"Tori, wake up! The plane is landing!" Katlyn's voice blasted in my eardrums as I felt a hard hand jostle me roughly in a fit of excitement. I rubbed my eyes and shot her a seething glance. My side was tender from where she jabbed me with her fingers. I rubbed the abused skin and looked out the aeroplane window.
The City of Auckland, New Zealand's lush verdant hills of grass and port of turquoise were lit up with the rising sun. The waters of the harbour sparkled and glimmered brilliantly and the glass of the skyscrapers glittered as we passed overhead.
The rolling green of the land brought a pang of homesickness as it reminded me of my childhood home of Scotland. I had moved to the United States with my parents after I turned 13 because Da wanted a better chance in politics; If Arnold Schwarzenegger, an Austrian born immigrant to the United States could hold the office of Governor of California, then why couldn't he?
He had always had his heart set on living the American Dream, and for the most part we had been very fortunate. Da worked hard, and Mum and I supported him the best we could. Mum was definitely more help than I ever could be to my father's political career though. She was practically his secretary, campaign advisor and just about any other insert-job-title-here without officially holding such appellations. Her official calling that she absolutely adored and prided herself in, however, was Homemaker, i.e. Stay-at-home-mom.
I just tried to not cause either of my parents any grief. Of course it was hard at first, living in a new country; No one could understand my brogue, got made fun of by small minded kids, etc. Not like it really mattered much in the end since I blew through my schooling and graduated highschool at 16 as valedictorian with honours.
A soft tone came on as the seatbelt sign lit up. The flight attendants were making their final round, gathering trash and reminding patrons to buckle up in their smooth kiwi accents.
"We are making our descent into Auckland. Thank you for flying with Air New Zealand. We hope you enjoy your stay." The Pilot's voice said over the intercom as I buckled my seat belt.
"This is going to be soooo exciting! Tori, did you know they filmed the movies here?"
I looked over to Katlyn, confused, "What movie now?" I asked impatiently; still tired from the long flight. Katlyn shook her head and sighed as her shoulder length brown hair bobbed with the movement.
"The Lord of the Rings? You know, the movie we watched at that big sleepover party last week after Nationals?" Her eyebrow raised quizzically.
I thought back to the party, vaguely remembering it in the background. I had fallen behind in some classes because of travelling and the competition itself and chose to study instead. The soundtrack was beautiful though.
"I didn't watch any o' it. Was doing me homework." I looked down at my pale hair pooled in my lap and played with it absent-mindedly; I plucked at a couple of split ends with a frown. Katlyn scoffed as she buckled her seatbelt.
"Of course you would! Do you ever do anything fun? Your nose is always in a book, and not the fun ones either." She complained as I looked into her warm brown eyes. I laughed at her annoyed expression and flicked my hair over my shoulder.
"I do too know how t'have fun! It's not my fault that our definition o' fun is completely different.. You know I'm not inta movies or reading books fer fun; I like readin' to learn." I reached under the seat for my small brown leather purse and stuffed in all the snacks I had accumulated during the flight. Behind those snacks were several of the books I had brought along to read. Nothing better than snacks for later and a good read.
"Reading for knowledge is not fun, Tori, it's boring as hell." Katlyn scowled before turning her attention to her bag before stopping her action and swivelling back to me with a mischievous smile, "Once we get to our campsite, I'll teach you what real fun is!"
I laughed quietly at her before sitting back in my seat, suddenly nauseous from the constant bobbing of turbulence.
...
The walk through the airport didn't take too long and we eventually all made it to the baggage claim for our luggage before being led to our charter bus that would take us to our campsite.
Attending one of the nation's top performing art schools, such as Julliard, certainly had its advantages. There were some parents that bought and paid for this trip to New Zealand. Being generous enough to rent out the entire area of Hobbiton that the movie industry used for the Lord of the Rings films to tour and then to camp on the grounds.
The bus was filled with a loud chatter of all the women in the dance troupe. Several of them gushing about the actors from the movie while I stuck my nose in my recent read; a history book.
