The Mess I made-Parachute, highly recommend you listen to this song while reading:)

March 1949, Finchley:

I watch as the wind blows the pages of the book in my hand. I shift uncomfortably on the wooden bench on my front porch. Above me, the consistent low hum of the pelting rain plays. Rain, rain, rain: That's basically the whole week summed up. I haven't seen the blue sky or felt the warmth of the sun since dad died.

Dad.

I hang my head and open my book wider so as to begin reading again. Squinting my eyes, I try to focus hard on the text. The printed words morph together, creating a collage of letters in my mind. "C'mon," I murmur to myself. Gradually, things settle out and become clear and I find myself focusing on one specific word on the page: Daises. Dad used to plant daises in the backyard.

Tired, I set the novel down next to me and cross my arms, hands holding my elbows. A gust of wind bites my skin and I eagerly pull the sleeves of my black dress lower. The honking of a car cuts through my thoughts and I look for the source. An unfamiliar car parks itself in front of the Pevensie's house and I stand up in order to get a better view. Edmund's head peeks out his front door and a lop-sided smile finds a spot on his face as he sees a young man climbing out the automobile.

"Eustace!" The dark-haired boy hollers above the rain. Lucy appears next to her brother and gives a wave toward the stranger.

"Hi!" Lucy squeals. "Hurry, hurry! You're going to catch a cold if you don't get out of the rain!"

The young man chuckles and pounces up the steps and onto their porch. A grin stretches his freckled cheeks upwards and he takes Lucy into a bear hug, making her shriek with laughter. "It's very nice to see you as well, cousin!" Lucy is put down and the boy shakes his damp blonde hair like a dog. Ed laughs and looks back into the house.

"Peter!" Edmund bellows. "Would you hurry up? Eustace is here already!" The boy looks back at his sister and shakes his head. "What's taking him so long?"

Lucy shrugs her tiny shoulders and shakes her head. "Your guess is as good as mine." Her attention turns to the boy named Eustace and she grins. "You've grown."

This gains a coy smile from the drenched figure. "Stop sounding like grandfather, you're only a year older than I."

Peter dashes out the front door and all four of them race to the car, their laughter trailing behind. I lean against the railing of my porch as I watch the car drive off into the distance.

"Lynn." A hand falls to the small of my back and I bow my head at the familiar sound of my mother's voice.

"Mum."

Our eyes meet and I see all of her emotions have been swiped away. "Come with me to aunt Helen's. There's something we need to discuss." I eye the umbrella that hangs on the crook of her elbow.

"At aunt Helen's?"

Nod. In one swift motion, she opens the umbrella and laces her fingers through mine, bringing me under protection of the cold droplets. "Don't worry," she assures me with a false compassion. "Everything will be alright." With her thumb, she lightly draws circles on the back of my palm. A soft kiss is planted on the top of my head and off we go next door.

"Chilly today, isn't it?" Aunt Helen says as she wraps a shawl around her shoulders. I nod in agreement and stare at the mug of coffee in my hands. Across from me, my mother sits on the opposite side of the Pevensie's dining room table, tapping her long fingers on the polished wood. "I wonder if the kids remembered to bring their jumpers."

"They didn't." We all turn to find Susan leaning against the wall. Our eyes meet and she shows off her perfectly white smile, striding over and taking a seat next to me. I push the steaming liquid toward her and she accepts it, smiling into the cup as she takes a sip.

"Of course," Aunt Helen exasperates, rolling her eyes. "I hope they don't catch a cold or anything."

"They'll be fine, mum." With her finger, Susan tries to smear off the vibrant red lipstick she left on the rim of the mug.

"I hope you're right, dear. It would be such a shame if they got sick just when they're finally able to spend some time with Eustace."

"Eustace?" I pipe loud enough so only Susan can hear. "That cousin who called you fat that one year at Christmas dinner?"

This makes her shake her head. "That one, yes. Remember him? Blonde, freckles. You never really got to know his name, did you? We introduced him to you as 'brat!' He's grown quite a lot since then. He's not as obnoxious as before...Sort of sweet actually."

