Notice: know, I said no more of these. But I just wanted to thank
everyone who's been reviewing, it makes me feel really spiffy. I'm glad you
like the story, I honestly didn't think anyone would. There ya are. Now,
this chapter WILL answer questions, I know that for a fact. Not all of
them, but… well, just read.
1 Chapter nine
There were clouds, no, mists, swirling. Many colors, lights flashing softly. And a banging sound. No, not a banging, a knocking, a soft knocking.
Lis sat up in bed, her dream quickly evaporating. The soft knocking was coming from her door, and she mumbled something of a "come in." as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Arwen stuck her head in.
"Hey, you up?"
"Yea, pretty much" Lis drawled as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.
"Sorry to bother you," Arwen trilled as she bounced, plopping down on the bed next to Lis. "But thought you might want some help."
"Help? Help with what?"
"With what? Oh!" Arwen clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, I totally forgot to tell you!"
"Tell me what?" Lis asked, becoming worried.
"The start of semester dance!"
"The what?"
"The start of semester dance. Classes start in two days, the Sunday before, we have a dance. It's kinda tradition… I dunno. Maybe it's out of date, but you have to go. It's a rule."
"A dance? Tonight?" Lis's face went pale.
"I know, after everything that's happened, it's really not the best timing. But maybe a dance is what we need, hmm? Ya know, a chance to get all glamorous…" Arwen stretched out across Lis's bed, fluttering her eyelashes and pouting her mouth dramatically. Lis laughed.
"A dance, eh? Well, it doesn't sound too painful." Lis said, getting up and stretching. "Oh wait! I was supposed to meet Frodo today."
"Oh, yea, Frodo came by a few minutes ago. Said he'd have to cancel. I think he remembered too." Arwen said as she sat up, smoothing out Lis's sheets absent-mindedly.
"Lis, can I ask you a semi-personal question?"
"Sure, Ari. What's up?"
"Now, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"Ari, what is it?"
"Well, I was just wondering what's going on with you and Frodo is all."
"Oh…" Lis's face became quiet.
"Like I said you don't have to answer if you don't want."
"No, no. It's not a problem. I, um, we're just friends. Really. Why?"
"No reason. I just noticed that you've been spending a lot of time together."
"Well, he's really nice."
"Oh, no question."
"And he's terribly smart. I've never met anyone that could translate the Anigua from it's original elfish. He's really something."
"Uh-hunh…" Arwen's smiled knowingly.
"No, no, nothing like that. It's just, over in Mordor there wee so few people that liked to read anything, let alone the Anigua. It's so, nice. Ya know? I feel like I have a real friend now. I never had anything even remotely close to that at Mordor."
"You really hated it there, didn't you?"
"You have no idea." Lis managed a laugh, but Arwen could see that her eyes were darting about uncertainly.
"What happened there Lis," Arwen ventured. Lis stopped moving.
"You don't want to know."
"Yes I do. Dad's been really worried about Ridley, did you know that?"
"Worried? Why?" Lis's face grew concerned.
"He's just not talking to anyone. And he never smiles. His teachers are concerned about him, and so is dad. And I'm concerned about you. This is what, twice that you've fainted?"
"No. three times." Lis attempted a smile, but Arwen's face remained serious.
"What happened Lis. Please. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine, I understand. But tell someone. You can't keep it with you like this. Its not healthy."
"I… I don't know if I can… Ari, you just don't understand…"
"Then help me to," she said softly. Ari took Lis's hands in her own and sat her down on the bed, looking comfortingly at her.
Lis sighed, and resigned herself to talking.
"Once upon a time, there was a little family. A happy one. Most families are before things happen to them. The parents were jewelers. The best in the country. That was the Corma's. If you wanted anything done, and wanted it done right, you went to them. They're children, Lisaura and Ridley, were not as artistically inclined as their parents were. Lisaura was a scholar, head of her class. Ridley was an athlete, all star quarterback, and captain of the soccer team, a leader and a fighter. The two children couldn't be closer."
"Then, their parents died. And they were left alone. They sold their house, the one they grew up in, and moved to a smaller apartment. With the inheritance that was left to them, they paid for food and clothes, and enrolled in Mordor, because it was free and close to them. That proved to be a mistake."
"Mordor seemed normal enough, a bit dark during the day, but nothing to be worried about. Ridley quickly joined to football team, making friends with everyone who mattered. Lis contented herself with staying in the library and reading, making a few friend herself of the social out-casts or Mordor. That also proved to be a mistake."
"It soon happened, that the football team became aquatinted with Ridley's bookish sister. After the games, she'd cook for them and they'd stay at the sibling's apartment. She happened to catch the eye of Sauron, the Captain of the Football team at Mordor. Sauron was," Lis stalled, her throat tight with memories. "He was wonderful. He was handsome, no doubt about that. More of a man than a boy. He was more mature than the other players were. He read Shakespeare, listened to Mozart, a true Renaissance man. Why he decided to pick Lis no one knew, lest of all her. But no one dared ask. Sauron was like a God at Mordor, and his will was never questioned. Lis thought herself very lucky. Sauron was the most popular boy in school, and he was hers. He treated Ridley like his own brother and would cover for him when the forgetful young man would miss assignments."
