“You are crazy, Lib,” mused Alexia, shaking her long mane of blonde curls. They bounced, floating across her shoulders like a bunch of little golden springs. She did this often, hoping to attract attention. But, seeing as how it was just she and Liberty, most likely the shaking of the hair was just in habit. Guys, as if attracted to her like a magnet, would be pulled to her almost instantly when she did this. Why or how, Liberty didn’t know nor care. But she pondered that maybe Alexia used pheromone enriched shampoo.

Liberty examined her fingernails, “What?” She pushed her long, auburn hair out of her face and shrugged. The ends of her hair curled ever so slightly, giving it the impression that she blow dried it that way. When, in fact, all she had to do was run a towel through it and let it dry itself.

Alexia giggled. “I mean, I KNOW we were supposed to be unique…but…” Alexia’s voice trailed off, Liberty knew that Alexia often disapproved of her sometimes crazy ’grab the bull by the balls’ lifestyle. A messy, sporadic, insane, fun, spur-of-the-moment lifestyle that often accompanied writers, journalists and excessive partiers…and sometimes actors.

Liberty rolled her eyes. “Come on, Alex. My nails rock!” She held up her hands, showing off her long, manicured nails. Each nail had a different Lord of the Rings theme to it. One had a sword, another a bow and arrow. One even had tiny elf ears while her left thumb had a hobbit foot. The rest were miscellaneous inanimate objects mentioned in the trilogy of books. The movie had not been released yet, however. It had yet to move from rumors to confirmation. Just the rumors spun Liberty into a tizzy prompting her friends to call her an obsessed fan. Being obsessed with a book, though, is a lot better than it could be. She could obsessed with an actor or something, and want to stalk him. Which she wasn’t…and didn’t.

Liberty, for as long as she could remember, had loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy…sometimes a little too much. She‘s read The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and Return of the King at least six times each. Family members often wanted to consult a physician but it wasn‘t uncommon for someone to just feel attracted to a book in a way that some would be attracted to a member of the opposite sex. Only different. Because Liberty didn‘t want to kiss the book, nor have sexual relations with it. She just enjoyed its company. “They are just so well written!” She’d exclaim for an answer each time anyone asked. And believe me, they did ask.

Nearly choking from too much laughter, Alexia gasped for breath. “Okay. Whatever you say.” Alexia looked up and became serious. “How long did that take you?”

Liberty thought for a moment, “Like all night.” The car pulled to a stop and Liberty cut off the engine. “See you in two weeks.” The nails HAD taken all night, at least 5 hours sitting at a table, hunched over little, fake plastic nails. She painted them and then secured them on her hands. It was part of a project for Liberty’s nail class. She attended a Beautician school part time, but also took regular classes at the state college. She was a sophomore, having graduated at seventeen from high school.

Alexia nodded, pulling herself out of the car. Liberty sprung up and locked the doors before throwing her keys in the air and catching them. Alexia spun around, “Two weeks?”

“Yeah,” laughed Liberty. “Remember? I’m going to LA for two weeks to visit Tyler. For Spring Break, only longer.”

“Oh,” replied Alexia, her voice solemn. “Yeah.”

“Lex,” coaxed Liberty, stepping towards her friend and setting her backpack on the ground. “He’s changed. Remember?”

Alexia shrugged, not committing, “I guess, but Lib. Be careful, alright? I don’t want him hurting you anymore.”

Liberty laughed the comment off, “You act like he’s going to hit me or something!”

“Liberty,” Alexia’s voice was firm, stern. “That’s not funny and you know it.”

Liberty’s expression sobered. “Sorry, Lex. I’m just---protective of him because you act like he’s a criminal. He’s not The Joker for God sakes. And you’re not Batman. You don’t have to protect me from him. Okay?”

Alexia nodded slowly. “Call me if, you know, you need to.”

Liberty smiled, “Will do. See you.” She waved and then disappeared into the building.

Nineteen-year-old Liberty Crane plopped down into her computer chair and hit the AOL icon with her mouse. As the annoying connecting sounds filled her small apartment, she looked at her nails in boredom. Muttering to herself about how hard she worked, she maneuvered he mouse to the mailbox and clicked. Her mail popped onto the screen.

