To Be Brave (Chronicles of Narnia fanfiction)

The World In The Wardrobe

The sound of rain drops tapping against the window caused Hannah to let out a sigh. She traced small images of the flowers in the Professor's garden with her fingers. Hannah and the Pevensie were in the living room. They were told not to disturb the Professor while he was in his studies. Peter and Susan were reviewing some of the books in the library, while Edmund tried to fix a chair he nearly broke during breakfast. Hannah was used to having the Manor all to herself, but this was a nice change.

A light tap on the shoulder caused her to jump. Lucy, the youngest Pevensie, looked at her with bright, eager eyes.

"You look rather lonely," Lucy noticed.

Hannah fixed her posture and turned to the girl, smiling warmly at her. "I'm used to it. I've always been alone here anyway."

"You don't have any siblings?" the little girl asked.

Hannah shook her head. "I've always wanted a brother or sister. It looks like you always have someone to play with."

Lucy looked over at her older siblings. Peter seemed rather miserable; his sister spoke to him as if she was giving him a lecture. Susan had a large dictionary in her lap. Hannah wondered if the Pevensies always acted like this at home in Finchley.

"It gets harder when they're older," Lucy said. "They used to play a lot with me when I was younger."

There was a short silence between them. Lucy's eyes grew bigger as she looked at the beautiful carvings in the wall. The way the Professor's manor was designed always made Hannah feel like she lived in a castle. There was a reason why so many tourists came to visit; it was as old as the Professor itself.

"The only time it's not so quiet is when tourists come here," Hannah told her. "Do you see the paintings?"

Lucy nodded, listening intently. "The Professor collected them. They all have stories to tell; people are fascinated by them."

"How long have you lived here?" Lucy asked.

"More than a year," Hannah said, shrugging.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at her. The light in her eyes slowly dimmed down. Her face melted into what was a sympathetic expression. It was fair to say that there was a mysterious quality in Hannah. She didn't know much about her expect she lived with Professor Kirke, but the reason behind that was unknown.

"What about your family?" the girl asked again.

Hannah looked down immediately after she heard the question. Her family. Where were they? Was her Father still "working" in Germany? Was he even working at all? Perhaps there was a bigger meaning to it. These thoughts flooded her mind, and her memory quickly brought her back to her parents' whispering at night. She heard the sound of their murmuring voices in her head clearly. 'More of our neighbors are disappearing at night, Jakob! What if they come for us next?' Her mother would scold her Father as he tried to remain calm.

"Well," Hannah muttered, but she was interrupted by the sound of a feminine voice.

"Gas-tro-vascular," Susan's voice piped up from the other side of the room. She read from the Professor's Latin dictionary, one that Hannah looked at quite a few times, but got bored of easily. She was surprised that there was someone who enjoyed looking at them. Peter, however, didn't look like he was entertained. "Come on, Peter. Gastrovascular," she urged her brother.

"Is it Latin?" Peter said, shrugging.

"Yes," Susan answered.

"Is it Latin for the worst game ever invented?" Edmund looked up from his side of the living room. The sound of his smug voice irritated her. He had this twinkle in his eyes as he spoke, as if he knew what he said was hilarious. Even though Hannah did chuckle a bit, she stopped when she heard Susan slam the book shut, shooting a glare at her younger brother.