Chapter 1
Courtney, Lisa, and I were all sitting in my room (which was also Lisa's) discussing Lord of the Rings.
"Listen, all I'm saying is that I think Lord of the Rings really happened." Lisa argued.
Courtney and I laughed.
"Right Lisa, and we're hobbits." Courtney said.
A sudden cold wind blew on my face. The sun was in my eyes. I ignored the change.
"Really Lisa, Elrond is just a dude in a book and." Lisa cut me off.
"Laura."
"What is it Lisa?" I asked annoyed.
"Does it feel like we're being watched?"
We all looked up slowly to the sky, not ceiling. We looked around to see a lot of people sitting in a semi-circle with a guy standing looking in charge.
"Oh. Shit. You guys, that's Elrond." I said.
"What was your first clue!" Courtney spat out.
"Silence." Elrond said too calmly. " Address me. Who are you, where do you come from, and what sort of wizardry is this?"
"Well, I'm Laura."
"And I'm Lisa."
"And I'm their sidekick, Courtney!"
We all smiled. No reply came. Tough crowd, I thought to myself.
"Oh great Elrond," Lisa began, " We are travelers, who seek." her voice trailed off not knowing what to say. Catching her drift, Courtney said:
"Your council." She finished. " May we sit and listen?"
"Thanks!" I said not giving him a chance to say no.
We all sat by some bushes next to a hobbit that must have been Frodo Baggins.
"Easy Laura." Lisa whispered.
We all sat there not paying any attention to the "blah-blahs" going on around is. I decide to start my own council.
"I now call 'Laura's Council' to order." I whispered to Courtney and Lisa. They looked at me and tried not to laugh. " First order of business, how the hell did we get here?"
"Don't know. The second order of business is what chapter is this?" Lisa asked.
"Haven't you been listening? It's exactly like Heather's description of the council." Courtney said.
"Wait, so are you telling me we're in the book?" I asked. She shrugged in return. "Okay, then what were they just talking about?"
"Gondor, I think." Lisa replied. Courtney laughed softly.
"So you do listen." She said.
Ignoring them I said "Okay, lets speed it up a few pages." I stood up. They still kept talking. I cleared my throat.
"Everyone, take a chill pill and shut up!" I yelled. Everyone turned to look at me.
"You came to seek council, not give it." Elrond said.
"Funny how your ambitions change." I said calmly. I was ready for whatever he said to me.
"You need to learn your place!" he said strictly.
"Dude, I'm a rebellious teenager. My parents can't control me!" I yelled.
"You need to respect Lord Elrond!" an elf stood up and said. It was Legolas.
"You need to sit down and listen boy!" I shot back. I suddenly felt like I needed to explain. "Okay, the hour grows short. You need to assemble a fellowship to take Frodo to Mordor." I stopped. Everyone was silent.
"I think you said too much." Lisa whispered to me.
"You think!" I said back.
Frodo stood up to look at me. "I have not volunteered for that task, though my mind has been pondering on it."
"Okay, so you agree with it." I said. He started to protest but Elrond stood up.
"How, may I ask, did you know that I was going to suggest a fellowship?"
I paused not knowing how to answer the question.
"She works for the Dark Lord!" a dwarf yelled. It was Gimli
I gasped. "How insulting!"
"Can you prove it wrong?" he asked.
And, thank God for Courtney. "If we knew about the fellowship, we could have told Sauron or Saruman. They could have cut, or killed, you off by now."
They all were silent. I sided up next to Courtney.
"How did you do that?"
"Well, I don't really know. I basically just said stuff that made me sound smart." She answered.
"Good thinking." Courtney nodded proud of herself.
I sunk back to my spot on the ground in front of the bushes. I sighed.
Poke.
What the-
Poke. Poke.
Something was poking me in the back. And it was really bothering me. I turned around.
"What?" I whispered into the bush. Then it dawned on me.
"Sorry." A voice came back. It was Sam's voice.
"Holy." I got cut off by Courtney.
"Laura, are you joining the fellowship or not!"
Now I was confused. Had I really missed that much?
"Yeah but," I ran over and picked Sam up out of the bush, " he's coming too."
Lisa and Courtney rolled their eyes whilst Elrond was yelling at Sam for coming to the secret council. Well, it wasn't really secret, I thought, I mean if I could get in, especially Lisa-
"Laura," Lisa came up next to me, "How did you know that Sam was there?"
I rolled my eyes. " Well, if someone was poking you in the back with a stick, you're going to notice them. Also, F.Y.I., that's where he was in the book and in the movie."
