High Queen || Narnia Fanfiction (DISCONTINUED)

evacuation

The air-raid sirens started to go off. My boss ran into the room where we were carrying shells full of gunpowder to where they would be shipped off for use in the British army. "Everyone, get out now!" He roared. There was no bomb shelter at my job, so we had to make our way back home every time the Germans bombed us.

We all sprinted out of the building as fast as we could. Some of the men working there had cars, but because I was only fifteen, I couldn't drive. "Oy, Tom, do you wan' a lift?" One of the men cried as he raced to his car. Even though my name is Beth, everyone at work calls me Tom because I had to lie to my boss and say I was a boy called Tom to get this job, just to earn some money for my family while my father was away fighting in the war. "No, thanks, John, I'll have to run, I'll just be slowing you down," I shouted as I grabbed my coat and ran for my life. I sprinted fast around a corner, slipping and almost falling on one of the cobbled stones, before grabbing onto a lamppost to steady myself, while still running. The bombs were falling fast all around, and I could see that the British planes were trying as best they could to hold off the enemy. My house was in sight, and I ran for the door, my hands fumbling with the house keys. I finally made it into the house, not even taking my gloves or coat off, I ran upstairs to make sure everyone was out of the house.

Mum was trying to get Edmund and Peter out of the house, so I grabbed both of their wrists and yanked them out of the door. Mum, Susan and Lucy were running in front of us, and suddenly Edmund jerked from my grasp and ran back towards the house. "Edmund!" I yelled, running up to him. "What do you need to get from the house?" I asked him urgently. "Dad," he said looking at me dead in the eye. He was referring to the framed photo of our Dad that we had displayed in the house to remember him, far away, fighting in the war. "Get to the shelter, I'll get him," I said, shoving him in the direction of the shelter. He ran to the shelter and I could hear Mum's and Peter's voice shouting at me to come back. I tore into the house and grabbed the photo before throwing myself to the ground as the window beside me smashed because of the strength of a nearby bomb explosion. I sprinted back to the shelter and slammed the door shut behind me.

"Here Ed," I panted, tossing the photo to him. "What were you doing, you could have gotten Beth killed, why do you have to be so selfish!?" Peter shouted at Edmund. "Why can't you just do as you're told?" He said, his voice quivering. "Leave it, Peter," I said, still slightly out of breath. We all climbed into the bunks against the wall, but there was five of us, not four, so I lay down on the cold floor with my hat over my eyes and tried to sleep. "Beth?" I heard peter whisper, "are you awake?" "Yes" I replied quietly. "Do you want to sleep in a bunk instead of on the floor?" He asked me. "No," I said, "you have the bunk, I'll sleep on the floor." "If you insist," said Peter. I would have much rathered a bunk, but my family needed it more than I did.

**Next Day**

We arrived at the train station at nine o'clock in the morning, and Mum pinned labels on our coats. I had boys clothes and a boy's coat on, because they're the only clothes I have, as I have to pretend to be a boy in work. Mum hugged Lucy and told her to be brave, she hugged Peter and told him to look after us, she hugged Susan and told her to be a big girl, she hugged Edmund, but he pulled away, so she just kissed him on the head, and she turned to me. "Beth, dear," she said, hugging me, "I'll miss your childishness around the house, so please tell me you won't change for anything?" "I won't, Mum," I said, trying to grin at her. I had to give my childhood up because of the war, but I never lost my imagination or my childishness.

The conductor blew his whistle and lots of children including us lined up to get on the train, which would take us out into the country, far away from London and the bombs. When it was our turn to get on the train, and the lady checked our labels, and asked for our tickets. "Can I have your tickets, please?" she asked, quite sharply, might I add, "tickets please?" She said again. Peter had the tickets, but had gotten distracted looking at the new soldiers, getting on a separate train to take them off to the war. "Peter," said Susan, grabbing the tickets from his hand and handing them to the lady. We climbed into the train and started looking for an empty compartment. We found one with only two other children in it, and Peter opened the sliding door and we went in. Peter started to put our cases on the rack above our heads, but Edmund refused to let him help him and he put his up himself. I put Lucy's up for her, and then my own. I plonked myself down on the seat and said to the children, "so, what are your names?" They just looked at me oddly and stayed silent. "Tough crowd," I murmured, just loud enough so everyone could hear me, and Susan, Lucy and Peter sniggered, while Edmund just looked out of the window, his back to us.

We travelled for hours, and as we went, the scenery became gradually greener as we moved deeper into the countryside. Soon the train stopped at the first station and the children that had been in our compartment with us got off the train. It was just the five of us in the compartment now.