wondrous • gilbert blythe

farewell, Avonlea

Adelaide King couldn't believe that she was finally leaving Avonlea. She had mixed emotions about leaving the place she had spent so much of her childhood in. She would miss the way the trees swayed to the rhythm of the wind. She would yearn for the white schoolhouse, and her friends that would get overly excited to tell her about their day. Adelaide would miss how many prominent memories had been made in this town.

On the other hand, Adelaide wouldn't have to worry about passing the house her mother shot herself in. She wouldn't need to try and avoid certain townspeople at all costs, just because of how they had treated her in the past.

Adelaide King wanted so badly for nothing to change as she rode away on the rocky dirt road. The carriage could be heard squeaking from a mile away, and the way the old man was driving was not helping it stabilize.

Change was terrifying. It brought new, scary aspects to someone's life, even if they were not prepared for it. Adelaide was never truly ready for changes. A change meant that something in her life would be different, and being different was hard.

Adelaide tended to put up a guard, whether or not she liked to admit it. It took a strong force to break it down, and only few people had actually gotten past it. Adelaide's father was the one person who knew her best. He was a kind, authentic man, and seemed to know all of the answers to the world. The worst things happen to the best people, don't they?

The woman's chattering brought Adelaide back to reality. She had horrible yellow teeth that held an awful snide smile. The way she looked at Adelaide made her want to jump right out of the carriage.

"You're a looker, aren't you? Other than that horrific hair of yours. Isn't she pretty, Larry?" Adelaide raised her eyebrows at the woman's words. The driver, Larry, nodded his head fiercely whilst giving her a perverted smile. She rolled her eyes before looking into the horizon. The woman didn't seem to notice her agitation, and kept talking.

"We have a strict set of rules at our home for girls, so I presume you will be on your very best behavior?"

"I'm not a child, ma'am, you do not have to treat me like one." Adelaide hissed back. The woman placed her hand over her chest and gasped.

"That is Ms. Krumm to you, and I will treat you however I please. You will follow the rules like everyone else, and take your turn for the chores. We do not tolerate lazy girls at Herradine's." Ms. Krumm fanned herself. Adelaide sat back and rolled her eyes once again. Following rules? That was not one of her strong qualities.

Ms. Krumm continued her annoying chit chat, sometimes talking to Larry up front. Adelaide managed to ignore it for the rest of the ride. They had just arrived in front of the brick building that was covered in crawling vines. A lopsided sign that hung above the door read, 'Herradine Home for Little Girls' on it. It was obvious that not much money was put into this place.

Krumm hurried inside, while Larry helped Adelaide with her boxes. They both grabbed one and went to the entrance. The other girls were nowhere to be seen, so Adelaide motioned for Larry to set down the box next to the door. He did as told, and stared at Adelaide for a few seconds. Larry moved his hand to grope her side.

"You are always welcome to stay with me, Adelaide." He spoke with a sinister voice. Adelaide shoved his dirty hand off of her before replying.

"I'd rather rot in this hellhole than be near you for another second. Touch me again and I will cut off that hand." She spat at him. He left the house and slammed the door on his way out. Adelaide breathed a sigh of relief when she heard his horse trot away.

What a creep.

Adelaide turned around to continue her search of the house to meet the blue eyes of Krumm. She let out a little yelp and jumped backwards. Krumm completely ignored the younger girl's outburst.

"Get your things and go upstairs to the last room on the left. You will find an open bunk in there, afterwards, come downstairs and I will introduce you to everyone." Adelaide nodded at the directions she was given and stacked the boxes on top of one another before stumbling up the wooden stairs. She barely made it to her shared room before dropping the boxes onto the floor.

The room was almost exactly as she pictured it to look. Three bunk beds and a few dressers were all that occupied the boring, gray room. Adelaide noticed the one that looked empty and moved her personal items to it. She wondered what her roommates would be like, especially her bunk-mate. She smiled gently as she noticed that she got the lower bunk closest to the window. At least one good thing had come from this day.

She packed her belongings into the open drawer of the dresser closest before trotting back down the long hallway. Most of the other rooms were bedrooms identical to hers, except for the last two near the stairway. The room on the right was obviously a classroom from the amount of desks lined up, and the other seemed to be a singular person's bedroom. It must be Krumm's.

Adelaide finished exploring and went downstairs as she had been instructed to. The downstairs only consisted of a "living room" that didn't look that livable to her, a kitchen, the dining hall, and bathrooms that they must have forgotten to build upstairs. It was all boring and dull, immediately bringing down the mood of anyone who entered.

As Adelaide entered the living room, at least thirty pairs of eyes fell upon her. She nervously crossed her arms against her chest and cursed herself for not picking a nicer dress to wear.

"Girls, this is our newest, Adelaide King. Please welcome her with open arms. Adelaide, dear, tell us something about yourself." Krumm spoke with an authoritative voice. Adelaide shrunk back from the pressure. Most of the girls looked mean, other than the very little ones.

"I- um, I- I love to read, I guess." She stuttered out. The older girls stifled their laughs, and Adelaide's face grew hot from embarrassment. Whispers went around, and she forced herself to look at her shoes and ignore them. They didn't know anything about her or her past.

"Great, well dinner will be served soon, and then off to bed. I'm sure someone can fill you in on our schedule here at Herradine. Dismissed." Krumm took a quick look at everyone before disappearing upstairs. The girls dispersed, leaving Adelaide to fend for herself. She huffed before going out the back door of the home. A forest surrounded the place, with benches placed sporadically in the yard. She chose one by the tree line and sat down on the cool stone.

What the hell had she gotten herself into?

"That's what we all wonder around here." Adelaide jumped as a soft voice spoke. Had she said that aloud?

A girl a few years younger than her took the seat next to her.

"Welcome to Herradine, Adelaide."

alrighty, this commences book one! thank you all so much for reading.

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR THE ENDLESS SUPPORT AND FOLLOWING THIS JOURNEY WITH ME! 💓

- Victoria