THE BRIGHT.

chapter one, the countryside.
[ before narnia ]

WHEN ROSE PEVENSIE WAS NOTHING BUT A CHILD, SHE DREAMT.

She dreamt of a kingdom, a magical land, creatures, witches, a great lion.

But now, in the awful time of the war against the Germans, the children in Great Britain are being evacuated for their own safety.

Rose and her four siblings are being taken to a home in the countryside. It's home to a professor, with rolling hills and a shining sun, they've heard. It'll be nothing like they're home here in the city. The city is full of rain and people who litter, it smells.

They now stand in a crowded train station that's full of other parents, mainly their mother's, sending their children off to safer places.

"If Dad were he wouldn't make us go." Edmund says with the roll of his eyes.

Rose looks over at her younger brother. There is a glare in her eyes. Peter, her only older sibling, speaks up, "if Dad were here, it'd mean the war was over."

"You will listen to your brother and sister, won't you, Edmund?" Their mother, Helen Pevensie, asks. Rose glances at her from where she stands beside Lucy, her youngest sister's hand clasped within her own.

She makes a move to embrace him, but Edmund flinches away from her touch. A look of hurt flashes across their mother's face. Only the two eldest see it as she quickly regains her composure for the sake of her children.

Shs then moves to Peter. He does not move away from her touch. In fact, he leans into it. She says to him, "promise me you'll look out for them."

"I will, Mum." Peter agrees.

The two separate. This allows their mother to move to her eldest daughter. Rose's eyes scan her mother's face. She can see the fear and sadness in her eyes. She doesn't want to send her children away. She doesn't want to have to fear for her husband's life every single day as he fights the Germans in this war. But, war is inevitable. He is fighting for the good, not the evil.

Rose lets go of Lucy's hand and embraces her mother. Helen hugs her back. "Be safe, Mum." She whispers to her.

"Of course." She says back.

When they pull away, Helen brushes a piece of Rose's nearly brown hair away from her face. "Look after them, my Girl. Even Peter."

"I will." She nods.

Helen bids farewell to Lucy and Susan. After saying goodbye to her youngest two daughters' she watches with saddened eyes as they walk into the train and into a compartment.

And when the train finally starts to roll away from London, all the siblings can do is stick their heads from the window and wave goodbye to their mother.

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The Pevensie siblings are the last on the train. When it comes to a screeching halt, Rose looks up fron where she'd been toying with the ring around her middle finger. Her eyes scan thre land outside of the window. There is a platform, and a large sign. The sun shines here.

One-by-one, from eldest to youngest, the five siblings file from the train. They set their luggage by their feet as the trains leaves. They all stare at the sign above them. It reads, COOMBE HALT.

The sound of a revving engine causes them to all look away from the sign. They all watch as an automobile drives down the dirt road. It drives right last them and over the tracks.

"The professor knew we were coming." Peter states.

"Perhaps we've been incorrectly labeled." Edmund suggests.

"You're making us sound like lab rats, Ed." Rose glances down at her brother.

"Shut up." Edmund snaps at her.

Edmund is smacked in the head. He whirls around, hitting Rose back. She hits him again.

"Stop it." Peter tells the two as the sound of hooves hitting the ground fills their ears.

The two fighting siblings drop their arms to their sides as a woman rounds a bush. She sits atop a wagon being pulled by a beautiful white horse.

She pulls the reigns, stopping the horse. They stare at her. She stares right back at them.

"Mrs. Macready?" Peter asks.

"I'm afraid so." She says with a sigh, "is this it, then? Haven't you brought anything else?"

"No ma'am. It's just us." Peter sheepishly says.

"Small favors." She nods towards to wagon.

Hastily, the siblings are grabbing their bags off of the ground and rushing down the steps of the platform. They all load their belongings onto the trailer and get into it.

They sit in an awkward silence as Mrs. Macready orders the horse to go. The ride is silent and tense. All Rose can do is look out at the countryside before her.

When they arrive at the mansion, the siblings can do nothing but marvel at the great big home. They barley hear the woman as she orders them off the wagon and into the house.

Slowly, they all follow her inside and up the stairs.

"Professor Kirke is not accustomed to havin' children in this house. And, as such, there are a few rules we need to follow. There will be no shoutin'. Or runnin'. No improper use of the dumbwaiter." She tells them.

Susan begins to reach for a statue's head. Mrs, Macready gasps. Susan jerks back. "No touchin' of the historical artifacts! And above all, there shall be no disturbin' of the professor."

She leads them to their rooms. The sisters are in one room together while their brother's are right down the hall.

