𝓐 𝓑𝓻𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓐𝓭𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮 || 𝓖𝓲𝓵𝓫𝓮𝓻𝓽 𝓑𝓵𝔂𝓽𝓱𝓮

Flora's Vendetta

Of all the four seasons, winter was the worst. Flora didn't like the cold any more than she enjoyed the thick snow blankets on the ground -- which made the walks to and from school more like hikes to and from school. And she certainly did not like when her brothers came home to hug her with their jackets covered in cold white. Which, of course, was precisely why they'd gotten into the habit of doing so.

Flora despised the winter season. But at this very moment, she didn't care what time of year it was. It didn't matter that she'd hardly gotten any sleep due to all the time she spent studying last night. It didn't even matter that Grandmother had gotten upset with her for yawning at the breakfast table.

At this moment, all that mattered was the competition.

At the risk of sounding dramatic, Flora maintained that these competitions were the very reason she walked this earth. Without a chance to show that she was the best, what was the point to any of it? Why would she have been given her smarts if she wasn't to use them?

She needed to prove that she was at the top. She needed to prove it to everyone. And she would.

Flora Thompson never passed up a chance to participate for the girls in the spelling bees. As much as she disliked the attention of her classmates, particularly when reading passages in front of the class, she was always the first to raise her hand in order to answer questions or spell words. Flora was proud to do anything that showed her classmates how intelligent she was.

She had to win.

Of course, Flora was well aware that her competitive spirit was atypical -- and rather over the top. Oliver told her so, Diana and Ruby told her so, Grandmother certainly told her so...The twins, not so much. They tended to encourage her, which perhaps had something to do with how she ended up this way.

Flora had always yearned for competition, even growing up back in Charlottetown. As the youngest of her siblings, she had always searched for ways to prove herself, be it learning to climb trees or running the fastest across the yard. Unfortunately, after Mother's passing and their relocation to Avonlea, Flora could no longer do such things without positively scandalizing Grandmother.

And so, she came to rely on her smarts. In truth, it didn't matter to Flora what her friends and family thought. She would fight until she won, and she would settle for nothing less than total victory.

Cheers would fill the class every time someone got a word right. As always, the competition was boys against girls. But, as always, Flora only truly considered one person her real competition. It was nothing against the rest of the boys, but Flora knew that none of them were any match for her. She had beaten the rest of them time and time again.

It was only him. Even after several years, Flora hadn't yet managed to beat him. That said, Gilbert Blythe never managed to beat her, either. It seemed that neither of them was willing to give up, which always meant that Mr. Phillips had to put the contest to an end himself. And because of that, Flora became more and more determined every month.

She had to beat him. Even if it was the last thing she ever did, she had to beat him.

"Too easy! Too easy!"

"Boo!"

Of the eight that started out, only five were left; three on the girls' side and two on the boys'. When reading aloud at her desk, Flora would try to make herself as small as possible. But during spelling bees, she always stood tall at the front of the class. Her posture reflected her confidence; no matter what word Mr. Phillips called, she would spell it out with ease.