Unknown to Ley (a.k.a: Ashley) two of her friends were missing. She had to write an article about any subject that she wanted and she chose ancient Egypt. She already had her information and had just gone to the library to type some of it on a floppy.
After leaving the library, Ley didn't pay attention to the hallways.
"Thank God, this is my last year here," she muttered to herself.
Just then, she saw a bright light glowing from somewhere. She followed the glowing to a white door with no doorknob or keyhole.
"Okay. Weird door, no doorknob or keyhole, and where in the world did it come from?"
Ley looked down the hall in all directions, noticed no one, then pushed on the door. It opened. Ley wasn't expecting that and fell to the ground on the inside of the door face first.
Glad no one saw, Ley pushed herself up on two feet and went to leave but found that she couldn't. The door wouldn't open. She sighed and began to walk down the passageway by feeling along the walls with her hands.
Ley could hear water, like a river, and when she ran out of the tunnel, a bright blinding light greeted her. When her eyes were used to the light, Ley could see the source of the sound of water. It was a small river.
"Okay, last time I checked, there wasn't a river near the school." Ley shook her head. "This is a weird dream," she thought to herself.
She walked the couple of yards to the river's bank. Unlike most riverbanks, this one wasn't muddy. Ley sat at the river's side and peered into the water. The person looking back at her looked a lot like Ley but in the reflection her hair was longer though not by much, and she was wearing a frilly dress that was a dark shade of green and brown, and when she pushed her hair back she had pointed ears. Ley's eyes widened and she jumped back.
"I'm... What am I? Where am I?" It dawned on her that she was alone.
Ley walked backwards away from the river's edge. When she turned around, she was staring straight into a brown tunic. Her eyes widened again.
"I am so sorry." She looked down. "I don't believe it," she thought. "I must look foolish."
"Is there a problem, m' lady?" His voice was deep and calm. It eased the tension that weighed on her shoulders at the moment.
"Yes, something is wrong... I'm alone in a place I've never seen before, far away from my friends, and I'm not even human."
"You aren't human?" Ley never looked at him, just listened to his voice.
"When I woke up this morning I was. Now I look into a river and someone different stares back at me."
"Things may seem hard coming to a new home and not knowing where in Middle-Earth you..."
"Middle-Earth! I'm in Middle-Earth?" For the first time, Ley looked at the speaker. He was tall, had blonde hair that hung half way down his back, and the most startling blue eyes she had ever seen. He was also an elf.
"Wonder how old he is in elf years?" Ley thought to herself. "He reminds me of Legolas, or how I picture him at least." She turned a bright red.
"Yes, we're in Middle Earth," he looked confused.
"Umm... If you are willing to hear a long story, I'll tell you how I got here." He nodded.
Ley explained everything she could without giving her life story, which would have been dull anyway. She told of her friends Ariel, Sarah, and Kaysie and how she hadn't seen them at all that day at school.
"You say you normally see them daily?"
Ley and the male elf had sat down on the ground and Ley still didn't know his name. She nodded her answer.
"I... I never learned your name."
For a moment he was silent. When he did speak, his voice was soft.
"I used to be someone else. Even though he didn't mean to have the outcome he did, a small hobbit friend used a staff of magic on me. He created two of me. I'm the copy. I may seem in every way just like him but I'm not Legolas Greenleaf. We share the same memories, yet we each live different lives now. I go by Negolas."
"Legolas! No wonder he reminded me of him; because he was him," Ley thought. "Oh, I never told you my name. It's Ashley, but everyone calls me Ley. Nice to meet you." She put out a hand. Negolas blinked a few times, then nodded, and shook her hand.
"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Negolas asked.
"I just traveled through to another world where I am alone, an elf, where I meet Legolas' double Negolas, my friends aren't around... need I say more?"
"Well, I was not yet through with what I had to say," Negolas said.
"Oh, well continue." Ley put up a hand to hide her smile.
"Consider it my hospitality, please. I have a home not far from here. Would you like to stay with me until either we can find your friends or find you a way home?"
"I wanna stay," Ley whined to herself, then said, "You... are inviting me to your place?"
"My place?"
"Uh... It's like your home, or residence, or something like that." She smiled. "I think I'm gonna like Negolas."