What You See…

Hey peepulz! This is my first LOTR fic, so don't blame me if I'm not so good at it! I'm not sure if this is a Mary-Sue fic or not…but oh well! On with the show, or story. Oh, and I don't own LOTR, J.R.R. Tolkien does. If you don't know that, then you better go back and read those books before coming here! This is probably just another typical girl finds herself in M.E. thingie, but I hope not! Hope you like it!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter One: Aria

Who am I?

My name is Ariana.

But my friends just call me Aria.

I have what some people would call "a perfect life."

I'm a straight-A freshman student at Morris High. I'm also very popular, probably because of my hair. Do you know? It's silver. Not like, old age silver, but silver-silver. That's the only feature of mine that I'm proud of. My eyes are gray, for some strange reason, pale and drab. I'm way too short—only 5'4. I don't have the perfect body, like my best friend Lilly, but I'm not completely lacking in that area. I'm also president of the Student Council.

Aside from that, I tend to have a very short temper, though I've been working on it. I'm generally very easygoing, though I am very stubborn about some things. I love to read and am now partly obsessed with The Lord of the Rings. But basically anything having to do with fantasy is fine. My parents, Jack and Sarah Monteaar, teach martial arts and have become extremely wealthy and famous from that. My little brother, Johnny, is seven years old and has a condition in which he is extremely weak and will be for the rest of his life, but he is a cheerful boy. I love him more than anything in the world. We all live in a gigantic five-story mansion, with swimming pool, servants, and everything. They are loving and kind parents, cheering me on in everything I do. My perfect life. Yup. Perfect.

That's what everyone sees.

No one ever sees the other side, the other angle. I'm just like another "Mary-Sue", like in people's fanfiction stories on the Internet.

My parents…

Silver hair. My father used to tell me everyday when I was little that I was his silver-haired little angel. That was then…this is now.

When I was around nine, things changed. My parents transformed from the happy, loving people they used to be into what they are now—hard and cruel, indulging in others' pain and misery. My life changed from the joyful, sweet moments I remember even now into a twisted, warped world created by those that I had loved most. Life jerked me out of my sweet childhood dreams, casting me into a place dank and miserable, harsh and unreal.

It all began when I was nine. Yes, I remember. The scene sticks in my memory, like a rock that is immovable, untouchable. The leaves had just begun to blossom into their orange and yellow hues as autumn approached. I had just skipped into the house after another day of school, happily preparing to tell my parents that I had been chosen for the lead in the school play. Walking through the doors, I walked through the silent living room. "Mommy! Daddy! Guess what? I got the lead! I get to be Helen!" I shouted joyfully, as I ran into the kitchen, where I knew my parents would be, cooking. There was the cook, of course, but my parents enjoyed cooking.

They weren't there.

Thinking they must have decided to do something else, I remember thinking. I ran upstairs, to the fifth floor. My parents stood sat, silent, unmoving on the couch in front of the TV. It wasn't even on. "Guess what, Mommy and Daddy? I got the lead," I announced as I strolled in. Slowly, my mom turned. I fell back a pace. Her usually warm, gentle sky blue eyes were ice cold. They pierced me like arrows. "Hello, darling," she said coldly. I was confused. Mommy never called me darling! Pumpkin, or angel, perhaps, but never darling.

"Darling is a term used by polite strangers, not family," she used to say. "Come with me," she said in that icy cold voice again, standing up and walking out the door. My daddy followed. Though I was confused, I didn't hesitate. I trusted my parents with all my heart and would have followed them off a cliff if they had asked me to. We walked down the hall and into the practice room, where they would train some of their best students in swordsmanship. My mom picked something up off the ground. So did my father.

"Mommy, Daddy?" I asked, still confused, "What are we doing in here? Are you going to show me something?"

I got my answer quickly enough.

Swinging around sharply, my mother hit me in the face with the flat of a thin sword. I stood there, my cheek swelling, staring at my mother. She had hit me! My beloved Mommy had hit me! My father proceeded to do the same, causing my other cheek to turn red and begin swelling.

