Disclaimer: I don't own LotRs, it's characters, plot, etc. My friend owns his OC Melinda but I own my OC Clara. I also own anything added that you don't recognize.
The actual lord of the rings part starts next chapter(kinda end of this one) in case anyone was wondering. I'm going to separately explain this here. Leah is Clara's second cousin but she's not Thomas' daughter. Clara's mother and Thomas had another brother but he died. I needed there to be another cousin but Leah's too old to be Thomas' daughter.
I have no ideas who will readings work so I hope got some of it right.
Thank you Freedom Hunter for being my first reviewer.
The next morning Clara woke to Isabel opening her curtains and the sunlight pouring in.
"Good Morning, Miss Clara." Isabel said. Clara mumbled into her pillow but turned and squinted at the maid.
"What time is it?"
"Seven thirty, Miss." Isabel said with a smile. Clara quickly sat up.
"Don't wake Melinda!" she said with wide eyes. Isabel laughed. "I'm serious; she is not a morning person."
"Duly noted." Isabel said with a nod. "I'm not required to wake her. I'm to wake you for breakfast, the will reading is after. Your cousin has already arrived."
"Oh!" Clara quickly got up and went to her suitcase.
"Oh, I've already set out something for you." Isabel said as she gestured to a dress that was hanging on the door of the bathroom. Clara's eyes widened.
"I-I can't wear that."
"Why not?"
"It's way too…" Clara gestured with her hands. "It's a dress." Isabel chuckled.
"That's the point, Miss." She said. "I'll let you get dressed while I make your bed then I'll help you with your hair."
"My hair?" Clara asked as she blinked and reached up to touch her hair that resembled a rat's nest.
Clara sat at the small vanity mirror as Isabel stood behind her and brushed her hair.
"You look lovely, Miss." Isabel said. Clara glanced down at the sleeveless light sky blue V-neck A-line dress with sequins around the high rise waistline and top of the straps with white netting over the skirt.
"I still think it's too much." Clara said.
"When you see Miss Leah, you'll think otherwise."
"When you see Melinda you'll think I'm dressed for casual Friday." Clara said. The two woman laughed as Isabel started on a braid.
…
Clara entered the dining hall and saw a dark haired woman sitting at the table already where there were four other places set. She was in an elegant black and green dress with black lace.
"Um, hello." Clara said. The woman looked up and smiled. "I'm Clara."
"Hello." The woman stood and approached her. "My name's Leah, I'm your cousin, well second cousin." She said as the two shook hands. "Agatha was my great aunt." She explained. "So you're Aunt Christa's daughter."
"You knew my mother?" Clara asked with a small frown.
"She used to baby sit me." Leah said with a nod. Clara blinked.
"Baby sit?"
"Mhm."
"I'm sorry… it's just… you look around my age." Clara said hesitantly.
"Oh, thank you!" Leah said with a big smile. "Truth is I'm almost 31." She whispered. Clara's eyes widened.
"You look amazing."
"Thank you!" Leah took her hand. "Come sit by me." she said as she pulled the younger girl over to the seat beside hers.
…
A few minutes later Hunter opened the door and a man and child walked in.
"Madam Leah, Miss Clara." Hunter said. "Mister Thomas Drake and his son Damien." Hunter said. Clara quickly turned to Leah.
"What name did my mother take?"
"She kept her maiden name, Drake." Leah whispered back.
"Ladies." Thomas said. He was a middle-aged man; his hair was dark brown with a few strands of grey here and there. The two had matching suits, Damien's tie being a clip on of course. The little boy frowned when he noticed Clara.
"Who are you?" he asked as he pointed at her.
"Damien." Thomas said in a stern voice. The boy jumped and lowered his hand. "This is your cousin, Clara Drake. She's your Aunt Christa's daughter."
"How come I've never heard about her? Why is she here?" The boy asked with a confused frown. Clara bit her bottom lip.
"Damien."
"It was just a question." The boy said.
"It's alright." Clara said with a forced smile. The two took their seats across from the girls. Ramsey entered the room with his hands behind his back.
"Now that everyone has arrived-"
"Um-" he turned to look at Clara. "My… my sister hasn't come down yet."
"Sister?" Thomas asked with a frown.
"Adoptive." Ramsey clarified for him before turning back to Clara. "The maids have attempted to wake Miss Kingsley but it seems she will be sleeping in this morning."
"Oh… okay." Clara said.
"Now, breakfast is served." Ramsey said. Two maids and two butlers came in and placed a plate in front of each person. Hunter placed Clara's down and gave her a polite smile which she returned.
…
After breakfast the group went into another room and sat down, maids brought in tea for everyone, while Ramsey went to the desk at the back of the room and pulled out a small locked box.
