Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia or the Pevensies, or any Narnian characters.

The return to school took awhile to get used to, but eventually Edmund fell back into the routine of going to classes, doing homework, and studying. He felt like he should write his siblings but every time he wanted to he found he didn't know what to write.

The letter Edmund started writing to Peter read, "Dear Peter, I just wanted to tell you that…" That what? He didn't really know. It wasn't about the curse, which Edmund had taken to calling "Nothing" or "It". It wasn't such a problem…It only prevented him from sleeping peacefully at night. Perhaps he wanted to tell Peter that he was sorry, but he didn't know exactly how to word it. Peter would want an explanation in addition to an apology.

Lucy was easier when it came to saying sorry, because she forgave a lot faster. As a result, his letter to her read, "Dear Lucy, I'm sorry." Short as it was, Edmund was tempted to send it. He really was sorry, but he felt he owed Lucy more of an explanation as well. This was where his mind shut any possible explanation out, leaving him with nothing. If he told her the truth Peter would find out…and although he was also sorry when it concerned Peter he most definitely did not want his older brother knowing about It.

"I really hope they're not angry," Edmund said to himself while staring at his letter to Lucy. He doubted they were very happy with him. He could have written Susan, who didn't know much, but he didn't want to if he couldn't also write to the other two. They might be upset that he chose to ignore them.

One cold day after classes Edmund took a walk outside. There was snow on the ground although it wasn't thick at less than a foot deep. It also wasn't the coldest day of the year, yet Edmund was freezing. He was alone and rather grateful for this. It would allow for him to think about what to do when it came to his siblings.

"Perhaps I just shouldn't write anyone at all," Edmund muttered as he walked. The school grounds were large and provided one with much space to walk, play games, or just sit outside. Edmund stayed close to the building and was walking around its perimeter. He didn't stray for fear of getting his feet wet with snow, which was never a pleasant experience.

He rounded a corner of the building and tried to think of what Susan, the most logical of the siblings, would do in this situation. Unfortunately, Susan had been distant as of late and Edmund felt like he didn't know her anymore. This caused him at first to draw a blank when he thought of what she would do. Then he thought harder. Perhaps Susan would not even have gotten into this mess. She would have rationally talked to Peter and Lucy about the truth from the start and then come up with a way to fix everything. If only Edmund knew what that way was.

Well, he thought, the way lies within myself, according to Aslan. That didn't help in the least, and it was the reason for Edmund's lack of hope and utter distress. I can keep on ignoring It and that seems to be working best…but this leaves me with confused siblings. What to tell them? Lucy and Peter know something's up. Perhaps I tell them the truth and my plan and hope they agree…But they would want to take action. They couldn't ignore it. They...

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden piercing scream. Edmund nearly jumped out of his skin; the quiet from before having allowed him to become unaware of his surroundings. He ran towards the direction of the sound as another shriek sounded and he rounded the second corner of the building-

"Help!" The cries were coming from Susan, of all people, on the ground in front of him. Crouched above her was a single (but rather large) wolf, whose teeth were bared. Susan was dressed in her school uniform and it didn't even occur to Edmund why she would be there, or what the wolf would be doing there. He rushed forward, his hand reaching at his side as he cried, "Susan!"

The wolf looked up at him with narrow, yellow eyes and growled. At the same time Edmund stopped short as his hand gripped nothing but his belt and he realized with horror that he had no sword. The wolf's lips seemed to curl in a grin and Edmund did a strange thing—at least, it was strange in England but fairly routine in Narnia. He talked to the wolf. "Leave my sister alone."

"Edmund, get Peter," Susan cried. "He has his sword!" No, he doesn't, Edmund thought with a frown.

"Peter is not near," the Wolf said, and Edmund was startled, despite himself, to find it was a Talking Wolf. Talking animals did not exist in England.

"What are you doing here?" asked Edmund, more to the Wolf than Susan.

The Wolf sneered. "I am in the process of killing your sister," he drawled. "Surely you can see that. Now, if you don't mind…"

Edmund was shocked at the Wolf's response, and how calmly he had said it, as if killing Susan was nothing special. Indeed, it sounded as if he was saying he was making dinner, or washing clothes, not taking someone's life. "You are no longer," Edmund snapped. "Not as long as I'm here. How you got here is another matter entirely-"

"What!" the Wolf interrupted harshly. "You think just because you are no longer in Narnia that you and your siblings are safe from creatures such as myself? You think that you are safe from the dangers Narnia presented to you?" He laughed. "Think again, little king. And what are you going to do now?"

"I will kill you," Edmund growled. "Even if I have to do it with my bare hands."

