"What....happened to my parents?"

A parent's gentle embrace. Their kind words to help get through any tough situation. To have someone to say that no matter what happens, someone is there for you - this was Sophie Adams' almost ending.

Sophie had to know the truth and Jadis had no choice but to answer then. "Your parents were killed by the catapults I rained on their little castle." Sophie narrowed the gap between the two swords so that it constricted Jadis' neck. "When we went through the rumble, we didn't find their bodies. They had escaped," she said. "How can you control water?"

"I am the one who asks the questions here. You have the blood of millions on your hand. I don't think you have the right to speak here blondie."

Jadis laughed. "And would you have the blood of one on your hand?"

She was taunting her. Sophie knew that. 

"Did you kill them?"

"Of course I did, silly girl," laughed Jadis, her voice pricking Sophie's ears. "Your parents were nothing but imbeciles."

"Don't."

The ground started rumbling as if sensing Sophie's growing anger. The stone they were standing on would fall down at any moment. The Professor was right. The structure of Aslan's How was unstable after the Second Battle of Beruna. Sophie should have listened to him. But what could she have done? She was the King of Stubbornness.

At that time, she became distracted and Jadis decided to attack her, but Sophie wasn't going to lose twice. She struck both swords and pierced them right through Jadis. "For my parents," she whispered in the White Witch's year.

Jadis' eyes were wide open as the loss overcame her. The stone was threatening to break anytime. "Don't." She begged but the stone broke and that was the end of the White Witch's reign.

Sophie stood up with trembling legs, unaware of how to get out of this situation when she heard someone shout for her. "Sophie!"

"Caspian!"

She held onto the ground of the valley and was about to climb up when the stone fell and took her with it, but she was quick in holding onto a lower branch. She looked down and saw that there was a small pool of water there. Where had that come from? It certainly was not because of the rain. It was a small pond-like water body.

"Caspian!" She was trying not to look down. Fear of heights? Check. She looked up and saw the dark eyes of her loved one. "Caspian...."

"Take my hand." He leaned down.

The branch was strong but she couldn't push herself up. She tried giving him her hand but just as their fingertips had touched, she slipped. "I can't."

Caspian gave her his hand once again and she caught it that time. The branch broke and fell down but she was hanging mid air. "I've got you."

Her hands were dry and his were sweaty because of the fight and she could feel herself slipping. "Caspian," she breathed out. "Please don't let me fall." She tried pulling herself up but she had no support to hold onto.

"Never." He couldn't pull her up because he was leaning halfway out of the ground of the valley. Both of them knew the inevitable. If he continued to hold onto her, both of them would fall. "Hold on, Sophie," he warned as he read her eyes.

But Sophie's hands were slipping from his. He looked her in the eye and she could see his tears. She was tearing up as well.

And then, she finally said it. "I love you."

Their hands let each other go and Sophie fell.

"No!" Sophie heard him scream and wanted to hit that ground as soon as possible. She did not want him to grieve because she would fly soon. She felt like she was falling forever because the ground never came. She felt a cold feeling wash over her but she didn't feel the ground, didn't smell the dirt or the air.

Sophie Adams opened her eyes.

She didn't know when she closed them but when she opened them, she was staring at herself, sitting in front of a small pond and looking over at the surface of the water. It was small and didn't have much water in it. She felt strange, but when she looked down and saw herself wearing her school uniform, her eyes widened. 

"What?" She pulled the collar. Her leg hit the camo bag lying next to her and she looked at herself once again in the pond. "No no no no no." She shouted as she went through the bag and found all her belongings were inside. "No!" She screamed as she realised what had happened.

She was back in the Other World.

"No!" She tried putting her hand through the pond and stared at the wet droplets in her hand and starting panicking. "This cannot happen!" She held her forehead with shaking hands. This was worse than what she had thought would happen if she had died. She was back in the Other World. She couldn't get back to Narnia because she didn't know how. 

Caspian was all alone there and she was all alone here.

That was what the pond was about!

"No!" Sophie slammed the ground with her hands until they hurt. "Why!"

She looked at the ring on the necklace glowing. "You." 

The same ring that had once saved her life was the same reason for my departure. She pulled it from her neck and threw it away. She was in the middle of a forest but she could smell smoke in the air. She was stuck in the Other World.

Why was fate working against her?

First, she left her parents to be killed by none other than the person she had just murdered. That made her no better than Jadis. Second, she was taken to where she belonged and after spending what felt like one of the best times of her life, she was brought back to where she was a nobody.

Why was the universe so cruel?

Sophie thought about all the moments where she could have told Caspian so many things and regret washed over her. "No...." she whispered as she let her emotions engulf her.

She knew she had no other choice. She was stuck in the Other World. The water was only a body now and it wasn't going to let her through. Besides, the ring stopped glowing. She grabbed her bag from the ground and drank some water from the water bottle inside. She took a deep breath and walked into the sound of traffic after picking the ring up again, clutching it tightly even if it hurt. There was nowhere else that she could go.

