Disclaimer: Lord of the rings does not belong to me.
Let me take her place instead
Chapter 1
Chelsea's POV________________________________________________________
I had made a huge sacrifice when I stood in front of that truck. Life had been taken right there and then, but it was to my biggest regret that it was not my own. Someone else took me place, someone whom I had not yet realized was most dear to me. As soon as the vehicle rammed into me, I knew something awful had happened.
I had felt no pain.
But darkness washed over me and I fell, far away from my life on this earth.
___________________________________________________________________
"Matthew, get up you bloody git, get up!" I yelled, as I shook my brother from his slumber. He was asleep, his head on the kitchen table, surrounded by empty mugs. It must be one of his 'major' tests, the hardworking ant of a boy thinks the world will end if he fails a test. He really needs to get a life.
"Wot time is it..." He mumbled in his half awake state of mind, his eyes still closed as he let out a slow, draggy yawn.
"Its 8 a.m. Good time to wake up, I'd guess. Which reminds me, what time did you say your test was? 8.30 a.m.? I could have sworn you said that before you..." I could not continue, Matthew had sprung up from his seat and started frantically for the bathroom.
"Bloody hell, Chelsea! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" He exclaimed. He struggled to pull on his sweater as he headed straight for the front door.
"I would 'ave if you 'adn't told me to bugger off the night before. And aren't you forgetting something?" I asked, holding up a brown bag and his pencil case. Matthew snatched his lunch and writing material out of my grasp. I turned my cheek to him and made a kissing sound. "Where's my kiss now?" I laughed, mimicking my mother's voice, she had been doing that since we were little, everyday before we left the house for school and I loved to annoy him with it.
"Don't take a piss on me, I'm not in the mood to entertain you."He snapped, shooting a glare at me before slamming the front door behind him.
That was my twin brother for you, a fourteen-year-old, in senior high school. Genius, that boy is. I will never be able to hold candle to him. I cannot solve mathematics problems nor can I sing like him and I certainly cannot write like he does. Oh, can he write, if you were to enter his bedroom, post-its all around, from the tiny lamp by the side of his bed, to the closet at the end of his room. Covered with post-its filled with writing. Poetry of every kind, and my favorites were his limericks. Hilarious and written with his whole heart. It was like his diary, but he only chose to put them down in beautiful words and he did not mind me coming into his room and reading them, for he knew that I could not read half the words his wrote. They were always in cursive. "The makings of a doctor," my Dad would always say proudly. My father was too, one of a medical profession himself. I never see much of him, and really, I thank God for that, we can never sit at the dinner table before he starts picking on me and praising Matthew for how brilliant he is, not that he is not, but I just wished once in a while, I was the apple of his eye.
__________________________________________________
"Why can't you understand that x and y just cant be added up to give you xy? Its supposed to be x plus y!" Dad yelled for the thousandth time that night. He was so frustrated by that fact that I am not mathematically inclined the way he is. "Your brother can do it, why can't you.." He stopped when the phone rang.
I glanced around the room through the tears in my eyes, and then I rested my gaze on his name stand that was on his desk. 'Dr H. Okasaki.' it read. I will never be a doctor. He had insisted that I come to the hospital that night so he could tutor me. I was so tired I could not get a single sum right. My dad is really smart, he came to England when he was seventeen, not knowing a word of English but he managed to get by in medical school and he speaks English better than an English man. So when he sees how horrible I am in school, I know it hurts him so much. But little does he know how much it hurts me too, especially when he compares me with Matthew.
As soon as he put down the phone, he folded a page in my assessment book and said, "I have to see a patient now, by the time I come back, I want to see this page done. The whole page." He ordered, getting up to and walking towards the door. He had not said anything more and it made me even more upset because when I was younger, he used to tell me, "Gambatte ne." Which would mean, "You can do it." in Japanese, and it would lift my spirits but he does not anymore and it just makes me feel like he has given up all hope on me, that he cannot even tell me that I can do it.
