Chapter 1: Come and Play

Leea walked at her usual pace to school, the sun shining brightly off her golden hair. She hummed softly to herself and her mind raced with thoughts of that night. It was Thursday and after school that night, her class was doing their play for the school. They were going to do three plays throughout the year, and the first one was The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Later they would do The Two Towers and then The Return of the King. Her drama teacher was a serious Tolkien fanatic and couldn't resist the idea of doing three plays based on her favourite book.

            Leea was to play the role of Galadriel, the high elven queen of Lothlorien. Her long blonde hair was perfect for her part. Her eyes were a beautiful sea blue, and her lashes were curved upward and dark as night. She pulled her long blue sweater tighter around her as a cool breeze blew. She wore blue flare jeans, a black shirt, and a blue sweater that reached her knees. Not your typical outfit for November, but the weather was unusually warm. She smiled her perfect smile as she caught sight of her three best friends, Erin, Misty, and Coby. Erin had waist length brown hair that had natural blonde highlights, and her eyes were a calm aqua. Misty, on the other hand, had shoulder length black hair that shone brilliantly in the sunlight, and her eyes were gray. Sometimes they even looked silver. Then there was Coby. He had short brown hair that he spiked in the front like most boys at their school, and his eyes were an amazing sky blue. His smile could light up a room and he could cheer anyone up. He was going to play Aragorn in the play. Erin was going to play Arwen, but she needed a wig to make her hair darker. Misty was just going to play an elf in the background.

            Leea quickened her pace to a swift jog and met them at the end of the sidewalk at the stop sign. After the greetings, they began walking to school together. Lots of people thought it was weird that a boy and three girls were all best friends. Coby didn't seem to mind though. Every now and then he would leave them to hang out with his guy friends, but they didn't care. They knew he needed to be around guys too, and also his reputation needed it. It was actually really funny, though, that almost all the girls at their school found Coby cute at some point or another, and seemed really jealous of the three girls. But it wasn't just the girls. The other boys had their fair share of it too. The sight of this guy walking around with three stunning girls made other boys wish they were like him. But Erin, Misty, Leea, and Coby ignored things like this and just had fun together.

            Finally they arrived at the rather large building that was Markenson's Public High School. They got there just as the bell rang and hurried inside. They all got to spend the day in the gymnasium practicing for the play that evening. The girls waved goodbye to Coby as they headed in opposite directions to the change rooms. Once inside the girls change room, Erin, Misty and Leea pulled their costumes out of their bags and got ready for the dress rehearsal. Misty helped Erin adjust her wig, and Leea helped Misty tighten her dress. When they were all ready they headed into the gym. They saw Coby standing on the stage already with Bryan, Zen, and Zack. Bryan was playing Legolas, Zen was Boromir, and Zack was portraying the role of Gimli the dwarf. He had to walk around the stage on his knees to appear short. All three of them looked perfect for their parts. Coby wore a dark cloak on his shoulders, and his pants and shirt were dark as well. He had a sword in a belt around his waist, and a bow and quiver of arrows on his back. Bryan had a blond wig on that was pulled back just like Legolas' hair, and he wore green pants with a green tunic, with a bow and quiver of arrows on his back. Zack wore a red wig with a matching red beard. He had a small helmet on his head, brown pants and shirt, and battle armor. He carried an axe at his side. Zen wore a red shirt with a deep green tunic over top, and matching green pants. He too, had a sword on a belt around his waist. Leea thought he actually looked rather Christmas like. None of the boys had to wear wigs unless they were playing the part of an elf, because short hair didn't really make a difference to the fact that they were men. The three boys looked up as the crowd of about twelve girls entered the gym, some in costume, but not all. Erin wore a long blue dress. It was plain but elegant, and her wig was left down. Misty wore a plain green dress, and her hair was pulled back in the elven manner. Leea wore a long white gown that was extremely elegant and the bell sleeves fell to her knees. Her long blonde hair was left down, except for two strands at the front that she pulled back. She did somewhat resemble Galadriel. Erin, Misty and Leea waved at the four boys on the stage. They waved back and then beckoned them to come join them. The three girls held their skirts in their hands and hurried over. Instead of going outside the gym and taking the steps up to the stage, they went to the front of the stage and climbed up. Together the seven of them talked until the drama teacher finally said that they were to start. The dress rehearsal went great. At the end of the day, they had gone through the play three times and even stopped to correct errors. There was a wave of relief throughout the gym when the dismissal bell rang. Everyone got changed and headed home until that evening.

*           *            *

            " My God! You're here! Finally!" said Erin excitedly as Leea exited the change room in her costume. " Look at all those people!" Erin grabbed Leea's arm and pulled her to a door that led up to the stage. They went in and hurried over to the curtains where Misty already stood waiting. They peeked through and couldn't believe it. The entire gym was full of people. There were students, parents, teachers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings. It seemed like the whole town had come to see them, but they knew that was impossible because the gym was way too small to hold that many people. They shut the curtains and hurried backstage. " Have you ever seen so many people?" asked Erin. She was more excited than she was nervous.

