"You did what?"

"I know you don't like it, but I kind of already promised it…", my best friend on the other side of the line said.

"No, no way. You know that I hate it!"

"Jees, you sound like I'm making you watch Oprah or something."

"You might as well."

"Exaggerating much? C'mon, it's just a date."

"I don't want to date, it'll just be a waste my time."

"You can't be alone forever."

"I won't, I will have you."

"Don't forget me!", a little boy yelled from the table.

"And you, of course.", still looking at him, while closing his lunchbox.

"Haha, funny. You're coming."

"No, I'm not, I have to work tomorrow. You know, some actually have to work to live. But I have to go, have to bring Liam to his soccer match."

"You're home?"

"Yes, I am."

"And your father?"

"Not here. I really need to go."

"Okay, wish Liam luck and see you tonight."

"No, I'm not –" I was no use as she had already had hanged up. Typically, I took a quick look in the mirror.

"You look fine." Liam said as he passed.

"Really?" amazed I looked at him.

"Well, it can't be much worse, can it?" he laughed as he ran too the car.

"You little - " I yelled as I ran after him

"No swearing words!"

"I wasn't -"

"Yes, you were."

I signed: "C'mon Liam, get in the car." I said smiling. "I had to give you good luck from Rachel."

He didn't answer as he went sitting on the passenger seat.

I noticed what he was holding. "Liam, you can't take that fairytale book to your soccer match. What if you lose it?"

"Please, please. I won't.", he looked pleading at me.

I looked at the old book: "Whatever, but don't you dare forget it."

"I won't!", happy he jumped on his seat. Laughing, I closed the door behind him.

"Safety belt?" he asked.

"Check."

"Double check.", he smiled.

I started the engines and drove away. Liam was my younger brother. Despite the age difference - He was ten, I was twenty-five - we got along really well, well most of the time. I glanced at the fairytale book. I used to read him a chapter of that book every night, before he went to sleep. It was his favourite book. It was a book about Middle-Earth, a world where elves, dwarves, dragons, talking threes and trolls did exist. Liam used to wish, he could live there.

"Emma?", Liam said breaking the silence.

"Yes?"

"Can we go eat an ice-cream?"

"After your match?"

"Instead?"

"Instead?"

"Yes! Can't we, just like not go?"

"I thought you liked soccer." I said giving him a glance.

"We lost last game.", he was looking at his hands.

"Those things can happen."

"Because of me."

"Who said that?", already knowing the answer.

"Dad did."

I stopped the car, as the light had turned red.

"Dad did what?" I turned to my little brother.

"He said that I should stop crying because it was my fault that we had lost."

I grabbed his face, pushing his hair out of his face. "Don't you dare listen to him, it wasn't your fault."

"You weren't there so you can't know. You're never there.", the last part his volume went down.

I let go of his face: "Liam, I told you, I was going to be busy. With my new job and all."

He interrupted me. "Just forget it." He turned himself, facing the window.

"Liam, I – " I began but couldn't continue. The car was pushed forward. I heart Liam scream, as I dizzily pushed myself from the steering wheel. Turning too Liam, who looked at me, with only fear in his eyes.

"Are you … " I stopped as something behind him caught my attention. Two big light bulbs. I moved forward and then everything went white.


I gasped for air, having the feeling like all the air was ripped from my lungs. Quickly, sitting up to get more. As my body had enough oxygen. I became aware of the surrounding.

"What the hell?", I couldn't believe what was in front of me. I closed them again, once more opening them slowly. There was still a forest in front of me. "Where the fuck am I?"

Then it all came back, the car crash, the lamp bulbs, shattered glass. Liam – "Liam!" I yelled. "Liam, where are you?"

"I'm here."

"Oh, thank god, you're fine.", wrapping my arms around him.

"Air – I need air." He said

"Oh, sorry!", swiftly letting go.

He was trembling: "Emma, where are we? We were in a car crash, weren't we? We should be in an hospital."

"I have no idea." Getting up and pulling him with me. I then started dusting his and my clothes. "Liam, stay calm. We're both here, so no one is getting crazy."

"Are we death? Is this heaven?"

So that was what he was afraid off.

"I really don't know, but if we were shouldn't there have been someone to tell us that, or a ceremony or something."

"A ceremony to celebrate our deaths?", Liam asked.

"What I'm trying to say is that. We're not death till proven otherwise. Okay?"

He nodded. I took my cell phone. No Signal. Bloody awesome great. "Technology is so useful, they say. Always there when you need it, they say. I grouched.

Liam stood up, while holding his fairytale book: "What are we going to do, now?"

"I don't know." Putting my phone away: "We'll search for someone who knows where we are."

He nodded and followed me, taking hold of my hand.

"There! There is a house!" Liam pointed.

"Nice, we'll just ask if we can use their phone, call a cab and we'll be home in no time and then we can forget this whole affair. Oh, we should call your coach too.", I said as I knocked on the door. The door opened as I knocked again.

"Hello?" I asked as I opened it more.

"Maybe they're not home?" Liam suggested.

"But they left their door open?"

I stepped inside: "Hello, is there anyone home?" I looked in all the rooms – which were only three. As I looked in the rooms, a bad feeling crept over me. The table was ready for dinner, the closets were all half empty and it was an absolute mess. Plus, there was a big layer of dust and spider webs in every corner. Something was defiantly wrong. Like being here in the first place? Good point.

"They left in a hurry.", Liam said, as he looked at the table. I nodded.

"It's getting dark outside, we can better stay here and wait till they're back."

"There must have been a reason why they left.", Liam said.

"Exactly, but we don't know the reason. They might have left in a hurry because – a family member got sick."

"Or there is a serial killer active.", Liam said, always the optimist.

"Yes and killed their grandmother and now they're gone to the notary for their inheritance."

"You're going to feel really guilty when that's true."

I laughed: "Hungry?"

He nodded. "I'll go find something to eat."


"Okay, I found bread and ..."

"And what?"

"Bread."

"And jam?"

"No, just bread. Hey, can you light up the lights, it's getting really dark."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Don't call me ma'am. Makes me feel old."

"Well..."

"If you value your live, you'll not finish that sentence."

"Point taken. I can't find the switch."

"Liam, you haven't even looked."

"No, really, there are no switches."

"And then what do they do in the evening, reading with candles?"

"They do have candles..."

"What?", then I noticed it, the room was full of candles. "What the hell?"

"There is something really weird going on." Liam said

"Besides the fact that we are here?"

"First, there is no electricity.""

"Maybe these people don't like electricity…"

He gave me a look: "But secondly, I found this map."

He laid it on the table.

"Great! Than we might find out where we are."

I looked at it: "What is this?"

"Do you recognise it? It's exactly the same as in my book." He showed it to me. Then he looked at me: "I think we're in Middle-Earth."


Hi,

This is my first fan fiction. So any review/suggestion is welcome :)

So Emma and Liam are OC. If any of the two are Mary Sue'ish, please let me know! I hate them :p

- Beautiful Unfolding