AN: Thanks to Maryn and ren for reviewing!
Maryn: I hope this stays coherent and realistic, and Verdi doesn't become a Mary-Sue. I'll definitely do my best to keep it that way!
ren: Believe me, it is totally possible to have all that stuff in one backpack! In fact, I have all that stuff in my Jansport backpack; that's how I decided what a normal teenager would have, by sorting through my backpack. I even forgot a few things, like extra batteries; I have two extra sets of batteries in my backpack that Verdi might end up borrowing. ;)

Disclaimer: Middle Earth and all it's affiliates belong to Tolkien, the song is from Dreamworks' "Prince of Egypt."

Verdi walked for about a half an hour more before giving up the seemingly hopeless wander through the woods. 'My mom always told me that if I got lost it was best to stay in one place so the searchers could find me,' she reminded herself. 'Nevermind she was talking about the mall; the fact that I would be in the middle of a civilized community is totally irrelevant.' She sighed and looked at her watch, six thirty, surely they would be missing her by now! Oh, if only she had been paying more attention to where she was walking, she wouldn't be so lost in the ever becoming colder forest.

Verdi shook her head, complaining wouldn't help her. She took off her backpack and opened up her violin case. 'Well, if I'm going to stay here, I might as well practice. Maybe someone will hear me and come rescue me.' As she always did whenever she was bored, irritated, frustrated, or just plain happy, she tuned up her violin and began to play. She started off with finger exercises and scales, which were especially important in the chilly air. She moved on to simple songs, the ones she had learned years ago when she began playing, like "Snake Charmer" and "London Bridge is Falling Down." Her face was happy and peaceful, if concentrated, as she played all the songs she had with her, as well as many of the songs she knew by heart.

Eventually her fingers became so cold and stiff that they refused to move any more and she was forced to stop. Her mind, though, still wished she had more of her sheet music with her; she silently cursed herself for being so lazy as to only grab the songs she had needed for Orchestra that day.

After she put her violin away, she had a sip of her apple juice and checked her phone again. Evidently she was still out of range, though how she could've walked out of the Midwest in so short a time she had no idea. She flopped down next to one of the more sheltering trees, which she didn't recognize the type of despite all the time she had spent researching the various trees in her region for her Bio class, and looked up at the sky. 'It's funny how things take on a whole new perspective when you are lost,' she thought. 'One would almost think I was on another planet, even the sky looks a different.' Verdi wasn't an astronomer, so she didn't notice that all the constellations that frequented the northern hemisphere were not there. All she noticed was the moon looked a bit bigger, but who was she to question the moon?

After some idle contemplation of whether or not she should begin her homework (if she would be able to get out of it by saying she had been lost in the woods for hours and hadn't been able to do it), she began to hum softly, disregarding any previous thoughts about that evil pestilence with which teachers loved to infect students. It didn't take long for her hum to become a full fledged solo to entertain the trees. Her voice wasn't spectacular but she could carry a tune well enough to sing in a choir. (She did once.)

Her face lost all its worries once again as she sang the soft beginning of one of her favorite songs:

Many nights we've prayed
With no proof anyone could hear.
In our hearts a hopeful song
We barely understood.
Now we are not afraid
Although we know there's much to fear.
We were moving mountains
Long before we ever knew we could

There can be miracles
When you believe.
Though hope is frail
It's hard to kill.
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe.

Verdi let her voice raise a little as she switched roles, from Miriam to Tzipporah.

In this time of fear
When prayer so often proved in vain.
Hope seemed like the summer birds
Too swiftly flown away.
Yet now I'm standing here
With heart so full I can't explain.
Seeking faith and speaking words
I never thought I'd say.

There can be miracles
when you believe.
Though hope is frail
It's hard to kill.
Who knows what miracles

Verdi stopped abruptly as an arrow appeared right in front of her nose. Apparently she'd been found, but this was not the way she expected the police to rescue her. Her thoughts raced as she took her eyes off the arrow and looked up to meet the blue eyes of its wielder. Ever so slowly she backed up until she was against the tree behind her; this was no police officer, this was some very crazy guy. 'No, scratch that, these are three very crazy guys' she corrected herself as two more came into view.

One had dark brown hair and the other had blond hair, like the dude threatening her, and all three had weird silvery outfits. They look like they're from a movie or a party or something, but it wasn't even close to Halloween and there were definitely no movies being shot nearby. The dark-haired guy said something in some weird language that sounded a bit like French but not really. Archer dude replied in the same strange language and then spoke to her, but she didn't understand him.

"What?" Realizing that she wasn't going to be shot (atleast not right away), Verdi relaxed a little. Archer said something again, this time in a different language, but still not one she understood.

"I don't understand, don't you speak English?" The guy looked perplexed and said something else to his companions. The other blondie came forward and spoke in yet a third language, but she couldn't understand that one either.

"Ich verstehe nicht. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Französisch? Spanisch?" ° Verdi began to worry again, not only were these weirdos, but they spoke none of the common languages found in the United States. How in the world did they live, apparently prosperously, if they didn't speak English or something? The guys seem just as confused, and spoke hastily in their own tongue. Verdi started to reach down to her backpack, but stopped as the arrow became focused on her again. She stood slowly back up and held out her hands to show they were empty. What did these guys think she was going to do, smash them over the head with her textbook? Yeah, right.

Verdi was in a quandary, these guys obviously had to come from somewhere, so they might be able to take her back to where ever they came from and she could call home; however, they were also a bit scary and she wasn't sure she wanted to be with them. Maybe she should just wait here for the next group of people to come by. 'Right, the likelyhood that more people will show up in this forest soon was about a million to one.' She wasn't even on a path, for goodness sake! What was she going to do? Say, 'I'm sorry, you're wacko, I think I wait for the next group of rescuers, thank you'?

For better or worse, Verdi didn't have to make a decision either way. Archer guy motioned for her to follow him, and with the other two pointing arrows at her, she did as directed (picking up her stuff and walking after him) while the two stayed a few steps behind her.

° Translation: I don't understand, do you speak German? French? Spanish?