Author's Notes: I'd like to thank all who read and enjoyed this story so far, especially those who reviewed. You have all been very supportive and kind, and that encourages me a lot. Keep those reviews coming!

Chapter 3: Beginner's Luck

I listened to Julie and Alice's plan with a smirk on my face. Of course it was Julie who just had to spoil everything. But to be honest, I kind of like the idea of getting gummy worms dumped over my head. I guess I'll just have to wait and pretend.

I then turned my attention back to my book. Although I was already done with most of the story, I still felt like I couldn't wait to read it. I was already past the part where Sauron was defeated for good, and the Fellowship was reunited again. It's kinda sad when friends have to leave each other after a long epic journey. Actually, I meant really sad.

Well, anyway, the journey was complete, and now the Fellowship was returning home or moving on to visit new places. I was especially interested to read what that elf and the dwarf would encounter in the Forest of Fangorn and learn even more about their friendship, since they are an unusual pair of friends.

So there I sat, reading word by word, page after page until...it all went blank.

I couldn't believe it! How could such a good story just end here!? I flipped through the rest of the book, hoping to find an apology note saying that the printer ran out of ink, but nope, there was no mistake. However, I did find a small note on a corner of the last page. More of a poem to be exact. But seriously, who would print a poem so small that the reader could barely see it?

Then, I found out that this was no apology poem - it was a matter of adventure and survival. I was to join an adventure and try to survive.

I didn't understand. What was I supposed to do?

Then the book started to glow. And obviously, my reaction was shock and curiosity(I'm not going to describe it too much). It's not like I see a glowing book everyday. I backed away a little, just to make sure I was safe. The book just stayed there, glowing.

I knew I had to do something about this, because if I didn't, matters won't get any better. I stole a glance at my friends, hoping they didn't notice anything. The last thing I needed was for them to freak out like crazy.

I looked back at the book, making up my mind. I knew I had to be brave and take risks. Yet I had to be careful. So I edged back to the book, took a deep breath, and touched it with my right hand.

It all happened so fast, I could barely see anything. The next thing I knew, I was being pulled into the book. Literally. One moment ago, I was sitting on the ground, the next moment, I was falling headfirst through the book. I could not tell what was around me, because I was falling too fast. I tried to cry for help, but no sound came out.

That was when I saw something. It started out as a small speck of green, growing larger and larger every second. Then, I could see the trees and the pond.

It was only at the last few seconds that I realized I was falling into the forest. Thinking this would be the last seconds of my life, I managed to bring my arms out to cover my head. Then, I braced myself for the impact.

Finally, I hit the ground, and everything turned black.

Kelsie woke up with a start. She knew she must have overslept. She could already feel the light of the sun shining on her. "Oh no," Kelsie groaned. "Great. I'm late for school. Better run." She turned to grab her jacket, but it wasn't there. She blinked several times to clear the sleep away, only to realize that it was already cleared. Knowing that something was off, she looked around her room, only to find that she was in a forest.

It took her a few minutes to accept the fact that she was stuck in this world, and it was not a dream. She looked around her and sighed. "Guess I'll just have to go along with the adventure," she muttered. She touched her ears to make sure they were pointed, which they were. Certain that she was going to remain an elf as long as she was here, she checked her bow, quiver, and sword to make sure they were also with her. Satisfied that nobody had stolen anything, she stood up to decide what to do next.

It was only now that Kelsie realized how thirsty she was. Being so caught up in adventuring, she had forgotten the basic needs for survival - water and food. "Could've thought of that earlier," she groaned, smacking herself on the head.

She looked over at the clean, flowing water in the pond, wondering if it was safe to drink or not. Just the sight of it made her even more thirsty than ever. Yet, she resisted the urge. She looked away and thought it over. "Okay. I have to decide," Kelsie told herself. "It's either I give it a try, or I die of thirst." She looked back at the water and made up her mind.

Kneeling down at the pond, Kelsie cupped her hands and scooped up as much water as she could. She brought it to her lips and sipped a bit.

The water was the most refreshing treat she had ever tasted. It was just the right quality and taste. Thinking back to the story, she realized that this must be the ent water. She knew that it was definitely not normal, everyday water - it was composed of magical substances that made mortals grow taller. She didn't know what it would do to immortals like her, but she didn't really care now. All she cared about at that moment was quenching her thirst.

After she was satisfied, Kelsie stood up to choose which way to go next. Since she had no idea which way was which, she closed her eyes and spun around several times. Then, after attempting to make herself dizzy(which didn't work), she stopped and opened her eyes. Unsurprisingly, she was facing a cluster of trees that had no visible path leading anywhere. Oh well. I've promised myself I'd play fair and I will. So, having no idea of what was ahead of her, Kelsie started her journey.

