Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis or The Chronicles of Narnia.

CHAPTER THREE:

Evacuation

The next two months couldn't have gone any better. Nina and Eddie adjusted to the new neighborhood rather well - they even became used to the constant rain, something they hardly saw in Arizona and California. Although Nina found that Amber could be a bit much at first, they hit it off after a week or so. Now they were practically best friends, and Amber dragged Nina to go shopping downtown nearly every weekend.

Fabian and Nina got along great, as well. Often times they would sit on top of the fence that separated their houses and just talk - about their families, about everyone in the neighborhood, about Egyptian mythology, but mostly about themselves. Over the two month period, they'd really gotten to know each other. Amber, of course, thought they were the cutest thing she'd ever seen. Then again, Amber said that about lots of things.

The best part for Nina, though, was that she didn't have another dream like that again. Which of course, made her feel silly that she'd been so paranoid about it. Lots of people had the same dream. It'd only been a coincidence.

Eddie adjusted well, too. He and Mick got along pretty well, probably because they both had a love of sports and eating. Eddie and Mick spent most of their time together either in Mick or Eddie's backyard, playing some sort of game. Eventually, Eddie actually taught Mick the rules of American football. At first, Mick didn't like it, but it gradually grew on him and soon they were playing it nearly every day.

Patricia was still a little resentful towards Eddie, though. She wasn't one to let go of grudges very quickly, especially when it came to rude, arrogant boys. To put it honestly, Eddie could get under Patricia's skin in a way that no one else could. He always knew the proper thing to say or do that would absolutely infuriate her. At first, Patricia hated it, but after a while, it had sort of become a game. They would tease and pick on each other and argue back and forth, both of them trying to be as annoying to the other as possible. And, to be truthful, they both thought it was kind of fun. Boys had never given Patricia the same kind of attention they gave to Amber and Joy, and sometimes even Mara - usually because they were intimidated by her - but Eddie actually did. And she would never admit it, but she kind of liked it.

Patricia didn't really trust Nina, however. Sure, she was nice enough, but there was something off about her. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

Joy shared mutual feelings - she disliked Nina quite a lot. Mostly because Joy now fancied Fabian again, and it was quite obvious that Nina fancied him as well. Well, that just wouldn't do. Who did she think she was, waltzing into the neighborhood and hitting it off with Fabian like they'd known each other for ages? Fabian was Joy's, and even if he wasn't paying as much attention to her at the moment (it was all Nina's fault, of course), he would come to his senses and realize that she and him would be far better together than he and the new American would ever be.

After the dinner, Jerome came out of the guest bedroom more and more. He even started to spend time with the other children when Fabian went to hang out with them, which made Mrs. Rutter ecstatic. In fact, Jerome and Alfie got along very well. Over time, they became two peas in a pod. It turned out that they both had a great sense of humor, and they both loved pulling pranks. Needless to say, everyone in the neighborhood got a little taste of the great Lewis and Clarke, the dynamic pranking duo.

Yeah, I guess you could say everything was fine and dandy.

That was until The Blitz.

Nazi Germany began the strategic bombing of Great Britain on September 7th, 1940. Hitler wanted to debilitate the British into surrender, or at least damage Britain's war economy eloquently. Every night, the Nazi's sailed over London and dropped bombs, damaging things like shops, schools, and even peoples' homes. Some were injured, and some people even died.

Every night, sirens wailed and lights shone in the sky. Fires sprung up and homes were destroyed. Nearly everyone in the neighborhood decided to have a bomb shelter installed in their backyards. A bomb shelter was a small shed. The door was kept above ground, so you could easily climb inside, but the actual shelter was merely a few feet below ground. Most people put blankets, cots, and board games in there, so that if the air raids went on for very long, their families wouldn't be bored.

No one in their neighborhood was hurt, but it still affected all of them. The local market had been damaged, and so had the bank. Amber's favorite store had been completely demolished, which she'd been extremely upset about.

But mostly, the ten children were frightened. They didn't like knowing that every night, there was a possibility that they or someone they knew could be killed or that their homes could be destroyed. Sometimes, they would go over to each others houses and spend the night because they were too scared to be alone.