"Oh, I wouldn't mind a piece of that Orlando Bloom. He's hot!" a girl said cheerfully behind me.
"No, he's mine, I called dibs!" Whined a nasally voice beside her.
Kara, sitting across the aisle from Katlyn and I, huffed and turned to them from her seat, "How about you call dibs on the character! What was his name? Come on, you know it." She knew the name too, she just enjoyed working all the fangirls in the bus into a frenzy.
I looked up from my book and stared at the girls' widening smiles as they giggled loudly, trying to grasp this enormous obsession they had over a character who didn't exist. I had always preferred the nonfiction section anyways.
"Legolas!" They cheered together before commenting about his blue eyes and intense expressions.
Kara settled into her seat with a smug smirk; perfectly content with the chaos she had started.
Of course, I knew which actor they were talking about and I agreed that he indeed did look very charming, but I always found it silly to claim dibs on a living person; or even a fictional character for that matter.
I dropped my gaze to my history book again and tried to focus on the words, but didn't have much luck when the girls behind me started to squeal over their favourite Legolas scenes from the movie.
Uuuggghhhh! Could they just calm down for a bloody damn minute? They've been fawning over the movies since we left the plane! I swear, if I hear another swooning sigh! I felt very close to stabbing myself in the eye with a fork...If I had one of course, but I didn't.
"How much longer until we're there?" A tall brunette named Rylan cried impatiently in the seat in front of me.
I gazed out the window as the bus started to slow, the trees thinning out with more space between them. The bus cleared the final hill and drove down into a small clearing where another bus was unloading our camping gear.
"We're here!" A chorus of girls squealed with delight.
When the bus stopped, everyone filed out as the Director in charge with his microphone spoke about the tour we'd be heading to after collecting our gear and getting into our groups. I grunted my disapproval at the notion of leaving again after just arriving. Plus, who'd want to stick around listening to everyone pine over nonexistent characters some more?
I was however very grateful to be exiting off the stuffy coach bus; Anything was better than the faint, but pungent smell of the latrine coming from the back of the vehicle that had been slowly coiling around and recirculating with the air conditioning during the trip.
I clasped the book to my chest, eager to catch up on New Zealand History and avoid the tour completely.
Katlyn bumped my arm with hers and I looked up at her smiling face. "This is gonna be great, Tori."
I scoffed, forlornly gazing at my book before stowing it away in my satchel, "This part is all for you, my friend."
...
"This little hobbit hole was used in the movie production as the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins" The tour guide said merrily, leading us in through the door.
Katlyn went first, frowning as she bent down to fit through the door. I gave a short laugh and stepped through without needing to bend like everyone else. I had stopped growing at the age of 13, seemingly stuck at a whopping height of 4'3.
Weirdly enough, I felt a little at home in the Hobbit hole. While some grunted their discomfort *cough* Katlyn *cough* I walked through the home comfortably.
Katlyn stared down at me with a sardonic look on her face. "Looks like you're right at home, Midget." She giggled.
"Oh, kiss me arse." I swatted her hand away playfully. "Pay attention to the tour, y' eejit."
Katlyn bit back her laughter but kept herself quiet as we made our way down the hall.
Some of the nicknames that I accrued for myself over the years were rather fitting despite my dislike for them. I wasn't just cursed with the height of a dwarf, so lovingly explained by Katlyn and a few of the other girls. No, my body decided to not even start puberty altogether. At least I didn't have to worry about periods.
Of course, I wasn't offended by the names as I would often clap right back with my own sarcastic quips. I was grateful that beyond the teasing and name calling, my friends treated me with the respect and love that I deserved.
Having the stature of a child however, didn't mean that everyone took me seriously when I told them that my actual age was 20. It made going through customs in the airports difficult, even when I provided my state ID and passport. At least I had my friends, right?
"You really could live here. I'm jealous," Katlyn whispered when the tour guide stopped everyone so we could each take a turn looking at the props. "I know you don't care but just imagine this as your home."
