Jamaican Sunshower: Hey people's! Well, if any of you have read my Kingdom Hearts stories, then you know who I am! But, this IS my first Chronicles of Narnia fanfic and I'm kind of curious to see how people would respond to it. This is set during the reign of the Kings and Queens of old. Basically, they haven't left Narnia yet and they are all still in their teens. Oh, one more thing! If I get reviews for this chapter, then I will continue this story, if not, say good bye! So, enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the Narnia characters and you know who they are!
Out of Air, They Appear
Chapter 1: The Cave
"Hurry up, will you Carmen?! We're burning valuable daylight here!"
"I'm coming! I'm coming! Keep your undies on, Jesus, Avani!"
The air was sweet and the day was warm with a cool breeze flowing through the green leafed trees. The sun trickled and glinted playfully through the branches as the birds sang their lovely songs and flew through the air. It was a perfect summer day, one that every teenager wished for when let out of school.
"Mmmm! Man, it feels good out here!" a young girl with light, chocolate skin, long, black curly hair and golden-green eyes sighed, stretching her limbs to the sky as she stood upon a tree branch.
"Avani, please be careful up there! If you break a leg from falling, I'm not splinting it!" another girl with long, dark brown, wavy hair, mocha colored skin and deep, brown eyes called up to her friend.
The girl upon the branch, the golden-green eyed one named Avani, beamed down at the other girl, "Oh, lighten up, would you Carmen?! I'll be fine!"
The dark eyed girl, Carmen, shook her head in defeat and looked up at her friend, a warm smile on her face. Carmen Hidelgo and Avani James were often seen as sisters to the public eye for the reasons of being extremely close and always together. However, in reality, they were merely best friends who did anything and everything together. And this summer was no different; this was the 17th summer of their lives and they were spending it with Avani's grandmother and grandfather in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mama Choco and Granda Lewis, as the locals often called them, lived in the country part of the Charlotte, where the cows graze and the pigs sleep and the chickens peck. They were miles away from town, from what is considered real civilization, but the girls didn't mind because they still had lots of activities to do every day, not to mention the forest right behind Mama Choco's house to explore. Speaking of which:
"Hey, Avani, come down from there! We still have a lot of ground to cover before Mama Choco starts ringing the bell for dinner!" Carmen called up to the girl still sitting on the branch.
Avani clicked her tongue and glanced down, "Carmen, we got all summer to explore these woods. What's the rush?"
"The rush is I want to see how deep into the forest we can get before it gets dark and Mama Choco opens a can of whupass on us," Carmen commented, looking around at the beautiful scenery.
"Oh brother," Avani muttered to herself as she made to climb down, "Alright, alright. Move out the way, I'm coming down."
With a step here and a leap there, Avani was once again grounded and standing next to her eager best friend. They both took off deeper into the forest, laughing and joking with one another with what they would find.
"Dude, think we'll be able to find our way out of here?" Avani asked a little nervously.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find some way to remember," Carmen waved it off as she climbed over a fallen tree.
"What do you mean 'I'll find some way to remember'? Aren't you going to at least try?" Avani retorted, taking Carmen's hand as she helped her up.
"Naw. You're better at remembering stuff than I am. It's a gift you have I guess."
Avani rolled her eyes as they continued down the path they were going. The trees became slightly denser the further they went into the forest, but not so much that it was creepy. Maybe at night it would be scary, but in the afternoon sun of North Carolina, not so much.
"Well, what a disappointment. Looks like there's nothing much here except trees, trees, and guess what? More trees!" Carmen exclaimed, sighing to herself.
"Really?! Trees?! In a forest!? Good gosh, I had no idea! I was expecting more of a theme park! Pfft, stupid me!" Avani exaggerated, crossing her eyes and smacking the side of her head as if she were really stupid.
Carmen narrowed her eyes at her darker friend, "Ha. Ha…Ha. You're so freakin' funny, I think I forgot to breath."
"I was just playin'. I was just playin'!!" Avani claimed in a soft voice before raising it in a laugh as she and Carmen turned to walk back the way they came.
However, before they got much farther, something in her line of peripheral vision caught Avani's attention and the young, black female stopped abruptly.
"Hold on, hold on, hold on!" she called to Carmen to stop her from walking, "What's that over there?"
Carmen approached her friend, "Where?"
"There," Avani answered, pointing in the direction she was indicating to.
Carmen turned her head and a cave registered in her mind's eye. It stood hidden from the main path, almost completely covered by tree moss and branches and leaves. It could have easily been mistaken for a large rock instead of a cave. Both girls looked at each other before moving towards the strange cavern. Once they reached the opening, they peered inside and found…nothing. There was nothing but dark, dark, and guess what?! More dark. It seemed to go on forever, the darkness reaching no end and the two girls were excited beyond containment.
