"This is not possible," Phoenix paced around next to a stone bench that reached her waist. She picked up a rock that was sitting on the bench. The memory of reading the green stone came back to her. "Stupid rock!" she knew she sounded and was acting like a child but she threw rock into the small patch of woods.
"Ouch!" a male voice yelled. He stumbled out of the brush holding his shoulder. "What'd you do that for?"
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she apologized. "Umm…come here." She led him to the bench.
"What were you doing throwing rocks anyway?"
"Sorry, you're not bleeding are you?"
"I don't think so," he replied. She could detect a thick Scottish brogue.
"Still…I'm sorry…I didn't think anyone was back there…"
"Its okay," he said rubbing it. She took a good look at him. He had shaggy dirty blond hair, and pointed ears that matched her own, which led her to guess he was a Hobbit. "Where did you learn to toss a rock like that?"
"Baseball, junior high,"
"Baseball?" he looked at her confused, like he had never heard the word before.
"It's a game, I'm Phoenix by the way," she offered her hand. He took it.
"Pippin,"
"That's a cute name," she replied.
"Thank you…I guess," he laughed.
"Pip!" another Hobbit came running down the stone path. "Pippin!"
"What?"
"Frodo is awake!"
* * *
Phoenix stood on the balcony looking at the large city under her. She was now taking everything in. she couldn't believe this was all happening to her. A day ago, or at least she thought it was a day ago, her brother Ashley had died in a car wreck and now she was in some sort of fantasy world where her own form had been changed.
She looked at a balcony next to hers and saw Pippin. He was sitting on a stone bench, too big for him. He was fiddling with an ear of corn. She smiled and walked to the end of her balcony. "Hey!" she called.
He looked up from his corn and saw her. "Hello." He placed the corn on the bench and walked to the edge of his balcony. "What are you doing out?"
"Thinking, did you see your friend?"
"Yes. He's doing quite well, how are you doing?"
"Fine,"
"Pippin," Merry walked onto the balcony. "We're going to the meeting."
"What meeting?"
"The one that Frodo is at, come on," Merry urged Pippin on. "You can come too." He said to Phoenix.
"Okay," she smiled, jumping the small space between the two balconies and followed the two young Hobbits out to the secrete meeting.
* * *
"What are we doing here?" Phoenix asked Pippin as they hid behind two pillars.
"Shh…" he said. "Just watching Frodo."
"Oh," she looked at the Hobbit standing among a wizard, dwarf, human and elf. Suddenly another Hobbit jumped from the bushes.
Merry and Pippin hiding behind different pillars. They jumped out and looked at each other then ran to Frodo. Phoenix didn't know what possessed her to do it but she did. She ran after Pippin.
"We're coming too," Merry said.
"You need people of intelligence on this type of mission…quest…thing," Pippin stated rather unsure of him self.
"Well that leaves you out," Merry replied. Pippin looked at him oddly.
"Ten companions. Very well," Elrond stated. "You shall be the Fellowship."
"Great," Pippin said smiling. "Where are we going?"
Phoenix didn't know at that moment but that simple action of following Pippin would change the course of her life.