★
"𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘺!" 𝘔𝘳. 𝘋𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥, referring to Bella. She stood in the busy kitchen of Green Gables, Anne was a mess from her 'adventures' and Marilla was mocking her, lovingly. Mr. Dunlop was one of the two boarders that the Cuthbert's had to admit to pay off the rest of the loan. The cheerful baker seemed kind hearted enough, taking it as his own job's to bake all the goods in the house.
Anne took a liking towards him, Bella couldn't help but too. "Good afternoon!" she exclaimed, Anne stomped around the kitchen in just socks. "Bellis, I had the most adventurous afternoon. You absolutely can't believe what I have discovered. It would have been more memorable if you were present." Bella nodded, with a smile. "I suppose."
The harvest had yet to begin so school was a distant thought, the Carter girl had spent most of her time with Anne and Diana doing exploration and baking. Spending time in Diana's room, Anne's room, even Josie's room which she had invited Bella excludedly. (Her parents still weren't aware that she was the window-breaker.)
On the subject of boarders, there was another one. Bella disliked him greatly as he was a suspicious character. His name started with a N (she thought), she didn't know much since she tried to avoid him as much as possible.
The next day, the Cuthbert's already started picking cabbages, Mr. Dunlop was there, of course. Anne was what Marilla called "prancing around", Bella sat on the two step high porch, waiting for Jerry. She turned as she heard the front door open for the geologist to come through.
This was her first time seeing him fully, he was averagely tall, he had muddy-blue eyes, yet the most prominent feature was the long piece of hair that covered an eye. It was horribly cut (or maybe never cut), Bella could tell he was low maintenance.
The girl simply didn't understand why Anne admired him. She stepped aside so she wouldn't have to fraternize with him. Despite her avoidance, the man still smiled at her in a unsettling manner.
Instead of smiling politely back, Bella glared up at him causing his smile to change to frown. He walked past her, the rest didn't notice their interaction other than someone. Jerry walked over to her with a worried expression.
"Did he do anything to you?"
Bella shook her head, she wasn't lying as smiling wasn't anything bad. Was it? "I'm alright, Jer." The girl stood up, her steps falling behind Jerry's. "Ms. Cuthbert, I'm going to work at the barn now." Marilla took notice of her from the ground, she spread her apron in front of her.
"Okay, dear." The word dear was now not unnatural to the woman as she grown more accustomed to children.
Bella was surprised to see Anne not where she had been a minute ago. She must have escaped on one of her journeys while her eyes weren't watching her. The two kids walked towards the barn. They took conversations on weather, farming and family (which seemed to be Jerry's favourite things.)
Jerry climbed up the loft, the girl was a few steps behind. She heard a scream from a boy, then a girl. The wooden ladder made a sudden noise, almost throwing Bella off from surprise. "Get a hold of yourself, Jerry!" she warned, she had trouble managing to balance. The farm hand finally left the ladder, giving space for her to leave too.
"What are you doing!?" she found Anne accusing Jerry.
"Working," Bella had answered. Jerry took his own turn in asking the same question as Anne. "What are you doing?!" Anne rolled her eyes, she was holding some kind of notebook. "What does it look like I'm doing?" she replied, sarcastically. The Carter girl raised her eyebrow at this new-found attitude.
"Something boring that isn't work." Jerry replied, with his own sass. "Hardly," Anne grinned. "Nate gave me this book." Bella was annoyed with Anne and her adoration of Nate.
"Nate this, Nate that." She mocked, from her place in the corner of the room, she held a broom in hand. "Something's wrong with that guy," the boy looked solemn when the scientist's name was mentioned.
"Why?" Anne was quick to defend this man. "Why would you say that?"
"He's odd," Bella piped in, feeling rather uncomfortable herself. Anne ignored the uneasiness that Bella and Jerry felt, continuing on the subject of reading quite selfishly. Bella found that it was not her place to stop her.
"Sometimes you're not very nice," the french boy was seemingly upset. Bella agreed, sometimes Anne doesn't give a thought to other people's situations. "What do you-" Anne questioned before Bella interrupted her.
"Not everybody goes to school, Anne," she told her with a blank stare. The redhead's face changed into one of guilt. "Sorry, Jerry. I could teach you how to read?" Jerry rolled his eyes. "Don't bother." Bella felt saddened as like her Jerry didn't have much of a choice, at least she went to school (even though it wasn't consistently and she wasn't intelligent at all.)
"Jer, I'll teach you," she offered, with a shrug. Jerry accepted after some threatening, they were certainly kindred.
★
She had found it as her job, everyday to go to the barn to teach Jerry. She came early just as the boy arrived from his own home. They would go over the alphabet on the hay-covered floorboards. As Bella thought, Jerry was notably smart and a hard worker (which he had already proven). He would continuously write the alphabet as practice. Soon the second floor of the barn was covered with strings of letters.
The dark-haired girl, herself, had her own affair with words and stories. Anne, Diana and Ruby started a story book club. It was based in a small grass-covered shed, it was an ideal location, in the midst of old trees.
Ruby engrossed in her own 'Bert' stories, it was no surprise to Bella, Anne or Diana that the muse was Gilbert. "So just write another Bert story," Diana had argued, Ruby cried out in return: "Another Bert story?"
"You always write about some unimaginably brave hero whose name ends with Bert," Bella clarified. "Albert, Herbert, Rubert, Robert, Pilbert, and so on." The emotional blonde seemed aghast. "Pilbert? I should never write a story about somebody named Pilbert!"
"You can't say anything anyway, Diana," Ruby continued. "You always murder everyone! You don't know what to do with your characters!"
