Chosen
Summary: Susan had lost everything; her home, her love. But Aslan sent her back to her world for a reason; she was chosen. A post-Prince Caspian fic.
A/N: Hey guys. This is my first fanfic, so hopefully you'll like it. I would like to start off my saying that this is not a crossover fic – I love Narnia and am a huge Vampire Diaries fan and I had the idea to mesh the two worlds together. The characters from TVD are not in here, but I did use the vampire concepts from the tv show. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I, unfortunately don't own Narnia or any ideas I may have used from The Vampire Diaries. Blah, blah, blah – you know how this goes.
Season 1
Episode 1 - Pilot
Darkness.
That was all that was left. Susan sat on her bed staring out at the darkness through her window. Darkness was her life now. There was nothing left to excite her, her family only harsh reminders of what she had lost.
It had only been three weeks since… since the end.
Narnia. Thinking about her true home hurt, but it was more than just that. She'd lost love. She thought she was doing the right thing by leaving him. This was the life Aslan meant her to have. But she couldn't help but feel that a piece of her had been ripped out, leaving a painful and unhealing wound.
Caspian.
The sobs started anew as his name once again invaded her mind. Aslan said he had a plan for her life. But what could be more important than being with the man you love?
Susan's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She really should open it, but she couldn't remember how to stand. And, honestly, she didn't really care.
Knock knock knock.
"Susan, its April. Your sister called. Susan?"
With a sigh, Susan heaved herself off the bed and crossed the small dorm room to the door. April, one of Susan's favorite teachers, stood on the other side, looking concerned. She and Susan had become close friends this past year, after her first return from Narnia. April was in her late 20's, but Susan had felt more comfortable around adults, considering she'd been one not so long ago.
"Susan, Lucy called. She said your mother received a letter from the dean. They're concerned about your attendance."
This news confused Susan. She never missed a class, did she? As she gave it some thought, she had to admit that she couldn't remember going this week, or last week for that matter. What had she been doing? Honestly, when she thought about the last three weeks, she came up blank.
"I haven't been to class?"
"No you haven't, not for the last three weeks. If your attendance doesn't improve, they're going to kick you out. Susan, are you listening."
"Sorry," Susan replied, trying to appear interested.
"I'm worried about you too. What happened? You've been acting like someone died."
That sentence hit home more that April realized. Someone hadn't died, but something in Susan had. But if she wanted to continue to appear normal, Susan couldn't allow herself to think of him again; not now.
"I'm fine; just a little down. I'll call my mother in the morning." With that, Susan closed the door on a very worried April and returned to her bed. She stretched out, knowing she wouldn't sleep anytime soon and knowing that when she did, a dream so wonderful would overtake her and then leave her heartbroken when she was wrenched out of it in the morning. She closed her eyes and prayed for a dreamless night.
The rain had finally let up outside her window and since there were no classes on Saturday, Susan decided to take a walk. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the trees and the sky. Had she really been holed up in her room the past few weeks?
The talk she'd had with her mom this morning still played through her head. She'd assured her that she was okay; just dealing with some issues right now and asked if she could make sure her siblings gave her some space. She hated worrying her family, but right now they were just reminders.
The damp streets were surprising filled with people. Susan was careful not to make eye contact with anyone, not in the mood for pleasantries. She wrapped her coat around her more securely to protect against the chill and tried to clear her mind and think only of the gray clouds and the sound of her boots on the wet pavement. Looking around at the familiar surroundings she only felt more like a stranger to this world. It had taken nearly a year for her to consider this her real home after their first return from Narnia, and she wasn't sure she could do it again, or that she even wanted to. She was tired of pretending to belong.
It was on the sidewalk crowded with weekend shoppers, trying to pull out of the downward spiral her thoughts were taking, when she noticed the boy. His mother was talking to a woman behind a jewelry stand, clearly hassling over the price of a necklace, while the boy chased after a red ball. He couldn't have been any older than six or seven, and was dangerously close to the street. The ball he'd been throwing up in the air had glanced off his fingers, fallen on the sidewalk, and eventually rolled into the street… and the boy had followed.