"Things continued in this happy vein for a month or so. That's when things began to fall apart again for the orphaned pair."
"Sauron became, angry. All the time. Lis couldn't explain why, or how. She tried to calm him whenever they were together, but she was met only with angry words. Brusque remarks that soon gave way to insults. After a while, the insults gave way to slaps. To pushes, punches, scratches and throws." Lis's face was calm as she lowered the font of her shirt. Arwen gasped as she saw a large, murky-purple stained bruise on her collarbone. Ari reached out slowly and brushed her hand across her skin. Lis shuddered slightly.
"Oh, Lis, I'm so sorry…" Ari whispered, her wide eyes lightly rimmed with the slightest misting of tears.
"Lis never told her brother what happened. But then Sauron turned his, anger, on the boy. That was when Lis decided to leave Mordor, and the makeshift home the two had forged. A week later, they left their apartment, leaving most of their furniture and belongings, and made for Rivendell. They were accepted into the school, the tuition using up most of their inheritance. There, they prayed they would be safe from Mordor, and everyone connected with it."
"So, there you have it. No happy ending I'm afraid." Lis laughed lightly. Ari could see that talking had taken its toll on her, but her eyes shone slightly. With relief, Ari told herself.
"I actually feel a little bit better now. Thanks I guess." Lis smiled a bit. Ari through her arms about the girl and pulled her into a warm long hug.
"You are safe now Lis, I swear. Dad's not gonna let anything happen to you. Neither are the rest of us," Ari smiled mischievously, "Especially Lee."
Lis pulled away from her, her face wide and excitedly curious.
"What about Lee? What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing," Ari answered, waltzing off he bed, a coy smile on her face. "Just something nice he said about you yesterday when you were at the hobbit's studying…"
"What?!" Lis squeaked girlishly.
Arwen smiled, proud of herself for getting the poor girl focused on a decidedly more delightful topic than her past.
"Oh, nothing, just that he thought you were very nice, and very smart, and…"
"And…? Come Ari tell, me!"
"And that you were by far the most perfect girl ever put on this earth."
Lis's face dropped.
"He actually said that?"
Arwen nodded, and Lis threw herself onto her bed with a cacophony of squeals and giggles.
"Alright, ms thang, get up. If you wanna knock the boy dead at the dance tonight, we gotta get you ready."
Lis sat up and nodded, but for the next few hours, her mind was floating on a cloud far away from the likes of Mordor.
1 Chapter nine
There were clouds, no, mists, swirling. Many colors, lights flashing softly. And a banging sound. No, not a banging, a knocking, a soft knocking.
Lis sat up in bed, her dream quickly evaporating. The soft knocking was coming from her door, and she mumbled something of a "come in." as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Arwen stuck her head in.
"Hey, you up?"
"Yea, pretty much" Lis drawled as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.
"Sorry to bother you," Arwen trilled as she bounced, plopping down on the bed next to Lis. "But thought you might want some help."
"Help? Help with what?"
"With what? Oh!" Arwen clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, I totally forgot to tell you!"
"Tell me what?" Lis asked, becoming worried.
"The start of semester dance!"
"The what?"
"The start of semester dance. Classes start in two days, the Sunday before, we have a dance. It's kinda tradition… I dunno. Maybe it's out of date, but you have to go. It's a rule."
"A dance? Tonight?" Lis's face went pale.
"I know, after everything that's happened, it's really not the best timing. But maybe a dance is what we need, hmm? Ya know, a chance to get all glamorous…" Arwen stretched out across Lis's bed, fluttering her eyelashes and pouting her mouth dramatically. Lis laughed.
"A dance, eh? Well, it doesn't sound too painful." Lis said, getting up and stretching. "Oh wait! I was supposed to meet Frodo today."
"Oh, yea, Frodo came by a few minutes ago. Said he'd have to cancel. I think he remembered too." Arwen said as she sat up, smoothing out Lis's sheets absent-mindedly.
"Lis, can I ask you a semi-personal question?"
"Sure, Ari. What's up?"
"Now, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"Ari, what is it?"
"Well, I was just wondering what's going on with you and Frodo is all."
"Oh…" Lis's face became quiet.
"Like I said you don't have to answer if you don't want."
"No, no. It's not a problem. I, um, we're just friends. Really. Why?"
"No reason. I just noticed that you've been spending a lot of time together."
"Well, he's really nice."
"Oh, no question."
"And he's terribly smart. I've never met anyone that could translate the Anigua from it's original elfish. He's really something."
"Uh-hunh…" Arwen's smiled knowingly.
"No, no, nothing like that. It's just, over in Mordor there wee so few people that liked to read anything, let alone the Anigua. It's so, nice. Ya know? I feel like I have a real friend now. I never had anything even remotely close to that at Mordor."