The British government decided to evacuate children from major British cities. They were afraid that the children could be killed from the bombs, causing nearly a whole generation to be wiped out. The children were to be evacuated to the countryside, where it was safe - Germany was only dropping bombs on the major British cities, because that was where most of the war effort was going on.

The parents/guardians of the ten children in Liverpool were hesitant about the evacuation. They didn't like the idea of sending their children off to a strange place where they didn't know anyone. But, they all agreed this was the best option for the children.

Mr. Rutter found a place to send the children - to a man named Digory Kirke, who lived in the heart of the country, ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles from the nearest post office. Digory was a professor of English and Egyptian mythology, and owned a very large estate called Anubis House, suitable for ten young children. Mr. Rutter had worked with him before, and he was a kind, logical man. Everyone agreed that this was the best thing for their children, and Mr. Rutter quickly sent a letter off to Professor Kirke.

The reply came a week later. Professor Kirke had been a little hesitant on having ten fifteen and sixteen-year-olds in his house, but he knew that Mr. Rutter was a good man, and had at last agreed on letting the children stay there to wait out the Blitz.

The next day, they told their children about the evacuation and that they would be leaving for the countryside in only a few days.

Nina cried when she found out about the evacuation. She didn't want to leave her Gran behind, but she knew she didn't have a choice, so she didn't refuse. Eddie, of course, didn't cry, but he was angry. He knew the British government was evacuating children, but he wasn't a child anymore! He was fifteen years old, and he could take care of himself. And how could he leave his Gran behind? What if something terrible happened to her? What if she was injured, or killed? She was all that he and Nina had - they had no other relatives. If something bad happened to her, then what would happen to them?

Fabian was upset when his parents told him about the evacuation, but he didn't cry on the spot. Probably because Jerome was sitting right next to him. It was slightly reassuring that he'd be staying at Anubis House with his friends, and that his father knew Professor Kirke, but he was still frightened about being sent to a strange, foreign place in the countryside with a man he'd never met before.

Jerome was indifferent to the evacuation. It wasn't like he would miss anything about Liverpool - this wasn't his real home, and Mr. and Mrs. Rutter weren't his parents. His real parents couldn't care less if he was stuck by a Nazi bomb right then and there. But Jerome wasn't afraid of the air raids. In fact, he thought they were cool. Every night, he would sneak out of bed and go to the bay window to watch the Nazi airplanes sail overhead and drop bombs onto the Earth. It was terrible, but the Blitz gave him a sense of adrenaline. It was the first interesting thing that had happened in boring old Liverpool, anyways.

Amber burst into tears as soon as the news had left her parents' mouths, not caring that her brother would make fun of her for it later. Blubbering, she refused to go, but of course, her parents wouldn't take no for an answer, causing her to throw a fit and lock herself in her room for the rest of the day. Mick was angry. He was sixteen-years-old, and definitely no longer a child. He could take care of himself, and he was old enough to stay behind and get a job to help his parents. But they refused, like he knew they would. They told him he had to go too, especially to take care of his younger sister. Fuming, Mick left the room in an angry huff as well, going up to his own room and slamming the door shut behind him.

The first thing Patricia did when her Mum told her the news was refuse to go - after all, it was in her nature. Which, of course, sent her and her mother into a long argument. There was a lot of screaming involved, and it ended with Patricia storming away and slamming the door to her room in an angry huff, glad to be able to fume by herself.

Alfie was shocked when his parents told him. He'd heard about the evacuation, but it hadn't occured to him that he would be evacuated. After all, he wasn't really a child, and he didn't see the point in being evacuated, anyways. In fact, Alfie sort of liked the Blitz. It was an adventure, and when he was running to the bomb shelter with his parents, he felt like he was a hero in an action cinema. Although, he supposed, being evacuated could be like an adventure, too, although it wouldn't be nearly as exciting. He'd just have to make the best of it, though. Which, fortunately, was something that Alfie was very good at.

