Jane had no idea there were this many children in London. Everywhere was full and she'd never been around so many people in such a tight space in her life. She finally found what she hoped was an empty seat, though the compartment itself was quite full, with six children already seated inside. She took a deep breath and slid open the door with a shy smile. All the children looked up at her actions and she could feel her face beating bright red, but she cleared her throat and spoke as confidently as she could, "I'm terribly sorry, but would it be alright if I sat here with you all?"

She didn't get any verbal response but they all nodded their approval and she nodded her head in appreciation. She stepped through and closed the door behind her, placing her bag in the overhead compartment, taking a seat closest to the door she'd just entered through. Everyone went back to their previous activities – reading, taking in the scenery, playing with a stuffed toy – while Jane started to take in her traveling companions. On the one side across from her were sat four children, two boys and two girls, with an obvious family resemblance. Beside here were another pair of siblings, a boy and a girl. The girl was glancing at the tag that was pinned to her front, reminding Jane of her own label. She looked down and picked up the tag, trying to decipher where exactly they were taking her. All she knew was that she was staying with a professor and she was being collected by a Ms. McCready. Since it was just her, it was likely she would be placed with other children, but she was never given that information. She took a deep breath and dropped the tag, seeing as it was obvious she wasn't going to be getting anymore information out of it than she already knew. She looked toward the window and found that one of the boys, the older one, about her age it seemed, was glancing up at her from his book. He gave a friendly smile and she returned the favor before settling in for the long ride.

The trip was one of the longest train rides of Jane had ever endured. It felt as if she'd been on that train for days, not hours. They'd dropped off the brother and sister in their compartment a long time ago and Jane had made herself comfortable next to the window. The other four children also found themselves spreading out for the long trip, with the older boy switching to the seats next to hers. However, finally, just before nightfall, the train stopped at a small station, so small there wasn't even a ticket booth, only meant for drop-offs it seemed. The train stopped, and all the children were alert, waiting for their names to be called.

"Pevensies! Davies!"

Jane took a deep breath and stood to gather what little belongings she had, and to her surprise, so did the other four children. They all glanced at each other and the oldest boy smiled again.

"It seems we've been placed together." He said. Jane gave a small nod and smile, pulling her bag down from overhead once she'd gotten her coat buttoned and then followed the siblings out the platform.

The train left them alone and confused, stranded in the English countryside with no sign of anyone anywhere. There was a very small, one lane dirt road that crossed the tracks by the platform, but the five of them were unsure of what to do next. Jane could feel anxiety rising in her chest. If they'd been dropped off at the wrong station, how on earth were they going to get any help? There wasn't anything around for as far as she could see. But, just before they were all about to panic, the sound of a car reached their ears. It sounded like it was heading towards them and the siblings all took for the stairs with Jane following behind after a moment's hesitation. There was a car! Though unfortunately it drove right by them with a rude honk. Jane thought she saw everyone's shoulders drop with her own and she sighed.

"The professor knew we were coming." The older girl finally spoke up, though she didn't sound very confident in her statement.

"Perhaps we've been incorrectly labeled." The younger boy lifted his tag and glanced over the words again and Jane wondered if he knew what it meant, seeing as she couldn't make heads or tales of it. Susan picked up her own tag and thinned her lips in frustration. She looked up at Jane and approached her cautiously, "Um, do you mind if I have a look?"

She gestured to Jane's tag and she looked down at the little paper between her fingers, nodding at the girl with a small smile, "Of course. If you can understand it, be my guest."

They both chuckled and began comparing notes just as another sound grabbed their attention. It was coming from the same direction that the car had come from. An older lady was driving a horse-drawn buggy, though the buggy wasn't any kind of buggy Jane had ever seen. It had a seat for the driver, but the back was flat, with seat-like benches along the sides. It looked like it was better suited for cargo than people. She exchanged a glance with the older siblings and the oldest boy cleared his throat nervously.

"Mrs. Macready?" he said.

"I'm afraid so." Her face remained very stern. She sat with perfect posture and watched them with judgmental eyes, "Is this it, then?"

The children all looked around each other, admittedly a little confused by her comment. The siblings all had at least eight bags between them and with Jane's one that made nine. By Jane's standard, that was quite a bit of luggage.

"Haven't you brought anything else?" Mrs. Macready urged.

"No, ma'am." The boy spoke again, "It's just us."

