Okay, here is the next chapter. It took some time to post the last I did, but hopefully you like it.
Clip from next chapter:
I fought the tears again. I pushed up the door to the bedroom. It was empty, but the door to the living room was open. I was going to cross the room when my eyes met Peters. Those blue eyes only he had. My violet watered when I saw the coldness in them. This time he wouldn't hold me while I cried. This time he wouldn't comfort me. This time I was on my own. He wouldn't forgive me for what I said.
Here you go with this one. Enjoy!
CH. 4 A Nightmare
It was three days since we arrived, and we still hadn't seen the Professor. I was still mad at Susan for thinking I was going crazy, but if we had to, we spoke together.
Outside it was raining heavy, and we were sitting in the small living room Mrs. Macready gave us the first day.
Inside the room there was enough space for a table, two armchairs, two sofas, a bookshelf, a small fireplace and a radio. One of the sofas was standing under the window, and the other between the two armchairs.
Three doors went out from the room; on to the corridor, and one on each side to the bedrooms.
I looked up from the book I was reading. I was sitting in the sofa under the window, to be more precise, in the left corner of it. Peter was sitting in the right corner.
After what happened the evening I heard him and Susan arguing, we nearly hadn't spoke to each other. Only small looks, and sometimes maybe a hand on the shoulder, showed that we both still could be close to the other.
At least in the same room, I thought with sarcastic.
Peter sighed and rose from his place. I followed him with my eyes as he went over to the radio and turned it on. Then he went back. I knew why he did it. He wanted to know what was happening outside our cage, and Mrs. Macready didn't tell us. She said we were kids and didn't need to know. The only thing was that we were safe at the countryside.
The radio was turned off and both I and Peter saw at Susan. She made a nod toward Lucy who looked as if she would begin to cry in any time. Peter rose and he and Susan took her to bed. Edmund followed, and through the open door I could see him sitting on Susans bed.
"The sheets feels scratchy", Lucy muttered when Peter pulled it over her.
"Wars don't last forever", Susan said, smiling at her younger sister. "We'll be home soon." At that point I wished I had my own family there to comfort me.
"Yeah, if home's still there", Edmund added and earned a look from Peter.
"Isn't it time you were in bed?" Susan sighed with annoyance.
"Yes mum", he replied, not too friendly.
"ED!" Peter barked, and Edmund scowled at him. To my relief without saying anything.
Peter returned his attention to Lucy. "You have seen how it is outside. It's huge, and we can do whatever we want. Tomorrow is going to be great, don't you think so?"
She saw at him in some seconds, then she nodded, and with a small smile she fell asleep. Edmund crossed the living room and I returned to the book. I heard the two doors shut, and it took some seconds before I realized someone was looking at me. I saw up and met Peters eyes.
"It's time for you two to say sorry to each other. Susan, you really shouldn't have said what you said, and Catty, sorry to say this, but you shouldn't treat Susan so coldly", he said and crossed his arms. By the look he send us, I knew there was nothing to discuss, but I still just saw at him.
Susan bit her lower lip and saw at him.
"You're right", she finally said, turning to me. "Catty, I'm really, really sorry for what I said, but I was worried about you, and-"
Before she could continue I rose and pulled her into a hug, laughing.
"It's okay. I'm so sorry too."
I heard Peter chuckle and let go of Susan who was smiling. I crossed my arms and saw at him. Then I exchanged look with Susan. She gave me that smile which said she had some kind of crazy plan. It was years since we did something like that.
"I'm going to get a glass water", I said and blinked to her. She knew what I was thinking, and the best was she didn't mind at all.
I hurried down to the kitchen and was glad it was empty. With a smile I found a glass and filled it with icy cold water. Carefully I carried it back, up seven stairs (included the split one) and through ten doors. I had used the last two days to count them and to learn the way up and down.
I pushed up the door to the living room. Peter was sitting with his back to me. I closed the door behind me.
"I see you two have a nice chat", I smiled teasingly at them.
"Catty", Susan stared, but then she stopped and laughed instead. "You know, I'm glad we're friends. It feels like years since last time I laughed."
"And now you'll get to laugh even more", I said, took three steps over to the armchair Peter was sitting in and threw the cold water over him. He jumped to his feet.
"What the-" Then he saw me with the empty glass, laughing. "Why did you do that?" he asked angry, drying his hair.
"It was just for fun", Susan laughed. Peter saw first at her, then on me.
"I shall give you fun", he growled, and before I could do anything, he pushed me down at the floor and started to tickle me. I laughed, he laughed and Susan laughed. It was just as before the war, and it felt as if something had been removed between us.
"Stop it!" I laughed, trying to pull him away. He stopped in some seconds and I rolled away.
"Oh no, you don't", he said, grabbed me around the waist and held me tight while he continued.
"Stop!" I gasped. "Please, it hurts!"
Peter immediately stopped. "Sorry, I forgot!" he said. "Are you okay?"
His worried face was right over me and I suddenly got very aware that one of his hands still was laying on my stomack.
"Yes, yes I think I'm okay now", I said, still breathing heavy. Then I sat up and pushed him over on his back with me over him. I saw down at him.
"This time it was fake", I smiled and he sighed.
"You know, I got quite worried. That's nothing you should joke about", he said, still laying there with me over his chest.
"What if I swear I'm not going to do it again... the next year?" I asked with a smile. He lifted an eyebrow at me.
