Note: all fictional situations…I'm not affiliated with any real people
mentioned, enjoy! Oh…and…I've never been an extra. If anyone has any
experience in this department, I could certainly use some guidance.
Otherwise, you see, I have to make all of this up. Please excuse any
discrepancies…heh.
***Thank you to reviewers!!!!!!!!!!!!! :::bows to kiss feet:::
Chapter Six
Different World
Hortense looked in the mirror. A hobbit. She was a hobbit. One of many, appointed to stand in the background and look happy. She grimaced and willed herself not to itch the artificial hair on her feet. Walking out of the tent, she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to fend off a biting wind. When did it get so cold? She bit her lip, then remembered the lipstick and blanched. Why did lipstick have to taste like lipstick?
She looked for Lisa, but did not see her. They had been split up in the rush of people and ushered into different tents. In fact, Hortense mused, she hadn't seen Lisa all day. There were speeches made and instructions given, and then, the make-up…and now, she was standing in a throng of people. She smiled as someone passed her, but felt utterly disoriented. What had just happened? Only last night she was looking forward to bad movies and chocolate chip sundaes…now she was an extra? It all happened so quickly. And where was Lisa?
Then, she noticed her friend walking towards her, wearing a white, flowing dress, and a long blond wig.
"An elf." Hortense said simply. It would figure that she would be a hobbit and her friend would be an elf. A perfect, beautiful elf.
"I guess. I'm not really sure what happened, actually. But, I think I like being an elf!" she exclaimed, whirling in her dress.
Hortense smiled.
"What are you?" Lisa asked.
"A hobbit," she answered.
"Lucky…you don't need a wig," Lisa said, bringing a hand to her head with a sigh. Hortense shrugged. As luck (or fate) would have it, her hair was long enough and curly enough that she didn't need any help. For once, her wildly frizzy hair was something other than a burden. Hortense absently pulled at her bodice, which was digging into her stomach. Her dress was a strange, dark green color and fanned out around her hips, making her look rather pear shaped, and not at all as elegant as Lisa. Her friend seemed to float about, and for some reason, whether the make-up or the clothes, she seemed to glow. If Hortense had ever felt so amazingly homely beside her friend, it was now.
Lisa grinned and Hortense smiled back.
_____
Moments later, Hortense was seated around a table with four other hobbits. An elderly looking man, a woman that looked like she could have been a mad mom in a mini-van, and girl that was around Hortense's age.
"So, what's your name?" the girl asked.
"Hortense," she answered with a smile, taking the proffered hand.
"Emily, it's nice to meet you. I was sucked into doing this. One morning, I was at the market, then…next thing I knew…I was sitting around in a dress with fake hair on my feet!" she said with a laugh. Hortense nodded.
"My friend got me into this…I'm not even sure what's going on," Hortense sighed.
"Oh, it's fun, just wait!" the older woman said, "I'm Lydia."
"What, exactly, do we do?" Hortense questioned.
"Well…we sort of just…stand around and do what he says," the older man said, pointing to a man in a baseball cap, not wearing shoes.
"Oh." Hortense said.
"I'm Jack, she's my wife," he said, pointing at Lydia. Hortense smiled at them both.
"Hortense," she said. Her eye caught something moving on the side. She turned to see Lisa smiling and waving.
"Is that your friend?" Lydia asked. Hortense nodded.
"She's an elf," Jack stated. Hortense nodded again.
"Lucky," Emily sighed. Hortense sighed too.
"Yeah."
"Oh, I don't know, we have fun," Jack said with a genuine smile. Emily laughed.
"At the expense of the Orcs!" she giggled. Hortense arched an eyebrow.
"What?"
"They have to pile on so much make-up, it's fun to poke them," she said.
"How so?"
"Some can't even feel it," Emily giggled, "My boyfriend is an Orc."
"Why am I a hobbit?" Hortense asked.
"Because you look like one, I guess," Lydia answered.
"It's a good thing…stop pouting," Emily said, poking Hortense in the side. With a jerk, she pulled away and managed to topple her chair backwards. Hortense didn't move for a moment. With a wheeze, she got to her feet and righted the chair.
"I'm a bit of a klutz," she blushed. Jack and Lydia were in hysterics; Emily was trying to hide a smile. Hortense sat down again, careful not to disturb the table.
"It's all right dear, everyone has their moments," Lydia said after she had caught her breath.
