I don't own any of the characters or settings that I didn't make up. Those
are all Tolkien's. There. Nice and simple.
Authors notes: The first few chapters are sort of to introduce the real world characters that you don't know. It gets far more interesting later. Heh, heh, heh…….!
Tell me what you think of it. Any suggestions? Email me if you have an idea of where the plot should go. Happy readings people!
1 The Start Part I
Loren was happy. She was pretty much happy with the way her life was going. She loved her dog, she loved her grades in college, she loved her small cramped dorm room and her perfume addicted roommate. Well, maybe she didn't really love her sweet smelling roommate. No, she didn't really love her, just like her maybe. The problem with her friend Alyssa was that she wasn't entirely happy with her life.
She wasn't at all happy with the dirty clothes on the green carpet, and by the looks of it, certainly wasn't happy with Loren's dog.
"It has to go Loren," she said firmly, dragging a brush through those golden locks of hers.
"Go where Alyssa? Sweetie is perfectly content where she is," Loren replied, sitting cross-legged on the metal-framed bed. There was a humongous heap of brown and white fur snoring lazily on her lap. Well, sort of on her lap. It was far too big to do that, it hardly fit on the small bed, which was leaning precariously inwards.
"It's going break the bed Loren."
"It's not an it."
This was the problem. Just now, that was the problem. Alyssa had managed take Loren's well-deserved good will towards men and happiness in general and ruin it. Just by making one of her pessimistic complaints. But, Loren considered on a lighter note, maybe it was a talent of hers; everyone has talents right? Hers was just something Loren hadn't expected. So Alyssa was supposed to be cynical and Loren was supposed to pay it no mind. That cheered her up considerably and she went back to petting Sweetie, who sighed contentedly.
Loren was a pretty girl, not breath taking, but not plain either. She looked like the kind of person you could just go up to and be friends with. The kind of person who seemed to posses and light that followed her around and made everyone who came in contact with her feel as if they were having the best day of their lives. It didn't matter what mood they had been in before. Her hair was a light auburn, like the fall, and her eyes were green, a shade that reflected fresh, dewy leaves in the springtime. She was a good student, and a good basketball player to boot.
But mostly she was a homebody. She had never once traveled outside her own state, and rarely out side of her own town. The college she was enrolled in was a local college, so local that it accepted student pets, as long as students cleaned up after them. Loren never considered going anywhere or doing anything special in her life, she figured she would settle down and become a manager of the family pet store. Or maybe she would just settle down and become a housewife. Yes, she could do that quite easily, especially with the right guy, a guy like Connor. No wait! Connor himself!
You see Loren is usually happy, but today her love of life was above normal, healthy levels. She loved life today because life had given her the perfect gift; it had given her Connor O'Dell. For months she had wanted to get his attention, ask him out, even talk to him. But Loren was not the one to go around making suggestions so she had done nothing. Little did she know then that "nothing" was the right thing to do.
She didn't even need to start a conversation; he had felt the same way about her for as long as she had felt about him. One day he came up to her and started a conversation, it was a bit one sided, but some things can't be helped. Loren was so shocked she hadn't said a word for the whole introduction; she very nearly forgot her own name. Then, when he finally implied the offer to go out she nodded, mumbled an incoherent yes and sprinted off the courtyard. She had just checked her watch and realized it was one minute to her next class. But that seemed enough for Connor, who had dreaded that she already had a boyfriend, and he was wasting his time.
Now, Alyssa was far more ill natured today than most and for exactly the opposite reason. She had just been dumped by her boyfriend, none other than the famous Ryan Blue, the hunk on campus. Why he should dump her was beyond Alyssa's understanding, it seemed perfectly natural that the beauty in school should go with the cutest guy. It was almost like social protocol. And to add on top of that Alyssa was green with jealously at Loren. Nice, good Loren, who had just stolen her next choice in the line of acceptable guys.
It seemed too much a coincidence that Loren should get together with Connor and she should break up with Ryan all in the same day. It was just another torment in her life. She dabbed a bit of purple eyeliner on her eyelid.
