This is my very first fanfic. I don't know how people will like it, I don't even know if I'll finish it, but I'll try my best. Enjoy!
Warning: the characters may be a little off. I hope that in time, I'll be better at potraying their characters, but until then...

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of C.S Lewis'. The only people I truly own are Claire, Ellen, and Mary.

It's a dim day in London. There are gray clouds in the sky with the foreboding feeling of rain in the air. I sighed; the dreary weather reflected how I felt. The year was 1940, a dangerous time for London. Air raids were becoming more and more common. My mother, Eliza, and I had been living here alone since my father went to help fight in the war. We hadn't heard from him since last year when he sent us a letter. I was walking home from school. It had been one of those rare days that I could go to school. My mother had come down with a bad cold and I had to stay home and help her most days. On good days though, my mother would insist on me going to school and I would then done my uniform and take off running down the street to my school.

The wind blew my straight, golden brown hair into my eyes. I brushed it away and looked up at the sky, nervously watching for any indication of another air raid. They usually came at night, but one still had to be on the lookout. I glanced in front of me again and noticed a group walking towards me. I saw two of them wearing the same uniform that I had on, the other two wore the younger kids' uniform. I recognized them as the Pevensies. The oldest of the four, Peter, was in the same year as I was. His sister, Susan, was one year below us and his younger brother, Edmund, was two years below her. Finally, the youngest, Lucy, was one year below Edmund. Out of the four, I liked Peter and Lucy the most. Susan always tried to be practical and smart, and most of the time she was, but she also tended to get somewhat annoying after a while. Edmund on the other hand had a nasty sense of humor and was always trying too hard to be grown up and outshine his brother. The only reason I knew Lucy was because of my little cousin, Mary. When she came to visit, the two would beg to spend time together. They had met in school when Mary still lived in London. As it was, with Lucy visiting our house so often during school vacations, Lucy and I had become passing friends, or friends that will stop to say hi and talk in the streets. However, since Peter was with them, I didn't really want Lucy to see me. Only Ellen, my best friend, knew of my crush on Peter and she took any chance she could to tease me about it.

I looked at the sidewalk, determined to get past the Pevensies without being recognized. But luck didn't seem to be with me that day. As I drew closer to the group, I made the mistake of looking up again. It was only for a few seconds, but those few seconds allowed Lucy to see who I was.

"Claire!" I sighed. Lucy left Edmund's side and ran up to me. Forcing myself to stop and smile at Lucy, I replied to her cheery greeting.

"Hello Lucy. How are you?" Lucy smiled warmly at me.

"Very well, thank you. Is Mary going to come anytime soon?"

"I think she'll be coming in two weeks."

"Who are you talking to Lucy?" She turned around to face her questioner while I looked over her head.

"I was just saying hi to Claire, I haven't seen her in such a long time. You should know her Peter, isn't she in your class?" Peter looked up at me with his brilliant blue eyes and I felt my cheeks start to heat up. I fought to keep the blush from showing and I think I won against my stubborn cheeks.

"Hello Claire."

"Hello Peter. Susan, Edmund." Susan smiled and waved while Edmund just nodded. Lucy skipped to my side and took my hand.

"So where are you going Claire?" she asked.

"I'm just heading home." Lucy started to frown as I said that, as if I had said something wrong.

"That's all you're doing? You aren't going anywhere special?"

"No." Lucy kept frowning for the next few moments, then her face lit up with a smile.

"Do you want to come to our house and play with me?" Her face looked so hopeful that I had to let out a small laugh.

"I'm sorry Lucy. I have to go home and see if my mother is still feeling well." A small "oh" escaped from Lucy's lips. She looked up at me with sad eyes that showed how much she regretted asking. I gave her small hand a squeeze to reassure her that everything was all right.

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I might be staying home tomorrow, but I'll try to meet you here, ok?"

"Ok!" With that I waved goodbye and started back home. I was quite proud with how I handled myself in front of Peter. I was myself when I talked to him, not shy or anything, and that made me extremely content.

Later that night, as I was finishing washing the dishes, the alarm sounded. I dropped the plate I was holding and ran to get my mother. I ran through the darkened hallways, my hair fanning out behind me.

"Mother! Mother! Wake up!" The shadows on the walls danced and glared in a menacing way. I kept looking straight ahead until I burst into my mother's room. I woke her and grabbed our emergency box before we frantically ran to our shelter,

The bombing lasted for hours. We huddled together on the floor; jumping each time we heard a bomb go off. As the raid drew to a close and the ground stopped quaking, my mother took in a deep, shaky breath and declared some shocking news to me.

"Claire, we're going to live with you grandmother until the war is over."

"What?!"