"I doubt it," the Wolf snarled. He then lunged forward and Edmund, acting on pure instinct, also lunged. He found himself sprawled on the ground in the snow. He immediately turned himself onto his back to find the Wolf gone. Susan, however, was still on the ground. The snow around her was turning red.

"No," Edmund whispered. "No, no!" His voice grew shaky with panic as he scrambled over to his sister, who looked to be in immense pain. There were gashes in her stomach and bleeding bite marks at her throat. She was struggling to breathe. "Susan!" Edmund took off his sweater and immediately started to staunch the bleeding. His first thought was to get the cordial, only to realize that the cordial was in Narnia and Susan's only help was a hospital. He didn't even know where the hospital was.

"Edmund," Susan whispered, her eyes closing. Edmund shook his head and felt completely at a loss.

"I tried to get him," he stammered. "I tried, Susan. I-he disappeared. I don't know how…I'm so sorry. I'll try to get help. I-I'll get the nurse! Yes, she'll know what to do. Just…stay here-"

But Susan weakly pulled him closer. She was so calm. "Ed," she whispered. "It's too late. Send my love-" With a sigh her words were gently cut off, and her body went completely limp. Edmund gasped and shook his head, tears trailing down his face.

"No!" he cried angrily. "No! How could I have let this happen! Susan, wake up!" He shook her. "Please, Su! Ugh! This is all my fault!" He stood up and looked towards the building, wondering vaguely why no one had come out upon hearing Susan's screams. He figured he should get someone…the thought was unbearable. To tell someone that his sister was dead and it was his fault…

Edmund looked back at Susan and gasped; Susan was no longer there, the snow no longer stained red. His sweater lay in the snow abandoned and rather wet, but not with blood. "What?" Edmund whispered. He picked up the sweater and looked around. Tears had frozen on his face. He was not crying anymore, but rather breathing heavily as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. He felt terrified, wondering if Susan really had just died or if it was all an illusion…

The sound of a door opening nearby made him look up. Several boys were coming outside and looked to be starting a snowball fight. The normalness of it all made him feel sick. Edmund walked away until he could no longer hear their laughter. He was shaking so badly that his teeth audibly chattered, and as soon as he was sure no one was around he was sick in the snow. When he was done, he looked around again, still shaking. Neither Susan nor the wolf had disappeared and Edmund decided that he needed to get inside.

Later, once he was in his room, he realized that whatever he had seen most likely wasn't real, or at least hadn't really happened. It was very much like how Peter had not actually been killed by the White Witch in his dream. Perhaps this was a nightmare of sorts, only while he was awake. It reminded him of when he saw the Witch while walking with Lucy and he wondered whether or not he would continue to see things like this. Obviously no one else had heard nor seen what Edmund had. Although it was hard, Edmund finally chose not to dwell on it. Dwelling on it would make him feel worse. And that's just what she wants, I suppose, Edmund mused. He had to wonder, though…

Edmund's wondering came to an end the next day as he walked to lunch. He was in the hallway with a bunch of other people and as he rounded the corner of the next hallway something caught his eye. He wasn't sure if he was imagining things, but it couldn't be so. As real looking as anything, the White Witch stood at the end of the hallway holding a small dagger to someone's throat. Edmund sped up his pace to see who the person was and stopped short. Lucy.

A few boys bumped into him from behind and told him, not too nicely, to move, but Edmund didn't even notice. He was staring at his younger sister in shock. She looked defiant, but there was a hint of fear in her eyes. "No," Edmund whispered to himself. "You're not real."

The Witch laughed. "Are you sure about that?" she asked. The dagger pressed into his sister's throat and she winced in pain.

Edmund gulped. "I'm sure," he said, though he sounded less confident.

"How do you know if your dear sister is or isn't being harmed where she is?" the Witch asked him.

"I don't," Edmund admitted. The dagger was pushed deeper, drawing some blood. He felt sick as Lucy let out a whimper of pain. The Witch did not relent and pushed even harder. Tears trailed down Lucy's cheeks. Finally, Edmund had reached his end. "Stop it!' he cried, moving forward. In that instant both the Witch and Lucy disappeared, leaving a wall before him and no trace of what had transpired there. He stood still, shaking.

It was then that Edmund remembered where he was and he looked around. Quite a few people were staring at him, including Christopher, who looked concerned. He felt himself go red. Some boys shook their heads and walked away. Hastily, Edmund wiped away a tear that had been trailing down his cheek. He took a deep breath to calm himelf.

Christopher walked swiftly over to Edmund and asked, "What was that all about?"

"Just thinking, is all," Edmund replied, trying to sound truthful.

"About what?" Christopher asked, obviously wondering what could have made Edmund yell out. Edmund bit his lip.

"Nothing." With that, Edmund left his side to walk to the cafeteria and a very confused Christopher needed to hurry to catch up.