Here you go, third capture so far!

Hope you like it, and please, enjoy...

CH. 3 A First Presentation to Narnia

Peter lifted me down from the carriage, and with a bit help from Susan I could walk. Mrs. Macready led us around the house and up the stairs to the front door. She took up an old key and unlocked the door. Then we stepped inside.

It was a great hall, and in the end there was a staircase. Halfway up it was cut in two others. One to the left, and one to the right. There were pictures and sculptures everywhere.

Mrs. Macready led us up the stairs as she spoke. "The Professor is not used to have children in his house, so there are a few rules we need to follow."

"If this is a 'house'", I muttered to Susan, "then our homes are nothing but closets." She gave me a small nod and a smile before we went silence again.

Mrs. Macready turned on the top of the stairs and glared at us. "There will be no shouting or running", she said. "No improper use of the dumbwaiter, and no touching of the historical artefacts!" The last was meant most to Susan who just had reached out to touch a statute.

She gave the housekeeper a frightened look before she saw back at us. I gave her a weak smile which she returned, trying to look brave.

"And above all", Mrs. Macready said. "There shall be no disturbing of the Professor." She saw down at us with a strict look before she continued around a corner and we followed her up so many stairs and through so many doors that I didn't remember the way back to the great hall.

"Now, which of you are Catharina Isabella Taylor?" she asked, turning to us.

"I am", I said with hesitation, wondering what would come next. Mrs. Macready stopped in front of a door.

"We don't have many guest rooms, so you have to share with the two young ladies", she said and gave Susan and Lucy another strict look. "The next room is your living room. The young men have the second room, and the toilets are at the end of this corridor. Dinner is precisely at six o'clock. Today I'm coming to get you, but then I expect you to find the way by yourselves."

After saying this, she left us in the corridor. I exchanged glances with Susan. In her eyes I could read confusion, sadness and disappointment.

I turned to the door, pushed it up and stepped inside. The room was clean, but not too big. There were three beds, a window, a small table, an armchair and a wardrobe.

With a sigh I walked over to the first bed, dropped the suitcase on the floor, and fell over on the bed.

"Home sweet home", I muttered and stared up at the roof.

There was totally silence in the room and I sat up. Susan and Lucy were sitting on each their bed, staring out in the room. I looked around. First I had thought the walls were empty, but then I saw a small picture hanging beside the window. I rose and went over to it.

It was a beautiful picture. A small clearing in the forest with people dancing on it. It was so realistic that I for a half second thought the creatures in it moved around. The men looked like half goat, half men, and the women had green skin, brown or red hair, and brown or green dresses.

I walked closer to it. Now I was sure the creatures were moving around in the circle, and in the middle a great lion with golden-fur appeared. He turned his head to me and spoke.

"My dear child. Come quick, we need you and your friends here. I will meet you later, but watch out for the White Witch, and trust the beavers." His voice was deep and I could do nothing but trust him.

"Catty?" I was sure I jumped a few inches when Susan spoke. "Are you okay?" I only nodded. If I told them, they would think I was going mad. I mean, moving pictures? Men who were half goats? Talking lions? I wouldn't blame them if they thought I was crazy.

"Yes, I'm okay." I gave a small clock on the table a look. "I don't like it here", I muttered.

"I don't like it either", Lucy whispered.

"Okay, let's go over to the boys and ask what they think about this place." Susan rose from her bed, took Lucys hand and walked over to the door. "Are you coming?" She looked back at me.

"Just go. I'll come." Susan nodded and disappeared out the door with Lucy.

I turned back to the picture. The lion was gone. In fact, the whole picture was gone. Gently I touched the wall. What had happened? Had the picture been there, or was I hallucinating? Had Susan and Lucy seen it? Probably not. Remembering their expressions, or at least Susans, made me worry if they already thought I was mad. Suddenly a though appeared in my head. What if...

I walked out the door and stopped outside the boys room. I could hear the two oldest of the Pevensies arguing inside.

"...stared at the wall! Peter, I'm worried about her!"

"Susan-"

"Peter, listen to what I'm saying! Those nightmares she have, it's not normal! You should go talk to her! She's listening to you, and if there's something wrong... she'll tell you!"

"Susan, listen to me. I trust her, and I know she'll tell us if something is wrong. We're after all the closest she have a family, and we've known her since she was born!"

