Susan pulled me all the way up the stairs but I am still starting in the direction we came from. This couldn't be happening. I asked one thing from those morons.
"Maggie are you alright?" Lucy asks, putting both of her hands on my face. "You're as pale as a ghost!" She says feeling my forehead for a temperature.
"The soldier that picked up Edmund was Rodger." I say with my voice wavering. I grab Susan's hand and look into her eyes.
No!" She says almost scandalized. She also turns back to look down the stairs. "I'm going to kill them!" She states.
"Not if I get to them first!" I spit finally recovering from my shock. I pull away from the girls and stomp down the stairs.
"Maggie! Come back!" Lucy shouts after me. However, I was not going to stop. I make my way down the stairs and see Edmund and Peter being held by the back of their shirts by my brother. They were getting reprimanded by the general in Rodger's unit.
"You boys are supposed to be in charge while we are off fighting! You getting into childish fights won't help a thing!" The general barks at the two young boys who look like chastised two-year-olds. "May I help you young ladies with something?" He asks, turning his attention to us. His comment makes the three other boys turn around and look at who he was addressing. All of their eyes go wide.
"Maggie." They all say at the same time. All three of them turn and look at each other in confusion. Then suddenly you can see it all clicked. Peter looked spooked and Edmund looked like he was about to be sick.
"Oh, Margret Rose!" Rodger exclaims in distress. "Don't tell me these are them!" He says looking at me with pleading eyes.
"You know this young girl?" The general asks.
"Yes sir. She is my younger sister and apparently, one of these fools is her sweetheart." Rodger says in his most soldier voice.
"Well it seems this is a family matter." The general says. "You're dismissed but no more funny business." He tells my boys as he then turns his attention to the other boys in the fight. Rodger releases the boys and they come stumbling forward.
"Darling, I..." Edmund starts as he starts to walk towards me. I put my hand up to silence him.
"Don't I will deal with you two later." I warn pointing at both of the boys and handing my suitcase to my boyfriend. I then turn to my brother. We just stare at each other for what felt like forever.
"So that's Edmund then?" Rodger asks, breaking the silence between us. Instead of answering him, I run into his arms. He pulls me closer to him and I feel tears run down my face as I barry my head into his chest. "Aw, Maggie girl don't cry." he says into my hair.
"I'm just so happy to see you!" I say pulling away to get a better look at his face. I put my hands on either side of his face. "You look older." I state with a smile. He lets out a delightful chuckle.
"So do you! You're a young woman now." He says trying to tousle my hair like he used to. However, it did not work as well as he wanted since Susan had braided it into a long braid this morning.
"You have no idea." I mutter to myself thinking about how a year ago I was in my twenties. Suddenly, the older boys' expression changed.
"Maggie we need to discuss the company that you have been keeping." He says looking at me sternly. "From your letters, you seem quite taken with this Edmund, and from what I have seen from him and his brother I am worried that you are not getting taken care of." He says sitting me down on a bench nearby.
"I am, I promise. Edmund loves me very much and it's like I got two sisters and another brother now. They love me so much and I can't imagine what I would do without them." I say grabbing his hands pleadingly.
"You know mother and father are worried that you are getting too attached." He tells me.
"I know." I say looking down. "But they care for me and it is much better than being alone right now." I say in a whisper.
"Hey you know you're not alone." He says lifting my chin to look into his eyes. "We are with you right here." He says putting his hand on top of our mother's locket.
"Hunter! Front and center!" The general called over to us. He lets out a sigh and turns to me.
"I have to go." He says with sadness in his eyes.
"No!" I explain throwing myself on him. "You just got here." I complain. He pulls me closer.
"I know." He says pulling away and caressing my cheek. "I will try and say goodbye before your train leaves." He says with a sad smile.
"I love you." I say squeezing his hand.
"I love you too." He says kissing my forehead and then getting up to report to his general.
I watch him walk away and wipe the tears from my eyes. I then stand up and see the Pevensies waiting for me. I walk towards them as Edmund tries to approach me. I however brush past him and walk into Susan's waiting arms. Lucy rubs my arm as the two girls lead me over to a bench. I sit down between the two girls as Edmund sets down our suitcases in frustration.