"Right." She gave me two thumbs up.
The council ended (Thank God) and we all got led to this one huge room with three beds.
"Now I know I'm in first class." Lisa said throwing herself onto a bed.
"Yeah but we still don't know why we're here, or how we're here." Courtney said matter-of-factly. I nodded in an agreement.
"Hey, did anyone notice anything when we 'crossed over'?" I asked suddenly.
"Wait, are you saying we're dead?" Lisa questioned from the bed.
"No!" Courtney yelled. " My God, do you ever use your brain?"
"No." Courtney made a weird noise from her throat in return. I laughed.
"Would you just answer the question!"
"No." they said simultaneously.
"Why did you?" Lisa asked acting like she cared.
"No." I said quickly. They would both think I was insane if I told them the truth.
"Come on Laura, you can tell us the truth. We won't laugh." Lisa said beginning to sound tired.
"Alright, well after Courtney said 'and we're hobbits' a cold wind was on my face, and the sun was in my eyes." I muttered.
Lisa laughed. "So Courtney got us here!" she pointed accusingly.
"It wasn't me!" Courtney said.
"I think she's right." I said quietly.
"Who, me or her!" Courtney yelled.
"You."
"What! So you're blaming this whole thing on me!" Lisa said waking up to what was going on.
"Well, yes.um.no.I don't know. But the wind thing started when you said 'I think Lord of the Rings really happened'. It ended when Courtney said "and we're hobbits." I stated.
"Yes!" Lisa jumped up.
"What are you so happy about? We basically just signed up for our death march." I said gloomily.
"Yeah, but if I got us here, that means I have magical powers!" she said gleefully.
"Right, and we're." Courtney began to say but I cut her off.
"No, do not start this up again. Right now we need to figure out a plan." I laid down onto a bed.
"Yeah, I got one, don't die." Lisa said then finally rolled over and fell asleep.
"She is the only one who could fall asleep at a time like this." Courtney said stepping out onto the balcony. All was silent.
So Lisa is asleep, and Courtney is on the balcony. This is the quietest it's been since we've 'crossed over'.
I got up off the bed and sat on the railing next to Courtney. I could see elves everywhere.
"So," Courtney said breaking the silence, " what do you want to do?"
"Well, at home I'd be riding my bike over your." I said looking at the mountains. Then I turned to look at her. A sly grin was on her face. " What?"
"So, let's make a bike."
"You're insane." I ran over to bed and began to tie sheets together.
"What are you doing?"
"Tying sheets together."
"I see that, but why?"
"See, if we rappel down the side, not that many people will see us."
"So what if anyone sees us."
"Yeah, but if we told elves that we were going to chop down trees, they'll kill us."
"Good point."
I tied the 'rope' to the balcony and began to go down. I was at the end of the rope when I realized we were about eight feet short. I looked back up to see Courtney was already climbing down.
"Courtney, we have a problem!" I yelled up.
"What is it?"
"We're about eight feet too short."
"So, jump. And for the record, I was kidding when I said let's build a bike."
"Yeah, well, too late to turn back. You know, saying that a little earlier would have helped!"
"As long as I helped."
"Get a life Courtney!"
Well, it was easy for her to say jump. I jumped down when something broke my fall. Then Courtney fell beside me.
"Laura," she whispered, " You're on top of someone."
"I know!"
"Where are you going?" the person asked as I rolled off of him.
"Oh, no where." I replied quickly.
"Then why were you climbing down the side of the building?"
Courtney and I looked at each other. We were both thinking the same thing. Why of all people did we have to fall on an elf? They never miss a thing. Then we heard a voice coming from the balcony outside our room.
"They're going to build a bike!"
"I thought she was asleep!" Courtney yelled as we got up to run.
"So did I!"
We ran like our lives depended on it (which they probably did) because Lisa just told an elf we were going to chop down trees. How did they know bikes involved chopping down trees, don't ask me. They're elves, they know everything. Suddenly we hit two people and fell on Merry and Pippin.
"Where are you two going on such a fine day?" Pippin asked.
"Running." I answered.
"From what?" Merry chimed in.
"Trouble." Courtney answered.
"Oh!" Pippin laughed. " We do that all the time!"
I ran and yelled back " Do you have any advice?"
"Don't get caught!" Pippin yelled.
"Have a nice day!" Merry followed.
"You too!" Courtney yelled but they were too far away to hear it. Courtney and I kept running into the forest, not looking back.