Well tonight she was going to forget all about everything, everything that made her life miserable. Bad grades, a neglecting family and her ex- boyfriend on the top of the list. Her dream was to do something grand but this life was hindering her, she was barely getting through college with her mind in tact. But, she sighed, there was nothing that could be done about it, this was her reality, this was her poor, awful life. She was stuck with it.
"I'm going out, Loren. Make sure not to mess this place up anymore than it already is. In fact, why don't you do some cleaning up," she eyed the dog, "Maybe Sweetie will help." Loren just rolled her eyes, and slid off the edge of the bed.
"What's wrong with you today?" she asked and slid a hand through her sort hair, cut in a bob style.
"I'm just going for a night on the town, nothings wrong," Alyssa said with annoyance and opened the door to the dimly light corridor of the dormitories.
"Bye," she said shortly and the door groaned shut.
Her black high heels clicked down the grim sidewalk as she headed for the nearest pub in hope of a drink or two… or three. She might have a bit of a headache in the morning with all beers she was going to need to drown her emotions.
She bit her lipstick covered lip, 'damn that Ryan,' she thought sourly, "why did he have to go and do that? Where am I now that I don't even have a boyfriend? Even my looks don't seem to matter anymore…'
She wasn't so conceded that she thought looks really mattered, but she had so little to hold on to, and everything seemed to be slipping away...
The bar was dimly light and the voices were either low and muffled or loud and drunk, and as she walked in she lit a cigarette. A thing she rarely did except under times of extreme stress. Sitting down on one of the circular red stools, she ordered the usual and really looked around for the first time. In the corner of her eye she spotted something familiar and swung around clutching onto the countertop. It was Ryan, he was laughing with some girl, over in a window booth with all the football fans, cheering or booing at the television screen. Her knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip. What was he doing here? Now she knew, just knew, life was out to get her. He was here to remind Alyssa just how much her life really sucked. He caught her glance and looked up surprised, and even could it be, a little ashamed. His dark black bangs fell over his forehead in a way that used to make her think he was dashing. At the moment all she thought he was, was vile. He pursed his lips, and half listening to his date he turned back to the brunette and said something.
The Start Part II
Loren walked into the bar, resisting the urge to cough with all the smoke that was drifting about in the air. She glanced around looking for Alyssa. Alyssa should be here she reasoned. This was where she always went when she was feeling down. Which was more often than not, Loren was sad to say.
When Alyssa left the building, leaving Loren with a stiff goodbye, she had felt that something was very wrong. Something more than the break up she had heard rumor entail. So Loren had come down here as soon as she could, tying her big Burmese Mountain dog outside on a lamppost. She was not afraid of anyone stealing her; Sweetie was sweet… Until you got her mad.
The bartender looked at her strangely, with her yellow smiley face t-shirt, tan Capri's and white tennis shoes. She did look awfully out of place. Sighing discontentedly she scanned the inside of the bar with a careful eye, looking for the bright golden locks that would be identifiable as Alyssa. She walked forward, and without thinking she accidentally bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry," she tried to apologize over the din and raised her voice, "I'm really sorry!"
"No it's okay," the young girl said, "non-one can see where they're going anyways!" She had a pint in her hand and was pulling a young man along with her.
"My name is Demi!" she pulled her accompaniment in front of her, "and this is Connor." Loren suddenly eyed him suspiciously.
"Yes," she said, "we've already met." They looked at each other for a long moment, ignoring Demi.
"That's great, I was trying to get him to drink a beer! Did you know he doesn't even drink?!"
"What?" Loren asked when a loud scream erupted from the back. Loren immediately recognized the scream. It was Alyssa. Loren pushed aside Demi and Connor, giving the latter an extra shove, and ran toward the shout
".. How dare you say that!" Alyssa was saying, or better put, shouting. Shouting at Ryan, who obviously was as distressed as his ex.
"Please let it go, I'm really sorry! But I had to do it!" He tried to amend, conscious of the crowd that was gathering to watch.
"Oh," Alyssa waved a hand, standing up, "Let it go you say! Lets just waste two years of romance because you can't face commitment!" Connor and Demi watched interested, but uninvolved. Demi leaned over and whispered into Loren's ear.
"So this is a breakup?" She shook her head softly, "Boy am I glad I don't have to boyfriend." Loren turned to face her, surprise written on her face.
