Chapter 4: Madison's Nightmares

Peter couldn't seem to get any sleep so he got up, put on a robe over his pj's and walked into the parlor. He sat down on one of the couches and looked at the moon, a full moon. Just like the moon on that Halloween night all the years ago, Peter thought. How he wished he could be invisible, walk into Madison's room, and watch her sleep. Even better would be able to cuddle up with her under the blankets, just like they used to.

"No! Don't leave me!" Madison's voice carried from her closed door to the parlor. Peter got up, worried, and walked toward the door of her room and opened it. Madison was tossing and turning, her sheets which were sticking to her with cold sweat. Tears leaked from her eyes, her face showed her inner distress. "Tom, Sassy don't leave me. Eema, Aba please stay. I need all of you. Don't leave me again please!" Peter realized that she had been putting up an act, so people thought she was okay, but in reality, she was having an inner battle within herself.

"Madison! Maddy!" Peter called softly as he walked over to her. When he was close, enough he shook her gently. "Maddy!"

"Get away from me, you Nazi! You killed them! You took them away from me! I'm going to get you for it!" Madison punched Peter in the nose her eyes still closed.

"Madison it's me Peter!" Peter said again. "I think my nose is broken," he murmured. "Madison wake up! It's a nightmare!"

Madison quickly sat up, her eyes wide with fright, her breathing ragged. Her breathing started to slow and her eyes started to look around the room, a few tears fell down her cheek. Her eyes fell on Peter who was lying on the floor next to her bed. "What are you doing down there?" she asked quietly a she wiped her tears away.

"I fell when you sat up, quite quickly might I add. I didn't want to get hit, lost my footing and fell." Peter said as he got up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were there." Madison said. She then added in a whisper that Peter barely caught, "Now my sheets are soaked again."

Does this mean she has had others, Peter thought. "Must have been a pretty bad dream," Peter stated. "Have you been having them often?"

"I haven't had them for a while now. But that had to be the most vivid, real one I have ever had," Madison said as she got up from her bed. She then started to pull her sheets off her bed.

"Let me do that. While you change," Peter said and took the sheets away from Madison. She nodded her head and quietly walked over to her dresser and took some clothes out. She then went into the bathroom to change. Soon Madison came back out. She wore a forest green nightdress that complemented her figure very well.

"I'll do the rest. You need to get some sleep," Madison said not looking at him as he finished undressing the bed. She then took the sheets and deposited them in a heap in a corner of the room.

"I can't get to sleep. Want to tell me what you remember from the dream," he asked as he sat down on her mattresses, his back on the backboard.

Madison fingered her Star of David necklace that her grandfather gave her. Which Peter realized was forest green and a pastel green the two triangles wove in and out of each other. "You really want to hear it?" she asked.

"Only if you want to tell it. It might help to talk about your feeling instead of having them all bottled up." Peter advised. He was worried for her, he knew that his feelings for her haven't changed at all through out the years, and he felt a need to protect her from what ever was causing her this pain.

"All right," Madison said. She also got on the bed and sat next to him. Both of their backs were on the backboard to the bed. "The dreams all started when my Aba, Dad, first died. He died in a battle zone. When they delivered the body to us, it had cuts and scrapes all over it. About a week later my brother, Tom, died. We didn't even get a body. It was all blown to bits according to the officials." Madison took a shaky breath and tears started to grow.

"My Eema, Mum, was devastated. Sassy, my little sister stopped talking. About three weeks later the two left for London to pick up something or other. They didn't come back. They went to the car but that was hit by one of the bombs. They died among impact." Tears started to flow freely and her breath went ragged again. Peter moved Madison so she sat in between his legs and her back was against his chest. He wrapped his hands around her waist and held her close. This position was familiar to him, as he had once embraced her like this before. A memory that he would usually daydream about when bored or didn't want to listen to his teachers. But he did feel so bad for the woman who was in his arms. She had lost everything so soon. War is hell. "I was mad at my family for leaving me so soon and so close together. And I hated myself for it. I know they didn't want to die but..."

"Shh, shh. It's okay," Peter cooed and brought her closer to him. It tore up his heart to see Madison like this. She seemed so small and venerable, just like a newborn baby.

"At first the dreams were quick, just a shot heard or the sirens shouting, then one of them would get struck down. But it got worse; soon I would see all of their deaths before I woke up. I never told anyone about the dreams. After about a month of the dreams they went away. But they came back the night before we left to go to the train station. That one I saw Hitler saying to kill Aba and Tom. Then it went to a sniper shooting Aba to death, pure delight on his face. Then it would melt to my brother hanging out with some boys. All of a sudden, all the boys would turn and take out a hand grenade and throw it at him. The boys would run and my brother would be blown to smithereens." Madison's voice was shaky and she shivered from fright. Peter held her tighter and closer.

"After that it would go to Eema and Sassy. The two would be walking back to the car when the sirens start and they race to the car but once they got in the car, it would blow because a bomb fell on it. I woke up and couldn't sleep again. This time it was like the last one but instead of waking up all four came back to me and said, 'Good-bye Maddy. Be strong. Trust your heart. Keep your friend close. We will always be with you.' They then left and Hitler showed up. He called my name and shook me and I punched him. I woke up and I see you on the ground," Madison now sniffled. She whipped away the remaining tears. "Peter can I ask a favor?"

"Sure what is it," Peter asked, still holding her close.

"Don't leave my side. I feel much better right now, for some reason," Madison whispered.

"Sure," Peter said. The two slowly fell asleep. Peter sitting up against the backboard his head lying against Madison. Madison was snuggled close against Peter's torso and chest. Her face against Peter's. The two fell asleep with small smiles on their faces.

A/N this will probably be the darkest chapter in this entire story, but in a few more chapters we'll get Narnia into the picture. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Please review again; it really does help to know someone is interested in this.