he traps her between his body and the wall, between his body and the bed, between his body and the cold stone floor and it's almost too much for susan, when edmund gets like this, but she welcomes the chance to fight and to fuck at the same time because she doesn't know which she wants to do more of these days. peter has been missing for two weeks, and although they have felt his absence before, this absence from absence seems like unnecessary cruelty and infuses them with a deep agoraphobia. they fuck and bite and don't leave bruises where other people can see, except for the one time their mother comments on a scratch on the side of edmund's neck, red and vicious.

"those boys at school?" she asks.

and what can he say? he says yes.

susan adds, "i'm sure he can take care of himself, mother."

"that's not the point," says mrs. pevensie, but everyone already knows this all too well.