"You mean you aren't here with Connor on a.. a.. You know, date?" Demi looked at her puzzled, then she burst out in wild laughter.
"You mean you thought I was here with Connor on a date? Hell no!" Loren was confused but relived all at the same time.
'Well that makes me feel better,' she admitted to herself when glass started to fly. A cup shattered a window with a crash. Alyssa was little more than drunk and things were definitely getting out of hand. She raised another glass.
"Alyssa! Don't get carried away!" Ryan pleaded, holding out his hands to fend off her next attack.
"Don't get carried away huh?!" She wavered, and Loren jerked forward to help her. Slipping on one of her high heels, Alyssa went down but before she hit the floor, Ryan Luckily (or unluckily depending on your point of view) caught her. Swiftly he held her upright.
"LET GO!" she slurred.
"Not until you stop making an ass of yourself!" He replied. The girl he was chatting with had disappeared. Together with Loren, he dragged Alyssa out the door onto the sidewalk.
The Start Part III
A little while later they were at a park bench and it was almost past ten p.m. Ryan was standing beside the small wooden bench while Loren cradled Alyssa, who had drifted off to sleep. Connor was also there with Demi, absently twiddling her (Demi's not Connor's) long, flowing chestnut hair.
"It's getting late you know," Demi reminded them, "Don't the dorms have a curfew?"
"No. Not these at least," Loren replied, "Trust me." Demi shrugged, and sat down next to them. It was deadly cold out in February, the trees were bare and the park looked like a graveyard. The metal swings on the abandoned playground rocked back in forth in the breeze and the lamplight only lit ghostly patches of street. Demi shivered.
"I don't know about you people but it's way to cold to be out here. I'm going home." She stood up.
"Tell me how sleeping beauty fares when she wakes up, hm?" Loren nodded. Demi walked away, taking a short cut through the grass. The unkempt lawn muffled her black leather boots. Connor watched her go, but when he started to turn back to Loren and the other two, they all heard a brief, "What in the hell!"
Loren snapped her head around, squinting in the foggy darkness. Ryan and Connor also spun around.
"Hey," Demi called, "I think one of you better come over here," she was peering at something that sat at the base of a tree. Loren slid Alyssa off of her lap, got up and stood near to Connor. Alyssa started to wake, mumbling incoherently.
"What is it?" Connor asked to the shadow covered Demi. Demi just motioned them to come over. Unnoticed Alyssa propped herself up, red finger nails digging into the old wood.
"Wha.." She said, but the others were already walking very cautiously to whatever Demi had found. Sweetie was asleep. Loren wasn't entirely sure what to expect but when Demi pointed out the young sleeping girl to them, she was a bit perplexed. The girl was shrouded in darkness, but she couldn't have been older than ten. The thing that had caught them all on the unaware were the roots that were beginning to creep over her skin. They wound their way around her bare arms and legs; snaking in and out of her course black hair.
"What the hell is that?" Ryan cried.
"What ever it is, it's going to squeeze the juices out of her!" Demi exclaimed. Connor leaned over and attempted to pull them off. Loren shouted.
"Hey, wake up! Little girl! Wake up will you!?" But nothing she said would bring the limp figure around. And to make the situation even worse the roots were finding their way up Connor's arms. He swore and tried to pull away.
"Connor!"
"What's going on?" Alyssa was looking over Demi's shoulder; her eyes widened. Shaking she backed up. Demi noticed a cigarette lighter sticking out of a pocket in her knee length skirt.
"Give me that!" She ordered firmly. When Alyssa didn't reply she snatched it away by force. By now Loren was not happy at all. The vines had Connor in a tight unforgiving tangle and they decided (as if they were a thinking, breathing thing) that she would make a great next victim.
Demi lit the cigarette lighter, pushing her way past Loren who was conveniently stumbling back as well. The possessed roots did not like the fire; they drew back in a fury. A long painful cry seemed to echo from the tree; everyone who could cover their ears did so. The twisted snake like things drew inside of the hallow trunk. The ground started to rumble.
"What is that?!" Ryan shook his head at Loren.
"Look!" He gulped, "The ground! It's falling away!" Demi cursed wildly. They scrambled to get as far a distance as possible between them and the tree. But they were not even slightly fast enough. They fell into emptiness; the ground had swallowed them up.