"Some just more than others," Hortense shrugged. Someone yelled for silence, and the scene started rolling. With apt attention, Hortense started to drink in her surroundings. Yes, her obsession was finally being fed. A hardcore science fiction nerd, she was in her paradise. Pulling again at her bodice, she smiled contendedly. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't as bad as she thought.
____
Hours later, lunch was called and Hortense followed her new companions to what could only be described as an outdoors cafeteria. She looked around and realized that everyone mainly stuck with his or her respective "race". The elves ate together, the hobbits stuck together, and the orcs were crowded together. Hortense sighed. She thought she had left high school behind. She saw Lisa and smiled.
"Horty! Over here!" she called. Looking back at Jack and Lydia, who shrugged.
"I'll see you guys later," she said with a smile.
"You're eating with the elves?" Emily questioned slowly. Hortense nodded.
"Uh…I guess so…yeah. It's time for integration! It's time to break down the barriers! Rise up!"
Emily giggled.
"You're strange."
Hortense arched an eyebrow. She'd been hearing that a lot lately.
"You'd be surprised."
"All right then, we'll see you later," Jack called as they parted ways. Hortense nodded. She picked her way through the tables and found a seat next to Lisa.
"Hey! Haven't seen you in a while!" she giggled. Hortense nodded.
"No kidding! What have you been doing?" she asked. Lisa shrugged.
"Not much…I don't think they've gotten to our scene yet," she said, looking around at the others at her table.
"Oh," Hortense said, aware of the eyes on her. She smiled looked up and smiled amiably.
"I'm Hortense," she managed to squeak. They looked at her in turn.
"Alexia," a female said, extending a slender, white hand.
"Rez," the guy next to her said. He gave a huge, goofy, lopsided grin and shook her hand enthusiastically. She decided she liked him.
"So, when do you think you'll get to your scene?" Hortense asked.
"Probably after lunch," Alexia said.
"Oh really," Hortense said, filling the awkward pause. Lisa managed another giggle.
"What?" she asked, looking to her friend.
"Horty…you've got something on your skirt," she said, picking off a well-placed ketchup packet. Hortense closed her eyes and let out her breath slowly.
"It's not my year…"
___
R/R pretty please! I'm starting to set something up…things will start happening again, I promise! Any ideas? Suggestions? Comments?
***Thank you to reviewers!!!!!!!!!!!!! :::bows to kiss feet:::
Chapter Six
Different World
Hortense looked in the mirror. A hobbit. She was a hobbit. One of many, appointed to stand in the background and look happy. She grimaced and willed herself not to itch the artificial hair on her feet. Walking out of the tent, she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to fend off a biting wind. When did it get so cold? She bit her lip, then remembered the lipstick and blanched. Why did lipstick have to taste like lipstick?
She looked for Lisa, but did not see her. They had been split up in the rush of people and ushered into different tents. In fact, Hortense mused, she hadn't seen Lisa all day. There were speeches made and instructions given, and then, the make-up…and now, she was standing in a throng of people. She smiled as someone passed her, but felt utterly disoriented. What had just happened? Only last night she was looking forward to bad movies and chocolate chip sundaes…now she was an extra? It all happened so quickly. And where was Lisa?
Then, she noticed her friend walking towards her, wearing a white, flowing dress, and a long blond wig.
"An elf." Hortense said simply. It would figure that she would be a hobbit and her friend would be an elf. A perfect, beautiful elf.
"I guess. I'm not really sure what happened, actually. But, I think I like being an elf!" she exclaimed, whirling in her dress.
Hortense smiled.
"What are you?" Lisa asked.
"A hobbit," she answered.
"Lucky…you don't need a wig," Lisa said, bringing a hand to her head with a sigh. Hortense shrugged. As luck (or fate) would have it, her hair was long enough and curly enough that she didn't need any help. For once, her wildly frizzy hair was something other than a burden. Hortense absently pulled at her bodice, which was digging into her stomach. Her dress was a strange, dark green color and fanned out around her hips, making her look rather pear shaped, and not at all as elegant as Lisa. Her friend seemed to float about, and for some reason, whether the make-up or the clothes, she seemed to glow. If Hortense had ever felt so amazingly homely beside her friend, it was now.
Lisa grinned and Hortense smiled back.
