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❝You can't wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.❞
Two weeks had passed since the Narnians plus the four human and the Telmarine king left the second island. The weather got really awful after a week, painting the sky with darkness, only the periodic brightness of lightning irradiated the canopy of heaven.
"No one never listens, this wallpaper glistens, don't let them see what goes down in the kitchen," Isabelle sang under her breath while sitting on her bed with her phone in her hand and earphone in her right ear.
It was another sleepless night for the young girl, so she was scrolling through her phone's gallery with a delicate but definitely happy smile on her face. Suddenly something struck a blow in her ear, apart from the music, and it came from the other side of the door. She placed the earphones and phone on the bed and stood up to investigate the noise's source. Her grasp tightened on her wand before she opened the door.
"Izzy!" Lucy's eyes widened as she saw the wand pointed at her.
"Lucy, don't scare me like that!" Isabelle lowered her wand, relief filled her voice at the sight of her friend. She thought someone would want to murder her, her being that paranoic. "What are you doing here? It's like two in the morning. You scared me, I could've hexed you."
When she said this, the younger girl's eyes quivered, and her chin quaked as she tried to hold back her tears.
Isabelle realised then. "Have you read that spell? And spoke with Aslan?" she asked in surprise. She didn't even notice how fast time went.
Lucy nodded. Isabelle pulled her into a hug and felt her shoulder getting wet. The Valiant Queen was crying. The tears on her face were racing at great speed, making her face shiny and her eyes swollen within seconds. Isabelle called a tissue with a flick of her wand and handed it to Lucy.
The witch felt her heart breaking as she heard the other gasping for air from the crying. She had never thought the nightmare would have affected her that badly. "Shh, calm down," Isabelle said softly and led her to the bed.
Lucy looked at her with horrid expression. "It was so horrible," she whispered and let her tears flow down her cheeks.
Isabelle watched her worriedly. "I know," she stroked her back, trying to comfort the girl.
"I don't want to vanish from existence," Lucy winced. She didn't need to tell her friend the details of her dream, she was conscious of the knowledge of the girl.
"You won't, it was only a nightmare," Isabelle continued comforting her. "Listen to me carefully," she spoke up after a couple minutes. "You don't need to look like your sister to be pretty. You are one of the kindest and most beautiful girls I've ever seen. Your bravery would make any man jealous. Remember, you were named 'The Valiant' for a reason. And your beauty would make any woman jealous. Those bright eyes with such joy within, perfectly wavy hair, flawless face and your beautiful soul as well. They are perfect in their own way."
Lucy snuffled but a very tiny smile crept on her face. "Do you mean it? Or are you just saying it because you don't want to hurt me?" she asked, sounding as vulnerable as Isabelle had never heard her.
"No, definitely not. I mean it. You are beautiful just the way you are," she smiled at her reassuringly, however, Lucy still seemed too sorrowful, so she decided to do what she always needed when she was upset. She sang.
Look at me, I will never pass for a perfect bride, or a perfect daughter
Can it be, I'm not meant to play this part
Now I see, that if I were truly to be myself,
I would break my family's heart
Who is that girl I see, staring straight back at me
Why is my reflection someone I don't know
Somehow I cannot hide
Who I am, though I've tried
When will my reflection show, who I am, inside
When will my reflection show, who I am inside
"Wow," Lucy could only say this after the girl was done with the singing. "Are you sure we are the ones that don't exist? You can do anything."
"Don't exaggerate!" Isabelle chuckled perplexedly.
Lucy shook her head. "I am not!" she laughed, wiping away the remaining tears on her face. "You are too perfect for the real world," she smiled affectionately.
Isabelle hid behind her hands but gave herself a point in mind for making the girl smile. "You embarrass me, Lucy."
"No, no. You're perfect the way you are," she said wisely with a smile and removed the other girl's hands from her face.
Isabelle rolled her eyes because she had said it to her just minutes before. "At least you were listening," she muttered.
"Why are you so kind?" Lucy asked all of a sudden, causing Isabelle to furrow her brows in confusion. "I haven't seen you get angry at anyone. Even when Edmund was a jerk, dare I say, you were cool about it. I have noticed you two made peace, and I can't be happier. But even when Eustace is unbearable and says something stupid, you are not offended or anything. How can you do that?"
