The Elven Gates [CONTINUING!!]

Prologue

Sometimes life doesn't make sense.

Like that pulsing pain you get in your stomach when you know something bad is going to happen.

Or the way it's hard to even butter bread after you've been WoW Raiding for obviously too much time.

Well that's how I felt on June 13th of last year.

We all know the sappy story of the "ultimate fangirl" who gets teleported mysteriously to Middle Earth and has her favorite character fall for her. We've all spent hours pouring over iBook websites for something that's not just a too-good-to-be-true love story truly meant for people to ship the author with their celebrity crush. And that's exactly what I was doing when it all started.

Any innocent Middle Earth obsessed World of Warcraft geek can be allowed a little computer time. But when your mom is yelling at you, the 16 year old daughter, to get your "stupid elf ears outside", you go.

I decided to grab my copy of "Return of The King" and head for Fall Creek, the nearby state park, and do a little reading. When I get there, I pass Ella and Michael, two old friends of mine, sucking each other's faces off by the trailhead. Just like 7th grade.

I just try to cover my face and look totally engulfed in my book so I can crab-walk by without them noticing.

Ya, great idea Rhoe.

"Hey Rhoe! Marcie, Tierra and I are gonna go eat by the creek, coming?" Ella shoves Michael aside and looks directly at me, obviously an invitation.

"Uh, I was just going to go read. Catch you later!" I half walk, half sprint for the trail, hoping to get away into the trees before she gets a chance to ask again. I wasn't really in the mood for socializing.

"Pleaseeeee! It'll be fuuuun!" she did this puppy eyes-begging thing that just somehow got to me.

"Fine, take me?"

"Sure thing, yayyyyyy!" With that, she grabbed my hand and skipped off down Empire Grade.

When we got there, there were more than just Tierra and Marcie there. In fact, almost my whole graduating class is present. Including my crush, Spencer, who I am embarrassed to admit looks a hell of a lot like Legolas.

Point is, I somehow get sucked into a game of Truth-Or-Dare.

"Okay, it's Rhoe's turn. Truth or Dare Rhoevi."

Hoping to avoid all inquisitions on my nonexistent love life, I choose dare. Fortunately I was lucky this time.

"Just climb that Live Oak there, and jump into the creek at that deep pool. Easy peasy."

"Uh yeah sure."

I slowly approached the tree I assumed they where talking about. 'Just climb that Live Oak, easy peasy. Yeah right.' I thought as I sized it up further. The oak was at least 30 feet to the nearest supporting branch, probably 50 to the top. I took a deep breath and grabbed a knob.

Sighing heavily and purposefully audibly, I hoisted myself onto one arm, leaning on the knot, and reached for a branch higher above. I grabbed onto that branch and swung my legs on another, catching and standing on it. Hey, I admit I was pretty proud of myself.

"Jeez Rhoe, you look like a monkey! Less sloth please, just get it over with!" someone shouted from below. I heard a roll of "yeah's" and "hurry up".

Fine, but this is what you get for pissing off Rhoevien Darkwood.

I leapt easily onto a higher branch and stood there for a second, perfectly balanced. I grabbed a nearby limb and swung effortlessly over to a fork in the tree's trunk. From there I merely walked along an outstretched branch, patted the rough bark of the tree, and called down.

"Is this good enough!"

The crowd looked at each other and cheered.

I'll take that as a yes then.

I took a deep breath and looked down, shuddering at the though of what might happen if I missed the pool and landed on a rock to the left or right. Taking aim, I held my breath and fell, arms folded across my chest to prevent any unnecessary breakage.

The creek came up faster than I had imagined. I could hear the water roaring in my ears and bubbling around me as I slipped into the pool. The water was brown and murky, cluttered with leaves and other unnameable dead things. I heard muffled applause, but it was soon turning to screams and yelling. To my horror, the screams where blocked out by another, louder, possibly more dangerous noise.

Redwood Falls.

The rush was inescapable, and I found myself trying to swim against the strengthening current. I love you mom, Leland I've secretly liked you since 6th grade, Peter Jackson I love you for adding Legolas into the Hobbit Movies...

I curled into fetal position, I fell.

That's when the white came, and when I saw the shores of Valinor, and gulls crying and elven ships sailing towards me.

My mom would have said it was the shores of the creek, and my friends sobbing, and rescue rafts coming to get me.

But true LOTR fangirl doesn't mistake orange rafts for Elven Ships.