Chapter 2
Quinn and Leah barely dared to breathe. After a few long minutes of listening to the footsteps draw closer, they suddenly stopped. They sounded really close. Quinn wanted to see what it was that was so near, and she tried to move closer to the edge of the tree so she could see around. Then, a twig snapped under her foot. She gulped and looked at Leah. Leah looked pale. They heard the sound of a bowstring being pulled back. "Come out and show yourselves!" a voice said. It sounded female. Quinn made a motion for Leah to stay where she was and stepped out from behind the tree. The voice had come from a tall girl who looked about their age. She had long, golden hair. Her ears were pointed, like an. elf? "I mean you no harm." Quinn said. "My friend and I are lost. Could you kindly tell us where we are?" The girl lowered her bow, but kept her hands on it. "You are in Mirkwood." She said. "Mirkwood? But Mirkwood is just something fictitious, isn't it?" Quinn asked. There was no way this was Mirkwood, but then, with all this weird stuff going on, she couldn't be sure that it wasn't. The girl looked at her strangely. "Who are you?" she asked. "My name is Quinn. Leah, you can come out now. It's OK, I think." Leah stepped out from behind the tree. "M-my name is L-Leah." She said softly in fear. "Pleased to meet you, Quinn and Laleah." The girl said, smiling. "My name is Sówen. And yes, Mirkwood does exist." She added. Leah looked really confused. "Quinn, what happened? What's Mirkwood? I'M CONFUSED!" "Leah," Quinn said, "I have no idea how we got here, but we're in Middle Earth." Even Leah, who knew nothing about fantasy, knew what Middle Earth was. Leah's eyes grew big. "Duh!" Sówen said, obviously holding back laughter. I bet she thinks we're nuts. Quinn thought. Maybe we are! "The orb." Leah whispered. Quinn's eyes now grew big. She felt the orb in her pocket, where she had left it. She had forgotten about it when she started talking to Sówen. Sówen said, "Did I miss something?" Quinn was the first to speak. "You'll think we're crazy, but this is the truth, as far as I can understand. We either come from the future, thousands of years in the future, or another dimension. I am not sure which. We were in the dwelling of our uncle, named Mark, when we found this," she said, holding up the orb. "We don't know exactly what it is, but when I touched it, all of the sudden we were here, on Middle Earth. We ran into a bunch of Orcs, and ran in here." "I don't believe you. How did you escape the Orcs? You have no weapons." Sówen said. "You don't need to tell lies." "I used this." Quinn said, holding out the red flashlight. "What is it?" "Where we come from, we call it a flashlight. You flick up this button, and a light comes on. Do you believe me now?" she asked. Sówen took the flashlight and looked at it for a while. "You don't seem to be like a normal traveler, so I believe you for now. What are these strange garments you have on? Things from the future?" Quinn nodded. Leah finally seemed to gather up her courage and spoke. "Can you help us?" "I'll try to the best of my ability. Come with me. You will need to change your garments before anyone else sees you, and you need a new name to use here too. My brother's good at that sort of thing. Come on." Sówen started walking away. Quinn and Leah looked at each other, then followed.
Quinn and Leah barely dared to breathe. After a few long minutes of listening to the footsteps draw closer, they suddenly stopped. They sounded really close. Quinn wanted to see what it was that was so near, and she tried to move closer to the edge of the tree so she could see around. Then, a twig snapped under her foot. She gulped and looked at Leah. Leah looked pale. They heard the sound of a bowstring being pulled back. "Come out and show yourselves!" a voice said. It sounded female. Quinn made a motion for Leah to stay where she was and stepped out from behind the tree. The voice had come from a tall girl who looked about their age. She had long, golden hair. Her ears were pointed, like an. elf? "I mean you no harm." Quinn said. "My friend and I are lost. Could you kindly tell us where we are?" The girl lowered her bow, but kept her hands on it. "You are in Mirkwood." She said. "Mirkwood? But Mirkwood is just something fictitious, isn't it?" Quinn asked. There was no way this was Mirkwood, but then, with all this weird stuff going on, she couldn't be sure that it wasn't. The girl looked at her strangely. "Who are you?" she asked. "My name is Quinn. Leah, you can come out now. It's OK, I think." Leah stepped out from behind the tree. "M-my name is L-Leah." She said softly in fear. "Pleased to meet you, Quinn and Laleah." The girl said, smiling. "My name is Sówen. And yes, Mirkwood does exist." She added. Leah looked really confused. "Quinn, what happened? What's Mirkwood? I'M CONFUSED!" "Leah," Quinn said, "I have no idea how we got here, but we're in Middle Earth." Even Leah, who knew nothing about fantasy, knew what Middle Earth was. Leah's eyes grew big. "Duh!" Sówen said, obviously holding back laughter. I bet she thinks we're nuts. Quinn thought. Maybe we are! "The orb." Leah whispered. Quinn's eyes now grew big. She felt the orb in her pocket, where she had left it. She had forgotten about it when she started talking to Sówen. Sówen said, "Did I miss something?" Quinn was the first to speak. "You'll think we're crazy, but this is the truth, as far as I can understand. We either come from the future, thousands of years in the future, or another dimension. I am not sure which. We were in the dwelling of our uncle, named Mark, when we found this," she said, holding up the orb. "We don't know exactly what it is, but when I touched it, all of the sudden we were here, on Middle Earth. We ran into a bunch of Orcs, and ran in here." "I don't believe you. How did you escape the Orcs? You have no weapons." Sówen said. "You don't need to tell lies." "I used this." Quinn said, holding out the red flashlight. "What is it?" "Where we come from, we call it a flashlight. You flick up this button, and a light comes on. Do you believe me now?" she asked. Sówen took the flashlight and looked at it for a while. "You don't seem to be like a normal traveler, so I believe you for now. What are these strange garments you have on? Things from the future?" Quinn nodded. Leah finally seemed to gather up her courage and spoke. "Can you help us?" "I'll try to the best of my ability. Come with me. You will need to change your garments before anyone else sees you, and you need a new name to use here too. My brother's good at that sort of thing. Come on." Sówen started walking away. Quinn and Leah looked at each other, then followed.