A/N: Just a little background info before we start! Tori is from Scotland and grew up there, so her accent when speaking English is strong, and that's why her speaking is grammatically incorrect. Her thoughts however, are clean of errors. Hope you guys enjoy! Let me know what you think in the comments!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Tori and her those in her dance troupe. Not even anything in New Zealand :C
Chapter 1: To There
"Tori, wake up! The plane is landing!" Katlyn jostled me roughly in a fit of excitement. I rubbed my eyes and shot her a seething glance. My side was tender from where she jabbed me with her fingers. I rubbed the abused skin and looked out the port hole of a window. The City of Auckland, New Zealand's lush green hills of grass and port of turquoise lit up with the rising sun of the day. The waters of the harbor sparkled and glimmered in the brilliant light of the morning. The glass of the many skyscrapers were lit with the sunrise.
The rolling green of the land brought a pang of homesickness as it reminded me of my parents; home in Scotland. I had moved to the United States with my parents after I turned 13 because dad had gotten a job transfer to New York. It was hard at first since a lot of people couldn't understand me, but I ended up getting through schooling really quickly and graduated highschool at 16 as valedictorian.
A soft tone came on as the seatbelt sign lit up. The flight attendants were making their final round about, gathering trash and reminding patrons to buckle up in their smooth kiwi accents.
"As you can see we are making our descent into Auckland. Thank you for flying with Air New Zealand. We hope you enjoy your stay." The Pilot's voice said over the intercom as I buckled my seat belt.
"This is going to be soooo exciting! Tori, did you know they filmed the movies here?" I looked over to Katlyn, confused.
"What movie now?" I asked impatiently; still tired from the long flight. Katlyn shook her head and sighed as her shoulder length brown hair bobbed with the movement.
"The Lord of the Rings? You know, the movie we watched at our celebratory party for winning nationals?" Her eyebrow raised quizzically. I thought back to the party, remembering it in the background. I had fallen behind on some homework and was working on that instead.
"I didn't watch any o' it. Was doing me homework." I looked down at my pale hair pooled in my lap and played with it absent-mindedly. Katlyn scoffed as she buckled her seatbelt.
"Of course you would! Do you ever do anything fun? Your nose is always in a book, and not the fun ones either." She complained as I looked into her warm brown eyes. I laughed at her annoyed expression and flicked my hair over my shoulder.
"I do too know how t'have fun! It's not my fault that our definition of fun is completely different from one another. You know I'm not inta movies or reading books fer fun; I like readin' to learn." I reached under the seat for my small brown leather purse and stuffed in all the snacks I had accumulated during the flight. Nothing better than snacks for later. I thought to myself happily.
"Reading for knowledge is not fun, Tori, it's boring as hell." Katlyn scowled before turning her attention to her bag, "Once we get to our campsite, I'll teach you what real fun is!" She swiveled back in her seat to me to announce with gusto. I laughed quietly at her and sat back in my seat, suddenly nauseous from the slight bobbing of the plane in the wind.
...
The walk through the airport didn't take too long and we eventually all made it to the baggage claim for our luggage before being led to our charter bus that would take us to our campsite. Attending one of the nations top performing art schools, such as Julliard, certainly had its advantages. There were many parents that bought and paid for this trip to New Zealand. Being generous enough to rent out the entire area of Hobbiton that the movie industry used for the Lord of the Rings films to tour and then to camp on the grounds.
The bus was filled with a loud chatter of all the women in the dance troupe. Several of them gushing about the actors from the movie.
"Oh, I wouldn't mind a piece of that Orlando Bloom. He's hot!" one said
"No, he's mine, I called dibs!" Another one whined in a nasally voice. Katlyn smirked and turned back to them from her seat.
"You can call dibs on the character! What was his name again?"
"Legolas!"