"Dude, this looks so cool!" Avani exclaimed, her voice resonating in the cave.
"For reals! I didn't know Mama Choco had a cave right in her own backyard!" Carmen replied, her face nearly breaking with the smile spreading across it.
"I didn't either."
"Let's explore!"
"Yes! Let's!"
However, before either girl could take a single step inside the dark cavern, the sound of a loud ringing could be heard. They turned around and listened intently, hearing it clear as a bell in the still forest air. Avani and Carmen groaned in disappointment as realization dawned on them.
"Aw man, why does Mama Choco have to be done with dinner now?" Avani complained, recognizing the ringing as the bell for dinner.
"Hey, she's your grandma, shouldn't you know?" Carmen asked as she and Avani moved away from the cave to start heading back to the house.
"Uh, no! I've never visited Mama Choco on her turf before, so I know squat!" Avani answered.
Carmen sighed as she looked back at the cave longingly; Avani placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, rubbing it in reassurance.
"C'mon, girl, we'll come back tomorrow and explore it all day long, promise! No doubt! But right now…let's get our asses home before Mama Choco abuses us for being late to dinner! Again!" Avani exclaimed as the bell for dinner became more frantic and angry.
With that, both young girls took off towards the farmhouse where Mama Choco was so frantically ringing the bell. The cave was left behind, silent and dark as they had left it yet with the adventure of a lifetime just waiting to be discovered within it.
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"What in the world cause' you two to be late to dinner again?! That is the 4th time this week and I am gittin' sick 'nd tire' of it!"
Avani and Carmen rolled their eyes and shook their heads as they sat down at the dinner table. The dinning room was warm and comfy, giving a sense of welcome to any and all who entered through it, though right now the two girls felt anything but warmth. Mama Choco, a 72 year old, heavy set woman with dark chocolate skin, bright hazel eyes and gray, cotton candy like hair, was staring at them with stern eyes as she scolded them for being late again. When they had come back to the house, the sun was already setting over the horizon, and the deal was they could go out into the forest as long as they were back BEFORE twilight. Since they had yet to uphold their part of the bargain, Mama Choco was giving them a good scolding, but luckily for them, it was just a scolding. For now.
"Hello? I am talkin' to you two yung ladies!" Mama Choco exclaimed, clapping her hands, "My god! What has gotten inta' ya two!? Granda Lewis, have you got nothin' to say!?"
The woman turned to her husband, a strongly built man of 74 with skin as dark as night and eyes a deep brown with a head of wooly gray, with urging eyes. While Mama Choco was warm and kind in her own ways, it was Granda Lewis who made every situation light hearted and came to the girl's rescue more times than can be counted. It was Granda Lewis who was the go-to man when the girls wanted to talk about anything that didn't have to do about being a woman. The elder man chuckled warmly at his wife as he stuffed a forkful of collagreens in his mouth.
"Now then, Maybelle, no need to be snappy. These girls are simply curious souls who can't seem to find enough hours in the day to do all the exploring they would like to do," the big, black man replied in a tender, warm voice.
Carmen and Avani looked from Granda Lewis to Mama Choco anxiously, both wondering if the woman would pounce up from her seat and beat the sweet man with the ladle in the gravy. Mama Choco bristled for a moment before she sighed dramatically and shook her head in defeat.
"Well, a'right, fine! But when those girls get lost and hungry out there in them woods cuz of that curious nature, it's all on your head!" she concluded, cutting into the chicken vigorously.
With that verdict, both girls sighed in relief as Granda Lewis chuckled humorously at them. However, they weren't about to get off without another small word.
"But, you young ladies need to be here for dinner on time from now on, ya' hear me?" Granda Lewis spoke to the Jamaican and the Latina girl, "Remember what I told you about telling time out here."
"We know, Granda Lewis, when the sun is a quarter past the highest peak in the sky, it's time to start heading home because it would be twilight soon after," Avani answered with a smile.
"That's right. What a smart young lady you are," Granda Lewis replied admirably, looking between the two girls who giggled at the praise.
"I still want ta' know what you two were doing out der' in dem' woods that had ya' two out der' fer so long," Mama Choco interrupted, veening at the two girls.
"Oh, that's what I meant to ask!" Avani exclaimed, putting down her fork, "Has there always been a cave out in the forest?"
"Cave? What cave?" Mama Choco asked.
"You saw a cave, chil'?" Granda Lewis asked, curious by this news.
"That's right. It was a little deeper in the forest and almost completely hidden from sight. It looked like a giant rock, but it had an opening," Carmen exclaimed while Avani took a sip of her drink.
"Well…that-that is strange now, I never knew there was a cave out there," Granda Lewis commented, rubbing his chin.
Mama Choco waved her hand in dismissal, "Now, hold on der, Lewis, hold on. I think I've heard of it."