Courtney, Lisa, and I were all sitting in my room (which was also Lisa's) discussing Lord of the Rings.
"Listen, all I'm saying is that I think Lord of the Rings really happened." Lisa argued.
Courtney and I laughed.
"Right Lisa, and we're hobbits." Courtney said.
A sudden cold wind blew on my face. The sun was in my eyes. I ignored the change.
"Really Lisa, Elrond is just a dude in a book and." Lisa cut me off.
"Laura."
"What is it Lisa?" I asked annoyed.
"Does it feel like we're being watched?"
We all looked up slowly to the sky, not ceiling. We looked around to see a lot of people sitting in a semi-circle with a guy standing looking in charge.
"Oh. Shit. You guys, that's Elrond." I said.
"What was your first clue!" Courtney spat out.
"Silence." Elrond said too calmly. " Address me. Who are you, where do you come from, and what sort of wizardry is this?"
"Well, I'm Laura."
"And I'm Lisa."
"And I'm their sidekick, Courtney!"
We all smiled. No reply came. Tough crowd, I thought to myself.
"Oh great Elrond," Lisa began, " We are travelers, who seek." her voice trailed off not knowing what to say. Catching her drift, Courtney said:
"Your council." She finished. " May we sit and listen?"
"Thanks!" I said not giving him a chance to say no.
We all sat by some bushes next to a hobbit that must have been Frodo Baggins.
"Easy Laura." Lisa whispered.
We all sat there not paying any attention to the "blah-blahs" going on around is. I decide to start my own council.
"I now call 'Laura's Council' to order." I whispered to Courtney and Lisa. They looked at me and tried not to laugh. " First order of business, how the hell did we get here?"
"Don't know. The second order of business is what chapter is this?" Lisa asked.
"Haven't you been listening? It's exactly like Heather's description of the council." Courtney said.
"Wait, so are you telling me we're in the book?" I asked. She shrugged in return. "Okay, then what were they just talking about?"
"Gondor, I think." Lisa replied. Courtney laughed softly.
"So you do listen." She said.
Ignoring them I said "Okay, lets speed it up a few pages." I stood up. They still kept talking. I cleared my throat.
"Everyone, take a chill pill and shut up!" I yelled. Everyone turned to look at me.
"You came to seek council, not give it." Elrond said.
"Funny how your ambitions change." I said calmly. I was ready for whatever he said to me.
"You need to learn your place!" he said strictly.
"Dude, I'm a rebellious teenager. My parents can't control me!" I yelled.
"You need to respect Lord Elrond!" an elf stood up and said. It was Legolas.
"You need to sit down and listen boy!" I shot back. I suddenly felt like I needed to explain. "Okay, the hour grows short. You need to assemble a fellowship to take Frodo to Mordor." I stopped. Everyone was silent.
"I think you said too much." Lisa whispered to me.
"You think!" I said back.
Frodo stood up to look at me. "I have not volunteered for that task, though my mind has been pondering on it."
"Okay, so you agree with it." I said. He started to protest but Elrond stood up.
"How, may I ask, did you know that I was going to suggest a fellowship?"
I paused not knowing how to answer the question.
"She works for the Dark Lord!" a dwarf yelled. It was Gimli
I gasped. "How insulting!"
"Can you prove it wrong?" he asked.
And, thank God for Courtney. "If we knew about the fellowship, we could have told Sauron or Saruman. They could have cut, or killed, you off by now."
They all were silent. I sided up next to Courtney.
"How did you do that?"
"Well, I don't really know. I basically just said stuff that made me sound smart." She answered.
"Good thinking." Courtney nodded proud of herself.
I sunk back to my spot on the ground in front of the bushes. I sighed.
Poke.
What the-
Poke. Poke.
Something was poking me in the back. And it was really bothering me. I turned around.
"What?" I whispered into the bush. Then it dawned on me.
"Sorry." A voice came back. It was Sam's voice.
"Holy." I got cut off by Courtney.
"Laura, are you joining the fellowship or not!"
Now I was confused. Had I really missed that much?
"Yeah but," I ran over and picked Sam up out of the bush, " he's coming too."
Lisa and Courtney rolled their eyes whilst Elrond was yelling at Sam for coming to the secret council. Well, it wasn't really secret, I thought, I mean if I could get in, especially Lisa-
"Laura," Lisa came up next to me, "How did you know that Sam was there?"
I rolled my eyes. " Well, if someone was poking you in the back with a stick, you're going to notice them. Also, F.Y.I., that's where he was in the book and in the movie."
