Chapter 2: The New World

Kelsie slowly opened her eyes.

She couldn't exactly remember what had happened. All she felt at that moment was dizziness and confusion. Her mind felt like it was blocked by some unknown force.

After the dizziness had gone, she was able to slowly and gingerly get to her feet. As she did, she felt something softly bump against her left leg. She looked down and gasped, all confusion gone from her mind.

Dangling from the sturdy leather belt she now wore was a sword. Its scabbard and its handle was decorated with detailed, wavy curves , which she recognized as elvish designs. Attached to her right leg was a quiver full of arrows. On her back was a long, slender bow.

Not only had Kelsie somehow gained these new weapons, she was also wearing different clothes than the jacket, t-shirt, and jeans she was wearing just a moment ago.

In the place of her jacket was a light, soft forest-green vest with a hood that went halfway down her upper leg. Beneath it was a greenish-brown long-sleeved "dress" that went all the way down to her knees. She noticed that the bottom half was opened at both sides so that she could move freely. Covering her legs were dark-green leggings. In the place of her sneakers were a pair of thin brown boots that went halfway up her lower leg. Clasped around her waist was the brown belt which her sword was attached to. As she looked closer, she noticed more elvish designs embedded in the leather.

Knowing that there was something strange going on, Kelsie decided to save the panic for later and look at her surroundings instead.

She was surrounded by large trees with rough barks. These were not the same trees she had seen in the park - they had a slight, mystical feel to them. She was in a whole forest filled with them. Looking around, she spotted a small pond nearby. Hoping to find more answers to where she was, she walked over and looked at her reflection.

There was an elf looking back at her.

She blinked once.

So did the elf.

She tilted her head to the side.

So did the elf.

It hit her not physically, but mentally. She was the elf. Reaching up, she could locate both of her ears - they were pointed. With wide eyes full of shock, she turned away from the pond, then turned back. Her reflection had also come back. This time, she decided to see if she could spot more differences between her new look and her old look.

Her eyes were the obvious difference. They had turned from dark-brown to a pale grayish-blue. She noticed that her skin had also turned lighter and paler. Her brownish-black hair had grown longer and turned into a shade of dark auburn. The front was pulled back with golden clips to ensure that it didn't get in the way(like it always did), and there was a long braid running down the back of her hair. She had to admit, she did look a lot better than she did before.

Kelsie sat down, not being able to believe what had happened. New clothes? New weapons? New surroundings? No longer a human but an elf? She gathered all these facts, put them together, and came up with only one possible solution.

She was in Middle-Earth.

Kelsie shook her head, not daring to believe it. How could Middle-Earth possibly exist? There was no possible way to enter a world that didn't exist.

Just then, she started to remember what had happened before she got here. She was at the park with her friends. She had finished her homework first, then took out the book to read. Kelsie remembered her shock when she saw the blank pages. Then the glowing book. And the poem.

The poem! Now she understood what the poem meant. She was to be transported to this world, to join the adventure. She had to learn to survive in this world - otherwise, she wouldn't make it home alive.

Although much of it had come clear to her, there were some parts she didn't get. First of all, what adventure was she supposed to join? She had already read past the part where the ring was casted into the fire and Sauron was defeated. Shouldn't the adventure be complete already?

And besides, even if she did complete the adventure, how was she supposed to return to her own world? She thought about the glowing book, but unfortunately, the book had not accompanied her into this world.

Maybe I should stop worrying and instead, start planning on how to survive, she thought. She had no home, no food, no friends, and no family.

So much for living in a world I've always wanted to live in.

Kelsie ran soundlessly through the forest.

A plan for survival was already forming in her head. She knew that she would need to be able to protect herself from danger. The only way she would be able to do this was through training. And the forest seemed like a great place for it.

As she ran through the trees and jumped over their roots, she could easily detect her new elven abilities at work. Unlike most humans, she was able to run lightly and jump farther. She could also quickly dodge the trees, due to her elven reflexes.

Kelsie ran until she had come back to the place she started. Then, she skidded to a halt. She stopped to take a break, but soon realized that there wasn't any need to, since she was now an elf and didn't tire easily. Still, she preferred breaks to long continuous runs.

She slumped against a tree, wishing she had her 'famous' sketchbook with her. "If only I were back in my world," she wondered out loud. She looked at the scenery around her. "Well, here I am, in Middle-Earth, where I've always wanted to live in. Despite the fact that I have no family, friends, or home." She glanced around, certain that nobody else was near. "Good. I don't need anyone from this world knowing my secret."

She stood up and stepped away from the tree. "Now I should practice how to climb trees." Just as she was about to start, something strange caught her attention.

The tree had eyes.

"Ah!" Kelsie jumped back, startled. She didn't know what frightened her more - a tree knowing her secret, or a tree that had eyes. However, even as she started to ponder this, something even more incredible happened.

The tree started to unravel itself from the ground. The large branches could now clearly be seen as arms. The tree roots were pulled up from the ground, rising to take the form of legs. At its full height, it stood at least three times taller than Kelsie. And all this time, it had been keeping both eyes on her.

Kelsie nervously backed away. She had momentarily forgotten everything she read in the book, due to her shock. How was she supposed to act to make a good first impression, and prevent any harm from coming her way? She looked up at the tall tree, trying her best to look harmless and non-threatening, which she wasn't very good at.

The tree's eyes stared at her for a while, then relaxed, confident that the elf(or former human) meant no harm. He walked to a stop in front of the small figure and spoke in a low rumbling voice. "What brings you to the forest of Fangorn, young elf?"

