I don't own anything in this story except for some of the plot changes and my OC.

I should probably give you guys fair warning: SUSAN DOES NOT EXIST IN THIS VERSION OF NARNIA! Ok? Cool. Not Ok? Too bad.

Anyways, here we go:

Chapter 1

The train ride out into the country was long and boring. The two other children in Peter, Edmund and Lucy's compartment were too shy and frightened to say anything. They spent the entire trip huddled close together. The only toy they had was the stuffed dog that Lucy had offered to Edmund before he gave it to the younger boy across from him. Lucy had been offended for just a moment, before her kind heart let her see that the little boy needed the comfort more than Edmund and she smiled across at him. Peter had been reading a book in his seat closest to the compartment doors, making sure to keep Lucy in between him and Edmund as a buffer against any fowl words that would more than likely slip out. Ever since the incident where Edmund had almost gotten himself killed over a photograph, it was safe to say that he and Peter were not on good terms.

Eventually, the two other children had gotten off the train and been picked up by an older couple at the otherwise empty station. The older gentlemen seemed kind enough, but the way the woman had accepted the girl with an almost disgusted air about her had set the Pevensies on edge. Edmund turned to look at Peter who understood his worries almost immediately. What if they weren't wanted at the Professor's house? What if they were neglected and treated terribly?

By the time the train arrived at their stop, Peter was sprawled across the opposite seat while Lucy tried to decipher the book he had been reading, with no such luck, and Edmund was still staring out the window as the landscape whipped by in flashed of green and blue. They hurried to gather their belongings and stumbled out the train's doors onto the rundown platform called Coombe Halt.

All three of them shared a look when no one was there to greet them. In fact, no one else was there at all. At the sound of an automobile approaching, Peter ushered Edmund and Lucy down the rotting wooden steps to meet whoever was coming for them. But the machine just chugged on past, not even hesitating for a moment. "The professor knew we were coming," Peter reassured the others.

Edmund squinted at his coat tag. "Perhaps we've been incorrectly labelled."

They all peered down the road in hopes of spotting another automobile that was headed in their direction, one that was actually meant for them.

But what they saw was something quite different. Down the lane came a rickety wooden cart pulled by a single white horse. An older lady was steering and guided the cart up next the children before pulling on the reins until it came to a halt.

"Mrs. Macready…?" Part of Peter hoped that it wasn't her peering down at them through her spectacles.

"I'm afraid so," She responded in a stern tone. She surveyed them. "Is this it then? Haven't you brought anything else?"

"No mum," Peter said politely. "It's just us." Lucy nodded in agreement.

Macready's expression softened slightly. "Small favours." A smile played at the edges of her lips as she nodded her head towards the cart, telling them to get on.

Macready brought the three children down a small worn path through the trees off the main road. A large house loomed before them through the trees at the end of the lane. It looked nice from outside, but it's what was inside that mattered. If all the people were as stern as the Macready, Edmund wasn't sure if he'd be able to survive.

"Professor Kirk is not accustomed to having multiple children in the house except for the orphan girl that he's provided with shelter here." Peter stopped staring at the paintings on the walls long enough to hear what Macready had said. "Orphan girl? I thought we were the only war-children being sent here."

"Unfortunately, her parents were killed three years ago, poor girl. The Professor was friends with her father and gave her a room in his own home when he heard she had nowhere else to go. You'll most likely run into her somewhere in this dusty old house. But I warn you, she's a troublemaker." Macready led them up the first flight of stairs. Peter opened his mouth to ask who this girl was, but the housekeeper continued without a pause.

"Anyways, there are a few rules we need to follow." She glanced at them. "There will be no shouting, or running. No improper use of the dumbwaiter…" Peter reached out to touch a bust on a pedestal. "NO touchin' of the historical artifacts!" Macready glared at Peter whose hand shot down to his side. Edmund snickered behind him and Peter shot him a look before glaring back at the Macready.

"And above all," Macready brought her voice down to a whisper. "There shall be no disturbin' of the Professor." With that said, she led them through a small archway and up a few more flights of stairs, but not before Lucy spotted someone's shadow on the other side of a door, stopping just at the opposite side, poised as if to come through.

After a few days of getting to know the routine and the basic layout of the main rooms, the Pevensie children felt more comfortable at Professor Kirk's house, although they still missed their mother. It was close to midnight when Peter's stomach began to growl, distracting him from his book. Six hours had passed since dinner and now Peter was getting hungry once again. He grabbed a candle from his bedside table and crept towards the door, hoping to get down to the kitchen undetected. When he got out into the hall, he saw that Edmund and Lucy had both had the same idea since both of them were holding candles and whispering quietly about how to get down to the kitchen. Peter shushed both of them and began to lead them down various halls and many flights of stairs. As they reached the hall that held the doorway to the kitchen, they noticed a faint glow coming from underneath the closed door. Holding their breath and praying it wasn't Macready, Peter quietly inched the door open and slipped inside, Edmund and Lucy right behind him.

Looking around the warm room, the children saw a small fire lighting up the old fashioned stove, with a loaf of bread baking on top, the smell filling their nostrils and making their stomachs rumble. There were utensils and baking supplies on top of the kitchen's island, but no one was in sight. As Peter looked around the room, the sound of the kitchen door shutting caused him and the others to whip their heads around, afraid to find Macready blocking their escape route. Instead of the strict woman, they found a young girl, around Peter's age, with medium length reddish-brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a grin on her flour covered face.

"Hello, you must be the Pevensies. I'm Alex. Alex Knight."