Author's Note: This story also has some humor in it! Slightly ties in my other fic "Remember". I've posted this story elsewhere, but I didn't save some of the chapters, so I am re-writing the rest of the fic entirely. Plus, last time I didn't like the way it turned out so... there you go.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, unfortunately. I only own one of my later characters, Isabella (or Izzy).
Chapter One
"I'll be back soon," she said, hurrying out the door before her roommate, Minni, could say anything. She slammed the door and ran down the long staircase, and bolted out of the dormitory.
She needed to get away. There was no escaping it. After Minni had discovered the long-forgotten drawing of him, she knew that she couldn't hide it from her anymore. So she had to get away.
Susan darted past the boys' dormitory, and looked up at the window that she knew led to Peter's dorm room. She knew what he would say if he knew what had just happened. He would be disappointed in her. He would tell her to forget about it- that they would never be going back.
Susan became angry just thinking about it. Peter never understood her anymore. He was different- he wasn't the same Peter who cared about his sister, who wanted her to be happy, who wanted to go back to Narnia. Ever since the two of them had fought over the stupid sorority issue, they had grown more and more apart, until they had stopped talking all together. What did he know, anyway? Susan wanted to be in the sorority to be closer to her mother, and that was it. End of story. But, of course, he didn't get it. He thought sororities were stupid and idiotic. Maybe they were. She didn't care.
Susan transferred her bag to her right shoulder, and continued down the long walk. She could have taken the auto, but she didn't want to. She needed the fresh air.
She felt the wind caress her face, and whip her hair around her shoulders. She looked up at the sky and sighed. She wondered how Edmund and Lucy were faring. She wondered if they had gone back to Narnia yet. She wondered how much time had passed. And, she let herself think of the forbidden question- what was he doing? Had he changed? Was he married? Or, worse- was he dead? She refused to allow herself to ponder over that one.
She finally reached her destination- Origin Books. It was a small shop, and it didn't appeal to the trendy crowd that read books. But it appealed to her. It had all sorts of old books- occasionally it got new books. She was their best customer- sometimes, she came just to chat with the store owner, Michael. It really took her mind off the pressing issues of her life.
She stepped inside the shop, and heard the little bell ring its head off. Michael appeared from behind a book shelf, and smiled at her. He was a short, wrinkled man with white hair and glasses. He reminded her a lot of the Professor. Maybe that was one of the reasons she spent so much time here.
"Susan, what a nice surprise," he said, his eyes shining. Susan smiled.
"I just thought I'd stop by. Anything new?" That was her ritual. She always asked that- she had read everything here. She hadn't bought much, but Michael always let her read there for hours, since they didn't get a lot of customers. Michael's eyes lit up.
"Actually, you're in luck. We got a new shipment of books this morning."
Susan smiled wider. She loved new books. Michael led her over to the bookshelves reserved for new books, and beckoned her over.
"These are the new nonfiction. But here is where you'll be interested- the fiction. We have some new fantasies, a few dramas, and an excellent romance. All right up your alley, I daresay."
Susan looked at him, and felt like jumping up and down. Perfect. It was just what she needed.
"Do you recommend anything?" she asked excitedly. Michael nodded and walked over to the counter. He always put aside books that he thought Susan would enjoy. Today was no exception. He pulled out a few books and laid them across the counter. Susan looked at them, but one in particular caught her eyes. She picked it up and looked at the cover in surprise.
The cover was navy blue, and the book was called, "Eternity". But that didn't draw her eye. It was the beautiful girl on the cover. The beautiful girl that looked almost exactly like herself. She showed it to Michael.
"Where did you get this?" she asked quietly.
"The shipment," he said calmly. He took the book from her and rearranged his glasses. He squinted at the cover of the book and smiled his crinkly smile.
"She looks a lot like you. Bestseller, this one is."
Susan frowned in thought. She looked at Michael and smiled a little. She pulled some money from her bag and handed it to him.
"I'll take it."
* * * * *
"Oh my God!" Minni shrieked, grabbing the book from Susan's hands. Susan was speechless. This was... odd. Even for Minni, who was the Queen of Odd.
Susan rolled her eyes and snorted, a very un-ladylike gesture. She put her bag on her bed and sat down in her favorite comfy-chair. She loved to sit in it and read all day.
"I think you're making a too big of a deal about this," she said matter-of-factly, brushing a dark ringlet out of her eyes.
"Too big of a deal? For God's sake, Susan. This girl looks just like you!" Minni squealed, hugging the book to her chest. She sat in the chair next to Susan and forced Susan to look into her celery-green eyes.
"Did you pose for this book without my knowledge?" she asked teasingly. Susan rolled her eyes again.
"Minni, I'm sure it's just a coincidence."
"Yeah right," Minni said with a laugh. She opened the book to the summary.
"Hmm... let's see what it's about, shall we?" Minni said in a high-pitched voice. Susan laughed.
"If you must," she said, waving her hands so she could continue. Minni cleared her throat and began reading the summary.
"Once, long ago, four children ventured into the wondrous land of Narnia, and defeated the White Witch. A year later, they entered again and defeated the Telmarines." Minni's voice broke off when she saw Susan's face. Her face was as white as a sheet, and she looked like she wasn't breathing.
