L2: "Yellow" by Coldplay (live! --- if you stand up, we'll buy you all ice cream!)

Chapter 11: Shook Up

Saruman slumped on his couch, his eyes getting ready to glaze over for his next episode of the CCC. He grabbed a bag of potato chips, ripped it open, and began to chew voraciously. He stopped in mid-bite when he noticed something out of place. He scrambled for the CCC Ball, knocking greasy fried-in-oil-and-fat potato slices every which way. But it was too late. It had already begun...

.o.

"No you!"

"No you!"

"No YOU!"

"No YOU!"

"ALL RIGHT, FINE! I'LL DO IT!"

Merry and Pippin immediately grew silent, as Legolas growled at them. Gandalf stood surveying the three who had been (unfortunately for them) tracked down by the wizard, and sentenced to one of the numerous trials of whether or not the doors to the outside world would still ricochet them back.

Legolas took a deep breath and braced himself for the violent shock when POOF! He disappeared out the door and rolled down the stairs out of view.

Gandalf pointed after them, voice strong and grey eyes bulging.

"After him!"

Merry and Pippin grinned, nodded, and bolted out the door.

Meanwhile, Legolas was rolling down the stairs. And kept rolling. And rolling. And rolling. And ---

"Was this an old pastime of where you came from, or is it just you?"

Legolas looked up and saw...4 heads staring at him? He shook himself. It took a while for him to realize who it was.

"Oh, uh, K-Katherine, I didn't know it was...you."

She rolled her eyes. "I told you. It's Kat." She bent over and offered him her hand. "Come on. Did you sign up for the Autumn Festival, or what?"

"Wha huH?"

Merry and Pippin arrived perfectly on time, breathless, and yet, always full of noise.

"Woo! That was some good warmup, eh Lukey?"

Legolas glared at them, and Merry winked.

"Yep. Now we're ready for the Autumn Festival, aren't we Pete?"

Pippin grinned. "Yeah." He looked over at Kat. "So uh, you're coming too, right?"

He winked at her, and she raised her eyebrow, about to reply, when Legolas leaped up, suddenly full of energy.

"Yeah, we'll be right along."

He glared at them, and the pair of former hobbits jogged off, careful not to let their laughing get the better of them.

Legolas turned to Kat and offered her his arm.

"Sorry about that. Ready then?"

She grinned. "Of course."

.o.

"What do you mean you'll be gone all of next week?" Frodo moaned. "What am I gonna do?"

Mabel rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like you can't do anything without me here." She saw him nod eagerly and scoffed. "Which is not true."

Frodo pulled his lips down into a frown and widened his eyes. "P-p-pleeeease?"

Mabel shrieked and started walking down the hallway.

"Don't do that. You know I hate it when you do that."

"Why?" Frodo ran to catch up with her, his face still the exemplar of a 2-month-old puppy dog. "Because," he sniffed, "it makes you...saaaaad?"

Her shriek mixed with a laugh, and she shoved him lightly with her shoulder into the wall before darting down the corridor.

Frodo's frown broke into his now more common grin, and he ran after her, laughing.

.o.

"The Great Gatsby?"

Aragorn and Danae sat on the steps outside the school, just where the students had begun to get ready for the annual Autumn Festival.

Danae wrinkled up her nose. "Definitely not."

Aragorn laughed. "All right, how about...For Whom the Bell Tolls."

She tossed her head. "Mmm...I'm not too sure about that one."

"All right....well, you have got to like this one: Harry Potter."

Danae threw her hands up in the air. "Well, don't be that obvious! Everyone loves Harry!" She grinned. "My turn. I pick...quotes. How about...'Never hit a man with glasses. Hit him with something much bigger and heavier.' Anonymous."

Aragorn rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Oh yes, definitely."

She grinned and nodded. "Yeah, thought you'd like that one." She paused and then successfully lowered her voice to a sultry vehement whisper. "'It is mine to give to whom I will. Like my heart.' "

Aragorn gaped at her. Those words sounded vaguely it be... He cringed. She was haunting him...

He quickly shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. Next."

.o.

Gandalf had searched the whole school, as well as the field of the Autumn Festival. And of the nine of them, three were missing...

.o.

A/N: Yes, I'm sorry. Sort of short. And belated. Buuut...I haven't been in the best of moods of late (though thanks to all reviewers! This must be the record for most in a chapter!), and one can't write funny-stuff when one is not so happy. I've always tilted towards the angsty side anyway...hehehe...anyway. Remind me to do shout-outs next chapter...which will be soon! I hope...oh, and 3 points to who can guess who are the three missing! It's quite easy if you think about it...(hint: the ones you've heard least about!) First person to get it right gets 10 extra puntos! Yay!