"Well, he's a cheerful one, isn't he?"
•••••••••

••••••••

       No matter how hard I try, talking to strangers makes me want to wither up and die in some remote hole in the ground.

       It's not that I'm cripplingly shy, I'm very outgoing and opinionated. It's just that I'm to awkward to function properly within the presence of unfamiliar company.

        Unfortunately for myself, that situation is unavoidable. That is, because Mrs Macready and I were currently on our way to pick up the four children that we were taking in temporarily.

      "Evangeline, remember that you must be on your best behavior. No sarcasm, no indelicate jokes, and no slouching." The hellish woman scolded with a stern look at my unsurprisingly slouched frame.

     "Yes, ma'am." I sighed, straightening my posture and stilled my nervously fiddling hands and placed them over one another.

      As we approached the small train station, I heard the voice of a boy suggesting. "Perhaps we've been incorrectly labeled?"

    "Mrs Macready?" The older boy asked, looking up at us as the housekeeper stopped the wagon in front of them.

    "I'm afraid so." She told the four grimly and I pursed my lips, sending a sympathetic look towards the Pevensies.

     Macready eyed their bags with a frown. "Is that it then? Haven't you brought anything else?"

     "No, ma'am. It's just us." The blonde boy told us and my heart broke a little for  the four of them.

      "Small favors." The older woman hummed, giving them all a sympathetic nod. "Well, climb on into the back and we'll be off."

       "The young lady seated next to me is Evangeline Kirke, I believe you'll all get on very well together." She continued, nodding her head in my direction as she introduced me to the four children.

      "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you all despite the unfortunate circumstances." I greeted them politely with a small smile and a brief nod. "You may all call me Eva if you'd like, it's much more preferable than Evangeline."

      "Hello, I'm Peter." The handsome blonde replied as he returned my polite smile, before introducing the other children. "These are my siblings, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy."

      "How do you do?" The older girl, Susan, addressed me politely.

      "Could be worse." I admitted with a small shrug.

      "You're very pretty, Miss Eva." The youngest girl, Lucy, stated shyly with a warm smile.

       "Thank you, Lucy. You're very pretty as well." I told her with a kind smile adorning my face, despite being taken aback from her sudden complement.

    "Hello, there." I addressed the raven haired boy, who sat towards the back of the wagon and ignored everyone. "Edmund, right?"

         The only response I'd received from the boy, was silence and an eye roll. I raised an eyebrow and sent a look towards the two older Pevensies that said 'is he always like this?'.

         "Yeah, that's Edmund." Lucy told me meekly. "He's been grumpy lately."

         "No, I haven't." Edmund muttered bitterly, still not making eye contact with anyone.

         "He talks!" I joked, smirking at the brunette. "Someone alert the Vatican!"

         "Shut up." Was all he said, before staring out at the countryside and ignoring us all for the rest of the ride.

•••••••••••••••••••••••

        "The professor is unaccustomed to having children,besides his daughter, in his house, and as such, there are a few rules we need to follow." The housekeeper said as we entered the foyer and began climbing the large stairwell.

       "There will be no shouting or running!" She told them sternly as she began to list off the rules of the house.

        "No improper use of the dumbwaiter." Macready told them, before giving me a firm look.

        "It was one time, when I was seven years old and I apologized several times." I groaned, rolling my brown eyes at the woman. "I don't know why you keep bringing it up."

        "No touching of the historical artifacts!" She snapped, whipping around to face the Pevensies.

         Susan froze, inches away from touching the bust that stood on a pedestal. The older girl quickly retracted her hand and Mrs Macready's scolding glare removed itself from the pretty brunette.

       "And above all, there should be no disturbing of the Professor." The older woman quietly told the four, as we stood outside of the study.

     The group continued around the corner and I noticed that Lucy was lagging behind. So, I stayed back and watched as she curiously stared at the door of my father's study.

      My father's shadow passed by the door on the inside of the room, startling the young girl. I suppressed a chuckle as the youngest Pevensie dashed up to me in fear of being caught by the professor.

••••••••••••••••••••

"German aircraft carried out several attacks on Great Britain last night..."

        The sound of the radio playing  from Susan and Lucy's room rang in my ears as I entered with a tray of warm tea in my hands. I set the tray down on the side table as Susan turned the radio off, so as not to scare her little sister.

        "Here you go, love. A bit of warm tea can make even the coldest of nights better." I told the younger girl with a kind smile, gently handing her the ceramic cup.

       "The sheets feel scratchy." The young girl stated sleepily, her hands rubbing the rough quilt.

       "Wars don't last forever, Lucy. We'll be home soon." Susan told her with a reassuring smile.

       "If home's still there." Edmund scoffed bitterly, making his older siblings and I send him warning glares.

      "Isn't it time you were in bed?" Susan sighed, trying to defuse the situation as best as she could.

       "Yes, Mum!" The raven haired boy bit sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

      "Ed!" Peter snapped, as finished with Edmund's sour attitude as the rest of us were. The younger Pevensie boy stormed out of the room and Peter returned his attention to his little sister with a softened gaze. "You saw the outside. This place is huge! We can do whatever we want here!"

     "Tomorrow will be great. Really." Peter told her with a smile, before sharing a look with Susan and I.

     "Goodnight, Little One." I told Lucy with a warm smile as she handed me her now empty teacup. I placed it gently back on the tray, picking up the wooden tray and making my way towards the door.

      "Goodnight, Peter. Goodnight, Susan. I'll see you lot in the morning." I told the older children and receiving a 'goodnight' from them both.