Authors notes: The first few chapters are sort of to introduce the real world characters that you don't know. It gets far more interesting later. Heh, heh, heh…….!
Tell me what you think of it. Any suggestions? Email me if you have an idea of where the plot should go. Happy readings people!
1 The Start Part I
Loren was happy. She was pretty much happy with the way her life was going. She loved her dog, she loved her grades in college, she loved her small cramped dorm room and her perfume addicted roommate. Well, maybe she didn't really love her sweet smelling roommate. No, she didn't really love her, just like her maybe. The problem with her friend Alyssa was that she wasn't entirely happy with her life.
She wasn't at all happy with the dirty clothes on the green carpet, and by the looks of it, certainly wasn't happy with Loren's dog.
"It has to go Loren," she said firmly, dragging a brush through those golden locks of hers.
"Go where Alyssa? Sweetie is perfectly content where she is," Loren replied, sitting cross-legged on the metal-framed bed. There was a humongous heap of brown and white fur snoring lazily on her lap. Well, sort of on her lap. It was far too big to do that, it hardly fit on the small bed, which was leaning precariously inwards.
"It's going break the bed Loren."
"It's not an it."
This was the problem. Just now, that was the problem. Alyssa had managed take Loren's well-deserved good will towards men and happiness in general and ruin it. Just by making one of her pessimistic complaints. But, Loren considered on a lighter note, maybe it was a talent of hers; everyone has talents right? Hers was just something Loren hadn't expected. So Alyssa was supposed to be cynical and Loren was supposed to pay it no mind. That cheered her up considerably and she went back to petting Sweetie, who sighed contentedly.
Loren was a pretty girl, not breath taking, but not plain either. She looked like the kind of person you could just go up to and be friends with. The kind of person who seemed to posses and light that followed her around and made everyone who came in contact with her feel as if they were having the best day of their lives. It didn't matter what mood they had been in before. Her hair was a light auburn, like the fall, and her eyes were green, a shade that reflected fresh, dewy leaves in the springtime. She was a good student, and a good basketball player to boot.
But mostly she was a homebody. She had never once traveled outside her own state, and rarely out side of her own town. The college she was enrolled in was a local college, so local that it accepted student pets, as long as students cleaned up after them. Loren never considered going anywhere or doing anything special in her life, she figured she would settle down and become a manager of the family pet store. Or maybe she would just settle down and become a housewife. Yes, she could do that quite easily, especially with the right guy, a guy like Connor. No wait! Connor himself!
You see Loren is usually happy, but today her love of life was above normal, healthy levels. She loved life today because life had given her the perfect gift; it had given her Connor O'Dell. For months she had wanted to get his attention, ask him out, even talk to him. But Loren was not the one to go around making suggestions so she had done nothing. Little did she know then that "nothing" was the right thing to do.
She didn't even need to start a conversation; he had felt the same way about her for as long as she had felt about him. One day he came up to her and started a conversation, it was a bit one sided, but some things can't be helped. Loren was so shocked she hadn't said a word for the whole introduction; she very nearly forgot her own name. Then, when he finally implied the offer to go out she nodded, mumbled an incoherent yes and sprinted off the courtyard. She had just checked her watch and realized it was one minute to her next class. But that seemed enough for Connor, who had dreaded that she already had a boyfriend, and he was wasting his time.
Now, Alyssa was far more ill natured today than most and for exactly the opposite reason. She had just been dumped by her boyfriend, none other than the famous Ryan Blue, the hunk on campus. Why he should dump her was beyond Alyssa's understanding, it seemed perfectly natural that the beauty in school should go with the cutest guy. It was almost like social protocol. And to add on top of that Alyssa was green with jealously at Loren. Nice, good Loren, who had just stolen her next choice in the line of acceptable guys.
It seemed too much a coincidence that Loren should get together with Connor and she should break up with Ryan all in the same day. It was just another torment in her life. She dabbed a bit of purple eyeliner on her eyelid.
Well tonight she was going to forget all about everything, everything that made her life miserable. Bad grades, a neglecting family and her ex- boyfriend on the top of the list. Her dream was to do something grand but this life was hindering her, she was barely getting through college with her mind in tact. But, she sighed, there was nothing that could be done about it, this was her reality, this was her poor, awful life. She was stuck with it.
