ELODIE'S muscles groaned at her as she stepped off of the wooden carriage. She reached up to grab her leather cases and tugged them off the ledge, the force tugging on her slim figure slightly. She looked from the dirt ground up to the large manor in front of her. The white shutters shone brightly in the streaming sunlight that beat down on the lush, green countryside. The walls of the house were painted in a dusty green, that faded countryside look, she assumed. The fences were a light wood and traced an outline around the land. The sky was completely clear and the air smelled like freshly cut grass and pollen, itching at the girl's button nose.
"You ready to go in?" Elodie's shoulders leapt up at the sudden deep voice in her ear. She turned to look at her brother, Claude. He was tall and broad, with a strong build, from years of farm work and childhood sports. His eyes were the same brown as hers and had the same olive skin tone. She wondered how two people could look so alike but be so different. When he looked to face her, his eyes held a warm tone, trying to cheer her up.
"How could I? We don't belong here." Elodie's sad eyes met his and almost instantaneously made Claude's joyous atmosphere fizzle away. Both parties felt guilty, Elodie for ruining her brother's hope and Claude for the whole affair and how it was affected his dear sister. The pair grabbed the rest of the bags and walked to the door, where two people stood on the porch. The first was a woman in her late fourties. Her hair was blond and pulled back into a sleek bun. The smile on her round, chubby face was genuine. The other was a man, his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. His hair was a dark black but was starting to fade around his roots. While still genuine, he seemed a little less abrasive in his excitement. They walked up the dirt path.
"El, you could, at least, fake a smile." Claude grimaced.
"Don't worry, Claude, I won't embarrass us in front of our new family. I know you don't care about my happiness." She hummed.
Claude sighed at her attitude. "You know I'm trying here, we haven't exactly been the luckiest people in the world in these last few years. Please just work with me."
Their bitter conversation was forced to end as they had reached the wooden steps that led up to where the couple had stood. The woman stepped forward and held a hand out.
"Good day! You are very welcome to Harrier Manor. My name is Cassandra Terence and this is my husband, Nathaniel." Her movements were terribly animated and almost gave Elodie whiplash just trying to follow which way they were moving to next.
Claude stepped forward, shaking the lady's hand gently. "Lovely to make your acquaintance. I'm Claude and this is my younger sister, Elodie. Thank you so much for taking us in. We cannot show our gratitude enough."
"Oh, no, thank you! We've always wanted children and well, you're the closest we've ever gotten!" At least she was honest, if a little kooky.
They led the children up the creaky stairs to their rooms. They placed their bags down before Cassandra and Claude made their way downstairs. However, Nathaniel stayed behind, watching the girl as she stared out the window. Her eyes didn't stay in one place like she was gazing - it was like she was a school inspector; sharp glances at any movement that occurred in the large fields of Harrier Manor.
"Nice view, isn't it?"
Elodie's head whipped around to find the source of the voice; she hadn't even noticed that he hadn't left. "Lovely. You have a very nice home here, Mr.Terence." She muttered monotonously.
"Thank you." The pair stood in an awkward silence for a moment. "I can tell you're the realist out of you and your brother down there." he chuckled lightly.
"I usually get the word 'cynical' so I will take that as a compliment." she breathed out a weak laugh.
"With the things that you've been through, it's natural. Don't worry, I'm no stranger to tragedy." His eyes fell to his hands, which were fidgeting terribly.
"What happened?" Elodie immediately noticed her own mistake and cursed at herself silently. "That is, if you so wish to tell me! I mean, you don't have to. I definitely don't need to know! I'm just plain nos-"
"Calm down, miss." Nathaniel's face curved into a smile. "That's a story for another time. We need to get you some food before you pass out."
➖
Cassandra Terence had one notable talent; talking. She seemed to be able to talk for hours on end without taking a breath. Maybe that's why she was so popular with Ms. Lynde down the street, the two chattering on for hours. It was extraordinary but also very intense to be on the receiving end of the whole spiel.
