"Ms. Jen? Ms. Jen."

"Wha-what?"

"We're here Ms. Jen."Julian said, shaking me.

"What?"I asked again.

"We have arrived, Ms. Jennifer." He said, looking me straight in the face.

"Come on, get out of the car." he said, making way for me.

I looked around me. I was still in the Volvo. Julian was holding the door.

I got out of the car and squinted my eyes. I guess I slept for a long time.

"Where are we?" I asked, balancing myself on my feet.

"We're in the hospital." He replied, closing the back door; he held my suitcase and walked towards me.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Umm...I'm thinking 10 hours at the back of the car." He replied, grinning.

"Oh." I said, dumbfounded. Ten straight hours! I thought it would take longer to get here than that.

"Oh, come on." He said, leading me to the elevator.

We walked silently. I really didn't know what to say to Julian: he's been taking care of me since I was a baby.

"So, Ms. Jen,"

"Please Jules. My parents aren't around. You know I don't talk like that."

"Well, Jen, what are you going to do while you're here?" he asked, looking at me.

"Umm...I haven't really thought about it. I guess I'm going to stay here: after all, Grandma's sick, I don't plan to enjoy myself while she's suffering." I replied, twisting a few strands of hair around my finger.

The elevator rang: we were at the front desk of the hospital.

"Yes, where is Mrs. Charleston's room?" Julian asked the woman behind the desk.

"Oh, it's Room 413 at the 3rd floor." She replied, not even turning around.

Julian and I returned to the elevator. I pushed the button for the 3rd floor.

"Do you think Mama will be alright?" I asked, trying to control my voice. I don't really call my grandmother 'Grandma', I call her Mama; after all, it's fine with her.

"She'll be alright. You know, your Mama told me a lot of stories."

"Really? Like what?" I asked, interested.

"Stories about another world." He said, in a weird voice. It's as if his voice grew bigger.

Then faced me, an eyebrow raised. "But of course, we know no such worlds exist, right?"

"Um, yeah." I replied. My grandmother told stories about other worlds?

"Actually, from the way she told those stories, it's as if she'd been to that place." He continued, laughing a bit.

"Oh. Do you really think..."

"Jen...Your grandmother doesn't really mean that." I heard him say.

"Oh. It's just, some silly thought suddenly entered my mind." I replied. "We're here."

We got out of the elevator and started looking for the room. It wasn't hard to find, it was near the other elevator.

I popped my head inside the door.

I nearly burst into tears.

It really made me feel bad, seeing my Mama lying on a hospital bed, all those tubes sticking to different parts of her body.

I walked to her."Mama?"

"Jen? Is that you?" she said, opening her eyes.

"It's me Mama." I said, walking to her bedside.

"Oh, it's nice to see you again." She said.

I sat at her bedside, trying not to sit on the sheets or one of those tubes.

"So, how are you doing?" she asked, hugging me. She almost fell.

I helped her up, propping up a few pillows to support her back. "I'm fine Mama."

"That's good. Where's Julian?" she lay on the pillows I fixed and looked at me seriously.

"Outside. He's probably waiting for Jess and my parents." I replied.

"Good. Jenny, I have to tell you something." She said. Her eyes looked a bit watery, as if she was going to cry.

"What's wrong Mama?" I asked.

"Has anyone ever told you of me telling stories about another world?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, Julian told me that while we were on the elevator." I replied, pointing to the door with my thumb.

"And has anyone told you I've been there?"

"No."

"Those stories I told the others were true."

"How can that be? We all know other worlds don't exist."

"Ah, my dear girl, they do exist. Believe me." She said, smiling as if she accomplished something great.

"But-"

"Jen, look at me. Do you think I would lie to my favorite granddaughter about this? Especially when I'm in what possibly can be my death bed?" she asked, pinching my right cheek.

"Okay. I believe you." I replied, smiling. "Would you tell me one, Mama?"

"Of course. Once, my parents had to send me to the countryside. There, me and your granduncles and grandaunt..."

"Wait. You have brothers and a sister? I thought you were an only child."

"I have siblings, yes. I'll tell you about them some other time. Anyway, me and my siblings were in this huge house owned by a famous professor. While we were playing hide and seek in that house, my little sister found a wardrobe in one room, where she hid. After a few minutes, she runs out of the room telling us that she's been in another world."

"What happened to her?"

"Well, me and Peter, my big brother, thought that she was going nuts, so we consulted the professor. He said that we should believe what she says."

"Did you record it?"