"Fine", he sighed. "I guess that's the best for now."
Suddenly I heard steps behind me. I had totally forgot about Susan, and I had forgot how tired I was. It was almost midnight!
I rose and Peter too got to his feet. Susan yawned.
"What about bed?" She saw at us. Peter nodded.
"Good night", he smiled at her before she left us in the living room. It became silence. "Well, good night, I suppose", he said. To my surprise he kissed my cheek. "If you get nightmares, just tell me. I know you're afraid of them." Then he went to his own room and left me.
With a sigh I followed Susan, changed to my nightgown and stared at my own reflection in the dark window. Did Peter like me? And if he did, what would he like with me? I glared at myself. I was no beauti-queen. I had just violet eyes and dark brown hair which fell to my waist.
With a last look at my own reflection, I laid down at the bed and fell a sleep immediately.
I dreamt a terrible dream.
First I stood in totally darkness, then it slowly became lighter until I could see the room I was standing in. It was the small living room in the Professors house. I looked around. There was the book I had been reading, and there was Peters book.
It was silence. Tentatively I walked toward Peter and Edmunds room. I pushed up the door and looked in. The beds were empty, but I could see someone had been laying there. I turned, crossed the living room and opened the door to my, Susan and Lucys bedroom. I gasped.
Susan and Lucy were laying in their own beds, and Peter and Edmund were sitting on Susans bed. They were all silence and it could have seen as if they were sleeping, if it wasn't for the blood.
"No!" I cried when the darkness fell over me again.
"Catharina", said a voice in the darkness. "Catharina!" I looked around, but couldn't see anyone.
"Who are you?" I asked frightened.
"You know me, and you trust me. Don't believe what the dreams show you. Follow your heart and listen to what it's saying!"
"Who are you?!" I cried out in the darkness.
I sat up, gasping and trembling. I was scared. Then I remembered what Peter said. How late was it? I rose from the bed and hurried out from the bedroom, crossed the living room and opened the door to Peter and Edmund carefully. They were both sleeping, and I tried not to awake Edmund when I sneaked over the soft carpet.
"Peter", I whispered, standing beside his bed. I shook his shoulder gently and he turned in his sleep. "Peter, please", I whispered again. I was still trembling.
Finally he opened his eyes and saw up at me. Then he sat up.
"What's wrong?" he asked and I laid my arms around myself.
"I... I don't want to be alone", I muttered. He tried to hid a yawn before he saw at me, more awake this time.
"But both Susan and Lucy are in there. You're not alone." I swallowed. That was just what I had expected.
"It's just..." I wasn't sure how to continue. On one hand I didn't want to be alone about the nightmare, but in the other I didn't want to tell him about it. I didn't want to worry him more than he already was.
"You had a nightmare again", he ascertained, and I knew he knew. I swallowed and nodded. "And you're scared. You don't want to be alone, but you don't want to tell any of the others. Am I right?" I nodded again and didn't look at him.
He sighed and looked over at Edmunds bed. Then he rose, laid a hand gently on my back and lead me out in the living room where he placed me in the sofa under the window. He took a warm rug and laid it around my shoulders. Then he sat down beside me.
For a while it was totally silence between us, then I understood he waited for me to tell him about the nightmare.
"In the nightmare", I whispered and swallowed, "I stood in this room. It was empty and silence, and it was night. You were gathered in our bedroom, where you sat on Susans bed." I swallowed again and felt how my eyes watered. "You were all dead."
Gently he pulled me into a warm hug and I cried. I didn't want to tell him about what happened afterwords.
Suddenly I remembered a time long, long ago.
I and the Pevensies were playing in the garden outside their house. We were playing tag and I was running from Susan who chased me.
"You'll never get me!" I laughed.
"Catty, watch out!" Edmund suddenly shouted, just before I fell over something. My knee hit a stone and eight years old me started to cry.
Peter appeared behind me. He had just turned eleven, and soon Susan and I would follow too.
Peter carefully helped me up.
"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. Then he saw my knee. I had a bad cut and it was bleeding. I was still crying when he lifted me up in his arms and carried me to the balcony where he asked Susan to get something to wash my wound with, and something else to stop the bleeding.
Susan sat beside me when Peter gently washed away the blood.
"It hurts!" I said, still crying a bit.
"It'll be okay, trust me", he said while he continued with my wound.
After about two minutes he was finished. He sighed and saw up at me. I reached out for him and he pulled me into a warm hug whiled I cried and held the fabric in his skirt in my hand.
"Shhh, it's okay."
"It was only a nightmare", seventeen years old Peter whispered while he held his arms around me, just like six years ago. "Shhh."
The warmth he gave me made me dizzy and sleepy. Slowly my eyes closed, and half asleep I was still holding the fabric in his skirt in a tight grip.
Carefully he loosened my grip and laid me at the sofa. Gently he pulled the rug over me, and though I was half asleep I knew he would leave me. I opened my eyes half and took his hand as he rose. He saw down at me and sighed, but I didn't need to say anything. He sat down at the sofa again and stroke my cheek. I closed my eyes again and fell asleep, hoping I would not have any nightmares.
There, what do you think about this? Please, tell me what you like best from this chapter.
By myself I like the last paragraph and when Catty remembers them playing tag six years ago. It kind of starts to show a bond between the oldest Pevensie and Catty.