"And I've enrolled you in Avonlea School which is only a ten minute walk away so that's convenient. Oh! The Barrys will want to meet you, you're extremely well dressed and proper! You'll be good friends with their Diana. And-"
"Honey?" Nathaniel nudged his wife lightly. "That's a lot of information for a short amount of time. Give the girl a break." He let out a loud laugh at Elodie's face, her jaw hung low and her eyes were wide. The woman leapt up and collected the dirty cutlery and plates diligently.
"Yes, yes, you're correct. I'm sorry, I'm just so happy to have to around and here I am, rambling the night away. You must be exhausted, your journey has been long. You can go to bed and we'll talk tomorrow."
➖
The sound of owls hooting broke the deafening silence that hung heavy over the siblings that lay in their beds.
"That wasn't awful." Claude whispered.
"It definitely wasn't good." She sighed. "But no, not awful."
"Are you excited to go to school? You loved school in Philadelphia."
"Not particularly. Once they find out what we are, I will be walking around with a target on my back."
"I don't believe that."
Elodie huffed. "Claude, face the truth. We are Catholic in a strictly Protestant area. They will burn us at the stake if we practise our religion. We are lucky to have made it this far. Now, I'm going to sleep." Claude rolled his eyes at her exaggeration. She turned herself around in her bed and shut her eyes, hoping to get some salvation in her dreams.
➖
Elodie woke up with dread in her heart. Today was her first day of school. She loved school, don't let me be misconstrued. School was her favourite thing in Philadelphia; the people were kind, the teachers were helpful and the class were the most immersive she had ever experienced.
She loved learning about the Native Americans and Christopher Columbus. Her favourite subject was History. The past had so many pearls of wisdom that she could learn. And she was a fantastic reader. She could read for hours on end without break.
But this school was different. She had to hide in this school. No one could know her secret. Elodie was so sick of hiding. It angered her more than anything but she had to. She stood up out of the bed and grabbed her clothes to change in the bathroom.
Her dress was ivory and blush, it had puff sleeves and grazed the middle of her shins. She brushed her long brown hair and pulled two wavy strands back out of her face for practicality. She laced up her brown leather boots and brushed her teeth.
She looked in the mirror for a moment. Today, she swore, today will not be bad. If one believes they can, they will. A phrase her late grandfather taught her. Her boots clacked against the wooden corridor as she walked down towards the kitchen.
"You're up early." Nathaniel closed his paper and took a sip from a cup. "We weren't expecting you up for another half an hour."
"I'm an early riser, I guess." She smiled, sitting down and grabbing a piece of toast. "So, I have decided that I'm going to enjoy school."
"Have you now?" He rolled his eyes with a breathy laugh.
"I have convinced myself to have an open mind at the very least. The people could be terribly kind and I'll be kicking myself for worrying myself so." She shrugged, finishing off her breakfast.
"How very sensible of you."
➖
The leaves crunched under Elodie's boots as she made her way to school. Her chalkboard and books were strapped together, hanging on her shoulder.
Since she was up so early, she strolled along the dirt paths that winded around the forest. Birds flew around her head, singing their songs, encouraging her along. The large trees towered over her into an arch. Finally, she reached the school. She took a shaky breath and pushed the door open.
The sound of loud chatter burst through as soon as Elodie turned the doorknob. The room was bursting with life, with groups of people huddled in every corner of the room. She turned and closed the door behind her and that's when the sound ceased.
Everyone turned to look at her. They looked her up and down silently before whispering all sorts of things to their friends.
"Oh dear, who is that?"
"Teacher didn't tell us there's a new student."
"She's that Catholic from Harrier Manor."
She pretended not to notice. She hung up her jacket and sat down on one of the benches, placing her hands in her lap, rapidly twiddling her thumbs. She took in her surroundings before red hair filled her vision.
The girl had the brightest red hair that she had ever seen in her life. It was tied into two pigtails that fell on her shoulders. She was dressed humbly but her face held a million dollar smile. "Good morning!"
"Good morning to you too....?" Elodie didn't exactly know why the girl was even speaking to her but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The girl plopped down onto the bench next to her, a little too close for comfort.