"Maddy, Kara, will you just shut it? Besides, he's married, so there." She turned back and settled into her seat with a smug look; perfectly content with the silence that remained. I chuckled, looking back at Maddy and Kara's annoyed faces as they flipped the bird at Katlyn's seat, before meeting Katlyn's eyes. Katlyn was a big fan of J.R.R. Toklien's writings as well as the movies.
Of course, I knew which actor they were talking about and I agreed that he indeed did look very charming, but I always found it silly to claim dibs on a living person; or even a fictional character for that matter.
"How much longer until we're there?" A tall brunette named Rylan cried impatiently. I shifted in and gazed out the window as the bus started to slow down. The final hill sloping down into a small clearing.
"We're here!" A chorus of girls squealed with delight.
...
"This little hobbit hole was used in the movies for the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins" The tour guide said merrily, leading us in through the door. Katlyn frowned as she bent down to fit through the door. She looked at the ground with distaste before turning, face lit with wicked joy.
"Looks like you're right at home, Midget!" She giggled and a couple of the other girls joined in. Of course they would bring up my height now. I thought in exasperation. I had stopped growing at age 13. Seemingly stuck at a whopping height of 4'3" made some of the nicknames that I accrued for myself over the years to be rather fitting despite my dislike for them. I wasn't just cursed with the height of a dwarf, so lovingly explained by Katlyn and a few of the other girls. No, my body decided to not even start puberty altogether. Of course, having the stature of a child also meant that no one took me seriously when I told them that my actual age was 20. It made going through customs in the airports difficult, even when I provided my state ID and passport.
"Oh, kiss my arse," I swatted her hand playfully, "Pay attention to the tour!" I shoved her side with my shoulder as I passed her and made my way into the kitchen of Bag End.
...
The rest of the tour went by slowly, but everyone seemed rather enthralled with the decor and splendor of the wood carvings all throughout each of the hobbit holes; Even I couldn't keep from admiring the craftsmanship. Mrs. Gale, our dance instructor led us back to the entrance of Hobbiton as the sun started to set.
"While you were taking the tour of the place, I had some of the staff prepare the camping grounds and tents. I want you to keep a buddy system if you are going to be wandering the grounds at night. I'll see you all at dinner." Mrs. Gale turned gently and sauntered off toward her tent with grace; her many years of dancing apparent in her smooth movements.
"Want to be my buddy?" Katlyn gave me puppy eyes as she asked. Her lips pulled into a pout. I laughed as we gathered our luggage.
"Sure! Let's go check out the tent." The tents were all scattered through the copse of trees and separated by 40 feet on either side from the others. Katlyn opened the tent flap to what was now our tent and held it open for me. I brushed past her, threw my luggage into the corner then plopped down on one of the air mattresses. Katlyn came over and sat on my stomach and I wheezed. I punched her on her thigh and she jumped off, laughing.
"Want to check out the gift shop?" She asked as she huffed onto her side on the bed. I could still feel the tired ache of my muscles begging for more rest. I closed my eyes and sighed, bringing my arm over my eyes.
"Not really. I tink I'll try to catch up on sleep." I yawned lightly and started to curl underneath the blankets on the mattress.
"Want me to wake you for dinner?" She hopped up and stretched before grabbing her purse.
"No, I'm good, tanks." She smiled at my accented 'thanks' and I smiled back.
"Okay, see ya," She gave a wicked grin before turning to the tent opening, "Hobbit." She muttered under her breath and ran for it out of the tent before I could throw my pillow at her. I shook my head, smiling as I got up from the bed to retrieve the pillow and sat back on the bed.
Thankful for some quiet, I laid back down on the bed. Remembering the green of the land that greeted my eyes when we first arrived. I was reminded of my parents; adoptive parents, of course. Don't get me wrong, I still loved them dearly as though they had bore me. I thought to the land of my home; Scotland. It's beautiful Glens and mountainsides; the rolling hills of lush green grass. Oh how I missed it. Wistfully, I sat up and walked over to my baggage.
