Heart and Home~ Edmund Pevensie

Chapter 1: New arrivals

Thankfully, the Macready had disappeared into one of the many rooms, leaving the corridors deserted. Amelia hated the old bat as much as a cat despises a dog. She would not mind yelling a word or two at the woman who only knew the phrases "Silly Little girl," and "Stop that!", but that was not how her father had raised her. I know she can be a little tough, her father had told her in one of his letters, But as long as you treat her with respect, she will do the same. Besides, where's the fun in having a secret midnight snack if there's no one to chase you after.

Amelia smiled as the memory filled her. That was her father, always the one to turn a bad situation into a better one. Amelia's head swarmed with memories of him as she stalked down the corridors. She remembered his terrible cooking, his constant need to be outside, his love of books, his love for Amelia's mother who had left them so long ago.

As these thoughts filled Amelia's mind, she paid no attention to her steps or direction. It wasn't until she felt a bong sound ringing in her head that she realised she had walked into someone.

Fear ran through as she immediately thought of the Macready. Already she was trying to scramble the words together.

"Mrs. Macready... I... I don't... what... you see –"

"OW!"

That was not Mrs. Macready. Amelia looked up from her place near the wall – where she held onto the mahogany bookshelf for support. There stood not Mrs. Macready, but a boy. He was grumbling curses under his breath as he held his head in pain. Amelia felt the urge to giggle but pushed it down once she heard the string of curses emitting from his mouth. He must be one of the new children, she thought to herself.

"Can you not watch where you're going!" He shouted at her. Amelia jumped back, shocked. His black hair whipped back and forth as he continued his ramble, "I mean come on!"

Amelia was silent for a few moments, not comprehending that this new boy was actually yelling at her. Is he seriously yelling at me for bumping into him?

Frustration suddenly filled her. He was the new boy, new to this environment and new to her. Surely he should be treating her with some moderate amount respect considering that she had been at the manor far longer than he had, "Perhaps you could've made the effort to watch where you were going! Why is it only my fault?"

The boy only got more frustrated once she yelled back at him, "And who do you think you are?"

"Someone who does not like you, and I only met you two minutes ago."

He angrily tugged at his hair before stalking off in the other direction, towards what Amelia assumed were their rooms.

Well, she thought to herself, I may as well go meet the rest of them.

She walked into the kitchen and put the kettle to a boil before getting a small tray ready. On it, she placed teacups, teaspoons, and sugars. She walked around the kitchen, grabbing all the things she needed, her mind raced back to the event that took place only moments ago.

She thought the boy was rather rude, but perhaps she should've just apologized and left it at that. Now there was going to be a riff between her and these new children, and Amelia didn't want that. She would like to make a friend or two during her time here, not an enemy. After six months in almost complete solitude, she could use a friend or two.

Amelia could not dwell on it for long before a small voice echoed from the entrance to the kitchen.

"Um... excuse me?" Amelia whipped around to see a little girl, only around 8 years old, standing in the doorway. Her dark brown bob fell to her shoulders around her pale face.