A/N: I'm sorry I didn't get around to writing this sooner, but here it is now! This part doesn't really fit with the part of the song it's supposed to, but it's more of a general idea. by the way, if you haven't listened to the song, I highly suggest you do. it is "I'll Try", from Peter Pan 2: Return to Neverland. I prefer the one from the movie, not the one by Jesse McCartney, just so you know. constructive criticism is welcome. reviews make me very happy, and my happiness makes for a better story *hint hint*
My whole world is changing
I don't know where to turn
I can't leave you waiting
But I can't stay and watch this city burn
Watch it burn
Susan turned back toward the door and locked it, then stuffed the key back in her bag. Seeing that it was almost evening, she hurried down the steps and towards the train station once again. For some reason, she found that she didn't want to go back to her apartment. There was something about it, some feeling that she just couldn't place. It was as if… no, she wasn't scared of her house, just, well it was too lonely.
She walked slowly down the street, lost in thought. On either side of her rose huge, magnificent buildings. As a child, she had loved to look at them, but now she passed by them without a second thought. Feeling lost, Susan turned down the familiar street, though she didn't recognize it. What's wrong with me? She thought angrily. It's as if I'm a different person.
But she knew in her heart that she was a different person; something had changed, though she knew not what. Something had changed the minute she started arguing with her siblings. But she had changed again once she saw the sketch book on Lucy's desk. She just wasn't yet sure exactly how that experience had changed her.
The rhythmic sound of her footsteps suddenly stopped, and it took a minute for her mind to catch up and realize why she had come to a halt. She saw that she stood in front of the train station. Susan looked slightly to the left and froze as she saw the huge lion statue looming over the sidewalk.
Without realizing what she was doing, Susan turned and walked slowly over to the statue. As she stood there staring at it, one word came into her mind. "Aslan," she breathed, reaching up one shaking hand to touch the cold paw.
Shaking her head as if to clear it, Susan hurriedly stepped backwards, almost knocking an old woman over in her haste. Muttering an apology, she practically ran back to the train station, plunging inside.
Once on the train, Susan plopped tiredly into a seat, rubbing her temple as if she had a headache. Her purse bumped against her leg, an odd, hard shape inside. Reaching down, Susan withdrew Lucy's sketch book. She didn't know exactly why she'd taken it, and knew that Lucy would be vexed when she discovered that it was missing. Susan had just felt that she should take it, and had placed it in her bag, driven by impulse.
She flipped it open to a random page as the train gave a great lurch and pulled away from the platform. She found herself looking at a younger version of herself, on a horse with Lucy behind her, and the drawing was so detailed that it was clear the horse was galloping ferociously, its muscles tight. "That's a right pretty picture," said a voice next to her. Susan turned and saw a man just a few years older than her, perhaps twenty-two or so, staring at the picture, almost in disbelief. "Interesting clothes and all, but real talent. You should consider getting a job as an illustrator."
"Thank you," said Susan, smiling politely, though a bit tiredly. "But it's not my work, my sister drew it. It's… it's an illustration from a story we made up, a long time ago," she finished a little sadly.
"Well, tell your sister she's an amazing artist," said the young man, smiling at her.
"Sure." Susan turned her head back to the notebook and flipped to the next page, knowing the man was still looking. She didn't even care anymore. Seeing that it was another picture of herself, this time expertly shooting a bow at a mounted soldier while four more approached, she sighed, quickly turning the page.
These were all pictures she had missed when she looked through the notebook before, and she studied each carefully. Each was a different scene from the stories they had acted out as children, depicting various stages of battle and other such events. They produced a strange feeling in her, almost a sense of loss.
Coming once again to the picture of the five royals along with Aslan, Susan sighed and flipped back to the beginning of the sketchbook. What she didn't see was the picture after that, of Susan and Caspian sharing the kiss she had imagined.
The train came to a shuddering stop, and Susan closed the book, preparing to leave the compartment. "Miss," came a quiet voice from where she'd been sitting. Turning, she found the same man who had commented on the pictures earlier. "That's an amazing story."
"Yes," she sighed. "It was."
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"When will you leave?"
"As soon as I can. I do not wish to waste another minute." Caspian paused and looked down at his hands. "I must see her."
Peter wasn't sure he was really comfortable with Caspian feeling this strongly about Susan, she was, after all, his little sister. But, if he managed to convince her of Narnia, Peter would be eternally grateful.
"Well, first you should probably know where to find her," piped up Lucy. "Do you have a piece of paper? And a pen?" Caspian produced the tools, and Lucy scribbled down an address on the paper. "That's where she lives. But, well, London is a big place. Really big. Um, Peter, you don't happen to have a map, do you?"
"I do," said Edmund, offering one. "We were on our way to see Susan when we came back," Edmund explained, realizing that Caspian probably hadn't been listening earlier. "I always get lost trying to find her house."
Lucy circled something on the map with her pen. "This is around where Susan's apartment building is." She circled something else. "And this is the train station we were at when we came back here. It's probably where you'll end up, because that's where we were when we went back to Earth last time, too."
"Thank you," said Caspian, gathering up the map and paper with Susan's address. "I will do all I can to bring her back here."
With that, he turned and headed toward the door.
"Wait!" called Peter, suddenly realizing something.
"What?"
"Your sword."
"What about my sword?" asked Caspian, clearly confused.
"Well, no one in England goes around carrying a sword," explained Peter, half amused. "Well, no one goes around dressed like that either, hut it'll have to do. But you'll really stick out with that."
Caspian unbuckled his sword from his belt and handed it to Peter. With one last farewell glance at the siblings, he walked purposefully through the door and into the busy English train station.