~ Chapter 7 ~

Hey, look! Another chapter! WOW! Ain't that amazing?

*

"Are you alright, Mister Frodo?" asked Sam, sounding concerned. He eyed the fighters and gave Frodo and encouraging grin. "We're winnin', Mister Frodo. You're gonna make it. I know it."

Rachel was sitting cross-legged, rocking back and forth and muttering something under her breath. Her eyes were blank and she was smiling slightly.

Merry shot her a worried look. "What's her problem?" he asked Victoria.

"It's a mental one," quipped Victoria.

"And it goes by the name of 'Victoria'." Rachel stopped muttering for a moment to smirk at the spluttering younger girl. "Gotcha."

Victoria rolled her eyes again. However, her spoken reply was drowned out by the sound of Gimli hacking the head off the shoulders of an orc. Legolas coolly shot an arrow into the back of the remaining orc and Aragorn neatly slid his sword through the body of a dying orc. Boromir uttered a war cry and stabbed another orc as Rachel read the other girl's lips and made a nasty reply of her own.

"Do you MIND?" she turned around and glared at the panting victors. "We're trying to TALK, here."

Stephanie hid a grin.

M

"What's that sound?" asked Katie, hearing a bloodcurdling yell.

Michelle perked up. "Sounds like people being assassinated. Cool!" She whacked the horse on the rump and charged into the little clearing. Then her face fell. "Oh," she said dully. "It's YOU."

Aragorn wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead and stood, breathing hard. "What?"

"Cool!" Katie stared at the Fellowship. "Look, Squishy! It's the Fellowship of the Rings! Is THAT the story that we've fallen into?"

"No," drawled a familiar voice. "You've fallen into 'Alice in Wonderland'. That man over there who looks like Viggo Mortesson is actually the Mad Hatter."

"MAD HATTER?" echoed Aragorn, looking puzzled. "Pray tell, what be this....unusual creature?"

Rachel moaned and buried her face in her hands. "Deprived people!" she wailed. "Even the comforting sound of sarcasm is a literal puzzle to these unfortunate creatures!"

Stephanie blinked. "Did anyone catch that?" she asked, smiling as she looked around.

Victoria shrugged. "A show of hands. Anyone who heard and understood that unusual utterance made by Rachel, raise your hand."

Not a soul moved.

"Okay, anyone who didn't understand Rachel's disturbed caterwauling, show yourselves."

Every hand went up, excluding Rachel's and Christina's.

Rachel smiled at her one seeming-supporter. "Thanks, Chrissy," she said.

"Huh?" said Christina.

"I asked if you understood what Rachel said," explained Victoria. "If not, then raise your hand."

"Oh." Christina laughed. "No, not really." She raised her hand.

Rachel glared. "Traitors."

Victoria smiled sweetly at her. "Thanks."

A

Angeline couldn't help but sigh as she looked down at the sea of orcs below. What this Saruman guy was doing was ambitious, and that was good. It meant that he had goals of his own, tastes of his own, and a mind of his own. However, she didn't think that taking over the world was the way to go about it. Something known as 'ethics' told her that it wasn't nice to take over the world.

"No!" she shouted, pointing at an orc. "Stop! You're standing on the-"

A sickening squelch finished her sentence for her as the rope that the orc had been standing on tightened, flying into the air as the great ladder was raised into the air and gently placed against the side of a wall. The orc was sliced in two by the weight of the ladder against the rope, and Angeline screamed.

"Ew, GROSS!" she exclaimed. "Rachel! Don't write that! You're SICK!"

But it was too late. Rachel had already typed the paragraph and it would stay that way no matter what Angeline said. Or screamed.

"Mister Saruman!" she cried, rushing to the tower that the wizard was sitting in. "One of your orcs! I couldn't stop him in time! He just- I mean- well, he's- dead."

"Yes," nodded Saruman calmly. "I heard."

"I'm so sorry!" gasped Angeline. "It was an accident-"

"I know," shrugged Saruman. "How's the construction of my ladders going? Oh yes, and did the idea of gan-pow-dar work?"

Angeline gaped at him, lost for words. He didn't CARE that an orc had just died. Then again, he hadn't seen. Perhaps he hadn't heard her right. "He's DEAD," she repeated slowly.

"I KNOW," Saruman looked slightly exasperated. "Listen, girl. I've got plenty of workers. It doesn't matter if you kill a couple by 'accident' as you say. How are the ladders?"

"They're-fine," stammered Angeline, unable to believe that this was happening. "And the gunpowder's going great. It will all be ready in a couple of days. I just have to make sure of a- couple of calculations."

"Excellent," beamed Saruman. He looked around quickly then leaned forward. "Listen, girl," he said softly. "I'm very, VERY happy with the improvements that you've made to my little empire here." He chuckled. "As you know, I am Saruman the White. However, I am also the right hand of Sauron, and all this is done for him. He will be EXTREMELY pleased with you, I'm sure. Now then. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

Angeline nodded dumbly.

FINALLY. Angeline, LOST FOR WORDS. If only we'd been there.

A/N

I can insult Angeline all I like, see, cuz she don't go to our school no more. (. Sigh. At last, I am free to express myself. Again.

E/A/N

"Good." Saruman rubbed his hands together. "After this, I could probably find you a place at the LEFT side of Sauron." Then he frowned. "Actually, no. Sorry, I can't do that. He's a bit deaf on his left ear. He can't hear too well through it so he wouldn't hear any of your suggestions. How about two seats to the right of Sauron?"

Angeline shrugged. "Okay."

Saruman smiled.

*

U-571's a cool movie. Old, but cool. Check it out.