"Helen..." Our attention turns to my mother who has her hands carefully folded on the tabletop. I hold my breath as I intently watch her twist the gold wedding ring around her thin finger. I bring my right hand to my collar bone and feel the cool touch of my own ring, running my index finger against the indentation of my name.

"Alright, Lily?" Aunt Helen inclines her head to the side and a concerned expression is etched on her face.

"...Yes," my mother finally answers after a long silence. "Yes, everything is fine. Absolutely fine." I hang my head and tightly close my eyes. A sadness only I can notice is woven into my mother's words. "Evalynn and I, we're going to leave for America soon..."

A long "ahh" escapes Aunt Helen's lips. "Don't worry about a thing, Lily! I'll make sure to collect your mail and water your plants when you're away." She takes a moment to giggle. "Judging by how the weather has been, I don't think I'll have to worry about the last part though."

The room becomes still and we wait for a response from my mother: A laugh, a smile, something.

"Lily," my mum finally manages out. "We're not...Evalynn and I...we're not..."

"Not what?" Susan asks. My head shoots up and I gaze at Susan beside me. Her eyes have enlarged and she stares at my mother.

"We're not coming back."

Someone touches my shoulder and gives it a nudge, forming into violent shaking when I don't respond. My name is called but I just tune it out. The words just said run through my mind and tear at me. I know them so well. I've read them so many times in the books back in Narnia. I know the girl next to me have regretfully said those exact words before.

"Why?" Aunt Helen barely says.

With that, my mother digs her face into the palm of her left hand and sobs. She shakes her head and clutches her side with her other hand. "I'm so sorry, Lynn."

"Why..." I quiver. Abruptly, I stand up and slam my hands against the table. "WHY?" I demand. Everyone looks at me but I focus on the rage quickly forming inside my body. "You're doing it again, you know that, mum?"

"Evalynn," my mother ferociously snaps. Taken aback, I stand a bit straighter. "You be quiet. You have no idea what-"

"NO," I wail. "Listen to me, will you? Will you finally listen to me for once, mum? I can't do this again, okay? Do you remember all those years ago when you ripped me away from New York? From all my friends and family without even a warning? Don't you understand I can't bear to go through that a second time?"

"Lynn." Aunt Helen looks at me and I let out a sob. "Calm down, dear. It'll be okay, maybe we can-"

"She's not staying here," my mother flatly states. "We're going back to New York no matter what. Together."

"But Lily-"

"But nothing. We can't stay here."

"Why?" I pout. "Explain to me why we can't stay here. I know for a fact that we can afford it. I know that-"

"We can't, Evalynn." I turn my head away from my mother and slump back down into my chair, crossing my arms. "Without your father, I can't-"

"You can't do much when someone dies, can you?" I spit. "Do you realize what your problem is? Every time someone dies, you can't handle it. You have to run away from your problem, you have to move away from it. You did this when Theo died and now that dad's gone, you're making me suffer through this all over again. I hate this side of you, mum. I absolutely despise this cowardly side of you. This time, I'm not-"

Before I can finish the sentence, my cheeks begin to sting and I look up at my mother. Fire eats at her eyes and she has her hand raised. "How dare you talk to me like this, Evalynn."

I cup my swelling cheek and walk right up to my mother, looking her dead in the eye. "I'm not going with you."

"Yes," she replies as she roughly grabs me by my arms. "You are."

I break away from her."You can't decide that for-"

"You'll do it for your father."

I go limp and my mouth goes agape. "How would leaving help dad?"

"Your father and I raised respectful children. Show him all those years are not going to waste. You're brother's not here to show for it so it's only you who can throw it all away." God, those words stung more than the slap.

I search my mother's face for any sign of regret for her words. None. I exit the room with my head facing down so my hair shields my shame filled expression. Not even bothering to get an umbrella, I walk out of the house and stamp straight into the piercing sheets of rain towards my house.

