𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕄𝕒𝕘𝕟𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕖𝕟𝕥 - ᵖᵉᵗᵉʳ ᵖᵉᵛᵉⁿˢⁱᵉ

꧁Tʜᴇ Aɪʀ Rᴀɪᴅ꧂

The Air Raid Horns had started up again. Spotlights hit the sky and flooded homes with a blinding white light.

Katherine leapt up from her makeshift bed in Susan and Lucy's room and grabbed some essentials before making her way to the bomb shelter with Susan close on her heels.

As they passed the living room they saw Helen pull Edmund away from the window before yelling for Peter to fetch him. Peter pushed passed the girls as he ran into the room and grabbed Edmund.

Susan and Katherine almost made it to the door when Susan suddenly spun on her heel.

"My books!" she cried out and made a lunge for the passageway. Katherine grabbed her and tugged her back quickly.

"You get to the bunkers, I'll grab them for you" Katherine ran off before Susan could argue.

When she got to the room she reached for Susan's bedside table and heard a wail. Lucy was still in her bed with her hands covering her ears, eyes screwed shut.

"Lucy" she yelled over the horns noise.

The little girl opened her eyes and reached out to Katherine. With Susan's books in one hand, she grabbed Lucy and hauled her out the bed. Together they ran down the hall and caught up with Helen and Susan outside.

She pushed Lucy in front of her and glanced behind her to see the boys. Lucy and Susan were screaming as Peter yelled behind them. Katherine grabbed Edmund's hand in hopes of getting him in front of her so that he might reach the bunker even if she did not.

However just as Helen reached the bunker door he twisted out of her grip and spun around.

"Wait, Dad!" he cried out referring to the picture frame of Mr Pevensie in the living room.

Next to it was a frame of her parents. She hadn't even thought of it and now she wanted nothing more than to run inside with him. She motioned forward but Helen grabbed her quickly and pulled her back.

"Go, I'll get him!" Peter yelled to his mother before dashing into the house himself.

Mrs Pevensie cried out for them in vain but it was no use. She dragged Katherine towards the bunker as if by pulling Katherine she might pull her boys in too. Katherine followed limply, melting into Helen's grip as though if by staying in Helen's arms she could hide from the horrors that were unfolding.

She hadn't realized she was crying until Helen was wiping them away.

Katherine sat down by Susan who wrapped her arms around her best friend. Katherine now wept. Little Lucy held Katherine's hands in her own and hushed her.

The war had brought a wave of emotions to Katherine that she had never experienced in such drastic amounts. Every day she watched the lawn to see what the postman would bring.

She saw the yellow telegrams in his bag and by some miracle every day no yellow telegrams made their way into the Pevensie postbox.

Yet every day she grew more and more worried that a yellow telegram would arrive for her with three words in the letter. Killed In Action. Missing In Action. Prisoner Of War. Wounded In Action. She did not know which one was worse.

The war had taken her mother and father far away from her and she did not know if she would ever see them again.  

"I hate this stupid war" Katherine spoke bitterly through her tears. "It's taken my parents away... I just want my mother and father home" Susan rubbed her friends back comfortingly whilst Lucy hugged her side.

Suddenly a dropped bomb made Katherine jolt from their grasps. She ran to the door where Helen stood to see the bomb had dropped near one side of the house. Where the living room was.

"No!" Katherine yelled as she surged forward but Helen held her back with tears in her eyes.

Katherine writhed in Helen's vice-like grip in attempts to run inside.

"Helen Please! Helen, let me go inside I can find them! Helen!" She pleaded whilst trying to free herself.

She dropped quickly to her hands and knees breaking Helen's hold and was just about to run when she saw the two figures running out the house. She called out to them as more bombs dropped, moving back into the bomb shelter with Helen so they could have a clear run.

She stretched her hand out to Edmund as he ran through but Peter pushed him through the opening. She stared in shock at Edmund who held his father's portrait in one hand and her parents in his other. The glass on the frames had broken and Edmund clutched onto both tightly.

"You don't think about anyone but yourself, you're so selfish, you could have gotten us killed" Peter yelled.

Katherine rushed over to Edmund who was sobbing softly on the floor. He looked up at Peter who was red with rage. Katherine just glared at Peter. How dare he push Ed? He is only 11.

"Stop" Helen yelled at Peter before looking over to Edmund who was now being cradled by Katherine.

Edmund stretched out the frame to his mother before looking up at Katherine,

"Here Kat. I thought you would want it"

She hugged the small boy tightly before helping him up and setting him by his mother. Helen held him close to her. She still had her sons, she had never felt so relieved.

"Why can't you just do as you're told," Peter said as Edmund looked up to him hopelessly.

Peter glared at his younger brother before turning around and yanking the bunker door shut.

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂

They sat in the dark for a few minutes, Peter cooled down and Edmund stopped sobbing. Then Susan fumbled for her torch before hanging it on a hook in the ceiling.

A dim light lit the room as the children made their way to their beds. Once they were all tucked in Helen turned the light back off. Lucy and Helen shared the double bed whilst Susan, Edmund, Peter and Katherine shared bunks.

Peter and Susan were on the top bunks and Edmund and Katherine were on the bottom. Partly because Katherine was sleeping in Lucy's bunk and partly because of her fear of heights. She said goodnight to Susan above her before turning to Edmund's general direction.

"Thank you for bringing my parent's frame" she whispered in the dark.

"Um actually-" Edmund began before a pillow swung from above and muffled him.

"Can you all please shut up" Peter scoffed in the darkness.

Katherine huffed as his bunk bed creaked. The sound of fabric on metal was heard as Peter pulled his pillow back up and turned away. Or at least she thought he did, it was hard to tell in the pitch black.

"Er- Your Welcome" Edmund finished off before turning over himself and going to bed.

Katherine wasn't really sure what had just occurred but she chalked it up to boys being boys and sighed before falling into a dreamless sleep.

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1180 Words

Hope you are all enjoying the book so far. I have started other books before but never finished the whole plot so I really want to work hard on this one. Please remember I would love any feedback or constructive criticism that you can send my way. I would also really appreciate your votes as it gives me the motivation to persevere in my writings. 😊

Sending love your way,

Katie Elmé 💕💕