Chapter 2: Evacuating London

The morning after the German attack was disastrous. Bobbies waved traffic around a crater caused by a crashing bomber while firemen hosed down a building that was still smoldering. People were salvaging what little they had left from the raid and then moved on their way. The Pevensie family walked through Trafalgar square which was much more crowded than normal. The children were carrying gas masks and heavily packed suitcases. Lucy Pevensie, the youngest of the family, stopped to gaze up at a statue of a large bronze lion.

"Come on, Lucy. We don't have time for daydreaming." Susan, her older sister said as she pulled her along.

A train whistle screamed as they made their way into the over-packed station. Hundreds of children were saying goodbye to their families. Bags and prized possessions were strewn all around, adding to the claustrophobic feeling. Lucy stared up at a poster on the wall that held the phrase Help the city children! Housing evacuees is a national service! She gave a gloomy look at her mother who was pinning her name and destination onto her coat.

The four of them were being sent away, and it hadn't been a reality until the attack the night before. Now it hit all of them full force. The night raid only strengthened their mother's determination to get them away from the destruction of the war, and only caused a rift of resentment between her and her children. Peter, being the eldest of the four, was the man of the house while their father was away fighting. He wasn't particularly pleased with leaving their mother behind, but saw the need to protect his younger siblings. Susan was the mother hen, trying to keep them all together while barely holding back her own tears. Edmund was the most vocal about his feelings, ranting and raving about how preposterous he thought it was that they were being sent away. Lucy, on the other hand, hadn't said a word about it since the day they had found out they were leaving. She didn't agree with it, but didn't see the point in arguing over things that she had no control over. It would just cause them all more grief.

Mrs. Pevensie fiddled with the sleeve of her WVS uniform as she took a long forlorn look at her children. She had to make the hard decision and send them away, not knowing when or if she would see them again. She sighed and leaned forward to pin a label to Edmund's coat.

"You will be good, won't you, Ed" She asked him. In response, he turned away and didn't speak. She leaned forward and tried to encircle him with her arms but he shrugged her off with a cold expression. She sadly settled for a kiss on his cheek. She then turned to Peter and handed him a sheaf of documents.

"It's not for very long." She said as she hugged him tightly, thought she knew that her words weren't entirely truthful. None of them knew how long they would be away. She pulled away gave her eldest son a fierce look. "Promise me you'll look after the others."

"I will, mum." He swore to her. Peter swallowed the lump in his throat and forced an uneasy smile and Lucy reached up and took his hand like she had when she was very small. He looked down at his twelve year-old sister and realized just how tiny she looked at the moment. She was scared but wouldn't say anything.

Helen Pevensie said her goodbyes to her two girls, while Edmund still refused to meet her eyes. He was furiously blinking, refusing to let the tears out that threatened to spill over. He was too old to cry in public, or at least that was what he was telling himself. He'd lost his father to this war, and now he was losing his mother too. As Peter led his younger siblings through the crowded station towards the train, he sifted through the papers. Susan rolled her eyes and took the papers from his hands. Edmund rolled his eyes at her. Ever the responsible one. He thought. He turned around and craned his neck to catch a glimpse of his mother one last time before they would leave. He saw her, and steeling himself, he bolted.

"Edmund!" Susan cried out. She reached out a hand to pull him back, but Edmund was already out of her reach. He dashed past a guard and barreled straight into his mother's arms. He gave her a tight squeeze before darting back to the train platform just as quickly as he had left.

Only minutes later the whistle of the train shrieked as it eased out of the station. The four Pevensie children joined the rest of the youngsters being sent away against their will as they leaned out of the window. Susan blinked furiously to hide the tears that nearly spilled over as she saw her mother openly crying as she watched the train pulling them away. Moments later, the train was speeding through the countryside and away from their childhood home. Away to safety, they were told. Away from the horrors of war.

Back inside of the small train compartment, the four children tried to settle in for the long ride ahead of them. Peter was putting their luggage on a shelf above the seats, Susan was digging through the bag slung over her shoulder for a book, Edmund was looking out of the window at the countryside that was blurring by, and Lucy was looking at her hands with a sad expression. Her feet didn't quite reach the ground. Noticing this, Peter took one of the suitcases down and placed it under her feet. She gave him a weak smile as he sat down beside her.

The four of them sat in silence, not speaking as the train stopped to let children off to be picked up by somber foster parents. None of them felt in the mood for conversation. It wasn't but a few hours before it was their turn to be left on an empty platform, waiting to be picked up as the train pulled away into the distance. There was no sign of anything living anywhere nearby except for the sign on a nearby ticket booth that creaked in the wind.

