Two Worlds (Written by a 10-year-old author, 62,000 words, 72 chapters)

Chapter 2: The humans who never were

As soon as Lily had finished eating her meal (she didn't even know what time it was) two burly armored guards took her to a small meeting room. Jake was waiting for her. He smiled as Lily appeared at the door. "My apologies," he said. "The guards are quite a bit sensitive to unknown newcomers, even if one of their own is guiding them." Jake shot a very irritated look at the elves holding Lily. It was then that Lily spotted a tiny syringe in a tiny holster on each guard. Jake waved his hand to dismiss the guards.

"Now," he said. "I suppose you're wondering why I summoned you to this room." You're a genius! Lily thought. "Do you recognize these two men?" Jake asked. He pointed to two paintings of men in wigs on a nearby table.

Lily puzzled, studied the pictures. "Uh ... yes, I do," she said. "George Washington and John Adams?" "Yes," Jake said. "Am I correct that they are American heroes?" Lily nodded. "I see," Jake said, "How about now?" He pointed to two more pictures of the same men. Lily didn't see any difference until she saw they had pointed ears.

"Eeep!" Lily covered her mouth as the sound escaped her lips. "They're aliens!" Jake sighed in exasperation. "Yes, these famous men were elves," he said. "They wore wigs to cover their ears, if you didn't already know. Tons of humans used to think that they were just old, but elves and pixies can live over 100 years old. I, for example, am 157 years old." Jake certainly didn't look like a 157-year-old person - he looked as though he were twenty-five.

Soon, Jake began to show Lily more pictures of famous 'humans'. These profiles included Benjamin Franklin (Oh, really?) Abraham Lincoln (That's weird) Marilyn Monroe (What the-) and the host of the show 'Yo Gabba Gabba!' (BLEAUGH!!)

Ten minutes later, a horrified Lily managed to exit the room. As she walked through the hall back to her living quarters, Lily's feet began to trip over one another. Her eyelids drooped with fatigue. Lily barely managed to stumble to her bed before falling over. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow, which was fine, as long as she didn't snore.

Boom. Lily sat up in bed. What was that sound? Boom. Boom. CRASH! The deafening sound of breaking and splintering wood traveled down the hall. Lily flinched. Footsteps clomped down the hall. The noise stopped at the door nest to Lily's. A loud crack sound could be heard as the door slammed open. A voice scowled loudly. "Nobody here," he said. The footsteps continued to Lily's door. Crack! The door swung open.

Lily found herself looking at a small group of people, clad in black. They had black ski masks over their heads, and their eyes peeked out at her. They snarled silently and approached. Nobody noticed a shadow in the hallway.

The next moment, Tara had appeared in the middle of the group, punching and kicking until every little person was down. She rushed to Lily's side. "Are you all right?" Tara asked. Lily nodded.

Due to safety concerns, Lily was transferred to the Special Infirmary, where she could sleep for the rest of the night. It seemed only a few seconds since she had closed her eyes before she was woken up to the sound of yelling and clattering footsteps. Lily looked out the doorway just in time to see several armed elves rush by. A few seconds later, an unfamiliar girl close to Lily's age (but for all she knew, the teen could've been 100) came in and started to clear the area of people.

"What's going on?" Lily asked as the girl passed by. "The east wall has been breached and the security guards aren't responding so the infirmary must be evacuated," the girl said, looking at her. "That includes you, miss." Nope, Lily thought. When the girl wasn't looking she swung her legs out of bed and raced out the open door.

The hallway was strangely empty as Lily ran past random doors. She sprinted up a flight of stairs, turned a corner and dashed straight into Tara.

Tara yelped in surprise. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I just wanted-" Lily started to talk but her voice drained away as Tara's eyes locked on something behind her. Lily spun around on her heel. No more than twenty feet away stood a small but apparently angry stranger in black with a ski mask stretched over his head. Tara lunged forward, but he blocked her attack easily with a punch, and she fell to the floor, knocked out. The Fighter began to walk towards Lily, pulling a large net out of his pocket.

Lily desperately scanned her surroundings for a weapon. Tiles on the floor ... those were probably nailed in. Torches on the wall ... hmm ... Lily snatched a torch from a nearby holder.

The Fighter raised its net. Lily wielded the torch. The net was tossed. Lily threw the torch.

The net sailed through the air and Lily dodged, the trap clattering to the floor. The flaming torch brushed the Fighter's arm, but that was enough. The fire spread over the yelping attacker. The Fighter ran down the hall as fast as his little legs could carry him, away from Lily. Help arrived just in time to see a boot vanishing out of an open door.