Chapter 4
A Meltdown

Slowly, so slowly you wouldn't know it was moving at all, sunlight gently awakened the heavy limbed teens. I woke first and quickly noticed three things:

1. I was lying in a REAL field with REAL grass and trees.

2. My friends and (several enemies) were strewn in the dirt in a very unpleasant manner.

3. I had no idea where I was at all. None. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. No, wait scratch that, plus I can barely see. Yep, I am off to a great start. All I could see were blurry narrow dirt roads…and blue sky…and trees… Not a street sign, sidewalk, car or person in blurry sight. Where was Claritin when you needed it?

(Sorry, sarcasm and running away are usually my first two reactions to bad situations.)

I found my backpack lying disheveled near Nick, who was still out cold. I leaned over him. He still smelled like Diesel Brave, (his scent) but now it smelled, well woodsy. Strange. I giggled, because I could kiss him and no one would see. Silently I leaned over his Abercrombie-worthy face and was about to kiss his lips when I saw his ears.

They were pointed.

No way! I must be wrong. But no; they were real and attached. And his light brown hair was much longer than it had been- it was now down to his shoulders! I could hear the others stirring behind me.

Quickly, I checked my ears, and cried out in disbelief. My cry awoke Nick instantly and he sat up; unbalancing me. I fell backwards. He quickly stood up.

"I'm sorry, Vanessa uh, here." He offered to help me up.

"Thanks," I mumbled back. If he noticed my ears, he didn't say it. Then again, my hair was covering them.

My friends' faces looked really clear now; almost in a blink of an eye my terrible vision self-corrected. We all looked so different. Stronger, older, more developed. I felt like I lived half my life already. (And I'm only 17!) Aleyna and I were both curvier than before, (which I admit I kind of liked.) Everybody was taller too, except Lauren and Bryan, who seem to have shrunk several feet!

Something was in my ear. Breathing...heartbeats, birds chirping, footsteps. Background noise assaulted my ears. My friends heartbeats were racing and I could hear it all! How absurd is that?

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say um, 11.

Blood rushed in their arteries. Sweat dripped from their pores. I can't concentrate like this. Stop stupid noise. Stop!

Then it did.

We were all awake now; confused at what just happened. I stayed close to my girlfriends in a little clique, who were screaming, crying, praying. Everyone was going crazy. I couldn't even call anything to order; there was only panic.

"V, what happened, where's the school?" cried Lauren, brown eyes wide as dinner plates. "And why am I so small? I want to be big again!"

"I, I don't know where we are, or why we're like this." I shakily confessed.

The boys weren't scared, not at all. Flipping out and pissed, yes. They kept talking to themselves in a huddle, angrily whispering about something. Maybe they had some kind of plan?

"How can, how can I hear what they're whispering about?!" Colyne shrieked, trembling. I noticed then, that Colyne's ears weren't pointy. Despite being two inches taller, she had stayed human. Although, she looked like a woman in her early twenties.

"Me too," whined Aleyna.

"Ditto," answered a now 4.6" Lauren-Hobbit.

Why couldn't I hear them? I had elf ears just like Aleyna. It was like my ears were on a different radio wave length then everyone else.

Delilah was standing outside the little "guy group" hug, huffing and tapping her expensive silver-heeled foot impatiently.

"My cell doesn't work." She announced.

Big freakin' whoop. Does she want a medal? I thought. We're in a crisis and she just wants phone reception? How about finding out why we look like this?!

After surveying this place, it began to look strangely familiar, but I didn't want it to be. Maybe I'll just wake up from this dream. I fumed, kicking rocks all over the meadow.

Take a deep breath, Vanessa girl, you're gonna be alright. Maybe not. Okay, probably not. First find out where we are.

I opened my eyes, and tried listening with my ears, (because my head still wanted me to crawl up in a ball and cry.)

"We're in the woods, because I can't hear any cars or people." It was a good guess, because even though we stood in a clearing, there were light trees around us, except for the road that led to God knows where.

Mark, who had not spoken to me in a few weeks, snorts and shouts. "No shit Sherlock. Oh, my God you are so stupid!"

My eyes narrowed, jaw clenched so hard, I thought it would lock.

"What did you say?!" I yelled back my challenge. We weren't talking about the woods any longer. No, it's going to get up close and personal. Right now.

"You heard me," he sneered. It reminded me of a weasel.

"You're such a jerk!"

"Bitch!" And the name calling went on for a couple more seconds.

"Will you both shut up?" screamed Colyne, pulling on her hair. "No, I won't Sis!" Mark yelled again.

"Both of you shut up!" "No you,"

"No you!" I wheeled in anger to backlash pretty Elven Delilah, who had just butted in, taking Mark's side of course.

"And you, you little skank, if you ever so much as talk to me again I'm gonna break your nose job!"

I expected her to back down. My friends and the guys stood awkwardly at the side, pretending not to hear what they all knew should have come out a long time ago. She stood there, with a blank expression on her face for like 5 seconds. Then managed a meek,"oh, yeah? Well then Mark will beat you up because you were, uh, so bad at being a girlfriend." That had completely nothing to do with anything! But I was done.

I pounced on her anyway. She screamed bloody murder. Nick and Bryan cursed and pulled me off her, and gave me to my friends who pinned me down. BetchBetchBetch.

Finally, I calmed down. My normally tan cheeks were flushed as I pulled away from my friends who I knew only did that for my own good. If we were ever going to get back, they would need to be calm and unified, so I needed a good story. And fast, because they're looking angry. I picked my jansport up and opened it.

"Here," I said, throwing the boys some of the unopened packages.

"What is this?" Nick looked at me, turquoise eyes filled with question. I sighed. How could I even explain this to them?

"This is gonna sound crazy, but you should have those. I think there is a reason we're here. We were kinda transported here right? I think the only way to get back is to complete the reason we were sent here."

They no longer questioned me, they just opened it.

"Jewelry?" Mark laughed.

I didn't dare look at him, for fear I might choke him on the spot. He had gotten Vilya, the ring of Lord Elrond. It was a nice ring, gold set with a round blue stone on the side.

Though he was an elf now, Nick had gotten what I was sure was Aragorn's snake emerald ring.

As far as size went though, hobbit Bryan had won the jackpot- his heavy gold and onyx Dwarven ring of power was as big as his ring finger.

I guess I should have given her one, but I wasn't really in the giving mood.

"Vanessa Jasmine Davis, give Delilah one," ordered Aleyna. Yeah right. As far as I was concerned, she didn't deserve to wear Orc shit. Aleyna tried to reason with me; "Might as well. We all have one." She then reached into the bag, pulled out a larger package and handed it to her. Traitor!

Delilah ripped it savagely with her cat claws and smiled so evilly, I feared she had found another One Ring or ring of the Witch King. Instead, she triumphantly held up Arwen's Evenstar pendant. Just to agitate me more, she said,

"I'm dedicating this to Mark, my true love." True love of what? Two and a half weeks? I shook my head. I needed to get away, only I don't know where it is I'm going to.