Disclamer: see first chapter
A/N: computers are evil and I hate them. More will hopefully be up soon if the stupid machine lets it be. ::glowers at computer::
Chapter 5 Initiation
"Hey! Everyone who hasn't been initiated yet, come over here!" yells our Senior drum major. I groan, get up, and trudge over there. "Everybody pick a partner!"
I pair up with Legolas, Aragorn and Boromir are together, Sam and Frodo, Merry and Pippin, and Gimli and Gandalf.
"I'm an adult! I'm an adult! You can't make me do this!" roars Gandalf.
"Well, we don't normally make the adults do this, but I, the all powerful author, have decided it will be funny. So, here you are."
"That's not fair."
"Well, I never said it was, but I'm the author, so that's how it's going to be." Gandalf storms away muttering under his breath.
"Get back here!" I roar, and he comes back, still muttering. Finally, the Seniors begin to explain what lies ahead of us. "First, you have to walk across this tarp, covered in dish soap and water, and you have to carry this cup full of water across. If you spill any, then you have to do it over. Then, you have to get in this little kiddie pool—this one, the one shaped like a fish!—and you have to fish these two little figures out of it. Then, you go on to the normal shaped kiddie pool, and you get to bob in the chocolate sauce there for pickles. Any questions?"
"Um…yeah! I'm allergic to chocolate!"
"Yeah, nice try, Lizzie."
"Well, it was worth a shot, right?"
"Well, I guess. Not a very original idea, though."
"Chocolate? I want to eat chocolate! But I really AM allergic to it," says Jennifer, another girl.
"You don't get to eat it, silly!" I moan under my breath.
"I have a question," says Legolas.
"What?" asks Lia.
"What is in the pool where we have to fish the two figurines out?"
"Oh, lots. Cold water, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, instant corn muffin mix…"
"Stop it! I don't want to heat any more!" I yell, covering my ears. "Well, I don't! It's disgusting."
I look for my brother, but he's sitting in the grass with his 'just friend' girlfriend.
"If they want people to believe that they're only friends," I hear Aragorn mutter, "then they ought to stop cuddling like that. Arwen and I had the same problem…" he trails off, noticing that we're all looking at him oddly. "We did! I promise you! That's why…"
"Aragorn, I believe I've heard the phrase since the time we've been here...um…oh yes, 'quit while you're ahead.' I believe that applies here," laughs Legolas.
"Oh shut up," grumbles Aragorn, taking a swat at Legolas. Naturally, he misses, because of Legolas's elven dodging skills, and his second attempt is interrupted by Lia.
"Hey! Would you two stop it and let me talk!"
"Yes, Lia," Aragorn mutters, and I have to stifle a giggle at the look on his face.
"I can't believe we have to do this," mutters Gandalf unhappily.
"Oh shut up! We'll probably throw Mr. Sanders in later, so chill, ok?" demand my friend Emily.
(Realizing that the chapter is going nowhere, and has henceforth been the cause of a major block, I, the wonderful authoress, decide to make it a bit more…interesting.)
"Orcs!" cries Legolas, jumping up and grabbing for his bow, which I had suggested he take off for the initiation. Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, and Gandalf leap to their feet. The hobbits are a bit slower, but they get up there, too, all of them drawing weapons that were on the ground next to them.
"Oooohhhh….the fellowship fighting…" mutter random people. I sigh, unhappy that I can't join them. Legolas has been teaching me the bow, and I think I'm rather good at it. I kick at a rock, until suddenly, Aragorn is beside.
"Use it!" he roars, meaning the rocks.
"Good idea!" I pick up a rock and fling it at the nearest orc. He falls, and I realize that, though I haven't killed him, I've stunned him at the very least.
I've hardly gotten over my excitement at this before suddenly, out of the blue, without any prompting from me, the air ripples in front of us all, and Sauron, yes, the dark lord himself, is there. With his wraiths. All nine.
Eyes all over turn to me expectantly. However, they are surprised at my reaction "That—that wasn't supposed to happen…" I whisper in horror. A couple of orcs I thought we could handle, but…Sauron? We're in trouble now…
The battle continues, unchanged except for one fact—Frodo is now being protected, rather than all of we unarmed and untrained musicians, who, of course, Sauron doesn't care two hoots about. Inspired by my single felled orc, several others have picked up rocks and are flinging them. I watch as Tom, the tuba player whose house we are at, frantically assures his mother that the stone path leading to their garden can be replaced, and that the bodies and the blood can be cleaned up. I pitch a rock at the orc who is attempting to use Mrs.Yiller's hysterics to his advantage. It isn't that different from a baseball, I decide, if I try not to think about it. And, of course, if I ignore the fact that the orc was alive and moving. It's evil, I remind myself, chucking another rock.
Sauron hasn't moved to do anything yet. Probably he just wants to let his henchmen do everything for him. Heck, for all I know, as evil as he is, the battle is like settling down to watch his favorite TV show! I think about trying to knock him out, but decide against it. After all…if I didn't bring him here, and he isn't doing anything, maybe leaving him alone is for the best. The wraiths are just sitting there too. It's really starting to creep me out. Frustrated, I turn and look behind me just in time to dodge a brick somebody's found. It hits an orc who I didn't notice right next to me. "Thanks, Lia!"
"Hey, no problem," she yells, tossing a pigtail out of her face. (man, that makes her sound like a little kid. But she's not! She's a senior!)
Eventually, we've managed to kill all of the orcs, and look uneasily at Sauron. "That was well done," he says, in that deep and really freaky voice of his. I step forward, unhappy that the dark lord has managed to find his way here, into my story, without my permission.
"Hey! Sauron. Who the heck brought you here?"
"Well, I brought myself, of course. And I couldn't possibly come without my wraiths."
"Well, you can't have the ring."
"The ring? What ring? Oh, the Ring!"
"Duh! What are you here for, if not that?"
"Well, honestly, Cass, I thought that answer would be obvious."
"Well, it isn't, so, you'd better fill us in."
"We've come to join your band, of course!" Sauron tells me, as if I'm the stupidest person in the world.
"You've…what?"
"Cass, who cares? Let's just get on with initiation, shall we?" yells Amy.
"You're still gonna make that happen?" I cry.
"Of course. What, you thought killing a bunch of orcs would get you out of it? Keep dreaming, Cass, and get over here!"
Grumbling about the disposal of my all mighty authoress powers, I walk back to the starting line of the initiation tarp. Looking up, I see that Sauron and the wraiths haven't moved.
"well, get over here, then. Hurry! Come on, I don't have all day! Now, pick a partner, all of you, while I try to figure out what section to put you in!"