"Right." She gave me two thumbs up.
The council ended (Thank God) and we all got led to this one huge room with three beds.
"Now I know I'm in first class." Lisa said throwing herself onto a bed.
"Yeah but we still don't know why we're here, or how we're here." Courtney said matter-of-factly. I nodded in an agreement.
"Hey, did anyone notice anything when we 'crossed over'?" I asked suddenly.
"Wait, are you saying we're dead?" Lisa questioned from the bed.
"No!" Courtney yelled. " My God, do you ever use your brain?"
"No." Courtney made a weird noise from her throat in return. I laughed.
"Would you just answer the question!"
"No." they said simultaneously.
"Why did you?" Lisa asked acting like she cared.
"No." I said quickly. They would both think I was insane if I told them the truth.
"Come on Laura, you can tell us the truth. We won't laugh." Lisa said beginning to sound tired.
"Alright, well after Courtney said 'and we're hobbits' a cold wind was on my face, and the sun was in my eyes." I muttered.
Lisa laughed. "So Courtney got us here!" she pointed accusingly.
"It wasn't me!" Courtney said.
"I think she's right." I said quietly.
"Who, me or her!" Courtney yelled.
"You."
"What! So you're blaming this whole thing on me!" Lisa said waking up to what was going on.
"Well, yes.um.no.I don't know. But the wind thing started when you said 'I think Lord of the Rings really happened'. It ended when Courtney said "and we're hobbits." I stated.
"Yes!" Lisa jumped up.
"What are you so happy about? We basically just signed up for our death march." I said gloomily.
"Yeah, but if I got us here, that means I have magical powers!" she said gleefully.
"Right, and we're." Courtney began to say but I cut her off.
"No, do not start this up again. Right now we need to figure out a plan." I laid down onto a bed.
"Yeah, I got one, don't die." Lisa said then finally rolled over and fell asleep.
"She is the only one who could fall asleep at a time like this." Courtney said stepping out onto the balcony. All was silent.
So Lisa is asleep, and Courtney is on the balcony. This is the quietest it's been since we've 'crossed over'.
I got up off the bed and sat on the railing next to Courtney. I could see elves everywhere.
"So," Courtney said breaking the silence, " what do you want to do?"
"Well, at home I'd be riding my bike over your." I said looking at the mountains. Then I turned to look at her. A sly grin was on her face. " What?"
"So, let's make a bike."
"You're insane." I ran over to bed and began to tie sheets together.
"What are you doing?"
"Tying sheets together."
"I see that, but why?"
"See, if we rappel down the side, not that many people will see us."
"So what if anyone sees us."
"Yeah, but if we told elves that we were going to chop down trees, they'll kill us."
"Good point."
I tied the 'rope' to the balcony and began to go down. I was at the end of the rope when I realized we were about eight feet short. I looked back up to see Courtney was already climbing down.
"Courtney, we have a problem!" I yelled up.
"What is it?"
"We're about eight feet too short."
"So, jump. And for the record, I was kidding when I said let's build a bike."
"Yeah, well, too late to turn back. You know, saying that a little earlier would have helped!"
"As long as I helped."
"Get a life Courtney!"
Well, it was easy for her to say jump. I jumped down when something broke my fall. Then Courtney fell beside me.
"Laura," she whispered, " You're on top of someone."
"I know!"
"Where are you going?" the person asked as I rolled off of him.
"Oh, no where." I replied quickly.
"Then why were you climbing down the side of the building?"
Courtney and I looked at each other. We were both thinking the same thing. Why of all people did we have to fall on an elf? They never miss a thing. Then we heard a voice coming from the balcony outside our room.
"They're going to build a bike!"
"I thought she was asleep!" Courtney yelled as we got up to run.
"So did I!"
We ran like our lives depended on it (which they probably did) because Lisa just told an elf we were going to chop down trees. How did they know bikes involved chopping down trees, don't ask me. They're elves, they know everything. Suddenly we hit two people and fell on Merry and Pippin.
"Where are you two going on such a fine day?" Pippin asked.
"Running." I answered.
"From what?" Merry chimed in.
"Trouble." Courtney answered.
"Oh!" Pippin laughed. " We do that all the time!"
I ran and yelled back " Do you have any advice?"
"Don't get caught!" Pippin yelled.
"Have a nice day!" Merry followed.
"You too!" Courtney yelled but they were too far away to hear it. Courtney and I kept running into the forest, not looking back.