"Your welcome." He says sarcastically to his brother. Peter rolls his eyes and turns away from us.
"I had it sorted." he mutters.
"What was it this time?" Susan asks annoyed as she rubs my arm comfortingly.
"He bumped me." Peter says turning around.
"So you hit him?" Lucy asks, surprised.
"No. They tried to make me apologize. That's when I hit him." He states regally. I scoff at him and roll my eyes.
"Honestly is that hard to walk away?" Susan reprimands her older brother.
"I shouldn't have too." He says looking at her like she is stupid.
"You stubborn mule!"I snap at him. His eyes widened at my boldness.
"Margret Rose, what's gotten into you?" He asks outrageously. I stand up and poke him in the chest.
"Me! What's gotten into you?" I ask angrily.
"Maggie calm down." Lucy says worriedly.
"I will not calm down!" I snap back. "For months he has been getting into random fights for no reason and I have had it! You have been doing it for your own self-glory and nine-times out of ten poor Edmund gets dragged in the middle of it to protect you!" I whisper yell at the older boy.
"So you agree I am not at fault here?" Edmund pipes up. I turn around and give him an expression of warning and he backs down again.
"I asked for one thing from all of you today and that was to make a good impression with Rodger. And did you do that? No. So now what? I could be sent away from you!" I say turning back to Peter.
"They can't take you away from us." Peter says brushing away my concern.
"Yes they can Peter!" I yell. "They can take me away without any thought to you at all. They can pull me away from the love of my life and the people who have become my family because they think I am not surrounded by good influences. So I want to know the real reason you have been acting out because it affects us more than you realize." I say having a staredown with the older boy. He turns away from us to face the track. I then feel Edmund pull me back to the bench and put his arm around me and intertwines my left hand in his.
"Don't you ever get tired of being treated like a kid?" Peter asks, turning back around.
"We are kids." Edmund snaps as he plays with my fingers.
"Well I wasn't always." Peter scoffs. I roll my eyes at the comment. "It has been a year. How long does he expect us to wait?" He says desperately.
"I think it's time to accept the fact that we live here." Susan says frustrated. "There is no pretending any different." She says looking at all of us.
"Margret." A familiar voice whispers. I sit up and turn in the direction it came from.
"Love, what is it?" Edmund asks, looking at me in confusion.
"I thought I heard..." I start but then shake it off. "Nothing I'm sure I'm just imagining things." I say sitting back biting my lip. Peter shrugs and sits down between Edmund and Lucy.
"Oh no." Susan suddenly exclaims. We all turn to face her. "Pretend you're talking to me." She orders. I look past her and see a scrawny boy with glass approaching us.
"We are talking to you." Edmund says annoyed rolling his eyes. His older sister gives him a very unamused look.
"Sue, did you do that thing again?" I ask in frustration. The boys turn a look at me.
"What thing?" Edmund asks. I ignore him and keep looking at his sister.
"I thought we talked about not..."
"Margret." The voice whispers again. This stops me mid-sentence and I again turn in the direction it came from.
"Mags what is... Ow!" Lucy shouts standing up off the bench.
"Quite Lu." Susan scolds the young girl.
"Something pinched me." She defends her actions. However, I then feel something pinch my bottom. I quickly stood up and put my hand on my bottom to make sure nothing was there.
"Edmund!" I whisper and scold my boyfriend as a blush rises in my cheeks. "Not in front of the others!" However, I feel a familiar tingle in my body.
"I didn't..." Edmund stammers and blushes.
"Hey stop pulling!" Peter says as he stands up and yells at his brother.
"I'm not teaching you!" Ed yells in defense. However, he and Susan soon stand up off the bench.
"What is that?" Susan asks with concern in her voice.
"It feels like magic." Lucy says with giddiness. I then feel the familiar heat build-up on my chest.
"Maggie the locket!" Edmund laughs. I look down and see that the locket was in fact glowing again. I laugh really hard. I feel complete for the first time in months.
"Quick everyone hold hands!" Susan orders us. I quickly reach for Edmund's hand.
"I'm not holding your hand." Edmund complains as Peter reaches for his hand.
"Oh, honestly you two!" I scold as I move to stand between them.
We all watch as the train goes rushing by, the locket grows brighter, and the train station slowly disappears.