"But she didn't tell us about the nightmares, did she? I know she's hiding something, something bad, and I have a feeling it's about those nightmares."

Inside it got silence, as if they were listening. I nearly didn't breath. Then Susan spoke again.

"The last five years, each time I've invited her over to us to sleep there... Peter, she refused each time! Don't you remember that night two months ago? It was early in the morning and we were going to give her a surprise. Don't tell me you don't remember her, crying and begging someone or something to stop."

I stared at the door. I could remember it. Of course I remembered that nightmare. It was one of the worst, and again I saw it.

My hands were tied behind my back and I was dressed in a gown which once was white. Now it was dirty and there was something on it I thought was blood.

A high man in a black robe holding a long, black knife stood in front of me. Peter was laying on the floor, trembling. His hair was longer than I remembered, and his side was covered with blood.

"What have you done with him?!" I gasped and wanted to run over to Peter, take him into my arms, hold him and dry away the blood. I couldn't move.

The man laughed.

"If you hadn't been so stubborn, he'd be free. Just give me your powers, witch, and I'll let him go." I wanted to trust him, but Peter saw at me with those blue eyes.

"Please, please don't do this to us!" I cried. The man only laughed.

"Just give me your powers, and he'll be free."

"Don't... do... it." Each word sounded like a sentence when Peter spoke, and I wanted to cry. "He... will... kill me... anyway."

The man laughed. "How sweet, but you know what, little king? Even if you sacrifice yourself for her, I'll get her powers somehow." Then he raised the knife and it fell.

I was back in the corridor, outside Peter and Edmunds room. I felt tears running down my cheeks and a sob came from me. Inside the room it got silence, and then I heard steps.

The door opened and my eyes met Peters.

"Catty..." He didn't sound surprised, but like if he was disappointed. "Don't tell me you've been listening." I turned away, but it was answer enough for him. "Catty, please." I swallowed when he laid a hand on my shoulder.

"I will talk to you, just not with her listening", I snapped. It was silence in some seconds, then the door closed and I slowly turned back to face Peter.

He sighed. "Catty. I can tell on my own that something is wrong. Susan might think you're going mad, but I don't. At least not yet. Please, tell me what's wrong."

I felt uncertain, and I was afraid he would change his mind when he heard what I had to say.

"Are you sure you won't say I'm mad?" I whispered. He reached out a hand to dry away my tears, but then he stopped and hesitated.

"May I?" I gave him a small nod and he dried my tears away. "Let's take a small walk and you can tell me."

For a while we walked in silence.

"I have some kind of nightmare nearly every night", I muttered as we walked down some random stairs in the huge house. "It always involves at least one of you, and in the worst nightmares you get killed."

The silence fell upon us again. "It sounds... terrifying", he finally said. I nodded.

"Earlier, in the room, I saw a picture on the wall, but Susan and Lucy didn't see it!" I told him about the picture and what the lion told me.

We stopped in front of an enormous window with view over the whole garden. Peter sighed and lent his shoulder to the wall.

"The way you tell it, it sounds as if it was real. As if that lion really spoke to you", he said, looking out the window. I watched two small birds fly up from a tree, singing.

"Do you believe me?" I whispered without looking at him, afraid of seeing his expression. Carefully he stroke his hand over my cheek and moved some of my hair behind my ear.

"Maybe", he replied with a small, nearly careless, smile.

"I know it sounds pretty unbelievable, but at least I'm sure about the picture." I saw at Peter. It didn't look as if he was listening. His eyes were just watching me, as if he was trying to remember every movement I did. "Peter?"

His blue eyes met my violet and we both blushed. How was it possible I hadn't seen how well he looked earlier? We had grown up together, and still I hadn't seen it. I had never understood why the girls at our school always were waiting for him, following him nearly everywhere. Suddenly, in a few seconds I understood.

I looked away and felt my heart beating fast.

"Maybe we should go back." I only nodded and Peter hurried back toward the rooms.

I sank down with my back to the cold stonewall. Was my feelings real? Had I... No. I didn't want to think about it. I had to bury my feelings as much as possible as long as we were here. He was my best friend, and if we became a couple and then broke up... Would we still be friends?

No, I told myself. You're not allowed to think that way. He's your friend, and that's it. Nothing more.

Well? What do you think? Please, tell what you think.

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