Susan barely had time to build the scream in her throat when the car rounded the bend and hit the boy head on. Tears were already springing to her eyes when she realized the blood-curdling scream was hers. The passer-bys around her stopped and everywhere people were grabbing her shoulders and asking her what was wrong.
"Are you alright, Miss? What's wrong," a man asked, rubbing soothing circles on her back. What did he mean, what's wrong? Susan stared back at the crowd around her wandering why none of them seemed concerned about the boy.
"That boy needs help! Please, help him!" As the hysteria in her voice began to make her quiver, everyone only looked at her confused, as if she were out of her mind.
"What boy," a woman to her right asked.
"That boy," Susan yelled as she pointed across the street. But as she turned her head back to the tragedy, it was gone. There was no car, no horrified by-standers in the street, and the boy was still on the sidewalk behind his mother, playing with his ball.
"What the…" What was going on? She'd just seen the wreck, it was so real. How was everything back to normal, as if it'd never happened?
Before she could give the situation any more thought, the boy once again lost his ball, just like before. Also, just like before, he ran after it. Susan could hear the speeding car about to make its way around the corner and without taking the time to think about her actions, she threw herself into the street. A strength she'd never felt before pushed her forward faster than she'd ever ran before and she grabbed the boy from the streets just seconds before the car flew by them, so close, the side mirror grazed Susan's arm.
She hit the sidewalk hard, but managed to keep the boy wrapped protectively in her arms. The cries of the people around them rang in her ears and the boy's mother gathered him out of Susan's arms.
"Oh my goodness, William," the woman sobbed as she held her son. Once she had ensured that he was unharmed, she turned grateful eyes to Susan.
"Thank you, thank you for saving my son," she wept. The woman pulled Susan into a hug, continuing to thank her, and when she pulled out, Susan, shakily, made it to her feet. All she could do in response to the woman's gratitude was nod. She was still in shock over what had just happened. The woman snatched up her son and made her way down the street, kissing his head the whole way.
Numbly, Susan started to walk; not in any general direction, just to think. She'd seen that boy lying under the car; seen it all happen before it actually did happen! What did that mean?
"Confusing, isn't it," came a voice from behind her.
"Excuse me," Susan asked, turning to meet a tall, well built man with dark hair. His handsome face carried a knowing look, as if he knew something Susan did not.
"Seeing events before they happen," he continued. He smiled a comforting smile, clearly trying to convey trust.
"How… how did you know what I saw?" Susan instinctively began to back away, sure at any moment that she would wake from this nightmare.
"We've been searching for you. You've been chosen for a great responsibility."
"What are you talking about? Who are you?"
"My name is Rueben. I'm here to help you."
Susan had no idea why she was following the dark, mysterious man she'd just met. Doesn't this kind of behavior lead to the police finding your body the next day? She pushed the morbid thoughts from her head as he drove her up to the front of a house. The driveway had taken them at least a mile into the woods and Susan had expected to see a mansion at the end. Instead there was a moderately sized home with an un-kept yard.
"You said there were others like me," Susan asked, regretting her decision to hop in his car.
"Inside; though they're not exactly like you. Each gift is unique."
"Gift?" Rueben had spoken very little to her on the drive and the comments he had made had only given Susan more questions.
"Dr. Allen will explain everything," he said as he stepped out of the car and waited for her at the door. Cautiously, she exited the car and followed him through the door into a small living room. The furniture appeared to be antiques, but was very beautiful and two sofas and a coffee table formed a nice little sitting area in front of the fire.
"Please, have a seat," Rueben instructed, smiling pleasantly.
Susan took her seat on the sofa, but when she looked up to ask him more questions, he was gone. She hadn't even heard him leave. The room was cozy, but cluttered with papers and books. A well used desk in the corner held a large volume and a half full tumbler of a dark liquid. The wall to her right was filled with a giant bookcase and on her left the floor to ceiling windows shown a beautiful view of the English countryside. She honestly wasn't completely sure where she was, but in light of the 45 minute drive, she guessed it was pretty far from the city.