"Small favors." She nodded her understanding and gestured them to the trailer behind her. All the children were quick to gather themselves and load up their things, the oldest siblings helping the younger ones in once all the luggage was stowed away. The oldest boy was kind enough to take Jane's bag and help her onto the trailer once he'd gotten his littlest sister in. Jane was grateful for the helping hand and took it with a low thank you. She looked down at the smallest sibling beside her and was surprised to find her looking up at her with a kind, welcoming smile. She did her best to return the favor, but after the long day they'd had she was exhausted. She hoped she didn't come across as prude or snobbish to these other children she'd been spending God-knows how much time with.

Once they were all settled in, Mrs. Macready ushered the horse to go forward, crossing the train tracks and making a loop a little ways ahead so that they were now heading back the way she came – towards the professor's home. The trailer was rickety, and a tad too small to be carrying five children without bumping knees with someone. But when they came up on their new living quarters, Jane couldn't help but to breathe out in awe. The professor's home was not a simple home in the country but a grand mansion sitting on acres and acres of beautiful green grass.

Mrs. Macready stopped the carriage behind the mansion and the children were just as quick to obey her orders of following her inside as they were to load up the trailer. They did as they were told, staying on her heels as she led them inside without saying a word, the children taking in the magnificence of the home and listening to Mrs. Macready's welcoming speech as they walked up several flights of beautiful oak stairs.

"Professor Kirke is not accustomed to havin' children in this house." She said, "And, as such, there are a few rules we need to follow. There will be no shoutin'. Or runnin'. No improper use of the dumbwaiter. No touchin' of the historical artifacts!"

Jane jumped at the sudden rise in her voice, turning to see the older sister's hand outstretched towards a marble bust of someone she couldn't even begin to guess who it was. She glanced her way and Jane raised her eyebrows in shock, unsure of what to say or do. She, like the other children, decided it best to keep their mouths shut and their hands to themselves as Mrs. Macready continued her tour of the house.

"And above all, there shall be no disturbin' of the professor."

She continued up the stairs and the children followed close behind, lugging their belongings with them and remaining on their best behavior. They were shown to their rooms – three rooms in the same hall, decorated with lavish furnishings that looked as if they hadn't been used in a decade, although kept very clean and presentable. There were other rooms down the hall and Jane couldn't help but wonder how many rooms this place had. She followed Mrs. Macready as the boys received their room, and the other two girls received a room where they would have to share a bed, and she was given a room to herself. Once she was inside, Mrs. Macready bid her a good night and shut the door. Jane jumped at the sound, though she didn't slam it, and gave a deep sigh. She couldn't decide if she was happy to have a room to herself or not. She was thankful to have a moment alone, yes, but she'd always shared a room with her sister. Even when staying at her Aunt Clara's, having a bedroom to herself made it hard for her to sleep. She sighed again and set her bags down, falling backwards onto the bed behind her. She stared at the ceiling and let the tears fall freely. It was getting late, and she would've been lying if she said she wasn't tired. Having been on the train all day and after everything that's happened, she was exhausted. She thought about sleeping right then and there, fully dressed and all, but a knock on the door made her shoot up, wiping the tears away fast as her bedroom door opened slowly with a creak. The older sibling peeped inside with a cautious smile, but upon noticing Jane's distress she backtracked. Jane could see she was fighting a battle, unsure of whether to give her space or to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry, is this a bad time?" she said finally.

"No, no, no, it's really alright. Come in, please." She dried the last of her tears and flashed a reassuring smile. The girl returned it and stepped inside, taking a seat on the bed next to her.

"How are you doing?"

Jane chuckled, understanding that she was trying to be polite considering they were basically strangers and she smiled at her again, "I'll be alright. How are you and your siblings?"

"We're all…handling it." She hesitated and Jane was sure there was probably a lot of family drama happening, but it was understandable. They were all kids, and they were alone and scared and trying to understand what was happening in the world. War was devastating like that, as it was in so many other ways. Jane nodded her understanding and the two sat in a slightly awkward silence.

"I'm Susan, by the way." The girl said after a moment. Jane smiled.

"I'm Jane."

"It's wonderful to meet you. I realized that you were here alone here and since there's really no telling how long we're going to be here together I wanted to go ahead and introduce myself and my siblings."

Jane's face faltered at the mention of her being here alone, but she pushed the tears back and cleared her throat, moving past it. She really didn't want to unload all that baggage onto this girl she had just met. She probably had her own problems to deal with in these troubled times, "That's very kind of you. Thank you."

Susan nodded and got to her feet, "Well, I know it's late. I won't keep you. But, Lucy, Edmund, Peter, and I were thinking about going out for some fresh air and exploring the grounds tomorrow. Would you like to join us?"

"That sounds lovely, I would love to."

"Good. We will see you in the morning."

"Looking forward to it."