Broken Wings, But I'm Ready To Fly!

F O U R

Anne stayed home for the next few weeks as her wrist healed. She was instructed not to strain over any work otherwise she wouldn't get better and her wrist wouldn't heal properly. She wore a sling and never left her bed.

She was miserable.

There was absolutely no scope for the imagination and Gil— the other students are surely getting ahead of her academically now. She had already read all of the books in Green Gables multiple times and could most likely recite them perfectly from memory now. Her mind wandered and she was then thinking of what was actually going on in school. She looked at the clock she put near her bedside, School must be over by now...

Anne sighed and slowly lied down on her bed, now staring at the ceiling. "I need something to occupy my time with," she muttered.

"Anne," Marilla called from the other side of the door, "Someone's here to see how you're doing."

"Marilla, you do realise you can just say that Diana is here," Anne chuckled. "Who else is it supposed to--"

She opened the door to find twinkling hazel eyes looking down at her. "Gi-Gilbert! What a, uh.." Anne glanced to Marilla who gave her a motherly smile. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"I just came to see how you were doing," Gilbert said with a polite smile, as expected. "The classroom feels emptier without its phenomenal redhead, you know."

"Well, I'll be in the kitchen to begin supper. You two have fun!" And with that, Marilla left the pair alone in Anne's doorway.

"Would you like to come in?" Anne asked, motioning to her room.

Gilbert nodded gratefully and stepped inside. He stopped in his tracks and stared in awe of her room. Anne didn't blame him, she decorated her once plain room with nicknacks she'd found all over Avonlea. From shiny rocks to a bird's skull, she had it all. She even made herself a dreamcatcher after the Haunted Woods tale ever so long ago. It just brought the room so much more emotion than before. Of course, Marilla didn't enjoy the excess clutter, but if it kept Anne happy, she let her collect anything. Just as long as it doesn't go overboard.

After a few more moments of comfortable silence, Anne spoke up. "Sorry if it's a bit messy, I just collected a plethora of shells from the beach and the sand was particularly hard to clean." Her cheeks colored a bit from embarrassment.

"Oh, no. It's marvelous, really," Gilbert stated, gently touching her collection of bird feathers that hung above her bed. "My room just accommodates regular things, but I do have shelves full to the brim of books."

The wind then began to pick up and the snow pelted on Anne's windows. "There's a blizzard coming," they said in unison. Their eyes met and you could see the spark as both of them looked into each other's eyes.

Marilla darted up the stairs as the winds grew stronger and stronger in a matter of minutes. "Gilbert, it would be very dangerous for you to go out in weather like this. I say you stay in Green Gables until the winds quiet, eh?"

"Yes, ma'am," Gilbert said, shooting Anne a sly look. "If you don't mind, can I sleep in this room? It won't hurt to have another pair of eyes on Anne and I promise not to do anything to corrupt your judgement of me."

"Well, I suppose you could if it's alright with Anne."

Anne's blue-grey eyes widened and she looked from Marilla to Gilbert. She stammered for a good two minutes, but gave up on arguing since it was no use. She sighed defeatedly and nodded her head. She glanced up at Gilbert and narrowed her eyes at him when she saw that he was silently laughing. Mischief twinkled in his eyes and his shoulders shook from containing his laughter. This boy is going to be the death of me, surely he will.