Chapter 3-Laura
I hoped Courtney and Lisa were having a better time than I was. I never thought I could be so bored in my entire life.
"We're in a fix Mr. Frodo, no mistake about that." Sam said.
"Well then I won't." I said.
"I know Sam. I'm sorry." Frodo said ignoring me.
"Fine," I muttered, "ignore me for all I care."
"Did you say something Laura?" Frodo asked.
"Me? Of course not! I'm just mumbling to myself. As you were good fellows." I cheerfully said.
"How can you be so cheerful at a time like this?" Frodo asked.
To that I had no answer.
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No one kept watch that night. There was no real need, we were in no- man's land. We hadn't seen anybody all day.
I didn't sleep. I had my headphones plugged in and was listening to Vanessa Carlton. It had some pretty good songs, but every song reminded me of home. I stopped the music and took the headphones out of my ears. Silence seemed to engulf the area around me.
Key word: seemed.
"My precioussss." A voice came from the background. "They sstole it from usss. Filthy hobitsesss."
"Oh shit." I muttered.
I grabbed the hilt of my sword. I crawled over and shook Sam awake. He was startled but I kept my hand over his mouth. I bent down so that I could whisper to him.
"Get your sword ready. Gollum's here." I whispered. Sam nodded. "On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"
Sam and I lunged at the small object on the rock face. I drove my sword at Gollum. It hit rock. I saw him to my right. I charged and hit the dirt.
"Geez this shrimp can move!" I yelled to no one in particular.
Suddenly I heard a roar of pain from Sam. I heard another shuffling of bodies then head Frodo yell:
"Sam!"
They both were wrestling Gollum to the ground. Actually, I should say, they were trying to wrestle Gollum to the ground. Gollum had more experience, which was his edge. But I knew my edge. My edge was surprise.
As Gollum was on top of Sam, I came and nicked his arm. He jumped to the ground and twirled to look at me. He prepared to jump when I said:
"Stop it already Smeagal. You aren't going to get the ring."
He looked taken back. "You called uss what?"
I rolled my eyes. "Smeagol. That's your name."
He nodded and said, "Yess, it iss. My name. Smeagol."
I turned around and picked my pack up and put it on my back. "Leave him." I said, then winced. I was sounding too much like Aragorn. Too much like.like.like.
Like a leader.
I felt like a rock had just hit me. That's how Courtney and Lisa saw me. That's why Lisa had a mental blowup. That's why Courtney had asked me what to do. I was never like this before, not in the real world. When did I become like this?
"He can't be trusted!" Sam argued. I had obviously come in, in the middle of a conversation. "We should kill him!"
"We have to trust him Sam." Frodo said. "I have to trust him.
I was half tempted to say 'Yes, yes! Kill him!' but I kept my mouth shut. I didn't say that because we needed him to get us to Mordor.
"You're right Sam, he can't be trusted." I turned towards Frodo. "You're right too. We can't kill him."
All the while Smeagol watched as his fate was being decided. "We be nice to you, if you be nice to uss."
"You need to lead us to Mordor." I said sternly. He whimpered in return.
"We can find a way ourselves." Sam argued.
"No, we can't Samwise Gamgee. He's been to Mordor; he will lead us there again. That is, if he likes his head. I don't know if you noticed, but we're lost. And I left my map of Mordor in the last truck stop."
He looked taken back, then confused. I understood why. When it finally sunk in I gasped for air. I had just used the term 'truck stop'. They didn't know what a truck stop was! Sam eyed me then Gollum then said:
"I'll do whatever Mr. Frodo wants."
Frodo looked at Sam, then to me, then to Gollum. He walked up to him. "Smeagal is your name and you have been to the Black Gate of Mordor before. Lead us there again."
We started towards Mordor and no one was happy about it. Everyone had a frown on his or her face. I watched Sam most of all. He was in deep thought but at the same time never took his eyes off Smeagal.
That's how it went, until dawn came.
"We stops so that they don't see uss." Smeagol said. "Less chance of getting caught that way Hobbitses."
He had been ignoring me. Why he was, I had no idea. It was fine by me though. Personally I think it's what I said to him, or maybe he held grudges against people who try and kill them.
The day progressed and Frodo slept most of it away. It was just Sam and me. Smeagol insisted that he go, well, we didn't really know where he went.
"Sam." I said starting a conversation.
"Yes Laura?" he replied continually scanning the horizon.
"About earlier.I should apologize. I didn't mean to snap at you." I stated.
"There's no need to apologize. We have been a little stressed lately."
"Me a little more so." I muttered. Apparently I didn't say it softly enough.
"How so?"
I stalled, not knowing how to answer the question. "Sam, have you ever had to keep a secret because if you didn't it could lead to your death, or, at least, that's what you think?"
He stared at me, then laughed a small, sad laugh. "Let me guess, hypothetically, you, your sister, and Courtney aren't from Middle Earth."
"Hypothetically, yes."
"Then, no."
"Sam, are you suspicious of me? Especially ever since last night?"
"Well, yes. You did say some things that confused me, but I thought they were just Gondorian terms."
"You think I'm from Gondor?"
"Yes. No offense, but Gondorians tend to do weird things."
I chuckled. "I'm not from Gondor."
"Then where are you from?"
"You know that hypothetical secret? And your hypothetical answer? Well, it's true."
"What's true? You aren't from Middle Earth? That's impossible."
"I know it is, but I'm here and I'm not from Middle Earth."
Frodo decided to wake up right then. "You're not from what?"
"I'M NOT FROM MIDDLE EARTH!"