I changed into a thin camisole and shorts before crawling under the blankets. Being worn, tired and severely jet-lagged, and my eyelids heavy, I submitted to sleep as my head graced my pillow; into the fathomless dark of a dreamless sleep.
...
I woke to pitch blackness and the light pitter patter of rain on the canvas of the tent overhead. There was a slight breeze animating the tent walls. A snake of the cool air curled against my skin as I sat up and pulled the blanket from my legs, and I shivered. I reached for my bag and pulled out my phone to check the time. The black screen refused to light and I tossed it onto the bed with minor impatience. My lower abdomen ached along with another shiver.
Of Course! This would be the moment when my bladder decides it needs relieving. I stood and walked blindly over to Katlyn's bed.
"Kat, wake up," I nudged her softly and she stirred slightly with an annoyed moan, "I need to go to the lavvy." I nudged her again. She turned on her phone's flashlight and looked at me with sleepy eyes.
"What?" Her eyes were glazed and confused.
"The loo? The toilet? I need to pee, Kat, get off yer arse!" I bit out at her slow wit. She scoffed and burrowed further into her blankets and pushed me away from her mattress.
"Go yourself, Tori. I'm not getting up to stand outside a toilet in the rain that is only a couple of yards in front of the tent." She growled and turned over, taking the light with her. Frustrated, I fumbled for my sweater in the dark and pulled on some leggings over my bed shorts before slipping my feet into my sandals and then headed out in the sprinkling rain.
There was a heavy fog over the campsite and the smell of watered down coal wafted to my nose. I waded in the low light of the moon through the site to where Katlyn said the toilets were and nearly tripped a few times on the uneven wet ground. I cursed at my stupidity in wearing sandals, but was too lazy to go back and change them. At last, the toilet came into view. And not a moment too soon. I thought as another shiver racked at my abdomen in pain.
I stepped into the port-a-potty and stifled a gag. Ugh, this would be tolerable with my phone! At least I could keep me mind off the smell! I unrolled some paper from the spool and placed it on the dirty seat before sitting down. Feeling only a little less grossed out with the thin layer of toilet paper separating me from the seat, I went to business.
The rain picked up and started to pound against the plastic roof. I looked down at my light summer sweater and sandals and grimaced. I'm going to get soaked before I even make it back to the tent! Feeling much better and finished, I opened the door and felt the dread of having to brave the sudden torrential downpour. I pulled my sweater closer and stepped out of the shelter and into the rain and right into a cold puddle of mud.
"Ah Shite, of course!" I hissed through my teeth, flicking the dirty water off my foot. I walked off toward the tent grumbling down at my feet to watch for more puddles. After a few minutes; anger dissipated and drenched head to toe, I stopped and looked up from my feet feeling a small rise of panic in my stomach. I squinted through the mist to look for the tent that I should have already arrived at.
"I didn't go the wrong way, did I?" I swirled on the balls of my feet, looking in all directions, trying to catch a glimpse of any of the tents in the now sheets of pouring rain and mist. The rain felt freezing to my soaked skin and my breath fogged up in the air as it escaped my lips.
"Kat!" I yelled into the mist towards the direction of the tent, breathing quickly now in a panic. Only silence responded to my call.
Suddenly the wind picked up and blew against my already frigid skin. It howled in my ear and whipped at my hair. I turned around to go back to the toilet to try and correct my direction and walked for a couple minutes and then stopped. I swear it was right here! I stepped into another puddle to my frustration. My skin started to prickle, but not from just the cold; It felt like I was being watched. I scanned the dark mist, for the eyes that I felt on me. My breathing caught in my throat and heart hammered against my rib cage.
Then a loud shriek I had never heard before ripped through the sound of the rain and wind. I covered my ears in pain. It sounded as if a banshee was screaming my personal death announcement right in my ears. Run! Run! My blood sang as it ran like ice in my veins and I took off in the direction I was facing. I need to find that bloody tent! Constantly checking over my shoulder, I failed to notice a sudden drop off in front of me, and down I fell into the void of blackness.