Janice: Well, I had an interesting vacation. From long trips, Lake Superior, fly bites, old cemeteries, Absolute Zero and power outages, cool ghostly lights (Paulding Lights), attacking flies and toilets,

Frodo: Power outages?

Janice: (sigh) We were watching Absolute Zero and the power went out for them and then for us. It was pretty funny. We had no light or air conditioning for about three or four hours. That movie has horrible graphics, a predictable plot, and predictable actions. It's a C-Grade movie, according to one of my uncles.

Sam: What are the Paulding Lights?

Janice: They're really cool! They are right outside of Paulding, Michigan. You turn onto a dirt path that had a dead end sign. It happens every night once it's dark. There is a faint red light that moves with the tree lines, back and forth. I think it's the strain of the eyes that makes it move, but other people said it moved too, so I don't know. But after the red light, a white light comes. It's a simple dim light at first and then it grows, like a train coming at you. It then fades.

Sam: Um…Jan, how did they get there, being ghostly and all?

Janice: There was this guy, in the late something's. He worked near the train tracks, making sure trains had everything they needed. Well, one night, the engineer didn't see him. And BAM! Bye-bye, train track guy…person. I don't know the whole story, but it's the short version. It's probably a hoax or something, because the three nights we went out to watch it, the same guy, in the same white car, was there…And we smelled gasoline. Coincidence? I don't think so!

Sam: That was the short version, wasn't it?

Janice: (smiles) You bet! There's a website, I have yet to check it out.

KinoLadyoftheDivine, I'm sorry I missed you last time! I apologise again. I will try to make it up to you somehow. lotrelves of course you can have them! Ireland and America… hmn… I like those countries, good choice! ClumsyElf, I love being a nerd, you know more and can be stupid all you want. I sometimes find myself role-playing with the mirror in my classic superhero costume: spandex, boxers, and a towel cape… I don't have a name yet (sigh). XD I love being a nerd!

A.N.: The real plot starts to begin here really. I had to add the other chapters to make you like the other characters a little more. I'm working on the second book already, since I have free time. It'll be a lot better, I swear on my grandmothers grave…wait none of them are dead yet…I will swear on my I.Q. of 120.5 (seems low, but it's above the average for a 16-year old in America, 96-110).

About the Author

Janice isn't her real name, it's a name she really likes. She has a father in Liverpool, England (whom she visits during Spring Break and Summer Vacation). She lived there after the divorce when she was five. When she was seven, she moved to Chicago-land area with her mother, where she became good friends with two authors here at (Magdalan-Saiyan-Toa and KinoLadyoftheDivine).

After six years of being divorced, her mother remarried to a kind man Janice likes. He and her father gat along very well. Her writing style is mainly based on teens from America and is written in English (not American-English which it too weird for her after year of writing like she does).

She has recently gotten into henna and has created her own designs. Her friends each have their first initials on their hands with cool dots and squiggly lines. She has also picked up sketching again, which is good, because she can now draw the characters herself :D

Shards of the Future

Chapter 9: The Bird Mafia

"I find life to have interesting turns in the unexpected places." My Uncle Joe

Walking. That's all we've done for days now. I don't know why, but I was amused with how the hobbits dealt with the constant moving. Frodo didn't seem to mind at all. Merry and Pippin thought of it as a big adventure for them; they thought they were going to be great heroes and save all of Middle Earth (or so I've picked up from their optimistic attitudes). Sam was probably the pessimist if us all; I knew he didn't want to be on this adventure at all, but he could at least act like everything was okay…like I do.

I wasn't sure where we were at, but all I knew (from what I've heard), this was bird country. Yes, apparently, the birds had their own country. I joked with Sarah, Merry and Pippin that there should have been a sign that read "Welcome! You are currently in BIRD COUNTRY!" The two hobbits laughed, but Sarah frowned.

"Don't joke about this place." she had said. "I don't like it here. This place gives me the creeps. We're practically the only living things here besides bird and the few other animals that dwell in this desolate place."

She had killed the mood. Beside, this place wasn't that creepy…(Insert wolf howl here.) Okay, maybe it is.

I often thought of the movie, Birds. I was afraid that this hoard of birds would come out of nowhere, like a black cloud, overwhelming and terrifying. I guess I picked up Aragorn and Sarah's paranoia, they seemed to think that a cloud of birds was going to come after us in the middle of the night.

I watched the sky when I thought the others weren't looking. Pippin seemed to often catch me, but didn't say anything. We didn't want to frighten Merry, who was young in hobbit years, but older than I was. He acted like a human teenager from the 2000's but a little more daring than any I had ever run across.