Joy hated the Blitz with every fiber of her being, and although she would miss her parents and worry about their safety, she was glad to be getting away from it. She'd never been very close with her parents, anyways - especially not her father. He was a very quiet and secretive man, and liked to spend most of his time by himself - he never confided in her, or her mother, for that matter. And although Joy was a little apprehensive of going to stay at a strange old house with a man she'd never met before, she was glad that her friends would be with her. Besides, if Fabian was going, then she was definitely open to the idea.

Mara hated the Blitz, as well. It was chaotic, unorganized, and frightening, and it made Mara feel helpless. And she hated feeling like that. At least Anubis House would offer some sort of normalcy. She'd been starting to forget what that feeling felt like in the first place. And she was quite glad that she wouldn't be going alone, either.

And at different times and in different ways, all ten children agreed to go to the countryside to stay at Anubis House with Professor Kirke. It was for their own benefit, and besides. They didn't really have a choice.

PATRICIA'S POV

"Do I have to go?"

The day of evacuation had finally arrived. I stood with my Mum in the middle of a crowded railway station. All around me, people were crying and hugging other people, presumably their families. My friends were very close by, saying goodbye to their own parents. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Fabian crying, which made me snort. He could be such a pansy.

"Yes, Trixie, you have to go," said my Mum, sighing. I looked up at her, my eyes widening in surprise. She hadn't called me 'Trixie' in about five years. She reached out to adjust my coat, and I sighed, rolling my eyes. She'd adjusted it about a million times already - it wasn't going to get any better than this. Although I knew she was only doing it because she was stressed, it was still annoying.

My mum and I weren't very close. I suppose we used to be, when I was younger. But that was before my "rebellious stage," as she liked to call it. I glanced away from her, and noticed a line of young men marching through the railway station, all decked out in military uniforms. I swallowed, and glanced at my mother, who was staring at them too, her eyes beginning to shine with tears.

Finally, I said what I'd been wanting to say for days. "If Dad were here, he wouldn't make me go."

Just like that, my Mum snapped her eyes back to me, her mouth pressed into a straight line, showing no signs of the tears that had been welling in her eyes only a second before. "If Dad were here, that would mean that the war was over. Then you wouldn't have to go," she said shortly.

I huffed as I looked down at my scuffed shoes, my arms crossing in front of my chest. My dad had left to go fight in the war about two years ago. And I missed him. A lot. We wrote, sometimes, but it just wasn't the same. He understood me far better than my mum did, and I understood him. We'd had a real bond.

That was until he left.

Mum sighed, running a hand through her dark red hair that was identical to mine. "Look, Patricia. I know it's been hard, not having your dad around." Sometimes, I think she can read my mind. "But I don't think you're being fair to me. Can you not see how hard I've been trying?"

"I know you have, Mum." I said, sighing.

"And I know it's not the same without him around and you miss him and that he should be here, but-"

"But he had better things to do," I finished shortly. "Fighting in the war is more important than us. I know, I get it."

"Patricia!" Mum cried. "You know that's not true!" I muttered something that she hopefully didn't hear, looking away from her. "Look at me," she said, raising my chin so that my eyes met hers. "Your father loves you, and so do I."

"I know," I replied, sighing.

"And the only reason I'm sending you away is because I don't want you to get hurt. You know that, right?"

"Yes, I know, Mum."

"And if I had it my way, I would drop kick those Germans out of the sky so I could have you at home with me. And your father, too."

I couldn't help but crack a smirk. "Yeah, I know."

"Uh-huh, I knew I could manage a smile out of you," Mum said triumphantly, grinning at me. I rolled my eyes and she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in for a tight hug. I buried my face in her black cardigan and couldn't help but inhale the smell of her jasmine-scented perfume. After all, it was most likely the last time I'd smell it for a while, and I wanted it to last. "Just be careful, okay?" Mum said into my hair.

I felt my eyes sting with tears and I immediately blinked them back. Don't cry, Patricia. Whatever you do, don't cry. You promised yourself you wouldn't, remember? "I will."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

We broke the hug, and Mum grinned at me. I managed a wobbly smile back. "You know, you don't always have to be strong all the time," she reminded me. "It's okay to cry now and then."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "You're one to talk," I pointed out, my eyes watering slightly, but my voice was nearly drowned out by the noise of the train whistle. Oh, right. I forgot for a minute that I was still in a railway station.

