Erika: It hath begun! MUAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!
Jerika: *Hits Erika over the head with Elyssa's baseball bat* Shut up, you're going to give away plot.
Erika: *Rubs the top of her head and sniffles* We don't own anything except for a gum wrapper, and two chicklets. Wow… It's even longer than the last chapter…
Chapter 3
Elyssa sat at a large table, five or six very dusty, very old books sitting in front of her. She slammed one of them shut and rubbed at her eyes. Legolas looked at her, a concerned expression written on his face. They had been there for five hours already and still nothing had come up.
Standing up, Legolas decided to check the shelves one more time. After all, something may have been overlooked. Turning a corner he caught a glimpse of someone scurrying away. Squinting at the figure, he decided to follow. He was lead through many shelves of books before he finally saw Haurion standing with a book in his hands. When Haurion noticed Legolas, he dropped the book and dashed off.
Scooping the book from the floor, Legolas noticed that it was already turned to an open page. He read through it, and then quickly rushed over to Elyssa to show her his findings.
Legolas placed the book in the girl's hands and she began to read:
"On night of full moon
A stranger returns
He must travel to grassland
To attain what he yearns
"The grassland is high
The wind shall blow strong
To bring to the stranger
An exquisite song
"Once the song is repeated
Things shall restore
The stranger will vanish
To fight in the war
"A sadness will dawn
After the end
But a watcher shall aid
To Middle-Earth he will send"
Elyssa's eyes glassed over. She was no English major and so, after placing the book onto the table, said the inevitable, "I don't understand?"
Legolas frowned, after all, its structure was written very clearly. "Well," he said pointing to the first two stanzas, "these stalk of a stranger's desire of return. I believe that I am the stranger. There are instructions as to how I am to return. When the moon is full, I must travel to a place that is high above the ground. There, the wind shall carry a tune." He pointed to the next stanza, "Here, it says that I must repeat the song to return to Middle-Earth so I may fight against the great evil." Then he pointed to the last paragraph, "I am not certain what is meant by this, however, I believe it means that someone will aid in sending me back to Middle-Earth."
Elyssa absorbed the information, turning to her memories to find such a place, "I think I know where that is. Silver Ridge is like that… and…" She got up then and walked over to the librarian, "Excuse me, miss, but do you have a calendar I could borrow?"
The librarian peered over her glasses at the girl and, without a word, handed her the calendar. Elyssa flipped immediately to July and searched quickly. Her finger poked at one of the tiny squares. She turned to Legolas as she declared proudly, "Aha! July 12th. That's when the next full moon is." The librarian glared at her. A memory of her kindergarten teacher flashed before her eyes telling her to use her 'indoor voice'. "Sorry…"
She and Legolas returned quickly to their table and cleaned up. His mood seemed to have brightened upon realizing that he would be returning to Middle-Earth in just two days. Elyssa on the other hand, regretted the briefness of their time. She gazed at her watch and frowned. It was already 6:30. They had to get to the Karaoke bar.
* * *
Elyssa pored over the pretty pictures of drinks that were on her table. All her friends seemed to be ordering from it. She mulled over the selection before choosing a 'Long Island Iced Tea'. She liked iced tea. After ordering it, she sat back and gazed at Legolas who was watching the karaoke singers with great interest. In no time at all her drink had arrived and she spent a few minutes sipping daintily and reflecting on her past few days with the stranger.
She was delighted to find that the drink was good and she eagerly gulped down another. After all, she thought guiltlessly, she wasn't paying for them. Courtney had rented out the entire bar for the night. She glanced at her and scowled. Courtney spotted Elyssa and waved, making her way to the girl.
"Elyssa!" she heard Courtney's nasal voice call. "It's so great to see you here. I've heard soooo much about your singing talent that I've taken the liberty to write your name on the Karaoke list. You're onstage after me. Well, got to go play the part of hostess... see you later!" Elyssa watched her stride away, all color drained from her face.
"Karaoke??" she whispered in a frightened tone. "There's no way I'm going up there." She had believed that she said this to herself so, when she heard Legolas' voice, she jumped.
"You do not wish to regale us in a bit of song, Elyssa?" he asked, disappointment evident on his face.
"Unh-uh... nooo sireee BOB," she replied unwaveringly, taking another swig of the iced tea. What Elyssa didn't realize was that she was drunk. Through her haze, she watched as Courtney sang an off-key rendition of 'Memories'. When she was through, Elyssa saw that Legolas was applauding enthusiastically. A little too enthusiastically. A spark of flame kindled in her dark eyes. She'd show him! After her third Long Island Ice Tea, Elyssa got up, rather uneasily, from her seat and staggered toward the stage.
"Hiya," she spoke into the mic. "My name's Elyssa and I'm here... to sing a song..." she drawled. "I dedicate this to a good friend of mine... who'll have to leave soon," she added, raising her glass—which she had brought on stage with her. "This," she paused for maximum effect, "...is for you Legs." She had no idea what song Courtney had maliciously chosen. She waited for the opening bars.