I sighed as I picked up the book and looked at the problems. There were so many that I did not know where to start. I did not even know how to start and I was definitely not in the mood for work. Mom was right about me, I let my emotions take control of me most of the time, which made me such a wonderful artist. But it made me a very angry and cold person who always wanted to be alone. I usually was anyway, because I did not care about what anybody was talking about, I did not care about all that pop idol crap or about movie stars. I went past that such a long time ago so much so that it made me bored whenever anyone tried to tell me about it. I felt so old sometimes, I needed something real. And I longed for someone less perfect than pop idols or movie stars because they are unreachable. I needed someone who would just love me back when I love them. I did not have that and maybe that was all that I have been looking for in this world, all that was keeping me alive.
There was nothing I could do in this book, I decided, frowning. I flopped it back on the desk and wrote a note to my father, telling him that I had gone for a walk because I needed to clear my head and I could not do any of the sums anyway. I left the room, not knowing what would happen on that walk, not knowing it would change my life forever.
Matthew's POV________________________________________
Dad brought Chelsea to work today, it was another round of lessons. I told him that I could help her and that she did not have to go all the way to the hospital with him but he says I am too lenient with her. She put up a good fight about going to his office and I could tell she wanted to hit somebody. On her way out, she had meant to punch the wall, but she had punched me instead. It hurt but I had stood in front of her because it would have hurt her instead to punch the wall. She had done it so many times that her knuckles are scarred. Most of the time, they would end up all bloody and she would be sprawled out on the floor in tears. When I tried to comfort her, she would scream at me and tell me to get out of her room. I wish I could help her. I think the reason for her behavior is because she is not very good at her work academically and that I am better than she is at school but she does not have to be. She is beautiful and she is a wonderful artist and she can play the flute like no one I have ever heard before. The only thing I could do for her, at least from afar, is pray.
Every night before I go to bed, I say the same prayer for her. The words never change and neither does my heart, not until she will let me be her brother once again, and not the person she thinks is casting a shadow over her. I had not known that this would be the last time I would say this prayer.
Dandelions and wishing stars do not work on Chelsea, Lord.
And I, her brother, away she has cast.
From afar I watch her cry, drowning in her violent sobs.
Oh, how long will her sorrow last?
So this prayer I say for her, with my whole heart and soul.
Protect her and give her strength.
Give her courage and hold her hand.
Help me whisper I love you to her.
Lest she forget she is still loved.
And if any danger comes her way.
Put me in her place...
________________________________________________________
Instead.
Chelsea's POV_______________________________________________
I saw the lights and then it was like a big truck had rammed over me. I could feel the weight of it but the impact had lessened by so much, it was as if someone had stood in front of me and took the hit for me. I do not know what happened because I had closed my eyes and looked away. But it felt like a miracle. And it was because the next thing I saw when I opened my eyes was not a pitch black road, there were no cars or buses or trucks, everything modern and cement just vanished. It was just vast land that I was looking at now, big and filled with grass and rocks. Shit, what the hell happened?
__________________________________________________________
I think I must have sat on the same rock for about three hours before I heard some galloping. Yes, I am quite sure it sounded like galloping, cars do not make that thumping sound. I was still in my jeans and T-shirt and I was actually feeling quite cold as night was about to come. The sun began to set and the sky was beautiful and the ambience was tremendously breath-taking. But it still did not make me feel any less scared. I was in the middle of nowhere with no clue how I ended up there and how to go home. There was no one in sight, not to mention, I was not exactly sure I was in the right century.
As the horses approached, I noticed there were people riding on them. How splendid, now I can ask for directions! I shouted as they came even closer, "Hey man, do you know how to get to Cambridge?" The riders stopped before me but none got off. They were all cloaked in brown and had long hair, some were brunettes and others, blonde. But I was pretty sure they were all male.