She scanned the addresses in boredom. Her mother, her friend back home, her cousin…

An IM interrupted her viewing.

DudeWassup: What time does your plane get in?

Liberty smiled. She typed in, “8pm tonight.”

Tyler said ‘k’ and then logged off without saying anything further.

Liberty shook her head and laughed. He was always doing that. Tyler Anderson was very forgetful. She’d be lucky if he was on time at the airport. He was very busy with his job and classes, but Liberty missed him like crazy. She hadn’t seen him for about six months, and long distance relationships aren’t that great. She was determined to make it work this time, though. No matter what. She couldn’t give up on him this time. He deserved three strikes before the out and whether or not her family and friends agreed with her was their problem, not hers.

*

Static. Click. Hollow voice, “Now boarding Flight 321 to Los Angeles, California. Gate 4.”

Liberty looked up from her book, startled. Checking her watch, she realized she’d been at the airport for over an hour. The flight was set for takeoff at 3:01pm sharp.

Hauling her carry-on bag to the gate, she wondered quickly about all her other luggage which had been checked. She had two other larger bags because, after all, she was a girl. As the flight attendant checked her ticket, Liberty felt herself becoming overwhelmingly excited and worried about a repeat performance when her plane touched the ground. Tyler, she prayed silently, please don’t forget.

Looking out the huge airport windows she noticed that Michigan had never looked so lovely to her before. The sky was bright blue, littered with whispy clouds. She knew it would be a while before she saw this sight again, so she took it all in inch by inch to place into her memory. Two weeks sometimes feels like a lifetime when you’re away from home.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the plane looking around for her seat. She was in first class (having been bumped by the airline) near the back. Liberty felt butterflies rising in her stomach, she wasn’t big on flying. Especially when she wasn’t sure she’d be picked up from the airport. That scared her to no end: being abandoned in LA of all places. A huge city she’d never been that was known for its crime and drug use; and prostitution, among other things.

Liberty was glancing out her window watching little guys running around wearing ear muffs when she felt someone fall into the seat beside her. She jumped and put a hand to her heart.

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” The man said, adjusting himself in the seat. He leaned back, smiling at her. His features gave him the impression of being extremely kind. The laugh lines around his mouth suggested to Liberty that he had a good sense of humor and was probably educated, although there was nothing to suggest this, just a gut feeling.

“It’s alright. I just wasn’t paying attention. I’m a little---”

“First flight?” He asked kindly.

She shook her head, “No, but I haven’t flown for years. At least ten. But I’m not a great flyer.”

He whistled, “Neither am I. How old are you? I mean, you don’t look that old--”

“It’s okay,” she shrugged. “I don’t mind being asked my age.”

“You’re not like many other women, then.” He laughed.

She giggled, “No I’m not, am I? I‘m nineteen.”

“You are older than you look,” He mused, glancing around at the other patrons of the plane. “So, headed to LA, eh? Big dreams of stardom?”

Liberty nodded and sighed happily. “I‘m going to see my boyfriend.” She made a face, “Not for stardom.” She smiled, “I’m so excited. I haven‘t seen him for over six months.”

“Wow, long time,” the man replied, smiling at her. He turned in his seat to face her, “I’m Sean. Astin. Nice to meet you.”

She shook his outstretched hand, “I’m Liberty Crane. Nice to meet you too.”

Sean smiled and then turned his head again, looking around at all the people who were taking their seats. “Liberty is a very…patriotic name,” said Sean after a moment. He turned to look at her and she saw he was smiling broadly. “It’s very pretty.”

“Thank you,” replied Liberty. “My mother...was…well, she was in love with her country.” Liberty laughed and shrugged. “Sean, though, not so uncommon.”

“Nope,” agreed Sean. “Nice solid, American…Scottish name.”

Liberty nodded and laughed. “Astin, though, that sounds familiar.” Sean grinned, opened his mouth and then shut it again. “Sean Astin…” She shook her head. “Can’t place it, but you do sound awfully familiar.”