Kelsie had been walking for at least an hour now. When she had first started her journey through the forest, she had been wondering who or what she would encounter. But now, that excitement was wearing off. She had learned to never let her guard down, but at this time, she couldn't help it. She was getting quite impatient, and she wasn't sure if she could take this boredom any longer.

I wonder how long I'll have to walk to get to the edge of this forest. Better not take a whole day. She had tried walking in different ways to get rid of her boredom. It did help a little, but it wasn't the most exciting. Maybe I should start looking for danger myself, instead of waiting for something to happen, she thought. She knew that it was a silly idea, and that she would instantly regret it, but she needed some way to show how bored she was.

It had been another twenty minutes when something finally happened. Kelsie was half walking, half skipping through the trees when she came to a stop at a devastating scene.

It was like walking through a park and finding a garbage pile next to it. All the trees in this section of the forest had been cut down, until nothing remained but stumps. There were fallen branches scattered around and dry, crumbled leaves crushed into pieces. What looked like the trunks of the trees were nothing more than piles of black, decaying matter. To the mystical, living trees, this scene looked much like a graveyard of dead, rotting trees.

Kelsie clenched her fists as she surveyed the scene. This is all Sauron's work. And some additional thanks to his orcs, of course. I am so glad that ring is destroyed.

She nervously took a step forward. She knew that in order to resume her journey, she had to get past this graveyard.

As Kelsie walked through this section of the forest, she knew something was wrong. Besides the severed stumps and rotting trunks, there was something else lurking around. It would most likely be dangerous, or else she wouldn't have that feeling of unease. The excitement that had vanished earlier was coming back, along with a tinge of nervousness.

Suddenly, Kelsie heard a rustling sound behind her, and stopped. Slowly, she turned around, only to find nothing new. So she turned back and continued walking, but this time with more nervousness. Then, she heard it again. That same rustling sound, only that it was louder and seemed to come from right behind her. This time, she whipped around, drawing her sword out at the same time...

...and found herself face-to-face with a large, flesh-eating spider.

"Aaaah!" Kelsie stumbled backwards, keeping her sword out in front of her. So the spider had been following me the whole time. Even though she tried to remain calm, she couldn't stop her arms from shaking. This was the first time she had been involved in a real battle, and she had been expecting something easier, not a ten foot tall spider!

The spider advanced towards her, casting a big looming shadow upon the small elf. This is going to be easy, it thought. This one probably doesn't even know how to fight. What a nice tasty meal it will make. Then, with its beady, black eyes glinting maliciously, it pounced on its prey.

Kelsie stood there, not knowing how to react. Her mind was screaming for her to move, but her legs could not respond. It was only at the last second that she was able to jump out of the way. Thanking her elven speed, she ran behind it quickly, hoping it did not see her. Unfortunately, the spider could sense her running. It turned around quickly and spotted her. The prey was not going to escape so easily this time. It lunged at its prey, front legs extended, hoping to capture her.

This time, Kelsie decided to fight back. She could not outrun the eight-legged spider easily, and even if she did, it will eventually catch up to her once she wore out. With her heart threatening to break out, she spun around and sliced off the spiders leg, just as it was about to touch her. She had to fight the urge to drop her sword and cover her ears as the spider let out a horrifying, ear-shattering screech. Then, the spider fell limp and stopped moving.

Kelsie was stunned. Did I just kill that spider? She cautiously made her way to its side and poked it with her sword. There was no answer. She stayed there for a moment, wondering whether it was dead or not. Then, after waiting for long enough, she shrugged and put her sword away.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard a sound behind her. She turned around just in time to see the another leg coming straight at her. She gasped and immediately reached for her sword, but unfortunately, her fingers didn't work well and she was unable to tug it out of her sheath. She hated herself for not being more careful. And this is how I am going to die. With her legs unable to move(again), and her weapons unreachable in time, she put her arms over her head and braced herself for the impact.

The impact never came. Kelsie slowly looked up to see the spider reeling back in pain, an arrow sticking out of its leg. She looked to the side to see who did it.

Another elf had joined the battle. This one was a blond archer with a longbow, leaping gracefully from tree stump to tree stump. As Kelsie watched, the elf leaped off the last stump, did a flip in the air, and landed perfectly on the back of the spider. He then drew a pair of twin knives and stabbed the spider in its neck, sending it rolling onto its back, its legs flailing in the air. The blond elf leaped off its back just in time, as another figure rushed in from the opposite side.

It was a red haired/bearded dwarf holding a sturdy-looking axe in his hands. Sprinting towards the spider and shouting a battle cry, he bravely swung his axe and cut off three of the spider's legs. The spider screeched even louder, but managed to roll onto its stomach again. Then, it looked around to see who it should attack.