"Hello, Miss Pevensie. My name is Dr. Charles Allen," came a voice from behind her. Susan stood and turned to face the speaker and was greeted by a man who appeared to be in his mid-forties. He had short light brown hair and wore a brown suit and glasses. He reminded her of a professor and she secretly wondered if he taught at her school.
"Um… Hello." Susan really couldn't think of anything to say, which usually wasn't the case.
"Please, sit down. I'm sure you have some questions. Rueben explained your gift."
"Yes, I definitely have questions. He said you were waiting for me?" This was all so strange; she hadn't quite ruled out the dream theory yet.
"I will explain everything, but I want you to have an open mind. Parts of this story are going to be very unbelievable." Susan suppressed a laugh at this statement, thinking how much of her own life was unbelievable. She could surely handle whatever he was about to tell her.
"First I would like to assure you that we know of Narnia," Dr. Allen began. This did startle her. She had never met anyone who had known of her secret world aside from her siblings and Professor Kirk.
"How…," Susan started, but Dr. Allen threw up his hand, cutting her off.
"That will come later, but first, when you were living in Narnia, did they still tell the histories of the vampires?"
"Vampires? You mean like, Dracula?" Susan couldn't stop the quiet chuckle and burst through her lips at this. She had seen some pretty weird things in Narnia, but vampires?
"I assure you, they're quite real." After staring into his eyes a few moments, she realized he wasn't joking. Her features began to sober and she questioned him with her eyes.
"Long before your reign in Narnia, when the White Witch was still building her army to overthrow the King, she began making dark creatures to do her bidding. I believe you fought some of these at the Battle of Beruna."
Susan just nodded her head. She was still reeling from the fact that he seemed to know all about her adventures in Narnia.
"The vampires were among the creatures that she created. All of the others were made solely with magic, but the vampires were made from humans. Aslan felt that they were too evil to allow them to stay in Narnia, so before the White Witch began her attack, he banished them. It was meant for humans to save Narnia, not destroy it."
"Where did he banish them to," Susan interrupted. She still didn't understand what this had to do with her English life.
"He sent them here," Dr. Allen confirmed.
Susan felt as if the room was spinning as she tried to comprehend what this meant. If the same sentence had been uttered in Narnia, she would have accepted it immediately, but here.
"Once in this world, the vampires made more of their own, but Aslan didn't leave this world unprotected. He gave select individuals the abilities to fight the vampires. They were given the strength and speed to rival them along with special abilities that were different for each person, and they were called the Shadow Warriors."
"Is that what you think I am?"
"Yes, each shadow warrior attains their gifts when Aslan decides they're ready. Your gift is very unique; you are a seer."
"A seer? What does that mean," Susan asked, skeptical of this entire encounter.
"A seer has the ability to see the future, but only the immediate future, and it isn't set in stone. Your ability allows us to see a vampire attack before it happens so it can be prevented. There is always one in the world, but only one. It is a very important gift."
Dr. Allen paused, allowing Susan time to take it all in. Could this really be possible?
She had returned from Narnia to be thrown into the supernatural.
Eleanor listened carefully, body tensed, ready for the attack. She knew she only had seconds to raise her shield once it came. The breath was knocked from lungs as a blur hit her from the side and took her to the ground. Although the sparing mat was soft, it still sent little sparks of pain through her head.
"Ow," she murmured.
"You have to be ready. When a vampire attacks, you're not going to know its coming. Your shield has to be up fast," James instructed. She tried to focus on his words, but he was still on top of her with his face just inches away. His eyes were mesmerizing and it took every ounce of strength in her body to tear her gaze away from them.
"I'm sorry, I know. I'll try harder next time," she assured him. He rose from the ground and she was hit with the realization that he wasn't as affected by her as she was by him.
