EREBOR
THEN
Kíli woke in his own room, sprawled on his bed and hugging an empty wash basin. He sat up, regretted it immensely and clung to the basin for dear life.
"Mahal," he moaned.
"Ah, he lives!"
Kíli squinted, searching the blurry room. "Who's there? And for pity's sake, please lower your voice."
"Apologies, dear boy."
The strange old man materialized as he stepped into Kíli's line of sight.
"How are you feeling?"
"Bleedin' terrible."
"Excellent. Come over here," the man said. He gripped Kíli's elbow, supporting his weight as he swayed dangerously toward the low table near the fire place. Kíli shielded his eyes from the light, though the fire burned low.
"Drink this."
Kíli felt a warm mug slide into his hand, and he sniffed hesitantly. The rich scent of coffee filled his nose, and he sipped gratefully at the brew.
"Cheers."
"My pleasure," replied the old man. He sat back in the chair, hands folded neatly in his lap.
Halfway through his second cup, Kíli's mind cleared enough to wonder at the man's identity. And what on earth he was doing in Erebor. Strange it was not for visitors of other races to frequent the city under the mountain, but this man was unlike any Kíli had ever met or heard of.
"Who are you, stranger?" he murmured. "What is your business here?"
The man smiled, settling further into the chair.
"Do you wish to know? Truly?"
Kíli frowned. "Well, yeah."
"Very well," the man sighed and refilled Kíli's mug again. "I've sent for some food. It should be along shortly, which is just as well. Best get comfortable, lad, for I've quite the tale to tell. For starters, I'll address your query regarding who I am. I am called many things, but to most folk I am simply known as the Professor."
"'Only just'," Erica muttered. Overstatement of the century.
A one room police station confronted her like something out of the Andy Griffith Show. Two desks littered in old rotary phones, case files and ancient looking computer monitors sat in a box of glass which might have been called an office if it didn't resemble a medium sized fish tank. The cells were laughably small and open, iron bars the only barrier between prisoners and the rest of the station. Erica noted the empty cots inside and wondered if their vacancy meant a low crime rate or a corrupt police force. She frowned, shaking the latter thought away in vain. Doubt buzzed in her mind, whether because of Kíli's warning or due to the circumstances of her arrival, she couldn't decide. Probably both. Before she could heed her gut and duck out to the street, a burst of radio static made her jump as a half hidden back door in the office groaned open.
"Keep forgetting to oil that," a tall policeman scolded himself. Only after bolting the door behind him and shucking his coat and cap did he notice his visitor. He frowned, a single brow reaching for a hairline that no longer existed. The guy was an absolute bruiser, the shoulder seams of his uniform threatening mutiny if he so much as flexed.
"May I help you?"
NO THANKS, screamed Erica's gut.
"I hope so," she said instead.
Kíli breathed deep and gritted his teeth. Used dishes and beer cans littered every surface. Blue light and shouting spilled from the living room doorway. He already knew what he'd find there. The TV would still be on, his uncle surely passed out on the couch. The sound of a trash bag being snapped open meant Fíli was already cleaning up and didn't want to talk. Kíli sighed and beelined for the fridge, grabbing a Mountain Dew before trudging upstairs. This world had its faults, but soda wasn't one of them. He'd chugged half the can before the top step and nearly finished by the time he saw his bedroom door ajar. His stomach back flipped as he dove inside. Papers and notebooks lay scattered and dumped on the floor, and in the midst of the chaos his uncle sat leafing through lists of names.
"Thought I told you to get rid of this."
Kíli swallowed hard, hands curling into fists. Since the day he woke up in the town of Lonely Mountain and forgot everything, Thorin Oakenshield, champion of the Longbeards and King of Erebor, was no more. Instead, Kíli found himself living with a mindless alcoholic who was useless on his best days and a walking nightmare on his worst. Never had he been remotely sober. Gone was loving Uncle Thorin. All Kíli had left was a shadow.
A shadow who wanted nothing to do with the truth. When Kíli didn't respond, Thorin lurched from the foot of the bed, gesturing wildly.
"And I know I told you to get rid of THAT!"
Kíli's eyes drifted over the walls in question, covered floor to ceiling in newspaper clippings, notes, photographs, book excerpts and miles of colored cord linking one piece of paper to another in an endless road map that only he understood.
"And I told you never to come in here," Kíli replied coolly.
Feet pounded up the staircase. If at all possible, more blood vessels burst in in Thorin's already red eyes. His face twisted in hideous rage, all teeth and spit as he snatched a fistful of Kíli's shirt and raised his other hand, fingers curled and knuckles white. Kíli's jaw muscles ticked and his eyes narrowed defiantly. Thorin snarled.
The blow never landed. Fíli appeared, their uncle's wrist caught firmly in steely fingers.
"Go sleep it off before I make you, old man," Fíli hissed. He tightened his grip, staring him down until Thorin winced and released Kíli, shoving him away.
"I better not see this in here tomorrow," he grumbled and stumbled out.
"You'll be too far gone to care tomorrow," Kelly muttered and slammed the door. Felix sighed. His younger brother ignored him, bending to collect photos and notes like so many scattered leaves.
"I thought we agreed, Kells."
Kelly scowled and threw the gathered stack on his bed. "You agreed."
Felix caught his eyes, careful not to actually touch him. Altercations with their uncle always left Kelly jumpy and waspish. Kelly's nostrils flared with each exhale, his eyes dark with pain. Heart twisting, Felix pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I can't do this anymore."
Kelly frowned. "Fíli..."
"NO," Felix shouted. "THIS! Day after day. I can't keep arguing with you. Fíli and Kíli aren't real. We need to get out of this place, man."
"Wait, what?" Kelly's eyes blew wide, and he bent forward a little, reacting as if he'd been punched after all. "You mean... leave, leave?"
Felix gaped. "Wow, really? All you ever talk about is leaving. I thought you'd be happy."
He thrust his finger at the floor. "I won't always be here to get between you two, and he's getting worse. Eventually, one of you will do something you'll regret-"
"That isn't my uncle," Kelly seethed. "And he doesn't regret anything."
Felix lifted a hand. "All the same, you will regret. And that's the point. There's nothing for us here. We always talked about going to school out of state. I think we should go. Look."
Fíli pulled folded envelopes out of his back pocket and offered them to Kíli.
"Acceptance letters," he said. "All the schools we talked about. Accepted, every one. Pick one, Kells-"
Stop, Kíli mouthed.
"-in the meantime, we're out of here. We'll go wherever you want, do things we only ever wished we could-"
"No," he whispered.
"-backpack across the Blue Ridge, travel up the coast from the Outer Banks to Maine, go diving in the Gulf of Mexico-"
"STOP IT."
Fíli closed his mouth, eyes glistening. "I can see you need some time. I'll leave these here."
He placed the letters on Kíli's bedside table. "Either way, I'm getting out. I want you to come with me. I don't like the thought of you staying with him. Can't stand it. But I've made my decision and already gave my notice at the shop. As soon as I collect my paycheck on Friday, I'm putting this town in my rear view mirror."
Kíli opened and closed his mouth.
Fíli's lips twisted in a bittersweet grin. "Don't say anything now. I know that this," he waved at the walls, "means a lot to you, and what I'm asking you to decide is hard. Just think about it. Please."
He squeezed Kíli's shoulder as he passed. Then he was gone, the door clicking softly shut behind him. Kíli sank to the floor and buried his head in his hands.
"Can this week get any worse?" he choked.