"Now, the Last Will and Testament of Agatha Drake. 'To my dearest son Tommy,'" he read. Thomas frowned slightly. "'I leave two quarters of my fortune. Half of which to be put into a separate account for my grandson, Damien.'" Damien's face lit up. "'To my granddaughter,'" Clara swallowed. "'Leah. I leave a quarter of my fortune, my ranch and all of my horses, including those at this estate.'" Leah's face lit up.
"There're horses here?" Everyone turned to see Melinda. Hunter was behind her with an apologetic look.
"She pushed right past me." he said.
"Who are you?" Damien asked. Melinda ignored him and entered the room.
"What does Clara get?" Melinda asked.
"Mel." Clara hissed.
"Who's this?" Thomas asked with a deep frown.
"This is my sister." Clara said in a small voice. Ramsey put down the will.
"You are not allowed in here." He said.
"Bullshit." Melinda said putting her hands on her hips.
"I have to ask you to leave the room." Ramsey said.
"Funny." She said as walked over to Clara. "Alright, what's she getting?"
"Mel, you can't be in here." Clara said as her face flushed in embarrassment.
"Says who?"
"There's a list of people allowed to be at the reading." Leah said. "You're not on the list. You legally cannot be in here." Melinda frowned.
"Mel, please just leave." Clara whispered.
"First I not allowed at breakfast now I'm not allowed to be with my sister?"
"Adoptive." Ramsey said.
"Who said you weren't allowed at breakfast, you slept in." Clara said as she turned to look up at her.
"No I didn't." Melinda crossed her arms. "I came down for breakfast and they wouldn't let me in the room." Clara frowned and turned to Ramsey.
"Mr. Grey." Ramsey said. Hunter nodded and approached Melinda.
"Melinda." He said quietly.
"Fine!" Melinda huffed before leaving. Hunter smiled apologetically at everyone before following after Melinda and closing the door behind him.
"I'm sorry about her…" Clara said.
"Continuing." Ramsey said. "'To my youngest granddaughter,'" Clara sat up straight. "'I leave the last quarter of my fortune and this estate as well as everything in it to do with as she pleases.'" Clara's eyes widened. "'The staff are to remain and work under her if she wishes.'" Everyone turned to look at Clara.
"You're kidding right?" Clara squeaked.
"All we get is money and she gets the house?" Thomas asked with a frown.
"I got the horses." Leah said with a smile.
"Let me remind you, Master Thomas, you and your son received half of the Mistress' money." Ramsey said. Thomas grumbled and shifted in his seat.
"What am I going to do with this place?" Clara asked.
"That is up to you, Miss Clara." Ramsey said.
"You got this house?" Melinda asked with wide eyes. "That's awesome! I guess you'll have to send for the rest of our things."
"What?" Clara blinked at her with a slight frown.
"Well, we are going to live here, aren't we?" Melinda asked as she put her hands on her hips.
"I don't know."
"Well as your older sister, I say we should move here." Melinda said with a grin.
"This is a whole new country, Mel. We'll have to drive on the other side of the road, there's different currency, and the metric system!"
"We won't have to drive anywhere. Chauffeured limo, remember? We won't have to worry about the currency when we have so much of it and it can't be that hard to learn the metric system."
"If it wasn't hard we would've learned it in school. Also…" Clara shifted on her feet. "it's not your money." Clara said with a half shoulder shrug.
"Looks who's being greedy now." Melinda said with a frown as she crossed her arms.
"I'm just saying…"
"You are going to share with your big sister, aren't you?"
"Of course, it's just… I don't want you spending all of it."
"I'm not going to spend all of it." Melinda said as she rolled her eyes.
"Mel, you've maxed out three credit cards in a week." Clara said.
"That was a long time ago." Melinda said waving her hand.
"That was last month!" Clara said. "You're no good with money, Mel, which is why I figured I'll give you $100 uh 100 euros."
"You're giving me an allowance and only 100?!"
"That's equal to about $140 American." Clara said.
"That's slightly better." Melinda said with a shrug. "So I can't get any money without your permission?"
"Nope. If I was a minor you'd be the one in charge of the money but I'm not, sorry."
"Damn."
"Money isn't everything." Clara said.
"It can buy you pretty things." Melinda said with a pout.
"Pretty things are just that though. Things. And with you it's always things you don't need." Clara pointed out. Melinda huffed.
"Whatever. When's dinner?"
"We haven't even had lunch yet."
"I'm just asking." Melinda said with a shrug. "Hey, we should throw a party; we have a big enough ball room."
"We don't know anyone here. I doubt any of your friends from the states will want to fly here just for a party."