"Well, yes. I believe I have. It's in the drawer here." She said, looking at the bedside table. I opened the drawer and found a book that looked like a diary. It looked kind of ancient, and royal.

"Can I read it?"

"You can have it. That's one of the reasons I wanted to see you. But, here's another thing." She said, taking something out of a little pouch.

"Wow." I said, marveling at the thing.

It was a little necklace, with a blood red ruby shaped into a heart. The outline of the heart was solid gold. It glittered in the light of the room.

"Where did you get it Mama?" I asked, looking at it as if my gaze could melt it.

"It was given to me. If you read one of my records there, you'll see where I exactly got it."

"Oh come on Mama, tell me." I said, forcibly. I don't know, but when I said that, I probably sounded like a spoiled brat.

"We don't want to spoil what I wrote down for you to read, now would we?"

"Okay. But really, where'd it come from?"

"You'd better read it instead. I don't want to tell it to you now. I fear that, if I told those stories, my heart would ache so much just from missing Narnia."

Narnia...that sounds familiar. Haven't I heard of that before? I thought.

"Um, Mama?"

"Yes?"

"Why is it that this place, Narnia, sounds so familiar to me...it's like I've heard it before."

"Maybe you have." She replied. Then she put the necklace in my open hand, and closed it.

"Mama, are you giving this to me?"

"Why, yes. I'm passing it on to you as a family heirloom."

"Does anyone else know about this?"

"No. And It'd be better if we kept this secret to ourselves." She replied. "Would you like to where it now?"

"Yes please." I replied.

She made me face the other side of the room and let me tuck my hair to one side. Then, she placed the necklace around my neck and locked it. It's a good thing it was long for me: after all, she wanted to keep it a secret.

I hugged my Mama, ever so thankful for the things she's given me since I was young. "Thank you Mama." I whispered.

The door suddenly swung open, and my parents, along with my sister, entered the room.

"Hello Grandmum." My sister said, heading straight for the chair near the table. Ugh! She's so annoying, especially when she's being 'mature', as they call it.

"Ehem." I faked, placing my closed hand before my mouth as if I just coughed.

"Oh. Hello Jennifer." She said, waving her hand even though she faced us with her back.

"Hi." I said, forcing a fake grin saying 'She's so annoying'

Our parents ignored us and walked straight to Mama. My father held a bouquet of roses and laced it on the side table by the bed.

"Are you feeling better Mum?" my father asked.

"Why yes." She said, winking at me.

"Jen, get off the bed, you might sit on your grandmother." My mother said.

I was about to leave the bed when Mama said, "No, it's alright. I have a few of these tubes stuck on me anyway."

"Anyway. Have you eaten yet?" my father asked. "We bought you some food."

"Oh, no. I'm not hungry." She replied.

Everyone silently sat in the room. Mama just lay there: she had to get more rest. No one's told me what happened to her yet.

***

"Jen?" a boy asked me.

"Yes, what is it?" I replied.

"What do you think we should do?"

"I don't know."

"You have to know. The future of this country lies in your decision." A girl added.

"Wow. That's not a lot of pressure on me." I said, sarcastically.

***

"Jen!" someone said, shaking me.

My head hurt, as if I hit it somewhere.

"Huh?"

"Jen, wake up." My mother said, shaking me still.

I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. The room suddenly looked crowded, my relatives were there, everyone hanging their heads down, crying.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Your grandmother..." she replied.

I jumped up and went to her bed.

"Mama?" I said. She didn't move.

"Mama?" I repeated, holding her by her shoulders. Again, no reaction.

"Mama! Mama, it's me, Jen!" I said. I felt hot tears flow down my cheeks.

"Mama!" I screamed. My father stood beside me, holding me by the shoulders. I shook him off and knelt by her bedside, crying with my head buried in my arms.

"Mama." I said.

"Come on, sweetie." He said, forcing me to stand up.

"No. I don't want to leave her. I don't want to go! I want to stay here!" I yelled, making my voice sound clear amidst my sobs.

"I know you didn't want Mama to leave, but she just had to." He said. "Come on, act like a young lady and stand up."

"No! I'm not a young lady! I am not even mature enough for what you tell me!" I yelled. My relatives looked at us.

"Jennifer, please. Stand up and be mature for once." My father said.

"No! I am NOT GOING TO ACT STUCK UP LIKE ALL OF YOU!" I answered.

"That's enough, young lady." he said, his face starting to look stern.

"NO! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" I said.

I ran out of the room, not knowing where to go. I know my father would not let me go like that. Julian saw me run off, fortunately, he didn't follow me.

