Hello, everyone! Um, this is my second attempt at a LOTR fanfic, but nonetheless, still bare with me as I am still a relatively new author. This will be an ElladanOC where a girl from modern earth will fall into Middle-earth. But don't worry, it's set BEFORE the War of the Ring. If anyone is actually reading this and you do NOT like these kind of stories, I am giving you a fair warning. So turn back now if this already doesn't sound like the type of story you're interested in. Anyways, I will try my absolute best to not make this a Mary-sue, because I, like most of you, despise them. But if this does turn out to be one, just give me some tips on what I can do to fix it. Thanks again!

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lord of the Rings". While all of you probably celebrating this fact, I am off sulking in my own self pity, while eating chocolate.

Chapter 1: A Day in the Life

She was falling. Falling into an endless pit of darkness. Air was rushing past her with an accelerating speed, while managing to chill her to the bone. Her body suddenly flipped over so now it was her stomach on the bottom. With one glance down, her eyes widened drastically. She could make out the ground, which at the time was several feet below her. But nonetheless, it stood out clearly. So clear that it was like a spotlight in the darkest time of the night. There was no avoiding it. Even now she was getting closer…closer…closer…closer.

"Sammy. Sammy, wake up. Samantha! Get up!" the young girl awoke with a start, her breath coming out in short, painful gasps. Glancing up, she saw the comforting, yet startled face of her mother. She let out a long sigh of relief as her breathing returned to its normal rate.

"Did I scare you?" her mother asked. Samantha nodded slightly as she sat up in her bed. Her tousled hair stood up in odd places, but her mother managed to keep a straight face.

"Just a little," Samantha replied as she put a hand to her sweaty forehead.

"Nightmare?" Samantha nodded. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. What time is it?" Samantha managed to ask before she had to cover a long and tired yawn that tore its way out of her lips.

"7:30," her mother, who was named Alison, replied. She got off of her daughter's bed and walked over to the window. "Which means, it's time to get up!" She threw open the black curtains and the blinding light of the new morning filled Samantha's bedroom. Groaning, Samantha, covered her eyes.

"Do I have to get up?" she whined.

"Yes, you do. Today's Saturday-"

"Which means, I have the right to be sleeping! Goodnight, mother!" Samantha was about to get back under the covers, but Alison grabbed on to her arm and pulled her to a sitting position once again.

"No you don't! Today's the Saturday that you promised me you would go down to the animal shelter with me and do some volunteer work," Alison said brightly.

"That's today? I thought that was next Saturday," Samantha moaned.

"Nope, it's today," Alison replied.

"But I'm tired," Samantha resumed to whining again.

"That's your fault. You probably went to bed around 2:30," her mother said.

"Actually, it was only 12:30. And I had a good reason to. I was reading a book I have to read for a book report," Samantha told her.

"Why did you spend all night doing it, though?" Alison asked.

"Because I had to," Samantha responded.

"When is it due?" her mother continued to ask as she folded her long arms over her chest.

"Um, Monday," Samantha retorted, quietly.

"This Monday?" Alison questioned. Samantha nodded. Her mother raised her eyebrows. "And how long have you had to do this report?"

"A month," was the answer.

"Ah," said Alison, "And do you still have a lot to do on this project?"

"Yes, and you'll be a kind mother who shows how much you love me by letting me stay home and get it done rather than going down to the shelter, right?"

"Nope, but I will be a kind mother and teach you a well-needed lesson about responsibility. Now, get up. We're late as it is," Alison returned. Samantha rolled her eyes at her mother's "kindness" and began to get ready, but not before pushing her mother out of her room while groaning about her misfortune.

As there was no time to take even a quick shower, Samantha quickly changed into a pair of grey sweat pants and a pink t-shirt. Grabbing a brush, she hastily tied her dark hair back and tied up her shoe laces. And after eating a rushed small bowl of cereal, Samantha and Alison left their dainty apartment building.

"Taxi!" Alison shouted over the noise of the ever busy city of Manhattan. When not one single taxi stopped for them, Alison tugged at her hair, which was the same shade of her daughter's, and gave a long, frustrated sigh.

"This is why we need at least one car of our own, Mom," commented Samantha. Alison turned to her daughter.

"And give you the chance to drive wherever and whenever you want? I'll pass that idea, thank you," she said. Samantha rolled her eyes.

"Mom, for your information, I turned eighteen over three months ago and in another five months I'll be going to college. Don't you think I'm old enough to drive? I have my license," Samantha tried to reason with her sometime too over-protective mother.

"You may be eighteen and I may trust you to some level, but right now you're not even getting your homework done on time. How will you prove you're responsible?" Alison shot back. Samantha went to protest, but before she could, her mother had belted out "TAXI!" Almost immediately, a yellow car came to a screeching halt in front of the pair. 'I'll tale that as a hint that our conversation is over,' Samantha thought to herself. Her mother quickly dove into the taxi and Samantha instantly followed.

"To the Manhattan Animal Shelter on 54th and Hudson Avenue," Alison instructed the taxi driver. The man nodded and the car took off. Samantha stared out the window, noting that even though it was about eight o'clock on a Saturday morning, the streets and sidewalks were packed with thousands of people. 'Everywhere you go, no matter how many times you've been there before, there's always a new face to see that you'll probably never see again,' Samantha thought. She glanced at her mother who was busy filing her nails and checking her watch every ten seconds. Samantha was very amused.

Not ten minutes later did the taxi arrive at the animal shelter. Samantha stepped out of the dirty car and looked at the building. It looked rather old and dirty, but then again, it had been built over ten years ago. The grey clouds only succeeded in making the place look even more dreary and ancient. Samantha waited for her mom to pay the taxi driver and soon they were walking into the shelter.

"Good morning, Alison," a person behind the counter greeted her mother.

"Good morning, Denise. This is my daughter, Samantha. She promised she would help me out today," Alison said.

"It's nice to meet you, Samantha." Denise smiled.

"You as well," Samantha managed to smile back.

"Well, Alison, mostly everything has been taken care of this morning already. But, some of the dogs could use some walking. Is that alright?" Denise asked.

"That's fine. We'll see you later. Come on, Sammy," Alison pulled her daughter along to where the larger dogs were kept, after getting the keys from Denise.

Three hours later, Samantha threw herself on to her bed, which hadn't even been made yet. Exhausted and dirty, she enjoyed the feeling of being able to lie down. The dogs had been a bit rowdy this morning and she had chased them all over the park where she had taken them. This had not been her idea of a Saturday. But then again, she had loved spending time with her mother. Now all she had to was work on the dratted report. Oh yes, this had been a fun day indeed.

Hey, thank you for reading this! I'll update again later. Constructive criticism is welcome but I will not tolerate flames. Please review!