Yours truly, Gilbert | 𝐆𝐈𝐋𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓 𝐁𝐋𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐄

seven

It had been hours and the fire was almost completely clear. Men were walking around, inspecting everything, and by now the sun was rising.

I let everything fade again, zoning in and out at random times. Sometimes I wondered to myself if my pen-pal was here, helping repair everything. Being selfless for the town.

Gosh, I couldn't get him out of my head.

"How's your arm?" A young voice asked.

I tilted my head to see Anne, smiling with braids almost messy as mine. Her face was covered in ash, but despite all that, she had a bright smile.

I smiled back and scooted over on the wooden bench so she could sit too. Which she did.

We both had blankets wrapped around us like children, but I didn't mind it too much. I stuck my arm out from mine and sighed, looking at my loosely bandaged forearm. "I'm going to need stitches, and I'll have to wear a covering for a couple of weeks, but it's not too bad."

I shrugged, which Anne smiled at. She must've admired how non-chalant I was acting about all of this. A smile grew on my face too, it really was amusing.

"You know, if you had never punched that whole through the window, we wouldn't have seen you. You saved yourself and Ruby."

I blinked and looked over to Anne with my mouth half opened for a moment. "Wait a minute... the boy who helped save me shouted something about you, something like, 'Anne did it.'"

I furrowed my brows trying to recall what happened, but it honestly all felt like a daze.

Anne shrugged and turned towards the house with a small grin on her face too. "Guess we'll both have an interesting story to tell when school resumes."

I looked back towards the grey, falling apart house with her.

"I guess so."

***

"Gilbert gave it to me. When he..." Diana paused, searching for the right words. "When he saved you."

She stood outside my house with a scarf on because of how cold the weather was getting. I'd been resting for a few days at home.

Thank goodness we had no school and my stitches went well, but I still had to wear a tight bandage around my arm, and I wasn't sure what to do now my dominant hand was damaged.

I shook the thought out of my head and looked back to Diana, who was holding my handbag I had brought to the Gillis' house that night, which looked completely untouched, and practically good as new, despite the strong smell of ash and firewood. I lightly gasped and took it in my left hand. Everything was still safely inside. Including my letters.

"Thank you, Diana, really." I offered a grateful smile which she returned.

"It was Gilbert who got it out for you. I'm simply conveying a message."

***

It was time to go back to school. Mother said I've been couped up long enough, and I had to get my education back on track if I wanted to succeed. When I woke up, I knew I was going to be late.