"N'ndengina ta." I heard one of them say to another. He was a blonde and he seemed to be the leader, the way the others seem to hold back after what he had said. I wonder what he said, and in what language. I loved listening to others speak in their own languages but this guy, I had no idea what he was speaking. He turned to me and seemed to be asking something that sounded like, "Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie?"
It took me a long time to think of how I should respond to that. By that time, he had asked a billion questions like "Manke naa lle tuulo'?" and "Mankoi naa lle sinome?" Finally, all I managed to come up with was. "I beg your pardon?" The blonde's eyes widened and he turned the guy on his right and whispered something. He face me again.
"You speak the common language." He exclaimed. Common language? I shrugged.
"Well, its just English. But I guess you can call it the common language, it is international after all I suppose. I could speak to you in Japanese if you like. Though I don't think you'll catch much of it."
"What is your name? What are you doing here? Are you human?"
"The name's Chelsea. I'm lost and I don't know how I got here. Umm, and like yeah. What do you think? I'm no martian you know."
The guys looked confused. And a brunette asked, "Where do you come from?"
"Cambridge." Again, there were puzzled faces amongst them.
"This, Cambridge, is it in Gondor? You have the characteristics of a human, but there is something different about you. And your clothes."
"Like, what's Gondor?" I was confused now. So we were a bunch of very confused people. That did not really help very much when you are lost. The guys started conversing amongst themselves again, and they did not seem to be able to help me so I just nodded to myself and started to walk away. But the blonde called, "Chelsea, wait!"
I liked the way he said my name. It was like a new language to him and he made it sound so unique and beautiful.
"Mmmm?"
"You have no place to go, yes?"
"Yes."
"Then come with us. We are heading for Rivendell. If you wish, we can take you there. It will be much better than staying out here with no food or water. In addition, It could be dangerous.."
"Yes! I mean, yes, of course. Thank you. I'd like that very much," I said, feeling like there was a little hope left. This Rivendell place sounded more of a civilization than the vast land I was standing on. For a minute there, the name sounded very familiar. Like something I had read in a book. I shook the thought away as quickly as it had come. Fairy tales never come true, face it. And anyway, just like every other book I have ever read, it would not be finished because I cannot tell you how much I detest reading. I never get very far.
The blonde elf got off his horse and did a gesture with his hand, a greeting of some kind I suppose.
"Legolas is my name," He said, giving me a warm smile. He had lovely blue eyes and had sharp features, his cheek bones slightly showing how thin he was. He also had really good complexion, I wonder what he used for his face. Come to think of it, all the guys on the horses had wonderful complexion. But I still think Legolas is the most handsome. He took his cloak off and handed it to me. He was wearing a silvery tunic like shirt with a Chinese style collar, very strange.
"Take it, you must be cold. Your clothes are of such thin material." He said, his eyes scanning me up and down. I looked down at my own outfit, I was not surprise he could tell that my clothes were thin. My white t-shirt was revealing much of my arms and a little of my waist and you could practically see the color of my skin beneath it the whiteness of it.
"Aren't you cold?" I asked, taking the cloak from his hand. My hand brushed against his slightly and it felt very warm, I did not need him to answer me but he just chuckled. "No, we do not use these cloaks to keep us warm. They are more for camouflage. But we are nearing Rivendell, it is less likely we be seen by unfriendly eyes." I nodded and thanked him.
Legolas scanned the surroundings and then he spoke again but in the language he used with the others. He then turned to me and said, "We will rest here tonight."
_______________________________________________________________
Elvish translations:
N'ndengina ta - Don't kill it
Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie- Do you speak Elvish
Manke naa lle tuulo'- Where are you from
Mankoi naa lle sinome? - What are you doing here
_______________________________________________________________
Plasmolysed Cell Membrane: Hey! I'm having a major writer's block here, so Crazy and Beautiful and Worlds Apart will have to wait.
I hope you'll enjoy this new fic and yeah, get all geared up for ROTK yeah !! Sigh* marathon tickets are all sold out! WHAAAAAA!
