Hello all. It has been a while hasn't it? It felt odd to be cranking this noggin once again to come up with this. But I have just seen the Hobbit and well, lets just say it has made more than an impression on me (that and I am approaching level 80 on WoW =D ). I've always wanted to write a fantasy-type fic (less HP and more like this yknow?) and I thought this was an excellent opportunity. Be warned, I do not know how long this fic will go, or if I will even end up finishing it. But I am on holiday now and thought, why the Hell not?

Note: I have not read any of the LotR books, or anything like that. Everything I know of comes purely from the movies and the rest made by my own imagination.

I do not own anyone aside from the characters from the modern day (and even then they are actually based of people I know so...) and my name is unfortunately, not Tolkein. Aside from that...

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

The Event

For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. - T.S. Eliot

"3… 2… 1…"

Alex closed her eyes for a split second, her breath hitching as she tightened her grip on her champagne glass, anticipating the eruption to come.

"HAPPY NEW YEARS!"

Around her couples began kissing as beautiful fireworks exploded overhead. The shouts and cheers of happiness were almost deafening, amplified by the small confinement of the rooftop bar. Eyelids fluttering open, the raven-haired girl smiled softly, marveling at the wonderful colors as they scattered across the sky, a deep sense of nostalgia overcoming her. Tearing her eyes away from the spectacle, she turned to glance at her best friend of nine years, Elizabeth, who was currently wrapped in the arms of the love of her life, lips locked in what looked like an eternal kiss. Alex bit her bottom lip, forcing herself to turn away. Eli and Sean's love was a sad and sweet story, having to deal with almost 6 thousand miles worth of distance throughout their entire five-year relationship. But even the blindest of men could tell that what they had was something special, something real… Unlike anything Alex had ever experienced.

Drawing in a deep breath, Alex drowned out the bitter taste of envy with a sip of sweet champagne, feeling horrible for the sadness that overcame her. She couldn't really understand her own emotions, to be honest. It was her fault that her own relationship ended five months ago: she had dug her own grave; she should have the guts to lie in it… Yet at the same time, she couldn't help but feel the tug of loneliness in her chest, despite being in a room filled to the brim with people.

The group of them had decided to spend New Years Eve in a popular bar called The Scene that was allocated at the top of the 30 storey hotel, offering them the most fabulous view of the city below and its gorgeous skyline. It was an interesting concept, an indoor bar that was framed with glass: glass ceilings and glass walls. That way, their customers were saved from the outside heat while under the façade that they were outdoors. The place was large and spacious, but over the course of the night it seemed as though the entire population decided to turn up. It was hot, although thankfully not stuffy, and the crowd was older than Alex was used to. At the prime age of 21, she felt as though she could have been the youngest one in the room, and she would not have been surprised if she were.

The music was incredibly loud, so much so that the floor vibrated with the bass. People were shouting, majority reasonably drunk, and from where she was standing she could see couples getting rather frisky on the dance floor. This was very much her scene, being one that never passed up on a chance to dress up and show off her dance moves, but tonight she just wasn't feeling it. Perhaps it was the place, perhaps it was the crowd, or the music, or the ambiance… But she just felt uncomfortable.

Or perhaps it could be that she had gotten with one of Sean's friends almost a year ago and she could still feel the tension of her rejection across the table. Even though she pretended not to notice, she could feel Daniel's intense dark eyes on her every once in a while. She briefly wondered what Melissa, his girlfriend, thought of all this, or if she even knew about their short affair that occurred when they were going through their 'break'. How foolish Alex had been to realize that their break was only temporary, and that he was going to run back to his ex eventually.

Sighing, Alex shoved all thoughts of that man aside, and entertained the idea of leaving this place, weighing the pros and cons of enduring the traffic jam outside against spending another hour forcing smile after smile. It was New Years; she should be spending time with the people she loved… But even then, being the only single one amongst the three couples that she came with could grate on anybody's nerves.

"Happy New Years babe!" Eli shouted in her ear as she engulfed Alex in a tight hug, breaking her out of her little internal battle. Mentally chastising herself for being so foolish, she returned the hug tenfold, grinning from ear to ear at the sheer joy on her best friend's face. It wasn't often that Eli got to have Alex and boyfriend with her, so she was not honestly surprised. They were all studying in different parts in the world. Eli in London, Sean in Hong Kong and herself in America, it was pure luck and a blessing really that they ended up in the same place to celebrate the New Years.

"Happy New Years sweetie." She responded as she kissed her friend on the cheek. "You look gorgeous tonight by the way."

"I do don't I?" Eli replied cheekily with a wink and a mini twirl. Alex laughed at her typical audacious behaviour. Elizabeth was never one of subtlety or modesty, especially when she had alcohol to fuel her nerves. But neither girls were lying anyway, so what was the point? The petite dark-haired girl did look incredible, clad in a skin-tight golden dress (courtesy of Herve Leger) that showed off all her womanly curves and sky-high black platforms that shot her up five inches so that she stood at 5'8". Her long, straight, jet-black hair flowed down her shoulders and ended mid-back, and her warm chocolate eyes, framed with black liner and mascara, shone with happiness and excitement. Alex shook her head, unable to hold back her grin of pure affection as she hugged her friend again.