"Mommy! Daddy! What's wrong?" I cried out.

That seemed to be signal of sorts. I received the beating of my life. Cuts appeared on my arms and legs, bruises on my face. I was screaming, screaming in pain. I ran to the corner. They followed. My parents were cold, silent, administering the beating as if unable to hear my screams, my shouts. I curled up in a ball, trying to block out the pain.

"Mommy! Daddy! What's wrong? You're hurting me! Stop it!" I often shouted, crying from the pain. Just when I thought that I could stand no more, it stopped. I lay there, bleeding from a numerous number of wounds. Stars were dancing in front of my eyes. I was slowly slipping away into darkness.

I heard my mother say in the same, calm cold voice, "Your training in the martial arts starts now. That pain is nothing to what will come as you learn, so you better get used to it. Do not try to flee from this house. If you do so, we will kill Johnny. Do not speak to anyone of this. Your brother will suffer if you do. Though it will not help if you try to tell someone. From now on, you will address us as Mother and Father. This shall be your new bedroom. I will have a new wardrobe designed for you. You will not need your belongings."

They walked out of the room. I heard the door slam and their footsteps as they walked down the stairs. I was dazed and hurt. The pains on my body were nothing to the pains in my heart. What had happened to my parents? I had to call the police. But my mother's words still rang in my mind. Do not try to flee from this house. If you do so, we will kill Johnny. Do not speak to anyone of this. Your brother will suffer if you do. I dared not tell anyone. Struggling, I managed to sit up and crawl to the bathroom to try to clean myself up. Supporting myself on the sink, I slowly stood up, my body in pain. I was surprised that I hadn't fainted. I looked into the mirror.

To my complete astonishment, I looked no different from when I had just come in! My clothes were perfectly in place. There was not a cut on my body. I looked as if nothing had happened. But I could feel every cut, every bruise on my body. I remembered my mother's words. It will not help if you try to tell someone. So this is what she had meant. I looked down at myself, there was no blood, though I could feel it trickling down my arm, no bruises though I could feel numerous bruises all over my body. I took away the hand that was supporting me in order to touch my face, where I could feel my lip bleeding, but fell as I lost my balance. I sat down hard on the stone floor. Strange, I never noticed that this floor wasn't carpeted, I thought vaguely.

The school play was forgotten.

My life ended right then and there. A new one began. Every day, I would come home from school and begin training. I was trained in every single type of martial arts and weapon known. Sword, bow, karate, fencing. A beating would be administered every day. I would not try to avoid it, knowing it was inevitable and not wanting to endanger my younger brother. I eventually learned not to cry out, as crying out resulted in more severe beatings. I was forbidden to sing and dance, things which I wanted most to do. I loved to sing and dance. I was allowed to read, but had no time to. Popularity became a necessity—another law decreed by my parents, backed up by threats. And so I worked for my popularity, sometimes doing things that I normally wouldn't have done, always up for any dares the popular group wanted to do. I gained quite a reputation at school as the sort of quiet, but daredevil silver-haired girl, and it was a reputation that I had to maintain. Combine that with my best friend Lilly's outgoing and friendly antics, we were a well-known pair at school. Homework from school was to be done before coming home, as training began the moment I walked in. My body became accustomed to the pain of sharp things piercing my skin and bruises everywhere. But that was my life.

I'd like to begin again.

Hi, my name is Ariana Monteaar, but you can just call me Aria.

Yes, Aria… the perfect one. Straight-A student, student council president, popular girl with silver hair. Beautiful, charming, fun.

Abused by my parents, blackmailed, beaten, forced to do anything and everything.

I'd like to welcome you to my life.

Remember? My perfect life.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

YAY!!! I'm done with the first chappie! This was kinda a spur of the moment thing, so please tell me if I should continue. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! Gently though, if you didn't like it!

                                                ~Lady of Dreams~