The floor plan of the home was open, yet very cosy. Light sunshine filtered in through the rounded windows and the smell of some comforting chamomile tea wafted lightly through the house. There were even some hints of baked buttery bread.
I contemplated Katlyn's words as I rounded on an ancient, but refurbished roll styled desk cluttered with haphazardly placed book piles, stacks of rough paper scrolls and several inkpots. The desktop was a mess, but it was obvious that it was made to be this way on purpose. It made me smile seeing each of the tomes, even if they were just props for the movie. This particular part of the house had a more acrid and musty scent from the paper and bindings of the books and scrolls.
"Hmmm, definitely! He does have lots o' books, but I'd need to bring me entire collection here…and wifi." I finally agreed as we were led to another part of the house
Kaytlin grunted, "Can't live without your books and wifi, huh?"
"I need me wifi fer research," I laughed quietly and passed her, turning back briefly to stare at the disaster that was Bilbo's desk, before I made my way into the kitchen of Bag End.
...
The rest of the tour went by slowly, but everyone seemed rather enthralled with the decor and splendour of the wood carvings all throughout each of the hobbit holes; Even I couldn't keep from sliding my hands against the smooth wooden support beams as we passed through each of the doors.
I had started out the tour with apprehension, but even I felt it was cut too short as Mrs. Gale, our dance instructor, led us back to the entrance of Hobbiton just an hour shy of sundown.
"While you were taking the tour of the place, I had some of the staff prepare the camping grounds and tents. I want you to keep a buddy system with who you were assigned if you are going to be wandering the grounds at night. I'll see you all at dinner." Mrs. Gale turned gently and sauntered off toward her tent with grace; her many years of dancing apparent in her smooth movements.
The buddy system? What are we, back in primary school?
"Want to be my buddy?" Katlyn gave me puppy eyes. Her lips pulled into a pout.
I laughed and shook my head, "I was already assigned t' be yer buddy, eejit. Let's go check out the tent." She just grinned in response.
The tents were all scattered through the copse of trees and separated by 40 feet on either side from the others.
"Do we just pick one, or are they assigned?" Katlyn wondered aloud as we shuffled in place.
The other girls in the dance troupe had also gathered behind us; probably wondering the same thing. A sweet breeze blew through my hair and some strands fell free from my hurried low ponytail as Katlyn and some of the other girls left the throng to investigate.
Katlyn, after a few minutes of flitting to and fro from one tent to the next, stopped in front of one and opened the tent flap for me, "Looks like they assigned them after all. Our luggage is in here, Tori."
I brushed past her, threw my satchel into the corner with the rest of my neatly organised luggage then plopped down on one of the air mattresses. Katlyn came over and sat on my stomach and I wheezed. I pinched her thigh and she jumped off, laughing.
"You knew I was there ya dobber!" I gasped as I flung a stray pillow at her face; She caught it easily and threw it to the wayside.
"Were you? I didn't see you," She teased before switching topics, "Want to check out the gift shop with me? I think I heard Kara and Maddy saying that they wanted to go." She huffed onto her bed. I could still feel the tired ache of my muscles being forced into the single position of sitting for the equivalent of almost 24 hours. I closed my eyes and sighed, bringing my arm to rest over my face and stretched my legs.
"Not really. I tink I'll try to catch up on sleep." I yawned lightly and started to curl underneath the blankets on the mattress.
"Want me to wake you for dinner?" She hopped up and stretched before grabbing her purse.
"No, I'm good, tanks." I had filled up on the snacks that I had squirrelled away and truthfully felt a little crummy.
"Okay, see ya," She gave a wicked grin before turning to the tent opening, "Hobbit." She muttered under her breath and ran for it out of the tent before I could throw another pillow at her. I shook my head, smiling as I got up from the bed to retrieve both pillows and sat back on the bed.
Finally, some bloody peace and quiet. I laid down on my side, snuggling into my pillow and tucking my legs against my chest. I gazed over at my discarded satchel; the books that had been hurriedly stuffed inside, spilled out of the bag and onto the floor along with the ripped and empty snack baggies from the flight. While me being tired was true, I just couldn't leave the mess as it was.