"Well, I guess you should head off, then," Mum said, sighing and handing me my train ticket. "Don't want you to be late, do we?" She gave me a quick hug. "I love you."

"Love you too," I replied, my voice slightly wobbly. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.

"And don't get into trouble," she warned, pointing a finger at me.

I smirked. "No promises." My voice then became softer. "Bye, Mum," I said, waving.

Mum sniffled. "Bye, Trixie," she said, waving back.

I gave her one last long look, before taking a deep breath and turning around. I rolled my eyes upwards, blinking away the few tears that had collected in my eyes, and marched forwards.

The walk towards the train was a blur. All I remember is being shoved into multiple times and handing off my ticket. Then, within a few seconds, I was standing in the middle corridor of the train with all my friends around me. Mick was counting to make sure everyone was here. Why they put him with that job, I'm not sure - we all knew that Mick wasn't the smartest boy around. I guess everyone was a bit out of their mind that day. "Alright, it looks like everyone is here, so I guess we should find a compartment to sit in."

We made our way up the corridor, stopping and peering in compartment windows. Most of them were full, and if they weren't, there were only a few empty seats in them. After all, most of Liverpool was evacuating their children. Finally, we decided we'd have to split up. Nina and Fabian grabbed a compartment together, which I knew Joy was probably silently fuming about, and so did Mara and Amber. Jerome, Alfie, Joy, and Mick managed to all fit into one compartment, and as they did, Joy sent me a pleading look. "Help me," she mouthed. I snickered.

Eddie and I sat in the next compartment we could find. "Well, looks like it's just you and me, Yacker." He said, smirking at me.

I let out a long sigh. This was going to be a long ride.

NO ONE'S POV

"We have now reached Coombe Halt platform," the voice-over on the intercom announced in a clear, crisp voice. Mick took a deep breath. This was their stop. He looked across the compartment at Jerome and Alfie, who had stopped talking and were unusually still. Well, this is a first. Maybe I should write this moment down... Alfie looked very nervous, while Jerome was trying his best not to look as scared as he felt.

Mick looked down. Joy was leaning on his shoulder, fast asleep. Nearly as soon as they had reached the compartment, she'd been out like a light, despite Jerome and Alfie incessant chatter. In fact, he could've sworn he'd heard her snore a few times. He nudged her. "Hey, earth to Mercer!"

Joy blinked and sat up. Once she realized she'd been sleeping on him, she blushed. "Are we there yet?"

"Yep," Alfie said. The four of them exchanged nervous glances, and then stood up, sliding open the compartment door. Nina, Fabian, Patricia, and Eddie were already out, making their way down the corridor.

"How was it?" Patricia asked Joy, raising an eyebrow.

Joy shrugged. "Not bad. I was asleep most of the way."

Mick snorted. "Most? Try the whole ride! As soon as she sat down, she was out like a light."

"Well, at least you got to sleep," Patricia said, rolling her eyes. "Eddie wouldn't stop bothering me."

Joy lifted an eyebrow, amused. "You rode with Eddie?"

"Yeah," Patricia said hesitantly. Joy smirked. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all," Joy said, grinning at her best friend.

Patricia just rolled her eyes.

In a few minutes, the ten children were standing on the empty platform as the train pulled away, staring at the sign that read 'COOMBE HALT' in large white letters. They heard a honk and immediately climbed down the platform and onto the road. A small car was coming up to the platform. "Well that was quick," Mara said aloud. Fabian raised his hand to wave, but the car passed them by. He sighed and lowered his hand. "Or not..." Mara's voice trailed off.

"The professor knew we were coming, right?" Nina asked.

"Perhaps we've been incorrectly labeled," Jerome suggested, examining the tag on his coat.

"Of course we weren't," Fabian assured them. "My dad sent the Professor a letter. He should be here soon." Still, he sounded a little uncertain.

