The Lion, The Witch, and The New Hope

Chapter One

Tennessee

A young girl, twelve years old in one day, sat in front of her dusty window that looked out on the world, or at least her world. Her name was Hope, a fragile name for a not so fragile girl, true she wore elegant pink dresses and her long brown hair was constantly in a new form of well-dressed styles, but she wanted to be free so badly, not just watching the world go by through glass. If there was one thing that she had learned it was that if you watched the world go by for too long, sooner or later it would.

But in any case this was her window seat and her window, located in the living room of the mansion she lived in. An only child with a longing for adventure, but chains that held her tighter than the sky hugged the moon. She'd never been allowed too far out of the yard, and when she was it was only to go to the doctor's or to the dentist's, but all of her maids did the shopping, all of her clothes were specially made, and all of her life was particularly planned.

The most exciting thing that had ever happened to her took place about five years ago, when she had been sitting here doing the exact same thing, staring into space. There had been a knock at the door which she had rushed to answer, but gotten there a little too late to get it. The head maid, Heather, had already opened the door and was peering out at a eleven year old girl in tattered clothing with no place to go and no family to love her, all she had was a name. Charlotte Bethany Ann was what they called her, a fiery ball of energy that you never knew which way she'd turn.

The parents of the household had debated long and hard about whether to take this girl in, but had finally decided that the answer would be no. At this Charlotte had turned on her heels ready to leave when Heather had volunteered to train her as a maid, she wasn't happy about it, but seeing as there was no where else to turn agreed to it.

But in time the two had grow to be kindred of spirits, Charlotte acted like an older sister towards Hope, but at some times would just completely shut down and not talk to anyone, that's when Hope knew enough to leave her be. No one really knew why she went off on these random mood swings, but they were almost sure it had something to due with what life she had had before then. She had turned sixteen last month and seemed to be loving every minute of it, and every second of school.

Hope wished she could go to school, but instead she was just homeschooled, never any friends besides Charlotte, never anyone new to meet, or any teachers or grades, it seemed everyday was holiday even though she was schooled.

"Hope?" asked Charlotte sticking her head into the dinning hall.

"Mm?" Hope muttered in response without taking her eyes from the outside.

"I think that maybe your parents would like to talk to you," she muttered pushing her glasses up her nose and running a hand through her short black hair.

"Great, are they coming in here or am I going to walk?"

Charlotte shrugged and sat down beside her and smoothing her black uniform with white fringe out.

"You seem a little down," she said brushing some dust off the pillow in front of her.

"Me?" replied Hope with not a hint of any form of enthusiasm, "Well you know, I'm just bored."

"You always seem to be bored," Charlotte said placing the pillow back on the chair in front of her.

"That's because I always am. I never do anything exciting."

"I think living in a mansion is pretty exciting."

Hope shrugged, "Most people do. I just wish I could go some place new."

Charlotte opened her mouth to respond but as she did the door was opened and the madam walked in, causing her to leap to her feet immediately like she'd never sat down.

"Dismissed," the madam told her.

Charlotte managed a curtsy and left.

"Dear?" said her mother.

Hope didn't look up, "What?"

"How would you feel about moving to Finchly?"

"… Why?" she asked turning to face her mother.

"…."

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't be bad, if I got to go to a normal school."

Her mother hesitated and said, "… It might be possible."

"Sure," Hope said quietly, not to make her mother believe that she wanted to go as much as she did.

"Alright, you'll be staying with Heather."

"What about you and Dad?" she asked looking out the window again.

"We have to stay here, but you see we've arranged for a safer place for you to stay."

"The war doesn't mean anything."

"You'll like it there, your new neighbor has a few children and one is your age."

"Hooray," she said sarcastically.

"They're willing to bring you in if something goes wrong."

"Nothing's going to happen," Hope said now slightly irritated.

"It's not your call," her mother replied, "Heather's taking you and Charlotte there tonight, they'll be you maids."

Hope stood up with an angry look about her and left the room.

She wanted to go, she wanted to go almost more than anything, but if her parents were staying here then she wanted no part of this. But at the same time she wanted to go ever if they weren't, at least Charlotte was going, that would keep her happy, and another child her age, which could be fun. Plus, and the thing that made the most difference, she would finally be going to a school, and a public one at that.

"Take this," ordered Peter jamming a covered plate into Edmund's hands.

"I don't want it," Edmund replied trying to shove it back at Peter.

"Mum told me to give it to you, so here it is," he said.

"What is it?" Edmund asked lifting the tinfoil revealing a large yellow cake with pink icing. "Pink? Is it a girl?" his tone somewhere between insulting and irritated.

Peter nodded, "She's a month younger than you, I think. Her parents are still in London, she moved here to get away from the war."

"Alone? I though you said she was my age."

"She has two maids."

"Perfect, a stuck up snob."

Peter grinned, "You'll get along great."

Edmund scowled as Lucy and Susan entered the room.

"Oh! Let me see!" smiled Lucy reaching to pull the tinfoil back on the cake.

"Hey! It's mine!" Edmund snapped simply to bother his sister.

""It's just a cake, Lu," Susan sighed seeing as Edmund wasn't going to tell her what it was, "I made it with Mum."

"You baked Edmund a cake?" she asked cocking her head.

"No, we baked our new neighbor a cake."

"Why would she bake me a cake," Ed added in an insulting way.

"Well I don't know."

"Well you should use your common sense."