"My name is Anne. Anne Shirley. It's truly an honour to make your acquaintance!" She held out a hand. When El took it, it was violently shook up and down. "Elodie."
"I thought, considering you're new as well, that we might become the best of friends, a dynamic duo of sorts."
"We just met."
"That's what makes it so interesting! We knew it from the start; that this would be an illustrious friendship of great proportions." Her wild motions reminded her of Cassandra.
"Well, let's get to know one another before we embark on this adventure of yours." She quirked an eyebrow at the redhead. She was crazy; out right crazy. Maybe crazy was what she needed. Before she could speak, the teacher walked in.
"Meet me at lunchtime out back." she grabbed her board and moved one seat ahead.
"Students, we have a new attendee of this school. Elodie DuPont, make her feel welcome." His voice was completely monotone and held no emotion whatsoever. His entire personality was void. He began the class so she took out her board and set it down.
This was going to be a long day.
➖
"Elodie! Over here!" The shrill voice rang out in the classroom as everyone grabbed their food. She pulled her brown paper bag from her coat and followed the source of the call.
It lead her to a pink scarf, fashioned into a curtain. She warily picked it up and looked underneath to find a group of girls huddled in a circle. Each was beautifully dressed and had fancy packed lunches in fine cloths.
"Elodie! Finally! This is our group, we eat lunch together and ward off the boys." Anne's tone was ecstatic. "This is Diana-"
"Diana Barry?" Elodie hummed, remembering Cassandra's words.
"Yes, that's me." The girl was humble and shy, the complete opposite to Anne. She had dark hair and brown eyes. Anne gave her a quick introduction to the rest of the girls.
"So, Elodie, where are you from?" Josie began.
"France, originally but I've just moved from Philadelphia." She nodded, taking a small bite from her apple.
"Wow, you must have a million stories to tell!" Anne seemed a little bit too interested in her past. That girl was stuck in La La Land.
The small talk continued for a while, becoming more like an interrogation than chatter, that was until a group of boys started banging on the window, making funny faces and animal noises. She rolled her eyes. The immaturity was too much to handle. Elodie had a high tolerance for teenage boy attitude; she had dealt with it enough with her brother so she knew to pay them no mind. "Are all the boys here like that?"
Diana smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. Except for one."
"Well, who's the one?"
"Gilbert Blythe." Each girl let out a wistful sigh, pretending to swoon onto one another. "He's positively dreamy. But, you won't meet him today. He's away."
The amount of times that Elodie rolled her eyes that day was insurmountable. The girls packed up their food and began to go for a walk around the grounds. Something caught their eye in a classroom; a girl from their class getting suspiciously close to the teacher.
Elodie grimaced, her face twisting in disgust. "That's positively vile. He must be at least double her age and that's forgiving." Her nose was scrunched up and there was a small line between her eyebrows. Knowing not to get herself more attention than was already on her, she walked away, keeping her nose out of it.
➖
Elodie wiped the soles of her boots on the mat as she stepped inside the house. She shrugged her coat off before moving towards the kitchen. Cassandra slaved over a stove top, cooking up some spectacle of a dish. Flamboyance was typical of the Terence wife.
"Oh, good, you're home! Tell me all about your day! I want all the details, don't you dare keep one bit!" Cassandra sat down at the table across from the girl.
"Overall, it was exactly how I imagined it." She shrugged.
"Did you make any new friends?"
"Yes." That earned a squeal from the woman. "Her name is Anne, I also met that Diana girl."
"And? What do you think?" Cassandra's hands busied themselves with a bright woollen scarf being knit with wooden needles.
"She's sweet. She could be a little more independent but I understand, considering the circumstances she's in." El shrugged. She saw Cassandra smile warmly. "What? What is it?"
"You're just so wise for a girl of your age."
"I may be wise but I don't have your kindness." Elodie sighed.
"With kindness, comes weakness."
"With hardness, comes loneliness."
The pair locked eyes for a moment.
"Touché."