_____
Moments later, Hortense was seated around a table with four other hobbits. An elderly looking man, a woman that looked like she could have been a mad mom in a mini-van, and girl that was around Hortense's age.
"So, what's your name?" the girl asked.
"Hortense," she answered with a smile, taking the proffered hand.
"Emily, it's nice to meet you. I was sucked into doing this. One morning, I was at the market, then…next thing I knew…I was sitting around in a dress with fake hair on my feet!" she said with a laugh. Hortense nodded.
"My friend got me into this…I'm not even sure what's going on," Hortense sighed.
"Oh, it's fun, just wait!" the older woman said, "I'm Lydia."
"What, exactly, do we do?" Hortense questioned.
"Well…we sort of just…stand around and do what he says," the older man said, pointing to a man in a baseball cap, not wearing shoes.
"Oh." Hortense said.
"I'm Jack, she's my wife," he said, pointing at Lydia. Hortense smiled at them both.
"Hortense," she said. Her eye caught something moving on the side. She turned to see Lisa smiling and waving.
"Is that your friend?" Lydia asked. Hortense nodded.
"She's an elf," Jack stated. Hortense nodded again.
"Lucky," Emily sighed. Hortense sighed too.
"Yeah."
"Oh, I don't know, we have fun," Jack said with a genuine smile. Emily laughed.
"At the expense of the Orcs!" she giggled. Hortense arched an eyebrow.
"What?"
"They have to pile on so much make-up, it's fun to poke them," she said.
"How so?"
"Some can't even feel it," Emily giggled, "My boyfriend is an Orc."
"Why am I a hobbit?" Hortense asked.
"Because you look like one, I guess," Lydia answered.
"It's a good thing…stop pouting," Emily said, poking Hortense in the side. With a jerk, she pulled away and managed to topple her chair backwards. Hortense didn't move for a moment. With a wheeze, she got to her feet and righted the chair.
"I'm a bit of a klutz," she blushed. Jack and Lydia were in hysterics; Emily was trying to hide a smile. Hortense sat down again, careful not to disturb the table.
"It's all right dear, everyone has their moments," Lydia said after she had caught her breath.
"Some just more than others," Hortense shrugged. Someone yelled for silence, and the scene started rolling. With apt attention, Hortense started to drink in her surroundings. Yes, her obsession was finally being fed. A hardcore science fiction nerd, she was in her paradise. Pulling again at her bodice, she smiled contendedly. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't as bad as she thought.
____
Hours later, lunch was called and Hortense followed her new companions to what could only be described as an outdoors cafeteria. She looked around and realized that everyone mainly stuck with his or her respective "race". The elves ate together, the hobbits stuck together, and the orcs were crowded together. Hortense sighed. She thought she had left high school behind. She saw Lisa and smiled.
"Horty! Over here!" she called. Looking back at Jack and Lydia, who shrugged.
"I'll see you guys later," she said with a smile.
"You're eating with the elves?" Emily questioned slowly. Hortense nodded.
"Uh…I guess so…yeah. It's time for integration! It's time to break down the barriers! Rise up!"
Emily giggled.
"You're strange."
Hortense arched an eyebrow. She'd been hearing that a lot lately.
"You'd be surprised."
"All right then, we'll see you later," Jack called as they parted ways. Hortense nodded. She picked her way through the tables and found a seat next to Lisa.
"Hey! Haven't seen you in a while!" she giggled. Hortense nodded.
"No kidding! What have you been doing?" she asked. Lisa shrugged.
"Not much…I don't think they've gotten to our scene yet," she said, looking around at the others at her table.
"Oh," Hortense said, aware of the eyes on her. She smiled looked up and smiled amiably.
"I'm Hortense," she managed to squeak. They looked at her in turn.
"Alexia," a female said, extending a slender, white hand.
"Rez," the guy next to her said. He gave a huge, goofy, lopsided grin and shook her hand enthusiastically. She decided she liked him.
"So, when do you think you'll get to your scene?" Hortense asked.
"Probably after lunch," Alexia said.
"Oh really," Hortense said, filling the awkward pause. Lisa managed another giggle.
"What?" she asked, looking to her friend.
"Horty…you've got something on your skirt," she said, picking off a well-placed ketchup packet. Hortense closed her eyes and let out her breath slowly.
"It's not my year…"
___
R/R pretty please! I'm starting to set something up…things will start happening again, I promise! Any ideas? Suggestions? Comments?