"You really hated it there, didn't you?"
"You have no idea." Lis managed a laugh, but Arwen could see that her eyes were darting about uncertainly.
"What happened there Lis," Arwen ventured. Lis stopped moving.
"You don't want to know."
"Yes I do. Dad's been really worried about Ridley, did you know that?"
"Worried? Why?" Lis's face grew concerned.
"He's just not talking to anyone. And he never smiles. His teachers are concerned about him, and so is dad. And I'm concerned about you. This is what, twice that you've fainted?"
"No. three times." Lis attempted a smile, but Arwen's face remained serious.
"What happened Lis. Please. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine, I understand. But tell someone. You can't keep it with you like this. Its not healthy."
"I… I don't know if I can… Ari, you just don't understand…"
"Then help me to," she said softly. Ari took Lis's hands in her own and sat her down on the bed, looking comfortingly at her.
Lis sighed, and resigned herself to talking.
"Once upon a time, there was a little family. A happy one. Most families are before things happen to them. The parents were jewelers. The best in the country. That was the Corma's. If you wanted anything done, and wanted it done right, you went to them. They're children, Lisaura and Ridley, were not as artistically inclined as their parents were. Lisaura was a scholar, head of her class. Ridley was an athlete, all star quarterback, and captain of the soccer team, a leader and a fighter. The two children couldn't be closer."
"Then, their parents died. And they were left alone. They sold their house, the one they grew up in, and moved to a smaller apartment. With the inheritance that was left to them, they paid for food and clothes, and enrolled in Mordor, because it was free and close to them. That proved to be a mistake."
"Mordor seemed normal enough, a bit dark during the day, but nothing to be worried about. Ridley quickly joined to football team, making friends with everyone who mattered. Lis contented herself with staying in the library and reading, making a few friend herself of the social out-casts or Mordor. That also proved to be a mistake."
"It soon happened, that the football team became aquatinted with Ridley's bookish sister. After the games, she'd cook for them and they'd stay at the sibling's apartment. She happened to catch the eye of Sauron, the Captain of the Football team at Mordor. Sauron was," Lis stalled, her throat tight with memories. "He was wonderful. He was handsome, no doubt about that. More of a man than a boy. He was more mature than the other players were. He read Shakespeare, listened to Mozart, a true Renaissance man. Why he decided to pick Lis no one knew, lest of all her. But no one dared ask. Sauron was like a God at Mordor, and his will was never questioned. Lis thought herself very lucky. Sauron was the most popular boy in school, and he was hers. He treated Ridley like his own brother and would cover for him when the forgetful young man would miss assignments."
"Things continued in this happy vein for a month or so. That's when things began to fall apart again for the orphaned pair."
"Sauron became, angry. All the time. Lis couldn't explain why, or how. She tried to calm him whenever they were together, but she was met only with angry words. Brusque remarks that soon gave way to insults. After a while, the insults gave way to slaps. To pushes, punches, scratches and throws." Lis's face was calm as she lowered the font of her shirt. Arwen gasped as she saw a large, murky-purple stained bruise on her collarbone. Ari reached out slowly and brushed her hand across her skin. Lis shuddered slightly.
"Oh, Lis, I'm so sorry…" Ari whispered, her wide eyes lightly rimmed with the slightest misting of tears.
"Lis never told her brother what happened. But then Sauron turned his, anger, on the boy. That was when Lis decided to leave Mordor, and the makeshift home the two had forged. A week later, they left their apartment, leaving most of their furniture and belongings, and made for Rivendell. They were accepted into the school, the tuition using up most of their inheritance. There, they prayed they would be safe from Mordor, and everyone connected with it."
"So, there you have it. No happy ending I'm afraid." Lis laughed lightly. Ari could see that talking had taken its toll on her, but her eyes shone slightly. With relief, Ari told herself.
"I actually feel a little bit better now. Thanks I guess." Lis smiled a bit. Ari through her arms about the girl and pulled her into a warm long hug.
"You are safe now Lis, I swear. Dad's not gonna let anything happen to you. Neither are the rest of us," Ari smiled mischievously, "Especially Lee."
Lis pulled away from her, her face wide and excitedly curious.
"What about Lee? What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing," Ari answered, waltzing off he bed, a coy smile on her face. "Just something nice he said about you yesterday when you were at the hobbit's studying…"
"What?!" Lis squeaked girlishly.
Arwen smiled, proud of herself for getting the poor girl focused on a decidedly more delightful topic than her past.
"Oh, nothing, just that he thought you were very nice, and very smart, and…"
"And…? Come Ari tell, me!"
"And that you were by far the most perfect girl ever put on this earth."
Lis's face dropped.
"He actually said that?"
Arwen nodded, and Lis threw herself onto her bed with a cacophony of squeals and giggles.
"Alright, ms thang, get up. If you wanna knock the boy dead at the dance tonight, we gotta get you ready."
Lis sat up and nodded, but for the next few hours, her mind was floating on a cloud far away from the likes of Mordor.