The Three of Avonlea

Chapter 2; Lillith Vallée

 "I know it isn't a particularly normal experience, but it's so romantic, isn't it?" Priscilla Andrews giggled, sighing lovingly as she glanced at her slate. Although it was now blank, she vividly recalled the words that were once written on it by Mr. Phillips.

Lillith Vallée fought the compelling urge to roll her eyes. Prissy was a good friend of hers, but she had grown tired of hearing her fawn over their master, someone who she perceived as a biased pig, hardly a desirable man at all. Lillith was the only person in all of Avonlea that Prissy would express these feelings to, and the only person who knew the infamous rumors that had been spreading around for weeks were true.

Of course, Lillith would never confirm or deny anything, but that didn't stop the younger girls from attempting to pry the information out of her like a hoard of starving piranhas. She was truly sick and tired of the whole sordid ordeal, and she felt it difficult to have the weight of Prissy's love affairs on her shoulders, moreso when the Queens' entrance exams were right around the corner. While it was true they still had many months until they had to take the exams, Lillith had always been very focused on her academics, and had perceived them as being only one month away for at least three months. Although she wasn't sure if an education was something she herself wanted, she liked the idea of having the autonomy to choose her own future.

"Prissy, I really believe you should focus on the entrance exams above all else; there's enough rumors as is. You have so much potential, I'd hate to see it wasted on a premature romance." Lillith sighed, sketching out a dozen math problems, math being a subject she was quite well versed in, despite her distaste towards the field.

"I'm quite aware, but it's so difficult to focus on my education when he's the one who helps me further it." Prissy responded, her voice as airy as her heart. Lillith stared at Prissy for a moment, lowering her eyes with a discontented sigh.

"You truly are a lost cause." chuckled Lillith. Though she and Prissy weren't the best of friends, they had a mutual liking for one another, despite their numerous differences.

Even appearance wise, the two were nothing alike, Prissy with her straight, golden blonde hair, usually tied up with a satin, cream coloured bow, which was complimented by a pair of chocolate eyes, and Lillith, who adorned a chestnut braid bound in a sanguine velvet bow, accompanied by a pair of dull, gray eyes. Appearance was never something Lillith bothered herself with, as she wholeheartedly believed that intelligence made all the difference.

"If you say so, Lillith, I just can't help it.." Prissy uttered dreamily, still thinking about Mr. Phillips and paying no mind to the equations that sat in front of her, waiting to be solved.

Lillith would continue to solve singular math equations between multiple sketches. She had always been talented in the arts and secretly hoped that she could one day start a career from it. However, Lillith knew that it would require quite a bit of money not to forgo the career she truly wanted and knew that deep down she would have to work any old job in Avonlea; she had always felt an overwhelming sense of guilt from living off of her brother in law's money, and she didn't want to waste it all just for her to pursue a career that so many had found to be nothing more than an interminable road to success. Not only that, but if she wanted to make a difference as a woman in this world, being an artist wouldn't set the headstrong message she'd wanted. So, she let it stay as nothing more than a mere fantasy.

Before she knew it, the school day had come to an uneventful end, and all the students began packing up and scurrying off to the mud room to collect their neatly tucked away coats, sailor hats, and newsboy caps. Lillith, who had just been finishing up a quick sketch, stood up and began packing her books together along with her slate. She headed out to the brook to collect her empty glass which was once filled with milk before setting off home.