I slid off the bed lethargically with a groan as my joints creaked and slumped my way over to tidy up. With the books stacked and the rubbidge stuffed back into my bag until I could find a dustbin, I stood back up to stretch again.
Now that I had begun to move again, I found that I wasn't as tired as I was just moments ago. I pulled my phone out of the front pocket of my bag and frowned as the screen lit up. 10 percent battery life? Just my luck. I griped in my mind. I guess I'll just read then.
Which wasn't really that bad of an idea, now that I had time to recall the musty smell of paper from the tour in Bilbo's office. The thick tome of New Zealand's history sat neatly on top of the stack and being the last book I had been perusing, I naturally chose it for a bit of light reading.
I changed quickly into a light jumper for sleeping before toting the textbook and my completely useless phone with me back to the air mattress that I had claimed. The air had significantly started to cool as the sun started its descent, and now with maybe twenty to thirty minutes left before complete sundown, I crawled under the blankets, laid on my stomach with the book propped up against the pillow and got right into reading from where I had left off.
I hadn't gotten very far into a paragraph talking about the geography of the land, when my brain decided to supply my first memory of New Zealand from the plane. It didn't matter if the land looked completely different from Scotland's lochs, or even the cityscape of New York. Images of my parents flashed unbidden through my mind yet again.
Da's neatly combed russet locks with the greying silver at his temples, his fair skin peppered in thousands of little freckles. The dimple that would appear on his left cheek when he grinned, and his kind hazel eyes. He was a handsome devil when he wanted to be, but he was a humble soul; something that was often looked down on in the world of politics.
And Mum: Thick wavy dark tresses that she kept clipped at her shoulders and well maintained. Healthy skin that was a deep almond colour that seemed to glow in the sunlight, big and passionate chocolate brown eyes that were filled with love. Not to mention her bright mind and quick wit. She was a vivacious, curvy woman, so vibrant and alive.
I often liked to assume that I inherited at least certain personality traits from my parents, but even that would be somewhat far-fetched. I was nothing like either of them, physically or personality wise and it was obvious to me from a young age that I wasn't actually their biological child. Then again, it wasn't that hard to figure out; With Da's side being hot blooded Redheads through and through and mum's side being Arab-Israeli, my porcelain skin and almost albino hair didn't quite match the rest when we were gathered for family reunions.
Neal and Maya Campbell may have opened their door to me, but their love and undying loyalty to each other and our little miss-matched family had made that house into a home. I laid my head against the now forgotten book. Ugh, i've gone dafty now! You'd think I would be over this by now. Grow a pair woman! I sighed.
This wasn't the first time that I had been away from them. I mean, I had been in college for three years, and I only saw them on the holidays in between semesters. Something felt different this time though, and I just couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe it was just the jet-lag that was making me feel that way?
Regardless, the longer I reminisced about my family, the heavier my eyelids started to feel. All that travelling had taken its toll on me and being worn and tired, I submitted to the fathomless dark of a dreamless sleep.
...
I woke to darkness and the light pitter patter of rain on the canvas of the tent overhead. There was a slight breeze animating the tent walls. Something crinkled against my cheek and startled me before I realised that I had fallen asleep with my nose in a book. Literally. Hopefully it had been too dark for Katlyn to see.
A snake of the cool air curled against my skin as I sat up, and I pulled the blanket closer against my chest. I felt around blindly through the wrinkled bed sheets and rumpled blanket before I found my phone. The black screen refused to light and I tossed it onto the bed with minor impatience. I should have remembered to charge it on the bus when I had the chance. My lower abdomen ached along with another shiver.
Of Course! This would be the moment when my bladder decides it needs relieving. I cocooned myself with the blanket as I stood and walked blindly over to Katlyn's bed, stumbling a few times on clumsy feet. Even stubbing a few toes as I ran into her mattress.
