There was one place she felt alone. It was a tree; a tree with a seat almost carved into its base. Though it was in the middle of a pasture, no one would think of looking for her there... she couldn't go back to the house. Not now.

She needed to be alone. Alone.

Millie could feel tears slipping out of her eyes and down her cheeks, and before she knew it, there were ragged sobs coming from her lips. Clamping a hand over her mouth, she ran faster towards the tree; she was almost there now. Just a little further...

Gradually, the crowd silenced, sensing that Aslan wanted to speak.
His eyes seemed sad. “We must move from this place at once, it will be used for other purposes.” His eyes grew even sadder. “We shall encamp tonight at the Fords of Beruna.”
Once again, the crowd cheered and began to make preparations for the brief journey.

It’s so unfair. They don’t even notice how sad Aslan is, I thought with contempt.

With a deep breath, she stepped across the threshold of the ballroom and into the hall. She started to go for the nearest staircase, but then paused to listen. All was quiet- they were probably outside playing croquet or badminton, giving Millie the perfect opportunity to slip outside the back way without being noticed. Even thought she had wanted to speak to her Grandparents, not facing them would make her much more at ease when it came time to speak to the Doctor. In spite of her jumpy nerves, she was half-rejoicing in being alone in the house when she heard a voice behind her.

I'm always happy to receive feedback about this story. It's one of the bigger projects that I've undertaken in my writing life, and I'm so happy to be sharing it on here! Any comments here or on my blog (www.charlieandmewrite.blogspot.com) would be most appreciated! :D

~~~

She knew just how she was going to tell him. She was going to look him straight in the eye and say, 'Doctor, you will never see me again.'

No no... that's not going to work, Millie thought as she walked home from work.

When she awoke, Millie found herself in the music room. Only it wasn't the music room, it was her room. For a moment, she had thought that she was still in the past, but the realization was that her belongings were in the room.

He's not here. Why on earth was that the first thing that crossed her mind?

What on earth am I going to do?

Millie felt her palms growing sweaty. She hoped and prayed that the Doctor would be long gone by the time she returned, and slowed her pace considerably so that it would take her far longer to reach the house.

How long she wandered in that shaded lane, she could not tell; she had no desire to return home and still less to go back to the present.

And I thought the past would be a relief from my troubles, she thought bitterly.

Millie found herself on the lawn. Sitting, with the others, on a table and chairs that were set up for the express purpose of being used for their tea party. Sitting, staring at her cup, knowing that all eyes were trained on her.

'Millie, you have to go!' Mother had said.

'My mother doesn't take no for an answer, Millie.' Father had said.

'Come on, don't be stuffy!' Gianna had said.

Andrew had merely given her an empathetic look as they got ready to travel in the ballroom. This time, Gianna forced Millie to go first, so that there would be no mistakes or retreats.

It was now mid-April. Millie's ankle had completely healed, and she was now able to take walks through the countryside. Mother was still forbidding her to work, and though she was glad for the extended break, Millie wondered at the decision. Mother still had not found work, and Father was starting to have to go farther away for jobs.

Millie lounged in the music room, looking out the window over the waning March landscape. April was finally coming, and with it, a hope that warmer days would be soon follow. Her recovery had been slow; Dr. Rawlings had said that while her ankle wasn't broken, it was still badly sprained, and that it would take a few weeks for it to heal. Her mother had forbidden her to go to work, though Millie knew how badly they needed the extra money, what with Mother losing her job and Father finding it increasingly harder to find work.