ғʟᴀᴡʟᴇss [ɢ. ʙʟʏᴛʜᴇ]

6

"What's a panto?" Lelyah asked

"It's the Christmas Pantomime, It's going to be about our island" Diana said.

"How do you celebrate Christmas?" Anne asked her

"I guess the same as you."

Diana, Anne and the rest of the girls were sitting near Lelyah's seat, she was reading a book 'pride and prejudice', when the girls approached her since it was lunchtime and the Christmas topic came up. A few weeks have already passed since she moved here and she realized there were many things she didn't know about this place.

"Lelyah are you feeling well?" Ruby asked her softly, surprisingly after what Lelyah told her those two became quite close and Lelyah became a significant friend to Ruby.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Well we noticed... that you haven't been eating" Jane tried to say it as delicately as she could, she didnt want to say something wrong in case the girl was going through something they were not aware of.

Gilbert, who was in his seat studying, started eavesdropping on their conversation. He also noticed that Lelyah hasn't been eating but he didnt know how to approach the topic.

"Because of the Nativity fast" Lelyah said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"The what?" Josie pye said almost with disgust, after their little indirect confrontation they haven't been on the best terms.

"Nativity fast, is when we don't eat meat, fish, dairy, oil, and we don't drink milk or alcohol. We do that for forty days until the first star appears on christmas eve." Lelyah explained, they looked fascinating.

"Wait! You don't eat anything for forty days!" Ruby said loudly and she looked at Lelyah up and down thinking how she doesn't look like a skeleton.

Lelyah giggled when everyone started to freak out because of Ruby's comment. "We eat кутья[1], which is a special food made of grains, seeds, nuts, honey and other dried fruits."

"That's amazing,'' Anne said, getting more curious about her culture and wanting to ask so much more.

"All of you have to do that?" Gilbert joined their conversation, "I mean, do you do it each year?"

"It's not obligatory, but we like to do it for respect, and some people just do it for a few days," Lelyah answered.

The girls talked for a bit more and later the class started again. When class finished and they were all taking their things so they could leave. Lelyah stayed reading her book some more while waiting until some of them left, not liking the commotion, and the boys pushing around. Everyone left and she took her things to finally leave the school.

"Can I walk you home today?"she turned around to see no other than Gilbert Blythe standing there, a gentle smile plastered on his face.

"Do as you like," she said and started walking home. She didnt say it rudely; it was more like her way of accepting his offer. They were walking side by side, Gilbert looking at her from time to time but not saying anything. It was not an uncomfortable silence but his glances were starting to annoy her.

"If you have something to say just say it." and with that she gave him the permission to start with an extended amount of questions, that surprisingly she didnt mind at all.

"Where are you from?" First question.

"Russia"

"Have you traveled a lot?" second question.