"I knew we shouldn't have come," Amber declared. "Sibuna House? The name practically screams 'creepy.'"

Mick rolled his eyes. "Amber, it's called Anubis House."

"So? It still sounds creepy," said Amber.

"Anubis is the Egyptian god of death, Amber," Mara explained.

"Actually, Anubis is the god of funerals," Fabian and Nina said in unison. They turned to each other, surprised, then smiled shyly at each other.

"Aw, so sweet I'm going to get a cavity," Patricia said sarcastically, causing Fabian and Nina's faces to burn red.

"He's the god of funerals?" Amber demanded. "Ew! Why would anyone name their house after that?"

Before anyone could offer up an answer, they heard the clopping of horse-hooves coming down the dirt road. The ten children turned to see a woman driving a horse-drawn carriage. She had cropped, short blonde hair styled into a bob with bangs, and squinty blue eyes. "Whoa, whoa," she said, as she pulled the reigns and the carriage came gently to a stop.

"Are- are you the housekeeper?" Mara asked tentatively, peering up at the woman.

"I have a name, you know," the woman said shortly. Mara blushed and looked down at her feet, embarrassed. "Yes, I am one of the housekeepers. My name is Vera Devenish, but you may refer to me as Vera." She surveyed the children, giving Patricia and her ripped panty-hose and disdainful look. "Well, there's quite a lot of you, isn't there?" The children glanced at each other, but didn't answer for fear of being shot down like Mara was. "Oh, come on, I don't bite. Well, is this it, then? Haven't you brought anything else?" Obviously, she had overlooked Amber's large pile of suitcases.

"No ma'am," Mick spoke up. "It's just us."

Vera lifted an eyebrow. "Small favours." She tilted her head towards the back of the carriage. "Come along, then."

The teenagers piled into the back of the carriage along with their bags, and Vera steered the horses around as they began to travel across the dirt road towards the professor's mansion. It was quiet, until Amber let out a loud "Oooooh!" Everyone turned and gasped as the professor's mansion came into view, looming over them.

After Vera had parked the carriage and put the horses back in the barn, the group began to walk along the cobblestone pathway that led to the entry hall of the house. "Anubis House is very old, and is very famous in these parts," Vera explained, leading the group. "In fact, about every week, our caretaker leads a tour group around here. When this occurs, I expect every single one of you to be completely out of sight. I don't care where you go, but if I catch word that you were disrupting our guests, there will be tremendous consequences." She paused and turned around, narrowing her eyes at the children. "Is that understood?"

The ten children gulped and nodded vigorously. Vera gave them a fake smile and patted the nearest person on the head (who happened to be Joy) like she was a dog. "Good. Now, let's go inside, shall we?" She said as she led the group inside Anubis House, which was even more impressive than the outside. The children stood in the entry room, looking around in pure awe.

"As I mentioned before, I'm one of the housekeepers at Anubis House. There is only one other, and her name is Trudy Rehmann. There is also a caretaker, Victor Rodenmaar, but you won't be seeing him very often," Vera explained. "Speaking of him, by the way, the curfew is ten o'clock. Everyone must be in their rooms with the lights out by then. Victor is very, very strict about that." She said sternly. "Anyways, other than us, and the cooks, and of course the professor, this house stays empty. So you must understand when I say that the professor is not accustomed to having children in his house. And as such there are a few rules you need to follow."

She stopped abruptly, causing Alfie and Jerome to nearly run into her. "There will be no shouting." She said strictly, turning around and glaring sternly at the others. "Or running." She added as she turned back around. Alfie and Jerome exchanged a glance and snickered.

The group began to move up the stairs, and Vera continued, "No improper use of the dumb waiter...NO!" she shouted suddenly, whipping around abruptly and causing Amber to scream. Her eyes focused on Mara, who had frozen, her hand inches away from a marble statue. "Touching of the historical artifacts!" Mara lowered her head sheepishly for the second time that day. Jerome, Alfie, and Eddie snickered and she shot them an annoyed look.

"And above all," said Vera, suddenly looking extremely serious. "There will be no disturbing of the professor."

