Chapter 2: Unexpected Turn
Authors note
In a room in a house furnished with a bed that Maria is sleeping on with a desk and a IKEA chair. In the chair Gollum, aka Sméagol, is staring at a sheet of paper in his hand and muttering. Suddenly looks up. "Hello dear readers. MJ, as we call her to differentiate her from Maria, is away she will be back soon. If you noticed she made changes to Chapter 1 of you noticed. She changed Nazgul to Therlan. So this is not a crossover. And she is very disappointed because you are not reviewing." Points disapproving finger. "Also she will be updating every Friday. "Just then MJ comes in. "Gollum what are you doing here! I haven't been started a LotR fan fiction yet! And what are you doing with my story!" MJ stops for breath. Sméagol mutters sorry and scampers out dropping the papers. "Sorry about that, he just creeps me out and I don't know what he'll do to that egg." Stares at an egg that is in a nest of blankets. Anyway he must have told you several thing I wanted to say... Did he include review because I want to know how I'm doing. Now this is the story." Dramatic music plays.
Chapter 2 Unexpected Turn
The Pevensies were at the train station. People were everywhere talking, shouting, moving. Helen Pevensie finished tying a name tag on Lucy. Getting up she looked at Edmund. He saw the sign that all children were being evacuated. "If Dad was here he wouldn't make us go." Peter responded with "If Dad was here the war would be over." Mrs. Pevensie stares at Edmund. "Listen to Peter will you?" Kissing his cheek she stopped when he moved and hugged him. She moved on to Peter and hugged him. "Promise me you'll take care of the others." She told him as she looked hugged him "I will Mum." Susan forced a smile when her Mom looked at her, moving to hug her Helen said "Oh Susan. Try to be a big girl." Susan forced back tears and smiled bravely.
"Right of you go now." Mrs Pevensie smiled at them. Susan, Edmund, Peter, and Lucy made their way through the crowd. Lucy looked back fornlonely. "Let me go I can get on a train." Edmund argued with Susan who was holding his hand. In line now Peter saw soldiers and his eyes followed them. "Peter" Susan told him for their tags had been checked and he held their tickets. She grabbed it. Lucy face was crumpled. Peter comforted her as they made their own way to the train. "It's going to be all right Lu."
The train was ready and the green flag already had been waved. Helen Pevensie pushes her way through the crowds of women and people waving goodbye. Susan's head popped out of a window trying to spot her mother. There. Mrs. Pevensie waved whispering "Goodbye my dears." Peter's head and Lucy's head was out the window having heard Susan's "Mom" They all waved back to their Mom.
Sitting back in their compartment they watched stations go by. Hearing a slightly familiar voice Susan lifted her head. "You're going to be all right Ryda. Bert will be with you and I'll send you letters. Okay?"It was Maria, Susan caught the sight of her with a girl with blonde locks and a dog. Edmund also saw her pass the window. He started "Peter, isn't that Maria?" "Why it is!" They're watched her eve to the girl and return to the train.
Maria went back to her compartment slowly she hadn't been very happy to know that she had been assigned to four more children. While Ryda was alone the Headmistress has assured her that she would be safe with her sister. Maria spirits peeled up when she heard that she was assigned to Professor Kirke with four more kids. "Maria" She looked up. It was the eldest boy in the air raid shelter she had stayed in. "Are you the fifth of the group that's going to the countryside to Professor Kirke?" She nodded surprised. "Would you join us then?" She hesitated. After all she wanted to think but since she was going to spend the rest of the war with them... "Yes, I'll just get my things." His siblings looked at him. "I can imagine the silence." It was Edmund. "I'll take care of that. I have an interesting topic." Susan said. Minutes later with Maria with them and a small suitcase. Susan said
"Do you know we might be cousins?" She looked at Maria an impish grin on her face. Her siblings straitened their backs or looked at Susan then Maria. "Well... " Maria hesitated "There is a chance for me to be your half cousin." "Half!?" Lucy exclaimed. "How?"
"What is your mother's name?"Maria asked softly.
"Helen"
"You should start from the beginning Maria." It was Peter. He looked as surprised as the others.
