Something has been taken from deep inside of me
The secret I've kept locked away no one can ever see
Wounds so deep they never show they never go away
Like moving pictures in my head for years and years they've played
Linkin Park
Tanya stood a little ways away from the Pevensie family as they said their good-byes. The scene was like that she'd only dreamed of. A good-bye where there was hugging, kissing, and a little crying. Not, "Good riddance!" or, "Behave yourself or I'll beat you when I get back!" She watched as Mrs. Pevensie hugged her children tightly, crying slightly. She turned to look at Tanya. "Come here, dear." Tanya walked hesitantly closer and was surprised when Mrs. Pevensie scooped her up into a hug. "Good-bye, Tanya. Be safe." She whispered. Conductors surged through the crowd, drawing children onto the train. "Good-bye!" Called Mrs. Pevensie tearfully. The children waved farewell to their mother and boarded the train.
As they boarded, Tanya sighted some soldiers marching along the platform. She felt tears prick her eyes as she remembered her brother. He'd been the only family member that had truly loved her. He'd gone away to war and Tanya hadn't seen or heard much from him since.
She started to board the train when she heard a shout from behind her. "Tanya!" She whirled and to her shock saw her brother for the first time in almost a year. "John!" She screamed, launching herself off of the loading ramp and into her brother's arms. He hugged her tightly. "Where are Mum and Dad?" He asked after a moment. Tanya gazed steadily up at him; "I left." John wasn't too surprised. He knew how his sister had been treated, but had been able to do nothing about it. "It has gotten worse hasn't it?" Tanya nodded then looked at the train. Peter was motioning for her to hurry up. "Write me." She whispered as she copied the address off of her tag. John tucked the scrap of paper away in his jacket pocket. "I promise I will." He whispered, hugged her again, and then pushed her onto the train. She waved to him and allowed Peter to lead her into their car.
"Who was that?" He asked, lifting Tanya's small bag of belongings onto the shelf above their heads. "My brother." She replied, flopping down beside the window. She saw her brother on the platform. A tear fell from her eye; she was leaving him this time. "Good-bye, Tanya!" John called as the train began to pull out of the station. Tanya blew her brother a kiss and waved until she could no longer see him.
The train ride was fairly calm. Lucy and Tanya stared out the window while Peter and Susan read. Edmund was doing who-knows-what at his spot by the door. Time after time the train stopped to let off children. Each time they did so Tanya's heart began to flutter with fear. What if the family they were with was cruel like her parents? What if there had been a mistake and there was no room for them? Peter must have sensed Tanya's anxiety for he laid a calming hand on her arm. She leaned her head on his shoulder, listening to the steady sound of his heart beating. Soon, she was asleep.
"Tanya! Wake up, we're leaving." Peter shook her awake. Tanya snatched up the small satchel of stuff and followed to four Pevensies off onto a deserted platform. A car rumbled along the road and the child rushed to get beside. The car didn't stop. "Maybe we've been incorrectly labeled." Edmund muttered examining his tag. Just then Tanya heard the sound of carriage wheels bouncing along the stones. A formidable woman in a horse-drawn cart pulled up in front of them. "Pevensies and Miss Tanya?" She said, more of a statement than a question. "Mrs. Macready?" Peter replied hesitantly. "Is that all you have?" She asked haughtily. "Yes, mum." Peter replied softly. "Well, get in." She jerked her head and the children clambered aboard. For almost an hour the cart rattled down the road towards a huge mansion. Once there the housekeeper launched off onto a rehearsed speech about being quiet and not touching anything. Tanya paid her little or no attention as the children were led through the silent building to their rooms. Mrs. Macready shut the door firmly behind them and the children were left in the four rooms.
Tanya set her small satchel on the bed. She pulled out her few possessions. They consisted of her knife, pen, ink, and notebook. Susan had lent her a few clothes, but had packed them in her own bag. Someone knocked on Tanya's door. "Tanya?" Came the soft voice of Peter Pevensie. "Come in." She replied just as softly. The door opened and Peter walked in with an armload of clothes. "Susan told me to give these to you." He told her, setting them on the bed. A gentle smile lifted the corners of Tanya's mouth and she fell sleepily onto the bed. Peter smiled and gently shut the door to let her sleep.
Exploding shells pounded the ground around John. He lay low inside the blood drenched trench. The stench of the dead clung to his nostrals like fly to a carcass. And indeed there were many flies. A showers of bullets pounded the dirt barriers protecting the English soldiers from death. One foolish man near John poked his head up and was shot for his troubles. "All men forward!" Came the generals cry over the booming of bombs. John took a deep and charged out of his trench and into the fighting. A bullet ripped through his thigh and he fell to the ground. Men fled the field as theEnglish charged forward, but John did not see that victorious day.
Tanya sat staring out of the window. Rain had been pouring down for three days, making her glum mood even glummer. "Mail for you, Miss Tanya." Tanya turned around to see the professor holding a letter out to her. gingerly she took it and glanced at the address. The writing was unfamiliar. Her heart stopped beating as she opened the letter and read the first line.
To Tanya Corza:
It grieves us much the we must inform you of your brother's passing. John died as any good soldier would wish to die. He died in battle defending his family, his country, and his honor. As his sister we thought it only right to inform you of his death and wish you the best of luck.
Sincerely,
Adam Hartford
P.S. Your brother was my best friend and closest companion. His death has left an empty place in my heart that can never be filled. I hope that you will try and accept his death as the nature of war. Do not blame yourself for what you could not prevent.
Tears ran down Tanya's cheeks as she read the letter over and over. "No! John, please God, not John!" She whispered, scrunching the letter in her hands. Her grief took over and she beat her fists against the wall until they were a bloody mess and at least one of them was broken. "John!" She screamed. The door to her room flew open and Peter and Edmund stood in the doorway. Peter had the common sense to wrap her bleeding hands in blankets and he carried her to the professor. Tanya lapsed into an uneasy, exhausted sleep as the professor drove her to the nearest doctor 10 miles away.
Author's Note: I have no actual battle references or anything so bear with along the lines where I mentions battles. If that made any sense to you at all.