"I'm going out, Loren. Make sure not to mess this place up anymore than it already is. In fact, why don't you do some cleaning up," she eyed the dog, "Maybe Sweetie will help." Loren just rolled her eyes, and slid off the edge of the bed.
"What's wrong with you today?" she asked and slid a hand through her sort hair, cut in a bob style.
"I'm just going for a night on the town, nothings wrong," Alyssa said with annoyance and opened the door to the dimly light corridor of the dormitories.
"Bye," she said shortly and the door groaned shut.
Her black high heels clicked down the grim sidewalk as she headed for the nearest pub in hope of a drink or two… or three. She might have a bit of a headache in the morning with all beers she was going to need to drown her emotions.
She bit her lipstick covered lip, 'damn that Ryan,' she thought sourly, "why did he have to go and do that? Where am I now that I don't even have a boyfriend? Even my looks don't seem to matter anymore…'
She wasn't so conceded that she thought looks really mattered, but she had so little to hold on to, and everything seemed to be slipping away...
The bar was dimly light and the voices were either low and muffled or loud and drunk, and as she walked in she lit a cigarette. A thing she rarely did except under times of extreme stress. Sitting down on one of the circular red stools, she ordered the usual and really looked around for the first time. In the corner of her eye she spotted something familiar and swung around clutching onto the countertop. It was Ryan, he was laughing with some girl, over in a window booth with all the football fans, cheering or booing at the television screen. Her knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip. What was he doing here? Now she knew, just knew, life was out to get her. He was here to remind Alyssa just how much her life really sucked. He caught her glance and looked up surprised, and even could it be, a little ashamed. His dark black bangs fell over his forehead in a way that used to make her think he was dashing. At the moment all she thought he was, was vile. He pursed his lips, and half listening to his date he turned back to the brunette and said something.
The Start Part II
Loren walked into the bar, resisting the urge to cough with all the smoke that was drifting about in the air. She glanced around looking for Alyssa. Alyssa should be here she reasoned. This was where she always went when she was feeling down. Which was more often than not, Loren was sad to say.
When Alyssa left the building, leaving Loren with a stiff goodbye, she had felt that something was very wrong. Something more than the break up she had heard rumor entail. So Loren had come down here as soon as she could, tying her big Burmese Mountain dog outside on a lamppost. She was not afraid of anyone stealing her; Sweetie was sweet… Until you got her mad.
The bartender looked at her strangely, with her yellow smiley face t-shirt, tan Capri's and white tennis shoes. She did look awfully out of place. Sighing discontentedly she scanned the inside of the bar with a careful eye, looking for the bright golden locks that would be identifiable as Alyssa. She walked forward, and without thinking she accidentally bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry," she tried to apologize over the din and raised her voice, "I'm really sorry!"
"No it's okay," the young girl said, "non-one can see where they're going anyways!" She had a pint in her hand and was pulling a young man along with her.
"My name is Demi!" she pulled her accompaniment in front of her, "and this is Connor." Loren suddenly eyed him suspiciously.
"Yes," she said, "we've already met." They looked at each other for a long moment, ignoring Demi.
"That's great, I was trying to get him to drink a beer! Did you know he doesn't even drink?!"
"What?" Loren asked when a loud scream erupted from the back. Loren immediately recognized the scream. It was Alyssa. Loren pushed aside Demi and Connor, giving the latter an extra shove, and ran toward the shout
".. How dare you say that!" Alyssa was saying, or better put, shouting. Shouting at Ryan, who obviously was as distressed as his ex.
"Please let it go, I'm really sorry! But I had to do it!" He tried to amend, conscious of the crowd that was gathering to watch.
"Oh," Alyssa waved a hand, standing up, "Let it go you say! Lets just waste two years of romance because you can't face commitment!" Connor and Demi watched interested, but uninvolved. Demi leaned over and whispered into Loren's ear.
"So this is a breakup?" She shook her head softly, "Boy am I glad I don't have to boyfriend." Loren turned to face her, surprise written on her face.
"You mean you aren't here with Connor on a.. a.. You know, date?" Demi looked at her puzzled, then she burst out in wild laughter.