Let me take her place instead
Chapter 1
Chelsea's POV________________________________________________________
I had made a huge sacrifice when I stood in front of that truck. Life had been taken right there and then, but it was to my biggest regret that it was not my own. Someone else took me place, someone whom I had not yet realized was most dear to me. As soon as the vehicle rammed into me, I knew something awful had happened.
I had felt no pain.
But darkness washed over me and I fell, far away from my life on this earth.
___________________________________________________________________
"Matthew, get up you bloody git, get up!" I yelled, as I shook my brother from his slumber. He was asleep, his head on the kitchen table, surrounded by empty mugs. It must be one of his 'major' tests, the hardworking ant of a boy thinks the world will end if he fails a test. He really needs to get a life.
"Wot time is it..." He mumbled in his half awake state of mind, his eyes still closed as he let out a slow, draggy yawn.
"Its 8 a.m. Good time to wake up, I'd guess. Which reminds me, what time did you say your test was? 8.30 a.m.? I could have sworn you said that before you..." I could not continue, Matthew had sprung up from his seat and started frantically for the bathroom.
"Bloody hell, Chelsea! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" He exclaimed. He struggled to pull on his sweater as he headed straight for the front door.
"I would 'ave if you 'adn't told me to bugger off the night before. And aren't you forgetting something?" I asked, holding up a brown bag and his pencil case. Matthew snatched his lunch and writing material out of my grasp. I turned my cheek to him and made a kissing sound. "Where's my kiss now?" I laughed, mimicking my mother's voice, she had been doing that since we were little, everyday before we left the house for school and I loved to annoy him with it.
"Don't take a piss on me, I'm not in the mood to entertain you."He snapped, shooting a glare at me before slamming the front door behind him.
That was my twin brother for you, a fourteen-year-old, in senior high school. Genius, that boy is. I will never be able to hold candle to him. I cannot solve mathematics problems nor can I sing like him and I certainly cannot write like he does. Oh, can he write, if you were to enter his bedroom, post-its all around, from the tiny lamp by the side of his bed, to the closet at the end of his room. Covered with post-its filled with writing. Poetry of every kind, and my favorites were his limericks. Hilarious and written with his whole heart. It was like his diary, but he only chose to put them down in beautiful words and he did not mind me coming into his room and reading them, for he knew that I could not read half the words his wrote. They were always in cursive. "The makings of a doctor," my Dad would always say proudly. My father was too, one of a medical profession himself. I never see much of him, and really, I thank God for that, we can never sit at the dinner table before he starts picking on me and praising Matthew for how brilliant he is, not that he is not, but I just wished once in a while, I was the apple of his eye.
__________________________________________________
"Why can't you understand that x and y just cant be added up to give you xy? Its supposed to be x plus y!" Dad yelled for the thousandth time that night. He was so frustrated by that fact that I am not mathematically inclined the way he is. "Your brother can do it, why can't you.." He stopped when the phone rang.
I glanced around the room through the tears in my eyes, and then I rested my gaze on his name stand that was on his desk. 'Dr H. Okasaki.' it read. I will never be a doctor. He had insisted that I come to the hospital that night so he could tutor me. I was so tired I could not get a single sum right. My dad is really smart, he came to England when he was seventeen, not knowing a word of English but he managed to get by in medical school and he speaks English better than an English man. So when he sees how horrible I am in school, I know it hurts him so much. But little does he know how much it hurts me too, especially when he compares me with Matthew.
As soon as he put down the phone, he folded a page in my assessment book and said, "I have to see a patient now, by the time I come back, I want to see this page done. The whole page." He ordered, getting up to and walking towards the door. He had not said anything more and it made me even more upset because when I was younger, he used to tell me, "Gambatte ne." Which would mean, "You can do it." in Japanese, and it would lift my spirits but he does not anymore and it just makes me feel like he has given up all hope on me, that he cannot even tell me that I can do it.
