Hey, hope you all are enjoying it so far, don't worry the plots going to get even better! And I've re-edited all the chapters so no more grammy mistakes :) xoxo, xDare2Writex
Chapter five
In the Thornspell Bush
"Guys, I'm going to go scout the area, 'kay? You should stay here until I come back. But if any of you do leave this area, take a buddy so if you get lost you don't stay lost."
Nick looked at me through his baby-blues. I hope nobody noticed my blushing.
"Be careful, Vanessa you should take someone with you."
I shook my head.
"No, I'm not going that far from the group anyway, and trust me I'll call for help if I need it." I hope not though. I need to see your face again.
"V, he's right. Someone's gotta go with you." Pressed my friends. But I refused.
"Okay, but if you see anything weird, run straight back. We'll look for you if you don't come back by nightfall. Bye V!" all 3 of my best friends came up a hugged me.
"Be safe." Colyne whispered, as if nobody else had told me that today.
"I know!" I said forcefully, taking my backpack with me. As I was walking away, I shouted back-
"Stay there, and build a shelter! I'm getting some food!" I left them to their task, and started mine.
This place sure was pretty. The breeze was cool and the trees light; there were lots of woodland animals and insects. But, I didn't see a speck of food in sight. My stomach growled. All I had eaten was a bagel for breakfast and pizza for lunch- that wasn't going to hold me over for long, and I imagine everyone else must feel the same.
Touching the disk pendant on my neck, I slowly hiked around for about twenty or so minutes. Nothing here but green grass, trees and a small river with a wobbly bridge. On the opposite side of the river was a tiny dirt road. Should I investigate? Overhead, the sun was sinking lower and lower. My stomach growled again for the 50th time. Ah what the hell, it's worth a shot.
Walking over to it, I decided to try that super-hearing thing. Maybe a car was coming by, and I could flag them down. I calmly sat down and crossed my legs under a young oak by the road. I started humming, to soothe my nerves.
Suddenly, I heard a sound that made my eyes open. It sounded like horses' hoof beats. Horses, galloping towards where I was sitting! They were getting closer breathtakingly fast. Anything moving that fast can't be a good situation!
Only one thought entered my head- Hide! Only where? Desperately I look around me, somehow my intuition knowing that if I don't find shelter soon, I'm done for.
Like a blessing, my little eyes spied (no pun intended) several thorny rose bushes along that little river's banks. It would have to do. Stumbling, I ran to the bushes and immediately wished I hadn't.
OWW!
I looked up at myself, my arms, legs and hands had long, thin red welts from the thorns. Good job, Oh Wise One.
My eyes stung- it felt like I was sliced with an arrow head all over my body. Not that I would know personally, I've only been to the archery pit over a couple of destructive sleep-away camps, (don't ask *shudder.*) Luckily, my backpack fit between me and the brambles, so the only thing I needed to worry about was still yeah, everything.
Were the others unharmed? Was that horse rider coming for me? It probably wasn't, I only just got here and what would I have that they would want besides-
Ohmygod! It hit me. This place. It's Middle Earth. The One Ring. The thing I bought from some creepy, ancient old man(?) for a fraction of the cost. Was I really so gullible? If it's too good to be true, it's too good V, end of story! If I could have hit my forehead without impaling it on poignant roses, I would have. Uh oh, my hearing was zeroing on that horse again. No wait- two horses. Another beast was coming from the opposite direction. I watched, and sat rigid as a rock.
The two enormous horses (and riders) loomed into view. The horse on my left was bloodstained and had fierce red eyes. His rider I couldn't see very well, because he had a fearsome cloak and armor on. "A ringwraith." I breathed. As if he heard me, he turned his head in my direction but looked back. I didn't breathe. He was talking to a… Dark Elf? It had to be. Risking poking my eyes out, I leaned forward, straining to hear what was said. I did hear snippets, but it sounded crudely like "nfawjifnai hafbabway bfshbn nfneiwnr twuethn jgeetjewi."
Gobley-gook. So much for getting ahead.
I hate to admit it, but the older Dark Elf had the total bad boy sexy thing going pretty well. Pitch black skin, Caucasian features, muscular, powerful. His ears were longer than ours because dark elves lived underground. His eyes were all white, as well as his arched brows and low ponytail. Double ended sword. Swirly tribal tattoos galore. I'm even thinking like an elf now? Weird! If I had been a human, his looks would have only scared me.
My backpack started shaking uncontrollably. This is not what I need right now! I grab it, unzip it. Floating out into the air comes- yep, that stupid One Ring! The ringwraith's horse is now restless, snorting and whinnying. The cursed Man-king notices, and whispers something in its ear. The Dark Elf's horse was extremely skeletal, and had exposed several rows of shark-like teeth in its mouth. It too acted up.
They went off the road and started coming closer, sniffing and squinting to find what they needed. I stuffed the Ring back in the bag. But it was throbbing and moving way too much. I could feel the whole bush shaking!
