Hey, everyone! This is my first longer fic that I've posted on , so I hope it's received well! I love reviews and hearing from readers, so don't forget to let me know what you think! Here goes nothing. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the characters you may see here, except Samantha and perhaps a few others you might see that the brilliant C.S. Lewis did not create.

--

Introduction

This can't be happening to me.

It was just supposed to be a good laugh, but obviously, that laugh had turned sour right before my eyes. No one was supposed to find out it was me, either, but I guess that's how I found myself racing through the corridors of my lovely (yeah, right) boarding school, desperately searching for a place to hide away from the teacher and principal that were in hot pursuit.

Hey, I thought it was funny.

I guess my stuffy old hag of a history teacher did not.

Especially when it became clear that this particular joke was poisonous. Yeah, literally.

I mean, how was I supposed to know that? I have to admit though, it made the prank go up about fifty points on the cool scale. It only lasts for about two hours, but you should have SEEN that swelling…and the flattering purple shade that my teacher's face turned…but I won't get into that right now. I'm kind of short on time, if you hadn't noticed.

"Hey, Samantha! Did you really do it?"

This excited whisper came from the dormitory door that I was passing at the moment. Oh, no. I don't have time for this. Anything but Bailey. This kid is bad news. She would make my 'short on time' into a 'Samantha is dead meat' scenario.

"Yup, I did. Now, if you'll excuse me--"

"Really? That's so cool, I can't believe you actually did it! Did they find out?"

This was about the time that I noticed the furious footsteps of my pursuers coming around the corner. I looked quickly at the 12-year-old blonde-haired girl hanging out of her door in fascination. I may be a particularly lonely, antisocial 16-year-old, but that never stopped this girl from inexplicably wanting to be my friend. It's rather annoying, really.

"There! She's there!" the principal shouted. Didn't anyone ever teach him that it's impolite to point?

"Yes, Bailey. I would say that they have," I replied to her question, and with that, continued my frantic sprint down the hall without so much as a 'sayonara'.

Apparently, though, the delay had given my enemies a one-up, and they were just that much closer. Which made me all that much closer to my suspension. My mother would not be happy. Which meant that either I kept running, or faced the almighty wrath of my mother's designer shoe obsession for about a month longer than necessary.

My choice was obvious.

Keep running.

I finally rounded the corner and ran up the nearest staircase two steps at a time, all the while listening to the huffing and puffing of the diabetic principal. "Young lady, come down here right now. You have more than passed the detention option. I will be calling your mother immediately. Surrender!"

Does this school look like a battlefield?

If you think not, you haven't seen my room.

Oh, come on. You can't tell me that wasn't funny.

Alright, so it was kind of lame. But anyway, let's get back to the story.

They were closing in on me now. I had hit a dead end. The end of the third floor dorms. There was nowhere to go but to barge into some random girl's room, since I was at the end of the hall, where the last door was displayed. But I wasn't about to give up.

They must have had no idea what I was thinking, since they knew I was surrounded. I knew it, too. But suddenly, I had my hand on the doorknob of that last door, and I quickly let myself in, locking it behind me. I remember thinking that it was kind of strange that the door was just unlocked like that. But in the rush of the moment, I didn't think anything of it. I was preoccupied, okay?

The shouting and banging on the door kept getting louder as I frantically searched the room for an exit. There was a small window at the end of the room, but that was no good. It was a three-story fall. Not such a good idea just after breakfast. Trust me. I would know.

There was only option left.

The closet.

It was weird that I hadn't noticed it until then, but suddenly, there it was. The door was radiating, almost glowing. There was a strange feeling it gave me when I looked at it, like I couldn't help but to be strong. Everything else fell away from my mind but that closet door.

Cautiously, I stepped toward it, reaching out one hand in apprehension. The banging on the room's door had stopped, and I could hear the two teachers working out strategies to break it down. I knew I had only so much time left to go. But I didn't let myself think about that anymore, or maybe that was just 'the Way of the Closet'. I had reached the glowing door, and made to touch the handle.

I drew my hand back away at first. There was a certain blistering heat radiating from the knob, but I decided to test it anyway. What other surprises did this door have in store for me? I thought the knob would burn, but it didn't. It was perfectly warm, comforting. Suddenly, I found myself twisting it slowly. Almost involuntarily.

I heard a small click in the lock of the room's door. Obviously, they'd thought to pick it. Crap. I'd better start moving faster.

Before I knew it, I decided to just take the chance. I jumped right through the door without looking. I slammed it behind me, leaving me in the darkness. Funny, I couldn't hear my teachers anymore.

And that was before I fell.

To my death?

No.

Into a tree.

I let out a small shriek as I looked around at where I was. There were mountains, great beautiful forests, many ruins, and a large river in the distance. Where was I that I could see all of this?

I looked down, shaking in my old sweatshirt and jeans.

Oh, crap.

I was perched precariously at the top of an approximately fifty to eighty foot pine tree.

It was at this point that I swore to myself never to put an innocent-looking garden snake in Ms. Fisher's desk again.

Or to wear my good shoes when entering strange, glowing closets that have possibilities of harboring loads of pinesap.