[2] LOOK AFTER YOU ( gilbert blythe! )

25 | ENRICHING ADVENTURES

⎾25 | ENRICHING ADVENTURES ⏌

     THE NEW TEACHER SMELLED like mothballs and rotten peaches, and the monotone in his speech caused the classroom full of students to nearly fall asleep. Standing in the front of the 'young grade school children' and the 'soon-to-be-graduates', the elder man ordered, "Lower school children will practice their cursive, beginning with the letter A. Upper-school children should read chapter...nine."

Seated in the second row, the familiar red-haired girl raised her arm high, addressing the new teacher, "But we already read that chapter when Mr. Phillips was here."

"Repetition is the key to learning," The teacher scolded, narrowing his bushy grey eyebrows at the young girl. "Now hold your tongue. I will brook no further disruption in this classroom."

Anne Shirley-Cuthbert then turned to Diana Barry, a look of minor confusion and anger appearing on her freckled features. From just behind the two, Samantha Darling glanced at Ruby Gillis, who crossed her petite arms over her chest, the same bewildered expression plastered on her face.

After the class finished reading their assigned chapters, Ruby Gillis, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, Diana Barry, and Samantha Darling made their way towards the empty classroom in the back of the schoolhouse.

Taking a seat in one of the many empty chairs, Anne was the first to speak, "There has to be something we can do to save Miss Stacy. If this was a story, what would the hero do?"

"Anne, what exactly do we plan on doing?" Samantha questioned the red-haired girl. "Without Clara here, or Cole for that matter, we don't have a chance. Billy Andrews was brutally injured, and I'm not sure that Miss Stacy has a chance against his mother."

"We don't know that," Anne protested. "I'm sure we can help in someway. After all, that's what heroes do, don't they?"

"But we're not heroes, Anne, we're just girls," Ruby chirped.

Diana switched her gaze, scolding the girl, "Don't be ridiculous."

Ruby immediately turned to meet her harsh gaze, replying in the same tone, "I'm not ridiculous."

"A hero is a person, and that can be any person-"

Ruby rolled her eyes, "All I meant is there's nothing we can doooooo!"

Anne abruptly turned, breaking the two girls' argument as she eagerly announced, "The hero accepts the call to adventure. So, we have to find a way to convince the town to accept Miss Stacy and let her stay."

Samantha Darling hummed, turning to Anne and replying, "And how exactly are we going to do that-"

The sound of an opening door caused the four girls to turn, meeting the gaze of a brunette boy with a guilty look in his eyes. When noticing him, Anne sighed and spoke to the boy, "Not now, Moody."