Lifeline ⤞ Peter Pevensie [Chronicles of Narnia]

iii

Fallon had easily chosen what to do the night before. She'd scrambled into her bedroom before anyone from the downstairs area could see her, and she'd slipped into bed in a second, thinking she would fall asleep.

But she didn't.

She stayed awake for hours on end, twisting and turning in the sheets and trying to keep her eyes shut, but they just kept opening, moving to the locket that laid on her nightstand, the moonlight glimmering off it like diamonds.

If the professor had explained what her name meant, why hadn't he explained what the locket contained? Or why she had it?

For all she knew, the necklace wouldn't open, though she knew it could, and she'd always had it with her. But why?

The questions swimming in her head that night were enough to keep her awake until dawn, so it was no surprise she woke up early in the afternoon, everyone else being awake before her.

"Fallon!"

The girl snapped around, still quite tired, and it took her a second to focus on the person standing a few meters from her.

"Do me a favour, and go get that horse of yours cleaned up! Go on, now!"

Fallon suppressed a huff, watching as the Macready turned on her heal and walked away, leaving the girl in the living room.

Choosing not to question the woman, the brunette looked outside, and noticed how the sun rays broke through the leaves, casting a green glow onto the branches around them. She could see Dia from the window, munching happily on the grass, her coat seemingly covered in dried mud from the rainy day before.

Sighing, Fallon grabbed her things before walking outside, lowering herself to go through the fence and heading towards the mare, not noticing the Pevensies standing in the front lawn.

"Hey, girl," Fallon said, Dia raising her head at the sound of the girl's voice.

"Oh, good lord, Dia," the girl whined, going to scrub the horse's fur. "Love, you stink, you know that? Look at this, it's gonna take forever to clean."

After about ten minutes, Fallon still wasn't done getting the dried dust off the horse's left side, when she heard a crash coming from the house.

She gave the building a questioning look, dropping her things and jogging towards the house.

"Well done, Ed," she heard Peter say as she entered one of the rooms on the second floor of the mansion.

"You bawled it!"

"What happened?" Fallon asked, looking at the broken window.

Peter opened his mouth to answer her when another voice interrupted him.

"What on earth is going on?"

"The Macready!" Susan yelled, Fallon's eyes widening in realization.

"Come on!" Peter said, grabbing Lucy's hand whilst Fallon grabbed Susan and Edmund's, the five of them making their way around the house.

"No, no, back, back, back!" Edmund said, rushing to get out of the room they'd just walked in.

"Upstairs, come on!" Fallon spoke, leading the group to the staircase.

The five of them finally made it to the top floor, and Edmund immediately went to open the second door, swinging the wood open.

Fallon couldn't help but wonder how on earth the door would suddenly be unlocked after being closed for years, but she didn't question it, instead slipping inside, Peter closing the door behind her.