            " It's amazing." Said Misty. " I'm certainly glad I don't have any lines to screw up, unlike you two." Misty had requested a no line part, because she just wasn't the kind of person who liked to talk onstage.

            " You definitely have a point there. I sure hope I don't screw up though." Said Leea.

            " Me too." Said Erin.

            But they had nothing to worry about. The entire play went amazingly. No one messed up his or her lines and nothing seemed out of place. After the audience had filed out, tables were set up with drinks and food for the cast and crew to enjoy for their hard work. Later, people started heading home because it was getting late and tomorrow was another school day. All night, Leea had had this strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't nervousness, it wasn't nausea, and it wasn't excited butterflies. She couldn't figure out what it was, but she caught herself continuously glancing at the clock. She didn't know why she always wanted to know what time it was and it spooked her. She tried to push it from her mind though and put on a great performance. She then hugged all her friends and said goodbye, then she headed out to go home. She decided to just leave her costume on and change when she got home. She was halfway down the sidewalk when she heard the sound of someone jogging up behind her and then call out her name. " Leea! Hey, Leea! Wait up!" She turned and saw Coby jogging towards her. He stopped in front of her and smiled. " Man! You sure walk fast." His breathing went slowly back to normal. Leea laughed.

            " Sorry. Did you need me for something?" She asked.

            " No, I just thought it was getting late and since I was heading home this way, I thought maybe you'd enjoy the company."

            " Thank you. I would enjoy that."

            " Good."

            The two best friends walked together laughing and talking. They decided to cut through the park. Leea thought Coby did great in the play and thought he should know. " You were great in the play. I bet Viggo Mortensen would have been jealous." Coby laughed. Leea felt her heart flutter for some weird reason and immediately scolded herself.

            " Thanks, but there's no way it was that good."

            " I think you underestimate yourself Mr. Jones. You were amazing."

            " What about you? I'll bet Cate Blanchett would have felt like a total amateur watching you." Leea felt herself blush and was thankful for the darkness of the night.

            " Thank you very much, but I was a mere extra compared to you. You definitely have a future in acting." Coby's laugh brightened the dull park and Leea couldn't help but smile. He was flattered by her compliments and could tell his flattered her. Not watching where she was going, Leea clumsily tripped in a crack between the sidewalk blocks. Coby quickly reached out and caught her from falling.

            " Whoa! Careful. You wouldn't want to hurt yourself." Leea knew she was blushing crimson. She scolded herself for being so clumsy, and yet, she seemed to forget all about it and simply enjoyed the feeling of Coby holding her. She then shook her head thinking, ' Holy cow, girl! Get your head straight! It's just Coby.'

            " I wouldn't want to tear this dress. Thanks. I must look like such a klutz."

            " Don't worry about it." Coby smiled. ' I have to get outta here and get my head in order!' thought Leea. She looked at the small patch of trees on her right.

            " If I cut through these trees here I'll be right on my street." She said pointing into the darkness. " I really should get going. Thanks for walking with me."

            " No problem, but are you sure you want to walk through there on your own? Do you want me to come with you?"

            " Oh, no! Of course not. I'll be fine. Really, it's okay." Coby looked at the trees and sighed.

            " Alright. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

            " Yeah. See you tomorrow. Bye."

            " Bye." Coby stood there a moment and watched Leea disappear into the blackness. Then he sighed again and continued on his way humming to himself.

            ' What the hell is the matter with me?' thought Leea as she silently walked through the small forest. ' Why am I suddenly all tipsy for Coby? He's one of my best friends. Why do I feel like this all of a sudden? What's going on?' She thought back to how she was constantly looking at the clock and the strange feeling in her stomach. It seemed to be getting worse. Leea suddenly stopped abruptly in her tracks. She looked around her in all directions. She'd been walking for too long. The trees should have ended already. Where was she? Why was she still in the forest? What was she going to do? When did the trees stop? How was she going to get out? She felt a cold chill run up her spine and she shuddered. She hugged her sweater tightly to her body. It was the long blue one she had worn to school that day. She usually went with what her gut told her to do, so she stood there looking all around her wondering what she should do. She was lost. She looked to her left. She began walking in that direction. For some reason she felt she had to go that way. It was almost as though something was pulling her that way. She assumed it was another gut instinct and walked faster. She suddenly felt herself beginning to run and couldn't stop. The feeling in her stomach grew stronger with every step she took. She felt as though it was right to run that way. The right thing to do. Possibly the way out. She ran faster and faster, marveling at her own speed.

She saw what looked like a clearing up ahead and breathed a sigh of relief. She ran into the center of the very small clearing and stopped. Her stomach felt so strange, but she knew it wasn't nausea. Maybe it was fear? She couldn't tell. She spun in a circle looking around her. Fourteen trees with wide trunks surrounded her. Each tree had a picture carved on it. As Leea slowly spun in a circle she saw a pumpkin, a rabbit, a Christmas tree, a turkey, a planet, a faerie, a whale, a flame, a cloud, a house, a clover, a chain, a ship, and a ring. She didn't have a clue where she was or what the pictures meant. She heard a whisper on the wind.