Sean didn’t seem to eager to divulge any more information about himself. “So are you in college?”

“Yeah, Spring Break though,” replied Liberty, nodding.

“AH,” he said knowingly, “Big parties await you.”

Liberty laughed politely, “Yeah, but I‘m not a huge partier.”

“Yeah me either, really. Makes it tough when all your friends are.”

Liberty nodded, “Very.”

Sean crossed his arms across his chest, a grin on his lips. “So…this boyfriend. Is he in college?”

“Yeah,” she replied, “Tyler. He’s nearly twenty.”

“Hmmmm. I’ve got a friend who’s twenty. I feel really old sometimes.”

She giggled, “You’re not that old.”

“No, I’m not,” he agreed. “But I’ve been in movies older than you.”

“That can’t be true---” She paused, glancing at him. “Movies?”

Sean sighed, and put his head in his hands, “Ooops. I shouldn’t have let that slip. Damn. I have such a big mouth.”

Liberty laughed, “Well, yeah, but it’s alright. I won’t tell a soul.”

“Oh good. Normally when I travel I meet lots of stupid Hollywood wanna-be’s and fake people galore. Not you, though. That’s good. Stay that way. Don’t stay in LA too long, I don’t care who your boyfriend is. I don’t care if he’s Corey Feldman---”

She sat up in her seat, “I knew I knew your name. You were in The Goonies…with Corey Feldman. That’s my brother’s favorite movie, basically.”

Sean laughed loudly, “Really? How old is he?”

“Twenty-four,” she replied. “Has two copies of the movie because he wore the first one out.”

Sean shook his head, a large smile on his lips. “THAT is a trip, man.” He laughed. “But cool. What’s his name? I’ll autograph him some, ah, something and send it home with you.”

Liberty laughed, “Yeah, if only he knew I was going to be on a plane with you. Although, you weren’t his favorite character.”

“Who was?” Sean asked, genuinely interested.

Liberty shrugged. “Don’t remember. His name is Ezra, you can email him or something if you want.”

Sean nodded, smiling, “Cool. Give me the address before we get off the plane. I’ll e-mail him. Maybe it’ll freak him out. That’s always fun.”

The flight attendant interrupted their conversation by demonstrating the right way to wear the masks, showing them the exits, etcetera. Once she was finished, the plane took off which resulted in Liberty gripping Sean’s arm rather tightly and digging him like crazy with her fake nails. Which he admired quite a bit when he realized why she’d done it. He confessed to liking the books as well and they launched into a long conversation about that. When the plane evened out, Liberty’s breath returned to normal and she was able to gulp down some water….and some air. Because she hadn’t had any air for a while. Liberty hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until Sean told her to ‘take a breath because you’re turning purple’.

“I heard there’s going to be a movie,” said Liberty, setting her cup down. “Well maybe three. One for each book of the trilogy…not The Hobbit.”

“Hmmm,” replied Sean, nodding. “Yeah.”

“I don’t know when they’re shooting or anything. Or who’s in it but it should be cool.”

“Yeah.” He looked across the aisle, avoiding her penetrating brown-eyed gaze.

Liberty looked at him, “You’re very quiet all of a sudden.”

“Yes, well, if I tell you something you have to keep it on the down-low.”

Liberty shrugged like that was no big deal. “Sure.”

“I’m in it,” he whispered, looking around like he had just admitted to being an escaped convict. “As Sam.”

“I LOVE Sam!” Liberty said a little too loudly. She lowered her voice when she saw Sean’s cringing face. “Sorry. I just like him. That’s so cool. When do you start shooting?”

“We’ve been shooting for a year already. The Fellowship is being released in December.”

“It’s April,” pointed out Liberty unnecessarily.

“Yes,” agreed Sean, nodding. “It’s in post right now. Lots of CG.”

“Ah, I see. Well, that’s really cool. It must have been amazing to work on.”

“Yeah it really was. The sets left me in awe, almost inspiring really. And that is all I can say, detective. Because, I could get killed off for admitting more.”