I sighed as I picked up the book and looked at the problems. There were so many that I did not know where to start. I did not even know how to start and I was definitely not in the mood for work. Mom was right about me, I let my emotions take control of me most of the time, which made me such a wonderful artist. But it made me a very angry and cold person who always wanted to be alone. I usually was anyway, because I did not care about what anybody was talking about, I did not care about all that pop idol crap or about movie stars. I went past that such a long time ago so much so that it made me bored whenever anyone tried to tell me about it. I felt so old sometimes, I needed something real. And I longed for someone less perfect than pop idols or movie stars because they are unreachable. I needed someone who would just love me back when I love them. I did not have that and maybe that was all that I have been looking for in this world, all that was keeping me alive.
There was nothing I could do in this book, I decided, frowning. I flopped it back on the desk and wrote a note to my father, telling him that I had gone for a walk because I needed to clear my head and I could not do any of the sums anyway. I left the room, not knowing what would happen on that walk, not knowing it would change my life forever.
Matthew's POV________________________________________
Dad brought Chelsea to work today, it was another round of lessons. I told him that I could help her and that she did not have to go all the way to the hospital with him but he says I am too lenient with her. She put up a good fight about going to his office and I could tell she wanted to hit somebody. On her way out, she had meant to punch the wall, but she had punched me instead. It hurt but I had stood in front of her because it would have hurt her instead to punch the wall. She had done it so many times that her knuckles are scarred. Most of the time, they would end up all bloody and she would be sprawled out on the floor in tears. When I tried to comfort her, she would scream at me and tell me to get out of her room. I wish I could help her. I think the reason for her behavior is because she is not very good at her work academically and that I am better than she is at school but she does not have to be. She is beautiful and she is a wonderful artist and she can play the flute like no one I have ever heard before. The only thing I could do for her, at least from afar, is pray.
Every night before I go to bed, I say the same prayer for her. The words never change and neither does my heart, not until she will let me be her brother once again, and not the person she thinks is casting a shadow over her. I had not known that this would be the last time I would say this prayer.
Dandelions and wishing stars do not work on Chelsea, Lord.
And I, her brother, away she has cast.
From afar I watch her cry, drowning in her violent sobs.
Oh, how long will her sorrow last?
So this prayer I say for her, with my whole heart and soul.
Protect her and give her strength.
Give her courage and hold her hand.
Help me whisper I love you to her.
Lest she forget she is still loved.
And if any danger comes her way.
Put me in her place...
________________________________________________________
Instead.
Chelsea's POV_______________________________________________
I saw the lights and then it was like a big truck had rammed over me. I could feel the weight of it but the impact had lessened by so much, it was as if someone had stood in front of me and took the hit for me. I do not know what happened because I had closed my eyes and looked away. But it felt like a miracle. And it was because the next thing I saw when I opened my eyes was not a pitch black road, there were no cars or buses or trucks, everything modern and cement just vanished. It was just vast land that I was looking at now, big and filled with grass and rocks. Shit, what the hell happened?
__________________________________________________________
I think I must have sat on the same rock for about three hours before I heard some galloping. Yes, I am quite sure it sounded like galloping, cars do not make that thumping sound. I was still in my jeans and T-shirt and I was actually feeling quite cold as night was about to come. The sun began to set and the sky was beautiful and the ambience was tremendously breath-taking. But it still did not make me feel any less scared. I was in the middle of nowhere with no clue how I ended up there and how to go home. There was no one in sight, not to mention, I was not exactly sure I was in the right century.
As the horses approached, I noticed there were people riding on them. How splendid, now I can ask for directions! I shouted as they came even closer, "Hey man, do you know how to get to Cambridge?" The riders stopped before me but none got off. They were all cloaked in brown and had long hair, some were brunettes and others, blonde. But I was pretty sure they were all male.