"I love you babe… Here's to another great year."

"I love you too, and here is to us."

Sipping once again from her glass, Alex shot a glance at the still-exploding spectacle outside. This year, she swore to herself, will be different.

###

"Are you sure you're going to be alright driving?" Eli asked, worried. They were standing outside the hotel waiting for the valet to bring up Alex's car. The bell tower on the opposite side of the street showed that it was just shy of three o'clock in the morning. Smiling softly, Alex reassured her for what seemed to be the umpteenth time.

"I will be fine. I barely drank remember?" Alex was a lightweight, so she knew that one glass of champagne was all she could handle tonight, and she was very diligent to keep it at that. "Are you sure you don't need me to send you guys home? It really is no trouble."

Shaking her head, Eli grinned as she looked up at her doting boyfriend, intertwining her fingers with his. "It's fine. We were thinking of taking a walk anyway. It's beautiful out."

"If you're sure…" Just then, a battered old red Honda City came to a stop in front of them and the valet boy came out to hand her the keys. Thanking him graciously despite the sad state of her vehicle, Alex turned to hug her best friend and her boyfriend. "I'll see you guys soon alright?"

Nodding Eli gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Text me as soon as you get home alright? Love you."

"I will. Love you too!" Alex shouted as she entered her car and shut the door. Waving at the couple through the window, she turned on the ignition and prepared herself for a relatively long drive home. All she could do was hope that there wouldn't be too much traffic this late.

But of course, when was she ever in luck when it came to driving?

It was around an hour later that she found herself cruising down a relatively empty highway, glad to be finally rid of the city jam. It seemed as though everyone in the world was trying to get out of that place at the same time, it was pure madness and she was quite sure her car received a new scratch by a passing motorcyclist, not that it would make much of a difference to the already messed up car.

Briefly, Alex amused herself with the differences between herself and her best friend in the whole wide world. While Eli was a little bit on the short side and curvy with long luscious hair, Alex was nearly the opposite. She was tall and thin, coming to 5'7" without shoes and weighing around 105 pounds. Skinny, pale, and on occasion having been compared to a willow tree, Alex's alarmingly fair skin and wavy light brown hair made her look almost doe-like. The fact that she was softer in demeanor and tone made her the less noticeable of the two and therefore the less popular; not that Alex really minded. Eli was the kind of girl that turned heads wherever she went, with that perfect figure and beautiful face and while Alex too had her fair share of attention, she could never gain a room's attention the way Eli could. If she didn't know Eli the way she did, it would have killed Alex, or just about any girl really, to be constantly by her side. It was a problem on her confidence back when they were high-schoolers, being constantly compared and always coming up short. But over the years Alex gained her own kind of confidence. It was definitely quieter and less discernible, but it was definitely there. Nowadays, it seemed as though nothing could really bring Alex down.

Except for perhaps the small part in her chest that told her she was alone.

Loneliness was something that Alex was never really sure how to deal with. Since she was 15 she had been jumping from one relationship to another, never having more than a five-month break in between. She couldn't stand being single, but she couldn't stand being in a relationship either. It was a strange combination, one that annoyed her to no end. In the beginning, it was just bad luck after bad luck, asshole after asshole. She was cheated on three times by her three longest boyfriends, and after that it was as though something inside of her broke. She realized that there was something significantly wrong with her when she ended her last relationship on a whim after 9 months of perfection. Even now, even though she had no regrets for she was sure he deserved better, she just couldn't understand why she did it.

Maybe she truly was just broken?

Forcing back such depressing thoughts, Alex quickly checked the speedometer and was surprised to find herself driving under 70miles/hour. It seemed as though her pondering had an effect on her driving, for she nearly never went below 90 on the highway. Shrugging, she saw no real need to hurry, especially since it was already approaching 430am and there was literally no one on the road. Turning up the radio as 'Lights' by Ellie Goulding came on, Alex amused herself by singing, albeit horribly, on the top of her lungs. It was better than being contemplative and sad anyway.

And then it happened… so fast that when she tried to recall it after, she couldn't understand it either.

One second she was enjoying her drive alone down the slow lane, and the next she was gripping onto the steering wheel for dear life as screams ripped from her throat, body slamming hard as it was whipped against the sides and ceiling of the car, seat belt cutting into her chest. It was as though she was in a roller coaster and her worst nightmare wrapped in one horrifying package as she felt her car slam over and over again as gravity shifted terrifyingly quick between pulling her down and shoving her up. It wasn't like what they portrayed in the movies or books; time didn't slow down, her life didn't flash in front of her eyes, she didn't see the people she loved or anything like that. It was quick, and perhaps merciful in that sense, because in literally half a second everything occurred: glass flying, metal scrapping, sparks shooting, red stuff that she could have sworn was her blood spewing across everything and anything.

And then darkness claimed her within a snap.

So what do you think? Please do let me know, for as all writers know, reviews are the juices that get our brains flowing.

Be kind if you want, be nasty if you need to. I appreciate all comments and criticisms equally.

And for all you amazing readers, Happy New Years!

I hope to see you all in the next chapter.

Love,

Fy