discuss this first and agree on which direction they should move.
"We really need to think things through," Eun-Kyung finally matched Nicole's pace. "It isn't wise to act before thinking. We don't know where we are for the first part."
"Oh shut up," Nicole gave her a look. "And why are you following me? If you don't like the direction I chose than either shut-up or scram!"
"It is better to stick together."
"Hmph," Nicole didn't like it.
She hated being told to slow down and think. That's not her thing. Planning takes too much time and effort. She is the type of person who takes action and asked questions later. It was something that she gets in trouble more than once.
Nicole kept walking south without much thought. The silence was unbearable to her. She wanted to talk and Eun-Kyung wasn't engaging at all.
"Yi," she said while not looking at her. She felt embarrassed for some reason than she realized that fear had seeped into her bones. "Do you know where we are?"
It dawned on her that Eun-Kyung might know but she might not.
"Sadly no," she said.
Nicole stopped in her tracks. Are they even on Earth? She tried to hold down a sob. It is possible that they were lost. It was true that they were sucked into a portal and it is possible that they are no longer on Earth. Strange how this place looks like home but not really, it doesn't even have the same feel to it.
"It is best if we keep going," Eun-Kyung finally said.
Nicole took a deep breath and walked on. It didn't take them long to hear a commotion. They got near it to see a swarm of men on horseback teasing a man who appears to be a trader of some kind. Before Eun-Kyung could think of a reason behind the actions Nicole rushed forward.
"Hey!" she got their attention. "What the hell? What are you doing to that man?"
They sneered at her. She was wearing strange clothing and spoke with a strange accent.
"None of your business whores," the apparent leader spoke. "And you should know your place."
Wrong thing to say to Nicole. She loathes being told to know her place. Their laughter only made matters worse. Lucky for her she was on the higher ground. However lucky for the bandits she had no control over her powers.
"What did you say," she seethed with anger.
"You heard me, know your place and stay at home and raise your babies."
Before anyone could react Nicole flew in a fit of fury at the leader. Her powers were now fueled with anger and malice. The others didn't know what to do or how to react. Eun-Kyung had no choice but tapping Nicole and pulling her off. It was only a temporary off switch.
Eun-Kyung stood her ground with Nicole looked vivid and wild. The others including the 'trader' all waited on a knife's edge for her next action. What happens was beyond their comprehension that they were at a lost.
"I would advise you, men, to leave," Eun-Kyung forewarned them. "If you do not leave then I would be forced to let my friend have 'fun' with you."
She spoke with conviction and saw what Nicole has done to their leader it was best to leave. They were really at a loss of what to do. Both girls seemed so unworldly and ungodly. Every single one of them left including the extremely injured leader.
"Next time," as he left with his band. "I won't lose to the lacks of you."
Silence mixed with a very tense moment didn't fit well. All of the bandits were gone and nobody wanted to move or say anything. After a while, it mostly passed.
"Thank the heavens," the 'trader' let himself known. "You have saved me and my goods. I was with the others on a caravan but somehow got separated. I would be honored with you two would stay with me."
The man was certainly pleased to see them. Of course, he didn't really see their faces as of yet. But they did save him and he wouldn't hold any negative things about them.
Eun-Kyung side glanced at the man and quickly turned her thoughts to Nicole. It seemed that Nicole wasn't pleased with what she had done to her. The poor girl was fuming and ready to give Eun-Kyung an earful but what the trader said made her quiet for some reason. For Eun-Kyung, it was easy to undo the block on Nicole's power and most outer extremities' movements.
Nicole was already facing their new acquaintance. He had dark hair and eyes, olive skin color and strange clothing. The clothing reminded her of a historical drama her mother loves to watch.
"You're welcome," Nicole was still unpleased with Eun-Kyung.
Eun-Kyung finally turned around to see the trader. He was slightly shocked to see her. She looked like an Easterling but not really. He only saw a handful of Easterlings but none really look like her.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"You look like an Easterling," he looked at her.
No, she didn't have their accent nor did her clothing match theirs'. So he figured that she might not be one.
"Hey, we're lost," the taller, tan one spoke. "Can you tell us where we are?"
That took him back but he complied with an answer.
"Of course, you're in Gondor. Well southern Gondor," the trader said. "You may call me Ezar son of Enki. May I ask the names of my rescuers?"
"The name is Cole," Nicole gave herself a new nickname. "Cole Delacroix."
"You may call me Chi," she gave out her codename. She was very cautious about this whole thing and she wasn't sure if it was right to give out her real name or her allies of Han Yun.
'Strange names for strange people,' Ezar thought to himself.
Nicole was baffled about Eun-Kyung's choice. It didn't accord to her it was her codename. Of course, she didn't use her much-loathed birth name so she wasn't the one to judge. Besides Cole was her nickname with the football and lacrosse players.
"So now that we know each other's' names," Ezar gave a jolly smile. "I would love to have you two as my guards of sorts. I would pay you well and you will be welcome as a family when I return home. So what say you?"
Both girls looked at each other. It wasn't a bad deal. Both parties were taking a gamble on each other. They only know their names and nothing else. Eun-Kyung knew it was their best, but only, offer which can help both girls in the end. They can learn about this place and learn how to get home. For Nicole, it was something. Yet it was Nicole who spoke up.
"We have a deal," she beamed.
It was a start of a long journey for the three of them.
A/N: Okay, I would love to get feedback. This story takes place when Boromir dies and they won't be joining Aragorn's group, Frodo, and Sam (later Gollum), or Marry and Pippin. They won't be playing a major role in the whole LoTR story. So please R&R and constructive criticisms are welcome.