White Lion

Chapter Two

I felt like I was drowning, but I had air left in my lungs, and I was using it to scream.

"Hey," someone was shaking me.

I knew I was dreaming, but I was frozen in place, too afraid to move.

Just like that, I shot upright into the real world facing two very concerned children. Peter and Susan.

Realizing I'd been crying in my sleep, I dried my eyes and stood up, "Sorry."

"Are you okay?" Peter asked.

"I think so?" It sounded more like a question, "Yes."

They asked, "What were you dreaming about?"

"I don't know," I lied, "Did I wake anyone up?"

"Lucy heard you," Susan said, "She woke us up."

I nodded, glancing at the clock on the wall. 6:27.

"I have to go," I said, "I should've been up half an hour ago."

"But it's only six thirty," Peter frowned.

I nodded, "And I was supposed to set up breakfast and go to the stables at six. Bye!"

I left them looking very confused as I quickly ran downstairs to set up breakfast for everyone else, ate my small portion, and washed my plate.

Rushing through my chores around the house, I was careful to be quiet, to not run, and to not break anything, otherwise I'd be in even bigger trouble.

After I finished up work in the stables, it was about seven.

Ms. Macready sat with the other children at breakfast. Edmund asked, "Do you want to join us for breakfast?"

Before I could answer that I had already eaten, Ms. Macready interrupted, "She's busy. Madi, could you go to the market." She handed me a list of things to buy.

I nodded, "Yes, Ms. Macready."

"It's pouring with rain outside," Susan interrupted.

"Then I'd best bring a coat this time," I grabbed my dark blue coat, put it on, and walked out to the stables through the pouring rain.

Ms. Macready was a kind person, whether they believed it or not. I owed her and the professor my life. She just had an unconventional way of expressing her love.

Lots and lots of chores.

After mounting Peridot, I let her gallop down to the market in the rain. I quickly bought everything on the list.

Now I had about an hour before Ms. Macready wondered why I was taking so long.

I rode into the woods, letting Peridot go wherever she wanted. Then, I took her back to the stables and brought the bag inside to sort everything out.

"Do you need any help with that?" Susan asked.

"No thank you," I said quietly, finishing up and setting the bag and my coat by the door, "You look angry."

Susan nodded, "We we're playing hide and seek, and Lucy was gone five minutes. She came back saying she'd been gone for hours having tea with a faun called Mr. Tumnus in some magical snow land."

I smiled at this. She'd been to Narnia, "What's wrong with that?"

"Well, first of all, she's lost in her own head. And Edmund was playing along, but then decided to tell Lucy she was crazy, which meant she got upset and the professor was talking to her and then to Peter and I about not being good siblings," Susan looked like she was about done with this subject.

"I understand about Edmund," I said, "But let the girl have an imagination. It'll make things around here easier for her."

Of course I actually knew she'd been to Narnia. I'd been there myself, but I wouldn't tell Susan. You had to see it to believe it.

Ms. Macready was in her room reading, so I took it as an opportunity to talk to Lucy.

"Lucy?" I asked, handing her a cup of hot chocolate.

"Thank you," she said, taking the warm cup out of my hands.

I smiled, "I heard you went through the wardrobe."

"You're not here to taunt me too, are you?" Lucy asked miserably, "I know what the place is called, I just can't remember."

"No, I believe you really did go to Narnia," I said. She looked startled, "What? You think you're the only one who's hidden in that wardrobe? I broke a glass cup, so I had to hide from Ms. Macready."

Lucy smiled, "I want to go back, but whenever I try, the back is wood."

"You can never get there on purpose," I realized how late in the day it was, "I'm going to go see what scraps of food I can find."

I'd been at the market and in the woods longer than I'd though. I missed lunch. And dinner.

I found an apple and a few bits of meat that hadn't been touched yet, so I cut the apple in half and grabbed a little of the meat.

"I heard you talking to Lucy," Peter appeared out of nowhere.

"And?" Anyone who heard that would think I was crazy.

Peter sighed, "And I think you just got Lucy to like you. She really needed that. Thank you."

"No problem," I replied, finishing my food and sorting out the dishes, "Tomorrow's Sunday, so I'll probably be asleep until noon, but if you or your siblings need anything, just knock on the door."

He nodded and walked away.

Why was talking to people so weird?

It wasn't even adults that were weird, I spoke to them in the market frequently. But children? I'd never really spoken to one before.

No wonder I was terrible at it.

I sat on my bed that night, not remotely tired, when I saw a log flickering outside my door, followed by two sets of light footsteps.

Lucy and Edmund, I guessed correctly. I followed them into the wardrobe, and realized as pine needles poked at my face and snow but my nose.

Narnia.

After four years, I'm back home.

After Edmund wondered off, I followed Lucy to Mr. Tumnus's house, where I spooked her at the door.

"Madi!" Lucy and Mr. Tumnus exclaimed at the same time.

"I'm back," I smirked, hiding the painful memories being here brought back, "Do you still have-"

Mr. Tumnus nodded and handed me an object delicately wrapped in fabric. I removed the fabric to see that it was my sword.

I nearly squealed with joy.

It wasn't like most Narnian blades. It was silver with a blue tint on the handle. And it didn't have a lion on its hilt, it had a simple rounded end with a snowflake engraved into it.

We sat down for tea, knowing that due to the time difference between the worlds we could stay here for years and be gone for seconds.

That's when the howls started.