"You mean you thought I was here with Connor on a date? Hell no!" Loren was confused but relived all at the same time.
'Well that makes me feel better,' she admitted to herself when glass started to fly. A cup shattered a window with a crash. Alyssa was little more than drunk and things were definitely getting out of hand. She raised another glass.
"Alyssa! Don't get carried away!" Ryan pleaded, holding out his hands to fend off her next attack.
"Don't get carried away huh?!" She wavered, and Loren jerked forward to help her. Slipping on one of her high heels, Alyssa went down but before she hit the floor, Ryan Luckily (or unluckily depending on your point of view) caught her. Swiftly he held her upright.
"LET GO!" she slurred.
"Not until you stop making an ass of yourself!" He replied. The girl he was chatting with had disappeared. Together with Loren, he dragged Alyssa out the door onto the sidewalk.
The Start Part III
A little while later they were at a park bench and it was almost past ten p.m. Ryan was standing beside the small wooden bench while Loren cradled Alyssa, who had drifted off to sleep. Connor was also there with Demi, absently twiddling her (Demi's not Connor's) long, flowing chestnut hair.
"It's getting late you know," Demi reminded them, "Don't the dorms have a curfew?"
"No. Not these at least," Loren replied, "Trust me." Demi shrugged, and sat down next to them. It was deadly cold out in February, the trees were bare and the park looked like a graveyard. The metal swings on the abandoned playground rocked back in forth in the breeze and the lamplight only lit ghostly patches of street. Demi shivered.
"I don't know about you people but it's way to cold to be out here. I'm going home." She stood up.
"Tell me how sleeping beauty fares when she wakes up, hm?" Loren nodded. Demi walked away, taking a short cut through the grass. The unkempt lawn muffled her black leather boots. Connor watched her go, but when he started to turn back to Loren and the other two, they all heard a brief, "What in the hell!"
Loren snapped her head around, squinting in the foggy darkness. Ryan and Connor also spun around.
"Hey," Demi called, "I think one of you better come over here," she was peering at something that sat at the base of a tree. Loren slid Alyssa off of her lap, got up and stood near to Connor. Alyssa started to wake, mumbling incoherently.
"What is it?" Connor asked to the shadow covered Demi. Demi just motioned them to come over. Unnoticed Alyssa propped herself up, red finger nails digging into the old wood.
"Wha.." She said, but the others were already walking very cautiously to whatever Demi had found. Sweetie was asleep. Loren wasn't entirely sure what to expect but when Demi pointed out the young sleeping girl to them, she was a bit perplexed. The girl was shrouded in darkness, but she couldn't have been older than ten. The thing that had caught them all on the unaware were the roots that were beginning to creep over her skin. They wound their way around her bare arms and legs; snaking in and out of her course black hair.
"What the hell is that?" Ryan cried.
"What ever it is, it's going to squeeze the juices out of her!" Demi exclaimed. Connor leaned over and attempted to pull them off. Loren shouted.
"Hey, wake up! Little girl! Wake up will you!?" But nothing she said would bring the limp figure around. And to make the situation even worse the roots were finding their way up Connor's arms. He swore and tried to pull away.
"Connor!"
"What's going on?" Alyssa was looking over Demi's shoulder; her eyes widened. Shaking she backed up. Demi noticed a cigarette lighter sticking out of a pocket in her knee length skirt.
"Give me that!" She ordered firmly. When Alyssa didn't reply she snatched it away by force. By now Loren was not happy at all. The vines had Connor in a tight unforgiving tangle and they decided (as if they were a thinking, breathing thing) that she would make a great next victim.
Demi lit the cigarette lighter, pushing her way past Loren who was conveniently stumbling back as well. The possessed roots did not like the fire; they drew back in a fury. A long painful cry seemed to echo from the tree; everyone who could cover their ears did so. The twisted snake like things drew inside of the hallow trunk. The ground started to rumble.
"What is that?!" Ryan shook his head at Loren.
"Look!" He gulped, "The ground! It's falling away!" Demi cursed wildly. They scrambled to get as far a distance as possible between them and the tree. But they were not even slightly fast enough. They fell into emptiness; the ground had swallowed them up.