She felt the wind get knocked out of her as the big kid hit her repeatedly.
His friend held her from behind. She hadn't done anything to them. She had
simply been sitting on the porch, reading. Yeah, downtown Manhattan wasn't
the best place to sit on the steps of your apartment building, past
midnight, and read Sherlock Holmes, but it was better than being inside.
Her parents were fighting. Again. She was careful not to get involved this
time. Last time she got involved, she wound up with a black eye and
grounded for a month. They had been at it for hours. She couldn't sleep, so
she snuck outside with her book and flashlight. They wouldn't notice she
was gone. Sometimes she didn't think they even noticed they HAD a fourteen-
year-old daughter.
The kid stopped hitting her, and she dropped to the ground. His face,
leering at her, swam in and out of focus. Then the world began to spin and
everything went black.
Everything was white. A voice whispered from somewhere, echoing all around her, "You'll be okay.Everything is fine.You'll be all right."
"Is she okay?" a voice asked. "I don't know," someone replied. She groaned and opened her eyes to see a pair of big brown eyes, directly in her face, staring back. Instinctively, she screamed and punched whoever it was in the nose.HARD. He landed on the floor with a thump. "Where am I?" she demanded. "Ribbendell," the guy replied through a bloody nose. "We foud you in da woods, and we brought you here so da elbs could heal you." She shrugged. "I dunno how I got here, but it's better than where I was before." She looked around the room. She was in a soft bed in a spacious room overlooking a waterfall and mountains and a forest and a gorgeous city. She noticed someone else in the room. He was standing nervously to the side, like she might hit him, too. She noticed that both he and the guy she had punched (who was still sitting on the floor with a bloody nose) had rather large feet, curly blond hair, and pointy ears. She stuck her hand out to this new person. "Name's Lavender," she said. "What's yours?" "Merry." "I'm Pippin," the one with the bloody nose said. "Sorry I hit you," Lavender said. "You just kind of surprised me." "Oh no, it's fine," he said, as if it happened every day. Merry studied her. She stared back. "I've never seen a girl hobbit with such short hair," he commented. "WHAT!" she exploded. "YOU THINK I'M A HOBBIT? WHAT THE HELL'S A HOBBIT? WHERE AM I?" Lavender leaped out of bed, and immediately noticed the increase in feet size, and her lack of shoes. She also noticed, when she looked in a mirror, that her ears were pointy. And that she was a good deal shorter. As short as Merry and Pippin. She began to piece things together. Her hair, however, was unchanged. It was still in its natural, strawberry blond color, cut very short. She was glad.
Despite the fact that she had a black eye and was covered with bruises, Lavender was out of bed and running around by that afternoon. Merry had found her book and flashlight when they found her, and had returned them. She loved being away from home. Pippin and Merry quickly became her friends. They really liked her outgoing, rebellious, tomboyish personality. The only thing she didn't like about "Ribbendell" was the female elves. They fussed over her, and put makeup on her (which she scrubbed right off), and tried to make her wear dresses. The first time this happened, Lavender ripped the dress off and threw on her old T-shirt and jeans (even baggier on her now that she had been unconscious for a while and had lost weight) and put her baseball cap on backwards. They made her put on that confounded, white, lacy, itchy dress again. Quick as a flash, she grabbed her baseball cap and put it on backwards once again. Then she ran out of the room as fast as she could, leaping down the stairs and landing with a thump. By the end of the day, they had given up on trying to make Lavender wear a dress, and had given her pants and a shirt to wear, like the other four hobbits (Frodo and Sam had not been present earlier). By the end of the day, her dress was ruined. It was ripped, muddy, and soaking wet. Lavender had run all over the place in it, gotten it snagged on branches, tripped and fallen face-first into the dirt, jumped in mud puddles, and even went swimming in it. Merry and Pippin couldn't believe it when they saw her jump right into the water (she hung out with them. Frodo and Sam kept to themselves). Eventually, her dress was confiscated, along with her old clothes. She was given pants and a shirt that fit, along with a backpack to carry her stuff in. "Stuff" being her book and flashlight. They wouldn't give her a sword at first, but gave in when she begged. They thought it was ridiculous that a girl would want to fight. She didn't care. She was happier than she had ever been in her life.
Everything was white. A voice whispered from somewhere, echoing all around her, "You'll be okay.Everything is fine.You'll be all right."
"Is she okay?" a voice asked. "I don't know," someone replied. She groaned and opened her eyes to see a pair of big brown eyes, directly in her face, staring back. Instinctively, she screamed and punched whoever it was in the nose.HARD. He landed on the floor with a thump. "Where am I?" she demanded. "Ribbendell," the guy replied through a bloody nose. "We foud you in da woods, and we brought you here so da elbs could heal you." She shrugged. "I dunno how I got here, but it's better than where I was before." She looked around the room. She was in a soft bed in a spacious room overlooking a waterfall and mountains and a forest and a gorgeous city. She noticed someone else in the room. He was standing nervously to the side, like she might hit him, too. She noticed that both he and the guy she had punched (who was still sitting on the floor with a bloody nose) had rather large feet, curly blond hair, and pointy ears. She stuck her hand out to this new person. "Name's Lavender," she said. "What's yours?" "Merry." "I'm Pippin," the one with the bloody nose said. "Sorry I hit you," Lavender said. "You just kind of surprised me." "Oh no, it's fine," he said, as if it happened every day. Merry studied her. She stared back. "I've never seen a girl hobbit with such short hair," he commented. "WHAT!" she exploded. "YOU THINK I'M A HOBBIT? WHAT THE HELL'S A HOBBIT? WHERE AM I?" Lavender leaped out of bed, and immediately noticed the increase in feet size, and her lack of shoes. She also noticed, when she looked in a mirror, that her ears were pointy. And that she was a good deal shorter. As short as Merry and Pippin. She began to piece things together. Her hair, however, was unchanged. It was still in its natural, strawberry blond color, cut very short. She was glad.
Despite the fact that she had a black eye and was covered with bruises, Lavender was out of bed and running around by that afternoon. Merry had found her book and flashlight when they found her, and had returned them. She loved being away from home. Pippin and Merry quickly became her friends. They really liked her outgoing, rebellious, tomboyish personality. The only thing she didn't like about "Ribbendell" was the female elves. They fussed over her, and put makeup on her (which she scrubbed right off), and tried to make her wear dresses. The first time this happened, Lavender ripped the dress off and threw on her old T-shirt and jeans (even baggier on her now that she had been unconscious for a while and had lost weight) and put her baseball cap on backwards. They made her put on that confounded, white, lacy, itchy dress again. Quick as a flash, she grabbed her baseball cap and put it on backwards once again. Then she ran out of the room as fast as she could, leaping down the stairs and landing with a thump. By the end of the day, they had given up on trying to make Lavender wear a dress, and had given her pants and a shirt to wear, like the other four hobbits (Frodo and Sam had not been present earlier). By the end of the day, her dress was ruined. It was ripped, muddy, and soaking wet. Lavender had run all over the place in it, gotten it snagged on branches, tripped and fallen face-first into the dirt, jumped in mud puddles, and even went swimming in it. Merry and Pippin couldn't believe it when they saw her jump right into the water (she hung out with them. Frodo and Sam kept to themselves). Eventually, her dress was confiscated, along with her old clothes. She was given pants and a shirt that fit, along with a backpack to carry her stuff in. "Stuff" being her book and flashlight. They wouldn't give her a sword at first, but gave in when she begged. They thought it was ridiculous that a girl would want to fight. She didn't care. She was happier than she had ever been in her life.