hiraeth

twenty-three

xxiii. Peter

Susan is furious with him, but Peter can't be bothered with anything else because he can't find a certain someone. He had made his siblings wait with him near the fountain, their agreed meeting place, but she hadn't showed up. Call him anxious or paranoid, but Peter can't sit still if there's nothing left to do.

The stupid compass she'd let him carry keeps saying North, with the letters UW, and he doesn't know what they stand for.

Up West? Wait, that makes no sense...Under water? Peter sweats profusely. For Aslan's sake, don't tell me they're drowning somewhere.

"Peter, we've been walking in circles for hours!" Susan complains behind him, Lucy in tow as she stomps on the pavement.

"Brilliant!" Peter huffs, walking briskly.  "Maybe she'll appear on the next round of cardio."

"It's not our fault your girlfriend is gone. Why'd you even split up with her in the first place?"

"I explained this to you five times already. She wanted to find Enne."

Susan stops, forcing him to face her. She places a hand on her hip. "So you two had different goals and went your own way because you didn't see eye-to-eye?"

"Uh, no, we were on the same page for once?" He freezes. "Back up. What are you talking about?"

The second eldest Pevensie gapes at him. "What are you talking about? Honestly, Peter, I didn't think you'd be this pathetic after a breakup."

"A breakup? How in the bloody hell did you determine I've been broken up with?"

Lucy peeks out from behind Susan. "You're not heartbroken? Oh, good, I thought we'd have to go through you whole post-breakup routine. Remember last time? You wouldn't leave your chambers for two weeks."

"It was a dark time," Susan agrees.

"Enough about breakups!" shouts Peter. He covers his face with his hands. "I specifically told you, I'm trying to find my friends. Nia's looking for Enne because we got separated."

"Who got separated?" Lucy asks. "You and Nia?"

"No!" He wants to die. "Nia and I got separated from Edmund and Enne, who disappeared from the back of the car. That's where we left them."

"Ohhhh," both girls say at once.

Lucy facepalms. "I thought you were trying to win her back."

"Sorry," Susan says, not sounding sorry at all. "We caught 'separated,' Nia, and something about you two getting into an argument...The goal must've gotten lost in translation."

Peter squints. "You're making fun of me."

"To be fair," says Lucy, "you talk about Nia an awful lot. Tell me who wouldn't misunderstand."

"Not you too, Lucy. You know what is lost in translation? Your comprehension skills."

"Speak for yourself. That made no sense," Susan jeers.

"And who leaves their friends alone when there's danger around?" Lucy chides.

"Can we not insult my poor choices all day?" Peter argues.

"He said 'poor choices,'" quotes Lucy.

"At least he admitted it," agrees Susan.

Peter thinks he should have hurled himself off the archway when he had the opportunity. Of all places, he chanced upon his siblings at the top of the monument, battling a weird gorgon looking demon thing he has zero interest in looking up. Lucy had been screaming, "Help!" at the top of her lungs, while Susan screamed back, "We don't need help!"