Further Up & Further In

Penny For Your Thoughts

The school they attended now was a lot like Experiment House had been, or so Eustace thought sometimes. No, the students weren't nearly so bad, and the Headmaster was better than the Headmistress there had been at dealing with the more troublesome students. But this made little difference to Eustace. School was the same, and more than that, England was the same. He'd become rather attached to Narnia during his trips; the splendour and the glory and the adventure. The colours of the birds and the beetles had seemed brighter to him - (he no longer enjoyed beetles dead and pinned on a card; he preferred them alive. But he still loved learning about them and studying them.) The air in Narnia was more wild - both the ocean breeze, and the northern winds - and every time he smelled something remotely similar he felt his heart leap inside him. The food in Narnia was more satisfying, and the language was more fulfilling, and the company was more exciting, and life... well, life felt more like living. Nothing in England could compare. It was all dull in comparison; grey and cold and heavy, and even this new school, which by most people's standards was better than Experiment House in every way, seemed exactly the same. Everything was the same.

Except Jill.

He had her now, at least. Jill Pole still held that Narnian glimmer in her eyes, like she loved it as much as he did; like she belonged there as much as he did. She was his friend and his equal.

Everything in life seemed the same as it always had; even his parents' "modern" values seemed tired. Everything was drab and quiet, but not Jill. Jill was bursting with colour and music and Narnian air. Her subtle freckles even seemed to resemble the Narnian constellations. If there was nothing else about this world he could be sure of; if nothing ever compared to the time he spent in Narnia; even if he never saw Narnia again, at least he had Jill.

"Eustace!"

Her voice came from behind him, and he turned to greet her. He'd been pacing the schoolyard, considering these things. Narnia. Always Narnia. And Jill.

He was grateful they still attended the same school. After Experiment House, there had been fear they'd be separated, and neither of them were looking forward to it. But, by some miracle, both their parents preferred to send their children to co-educational schools, and with a little prodding by Eustace and Jill, they ended up choosing the same one.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jill asked, catching up to him, and immediately falling into step beside him. "I, for one, am wondering just how many steps you've taken around this yard since we started going to school here."

The two of them were near to turning 13, now, and had been attending their current school for nearly 3 years. And, true enough, Eustace had spent countless hours over the years pacing the schoolyard and spending time with his thoughts. He liked being alone, and he figured if he kept moving, people would be less inclined to follow. But he didn't mind when Jill joined him. He never minded when it was her.

Giving her a smile, Eustace answered, "Oh, millions, definitely. How were your classes?"

"Good," Jill replied, a little too quickly. "Good. I mean... good."

"Really?"

"For the most part! It's just... you won't believe who came to maths today. I guess she had to transfer schools... again."

"Who?"

"Adela Pennyfather."

"Oh," was all he said. Adela had attended Experiment House with them, and had been part of a group of bullies which picked on Jill, and most of the younger kids. Eustace had once worshiped them - followed them around like a puppy looking for scraps - but he had grown out of that after his first trip to Narnia. "I say, wasn't she older than us? What's she doing in one of your classes?"