Back to School

By Tamm

Lucy walked toward the door. It was her first day of the term and the London North Boarding School for Young Ladies had a rather strict punctual policy. She pushed open the door, revealing a large classroom. Most of her fellow students already sat in the neat rows of desks.

The teacher, Mrs. Heldon glanced up. "Miss Pevensie, I presume?" she asked curtly, eyeing Lucy over her prim spectacles. Lucy nodded. The woman frowned ever so slightly before gesturing to a front row desk. Lucy hastened to the desk and quickly sat, placing her books on the desk. Mrs. Heldon glared.

"Miss Pevensie, we do not place materials of any sort on our desks at any time unless the current class discussion requires such an action." Lucy hastily removed her books and placed them under her chair. If I were in Narnia, she would not treat me like that, she thought. I am a queen of Narnia and if she knew she would not treat me like that. Her thoughts continued to run on this course, until she remembered The Lion. I doubt that Aslan would want me to complain like that. I've been treated worse in Narnia. It's not as if she had called me names or hit me. On this train of thought, Lucy's downcast spirit was cheered, and her unhappy expression was changed to one that spoke of an inner peace.

The teacher noted Lucy's change of expression, and mistook it for one of happiness. This happiness, she supposed, originated from her student's lack of respect for the teacher. Mrs. Heldon cleared her throat. "I believe we will begin class with a short test to see what you remember from your previous grade."

Lucy smiled a little, and Mrs. Heldon frowned. "Miss Pevensie, would you care to come up to the board to start us off?" she commanded under the guise of a question.

"Man, she is really got it in for that Pevensie kid," someone muttered from the back. Mrs. Heldon sent her famous glare straight to the back, causing all the students to sit straighter. Lucy rose from her seat and stood before her teacher.

Mrs. Heldon quickly wrote several multiplication problems on the board. Lucy picked up a piece of chalk and swiftly worked the problems. '4' seventeen times is sixty…eight. This is much easier than the math I had to learn at Cair Paravel. Why couldn't that have been this easy?

Lucy quickly finished the last answer and took her seat, lost in thought. Mrs. Heldon looked at the board, then at Lucy. Only she knew that the problems she had given Lucy were not taught in the previous grade. She taught them. She had tried to trip Miss Pevensie up, and had failed. How did she know advanced math like that? She was only eight… or was she?

A.N. Reviews are appreciated. If you want more, please tell me.