"True," Bella was more interested in the fringe of her dress. Unfortunately, her prized green dress had faded and ripped, Mrs. Lynde, somewhat kindly, made her a new yellow (pale yellow!) one.
She had to admit it was made well, but she hated the colour. She would want to wear her birthday dress but she would look like a Barry, and she simply wasn't. She would save it for a more worthwhile occasion.
"And you, Bella, don't even write stories!" the girl continued. Bella wasn't going to deny it as she didn't care for story writing. "True," she agreed, but shot back in her own way. "It's better than writing about 'Berts'!"
Ruby sighed. "How else am I supposed to deal with the fact that he's been gone for eight months and three days and he may never come back!?"
Bella shook her head. "He'd better." She thought aloud, essentially embarrassed. Anne, visibly intrigued, took her nose out of her book, her lips parted. "Save it," Bella warned, she silently thanked God for her face remaining the same shade. "Anne, might you have any story ideas?" Diana asked, breaking the momentary hostility.
"How about... a tragical tale of a sad and handsome scientist who one day stumbles upon a secret that could save the world?" Diana gave the redhead open praise, there was also some questioning. Anne replied in a simple: "I draw from life." The Carter girl rolled her eyes. "You better not be referring to that horrible Ned!" Anne frowned at her. "Nate, not Ned."
"Whatever."
Anne glared at her, somewhat furiously. "Aunt Josephine wants us to send some of our stories to her." Diana announced. "Then we should send all of Anne's," Ruby said, in all seriousness. The girls agreed to send each of their own (except Bella, who couldn't care less).
★
As teaching Jerry became a habit, Bella found herself near Green Gables, the sun was resting near the land. She felt a rough hand on her shoulder. "Who-?" she started saying, while turning around slowly. It was the other boarder.
"Hey, darling." Bella flinched at his words, trying not to make eye contact. "I'm not 'darling'," she replied, shaking his hand off. "Look here, pretty. Remember those horses and that frog boy..." Her eyes widened, "It was you!" she took a step back, looking at the horrendous man.
"And?" he smiled at her. "Froggy doesn't seem to recognize me." He chuckled, the girl had the urge to run but her feet were frozen. The scientist recognized her intentions, letting out another detested laugh. "Before you go, if you tell anybody what transpired, I'll do things you can't imagine. Shush, it's our little secret."
"Shut up!" Bella finally yelled at him (she was not known to be quiet or meek). The man looked furious. "Listen here, little rascal. Yell one more word and I'll end you. Tell anybody? I'll end you. Got it?" He walked closer to her, a frown etched across his face. She nodded at the floor. If her brother or father had been alive, she wouldn't have done so.
★
She settled, breathlessly on her late brother's grave, as it was the nearest (she did her barn duties for Jerry, after she ran here for comfort). "Lucas," she whispered, suddenly feeling guilty for forgetting to bring flowers.
She went to the fence of the cemetery, where summer flowers bloomed. She hastily picked a few, laying an even amount of them on each grave. She remembered Gilbert and even thought of doing so for his father. She collapsed on her previous spot.
"There's this horrible man, who threatened me and had beaten me up before... he's horrible. Horrible! Horrible! Horrible! And there's nothing I can do! Please come back, Lucas, I'm forever pleading you. You were far too young to go, far too young for me. I need my big brother, I need him, ma needs him. I can't live by myself anymore. Oh God, why did you have to do this to me? Why was this my designated test? Oh Lord, please take my soul back."
Her eyes stung, her throat was clogged as well. She felt as if she was stuck in a well, kilometres deep, she was unable to escape it.
"Bellis?" she heard an accented voice. "Jer?" Jerry scampered over to her. "Are you okay?" he asked. Bella knew it was wicked to lie, she had done it for so long.
"No, I'm not!" her sadness drained away slowly, like the broken tap dripping water in her home. "I'm honestly, truthfully, anything but okay!" Jerry shifted closer to her, asking for her permission before he leaned on her brother's grave with her. He nodded, making it known that she was allowed to continue.
"My father is dead as you know, so is my brother. He was only seventeen when he died, he was destined to be a teacher way better than our current one. Clearly life had other plans so he died. My ma doesn't love me-" she was interrupted, abruptly.
"Yes, she does."
"No, she doesn't!" Bella countered, Jer looked up. "You will see that she does, a day or another."
"I guess," she admitted, her thoughts said otherwise.
"Why are you here?" she asked, after a while. "I was looking for you, when I waited, the boarder came. He's bad." Jerry struggled to say, Bella wished she could be as frank as him. He held out Josie's ribbon which he was probably meaning to give her.
Bella tied her hair out of her eyes, either way Anne's daisy reference was true. The two enjoyed the silence, at least they were accompanied by each other, despite being with Jerry, Bella couldn't stop thinking about a certain someone.
★
Anne delivering a couple of scones somehow resulted in Mrs. Lynde spreading the news of "newfound gold". Bellis's closest friends huddled together, watching the scene below. The scientist seemed to be the centre of attention.
"God save Avonlea." Bella whispered quietly, as to no one to hear. "There's gold!" Ruby whispered, excitedly. "We all could be as rich as the Barry's!" Diana Barry smiled in response.
"I suppose we could," Bella agreed, not sharing her suspicions.
"Bellis! You must write a letter to Gilbert!" Bella seemed distracted (in all truth, she was just trying to ignore Anne's suggestion). "Bella? Bellis? Bella Carter!" Anne tried to get her attention, the dark-haired girl finally gave up and answered to her.
"I will, I guess," she replied, unenthusiastically. Ruby volunteered in writing the letter instead, all three of the other girls thankfully disagreed. The whole ordeal reeked fakeness but Bella had nothing to prove it.