"You have?" Avani asked excitedly as Mama Choco nodded her head absently in thought.
"Yeah…through stories. They always said, even when I was a little girl, that there was a cave in the forest that was…unnatural."
"Unnatural? What do you mean?" Carmen asked as she and Avani leaned forward to listen.
Mama Choco tsked and waved her hand, "Oh, you know ol' folks and their superstitions, they just said that strange creatures kept poppin' up out of the cave and then running back when discovered. So many of these stories come around with no proof dat we jus' go on ignorin' dem."
"Still, that seems pretty cool and we're going to go and explore that cave tomorrow," Avani stated, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Definitely! I'm not missing a minute of this!" Carmen agreed, giggling.
"Just be careful girls. Pack bags with necessities, both of you. And take a piece of chalk to mark the walls so you don't get lost, just in case it's a cave with many directions," Granda Lewis warned.
Avani and Carmen nodded in understanding, both practically bouncing out of their seats in excitement at the thought of a new adventure.
Dinner was ended with trivial conversations and the girls were sent off to bed. However, they found sleep to be a difficult thing as eagerness filled their bodies. It was well into early morn, about 2 AM, and they were still wide-awake.
"Oh, god, I can't sleep! I'm just way too excited!" Avani whispered, sitting up in bed.
Carmen followed her example, sitting up as well with a huge grin on her face, "I know! I can't wait for tomorrow!"
"What do you think we'll find in that cave?" Avani asked.
"I don't know. If it's like other caves, then probably bats and rocks and stuff," Carmen answered.
"And if it's not like other caves?"
"Then a whole nother freakin' world! With talking animals and centaurs and mermaids and…and!" Carmen gasped loudly, "Maybe even kings and queens and such like that!"
"Woah! Imagination overload here!" Avani exclaimed, rolling onto her stomach to look at Carmen, "That would be like a freakin' fairytale!"
"An awesome fairytale…that we could be livin'!" Carmen countered, adding the last part as an afterthought.
"Oh, I know! It would be so cool! Oh! Oh! And what if you and I had boyfriends who were royalty in this world!" Avani added.
"Like kings or something! And they ruled their own lands!" Carmen exclaimed, jumping up on her mattress.
"And they made us their queens!"
"Yeah! That would be awesome!"
Avani sighed dreamily and flopped back onto her mattress for she had jumped up in excitement at the thought of what they would find in their explorations. Carmen followed her example and laid back as well, smiling up at the ceiling.
"Dude, we really shouldn't get ourselves worked up like that. Chances are that we'll find nothing in that cave. Maybe just a bunch of cave drawings if we're even that lucky," Avani commented.
Carmen shrugged her shoulders, "Eh, it doesn't hurt to dream sometimes."
Her words processed themselves in Avani's mind and the young girl found herself smiling lightly to no one, "You're right. Night, Carmen."
"Night…Avani," Carmen answered back, yawning deeply.
With that, the young Latina fell into a deep slumber while the young black girl stayed up for a few more moments before sleep consumed her as well. She fell asleep with one thought left in her mind.
'It would never hurt to dream if dreams came true more often.'
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Early Morning the Next Day
"C'mon, c'mon, Avani! You move slower than a snail in the snow!"
"You know snails die in snow right?!"
It was barely daybreak when Avani and Carmen had awakened with hearts light and spirits eager; today was the day they would explore the depths of the cave. They got right to doing their chores the moment they woke up, finishing them in record time, and had the hardest time sitting and eating civilly. Finally, after 4 hours since they've been awake, they were set and ready to go!
"Remember, young ladies, this time you have to be home for dinner on time," Granda Lewis reminded while handing the two girls their bags.
"Got it, Granda Lewis! See you at the end of the day!"
And with that last good bye, the two girls made their way into the forest. Just like the day before, they stopped every now and then to admire the beauty of the trees and the bushes and the flowers, but they wasted little time in making it to the cave. And just like the day before, the darkened cavern remained silent, mysterious, and almost intimidating. Carmen and Avani stood before the opening, looking at the entire picture before looking at each other.
"Ready?" Avani asked.
Carmen shrugged playfully and smiled, "Let's have an adventure!"
And then, they stepped through the entrance, not knowing that they were indeed about to go on the adventure that would drive any sane young girl crazy. Yet, since Avani and Carmen were anything but sane, or normal for that matter, this adventure would be well welcomed.
The End
Jamaican Sunshower: Weeeeeeeelllll? What do you guys think? I think it was cool, but it's up to you. Like I said before, if this chapter doesn't catch anyone's attention, then I won't continue. So, if you want to know what's going on in my head, then review. And trust me, the romance is really good and there will be some awesome humor and a little bit of modern knowledge given to the Pevensie children! Read and Review!