Rowe drops her luggage onto the ground beside her bed. She flops down. Lucy joins her seconds later. She allows her sister to curl into her side.

Lucy sniffles as she fights back tears. This causes Rose to hold her even tighter and Susan and Peter to come sit on the bed with them.

"The sheets feel scratchy." Lucy mumbles.

"Wars don't last forever, Lucy. We'll be home soon." Susan tells her.

"Yeah, if home's still there." Edmund pipes.

"Isn't it time you went to bed?" Susan asks.

Rose glares at her younger brother. "Must you have a negative follow up comment after everything we say?"

"Yes, Mum." Edmund rolls his eyes.

"Ed!" Peter raises his voice. All four of his siblings look to him . "You saw outside. This place is huge. We can do whatever we want here. Tomorrow's going to be great. Really."

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The following day, Lucy demands a game of hide-and-seek. And much to Edmund's dismay, the rest agree.

With Peter as the seeker, the rest rush about the house to search for a hiding place. Rose wedges herself between the wall and a bookshelf.

She smiles to herself because she knows she is the reigning champion of this game. Peter will never find her here.

And then, she hears Lucy. "I'm back! It's alright! I'm back!"

Rosen brows knit together. "What?"

She steps out of her hiding spot just as Peter rounds the corner. He looks just as confused as her. "What's she going on about?" He asks.

"No idea," Rose shrugs.

The two follow the sound of Lucy and Edmund's arguing voices through the house until they find them. When they round the corner, Peter starts, "you know, I'm not sure you two have quite got the idea of the game."

"Weren't you wondering where I was?" Lucy's brown furrow.

"That's the point. That was why he was seeking you." Edmund says sarcastically.

"Does this mean I win?" Susan asks as she rounds the corner. Peter and Rose both look back at her.

"I don't think Lucy wants to play anymore." Peter sighs.

"I've been gone for hours." Lucy gapes.

Rose stares at her. She is beginning to wonder if Lucy is going mad. "What do you mean, hours?"

"There's a magical land! I was in the woods! In the wardrobe in the spare room. It's called Narnia. I met a faun named Mr. Tumnus!" Lucy rambles on.

Rose's eyes widen. She doesn't say another word. All she can think of are her dreams. The dreams that have plagued her mind since she was a child.

She can hear the voice of the lion.

And to the green Western Plain, Queen Rose, The Bright.

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Lucy leads them to room where she had hidden. It's empty, save for a single wooden wardrobe and a sheet on the ground.

Susan pulls the wardrobe open. She reaches in, knocking against the wood in the back of it. She pulls away, looking back at her younger sister, "Lucy, the only wood in here is the back of the wardrobe."

"One game at a time, Lu. We don't all have your imagination." Peter scoffs.

Peter turns to leave first. Rose, Susan, and Edmund follow.

Lucy cries out, "but I wasn't imaging!"

"That's enough, Lucy." Susan demands, looking back at her.

"I wouldn't lie about this!" Lucy shouts, hating the fact her siblings are accusing her of lying.

"Well, I believe you." Edmund starts.

"You do?" Lucy asks.

"Yeah, of course. Didn't I tell you about the football field in the cupboards?" He grins.

Rose shoves him, "will you just stop it? You have to make everything worse, don't you?"

"It was just a joke!" Edmund defends himself.

"When are you gonna learn to grow up?" Peter rolls his eyes.

Edmund steps toward, getting in Peter's face. "Shut up! You think you're Dad but you're not!"

He then turns to rush off.

Susan huffs, looking between Rose and Peter, "well, that was nicely handled." She, too, walks away from them.

"But. . ." Lucy says weakly, "it really was there."

"Susan's right, Lucy. That's enough." Peter says just before he leaves.

"I believe you, Lu." Rose says suddenly.

"You do?" She asked.

"Yeah, I really do." Rose nods. She looks forward as the two walk from the room. She fidgets with the ring on her finger. "I've been having dreams since I was little about a place called Narnia."

"Really?" Lucy asks with hopeful eyes, "what happened in your dreams?"

"I was crowned queen. It's the same every night." Rose tells her with a shrug. "Always the same."

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The following night Rose was woken up by Lucy pouncing on her, "Rose! It was there again! Wake up! Susan, wake up!"

Rose looks up to see Edmundsnd standing in the doorway. Susan grumbles as she stirs.

Lucy leaps off of the bed and rushes to wake Peter. Rose and Susan roll out of bed to follow behind their sister as Edmund joins them.

"You've just been dreaming, Lu." Susan says as Lucy wakes Peter.

