Lucy froze. So did Susan. There were sighs and moans all around and someone whispered that it was just like a first-year girl to ask something so boring.

Lucy didn't hear them. She was desperately wondering what to say. She knew the answer but how could she possibly tell them? Then she met Susan's eyes and she saw the message her sister was sending her.

Lie, Susan was thinking, tell them about that dress that I gave you, about the book of fairy-tales mother gave you, anything but the truth.

For a split second, Lucy almost decided to do it. She didn't want to tell anyone about Narnia, least of all these gossipy girls that would think she was mad, and not just that, they would laugh at her! Lucy hated being laughed at. But suddenly, she knew she couldn't.

In a loud, clear voice, she said, "The best Christmas present I ever got was a magic cordial. I got it from Father Christmas. It could heal any wound, any illness. It healed Edmund and hundreds of Narnians at the Battle of Beruna. When I became Queen, Narnians would come to me and ask me for my aid and if there was someone in their household who was deathly ill, I would go and heal him. "

For a moment, it was deathly silent. Then the girls, one by one, turned to Susan waiting for her to explain. Susan did not want to explain. No explanation would make sense. Why didn't Lucy have more sense? She thought furiously. And now it's up to me to explain. Why me? Why do I always have to get her out of scrapes? Why?

"What does she mean, Su?" asked Agatha.

"Uh…Well…" Susan finally gave the only answer she believed she could give. She was doing it to protect Narnia. To protect Lucy. She really was.

"Narnia was a wonderful game we played when we were children," she said. "We created our own world in a wardrobe. We had battles, and magic, and talking animals and all that sort of stuff. And Lucy had a pretend cordial that could heal any illness or wound."

Susan didn't look at Lucy the entire time she was talking. She couldn't.

Lucy stood up. "I have to go," she said in a choked voice. She walked around the table, quickened her step and tripped over one of Agatha's slippers which lay by the door. The she turned around and shouted, "I hate all of you!" And burst into tears as she ran out of the room.

Marjorie and Susan had both jumped up to follow Lucy.

"Marjorie, you can stay," Susan said, hurriedly. The conversation she was going to have with her sister was private.

"But she's my friend…" Marjorie said, uncertainly.

"Yes, and she's my sister. I've been comforting her ever since I was three. I think I can do it." And then fearing that she had been rather rude, Susan added, "You'll speak with her later. For now stay. I really don't want to spoil the party for you."

Marjorie sat back down.

Susan ran out into the hall, but Lucy wasn't there. Susan ran down the stairs to the second floor where the room they shared was but paused before entering. Now, how was she to handle this? She decided that she'd just hug Lucy and promise to never take her to another one of those parties again. Susan walked into the room, cautiously.

Lucy was curled up on her bed, hugging the kitten. The kitten was licking Lucy's tears off her nose.

"Lu…" Susan said. She didn't get any further because Lucy jumped up and hurled her pillow at her sister and then dissolved into tears again.

Susan tried again. "Lucy, look, I was wrong to make you go to the party in the first place. I see that now."

"You're horrid!" Lucy said, with a sob. "Much worse than Edmund ever was. You're…you're just like them!"

Now Susan felt insulted. It was one thing to be friends with these girls, but she would never actually want to be like them!

"I'm not at all like them! I'm just more concerned about appearances than you are! I always was!"

"If, they could hear you back at home! 'Not my horrid brother'! 'Must we talk about my family'?" Lucy mimicked.

Susan felt her face get hot. "All right, so I shan't say things of that sort again."

"And what about Narnia?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, that was entirely your fault."

"My fault?"

"If, you hadn't told them about Narnia in the first place, then I wouldn't have to say it was a game!"

"But Susan, you believe in Narnia, don't you?" Suddenly, Lucy looked young and frightened and not, at all, eleven years old.

"Of course, I do, but the professor advised us not to tell anybody and I intend to take his advice."

"So you suppose I should have lied?"

'Oh, Lucy, stop being childish." Susan put her hands on her hips. "In the real world, there are times when one must lie. Yes, you should have lied. Now I know you never lie, but perhaps for Narnia's sake, you could have! Do you realize what would have happened, if I hadn't saved the situation? Do you realize what might happen if you ever speak of Narnia again? A rumor will spread that Lucy Pevensie is mad, until finally some well-intentioned person will tell a teacher and then they will question you and examine you and finally take you to a doctor and if you still hold to your story he'll think you're completely batty! Or worse, some adult will actually believe you, and try to get into Narnia and succeed and take over! You must keep Narnia a secret, Lu! I understand that telling the truth is one of your precious principles, but let's be logical, you should have lied."

Lucy looked troubled. "Well, the way you put it, maybe I should have. But, Su, I don't think he would like it."

"Who would like it?"

"Oh, don't be an idiot, you know who I mean! Aslan. I don't think Aslan would like it."

"I don't think he'd mind very much," Susan said.

"You know he would."

"Aslan would understand the importance of keeping Narnia a secret," Susan said firmly. "He certainly wouldn't blurt it out to every stranger."

"Oh, I wish he were here!" Lucy wailed. "I can't win you over with anything I say but I know he wouldn't like it and I wish I was in Narnia where lying is always wrong! Oh, I wish I was there!" And Lucy buried her face in her pillow, sobbing. Susan tried to put her arm around her sister but Lucy pushed her away angrily. "Don't touch me!"

Susan pulled away. Slowly, she got into her nightgown and turned off the light, hoping that any moment now Lucy would poke her face out of the pillows and say, "Let's make up, Su, shall we?" Lucy had a forgiving nature. They'd be friends again by tomorrow. I was in the right, Susan thought, but Lucy is much too young to understand that.

"I was in the right, wasn't I?" she whispered into the darkness.