𝕄𝕪 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖, 𝕄𝕪 𝕃𝕚𝕗𝕖 - Theodore Laurence ✅

34

Jo woke up first thing in the morning, and she looks beside her at the bed on the other side of her room and can't help but frown. Right. Meg had married herself to a man, she wouldn't be sleeping with her anymore, she thought. And that thought but her gloomy as it hits her that she just lost her sister to someone else.

The wedding was yesterday, and despite it being small and a gathering of family and friends wedding. It was exhausting still. "God, I'm never getting married," Jo mumbles as she stretches herself before getting off the bed and ready for the day.

As she changed clothes, and brushed her teeth, she thoughts of ways she could be productive today. Maybe write a play? no, or bring Teddy out for a hunt? But then she remembered the horrible fight. no, or she could force herself into Meg's new house to spend more time with her sister?

As she finishes herself, it hits her. "Why is the house so quiet?" This was something new. The March is never a quiet family. With a sister like Beth who plays first thing the set rises, or Amy, that would be rambling and complaining at the top of her lungs, Marmee and Hannah would bang pots and plates in the kitchen while father would be laughing to his news sections.

But this morning. It's silent. Deadly silent.

"Marmee! Hannah!" Jo called out, after just finishing the last of her routine. "Amy! Beth!" She peeks out her bedroom window in hope that her sister would be out there playing in the grass and flowers. But there wasn't even a sign of footprint out there. "Father!" She called out to the last residence in the house, and this time there was an answer. Mr. March replied from downstairs, "Jo, honey. Please come down imminently."

Jo stops, her father didn't sound like the cheerful man she knows. Something was undoubtedly wrong. Maybe, Beth or's sick again or, or Cathy. "Wait, Cathy!" Jo widen her eyes, she had forgotten about Cathy. Even if the girl was never one to be loud in the house, she felt a tugging in her heart for the worst. She didn't even find her yesterday when she had called numerous times for the girl. She ended up giving up and went home first.

"I'm coming," Jo tried to think about the best. Maybe everyone wasn't in the best today since Meg was just married yesterday. Everyone had a lot to get used to. But that thought was thrown out of her mind when the moment she step into the living room, there stood Meg and Mr. Brooks.

The scene in front of Jo was the worst she had ever imagined. Marmee had broken down onto her knees, crying worse as Mr. Mrach tried to hold and comfort his wife. Hannah seems speechless, Mr. Brooks was concerned for his new wife. Meg was the only one that look at Jo from the moment she entered, but her eyes seem so broken, nothing like yesterday's wedding.

Jo looked around the room, finding what could be the cause of her family's state. Her eyes fell on Beth and Amy. The youngest was clutching onto Amy's side, eyes bawling out in tears similar to Marmee, why Amy was digging her nails into a sheet of paper as her eyes were glaring deadly to it.

Frowning so deeply, Jo didn't wait for an answer or ask further questions, as she stomps up to Amy and snatched the paper from her sister. Amy didn't even argue as she could instead, as if her walls had broken, she drop into Beth's arm crying and mumbling things.

Jo looks at her sister in concern but snaps her head back to the item in hand. Understanding that this was the reason for everything. Looking closely at the writing, it was clear that this paper was a letter from Aunt March.

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𝒟𝑒𝒸. 𝟤𝟪. 𝟨𝟪.

𝒟𝑒𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝒸𝒽 𝐹𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎,

ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴘᴘʟᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴏᴡᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴛɪꜱꜰᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʟᴅᴇꜱᴛ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ'ꜱ ᴡᴇᴅᴅɪɴɢ ʏᴇꜱᴛᴇʀᴅᴀʏ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴀꜱ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴀꜱ ɪ ᴅɪꜱʟɪᴋᴇ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ɪɴᴠɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴜᴄʜ ᴀ ʜᴏʀʀɪᴅ ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ɢᴀᴛʜᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴛᴛᴇᴅ. ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀᴘᴘʟᴀᴜᴅɪɴɢ.

ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴜʀᴇ ᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀꜱ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴇɴᴛ ɴᴜᴍᴇʀᴏᴜꜱ ʟᴇᴛᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴅᴇᴀʀ ꜱɪꜱᴛᴇʀ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ꜱʜᴀʟʟ ʙʀɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ, ᴄᴀᴛʜᴇʀɪɴᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴄʜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ. ᴘʀᴇᴄɪꜱᴇʟʏ, ᴇᴜʀᴏᴘᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀʀʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴀꜱ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ɪ ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ, ꜱʜᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙʀɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴘʀɪᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴏʏ, ᴍᴀʀᴄʜ.

ᴄᴀᴛʜᴇʀɪɴᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ʙʀᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴍᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴅɪꜱᴛᴀꜱᴛᴇꜰᴜʟ ɴᴇᴡꜱ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ꜱʜᴀʟʟ ꜱᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʟᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ. ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ɪᴛ ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴍʏꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɴɢᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴄᴀᴛʜᴇʀɪɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ɴᴏʙʟᴇ ᴅᴜᴋᴇ'ꜱ ꜱᴏɴ. ʏᴏᴜ ꜱʜᴀʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇꜱ, ᴀꜱ ᴄᴀᴛʜᴇʀɪɴᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ꜱᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴇɴᴛʟᴇᴍᴇɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛʀɪᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀꜱ ᴀɢʀᴇᴇᴅ ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱɪɢɴᴇᴅ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴍᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ ᴏꜰꜰ ꜱᴏᴏɴ ᴀꜱ ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ, ɪɴ ᴘᴀʀɪꜱ!

ᴀꜱ ɪ ꜱᴀʏ ꜱʜᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴘʀɪᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴏʏ,

—𝒞𝒶𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓁 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝒸𝒽, 𝒢𝒢 𝟨𝟢𝟥

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Jo felt her breath catch in her throat. Her legs become wobbling as she fell onto the wooden floor. Meg was quick by her side, whispering regarding her knees but Jo was far more shocked by the letter. Her dear sister is going to be married off. And no one knows! Jo scan the letter once more, in clear denial that this was happening. As she did something caught her eye, the line, 'I have sent numerous letters to you.'

When? The March never had mail of such! Jo snaps her head to Amy and Beth, her anger taking over her as she spoke at the top of her voice, anger clear in evident, "You knew about this! You kne-" / "Shut up Jo! Yes, I know! Would someone who knew be crying and in denial as every else!!" Amy yelled in some tone, defending herself and Beth.

Mr. Brooks had to intertwine the sibling fight, the other adults were too exhausted and crying terribly to cut them. "Jo, I think you should read the last line. I believe no one knew." Mr. Brooks spoke calmly and firmly, shielding the youngest March sibling from Jo as he pointed back to the letter in Jo's hand.

As much as Jo hated the man, she did as tell. And in that same letter, and the bottom of the page, written so petite as if it was hiding. Clear of Catherine's handwriting, she wrote simply, "I will write one line not to take up your time as I understand your anger. It's no one's fault, and no one knew. I'm sorry."

With that, Jo ran as fast as she could, pushing anything that seems to bother her way. She forces herself into Amy, Beth, and Catherine's room. The other siblings were hot on her trail. Meg watches from the door, her heart breaking the worst as she watches Jo rampage through Catherine's belonging. Her dresses and shoes were missing. It was clear that their sister had left.

Amy was yelling at Jo, trying to stop her from destroying Catherine's part of the room. But Jo wasn't listening, she fought back and ended up pushing Amy to the floor harshly. While all that, Beth was crying the worst! She was like a baby, the scene before her was not something she wanted to see or remember at all, she screams repeatedly, "It's a dream! It's a dream."

After minutes and minutes of demolishing the room. Jo had finally stopped.

She stops when she found a terrible state of a shoe box, and when she opened it there it was. Letters that Aunt March stated she had sent numerous times.

Catherine March hid it from the family.