Maria's POV
This is going to be hard to explain. I suspected Mrs. Pevensie was my aunt the moment she said her name. In the back of my mind are memories when all was right, when we were in Narnia. After that when Father was alive. Wasn't drafted. When Inay wasn't dead. I remember people thought my father was a lunatic. Even his mother. Lunatic? Because of talking about other worlds. When my Father left Earth he was young. Returned? He was around 35, a successful person who suddenly appears with me. I was around eight then. My Father told me that no one not even his own mother believed him...But. There's always a but somewhere. But his youngest sister told me her looks her name. We were happy then, even with people talking about who could my mother be. Bad things about my Father. Happy until we both had a dream. A dream about my Mother. I, no, we dreamed that she died blowing her shell at the last second. Died protecting children. I woke up the next day after and asked my Father. Told me that it really had happened in another world. Told me that he felt part of him had been ripped away. That he could die except that the only thing that kept him was me. He didn't want me to be in the poorhouse. Even he was drafted. He got a friend who believed him. Surprising isn't it? I was numb when I learned Father had died. Died saving lives. I was actually astonished that the note of condolence wasn't generic. His friend didn't tell me empty truths just held me tight. Afterwards his friend told me he couldn't take me in but wouldn't put me in the poor house but in an orphanage. A friend runned that orphanage. I still remember when he brought me there. Said to the headmistress that he wanted her to take care of me. Said somethings else to that I didn't hear because I saw Ryda. I walked over to her, she was crying and the Mistresses didn't know what to do. She was full, warm, then what's the problem?. I walked up to them and tugged on one of the Mistresses skirts. She seemed to understand my look and sat on the floor. Showing me Ryda. Looking at her cute face I suddenly began to sing. I don't know what lead me to sing I just did. Father's friend and the Headmistress stopped talking and looked at me, they told me my voice was light and joyful. The Headmistress immediately said yes to Father's friend. My life afterwards blurred errands, canes smacking my hand, shouts, smiles. The orphanage wasn't all girls. There were boys and we all slept in two different rooms. The canes were for when we disobeyed. One of the Mistresses didn't have a cane but used a pointer when one of us really really overstepped. She looked terrifying we all suddenly looked scared. I knew that the Pevensies and I were half cousins that in a sense I was mixed blood.
Normal POV
Maria thought all those things in little time. She looked at her hands for a moment. And began.
"I never knew my mother." Surprise was evident on their faces.
"I remember my Father saying that she was in another world." Their faces twisted in confusion.
"I believed him. He said also that we had been in another world. People called him crazy. He told me that only one in his family believed him. Helen. He lost contact with her over the years. If you're wondering where my Father is..." she dropped her head. "He was drafted. They said that he died saving others. What surprised me was that the telegram wasn't generic. That people actually signed it. A friend of his took care of me. I'm eternally grateful for him." She looked up "He didn't drop me in the poorhouse. He put me in an orphanage that his friend runned. My Father's name was Perez. If that helps you."
It was Peter who broke the silence. "Our mother spoke of your father I remember. Kind of like a bedtime story. But she said later to me that all of it was real that her half brother had been the man that grew up in the other world. I thought it was crazy. I mean how can other worlds be real. Aliens?"
"Peter" Susan reprimanded him.
"So how can we be half cousins to each other?" It seemed that Edmund was now interested.
"Our grandmother is the same but our grandfathers aren't. Urrrrrm do you get me?" Maria asked nervously.
"No, but continue." Peter restrained a giggle at Lucy's remark.
"Ok. Our grandma first married my grandpa. Gave birth to my Father and then grandpa died. Then grandma remarried your grandfather and my Father got other siblings. One of which was your mother. Do you get it now? I don't really blame you if you don't get it."
Maria shrugged.
"Kinda" Lucy said confused face. It was sooo cute. Maria thought.
They looked out the window for they had stopped.
"Not yet" Peter sighed. A silence fell not really uncomfortable but.
Softly Maria began to sing.
"Here am I
Yet another goodbye!
He says Adios, says Adios
And do you know why
She won't break down and cry?
