Ablaze with possibility

Chapter 2: A town full of surprises

"Oh this dress looks absolutely devine! Well yes it's perfect, just perfect. The collar, the silky fabric and the tiara! It fits perfect for my ball in the castle. But though I really want to stay here with you my dearest subject, I'm afraid your queen Cordelia has other important chores that needs to be done. I may be a queen but a queen has her duties too--"

"ANNE! COME DOWN HERE IMMEDIATLY!" Marilla shouted out, which made Anne awake from her daydreaming. Marilla wanted Anne to help her with baking a pie for Rachel Lynde but after kindly have asked her a million times to come downstairs she had no other choice than to shout it out. She didn't approve shouting over talking in a moderate tone but seeing as Anne wasn't the best of listeners sometimes, she had to.

"I'm coming!"

Anne rushed down the stairs, her fire red hair in messy braids, wearing her usual brown dress.

"There are berries and flour in the pantry, go get that for me would you?" Anne obeyed and fetched the ingredients, went back to the kitchen and together they made the pie.

"Who's it for?" Anne asked while licking her fingers clean from pastry dough. Marilla gave her a stern look and Anne began washing her hands by the sink while Marilla answered:

"Rachel Lynde. I'm heading over to her house for some tea." She thought for a moment and then continued, "I just remembered. I have a few errands to take care of but since it's saturday and it's neither school or church, you could do it for me." Anne looked at Marilla in astonishment and gave her a big hug.

"Oh Marilla I can't believe you're finally letting me go to Charlottetown all by myself! You have no idea how grateful I am and I shall cherish this day forever!"

"Not so quick child, I never said you are going alone." She was sure to point out the word alone and Anne looked up at her in complete shock.

"Wait what!? Oh no! OH NO!" As she came to the conclusion to who it must be, she couldn't hold in her frustration over the fact. "NOT JERRY!" She cried out. "MARILLA! You know I can very well take care of myself and I DO NOT need a boy to guide me there! I'm old enough to go on my own and this would be my opportunity to be the heroine I've always wanted to be!"

Anne stumbled around the room, gesturing with her hands while talking, making the water from her hands splash all over the pie as she tried to convince Marilla that she was older than the last time she went there.

"I don't want to hear about it! You are traveling with Jerry whether you like it or not! Now I'll explain what needs to be done and then you'll wait for Jerry outside! Is that clear?" Anne stood silent and nodded, feeling small and unneeded. A part of her didn't want to go there because of Jerry but at the same time, she had been so bored lately that doing something productive seemed like the only cure for it. So she listened to Marilla, memorizing all she said and then went upstairs to change into some clean clothes that didn't have flour all over them.

Gilbert woke up to clapping hooves and people shattering outside and as he wiped his eyes and looked around the room, he realized he didn't have to hurry up for work because he wasn't on the boat anymore, or on the train with the grumpy conductor but in a comfortable bed with clean sheets and a soft pillow. He was at a lodge in Charlottetown.

When he and Sebastian had left the train, it was past dawn and it was too late to even think of traveling home so they'd looked for the first lodge they could find, which was placed next to the only bookstore in town, "Smith's Ltd". They asked for a room overnight and the old man sitting behind a desk had just given them a key and said:

"You look like you could need some rest. As long as you stay quite, you don't need to pay."

Before they could thank him he looked at Sebastian.