Though Nazgul are blind, they could feel vibrations, and dark elves should be blind…but maybe they weren't. They were never in the Lord of the Rings before, so why were they here now? What they are, are skilled killers, better than Urak-hai.
If I could get into the water, would the scent be gone? Or I could run for it, but I'd probably die. The first one sounded better, so I took a rock (the only thing in reach) and chucked it at the Dark Elf's horse, who buckled and caused the Nazgul to go in that direction. While the Dark Elf was still trying to get his bearings, I hurled myself, watch and backpack into the stream and waterfall pouring down the hillside. Then shivering, I waited until they were gone. After a while of more circling and slashing at flowers, they left, crying out in anger. I breathed again.
Digging myself out of that little muddy stream was hard. Now that my added 3'' made me the giant height of 5.5'', I had to watch where I threw my thin self. Achy, dirty, hungry, dripping, scratched and sore, I'm sure I wasn't going to win any beauty contests. Well no, maybe a Miss Filthy award.
Out of fear for the onsetting dark and ultra-terrifying Nazgul, I kept limping back to the camp in the same direction I came. Girl Scouts totally paid off. My classmates were waiting for me with three bent twig shelters built under a large pine tree. But they had lit a campfire to keep warm.
"Put it out, are you stupid?!" I begged. When it was, I told them everything that I'd seen. Dumbstruck is the word I think they were.
"So, hell what year is this?" Asked Bryan. I shrugged. "Um, early…and we're in Middle Earth, so it could be pre-medieval times?" Both Delilah and Lauren started crying, but for two completely different reasons.
Delilah's: With the junior prom only a short 3 months away, she would miss her dress fitting at Nina Ricci tomorrow.
Lauren's: She'd never been away from home for longer than a sleepover, and she was scared she could be stuck this way.
Bryan understood, as he was a hobbit to now too. He gently put his hand on her shoulder. "It's not that bad, I know how you feel."
Mark punched the trunk of the tree he was under in anger, but it only cut up his knuckles. He yelped, but Nick put his hand over his mouth. "Don't scream. Just chill bro!" He pulled away, and I saw the blood flowing from Mark's hand. He whimpered, but didn't cry.
I began to hear stuff. There were things in the brush, whispers in the dark.
"Guys, shhh, don't make any noise! I'm serious those things are out there and will KILL us!"
Everybody shut up; they had all seen a scary movie part that everyone dies somewhere along the line.
"Let's just sleep in watches, I'll take first watch?" Offered Nick. We agreed, then hit the sack. I for one had a restless sleep. At home, I had trouble sleeping on my own mattress; now I had to sleep on grass, dirt, and rocks? Yeah, not going to work. When I did finally fall asleep, it was troubled dreams plagued with Nazguls, elves and oh yeah, now I remember- Big Bird.
We girls slept together, huddled in an array of sweatshirts and jackets. During the day it was warm, but at night, temperatures dropped drastically. Delilah had been offered to stay with us, but being too proud, she sat away from us like a cat; shivering alone. Until Bryan and Mark sat next to her that is.
After Nick's watch came the other guys, then slowly some of the girls. It was already dawn when Colyne (apologetically) shook me awake. I complied, only because my stomach woke me more than anything else. We hadn't eaten in a day. That was way too long for me.
Asking Lauren to keep watch next, I vowed to find food this time; my backpack slumped over my shoulder. I didn't trust to leave it there because of the cargo it contained.
Making sure everyone else besides Lauren was asleep, I snuck away, and stopped off at the little stream to fill my empty school water bottle. Raspberries were growing on the nearby bushes, and there were little crab apple trees. After gathering all I could, I looked for more stuff. Wood, water, a Wal-Mart. (Sadly I couldn't find the last one.) Still, the feeling of being watched stayed with me.
I was heading back to the others when I noticed a bird's nest in a low branch. Yes, yes, come to me eggies! (Sorry, either the ring was affecting me or my empty stomach) Dropping my stuff by the tree's base, I looked to see a mother bird anywhere. Didn't see one. I caressed the speckled brown shells. They were cold. Maybe, they had been abandoned. I sure hope so, because stealing baby birds from a nest seemed pretty cruel. I delicately took the eggs from their perch and carefully balancing my bag on my back, shuffled back.
Everybody was awake when I came back.
"Please tell me you found some food." Groaned Lauren, whose hobbit-sized hunger led her to ask for food ever two hours.
"Yeah, I hope you like raspberries, crab apples, and eggs," I laughed. They all nodded; too hungry to catch my joke.
Laur had found a flat rock to cook the eggs on, and we warmed it with some of Delilah's smoking matches, and the firewood I had collected. (As an elf, she apparently says the cigarette now feels like a wriggling worm in her mouth.)
We all had like 1 piece of the fried eggs, and a small pile of the ripe berries and juicy apples. We were still starving, but that breakfast would hold us for a little while longer.