To her horror, she recognized the tune to a very familiar song. The spotlight shone into her eyes blinding her; she couldn't see anyone. Squinting, she gulped, and began to read the words on the little T.V. screen.
"You know everything that I'm afraid of,
You do everything I wish I did,
Everybody wants you, everybody loves you..."
She sang, her voice faltering at the first line. But her drunken mind gained confidence and she found her voice getting louder and clearer. She even pointed and glared at Courtney at the last line.
"I know I should tell you how I feel,
I wish everyone would disappear,
Every time you call me, I'm too scared to be me,
And I'm too shy to say....
"Ooh, I got a crush on you
I hope you feel the way that I do
I get a rush
When I'm with you
Ooh, I've got a crush on you
A crush on you..."
She was really getting into the song now and was even doing a little dance. After a while, the 'little dance' turned into her best Britney Spears imitation, which, frankly, wasn't very good. He'll be totally impressed now!
From the audience, her friends couldn't really figure out what had gotten into their little pop sensation, who was singing a little too loudly into the mic and dancing with drunken lunacy. Legolas, on the other hand, was intrigued. Of course, he had no idea what a 'crush' was, but according to Elyssa's little speech, she had one. On him.
She stopped dancing around and squinted into the audience, trying to find the familiar handsome face. She was getting to the best part...
"Ooh, I wish I could tell somebody,
But there's no one to talk to, nobody knows,
I've got a crush on you,
A crush on you, I got a crush
"You say everything that no one says,
But I feel everything that you're afraid to feel
I will always want you, I will always love you,
I've got a crush
"Ooh, I got a crush on you,
I hope you feel the way that I do,
I get a rush when I'm with you,
Ooh, I've got a crush on you
A crush on you..."
She ended the song, raising a fist triumphantly into the air. She then waited for the applause that never came. Instead, a shocked silence followed her act. "Heh…" she giggled nervously into the mic, which was hurriedly snatched, from her fingers.
Walking off stage, Elyssa sauntered over to her table and dropped heavily into her seat, which was next to Legolas. She buried her head in his chest. "I wanna go home," she said, her voice muffled. She felt him laugh through his chest so she looked up at him with puffy, red eyes.
"You are intoxicated," he chuckled.
Elyssa jumped up offended, her speech slurred, "You don't know me!" Everyone turned to look at her. "Don't judge me! All of you!" She glared, squinting at the stunned faces. Taking a swing to no one in particular, she lost her balance and landed in the arms of a stunned Legolas. He carried her out of the room, ignoring the nudges and murmurs of the crowd around him.
Outside, he waved for a cab and eased Elyssa into the back seat gently, before entering it himself. He then drew her close and Elyssa saw this as an invitation to sprawl herself across his body, tangling her hands into his hair. "Your hair is loooong and niiiiice…" she moaned, "just like Barbie." Silence filled the small cab as Elyssa buried her head into Legolas' neck. She then took deep breaths, sniffing him. She was unaware of the fact that to his sensitive elven ears, every breath sounded like a hurricane.
"You smell like the wind," she whispered dreamily, unsure of what the wind smelled like. His lips curled into a bemused smile.
Their trip was short and Elyssa stumbled out of the taxi uneasily. Legolas lead her carefully down the walkway to her doorstep and as they approached the porch, she broke away to retch into her mother's prized azalea bush.
She looked up at him, eyes glazed, "Oh-no, she's not gonna like that…"
He nodded solemnly in agreement resisting the urge to laugh outright. She got up quickly, the blood rushing from head. She teetered dangerously before once again being saved by the elf. He carried her through the threshold and nudged the door shut.
"It's like we're married," Elyssa suggested in drunken stupor, "Let's get married." He peered down curiously at the girl who was now lying limp in his arms. Tenderly, he carried her to her room and tucked her in, wiping stray hairs from her face.
Elyssa's eyes fluttered open, "You're great, you know that? …You've always been great." She gave him a few non-to-gentle pats on his cheek before her hand trailed down to the collar of his shirt, pulling him down toward her. When their faces were a mere fraction of an inch apart she promptly gave into the lure of a drunken sleep.
Erika: I still don't understand why you didn't want us using the song "I'm Too Sexy".
Jerika: *Glares*
Erika: What? We could've made her try to strip or something.
Jerika: *Glares harder*
Erika: Uh… okay, maybe not? *Turns to the audience* Anyway, I am SO sorry for that badly written stuff in the library scene. It was way cliché. But we've got a good reason for it… Besides, I wanted Jerika (oh ye with the golden poetry pen) to write it but *someone* was a too lazy.
Jerika: Heh… heh… *Tugs at shirt collar* Yesss but… ah… anyhow, thank you to everyone who wrote a review. Your input is very greatly appreciated. Every time msn says "You've got so and so emails" we both jump with joy! So… if you… like it, love it, hate it, want to burn it, want to burn *us*… then review some more! Until the next chapter…