I guess we were a peculiar group of peoples. A wizard, four hobbits, a dwarf, an elf, two human males, and five human teenage girls. We each took up a nightshift with someone else. Frodo, Edan and I were on one of the later shifts. Sarah and Aragorn took first and last. Elsa, Raina and Legolas took up the one before my group. Glenys, Merry, and Sam took up the one after us. And Gimli and Pippin the one after them.

I found our time the most relaxing. The stars were at the fullest and the moon directly overhead our lot. I sang soft songs for my group. The two males would listen as I did. As I said I while back, I didn't have that beautiful soprano, I was a mezzo. But, they'd listen to me and smile when I was finished, saying that I had the prettiest voice the heard. There were much, much more lovely voices, than mine; were they trying to boost my confidence?

It was daytime and practice time. Merry and Pippin were sword play-fighting with Boromir. I was reclining on nearby rocks. Sam was watching the sky, same old boring blue sky as it was everyday.

Raina was training with a sabre against Aragorn. She surprised all of us when she delicately wielded it. When she was pressed with how she knew how to wield it, she answered simply, "Colour Guard." The others seemed confused, but I remember the video Sarah had sent to me.

Raina and Glenys had joined colour guard to at least be committed to something other than the high school plays. The had sabre fights throughout the last season. Triffel Valley's marching band was amongst the best. This past year, at competition, they had ranked fifth out of one hundred seventy-nine. It surprised the entire school, as well as the county. We didn't have a large school and our marching band was thirty people strong; colour guard was ten. Pretty impressive, no?

Anyway, I was relaxing, or trying to was more like it. Everyone was doing something. I decided Legolas and Gimli were the best company right now, as seeing how Edan was out hunting rabbits in Bird Country, Glenys was bickering with Elsa about the plausible chances of us retuning home, and Sarah was talking with Frodo and neither of them wanted to be bothered.

The elf and dwarf were at it again. So, I guess it was my turn to intervene the two. Neither of them had seen me sneak up and slap them on their backs harshly, but I grinned as if I didn't hit them that hard on purpose.

"Hello, my friends!" I said.

"Suilaid, Gwynovire. Did you rest well?" Legolas asked.

'Why would I not? The hard rocks, no pillow, the blinding light! All needed for a perfect afternoon rest." Okay a little harsh to him, but it was sort of natural when I was hungry and dead tired and couldn't sleep. "Meditating isn't going to help, I tried that. Sorry if I'm not as chipper as I normally would be, it's just, I've never walked so much in my life! I mean, I've travelled a lot, but we really didn't have to walk anywhere ca— " I realized they wouldn't know what a car was. "…anywhere our vehicles couldn't take us. My mom was very picky about it"

"It's only normal." the elf said, smiling. Now I could see why Orlando Bloom was chosen for the part of Legolas. What the real Legolas lacked in looks, he made up for in a cheesy charm, something Bloom made him lack and improve on looks. "Just try to relax more, sleep will come easier."

"If I had a book…" I blinked. I did have a book, but I didn't have anything in it!…Or at least I thought it didn't. "I'm gonna go read." I muttered to them before walking off, leaving them confused.

I reached my special bag and immediately dug in it for the book. I traced my calloused fingers over the golden words. Solorfainiel, my elvish name. Why had this mysterious grandfather of mine give it to me without at least saying "Hello." I was confused and lost, like a child, I'll admit it. I just wish he would come and explain things to me!

"Something wrong, Gwynovir?" a gentle voice asked from behind me.

"Homesick, that's all." I said, turning to see Gandalf the Grey standing there, a friendly smile on his face.

"Now, what's this? A book?" I allowed him to take it from me. "Someone must have loved you very, very much to give you such a special book. Who gave it to you?"

"I don't know who he is really, but he's my grandfather. I wish I knew who he really was. He'd explain things I don't understand about my family and why I never see him."

"He must be very busy to never see you." I felt like a child again. Gandalf seemed like the perfect grandfather any child would ask for. I kind of wished he was mine. "Not many receive such special books. How much have you read out of it?"

"Nothing. There's no words in it." Gandalf cocked a bushy eyebrow.

"Really now?" He opened the book. "Do you know the password?" I shook my head. "It's often the name of the one who gave the book to you, but since he knows you do not know who he is, it'd be something much simpler." He patted my head and walked off, leaving me to try and think of the password of the book.

A half hour had passed and Edan had just returned with fresh kill. I was going through my various elvish phrases with Legolas. He didn't mind helping me, he was "there to help."

"Any luck, Solorfainiel?" Edan mocked as he came up, five good sized rabbits in his jaws. He placed them down at me feet.

"For your information, no. But I have gone through half the phrases I do know." I said to him. Legolas looked at me, as if I was insane, then shook his head seeing Edan. The elf was amongst the first to see Edan was going to be with me through the end and would go the way I did.