The children all glanced at each other questioningly and continued their tour around the house. They turned up a corridor, Nina last in line. Suddenly she stopped as she heard footsteps coming from the room beside her. She peered underneath the door. The light shining out from the crack between the floor and the bottom of the door was abruptly covered by a shadow from inside the room. Someone, most likely Professor Kirke, was in there.Jumping a foot in the air, Nina immediately sprinted off in the direction the group had gone, crashing into Fabian and nearly toppling him over.

"Are you alright?" Fabian asked, steadying her.

"Yeah, fine," Nina lied, panting.

"Okay..." Fabian said, giving her a doubtful look.

Suddenly it occurred to Nina that Fabian was still holding onto her, and she blushed. "Uh, Fabian? Do you mind if you let go of me now?"

Fabian turned the color of the tapestry hanging above their heads. "Oh, r-right, yeah..." He stammered. "Sorry," he said, letting go of her embarrassingly.

x.X.x

After the tour was finally over, Vera sent the children to their rooms to unpack. Nina and Amber shared a room, and so did Joy and Patricia. Since they were cousins, Jerome and Fabian shared a room, and so did Alfie and Mick. Eddie and Mara had rooms by themselves.

By the time they were finished packing, the sun was beginning to set, and the sky was growing dark. They were in their rooms, just talking, when the bell rang for dinner. Everyone immediately jumped up and rushed to the kitchen, where a squat, kind looking woman with raven-black hair stood, grinning. "Hello, and welcome to the Kirke's household," she said. "I'm Trudy, one of the housekeepers, and if you've got any problems, feel free to tell me. I want you to feel as at home here as possible." She grinned broadly.

"I like her better than the other lady," Alfie hissed to Jerome, who nodded in agreement.

"Alright, without further ado, I present our dinner!" She rung the bell again, and the cooks immediately entered the room, carrying large, steaming platters of the most delicious looking food any of them had ever seen. And there were mountains of it, too. At last, all the food was at the table and Trudy told them to sit down, which they happily did. Everyone immediately began to pile food on their plates, and once the food was cool enough, they dug in.

It was possibly the best dinner any of them had ever had.

For a while, it was absolutely silent. And you know food is good when everyone is too busy eating it that they can't even talk. But, after a while, chatter broke out among them. Amber, Nina, and Fabian began talking about how much they already missed home, while Mick and Eddie talked of sports and how good the food tasted. Mara, Joy, and Patricia, who were at the left end of the table, began telling jokes and laughing, while Jerome and Alfie, who were at the right end of the table, began to talk, too.

"So, mate, who have you been keeping your eyes on?" Alfie asked Jerome.

"Huh?" Jerome asked, not looking up as he stuffed a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"You know, which girl do you fancy the most?" Alfie asked.

"I've only been here for about two months, Alfie," Jerome reminded his friend.

"I know, I'm just saying, who do you think is the prettiest?" Alfie wasn't really interested in Jerome's opinion - he was just making sure he didn't fancy Amber.

Jerome swallowed some mashed potatoes. "Well, it's hard to say." Still, he couldn't help letting his eyes roam down to the end of the table.

Unfortunately, Alfie noticed. "Mara?"

"Mara, are you kidding?" Jerome asked incredulously. "No! No way, she's like, the Ice Queen! Icy queen of ice!"

Alfie laughed out loud. "Oh, right, yeah. I was about to say! I mean, don't get me wrong. Mara's really sweet and stuff. But you're right...she's an Ice Queen, mate." Jerome laughed this time. "Plus, she's got a massive crush on Mick, although I don't think she realizes that everyone knows about it. Anyways," Alfie stretched back, grinning. "I think Amber beats everyone out, by far."

Jerome smirked. "Yeah, I figured you were going to say that."

Alfie's eyes widened and he sat up. "What? Why?"

Jerome shrugged. "Nothing, I just had a feeling you fancied her."

"Is it that obvious?" Alfie cried, panicked.

Jerome laughed. "A bit, yeah. But Alf, don't worry about it. In case you haven't noticed, Amber's a bit dense. She doesn't suspect anything." He assured his friend. At least, not yet.