"But I haven't! I saw Mr. Tumnus again! And this time Edmund went too." Lucy exclaims.

All three pair of eyes shoot to Edmund. Peter asks, "you. . . you saw the faun?"

"Well, he didn't actually go there with me. He. . . what were you doing, Edmund?" Lucy questions.

"I was just playing along. I'm sorry, Peter. I shouldn't have encouraged her but you know what little children are like these days. They just don't know when to stop pretending." Edmund says.

Lucy stares at him for a moment. Tears well in her eyes. And then she bolts from the room.

Edmund looks back st his older siblings with a mean smirk on his face. Rose scoffs, she pushes past him, shoving him into the wall. Susan turns to follow her. Peter gets out go bed to follow behind his sisters.

They round a corner.

All three of them freeze.

Lucy has her arms wrapped around the torso of a figure. Her face is buried in their stomach. The old man looks up at them.

Professor Kirke.

"You children are one shenanigan shy of sleepin' in the stable!" Mrs. Macready's voice fills their ears. As she, too, rounds the corner, she stops, "Professor. I'm sorry. I told them you were not to be disturbed."

"It's alright, Mrs. Macready. I'm sure there's an explanation. But first of all, I think this one is in need of a little hot chocolate." The professor says.

Macready leads Lucy off towards the kitchen.

Rose, Peter, and Susan all make a move to leave but are stopped by Professor Kirke clearing his throat. Rose closes her eyes. They're in so much trouble, she thinks to herself.

He gestures for them to follow him into his office. They listen. As they walk into the forbidden room, he speaks up. "You seem go have upset the delicate internal balance of my housekeeper."

"We're very sorry, sir. It won't happen again." Peter apologizes hastily.

"It's our sister, sir. Lucy." Susan starts.

"The weeping girl." He acknowledges.

"Yes, sir. She's upset." Susan nods.

"Hence the weeping." Kirke says.

"It's nothing. We can handle it." Rose tells him.

"Oh, I can see that." Kirke sarcastically says. This cause Rose to narrow her eyes. Who he is to make assumptions about the way they will take on a situation involving their sister?

"She thinks she's found a magical land. In the upstairs wardrobe." Susan rolls her eyes

The professors eyes snap to her. 

"What did you say?" He questions.

Rose watches as the man shakily sits down on one of the sofas. Susan and Peter sit down on the other. Hesitantly, Rose sits beside Peter.

"The wardrobe, upstairs. Lucy thinks she's found a forest inside." Peter explains.

"She won't stop going on about it." Susan continues.

"What was it like?" He asks, wonder in his old eyes.

"Like talking to a lunatic." Susan states.

Professor Kirke shakes his head. "No, no, no. Not her. The forest."

Rose straightens. "How did you know it was a forest? We never said that?"

"You're not saying you believe her?" Peter asks.

"You don't?" Professor Kirke raises an eyebrow.

"But, of course not! I mean, logically, it's impossible." Susan tells the man.

"What do they teach in schools these days?" He mumbles to himself.

"Edmund said they were just pretending."

"He's usually the more truthful one, is he?" The professor asks.

"No. This would be the first time."

"Well, if she's not mad and she's not lying, then logically we just assume she's telling the truth." The professor quirks a brow at them.

"You're saying we should just believe her?" Peter narrows his eyes.

"She's your sister, isn't she? She's your family. You might just try acting like one." Professor Kirke suggests. 

"I believe her." Rose states.

Professor Kirke's eyes dart to her. "What did you say?"

"I believe her." Rose says. Peter and Susan look over at her. "Ever since I was a child, I've had dreams about this place called Narnia. In it, I was crowned queen by a faun named Mr. Tumnus. Just like the one Lucy claims to have met. It was an every night dream." She explains.

The others all stare at her in shock and disbelief.

"Is that all?" He asks.

She nods, "yes sir."

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word count: 2,447

here is the very first rewritten chapter of the bright!!! i'm so excited to actually be committed to rewriting this book. i started editing it two year ago and never continued past this chapter actually. but i am actually committed this time. 

why did i decide to rewrite? well, the other day the electricity went out at my house during the night and i have to have noise to sleep. so i turned on the third narnia movie because it's one of the old two movies i have downloaded on my ipad. and boom. it hit me. not to mention, this book is my second most read book. 

why does rose dream of narnia? you'll find out at the end of this act. unless you've already read this book then you know why.

but rose being the second oldest just makes so much sense because she is so insanely protective of her siblings, even peter.

anyway, i hope you guys are just as excited as i am about the rewrite for this story!!!