"They call you the Siren, the birds do. They say you have the most beautiful voice— for a human." I laughed at this. "Melin ceni hin lîn síla i 'eladhach." I stopped laughing, wiping tears away from my eyes.

"What did you say?" I asked out of breath.

"Melin ceni hin lîn síla i 'eladhach. I love to see your eyes when you laugh."

Something flipped a switch "on" in the darkest pits of my mind, after it had been "off" for so many year on end. I remember an old, worn but loving and tender voice saying that to me once.

"Melin ceni hin lîn síla i 'eladhach." I said to the open book. Immediately, black ink in the looped cursive I had gotten used to reading in the past year or so began to appear on the page.

I whooped with joy, glomping Legolas and the Edan, saying my thanks. The poor elf was utterly confused by my actions once again. He shook his head and walked off. My Devil-Hound curled up behind me, and I began to read.

I guess I was maybe less than five minutes in, when Sam pointed out a black cloud headed in our direction. I looked up from my book.

"Everyone down!" I heard Aragorn call. I threw myself on the ground, protecting my precious book. Edan stood over me, growling, his wings covering the sides. He crouched low enough so I could feel his furry belly on my back. I felt my Devil-Hound's muscles tense. The growl became very quiet as the black cloud passed overhead.

When the danger had passed, Edan stood up to his full height and helped me to me feet. I had clung to my book wishing my grandfather was here, his embrace would make me feel a lot better than I did now.

"Come!" Gandalf said, "Gather your things, the threat of danger is closer than I thought it was."

"Damn!" I said telepathically to Edan. He looked at me.

"What?" he asked.

"That was the bird mafia."

"Gwen, you may be smart, but you're not a genius."

"Gee, thanks, Einstein."

"Who's Einstein?"

"Supposedly the smartest man alive. He was dumber as me (I.Q. wise) , so at the time he live, I would have been the smartest person alive!"

"You keep telling yourself that."

Well, by now, my legs were numb. I could no longer walk. I knew the others could see that I was hypnotized by the book, because I had to be pulled back onto the path we were heading in.

"Gwen, just climb on my back. You aren't that heavy. The hobbits weigh at least twice as much as you." the Devil-Hound said.

"You wouldn't mind?" I asked, looking at him. He shook his furry head. He stooped low, so I could hop on. Once I was comfortable, we caught up with the others (they trusted him to protect me and to keep me with them).

A few hours later, the sky had become too dark to read. I cursed, wishing I had a light of some sort. Suddenly, a blue-ish light began to glow above my head. Startled, I yelped and fell off Edan.

The others looked back to see what had happened. If the bright light wasn't as much of a give away as me on the ground, then I don't know what was.

"Gandalf…?" Aragorn asked the old wizard. But he was ignored.

Edan helped me to my feet and Sarah helped to brush off the powdery snow. I met the Grey Wizard's soft blue eyes. They seemed very familiar to me for some reason.

He then, after a moment, said to me, "It is time for your training to begin."

Great, I thought, I am on the adventure of a lifetime that millions would die to be on and now I have to train some magical powers I possess. What next? Am I going to meet some goblins that want to kill me, a creepy hobbit that has been hiding in a mountain for thousands of years, and a demon that is afraid of water?…Well, it hasn't been so bad, I got to see the bird mafia.

Song: Never Alone

Artist: Barlow Girl

Janice: I forgot about this part and had to write this chapter last second. I could probably post chapter ten if I wanted to, but I'm saving that for Wednesday. Yeah, yeah, don't hate me. I found out last minute that a café had wi-fi. That sucked. Well, at my homepage, I've put the whole story of the Paulding Lights and some interesting things about my camping trip.

Sarah: Yeah, the real Sarah says she going to sue you for name and personality sake of this story and for bringing her along on the camping trip.

Real Sarah: (walks in with poison ivy) Yeah, thanks, jerk face!

Janice: Sorry, Real Sarah. I'll buy you a day's trip at the mall… if I can get the money. I promise, you, me and Amanda.

Real Sarah: I'm doomed.

Boromir: Who's Amanda? Is she really nice?

Real Sarah: Hell, no! That's why I said "I'm doomed." Amanda corrupted her from the nice, shy girl she once was into the pure bred psychopath we know and love.

Janice: Um, actually, Real Sarah, you corrupted me by getting me into colour guard. She just helped me to open up my shell.

Real Sarah: Yeah, you, nut shell! Damn! I just said, I corrupted you! God, fucking, damnit!

Janice: Lay off the sugar, girly. Oh, yeah, the chapters now will have a theme song. :D Cool idea, I know…it's not mine…it's, like, thousands of others… :D

Gwen: (sarcastically) You're very original, you know that?

Janice:D I know!