"I have no idea," Isabelle admitted. "I don't think anyone deserves to be treated badly," she said honestly.
"But how can you stay calm all the time? I have only seen you getting angry when Edmund told me that witches are evil."
"That made me lose my shit because we had been together for a long time, and he still called me that. But we're good now. I mean, I hope we are, and I hope that his perspective has also changed," the witch explained. "I probably got my good nerves from my aunt. She's the calm person in our family. I mean, we all are somehow, but she is like super-calm." She smiled warmly, thinking about Corinne.
"Good for you. My family has a problem with patience and calmness," Lucy rolled her eyes which made Isabelle laugh.
She put her hand on her mouth, trying not to laugh like a cow. "Do you want to go check on Edmund? To make sure he's okay," she suggested.
Lucy nodded. Isabelle grabbed her hand, and they walked to Caspian's and Edmund's room which wasn't so far from the elder girl's.
"You're not coming in?" Lucy whispered when Isabelle stopped before they could step into the room.
She shook her head. "I should go back to my room," she whispered back.
Lucy nodded unsurely so Isabelle left her in front of the room after she sent her a warm smile, and she decided to go out to the main deck. She barely stepped out into the fresh air when she bumped into someone. "Sor-" she started but her voice died away. "Impossible," she whispered in shock after she saw the person standing in front of her.
The woman had shoulder-length dark brown lank hair, the same dark brown piercing eyes as the girl's, and the same height as hers. She looked at her with that light smile she always had. She barely changed anything since Isabelle saw her the last time. The only obnoxious thing about her was a hole in her chest. Right where her heart was. The beige coloured shirt was dark red around the little hole.
"Nancy?" Isabelle asked, her voice broke.
"Hello, little sister. Did you miss me?" she asked, walking closer.
"How- how is this possible?" Isabelle gulped, trying to stay calm, which, of course, was impossible.
"Do you know why I am dead?" Nancy questioned, ignoring her sister's question. Her face turned deadly serious in one second.
"This is just a dream. This is just a dream," Isabelle ran through her hair with her fingers, shaking her head.
"Because of a little shitty ten years old," Nancy answered her own question, moved closer, and Isabelle stepped automatically back. She looked behind her when something hard hit her feet, and she saw a dead tree trunk. She drove her attention back to her sister who continued to speak. "You are the reason why I am dead, you are the only one responsible. You should have died instead of me, you are way too vulnerable and insignificant, nobody ever loved you."
Someone stepped out from Nancy's back. "Hey, boo."
"Eric," Isabelle stated, knitting her brows in confusion.
"You know, Belle. I think I actually enjoyed playing with you. Your little emotions were like toys to me. You would think I regretted it, but in fact, I don't think I ever will." He clicked his tongue and laughed.
"See? Nobody loves you," Nancy crossed her arms with a pleased smile.
After she said that, Isabelle heard shouts. She turned around and looked down. "No!" she cried out, tears forming in her eyes. Behind her, there was the dark sea, and in it, there were her friends, both drowning. "Al! Scorp!" she cried desperately and looked for something to help them.
"Hopeless. They are dead," Nancy said, and with that, the shouts were cut off like when someone turns off the music with one press.
"Nance, you are my sister. Why are you doing this to me?" Isabelle whispered after she looked down and saw both Albus and Scorpius lying on the surface, looking pale and lifeless. Tears were running down the girl's cheeks like a river from the sight, and she swore she heard her heart cracking loudly.
"You deserve death," Nancy declared while Isabelle was wiping her tears, still sobbing. "If your friends die, why could not you die with them? You are nobody without them, and you know that very well. Mother has always loved me better. Father did not even get to know you, while I was his princess." An evil smile crept on the dead female's face.
"And do you think your little freak friends love you? They don't even exist. They're just fictional characters for children," Eric added, laughing gleefully, and the elder sister did the same.
They both began to walk towards the shocked weeping girl while they were laughing, and again, she automatically stepped back. With that, she bumped into the periphery of the ship and fell over.