"Are you okay?" Minni asked worriedly. Susan snapped out of her trance, and color ran to her cheeks. She nodded.
"I'm fine," she said unconvincingly. After another worried glance, Minni continued reading.
"The two eldest children were not allowed back to Narnia, but the youngest were. But the eldest were not ready to let go of Narnia. Especially the eldest girl. She had left Narnia before, leaving behind the person she loved. Now, she decides to venture into the land one more time, unbeknownst to everyone. Along with her older brother, they go into Narnia and have to hide. They encounter strange creatures, awful laws, and a beautiful girl who threatens them all. Can love help them survive? Or will it vanquish them all?"
Susan had almost completely stopped breathing by the time Minni finished. It was... about Narnia. About her siblings. About him. About her. But... none of those things had happened to them! Could the book possibly be... talking about the future?
Susan jumped up, and snatched the book from Minni's hands. Without giving her an explanation, she ran out the door again. She bolted down the steps and slammed the door shut behind her. She ran across the lawn to the boy's dormitory, and ran up the steps. She knocked on room 12A, and a boy Peter's age answered. He was tall, had shaggy black hair, and was holding a sheet of music. He was Peter's music prodigy roommate, Alex.
"Hey, Alex," she said. Alex looked very surprised to see her. He knew all about the no-speaking factor between her brother and her. He had been there during the fight that had caused it all.
"Is Peter here? It's an emergency."
Alex shook his head. "I think he's playing ball or something," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Thanks," Susan said breathlessly, and was out the door again. She sprinted all the way to the gym, and peeked through the window. He wasn't in there. He was probably in the locker room.
Susan had never been embarrassed about boy's locker rooms. She had been in them before- she hardly noticed the boys in there. So she wasn't self-concious at all when she bolted into the room and was surrounded by wet floors, steam-filled showers, and lots of boys with towels wrapped around their waists. When they felt a draft, and turned to see a beautiful girl holding a book and running down the hallway. They screamed and pressed themselves against the wall, willing their towels not to fall off. Susan hardly noticed. She ran to the end of the locker room and saw Peter.
"Peter!" she shouted, running toward him. He, like all the rest, was wearing only a towel. Peter turned in surprise. Why was she talking to him? They had hardly spoken since the sorority thing. He was still angry about it, but curiosity got the better of him.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" he asked, covering himself. Susan rolled her eyes.
"Peter, we're blood, I've seen you naked, snap out of it, and take a look at this." She thrust the book into his hands. He frowned at the cover.
"She looks just like you," he said.
"Read the summary," she said urgently. He flipped open the book and read it. His eyes widened as he finished.
"What... how... when... what?" That was all he could say. She grabbed his shoulders.
"Get a grip on yourself, Peter," she said. "This is an emergency."
"Who wrote this?" he asked, his words finally merging into sentences. Susan shrugged.
"I don't know," she said. "It says anonymous."
"How is this possible?" he wondered, leaning against the metal lockers, ignoring the pain the locks gave him as they scratched down his back. "This is all true, yet it hasn't happened yet."
"I don't get it either," she said. "What should we do?"
Peter frowned in thought for a moment, and then said, "You should read it."
"What?" Susan hissed, her eyes widening.
"What's so bad about reading it? You love to read, Su," he said. Susan got a warm fuzzy feeling inside her, despite everything else. He had called her Su. He hadn't called her that in ages.
"I'm afraid," she admitted, casting her eyes down. "I'm afraid that once I read it, I'll relive that entire year after we got back from Narnia. You know, the year I like to call the Year of Depression."
Peter sighed, and hugged her, and she totally ignored the wetness of his skin. She was just happy that Peter was hugging her again. Suddenly, she felt sad. Sad for all the months they hadn't talked. They felt like wasted time.
She pulled away from him, and nodded. "I'll read it," she said quietly. "But don't expect me to like it."
Peter chuckled. "I don't expect you to."
* * * * *
Susan yawned, and her eyelids fluttered. She looked around the room, and felt a weight on her chest. It was the book. She must have spent all night trying to finish it. And she succeeded.
Quotes from the book flashed through her mind, and her head spun as they filled her thoughts.
"Run, Susan!"
"I will love you for eternity."
"My name is Rylyn. I have come to asist you."
"I don't like her."
"Why would I love her, Susan, when I have you?"
"SUSAN? PETER? You're HERE?"
"You've broken the law. Something must be done."
"You can't do this to me! I belong here, with Caspian! Narnia is my home!"
Susan shook her head to get rid of the quotes. The book was amazing- she had to admit it. But it couldn't be true- could it? If it was true, that meant that Edmund and Lucy had just gone to Narnia. She picked up the book and crawled out of bed. She changed into some sweatpants that she had stolen from Peter's drawers a while ago, and pulled on a red shirt that read her sorority's name on it in silver letters. She brushed her hair and teeth, and tied up her hair so it was out of her face.
"I need some juice," she said to herself. She tiptoed over to the fridge, trying not to wake Minni. But when she opened the fridge, she didn't find juice. In fact, her mind completely forgot about the juice.
She was frozen in shock. The book fell to the floor. It WAS talking about the future. Every word in the book was true. Just by opening the fridge, she knew. Why? Because the answer was right in front of her.
"Narnia," she whispered, and the book was completely correct indeed.
