26. Next
Anne let her nightgown fall down over her head as if it was there to hug her, and she got into bed. She pulled the covers up high around her, imagining she was a tough, strong grizzly bear in a quiet, safe cave.
Because of how tired she had been before, she had thought sleep would come easily.
But instead she lay in the dark, eyes wide.
Sleep, she told herself. You'll be tired in the morning.
But sleep wouldn't come.
She tossed and turned for what felt like hours before unconsciousness finally took over.
And when it did, she wished it hadn't.
Later, when she woke up, she couldn't remember the nightmares she'd had, but she knew they'd been awful, and she woke up feeling as though she hadn't slept at all.
She dragged herself out of bed and washed her face, the cold water splashing her.
She took her stockings from where she'd hung them to dry, and felt with dismay that they were still damp. They crinkled where the soap hadn't gotten all the way rinsed out.
She pulled them on anyway.
She got her brown dress on, tied her bootlaces, and then combed her hair and braided it quickly, hardly caring how it looked.
Before she went out of her room, she took a deep breath and told herself: Today will be different.
YOU ARE READING
In the Woods When First We Met
FanfictionGilbert is there for Anne when she needs someone the most. Billy did far more damage than seen in the episode. Anne goes through my own journey of healing after a trauma. Serious issues. (Skip chapters 3-4 to make it less scary to read; if you skip...