"If we pay for them they might." Melinda said with a smile. Clara sighed. "Come on, it's almost Halloween; we can throw the most kick ass party ever!"
"Fine." Clara said and Melinda squealed. "But I'm giving you a budget!" Clara added quickly as Melinda whipped out her phone.
…
Within no time Melinda had texted all of her friends about her Halloween party she was going to be hosting at her new home. Clara let her have her fun and worked out the financials for her older sister. The staff of the house worked all week preparing the ball room for the party, Ramsey had hired a caterer and Isabel had helped Clara pick out her costume from the dress room. Melinda was a little harder to please and ended up going into town and buying something herself, spending half her allowance in the process.
When the guest list was finalized Clara made it clear that Melinda was only allowed to pay for twenty people but of course the list went well past 20 so she ending up only paying for half of everyone's ticket. Melinda had offered some of the guest rooms to her friends but Clara made it clear she was to take those offers back immediately and her friends were to say at hotels. Clara didn't want strangers in her grandmother's house. Even if she'd never met the woman she felt it would be disrespectful to allow random people in. That and Clara didn't trust Melinda's 'friends' and she felt Melinda didn't care that it was technically Clara's grandmother's house, now Clara's, and not her own.
Clara could barely hear herself think in the semi-crowded ballroom. A plethora of ghouls, witches, vampires and more danced and mingled in the low light from the many candelabras and the crystal chandelier that loomed over them. The ballroom was decorated in oranges, purples and black, fake spider webs and jack-o-lanterns. The back wall of the ballroom was completely made of windows and lined with doors leading out to a large balcony looking out over a small lake behind the house; beyond the lake was a dense forest that looked sinister in the moonlight. Clara was wearing a black dress Isabel had picked out for her from the dress room. It reached the floor and the sleeves stopped at the elbows with had navy blue draping sleeves and a bit of black lace at the top.
Melinda was center stage. She was wearing her red Edwardian dinner gown. Her blonde hair was in a curly updo. In her left hand she had a red venetian mask with a silver handle that every once in a while would cover her face. Of course Melinda had chosen the musical selection so the song Masquerade played over the large speakers that had been set up.
Clara moved through the crowd to the back of the ballroom before slipping outside. She let out a sigh of relief; she never really liked crowded places and preferred to be in more open spaces with a few people or even just by herself. She walked to the railing of the balcony and crossed her arms before leaning on the cold metal. When she looked down at the lake and saw the moons reflection, she looked up at it. Clara let out another sigh and closed her eyes as a breeze blew her hair back. She was enjoying the quiet sounds of the night when a deep voice whispered in her head.
"Sell nîn. Elen nîn."
Clara's eyes snapped open and she looked out at the forest. She could've sworn the voice had come from there though she'd heard it in her head. When she didn't see anything after staring for a while she backed away from the railing with a frown. Hugging herself loosely she took another step back before heading back inside.
…
It was soon midnight but the party was still fully active. People were dancing and laughing; Melinda could be seen here and there talking to her friends, keeping up appearances. Clara felt like she was suffocating in the room and had retreated to her bedroom. She hadn't taken off her dress but was sitting at her vanity brushing her hair. She'd taken off her make up in the bathroom before. Clara sighed as she put down her brush. She stood but suddenly stopped as she felt a shiver down her spine.
"Sell nîn. Elen nîn."
Clara instinctively looked towards the woods. How had she been able to hear that voice again when the door to her balcony had been closed? She felt a pull, a stronger pull than she had felt when she heard the voice before, pulling her towards the woods.
"I should just go to bed." Clara said aloud to herself. She looked down as she took a deep breath and noticed something. With a frown she pulled back the top of her dress to look down at her necklace. The gem had started to pulse with light slowly, in time with Clara's breathing, in time with her heart. She slowly let go of the dress and looked out at the woods again.
…
Clara was never really one to follow gut feelings, especially when they gave her the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach she had about the woods as she neared them. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath her boots, there was no wind and the only other sound she could hear was that of the muffled party in the distance. She used the flashlight on her phone as she entered the forest. The pull was getting stronger and leading her deeper inside. She felt she had been walking forever when she just suddenly stopped. The pull was gone. She pulled out her locket, the gem was still pulsing – a little quicker now as her heart was beating faster – but there was also a tiny bit of light coming from the locket itself. Light leaked through the sides as if something was inside it. She'd never been able to open it; she didn't know why she thought it would suddenly open now. But it did and the light grew until all Clara could see was white then she was plunged into darkness.
So the "Sell nîn Elen nîn" was supposed to be elvish for "My daughter. My star." But I probably got it wrong, hence why I'm telling you what it's supposed to say in case anyone looked it up and it was wrong.
We're in middle-earth next chapter. Let me know what you think ^_^