𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐌 | gilbert blythe

16. money is power

Christmas was rapidly approaching and Penny was happier than she'd ever been before.

Never before had she been allowed to truly celebrate the holiday, but that previous night she'd aided the Cuthberts in putting up their tree and had nearly cried of joy.

The school house was full of commotion as the joy of the holiday season filled all the students with an excited buzz. The younger children were practicing the song they would sing for the yearly concert they held, and the older students were buzzing about creating all forms of decorations.

Penny was sitting joyfully at Anne's side, scissors in her hands as she carved snowflakes from the white paper in front of her.

"Do you suppose it's true that no two snowflakes are alike?" Anne brought up, looking to both Penny and Moody Spurgeon on her other side, "I hope so. It's kind of comforting, isn't it?"

"I suppose there is a fine beauty in uniqueness" Penny agreed with a nod, while Moody simply smiled at the two.

"I've heard it said that snow is a sign of God's forgiveness," Anne paused as the choir leader shushed them but simply rolled her eyes and continued, "And so by blanketing the frozen earth making it beautiful"

"Snow means Christmas is coming, and I love Christmas," Moody spoke gently and happily and Penny enjoyed listening to the boy speak. He had an innocent and joyful air that reminded her of Ruby, "Don't you?"

"I don't know, but I plan to." Anne nodded with adamantly.

"Did you not have Christmas at the orphanage?" Moody asked with curiosity.

"There wasn't much to it, really," Anne shrugged.

"But what of Father Christmas? He gives gifts to every child, right Penny?" Moody interjected looking at the girl on Anne's other side.

"I, uh, Father Christmas never came to my home," Penny whispered, "My father said I was never a good enough child,"

"I'm- I'm so sorry, Penny. I didn't mean-" Moody stumbled as he tried to rush an apology. Penny had learned to accept that this would be a common occurrence in her life. She had grown more comfortable in the small time she had spent at Green Gables, admitting smaller bits of information regarding her life with her father but she had also learned that it seemed to put others in quite awkward positions.

Growth is difficult.

"It's alright, Moody," Penny tried to smile convincingly at the boy, "I'm okay,"

Anne seemed to open her mouth to reply to Penny when she heard Josie Pye from the other side of the room.

"The Cuthberts had to mortgage their farm, isn't that sad?" Josie said with an unrestrained smirk.

"Josie Pye, you take that back!" Anne stomped up to the girl. Back at the table, Moody and Penny looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Why are you upset? It's only true. You're poor," Josie rolled her eyes before catching Anne's expression and widening them, "Wait, you didn't know? Do you at least know if they're going to keep you?"

"Keep me?" Anne sounded scandalized at the remark.

Penny felt her mind racing a mile a minute as she processed the girls words. She had been hanging off the Cuthberts backs the last two weeks. Why had they not told her? She wouldn't have asked so much of them.

"Next!" The choir leader called out, waving her arm, "Come along. In Excelsis Deo."

As Penny rose to join the others beside Moody, she noticed Anne's distraught features. The girl only made the first two lines of the song before running from the room, grabbing her coat and hat shakily.