Chapter Three

"Edmund?" Edmund spun around to find Lucy stood behind him, a curious expression on her face. "Edmund! Oh, Edmund, it is you!"

Edmund scowled at his little sister. "What are you doing running off like that, Lucy? Where have you been? I was looking all over for you. What is this place anyway?"

"It's New York, Edmund!" exclaimed Lucy. "Oh, Edmund, I want you to meet my friend, Thomas!"

Lucy stepped aside to show Edmund a rather bedraggled looking man, with unkempt hair and clothes. Edmund reached out and pulled Lucy to his side.

"Well, it was frightfully nice to meet you, Mr. Thomas, but my sister and I really ought to be going. We'll see you soon!"

Edmund dragged Lucy back in the direction of the wardrobe, ignoring her screams and pleas to be let go of. He was being quite unsporting, and I dread to think what their mother would have said if she were to see the way Edmund was handling his sister.

"Edmund, please!" Lucy begged, tears forming in her big brown eyes. "Let me go! Thomas is my friend. He even took me to his trolley, Edmund, where he keeps all his biscuits. He let me have the chocolate ones!"

Edmund stopped and knelt down so that he was level with his sister's face. "Lucy, you really ought to be more careful about the company you keep. This isn't London, you know. The people here are much different."

"How do you mean?" she asked, sniffling.

"I mean that they are stark-raving mad, Lucy," he replied. "Not all of them, of course. My Bella happens to be perfect..."

"Who's Bella?"

"Nobody!" snapped Edmund. "I didn't say Bella! Did you say Bella?"

"Well, yes, but only because–"

"There you go then," said Edmund, pulling his confused sister along further. He was being so awfully rude to her, but he didn't care. The quicker he got back to Susan and Peter, the quicker he could get back to his darling Bella.

Lucy cried all night. Not because she couldn't see Thomas again, oh no, but because Edmund had done a rather ghastly thing to her. Do you know what he did? When they returned through the wardrobe, Lucy told Peter and Susan all about her adventures with Thomas, and naughty Edmund denied all knowledge of any such events! He claimed that he had been 'playing along'! He did of course want to return to the wonderful land of New York and his delightful Bella, but he wanted it to be special. Perhaps he could acquire some chocolates for her in the meantime?

And so the days passed much like the seconds do in the last ten minutes of waiting for an important event. It rained every single day, much reflecting Lucy's feelings. Meanwhile, Susan was thinking of evermore fun and ingenious games for the children to play. There was count the holes in the ceiling, who can balance the most books on their head, and, Susan's personal favourite, count the knots in the wooden door. Needless to say, the children were not overwhelmed with fun.

But then one peculiar day came when the sun came out and the children were able to go outside and play cricket, which was all incredibly fun until Edmund hit the ball into one of the house's windows!

"Mrs. Macready!" hissed Peter. "Run!"

They ran for the house, Lucy in front. She knew exactly where she was going. She ran for the spare bedroom, straight for the wardrobe in front of her. Edmund smiled a wicked smile behind Lucy. This was his moment. He would finally return to New York Land, with his sisters and brother in tow, like lambs to the slaughter.

Lucy entered the wardrobe first, Edmund close behind. Susan was next, hesitantly looking around the room, but, upon hearing Mrs Macready's footsteps outside the door, both Susan and Peter opted for the wardrobe. They climbed in, taking several steps backwards, until, finally, they felt the ground change beneath them and the noise invaded their ears.

Susan gasped. "Oh my goodness," she said. "Oh my... Peter? I do believe that this is the place that Lucy was telling us about!"

"Yes, it is!" said Lucy sourly. Then, to prove her dissatisfaction, she kicked Susan firmly on the shin. "Maybe next time you'll listen to me!"

Susan rubbed her leg sheepishly. "I'm ever so sorry, Lucy," she said. "Please do accept my heartfelt apology. Because, if you really think about it, this was all Edmund's fault."

"By George!" said Peter. "Edmund said he hadn't come here at all. When in actual fact he most certainly had!"

"Well that's not cricket, is it, old chap?" Lucy exclaimed. Then they all turned around in the direction they had come from, but there was no Edmund.

"Look!" cried Peter, pointing down the road. Edmund was running away from the children! Running in the direction of the school, where he knew he would find his darling Bella. "After him!"

And so the three children ran after Edmund, which was a rather silly thing to do really, but of course they had absolutely no idea of the dangers that awaited them.

x

Edmund reached the school long before his brother and sisters, and he had no trouble finding Bella. She was sat in her rightful place, in a throne positioned on a stage in the middle of the cafeteria, dozens of students surrounding her feet, begging to be allowed to wash them. Bella was swatting the peasants away like flies.

Edmund stood in awe of her beauty and perfection, before finally plucking up enough courage to approach her. She smiled when she saw him, but her smile faltered slightly when she realised that he was in fact alone.

"Bella," whispered Edmund in a sultry voice. "Oh my darling Bella, how I have missed you. I have thought about you every single day since leaving you, and I thought my heart might burst with longing. But alas, it has not. And now we are reunited once again, like two forbidden lovers."

Bella stood from her throne, kicking those surrounding her backwards and off the stage. Edmund cringed away form her dazzling beauty.

"Why are you alone?" she hissed.

"I... um..." stuttered Edmund. "Well, funny story really–"

"I ASKED YOU TO BRING YOUR SIBLINGS!" bellowed Bella. "YOU HAVE FAILED ME!" Bella stopped and looked down at the cowering Edmund. She took several deep breaths. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip your head off right now."

"I brought them part way," whispered Edmund. "They're outside. Honest."

Bellas cocked her head to one side. "Outside?" she repeated. Edmund nodded. "I see. Well, Edmund, my... sweet, it seems that haven't failed me after all. How about I take you home with me and give you a special treat?"

Edmund nodded vigorously, quite unsure of what to say. Bella smiled sweetly, then gestured to two of the Cullen brothers. They each grabbed one of Edmund's arms and dragged him away from the cafeteria and out of the school.

For lowi.