She says Adios, says Adios, Goodbye
One by one my leaves fall
One by one my tales are told
It's no lie
She is yearning to fly
She says Adios, says Adios
And now you know why
He's a reason to sigh
She says Adios, says Adios, Goodbye
Lucy slumped against Susan,
One by one my leaves fall
One by one my tales are told
My, oh my!
She was aiming too high
He says Adios, says Adios
And now you know why
There's no moon in her sky
He says Adios, says Adios, Goodbye
He says Adios, says Adios, Goodbye
Peter put an arm around Maria,
No Goodbyes
For love brightens their eyes
Don't say Adios, say Adios
And do you know why
There's a love that won't die?
Don't say Adios, say Adios, Goodbye
Don't say Adios, say Adios, Goodbye
Don't say Adios, say Adios, Goodbye"
Several minutes passed...
"That was nice," Peter frowned searching for the right word. "Calming." He paused, Maria has become a dead weight in his arm. Susan smiled at him. Edmund leaned against the windowsill.
"They're sleeping."
"I can see that" Peter replied drily to Susan comment.
"When do you think we'll arrive?"
"Don't know." Susan said honestly.
"Lu, Lucy wake up." Peter shook her awake. "Were there" Lucy moaned and opened her eyes. Susan was waking up Maria and Edmund was standing.
Moments later the were standing in a wooden platform. More like a stage really. There were no people besides them. They set down their suitcases, three in all, and looked around. They really seemed to be in an abandoned place. Suddenly they heard the hum of a motorcar grabbing their baggage once again the ran down the steps only to be disappointed when the car went right past them.
"The professor knew we were coming." Peter said confused.
"Maybe we've been labeled incorrectly." Edmund said hopefully. Looking at his tag. "Labeled like unwanted baggage." He thought.
They looked at each other then hearing a clatter of a station wagon they looked down the dirt road.
A woman was driving it. She came to a stop in front of them. "Look. Examine. Look down." Seemed to be her motto, Maria thought as they bumped they're way down to the house. She hadn't made a good hit with the others too it seemed. For one thing immediately after she came to a stop she asked if that was all their luggage and said after that, inclining her head slightly, "Small favors." The Pevensies and Maria included didn't know how that could be a favor. Her name also was Macready housekeeper of the professor's house. The name itself made the them dislike her. Unfortunately they had to stop thinking about that as Edmund's back straightened. They gazed in wonder at the house. Nay, not house, mansion. It was a large storied building like, say, Captain Haddock's mansion in Tintin.
Macready lead them in the house. "Rule number one, no runnin' or shoutin' ." Macready said as she made her way inside to show them their rooms. "And no touchin' the historical artifacts." She bellowed at Susan. Susan while the housekeepers back was turned had reached out to touch a statue on a table. Susan started and retracted her hand. The rest of the Pevensies and m smirked and fought their giggles. Macready resumed "I expect you all to be quiet and stay out of the way when I take tours around this place. And above all," her voice carried out over them " no disturbin' the Professor." She looked at them. "Yes ma'am" Peter respectfully intoned.
Macready then proceeded to show them their rooms witch I don't want to tell about because of her scrutiny of the children. Worse than the headmasters in schools in England I tell you. So let us jump on to dinner.
At dinner they were introduced to the Professor actually Lucy was a bit scared of him because of his white hair. Though Edmund giggled and disguised it as a cough when the Professor's gaze came upon him. After dinner they sat in the girls room staring desolately at the ground.
"What are we going to do tomorrow." Maria moaned. "Play games inside. Be boring and have awkward silence grate at us." Edmund replied.
"Edmund!" His two older sibling stared at him. Peter got up "Well explore the countryside. Cmon Edmund let's sleep."
And just like that the turned in to bed.
"That was exausting" Author wipes brow. Maria wakes up "Is it the end?" "Yes" MJB replies "Why?"
"I thought I was going to make a disclamer."
"Oh right." Well we'll do that next time" Author turns to audience " This is both book and movie verse. If you want to listen to that song, which I recomend you do, you can find it on YouTube. search 'One By One' by Enya see ya!