"You ready to try again?"
Eleanor was relieved to not have to answer his question when the door to the garage opened and Dr. Allen strode in with a young girl about her age.
"Ellie, James, this is Susan. Susan, this is James and Eleanor," he introduced.
"Hi Susan, it's nice to meet you," Ellie piped up. James nodded, glancing her over and fixing her with a handsome smirk to show he liked what he saw. Ellie felt a jealous blush cover her face as James openly flirted with the newcomer.
"It's nice to meet you too," Susan said, smiling at Ellie before holding James' gaze; clearly this was a girl who was used to having men stare at her. She held her composure, but was obviously slightly nervous.
"Ellie's ability is to shield, what's yours," James asked, stepping closer.
"According to Dr. Allen, I'm a seer," Susan explained, a little unsure of herself.
"Ah, you're special. I'm special too," James flirted, voice low and seductive. Ellie watched Susan roll her eyes and decided she liked this girl a little more now.
"James is a werewolf and a shadow warrior," Ellie explained, nonchalantly stealing his thunder. Susan's eyes did widen at that and James threw her an annoyed look. Ellie just shrugged, trying to put off an innocent look.
"You're a werewolf," Susan asked. It was obvious she was surprised, but not afraid. Most people who learned of James' werewolf status were instantly wary, but Susan seemed merely intrigued. Who was this girl? At seeing the girl's renewed interest in James, she began to question spilling his secret.
"That's right," James confirmed. "About seven years ago, my werewolf gene kicked in. Every full moon I turned into the wolf and lost control; if I didn't lock myself up, I'd kill anyone that crossed my path. Then a few months later, I received my ability… to turn at will."
James was always very proud when discussing his powers, but when he took in Susan's expression, which although interested, wasn't as amazed as he had expected, his surely attitude began to waver.
"You seem to be taking this news rather calmly," he inquired.
"I've seen werewolves before," she simply stated. Now it was Ellie's turn to be surprised; werewolves usually lived in secret.
"This building is for practice," Dr. Allen said, bringing the conversation back to more important matters.
"Practice for what," Susan asked, although Ellie thought the answer should be obvious.
"For fighting vampires," James exclaimed. At this revelation, Ellie saw Susan stiffen. She remembered the feeling; finding out vampires exist wasn't nearly as scary as realizing that you're the one that has to fight them.
"It's not as bad as you think. We always go in as a team and our gifts give us the advantage," Ellie said, trying to sound comforting.
"I just need some time… to sort all this out," Susan commented.
"Of course, I'll have Rueben drive you back to your dorm," Dr. Allen suggested.
He led her back through the house to the kitchen were Rueben was sipping from a coffee mug. It seemed odd, since Susan didn't smell the familiar sent of coffee or tea. What was he drinking?
"You're ready to go," Rueben stated, reading her face.
Susan only nodded. This was too much to deal with at one time, knowing that she was meant to fight vampires… she hated fighting, she always had. Maybe if she went back to bed she would finally wake from this nightmare.
She didn't bombard Rueben with the million questions on her mind; only sat in silence and tried very hard not to think about her situation. Once in her room she grabbed her bathroom bag and made her way to the showers, hoping the warm water would sooth her. She turned the water as hot as it would go, but it still wasn't warm enough and Susan found herself shaking. Wasn't it enough to lose the love of her life; now she had to fight monsters too? She was surprised when she realized the broken sobs were coming from her.
All she wanted was to go home, to Narnia, to Caspian.
Susan finally stepped out of the shower, dried off and dressed in her nightgown. She was closing her robe as she made it to her door, only to find it slightly open. But she was sure she had closed it; hadn't she? Hesitantly, Susan pushed the door open and felt along wall until she found the lamp. She jumped when the soft glow filled the room to reveal a man sitting in the small chair at her desk.
"Who are you," she whispered, her throat going dry.
"Someone who's been looking for you," he answered, his voice polite, but with a menacing undertone that made Susan's blood run cold.