Alfie let out a sigh of relief. "Good." Then he glared at Jerome. "And hey! She's not dense!"

Jerome just chuckled and shook his head, buttering a roll and then stuffing it into his mouth. When he made sure that Alfie wasn't looking, he snuck another quick glance at Mara at the other end of the table.

Yeah, he had lied to Alfie. So what?

He wasn't sure why, but ever since he'd run into Mara that day in the neighborhood, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her. Which was just the type of sentence that Jerome swore he would never say, but there it was. It wasn't like the other girls weren't pretty - they were. In fact, Jerome thought he'd struck a bit of luck in getting to live with five pretty girls for who knows how long.

But, Mara was different. She was beautiful, but she didn't flaunt it like Amber did...in fact, it seemed like she wasn't even aware of how pretty she really was. And for some reason, Jerome liked that. Not to mention she was kind, and incredibly clever. And he didn't know why, but everything she did - even when it was really embarrassing or awkward - was always...well, cute.

Suddenly, Mara turned around, as if she realized someone was staring at her. Her eyes focused on him and he quickly darted his eyes away, turning back to Alfie and acting like he was having a conversation with him. He hadn't even really realized that he'd been staring at Mara. He felt his face begin to heat up. Stupid, stupid, stupid, he thought to himself.

She was a bit of an "ice queen", though. And it's not like she would ever fancy someone like Jerome - he was clever, but he could care less about school, he scammed people for fun, and he was a rule-breaker. Mara, on the other hand, was none of these things. And anyways, it seemed like she only had eyes for Mick.

Well, Jerome would just have to change her mind.

After dinner, the cooks brought in a large plate of steaming hot apple pie and served everyone a piece, along with a small glass of milk. After getting seconds of the delicious pie, everyone was without a doubt, stuffed. Letting out a contented sigh, the ten teenagers leaned back in their chairs, fat and happy.

"I don't think I'll be able to eat anything again," Patricia moaned.

"Same here," Fabian agreed.

"Yeah," Alfie said. "IIII'mmm fuuuullll," he said in a long burp. Everyone burst out laughing, and even Amber, who tried her best to look disgusted, was smiling.

"You know what I think?" Amber said, sitting straight up. "I think this is going to be fun." Everyone looked at each other doubtfully. "Think about it! This could be, like...a holiday of some sorts."

"I don't know..." Nina said uncertainly. "Most vacations I've been on don't happen while there's a war going on."

"Not to mention our families could be in danger," Eddie pointed out.

"Oh, don't talk about it," Mara said, chewing her bottom lip.

"Mara's right," Amber agreed. "Maybe if we try not to think about that...we could have some fun!" Amber said cheerily.

Mick shrugged. "I hate to admit it, but Amber's got a point. Did you see that huge yard out there?" Everyone nodded. "Think of all the games we could play. I'm sure the professor's got a football around here somewhere. Although, probably not the American kind," he added, glancing at Eddie.

"And, I think we might've passed a little pool on the way up here with a river running through it," Joy piped up. "I'm sure it's nice and refreshing; we could go down there and take a dip."

"And, there are loads of horses in the barn out there," Mara reminded them. "And I'm sure there's a trail around here somewhere. We could go riding, if we wanted. Of course, we'd need permission first..." Her voice trailed off.

"And anyways, even if we couldn't go riding, we could always walk down the trail. I'm sure there's tons of stuff to see down there," Fabian suggested.

"And besides, this house is huge," Alfie said, stretching his arms out wide. "It would probably take all day to explore it."

"And, they've got a huge library, I'd reckon," Fabian said.

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Booooring." He said under his breath. Nina shot him a look, and he shrugged.

"You know what?" Jerome said, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head. "I bet we could do anything we wanted here." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! Tomorrow's going to be great!" Amber said excitedly.

A/N: That's all for chapter three! Thanks for reading! Next chapter is going to be pretty long, but it's also going to be good...that's when we first go to Narnia. Please review and tell me what you thought! Thanks! :)