Chapter 1
So, you've seen the kind of trouble I'm making for Emily, and you want to read on, eh? See who she chooses? See what she does? Well, good for you. Poor, poor little Emmy needs someone to try to save her from the sordid affair she may or may not get herself into, depending on which boy she chooses. At this point, I've just sown the seeds of discord between her and Peter. Oh, she was probably my favorite case. She was a challenge, that one.
I sighed as I walked to school with Peter's arm around my waist. Ever since he got back for the fall term, he'd been...different. Distant. He'd been so angry. It was starting to scare me. He'd been fighting. When he got in one of his moods, he was positively murderous. There was this one time, I was actually afraid of him when he raised a hand against me. He didn't touch me, but the way I felt around him was never the same again. I just wanted my lovable, sweet, slightly sarcastic Peter back. Something told me that was never going to happen, and I'm not proud of it, but I began closing myself off from him. Don't judge me! I didn't know him anymore, and by closing myself off from Peter, I was opening myself up to others. Others like Edmund.
I couldn't help it! He was so smart, and he was in my year, and he had this...this air about him, this sort of nobility. He was always a gentleman, even if he was speaking to someone who was acting less than a lady. And so handsome! Those deep, dark eyes. So mysterious, so captivating! Much different from the tormented blue depths of Peter's. Oh, it killed me to be thinking that way! Peter was wonderful. He was just going through a rough patch. He'd come out of it. Eventually. I hoped. Unfortunately, that left me wanting in the mean time. I tried my best to get through to him, but he wouldn't talk to me. Edmund, however, was warm and open...he talked to me, made me feel special, wanted. I knew that any attention he gave me was only of the friendly sort, but so starved for anything at all was I that I clung to the shred of hope that maybe, just maybe, Ed might return my feelings and didn't act on them only because of Peter.
"Right Em?" Peter said, smiling down at me. My heart just about melted. I lived for smiles like that, the ones that made it seem almost like old times. Sadly, they were very rapidly coming fewer and farther between.
"I'm sorry, my head was in the clouds. What'd you say, Pete?" I asked, smiling sheepishly.
He shook his head with a little chuckle. "Never mind, my little dreamer." It was a good day. It looked like Peter would be normal today, and not get into any fights or go into one of his volatile moods or anything. I tucked a stray bronze-colored curl behind my ear.
"That's me, Pete. Emily the Dreamer."
"You used to be so practical," he teased. "What happened?"
I shrugged. "I couldn't tell you." That was a lie. I knew exactly why I'd been so dreamy. I'd spent so much time fantasizing about Edmund, that's why. Also, I'd been talking a lot less. Before, I'd been quite the chatterbox, but then talking to Peter became like walking on eggshells. I had to be careful what I said, so his temper would stay at bay. Consequently, I kept many, many more comments and quips to myself than I ever would've before.
By that time, we'd reached school, so it was time for Peter and I to go our separate ways, since he was 2 years ahead of me. That was another way I justified my taking just the tiniest fancy after Edmund- he was in the same year as me, where Peter was two ahead. It made perfect sense, especially since Edmund and I had a number of classes together- maths, geography, history... I spent so much time with him, I couldn't help but fall for him! Or at least that's what I told myself. But I didn't want to hurt Peter. I wanted Peter to go back to normal. Unfortunately, he got further and further away from normal with every blow he took in every fight, like he'd done later that afternoon. I walked out to meet him, and there he was, duking it out with some big old bloke who could take him easily. Oh, Peter, I thought. What've you gotten into this time? I saw Edmund jump in, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. I silently thanked him for coming to Peter's aid. Peter was less than happy, though. "Ed, I don't need you to fight my battles for me!" Peter said, glaring at Edmund darkly.
Ed just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Lemme guess- you had it sorted. Peter, you need to stop getting into these fights!" Edmund scolded. "Em worries about you. So do the rest of us." I was reminded once more that I was supposed to be the sweet, caring girlfriend who was concerned for her beau's health and safety.
I cleared my throat. "Hey, Pete, Ed," I said, pasting on a sunshiny smile like I hadn't seen or heard a thing. "We all ready to walk home, then?" I said cheerily. Peter just scowled and shook his head. "I'm taking the long way home. You lot go on without me." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away. I sighed, watching after him.
Edmund rolled his eyes. "Best start home, then. You won't mind walking with me?" he said, giving me a teasing grin.
I smiled and shook my head. "Well, it'll be a great act of charity on my part, but I think I can condescend to walk with you," I joked back. We walked home like that, trading bad jokes and friendly digs, the same way we always did.
AN: I apologize for the Prologue of this story. It was really...odd, and really rather different from how I normally write. The prologue was rather abstract, and when I was writing it, I was kind of picturing the speaker as the 'shoulder-devil' softly speaking into my female lead's ear, like in those old cartoons how there's an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, and they're trying to get the character to make what the right decision from their perspective is. Only, instead of helping poor Em make a decision, the speaker is taunting her with her indecision. I'm SO sorry for the confusion, but please keep reading. Bear with me, it does get better. :) I promise.
AN 2: The italicized parts are the same speaker as the prologue- the little 'shoulder-devil' that's whispering to Emily, doing its best to stir up trouble for her and providing us with a little insight into our girl's swirl of emotions as she makes her choice between the two Pevensie brothers.