"N'ndengina ta." I heard one of them say to another. He was a blonde and he seemed to be the leader, the way the others seem to hold back after what he had said. I wonder what he said, and in what language. I loved listening to others speak in their own languages but this guy, I had no idea what he was speaking. He turned to me and seemed to be asking something that sounded like, "Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie?"
It took me a long time to think of how I should respond to that. By that time, he had asked a billion questions like "Manke naa lle tuulo'?" and "Mankoi naa lle sinome?" Finally, all I managed to come up with was. "I beg your pardon?" The blonde's eyes widened and he turned the guy on his right and whispered something. He face me again.
"You speak the common language." He exclaimed. Common language? I shrugged.
"Well, its just English. But I guess you can call it the common language, it is international after all I suppose. I could speak to you in Japanese if you like. Though I don't think you'll catch much of it."
"What is your name? What are you doing here? Are you human?"
"The name's Chelsea. I'm lost and I don't know how I got here. Umm, and like yeah. What do you think? I'm no martian you know."
The guys looked confused. And a brunette asked, "Where do you come from?"
"Cambridge." Again, there were puzzled faces amongst them.
"This, Cambridge, is it in Gondor? You have the characteristics of a human, but there is something different about you. And your clothes."
"Like, what's Gondor?" I was confused now. So we were a bunch of very confused people. That did not really help very much when you are lost. The guys started conversing amongst themselves again, and they did not seem to be able to help me so I just nodded to myself and started to walk away. But the blonde called, "Chelsea, wait!"
I liked the way he said my name. It was like a new language to him and he made it sound so unique and beautiful.
"Mmmm?"
"You have no place to go, yes?"
"Yes."
"Then come with us. We are heading for Rivendell. If you wish, we can take you there. It will be much better than staying out here with no food or water. In addition, It could be dangerous.."
"Yes! I mean, yes, of course. Thank you. I'd like that very much," I said, feeling like there was a little hope left. This Rivendell place sounded more of a civilization than the vast land I was standing on. For a minute there, the name sounded very familiar. Like something I had read in a book. I shook the thought away as quickly as it had come. Fairy tales never come true, face it. And anyway, just like every other book I have ever read, it would not be finished because I cannot tell you how much I detest reading. I never get very far.
The blonde elf got off his horse and did a gesture with his hand, a greeting of some kind I suppose.
"Legolas is my name," He said, giving me a warm smile. He had lovely blue eyes and had sharp features, his cheek bones slightly showing how thin he was. He also had really good complexion, I wonder what he used for his face. Come to think of it, all the guys on the horses had wonderful complexion. But I still think Legolas is the most handsome. He took his cloak off and handed it to me. He was wearing a silvery tunic like shirt with a Chinese style collar, very strange.
"Take it, you must be cold. Your clothes are of such thin material." He said, his eyes scanning me up and down. I looked down at my own outfit, I was not surprise he could tell that my clothes were thin. My white t-shirt was revealing much of my arms and a little of my waist and you could practically see the color of my skin beneath it the whiteness of it.
"Aren't you cold?" I asked, taking the cloak from his hand. My hand brushed against his slightly and it felt very warm, I did not need him to answer me but he just chuckled. "No, we do not use these cloaks to keep us warm. They are more for camouflage. But we are nearing Rivendell, it is less likely we be seen by unfriendly eyes." I nodded and thanked him.
Legolas scanned the surroundings and then he spoke again but in the language he used with the others. He then turned to me and said, "We will rest here tonight."
_______________________________________________________________
Elvish translations:
N'ndengina ta - Don't kill it
Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie- Do you speak Elvish
Manke naa lle tuulo'- Where are you from
Mankoi naa lle sinome? - What are you doing here
_______________________________________________________________
Plasmolysed Cell Membrane: Hey! I'm having a major writer's block here, so Crazy and Beautiful and Worlds Apart will have to wait.
I hope you'll enjoy this new fic and yeah, get all geared up for ROTK yeah !! Sigh* marathon tickets are all sold out! WHAAAAAA!