“They’re that strict, huh?”

“Had to sign a contract in blood. My wife wasn’t too pleased about that. She thought that was a little over-kill.”

Liberty laughed, “Slightly. Where is she now?”

“My wife? She’s in LA, flew out yesterday. We’re flying back to NZ in two weeks to continue shooting. She has to stay at work for another week though because she promised to take over someone’s clients while they went on vacation. So she’ll be flying out after me.”

“What does she do?”

“She’s an agent.”

“That’s nice. Is she your agent?”

“Nope,” laughed Sean. “Don’t mix business with pleasure, that is the best piece of advice I can offer you since you’re new to the biz.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. Note to self: Do not date hobbits.” Liberty laughed. “I’m thankful I’m not in the biz, actually.”

“Can’t date this hobbit anyway,” he chuckled. “The others would be alright. I’m sure they’d be interested.” Sean paused. “I don’t blame you for being thankful about not being in the biz.”

Liberty nodded, staring out the plane’s thick paned window. She watched as they soared above the white, fluffy clouds. There was something oddly freeing and liberating about this kind of height. She felt both exhilarated and scared out of her mind. Liberty wasn’t crazy about heights nor flying, but the metaphorical flying was a different story altogether. Not that she enjoyed that kind either, it was just more of a constant in her life than being on a plane. And in some ways, it proved more dangerous.

“Do you know any other actors?” Sean asked her. “Since you‘ve been to LA and now you know me.”

“Nope, this is my first trip to LA. I don’t keep up with all the Hollywood stuff normally.” She shrugged. “So, just you.”

Sean nodded. “That’s probably good. You should meet the other hobbits. They’re hilarious. The four of us are like brothers…you’d love them…they’d love you. I barely know you, but I apparently seem to know enough to come to that conclusion.”

“A five hour flight will do that to ya,” she replied, grinning.

“You should come hang with me tomorrow. We’re all meeting at a club. I could give you my cell number and you and your boyfriend could come.”

“He has to work nights, so…”

“Just you then,” urged Sean. “It’d be great for the guys to meet someone like you. You’re, you know, real. We don’t get that much.”

Liberty laughed, “As opposed to fake, I guess. Yeah. Why not. Sure.”

Sean pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and scribbled a few numbers on there. Then he handed it to her. “That’s my cell, my home phone and then Elijah’s cell. If you can’t get me, get him because he’ll give great directions.”

Liberty looked unsure. “I don’t know if I should just up and call someone I don’t know.”

“I’ll warn him,” laughed Sean. “He won’t care.” He glanced at her, “He’s Frodo by the way. I can tell you were itching to ask.”

Liberty laughed, “I really was. But didn’t want to push. Frodo is the coolest. Next to Samwise, of course.”

*

The plane touched down a little while later. The sun was setting off in the distance, and Liberty (half asleep) could make out buildings and hills across the horizon.

“Do you have a car?” Sean asked, as everyone stood up groggily to get their luggage from the overhead compartments.

“Um…no. My boyfriend is picking me up…I think.” She yawned nosily, but covered her mouth. Stretching, she followed Sean off the plane. “I hope anyway.”

“I’ve got mine in the lot. Want a ride?”

Liberty smiled, “Thanks, but he should be here.”

“If he’s not, then you know who to call.”

“The ghost busters,” replied Liberty, nodding. “Thanks again. And, it was really nice meeting you, Sean.”

“No prob,” replied Sean. “It was nice meeting you too. I‘ll talk to you tomorrow. Alright? Call.”

“I will,” she promised.

He pointed a finger at her, a grin playing on his lips, “Don’t chicken out.”

Liberty wondered how he knew her so well already but she laughed it off and promised not to chicken out. He seemed satisfied.

Sean smiled sheepishly, “Okay. So later then.”

“Yes,” she said. She reached up and gave him a quick hug. He nodded, smiled and then disappeared into the huge crowd. Liberty sleepily made her way to baggage claim. All the way there she half expected Tyler to pop up and surprise her. But his spikey blonde hair was no where to be seen.