"Kat, wake up," I nudged her softly and she stirred slightly with an annoyed moan, "I need to go to the lavvy." I nudged her again. She turned on her phone's flashlight and looked at me with sleepy eyes while I blinked away the sting of the brightness.
"What?" Her eyes were glazed and confused.
"The loo? The toilet? I need to pee, Kat, get off yer arse!" I bit out as I bounced and crossed my legs. She scoffed and burrowed further into her blankets and pushed me away from her mattress.
"Go yourself, Tori. There's a port-a-potty a couple of yards in front of the tent." She growled and turned over, taking the light with her.
Frustrated and near peeing myself, I fumbled for my sweater in the dark and pulled on some leggings over my romper before slipping my feet into my sandals, and then headed out in the sprinkling rain.
There was a heavy fog over the campsite and the smell of watered down coal still clung heavily in the air as if it had been put out only an hour or two previously. I waded in the low light of the moon through the site to where Katlyn said the toilets were and nearly tripped a few times on the uneven wet ground. I cursed at my stupidity in wearing sandals, but the feeling of my nearly bursting bladder kept me moving briskly. At last, the toilet came into view. And not a moment too soon. I thought as another shiver racked at my abdomen in pain.
I stepped into the port-a-potty and stifled a gag. Shite! What crawled in here and died?
I unrolled some paper from the spool and placed it on the dirty seat before sitting down. Feeling only a little less grossed out with the thin layer of toilet paper separating me from the seat and my nose tucked into the neck of my zip-up sweater, I went to business in relief.
The rain picked up and started to pound against the plastic roof. I looked down at my summer sweater and sandals with a grimace. I'm going to get soaked before I even make it back to the tent!
Feeling much better and finished, I opened the door and felt the dread of having to brave the sudden torrential downpour. The cesspool of death that was the port-o-potty long forgotten now that the rain was like thunder in my ears as it beat against the ground and tents.
I pulled my sweater closer and stepped out of the shelter. The cold drops pelted me, blurring my vision and soaking me instantly. My body racked with another shiver, and somewhere along the way in the darkness, my foot landed into a cold puddle. My feet slid around in my sandals as I trudged forward, feeling the gooeyness of mud between my toes.
"Ackk!" I hissed through my teeth, flicking the dirty water off my foot. After a few more minutes of walking, I stopped and looked up from my feet feeling a small rise of panic in my stomach. I squinted through the rain to look for the tent that I should have already arrived at.
I didn't go the wrong way, did I? I swirled on the balls of my feet, looking in all directions, trying to catch a glimpse of any of the tents in the sheets of pouring rain and mist. My clothes were stuck to my skin like some kind of parasitic sponge that just got heavier by the second, and my breath fogged up in the air as it escaped my lips.
"Kat!" I yelled into the sheets of rain toward what I had thought the direction of the tent, breathing quickly now in panic. Only silence responded to my call.
Suddenly the wind picked up and blew against my already frigid skin. It howled in my ear and whipped at my hair. I brushed the wet strands back but it was impossible to keep them out of my vision for long. I turned around to go back to the toilet to try and correct my direction and walked for a couple minutes before finally stopping.
I swear it was right here! I stepped into another puddle to my frustration. My skin started to prickle, but not from the cold; It felt like I was being watched. I scanned the darkness for the eyes that I felt on me. My breathing caught in my throat and my heart hammered against my ribcage. The pounding in my body grew louder than the downpour.
Then a loud shriek I had never heard before ripped through the sound of the rain and wind. I covered my ears, letting out a cry of my own. The screech was so painful, I thought my eardrums were going to rupture.
Run! Run! My blood sang as it ran like ice in my veins and I took off in the direction I was facing, hoping to free myself from the shrill noise that blasted again somewhere around me.
I need to find that bloody tent!
Constantly checking over my shoulder, I failed to notice a sudden drop off in front of me. My feet were no longer touching wet ground, and into emptiness I fell. My lungs burst with one last scream before I was swallowed in blackness.