"Ed!" Peter scowled.

"It's the truth!"

"And this is why we are going to be extremely dislike by the neighbors," Susan cut in.

"Let's just go," Peter sighed opening the door and shuttling everyone out into the bright midday sun.

"Is Mum coming?" Lucy asked.

"She's coming," Susan replied as they walked down the driveway and their mother caught up with them, coming from the garden.

"Edmund don't drop the cake," she said patting him on the back.

He grumbled irritably and stood up straight to please her. "I'll be very careful," he said sarcastically.

Peter scowled at this and continued around the shrubs and into the next yard, slightly larger than theirs but it was still pretty small, with a newly mowed green lawn and a car in the driveway.

"Mark my words," Edmund whispered to Peter upon seeing the parked car, "she'll be shallow and boring."

"Shut up," he murmured in response as their mother rang the doorbell and they could hear someone running to open it up.

"Well then get her," they heard and the door swung open revealing a tall, thin woman with blond hair and stern facial features, "Hello?"

"Here," Edmund said sourly handing her the cake and walking away.

The woman wasn't sure how to respond besides watching him go around the side of the house and towards his backyard.

"I'm so sorry," their mother said after he had vanished from sight.

"I-it's fine," she replied, "I assume you are the new neighbors."

Peter nodded and extended a hand, "Peter Pevensie."

"Heather," replied the woman shaking his hand.

"Yes, and I'm Helen," his mother said, then pointed to her daughters, "And this is Susan and Lucy," both smiled and shook her hand. "… And that was Edmund you saw before."

"Won't you come in?" asked Heather with a smile opening the door, the four stepped in and looked around at the newly painted walls and dusted furniture, but although it was new it still had a finished look about it.

"Charlotte?" Heather called and a tall girl around Peter's age with short, black hair, dark brown eyes, and glasses ran in. "Can you bring out some tea?" she said motioning to the couches for the Pevensies to sit.

"I still can't find her," Charlotte whispered sharply.

"Just tea, that will be all."

The girl seemed upset at being ignored but hurried into the kitchen, returning a few moments later with a hot tea kettle and five cups which she placed on the table in front of them.

"I already had a kettle on," she said with a sideways glance at Peter, but he didn't look at her.

"Thanks," he said without looking up.

"… I'll go find her now."

"Who're you looking for?" Lucy asked Heather while taking her cup of tea to her mouth. No one had time to tell her to be quiet before Heather was already answering.

"Hope, the madam of the house, she's constantly disappearing."

"Where's the girl?" Lucy asked eagerly.

"That's her, Hope Foster."

Edmund slowly walked around the side of the house, staring at the sky as he went wondering what sort of punishment he'd get for acting so rudely, but he didn't think of anything. In fact he wasn't really thinking, just walking when he heard a small sound around the upper part of the yard, where it slopped into the hill he was standing at the bottom of.

He turned, but saw nothing so continued to walk when he heard it again, but this time he did not look to see what it was, in turn was hit and knocked over with something very large and heavy, hurtling down the slop at around the speed of a small car.

"What the," he muttered moving out from under the object to take a better look at his attacker. It was a bobsled, who would be riding a bobsled at the beginning of summer was completely beyond his comprehension.

"Oh, my God," exclaimed a voice from the top of the hill and a girl around Edmund's age with long auburn hair and an long yellow dress on that made her look like she was going to a ball of some sort ran down the hill with a guilty look about her.

"I am so sorry," she said helping him up.

"What'd you do that for," he scowled pushing her away and standing up on his own.

"I just wanted to see if it'd work."

"If what would work?"

"The sled."

Edmund hesitated for a moment "… Of course it works, but they're meant of snow."

"But there isn't any snow," she replied in a way that sounded almost insulting.

"Didn't you go sledding in the winter?"

"No."

"Haven't you ever gone sledding?"

"No."

"… What's wrong with you?" he muttered shaking his head.

The two stood silently for a moment without looking at each other before the girl asked, "… Are you Edmund?"

Edmund nodded, "You're Hope then."

Hope nodded.

"… So, you really lived in a mansion?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah, but I was a captive," she then motioned to the sled, "I've never even been out in the snow before."

"That puts a damper on things."

She nodded, "… And you have… how many brothers and sisters?"

"Three, but I really don't like one so I guess it's more like two sisters."

She chuckled. "Just me… and the sled. Did you see Charlotte?" Hope asked sitting down in the grass.

"Who?" he replied sitting down also.

"Guess you didn't then, she's my maid, but she should be around."

"Is it fun having servants?"

"Well she's not my servant, she's my friend, she just turned sixteen."

Edmund sighed, "That's how old Peter is."

"I just turned twelve yesterday," she said with a slight bit of enthusiasm.

"Happy birthday then," he smiled.

They were running out of things to say.

"… So you like it here?" Edmund asked after a few seconds.

"It's nice, nothing like London though."

"Was it nice there?"

"I suppose, I never really saw the city itself."

"You had a boring life," Edmund said intending no offence.

"You're right," she sighed.

"… I'm going to teach you how to have some fun without injuring me."

She grinned at this, "Sure, sounds like fun."

"Good, are you coming to our school tomorrow?" he said standing up.

"Yep."

"Then we start before school."

Hi Everyone, thanks for reading my newest story. Although this story takes place in Finchly they will get to Narnia, don't worry. I love all polite comments so please review. Thanks again

Tennessee