Unluckily, Kelsie was positioned almost directly in front of the spider, so it was her the spider decided to attack. Luckily, she had learned to be prepared ahead of time, so while the elf and the dwarf were fighting, she had used that time to put away her sword, take out her bow, and attach an arrow to it. Now, all she had to do was to aim and release her arrow, then the spider would hopefully be finished. She held the bow up so that the arrow was pointed at its head, which wasn't very hard, considering the size of the spider. Then, she drew back the arrow, surprised at how tough the string was. Finally, hoping that nobody noticed her arms shaking unsteadily, she released the arrow...which buried itself deep into the spider's eyes.

The pain was too much for the spider to bear. With four legs of its legs cut off, its neck stabbed with knives, and an arrow in its eye, it gave one last bloodcurdling screech and fell dead.

Kelsie stood there with her bow still in her hands, not daring to breathe. How had she made a shot so accurate when she had never used a bow before? Maybe she had acquired some new elven skills when she had been transported into this world.

"Are you alright?" said a light, melodious voice. Kelsie jumped slightly, having not heard the blond elf's silent approach. "Yes, I'm fine. Is the spider...dead?" she asked, remembering what had happened when she had let her guard down.

The dwarf walked over to the spider and knocked it hard with his ax. When no response came, he called, "Yes, it's quite dead, thanks to my ax-wielding skills."

The blond elf raised an eyebrow at the dwarf. "And do we get any credit?"

"Fine, you can have your credit, but I still keep most of it," the dwarf answered in his rough voice.

The elf rolled his eyes, then turned to Kelsie. "That's my good friend Gimli. You'll have to excuse him, he's not very good at crediting others."

Gimli glared at the elf. "What about all those times I credited you for killing 41 orcs at the battle of Helms Deep?

"You were using that to boast about how you beat me at that game," the elf returned calmly.

"What game?" Kelsie suddenly interfered. In truth, she had already read about their game at the battle of Helms Deep. However, since she wasn't supposed to reveal her secret, she had to act like she didn't know.

"It's a game where whoever kills more enemies wins. I'm way better than Legolas at it," said Gimli.

"Oh. Okay," said Kelsie, trying not to sound too curious. "Just wondering."

Legolas whacked Gimli on the head, then turned back to Kelsie, as if nothing happened. "So, what brings you here? It's not very common to see my own kind travel so far from home, especially a young elfling."

Kelsie did her best to stay calm. She had to think of a reasonable answer as soon as possible. An answer that was believable. However, the shy and timid side of her was starting to take over again, and she didn't have time to think of a good story. "I don't really have any specific purpose for wandering."

"So you're lost?" asked Gimli, earning himself another sharp whack to the head. He then attempted to kick Legolas, but the elf was too fast for him.

"No, not exactly. Just...wandering."

Legolas felt a tinge of sadness for the elfling. Maybe my next goal should be to help her, he thought. "So you don't have anyone to go to? Where are your parents?"

Kelsie knew this question was eventually going to show up, but she didn't have any good answer for it. She paused for a moment before answering. "I don't know where they went. I couldn't find them."

Even Gimli, who was usually impatient, had stopped to listen. It wasn't unheard of that elflings would be caught wandering on their own, but it wasn't common either. He nodded and motioned for her to go on.

"And because I don't really have anything else to do, I've been wandering ever since," concluded Kelsie.

"I suppose it wasn't easy for you to be traveling alone," said Legolas.

"Of course not," said Kelsie. "I would have died if you two hadn't saved me," she added gratefully. And right on time, too, she added mentally.

"You know what?" asked Legolas, making up his mind. "We'd be glad to keep you company."

Kelsie was thrilled! What she thought was going to be a lonely, tiring, confusing journey, had just turned into a more epic, and not to mention, safer adventure. At least she would have friends to keep her company, so she wouldn't die of boredom. And there would also be a bigger chance of winning battles, since Legolas and Gimli were experienced fighters, and she was not.

"S-Sure," she stuttered, trying to keep her excitement down. "I'd way rather have company, than be traveling alone. Although I'm not sure if I could help much," she admitted, recalling her poor fighting skills.

"Of course you'll be of much use," said Gimli. "I can prove to you that I am more capable of fighting than Legolas here. And if anyone asks for the results, you can name me as the winner."

Legolas narrowed his eyes challengingly. "You think? Although I have to admit that you are more capable of cheating than I am."

Kelsie followed behind them as they argued. For some reason, they strongly reminded her of her friends, Alice and Julie. How similar they were, always arguing nonstop. She also thought of all the competitions she had done with Sunny. Again, she wondered what they were doing right now. Probably being summoned by my parents as witnesses for what happened to me. If that's the case, then I feel bad for them.

As much as she was looking forward to adventuring with her new friends, she still missed her old friends more.

A/N: Longest chapter so far! It's over 1,000 more words than my first chapter!

Sadly, this also means that the next chapter will have to be shorter. However, shorter chapters may take less time, so that's a good thing. Anyway, I wonder what the group will encounter next...