"I saw you with Rueben," he continued. "I'm fairly certain that makes you the new seer."
As he spoke, Susan looked to the door and calculated her chances of making it out to the hall without him catching her, thinking she could always scream for help. Guessing her train of thought, the man was out of the chair and in a blur had passed her and slammed the door, locking it. The speed with which he moved made her heart stop. How was that possible?
"What do you want with me," Susan squeaked. Slowly, she backed to the wall beside her bed where her old guitar was propped against the wall gathering dust.
"Just for you to mind your own business. This isn't your war, and you know you don't really want to fight vampires." The ghost of a memory tugged at her as she remembered the same words being said during her first visit to Narnia. He was right, just because some random man told her she had special powers didn't make her a hero. But then again, Aslan had chosen her for a reason in Narnia; was he choosing her for something else now?
"As long as you stay out of our way, you'll live, but if you choose to become involved, I will kill you tonight. And if you try to scream, I'll kill everyone in this building." His tone, which had started off light and soft, had grown dark towards the end and an evil smile had spread across his face.
"We'll get in either way, there's nothing you can do to stop us," he threatened.
"Get in? Get in where," Susan asked. This completely confused her and she realized that Dr. Allen had never really explained what the vampires' motives were.
"Back to our real home. Didn't the good doctor teach you your history?"
"Real home? You mean Narnia?" As the words left Susan's mouth she could feel her entire body tremble with the implications in his confession. The vampires, creatures Aslan deemed too evil to remain in Narnia, wanted to return, and of course if they planned to recapture it for themselves, they would need to eliminate one very important individual… the king of Narnia.
"Caspian," Susan whispered.
"So what will it be, my love," the man asked in a both sweet and deadly tone.
"You won't get back to Narnia; I won't allow it," Susan stated, holding her head high and putting as much authority in her voice as she could muster. As the man hesitated, Susan saw her chance and grabbed the guitar, slamming it over his head. She expected him to drop, as any human would from the blow, but instead the guitar shattered into pieces around him, while he stood, unscathed, smiling darkly back at her.
In a blur he had her back against the wall with his hands on her shoulders. Susan's head throbbed from the impact and when she opened her eyes, she noticed his were changing; they darkened, becoming a flat black in the center and growing deep red toward the edges, while dark veins ran from his menacing eyes down his face. When he opened his mouth, two sharp fangs protruded, and he leaned towards her, eyeing the soft flesh of her throat. Susan tried to suck in the needed air for a scream, but it lodged in her throat as she became paralyzed with fear.
Before his teeth could pierce her skin, she heard a loud ripping noise that sounded like the door being torn from its hinges. And then another sound, one that was all too familiar from the numerous battles she'd fought in; the sound of a weapon piercing flesh. The monster in front of her gave a cry of pain and she watched his face turn ashen and his eyes go gray before he collapsed in front of her, a wooden stake in his back.
Looking up with tear-filled eyes, Susan saw Rueben standing on the other side of the dead monster.
"Was that a… vampire," she asked.
"Yes," Rueben confirmed. He just watched her, as if gauging her reaction.
"I… I can't… fight that," Susan whispered, her knees wobbling and about to give out. Rueben only nodded while he threw the vampire over his shoulder and made his way to the door.
"Was he telling the truth… about trying to return to Narnia?"
"Yes," Rueben confirmed as he paused at the ruined doorway.
Susan was scared of the vampire that had just attacked her, but she was more scared of the thought of these monsters in Narnia, of Caspian being on the other side of those eyes. Picturing his face, the face that was her whole world, she know now what her choice would be, what it had to be.
Aslan had chosen her for a reason, because she loved Caspian so much, that she would do whatever she had to in order to protect him.
With this new resolve, she met Rueben's gaze with a renewed fire in her eyes.
"I'm in."
A/N: So, what do you think? Is it good/bad, worth continuing? Let me know! And I also want to assure you that Caspian will eventually make an appearance, but the first part of this story will be Susan's.