I hoped Courtney and Lisa were having a better time than I was. I never thought I could be so bored in my entire life.
"We're in a fix Mr. Frodo, no mistake about that." Sam said.
"Well then I won't." I said.
"I know Sam. I'm sorry." Frodo said ignoring me.
"Fine," I muttered, "ignore me for all I care."
"Did you say something Laura?" Frodo asked.
"Me? Of course not! I'm just mumbling to myself. As you were good fellows." I cheerfully said.
"How can you be so cheerful at a time like this?" Frodo asked.
To that I had no answer.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
No one kept watch that night. There was no real need, we were in no- man's land. We hadn't seen anybody all day.
I didn't sleep. I had my headphones plugged in and was listening to Vanessa Carlton. It had some pretty good songs, but every song reminded me of home. I stopped the music and took the headphones out of my ears. Silence seemed to engulf the area around me.
Key word: seemed.
"My precioussss." A voice came from the background. "They sstole it from usss. Filthy hobitsesss."
"Oh shit." I muttered.
I grabbed the hilt of my sword. I crawled over and shook Sam awake. He was startled but I kept my hand over his mouth. I bent down so that I could whisper to him.
"Get your sword ready. Gollum's here." I whispered. Sam nodded. "On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"
Sam and I lunged at the small object on the rock face. I drove my sword at Gollum. It hit rock. I saw him to my right. I charged and hit the dirt.
"Geez this shrimp can move!" I yelled to no one in particular.
Suddenly I heard a roar of pain from Sam. I heard another shuffling of bodies then head Frodo yell:
"Sam!"
They both were wrestling Gollum to the ground. Actually, I should say, they were trying to wrestle Gollum to the ground. Gollum had more experience, which was his edge. But I knew my edge. My edge was surprise.
As Gollum was on top of Sam, I came and nicked his arm. He jumped to the ground and twirled to look at me. He prepared to jump when I said:
"Stop it already Smeagal. You aren't going to get the ring."
He looked taken back. "You called uss what?"
I rolled my eyes. "Smeagol. That's your name."
He nodded and said, "Yess, it iss. My name. Smeagol."
I turned around and picked my pack up and put it on my back. "Leave him." I said, then winced. I was sounding too much like Aragorn. Too much like.like.like.
Like a leader.
I felt like a rock had just hit me. That's how Courtney and Lisa saw me. That's why Lisa had a mental blowup. That's why Courtney had asked me what to do. I was never like this before, not in the real world. When did I become like this?
"He can't be trusted!" Sam argued. I had obviously come in, in the middle of a conversation. "We should kill him!"
"We have to trust him Sam." Frodo said. "I have to trust him.
I was half tempted to say 'Yes, yes! Kill him!' but I kept my mouth shut. I didn't say that because we needed him to get us to Mordor.
"You're right Sam, he can't be trusted." I turned towards Frodo. "You're right too. We can't kill him."
All the while Smeagol watched as his fate was being decided. "We be nice to you, if you be nice to uss."
"You need to lead us to Mordor." I said sternly. He whimpered in return.
"We can find a way ourselves." Sam argued.
"No, we can't Samwise Gamgee. He's been to Mordor; he will lead us there again. That is, if he likes his head. I don't know if you noticed, but we're lost. And I left my map of Mordor in the last truck stop."
He looked taken back, then confused. I understood why. When it finally sunk in I gasped for air. I had just used the term 'truck stop'. They didn't know what a truck stop was! Sam eyed me then Gollum then said:
"I'll do whatever Mr. Frodo wants."
Frodo looked at Sam, then to me, then to Gollum. He walked up to him. "Smeagal is your name and you have been to the Black Gate of Mordor before. Lead us there again."
We started towards Mordor and no one was happy about it. Everyone had a frown on his or her face. I watched Sam most of all. He was in deep thought but at the same time never took his eyes off Smeagal.
That's how it went, until dawn came.
"We stops so that they don't see uss." Smeagol said. "Less chance of getting caught that way Hobbitses."
He had been ignoring me. Why he was, I had no idea. It was fine by me though. Personally I think it's what I said to him, or maybe he held grudges against people who try and kill them.
The day progressed and Frodo slept most of it away. It was just Sam and me. Smeagol insisted that he go, well, we didn't really know where he went.
"Sam." I said starting a conversation.
"Yes Laura?" he replied continually scanning the horizon.
"About earlier.I should apologize. I didn't mean to snap at you." I stated.
"There's no need to apologize. We have been a little stressed lately."
"Me a little more so." I muttered. Apparently I didn't say it softly enough.
"How so?"
I stalled, not knowing how to answer the question. "Sam, have you ever had to keep a secret because if you didn't it could lead to your death, or, at least, that's what you think?"
He stared at me, then laughed a small, sad laugh. "Let me guess, hypothetically, you, your sister, and Courtney aren't from Middle Earth."
"Hypothetically, yes."
"Then, no."
"Sam, are you suspicious of me? Especially ever since last night?"
"Well, yes. You did say some things that confused me, but I thought they were just Gondorian terms."
"You think I'm from Gondor?"
"Yes. No offense, but Gondorians tend to do weird things."
I chuckled. "I'm not from Gondor."
"Then where are you from?"
"You know that hypothetical secret? And your hypothetical answer? Well, it's true."
"What's true? You aren't from Middle Earth? That's impossible."
"I know it is, but I'm here and I'm not from Middle Earth."
Frodo decided to wake up right then. "You're not from what?"
"I'M NOT FROM MIDDLE EARTH!"