Helena Pevensie (Caspian Love Story)

3. Experiment House

Helena was forced to part with Peter just a few days later as he was to return home for a week before continuing on to university. Just a week after this parting, Helena also had to say goodbye to Eustace, although this was, thankfully, a far shorter separation. Helena had only to go so she could set up her classrooms at Experiment House. She had only just arrived, Eustace's desperate warnings about most of the staff in mind, when she was approached by the Head, a woman she had met only once before.

"Ah, Ms Pevensie," the Head said. She spoke with much pomp and arrogance. "Delightful to see you again."

"You as well, Madam," Helena replied courteously, following behind with her luggage in tow into the school.

"You will recall from our last meeting that any disciplinary issues are to be handled by me and me alone," she said sharply. "Any deviation from such behaviour will result in a sudden lack of employment for you. Here at Experiment House, we strive to allow students to find their inner goodness by not confining them to the stringent rules other schools might insist on. You will find the students very amiable and kind."

"Of course, Madam," Helena replied, but she could not help thinking of everything Eustace had told her. "Madam, might I inquire into how many students I shall be instructing for the ballet classes?"

"Ah, yes," she replied. "You shall be working only with those students who do not wish to do other activities during their time for gym class."

"I understand," Helena replied.

"Here is your room," the Head said, unlocking the door from a wide ring at her hip. Once it was unlocked, she handed the keys to Helena and helped her carry her things inside. "Now, I would like to show you your classrooms and then you may be free to unpack."

"Of course, Madam," Helena replied. She quickly followed her across the school to a plain but clean classroom where she discovered she would be teaching French before she was led to a second room which was nothing more than an empty room with hardwood floors.

When she was finally able to shut the door behind her and begin unpacking, Helena could not help thinking about how much she wished Eustace was already there. She could already tell he would be the closest thing to a friend she would find here. She spent the first half of her week cleaning both classrooms and the second half with lesson plans.

She took her meals alone in her room and although she saw the other teachers once or twice, they were such icy people she could not bring herself to try and get to know them. It was not, she supposed, their demeanours that made it so difficult for her to connect to them, it was instead the way they spoke. The cruel, vulgar speech was more than Helena could handle.

Instead, she stayed in her room and lived in her head. She thought about Narnia, Caspian, Reep, and everything about those months at sea. She could not help feeling terribly isolated regardless. Sometimes she would talk. To what, she was not entirely sure. Sometimes her words were directed toward nothing but other times she would talk to Aslan. For some reason, it brought her comfort so she would tell him her struggles and worries for the coming term.

At last, however, the week before the term came to an end and Helena, who had been dancing in the dance room, heard a knock on the door. Turning towards it, Helena saw Eustace standing in his uniform with a wide smile. With an excited cry, Helena rushed forward, opening the door and embracing him with a wide smile.

"Oh, Eustace, how I've missed you," she said. Eustace couldn't help but still feel surprised to have been missed so deeply. He was ill-used to anyone caring enough about him to miss him. The feeling make him smile as he returned the embrace.

Shutting the door behind him, Eustace said, "It was miserable at home without any of you."

"Glad to know my torment was shared at least," Helena said with a small laugh. Eustace grinned.

"This term is going to be different. I can feel it," Eustace said. "Now that you're here, at least I know I've got one friend."

"I thought at first I'd be able to befriend some of the teachers but they're all..." Helena began, trailing off as the proper wording alluded her.

"I know what you mean," Eustace said earnestly. After a small pause, he asked, "I say, Helena, would it be all right with you if I ate lunch with you in one of the classrooms? I can't stand to be with the students."

"Yeah, all right," Helena replied with a pleased smile. She could not conceal the fact that she was delighted with the prospect. Still grinning widely, she said, "See you for lunch tomorrow then."

"You too," Eustace replied, turning for the door.

Before he had gotten out, Helena called, "Wait, Eustace!" When he had turned to face her, she said, "Remember that in front of the other students it's Madam Pevensie."

"Okay," he replied. "See you later." Helena nodded. It seemed to her that even that brief conversation was enough to revive her of all the drain of the past week. As she began to dance again, she did so with more joy than before and even, though she hardly dared to believe it, a flicker of hope.