Ch. 3 Leaving London
Elizabeth walks down the stairs and joins her family in the living room. She thanked one of the soldiers, who took her luggage and put it in a military van with the rest of her siblings' belongings.
" Is everyone ready?" One of the soldiers asked Helen.
" We are ready," Helen responded.
" Alright. Get into the van. We are going to take you all to Kings' Cross Station," The soldiers informed the family.
Lucy went to stand beside her eldest sister and grabbed her hand tightly. She walked out of the house with her family and watched all of her nearby neighbors, mainly the mothers and children, get inside the military vans.
She heard plane engines and lifted her head, seeing the British Armed Forces planes fly past her neighborhood.
" Come on, Lucy. Let's get inside," Elizabeth ushered her youngest sister into the military van.
Lucy gets inside and sits between her mother and eldest sister. She watched Susan sit between Peter and Edmund across from them. She felt the military van begin to move, and she looks out the window, watching her childhood home get smaller and smaller as they leave their hometown.
" Mummy," Lucy turns her gaze to her mother.
" Yes, Dear," Helen looks at her youngest daughter.
" Why aren't you coming with us?" Lucy asked.
Elizabeth and her three siblings look at Helen and Lucy.
" Mummy has to ensure that our house stays safe from the War," Helen responded.
Tears welled up in Lucy's eyes.
" I am going to miss you, Mummy!" She hugs her mother.
" I will miss you too, Sweetheart," Helen hugs her youngest daughter and comforts her.
" I still don't see why we must live at a stranger's house," Edmund murmured.
" He's a friend of our Father's, Edmund," Peter responded.
" And he is courteous enough to let a young adult and four children live with him at his home," Susan spoke afterward.
" But in the countryside?" Edmund whined.
" Couldn't we live with Uncle Harold and his family?" He frowned.
" Edmund. Your Uncle and his family live in central London, where the War is severe. He and your Aunt is also sending their child away for their safety," Helen looks at her youngest son.
Elizabeth looked at her mother worryingly at the mention of her Aunt and Uncle's. She remembers her maternal cousin fondly, ten-year-old Eustance Scrubb. He was the same age as Edmund.
' I hope he is okay wherever he is at,' She speaks internally.
An hour later, the military van arrived at King's Cross Station in London, England. Elizabeth and her family exited the vehicle and helped the soldiers take out their luggage from the car and onto a train cart.
" Let's go, children," Helen ushered her children to follow the soldiers to King's Cross Station.
Elizabeth tightly grasped her youngest sister's hand with her right and held her youngest brother's hand with her left.
Edmund and Lucy walked beside their eldest sister because they were the youngest of the five.
Peter and Susan walked beside their mother and followed the soldiers to a ticket booth.
" They are the family of Colonel Abraham Pevensie," One of the soldiers told the employee.
Peter and Edmund looked awed when they heard their father was a high-ranking military official.
' I want to be like Dad, someone who is courageous and intelligent on the battlefield,' Peter and Edmund internally speak.
" It says here that Colonel Abraham Pevensie will have his children live with an acquaintance of his, a Professor Kirke, that lives in Devon, England. A three-hour train ride," The employee responded.
" That is correct," Helen nodded.
" I will be staying here in London with my sister-in-law," She spoke. " My eldest daughter, Elizabeth, will be her younger siblings' guardian," She looks at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth looked at the employee and smiled, trying her best to look calm, but internally she was freaking out.
" You and the children will wear these. The ticket inspector will see and know to escort you to the right train station in Devon," The employee gives the badges to Elizabeth for her and her younger siblings to wear.
Elizabeth lets go of her youngest siblings' hands and takes the badges. She wears her and hands Peter and Susan theirs while helping Edmund and Lucy put on theirs.
" Is that all?" Helen asked the employee and soldiers.
" That is all. Gentlemen. Take the Pevensie's to Platform 5. That train will take them to Devon," The employee looks at the soldiers.
The soldiers nodded in response.
" Am I able to watch my children leave?" Helen asked one of the soldiers.
" You can. Stay close to us, though," One of the soldiers responded.
Helen nodded in response and thanked the soldiers.
The soldiers escorted the Pevensies to Platform 5. They grabbed the siblings' luggage and put them inside the train to give the family privacy and say their goodbyes.
" I love you all so much," Helen hugs her children.
" Love you, Mum/Mummy!" Elizabeth and her younger siblings hugged their mother.
Helen kissed her children's forehead one by one. She started with Lucy and ended it with Elizabeth.
A loud whistle grabbed the family's attention, and they heard a conductor informing the crowd that it was time for the train to Reading, Swindon, Chippenham, Bath, Bristol, Weston-super-Mare, Bridgwater, Taunton, and Devon to depart.
" That is you all," Helen looks at her children.
" Alright, everyone. Let's get to the train," Elizabeth looks at her younger siblings.
" Bye, Mummy! Love you!" Lucy waves goodbye while holding her eldest sister's hand.
" Take care! And boys, behave!" Helen waved goodbye while looking at her two sons.
Peter and Edmund nodded in response while waving goodbye to their mother.
" Susan. Help your older sister out with any chores, okay," Helen looks at her second daughter.
Susan nodded in response while waving goodbye to her mother.
Helen stood with the soldiers, watching her five children enter the train with the rest of the young women and children.
Tears started to fall from Helen's eyes, and she prayed to God to look after her children.
Elizabeth escorts her younger siblings to an empty train cabin. She opens the door and ushers them into the room.
" Well. Let's make ourselves comfortable since the ride to Devon is three hours," She enters the room and closes the door behind her.
Peter and Lucy sat to the left of the train cabin, while Susan and Edmund sat to the right. Elizabeth went to sit next to Lucy.
Lucy laid her head on her eldest sister's lap. She closed her eyes and relaxed when she felt her sister brush her fingers on her dark hair.
Susan pulls out a book from her handbag and starts to read. Edmund glanced at his older sister and rolled his eyes.
Peter looked out the window and saw his mother.
" There's Mum!" He shouts, causing him and his siblings to stand.
He opens the window, and his siblings poke their heads out to wave goodbye to their mother.
Helen waved goodbye, looking at them with tears falling from her eyes. She watched the train begin to leave.
Lucy started to cry when she saw her mother cry.
Elizabeth puts her hands on her youngest sister's shoulders, lightly squeezing them to comfort her.
Tears started to fall from Peter, Susan, and Edmund's eyes when they saw their mother cry.
Elizabeth sadly stared at her mother and saw her mouthing out to care for herself and that she would always love her.
The five siblings watched their mother getting smaller and smaller before disappearing out of their eyesight. Elizabeth tells her younger siblings to sit down and get comfortable, which they do.
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