The forest of Fangorn! Now Kelsie could remember the description of the forest and the Ents that lived there. "N-Nothing important. Just v-visiting,"she stammered, disappointed in the way her words came out.

The Ent seemed to notice the nervous stutter in her voice. "There is no need to fear me," he said, reassuringly. "You are in my forest, under my protection."

Kelsie nodded, not sure what to say. She always failed at introductions.

"You may call me Treebeard," said the Ent. "Tell me, what do you prefer to be known by?"

"My name is...Kelsie," she answered. She knew that it was not an elvish name, but what else could she say?

Treebeard considered it for a moment before answering. "Sounds like a unique name."

"Thank you," Kelsie answered timidly. Then, she started to relax. Maybe she could strike up a conversation, now that she had made an okay impression. At least she could gain a friend. "I've been to lots of places as a wanderer, but I must say that your forest definitely suits me the most."

Treebeard seemed to find this even more interesting. "I am glad my forest suits you well, although I find that quite rare. Many do not dare to venture here, for they fear the Ents that live here."

"Well, then they're greatly mistaken," said Kelsie. "I don't see anything bad about your forest." Then, another question popped into her head. "Do you mind if I could stay here for a night, since I have nowhere else to go?"

"Not quite easy being a wanderer, I suppose," said the Ent. "Of course you may stay here."

"Thanks for letting me stay overnight," said Kelsie, glad that she would have at least a night to live. "It's not easy traveling a long way from home."

"By the looks of it, you must come from Mirkwood, am I correct?"

"Correct," she answered, knowing she had to make up a story.

"Wanderers from Mirkwood aren't very common, I must say. You must have quite the heart for adventure, especially for an elfling of your age."

"I always thought I was old for an elfling."

Treebeard laughed softly. "Either way, you've still got a long, immortal life ahead of you."

Kelsie wondered what he would have said if she wasn't an elf. "If I can survive my adventures, of course." Which I most likely won't, she added silently.

"You'll find there's a lot more adventure to this world than you think," Treebeard said. "I've never been on any big adventure, since I am content with my forest."

"I haven't either. This is my first big adventure and it will probably be my only one."

"A big adventure consists of many small adventures," said Treebeard, wisely. "There will be something good in every adventure."

Kelsie nodded. "I'll try to remember that."

"You should probably get some rest now," suggested Treebeard. "You've got a long way ahead of you." And with that, he started to kneel down, his legs folding underneath him and into the soil. His arms turned back into branches. Soon, he looked no different from a regular tree.

Kelsie let out the breath she had been holding. Thankfully he hasn't found out. She had been worried that he had heard her muttering about 'not needing anyone in this world knowing my secret'.

"Now what?" she said out loud. "What should I do now?"

She looked up at the sky. Judging by the position of the sun, she decided it must be around five. "Sadly, there are no clocks in this world," she muttered.

Kelsie sat down next to the tree, her mind full of questions that needed to be answered. She still didn't get exactly what adventure she needed to complete in order to return to her home. Did she have to defeat some kind of evil? And what kind of evil will it be, and how was she supposed to defeat it?

The more she thought about home, the more she missed it. She wondered what her family and her friends were doing right now. Julie and Alice would probably be arguing over their project, and Sunny would probably still be watching Anime. Her parents would most likely be looking for her, and wondering why she wasn't home yet. "At least I don't have to attend those performances," she said in a weak attempt to raise her spirits. In truth, she would be glad to practice the piano right now.

As she was thinking, another question popped into her head.

What if I fail to complete my quest?

Kelsie shuddered at that dreadful thought. She knew that the answer would not be pleasant. And she wasn't willing to find out, either. I would probably be forced to stay in this world forever. Or I might get killed in a fight. Those were only a few possibilities.

For the rest of the day, Kelsie walked around the forest, thinking all the possible answers to her questions, and adding more questions to her list. When she had grown tired of thinking, she made her way back to the small clearing where she had met Treebeard. Since she couldn't find anything more useful to do at the moment, she took out her sword and tried to practice some of the moves she learned at her martial arts classes to get used to the feeling. Of course, she had to be extra careful, because it was her first time holding a real sword. Yet, she was glad that she had at least a bit of training to back her up during real fights, even if it didn't help as much.

The sky was getting darker and night was falling fast, when Kelsie put her sword back into her scabbard. Content with her training for the day, she sat down underneath the same tree and leaned against its trunk. She wasn't actually tired, but like Treebeard said, she would need to get prepared for what was ahead of her. So, she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

After several long minutes, she was forced to open her eyes. Why couldn't she fall asleep? Or maybe elves slept a different way, she thought. Kelsie traced her memory until it came to a stop at the book. Then, she remembered. She wasn't supposed to sleep with her eyes closed - she had to leave them open and unfocused.

Groaning, she shifted into a more comfortable position. She relaxed against the trunk of the tree and put her hands behind her head and crossed her legs. Then, remembering that she was in Middle-Earth, not Earth, she put her hands across her stomach, but she still didn't uncross her legs.

It was like falling into a highly realistic daydream. Soon, her elven eyes turned hazy and unfocused, and most of her thoughts were dismissed from her mind. However, one thought remained. It was the summary of all her other thoughts.

So much for living in a world I've always wanted to live in.

A/N: So there's the second chapter. Sorry if you find the first two chapters boring(I kinda did). But there will be more excitement and action in the next chapter.