𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 ━ edmund pevensie¹

Three

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❞𝕮𝖚𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖈𝖚𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊𝖗❞

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━━━━━━━１９９０

THE NEXT day it rained buckets. Cornelia was disappointed that she wouldn't be able to explore the grounds but she could at least get started with the second floor. With her fingers curled around the glass lion that still— amazingly— held heat from its spot by the window and Alice in Wonderland tucked underneath her other arm, the girl began her exploration. The most interesting thing she found was in the library where an old woman sat on the couch with a large book in her lap.

After knocking gently on the door jam so as to not startle her, Cornelia approached her carefully, "Miss Susan?"

The white-haired woman didn't look up from the book. Instead, in a strong yet faint voice, she said, "gastrovascular."

"I'm sorry?"

Turning to look at the girl, she repeated, "gastrovascular, do you know what it means?"

"Um, no, I don't, sorry," Cornelia apologized. Despite her vast knowledge of words, this was one she hadn't heard before. As she took a seat in the chair next to the couch, she asked, "is it Latin?"

A faint, sad smile flickered over the woman's face, "yes. For 'the worst game ever invented.'"

The eleven-year-old frowned, "I'm not sure I understand."

"It's alright," the woman brushed it off, "your family is the one taking care of the house now, yes?"

"Yes, I'm Cornelia," the girl introduced herself.

Miss Susan tilted her head as her brows furrowed in thought, "I knew a Cornelia, once. She was my brother's soulmate. I always thought the name was very pretty."

"Thank you, Miss Susan. I like yours as well. It means 'lily flower,' right?"

"Yes," she answered, sounding slightly surprised, "how did you know that?"

"I read a book with a character named Susan in it and I wanted to know what the name meant, so I looked it up," Cornelia answered.

The older woman gave her a curious look, "do you like research, Cornelia?"

"It depends on what it is. I love reading and history so I'm a pretty good researcher. I also have eidetic memory so I can remember everything I read which is very helpful."

"I can imagine it is," Miss Susan mused, "well, I grew up in the 1940s during World War Two, so if you'd like to ask me any questions I'd be happy to be a primary source."

The girl lit up happily, "oh, thank you! My dad said I could ask you but warned me not to pester you with too many questions as I usually have a lot, so let me know if I'm getting too nosy, okay?"

"Of course, dear. Not to worry, there's hardly any subject I won't talk about. I am particularly proficient in the social setting of the 1940s. My brother, Edmund, was always more interested in the war aspect, though I made an effort to understand what he was talking about."

At the name Edmund, Cornelia's heart gave a painful thump as it always did at relatively close names. In her class, there were Edmunds, Edwards, Pevensies, and even an Edmund Pennyfair, which had given her quite the scare until she'd realized it hadn't been 'Pevensie.' She sat up straighter, "could I learn about Edmund?"