-Chapter Twenty-Eight-

After school, Brianna called her mother at work to tell her that she, Shelley, and "Luke" were going to the mall with Scottie. Melinda was only okay letting her go because Legolas was with her.

Legolas stared out the window, blue eyes huge, as they drove across the bridge connecting Manhattan with the mainland. "How does this bridge cross so much water?" he asked.

"Steel support beams," Brianna said. "Or something. And concrete. Is it concrete?"

"I wouldn't think that would set up underwater," Scottie said mildly. She was studying Legolas. "The hair stays, definitely. You'd have to be insane to cut that. But we definitely need something . . . wow. Something modern. He can't pass for an eighteen year old wearing your dad's old stuff."

"True," Brianna said. "Hmm. Low-riders, definitely. Fitted t-shirt."

"Green," Shelley said. "Green t-shirt. And maybe a wrist-band or something."

Legolas raised an eyebrow. "And what are we discussing?"

Brianna grinned. "Your new wardrobe."

"But I like the 'Star Wars' shirt."

"You can keep the 'Star Wars' shirt. It's just that there are several school functions coming up, and you need clothes that say 'eighteen', not 'forty-five'. Or 'three-thousand, nine hundred and thirty-two'."

He hesitated, then nodded.

They couldn't get him out of the store.

Legolas had never seen a store before, obviously, anything like the ones in the mall. He was also fascinated with lamé fabrics and glitter, vinyl, and spiked jewelry.

He held up a fluorescent pink vinyl shirt, the back of which consisted of several straps. "You should wear this," he told Brianna.

She smirked. "I have that already. But don't tell my mother. I'd be grounded until I left for college."

A squeal from the back of the store caught their attention. Bree looked up as Scottie came rushing over, carrying a pair of men's very dark green vinyl pants, textured to look like leather. Brianna noted that they laced up the front. "These are perfect!" she said.

"And this!" Shelley said, coming up to them with a billowy white shirt with an open front.

Bree rolled her eyes. "That shirt is not modern."

"No, but it just screams his name," Scottie giggled. "C'mon, we've already got those jeans picked out. And that other shirt."

Legolas wasn't paying attention. He was staring at the shoe display.

He pushed past Shelley and picked up a pair of black boots with thick soles and a chunky heel. Brianna noted that they were a masculine version of a pair she herself had, with a strap around the ankle. Where hers went up to the knee, these were calf-length.

She sighed and glanced at her watch. "Oh, crap!" she exclaimed. "Mom wanted me to swing by the grocer's on the way home. We need to go."

The girls got the purchases handled, but Legolas kept finding one more thing to fascinate him. Finally, Brianna grabbed his arm and dragged him away from a display of mood jewelry.

"Let's go, Elf Boy. You can turn hippie later."

Melinda tried her hardest not to giggle when Legolas stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in his new boots, the new jeans, and a skin-tight, dark blue t-shirt that read, "Here I am, now what are your other two wishes?" He was wearing a leather wristband on his right arm and the clunky unisex watch that Brianna's cousin had given her for Christmas.

Haldir did a double-take at the sight of his friend. He just stared, unable to form any sort of remark. It almost didn't look like Legolas.

"What do you think?" Legolas asked Bree and Shelley. "Do I look like a teenager?"

"Like a teenager from TV," Brianna said. "But, as long as we keep telling them you're eighteen, they'll go for it."

"What is the difference between a teenager and a teenager from TV?" Legolas asked, his brow furrowing.

"Teens on TV are played by people in their twenties," Shelley said.

"Oh."

Brianna turned to her mother. "What do you think? Does he pass?"

"I think so," Melinda said. "I also think that people are going to be asking him to model left and right."

Her daughter looked pensive. "Hmm. That could work, actually."

"No," Haldir said. "Modelling is a job, is it not?"

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?" his daughter asked.

"I took him with me to the store today," Melinda said. "I decided it probably would have been a bad idea to leave him and Gimli in the apartment together alone."

Brianna nodded. "Totally. Good thinking, Mom."

"Where is Gimli?" Legolas asked, finally noticing the absence of his best friend.

"He volunteered to take the trash out," Haldir said. "and I'm sure he took the stairs."

Melinda headed for the kitchen to check on dinner. "Oh, Bree, your archery teacher called. You missed class yesterday."

"Yeah, I know. Can't make plans for defeating a dark lord and attend class at the same time. Plus, it's not like I need it." The teenager shrugged. "I'll call him, reschedule for tomorrow or something."

Then she turned to the other two elves. "You guys want to come with me tomorrow? Archery class?"

The males exchanged looks, then nodded.

"Cool."