"Shouldn't someone be here for us?" Lucy said meekly as she peered off of the platform. Edmund set down his suitcase and plunked himself down on it, eying his name-tag suspiciously.

"Perhaps we've been incorrectly labeled." He commented.

"Or maybe he's simply forgotten us." Susan said worriedly. Peter opened his mouth to comment, but before he could speak an ancient looking black buggy clattered up. An elderly woman with a stern face was sitting in the driver's seat.

"I wish he had." Edmund said sourly, making Lucy giggle. She quickly changed her expression as the woman looked at them, not looking to impressed.

"Pevensies?" The woman asked. Her voice was stiff. Disapproving.

"Yes Ma'am." Peter replied as he grabbed the handle of his trunk.

"I'm Mrs. Macready, the Professor's housekeeper." She said, introducing herself. "Load your things. Quickly, we're on a schedule."

She turned the buggy around and the Pevensies climbed in. They barely had time to sit down before the buggy was moving. The four of them looked at each other. The ride was short. It wasn't long until the Professor's mansion loomed in the distance through the trees. It was three stories worth of stone masonry and stained glass windows. The four refugees gazed up in wonder and awe at the large estate they would be living in.

"I hope you four appreciate the fact that this house is of great his historic value." Mrs. Macready began, breaking the silence. "People come from all over England to view it."

"Really? Why?" Susan asked excitedly. The housekeeper rolled her eyes in response as she turned the buggy into a tree-lined drive.

"It's in all the guide books." The elderly woman answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Susan huffed grumpily and crossed her arms, causing Lucy and Edmund to snicker at her expression.

Once the small group was inside the mansion, the housekeeper wasted no time at all in making sure that the Pevensies knew the rules of the house. She started listing them off as she began leading them up a grand staircase to their rooms.

"There will be no shouting or running. No sliding on the banisters. No improper use of the dumb-waiter. No touching of the historical artifacts!" She snapped, smacking Susan's hand as the girl reached out to touch a gleaming suit of armor. Susan pulled her hand back as if it were on fire and glared at the woman who didn't seem to notice. The group stopped walking in front of a closed door. Light flickered behind it.

"And above all, there will be no disturbing of the Professor." The housekeeper said, shooting a warning glance at all of them. She turned on her heel and began walking up a flight of stairs. They followed her through the hallways to their new rooms.

Later that night, after they were all settled in, three of the Pevensies were sitting in the girls' bedroom. Lucy was snuggled underneath the covers of her bed, though it was much too big for her.

"This bed's too big." She complained quietly. Peter chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"Are you sure you haven't shrunk?" He teased. Lucy smiled despite herself. In the next bed, Susan was tucking herself in.

"The Professor's just not used to having kids around." She stated.

"I miss mum." Lucy said, hugging her pillow tight. Edmund, who had just entered the room carrying a plate of food, heard her.

"If you're feeling homesick, go stand outside the Macready's door. She snores like an air raid siren." He joked, rolling his eyes. Susan shot him a warning glare, but Lucy let out a giggle and reached for a biscuit off of the plate Edmund just set down.

"That pantry's a gold mine, I tell you." He said, mouth full of food.

"You should be in bed." Susan said to Edmund.

"Stop trying to sound like mum. Go to bed yourself." He retorted, taking another bit of a biscuit.

"I am in bed, in case you haven't noticed." Susan snapped. Edmund scowled at her and then stormed out of the room, the plate of biscuits long forgotten. Lucy called out for him to come back, but he was already out of earshot.

"This is just great." She mumbled. Peter took a biscuit off of the plate and handed it to Lucy.

"Tell you what." He began, determined to cheer her up. "Tomorrow, we'll go outside and explore. You saw the grounds. There's no telling what we'll find! It'll be great. I promise."

Author's Note:

Thank you for the three lovely reviews in the last chapter. I know I can't really expect much, seeing as I probably lost all that cared about my stories long ago since I never did what I said I was going to do. But thank you anyways! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It's definitely not my favorite, but it's necessary for the story to continue.

I've decided that after this, I will post one chapter each week, on Friday. But if I get enough reviews, I may post sooner. You never know! But unless I get reviews, I'm just going to post on Fridays. How does that sound? At least you'll know when you're getting a new chapter!

Leave a smiley if you liked it! ;)