When you run off because of something like what happened to me, you have to stop sometime.

I sat down, hiding in a little corner, still on that floor of the building. I buried my face in my arms and tried to stop sobbing, which didn't really help.

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke, saying "Are you alright?"

I looked up. It was Julian.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Go ahead." I replied, wiping the tears off my face.

He sat down beside me and didn't talk. I guess he knew what happened, judging by the voice of my voice in the room, which I think could beat a person using a megaphone.

"You alright?" he asked again. I stared at the wall in front of me, trying to ignore him.

"Are you going to answer me, or am I going to have to use the hard way we do it?" he asked, smiling. By hard way, he means tickling me 'til I tell him the truth.

"You don't need to do that. I feel a little bit better, to be honest." I replied, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"You know, your father-"

"He asked you to look for me. I get it." I said. Of course he'd tell him that!

"No. He didn't."

"He didn't?"

"Mmhm. I went off myself. But, your father told me that if I see you, I need to bring you back home."

"Not school?"

"Why? You want to go back to school?"

"No! Who does?" I answered. He smiled, then I took out the book my grandmother gave me.

"What have you got there?" he asked, looking at it.

"Mama gave it to me." I replied, opening it. The time I opened the book, it smelled so fragrant: as if I was in a garden filled with beautiful flowers.

"Can I see it?"

"Umm, sure. I guess." I replied, handing him the book.

"Hey. There's a letter."

"Where?"

Julian handed me an envelope sealed with a golden sticker. I was about to open it when he said:

"You shouldn't open that yet."

"Why not?"

"It's probably for you, or someone else. But, all the same, you should open it, and keep it, some place safe."

"Okay. Put it back there so that I don't lose it." I said, giving him back the envelope.

Julian handed me the book back. I kept it in my little Jansport backpack.

"We should be getting back." He said.

"Umm, I'm not sure if I sh-"

"Yes, you should. It's getting late, you know. You can't run away from your problems."

"I know that. It's just...I think I'm...I don't know."

"Your father'll feel better when you're there. After all, he did lose his mother: and your grandmother." He said, standing up.

"Are you sure it'll be alright? After all, I acted like a stupid brat back there."

"Since when did you get concerned about your 'image'?" he asked. "Come on." He said, forcing me up.

So, we walked back to the room. When I entered, my father ran to me and hugged me tight. I wasn't sure but I think he was crying. My sister rolled her eyes. My mother was talking to my aunts.

"I'll leave you all here." Julian said, closing the door.

"Dad, you can let go now. " I said.

He stopped hugging me, and put his hands to my face.

"Are you alright?" he asked, trying to stop his voice from quivering.

"I'm fine. I'm a little tired. Dad, I'm sorry I yelled."

"No. You don't need to say that. I know it's hard for you." He said. "It's hard for me too. Come on. You get some rest."

***

"This is your last chance girl. Tell us where he is or this'll be your last hour alive." A man said, laying a cold dagger behind my bare neck.

"I told you, I don't know! I don't even know who, or what, you're talking about." I replied, lying.

"Then that leaves me no choice." he said, pressing the dagger harder.

"Wait! I'm the one you want, not her. Let her go!" someone beside me yelled.

"David! Is that you?" I asked.

"Shut up! We're talking about the prince. Now missie, let me say it again. If you don't tell us where the prince is, I repeat, this WILL BE YOUR LAST HOUR ALIVE."

"Stop!" a voice said.

"What in the-"

The walls behind me broke. A young man on a beautiful unicorn arrived, along with them, a battalion of what looked to be a mixture of men and magical creatures.

"Ah yes. You've come. Boys, take them." The man said, signaling his Hench men to attack. They did, but were defeated in a few minutes. After that, more of their kind came out to help fight.

"Aghh!?!?!" I screamed. The man scooped me up and carried me on his shoulders. I tried to force him to put me down by punching and kicking, but he held me tighter. We went up a long flight of stairs, I still squirming free, he, still holding me firm.

He opened a door that let in broad daylight into the dark, smelly building. It led to a balcony. H e put me down there.

"It's too late!" Another voice yelled.

I looked behind me.

It was the prince.

"Arggh!" the man screeched, hitting the boy with his sword. The boy fought back with his. In less than five minutes, the man lay dead on the floor of the balcony.

"Matt!" I screamed.

He ran to me and helped me up. H e hugged me tightly.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"It doesn't matter. They're downstairs. Come on!"

"Where's your-"

"It's downstairs. Come on!" I replied.