freshman year

[deepest_magic]

The new crop of freshmen is mostly pretty ordinary. They're fresh out of middle school, playing with new identities, seeing how the batch from this neighborhood react to the batch fed in from the other side of town. They're bonding or forming petty enmities over music and fashion and flash-in-the-pan romances; they're developing opinions about their teachers and the quality of the cafeteria and how early they have to get up in the morning to catch the bus.

Here, sitting by herself writing in a prettily-bound notebook, is a twelve-year-old. Must have skipped a couple grades.

Comments

[deepest_magic]

"I understand. The emphasis in Narnia was fairly heavily on Aslan over his father the Emperor-Beyond-The-Sea, but I'm not sure exactly why."

[ladysunday]

"Well, if Jesus walked around helping queens and fighting evil witches, and his dad was on the other side of the ocean where I'd never seen him, I bet we'd do that, too."

[deepest_magic]

"Well, yes. I'm not sure why Aslan did the legwork while the Emperor was inaccessible, but it's possible the Emperor was busy elsewhere, just like Aslan slipped off to do other things shortly after I was crowned. There are two worlds, I see no reason there shouldn't be more."

[ladysunday]

"Oh, sure, makes sense. I'm just thinking I would find it way easier to believe in Jesus if he went around doing things where I could see him. Is there any picture of Aslan in your book?"

[deepest_magic]

"No. He left before I got the magic equivalent of a camera. He looks like, well, a lion. A very big golden lion, but with, you know - personable sort of facial expressions."

[ladysunday]

"It's hard to imagine. Hard to believe, too. Not that I doubt you. Well, not exactly... My mom was religious, and it felt so fake I still have the bad taste in my mouth. Even when I think you're right."

[deepest_magic]

"I wasn't in the least religious when I found the wardrobe. But, well, they celebrate Christmas, in particular, and - I was there when Aslan did Narnia's edition of the Passion."

[ladysunday]

"I'd probably be convinced if I was there, then, too. It sounds true. But it still feels wrong."

[deepest_magic]

Isabella shrugs. "I'm not a missionary. Maybe I'm supposed to be, but I can't really tell people in general that I fell into a magical land through a wardrobe and met the lion version of Jesus."

[ladysunday]

"Mmm."

[against_all_trouble]

"There's a lot to think about. I'm kinda beat, honestly, think I'll head home. But.. thanks."

[deepest_magic]

"Please don't tell anyone. I'm still legally twelve, and letting on generally about this would make my life very complicated."

[against_all_trouble]

"Secret's safe with me."

[ladysunday]

"Same."

[deepest_magic]

"Good."

Home they all go.

Isabella is of course at school again the following day and may be visited at her table at lunch.

[against_all_trouble]

Arthur and Suzy show up again at lunch. And the next few days, as well.

[deepest_magic]

Isabella is introverted enough and twenty-seven enough that she wasn't particularly looking for friends in high school, but if they turn up of their own accord she won't refuse them. She shows them the archery range where she keeps in practice - "I used to have a magic bow, which helped a lot, but one of its magic traits was that it taught me what I ought to be doing, so I can still shoot pretty straight. Though the modern equipment took some adjusting and lessons." She shows them pictures from her infinity notebook. "Here's me when I was fourteen, the first time. I'm not really looking forward to doing puberty twice. Although I suppose the sanitary napkin situation here is better." And on the less queenly side of things, she has a mom; her mom is pleased she's made friends and bakes them cookies. She knows a few interesting places in Phoenix to be.

Here they are, sitting at a bus stop waiting to be carried away to a place where they can borrow horses and go on a trail ride, and the bus is just pulling up, and there is a peculiar and displeasing pulling sensation that is not normally associated with buses -

[against_all_trouble]

"Eh, something feels odd"

[ladysunday]

"Like something's pulling you that way?" She gestures vaguely to the right.

[deepest_magic]

"Or in no specific direction -"

The pulling goes on, the scenery blurs out, the scenery blurs back in, and they are all three closely surrounded by branches and dimly dappled light and the smell of the sea.

[against_all_trouble]

After a moment of disorientation, Arthur grins and says, "I don't think we're in Phoenix anymore."

[deepest_magic]

"That was... very, very different from the wardrobe," murmurs Isabella. "And this time I didn't have a chance to pack - I've got my notebook and a water bottle and a sandwich and that's about it. Let's get out of this thicket."

[ladysunday]

"Right." She looks around, picks a direction that looks clear-ish, and strides forward.

[deepest_magic]

Once they are all out of the thicket (which takes its toll in pricks and scratches first), they are on a beach. The sea is calm, the weather is warm.

"This could be Narnia," says Isabella, "but then it could be somewhere else altogether - I'll be able to get a good guess when the sun sets and I can see the stars, but we might want to have made progress towards a source of water besides what we have on us before then. I don't immediately see civilization and none of these trees look awake to me. Unless one of you heard or saw or smelled a spring back in the direction of the thicket we probably want to walk along the beach until we find a stream emptying into the sea."

[ladysunday]

"Sure, I guess." She's somewhat distracted looking at the ocean.