"What?" Confusion spread over her as she came out of the wooded area.

Everything was different. The people were wearing the clothes from the olden days and there were carriages drawn by horses in the roads. She was definitely in a year that was far behind where she was from.

She walked up to a nearby newspaper stand and read it. The war was still going on and she was definitely in the past. Sophie had no idea what she was supposed to do. She didn't know anyone. She couldn't ask for anyone's help. She was literally a nobody. How was she supposed to live in a place where she wasn't even born yet?

She needed to go somewhere and there was only one place that popped up in her mind. It was the only place she could go in that situation. She asked the person next to her for directions and he was kind enough to point it out to her. She thanked him and walked to her destination, which was nearby, thank goodness.

Sophie opened the tall wooden door while her hand was shaking. She had to use her right hand to stop the left one from shaking. Her worst nightmare had come true. Nothing mattered anymore. The choir sang their second song as the new person entered. The church was empty but right in front of her at the end of the aisle was who she wanted to see - God.

She sat down at one of the seats and brought her hands together. 

"Did I do something wrong, Aslan? You sent me to Narnia and now, I'm back to this world. But this isn't the time where I'm from. Why did you send me back? What did I do?" 

She kept asking that over and over again. The place that she thought was her home all her life wasn't the home that she needed. When she found her actual home and her place in the world, she was sent back to a place where she was a nobody. 

"I made only one promise to him, Aslan," said Sophie. "One promise to...." She couldn't say his name without breaking down inside all over again. "And I broke it just because I needed answers. Please, Aslan. Tell me what to do. Please show me a sign."

Right then, the silence in the room was broken by the door opening behind her and a family walked in - a mother, a father and three children. The children were younger than Sophie. There were two boys and one girl. They walked in right till they reached the aisle where Sophie sat at. The parents looked at her and decided to sit down on the opposite side, not wanting to disturb her grieving. 

"Come here." The mother told the children.

The children looked at her and she turned around to not face them. "Are you okay, miss?" The girl asked her.

Sophie looked at the girl's blue eyes and wiped the dried tears from her own face. She must have looked like a mess to everyone here when she wasn't wearing the dress appropriate for the era. "I'm fine. Thank you."

The girl gave Sophie a polite smile. Her brother touched her arm and she sat down with her family. After some time, another voice spoke to her. "Are you okay, miss?" The father asked. "No one should have to come to the house of the Lord and cry."

"That's very kind of you, sir." Sophie stood up and saw that the family was getting ready to leave as well. "Is there a place I can find nearby where I can stay for the night?" She had enough money with her to spend one night outside to figure the rest in the morning. Everything would be better in the morning, right?

"There is a small hotel at the end of the street," said the mother and started walking out of the seat. It was very obvious that she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Sophie was about to thank them when the father said, "Wait. Why don't you stay with us?"

"What!" One of the boys exclaimed. He had blonde hair and freckles on his nose.

"We can't possibly-" The mother started.

"You were the one who told me around a week back that you would have loved to have a daughter to talk to." The elder man told his wife. "And this young lady needs help."

"But I'm a complete stranger," said Sophie, blinking in confusion. "It's very sweet of you but-"

"You're completely right," said the mother, with a different tone in her voice.

"Exactly."

"Not you, dear." The mother told Sophie. "You're completely right, Harold." She told her husband. "We should definitely help her out." She nodded. "Can you help around the house?" She asked Sophie.

"Y-yes." Sophie found it very strange. They did not know her at all. They were complete strangers and yet, they were letting her into their home.

"I know it must be strange," said the father after reading her expression. "We don't really know each other."

"I was thinking that." Sophie managed to smile.

"We are pacifists, dear. Someone told us a while ago that we should help someone in need if we want our family to be together and peaceful."

"Harold!" The woman called out from near the door and the father walked up to them.

"Welcome," said the girl with a smile on her face as the other three started to leave.

"Welcome, I guess," said her brother.

"Thank you," said Sophie, picking her bag up.

"I can take that for you," he said as he tried to help Sophie.

"Thank you but I think I'll carry it for now."

"My name's Lucy and this is Edmund." The girl introduced themselves.

Sophie's eyes were wide open immediately. "Wait. Hold on. Lucy and Edmund?" She pointed to the two of them. "Pevensie?"

The siblings were very confused and curious. They looked at each other at someone recognising them like this. "Yes," said Edmund. "How did you know?"

"Lucy the Valiant." Sophie nodded at Lucy. "And Edmund the Just." She pointed to Edmund.

"Oh my God," said Lucy, realising what this meant.

"You're from Narnia?" Edmund asked.

Sophie smiled. Maybe her life wasn't doomed after all. "We have a lot to talk about."

- End of Act Two -

*****
Dun Dun Dun!!!!!!
I'll leave you with this manip for now while I work on editing the third book.

Sorry MilaBlue05