In under 10 seconds, I'm completely drenched and my damp clothes cling to my shivering body.

"Where are you going?" Susan belts from her front door.

I focus on keeping my shoes from sinking in the pools of mud. "Where do you think?" I roar above the rain. "I'm going home to pack."

Quicker than believable, Su's beside me, clothes just as doused as mine. "You're not seriously going, are you?"

I look at her. "What else can I do, Su?"

She throws her hands in the air in frustration. "I don't know, not leave!"

"You know I can't." I turn back around and keep walking.

"I know you're better than this."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I call over my shoulder.

"You're a headstrong girl and you know that. You're a tough and independent person and I know you can make it here by yourself...but if you ever, ever, need me, I'm here. Just like you're here for me."

My feet stop moving. "Susan, I can't-" I stop mid-sentence once I catch her broken condition. I step close to her and gently place a hand on her shoulder.

"You promised," she mumbles.

"What?"

"You promised you would be for me. Always."

"Susan, please." I shook my head. "Please don't play that card right now."

"But you promised."

"I know I did but please! You have to know how bad I already feel about this!"

"I know I've been a lousy friend but I wouldn't take you for one!" I tilt my head at the bursting confession. "All those months we drifted apart back then, I tried to convince myself I hated you." She shakes her head slowly. "I couldn't do it."

I try to wipe the tears with the back of my hand and suddenly realize it's useless with all this rain. I light bite the inside of my cheek and walk up the porch steps. "I have to go pack." I hold my hand out to find the brass knob of the front door and twist it. As I open the door, quick, angry footsteps dash my way. I turn around and find Susan striding towards me with a menacingly look in her eyes. Scared, I scramble inside and urgently lock myself in. Susan's fists pound the door mercilessly over and over again, each blow harder than the last.

"YOU PROMISED!" She wails. "GOD DAMN IT, YOU PROMISED!"

"Susan!" I cry as I push my aching hands against the thick wooden door. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please stop! I can't-"

"YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD BE HERE FOR ME, LYNN! YOU PROMISED."

I lean my back against the shaking door and slide down onto the floor. I place my face in my hands and sulk. Susan's pounding ceases for a short while as she cries on the other side. Soon enough, it ensues and I try to pull myself together. I run upstairs and firmly close my bedroom door behind me. With limp steps, I walk to the end of my bed and leisurely sit down. The mattress protests under my weight and I run my fingers through my dripping hair. I can still hear Susan abusing the door and I cover my ears. Softly at first, I begin to hum a Narnian lullaby just as Lilliandil did for me all those nights ago. Tears freefall down my cheek and off my chin. Not even bothering to change out of my wet clothes, I inch myself down to lay on my bed and I pull my thin sheets over my cold body.

"Everything will work out," I murmur to myself. Feeling silly, I turn on my side let out a long sigh. Everything will work out though, Aslan assured me of it. My eyelids feel heavier than ever before and I succumb to my fatigue. I blink one. Twice. Before falling under, I swear I hear a familiar, warm, and immaculate voice, beckoning to me with the the sweetest tone.

"Evalynn," it calls out. "My dear, rest well."

I close my eyes and relax, falling asleep before hearing the end of it. "For it is finally time tomorrow."

Hello:) I hope the new year is treating you all well! I just got done with exams a week back so I've been trying to tackle writing a chapter ever since! In two weeks, tennis conditioning starts and I'm praying I can write a little more while my legs recover;) Anyways, I sort of enjoyed this chapter- I hope you do too! Recently, I've deepened my love for my favorite movie Inception(Christopher Nolan's a genius, JGL is gorgeous, and Ellen page is the absolute best!) I modeled Susan's "psycho ex-girlfriend" rage after Mal, please don't dread it too much;p So, so sorry for any mistakes you find- I'm really rusty! I really look forward to hearing your feedback and updating soon! Leave me a review to start off my year well? No words will ever describe how grateful I am for everyone who still continues to read this story!

Much Appreciation xx