Which one? Which way? The wind picked up and swirled around her. Her hair and her dress blew around her. She was terrified. What was going on? Was she dreaming? Was it really Wednesday? Had she simply dreamt about the play? That would be understandable. Leea reached over and pinched her arm. She flinched from the faint bit of pain it caused. She wasn't dreaming. She looked around at the fourteen trees. One by one they lit up then dimmed again. One tree would light up, go back to normal, and then the tree beside it would do the same. All the trees did this at an even pace. Leea spun in circles watching them, her eyes wide in shock and fear. The pace of the glowing trees quickened. Leea was spinning too fast. She stopped spinning and clutched her head. She could feel the dizziness overtaking her. She grabbed her stomach suddenly with both hands as the strange feeling seemed to reach its climax. She opened her eyes just as all the trees lit up at the same time, glowing brighter than ever. Then they all went out. They were all back to normal. All Leea could hear was the whistling of the wind that blew lightly around her, giving her goose bumps. She heard a slow creaking sound behind her like an old door being opened. She spun around. The tree with the carving of the ring on it had opened up. A small circular door had opened on it, and Leea could see a dim glow coming from inside. Once again her feet began pulling her. No matter what she did she couldn't stop herself from walking towards the door. When she finally reached it, she peered inside. The bottom seemed to go on forever into a black nothingness. She saw the same thing when she looked up. Black nothingness. Suddenly there was a strong wind inside the tree. Leea's hair blew around her as she looked down. Leea let out a sharp cry as a force pushed her hard from behind causing her to fall inside. She screamed as she fell down, down, down, into

black nothingness. She flailed her arms around her trying to grip something…anything. She just kept falling and falling. She opened her eyes and saw only black, but then she looked at her arms and realized she was glowing a faint white light. She saw herself clear as day, but the only light was coming from her. She suddenly heard a scratchy whisper coming from all around her. It was faint but she heard it clearly.

One…one…one ring…one ring to rule…one ring to rule them all…rule them all…all…

Leea knew that saying, but where had she heard it? Her mind was racing so fast she couldn't think. Then she heard a scream:

Gandalf!

It sounded like a boy about sixteen years old. Then the scratchy whisper came back.

One…one…one ring…one ring to find…one ring to find them…find them…them…

Leea had heard that somewhere before too. ' But where?' she thought angrily. Then she heard something else. The voice of an older man yelling.

You, shall not, pass!

Then a loud thundering noise echoed in Leea's ears and she screamed. Then the scratchy whisper came again, but slightly louder:

One…one…one ring…one ring to bring…one ring to bring them all…bring them all…all…

' The ring inscription!' Leea thought to herself. That was where she had heard it. The play. Roxanne had to play it in the background during certain scenes. The scratchy whisper returned for the last time, louder than ever before, chanting the rest of the inscription.

And…and…and in…and in the darkness…in the darkness…bind them…bind them…them…

Then all together:

One…one ring to rule them all…rule them all…one ring to find them…ring to find them…them…one ring to bring them all…bring them all…all…and in the darkness…darkness…bind them…them…

Leea then heard the voice of a young woman:

Noro lim, Asfaloth! Noro lim!

Leea heard shrill screeches around her like bats in her head. She heard the sound of something slicing through the air by her ear. She screamed out and shut her eyes as endless arrows came flying at her from the blackness and disappeared just before they touched her. She continued to scream as she heard a strange voice hiss around her.

My precioussssssss……………………..

It called out. The sound of the voice sent shivers throughout Leea's body. She didn't know how long she had been falling, but she feared it may never end. She continued down into the darkness as she heard shrill cries and evil laughter all around her. She heard the clanging of armor and swords as if she were right in the middle of a battle. She screamed as an ugly, long black arrow

flew past her face. She stopped screaming as she heard her name.

Leea…

She then heard familiar laughter. Then her name again.

Leea…

Then more laughter. She knew that laugh anywhere. ' Coby!' she thought eagerly. Where was he? Was it just her imagination? Her need for comfort? Was it just another voice in the darkness? She got an idea she thought was ridiculous, but it was worth a try. " Coby!" she called into the darkness. Nothing. She knew it was pointless, but she had just seen glowing trees, appearing doors, fake arrows, and heard weird noises. Not to mention she had been falling for God knows how long. She would try anything to make it all stop. ' This is going to be a helluva story to tell my grand kids.' Thought Leea. She was tired of screaming seeing as it was doing her no good. A strangely strong wind then began to swirl around her again, sending her hair and dress flying around. She looked down and saw a glowing light a ways down. After everything that had happened to her that night, Leea had no idea what to expect. As the light got closer, it got brighter. She heard the air whipping past her ears, as she seemed to pick up speed. She started to feel dizzy. She felt her eyelids getting heavy. ' I can't black out now!' she thought angrily. But it was no use. She slowly slipped into unconsciousness, just as the bright light below her flashed out. Black nothingness…