Hopes and Fears

one // glade of sunbeams

The frown which creased Anne Shirley Cuthbert's brows had rested there, contorting her features for the best part of two hours.

The redheaded girl - almost Sixteen now - was gazing down at a book, her bright-grey eyes almost glazed over in boredom... She'd been reading and taking notes all morning, all week, for weeks on end. The sun beat down on her through the window of the Blythe kitchen where she sat at the table, making it hard to concentrate. Anne longed to be outside, instead of studying for her entrance exam to the teacher's school Queens Academy.

A hot Spring had come in full force, spreading a wildfire of lush greenery through the fields, forests and hedgerows. The drowzy heat had startled Avonlea from its daze left by the events of Joseph Bines. Anne of course, was not so easily shaken out of the state she'd assumed. She was left with some scars, both physical and emotional... A short, dark red scar ran along the side of her waist by her ribs from the knife wound she'd taken. Anne had also suffered many sleepless nights during the weeks following Joseph's death and an often-triggered paranoia stayed long after she managed to slip back into a semi-normal sleep pattern.

Despite all of this and the stress of approaching exams, things weren't all bad, in fact Anne was quite happy and content. She had settled back into school quite well and was enjoying time with her best friends and their new teacher. She'd learnt so much and blossomed under Ms Stacey's tuition. Anne had dropped her job at the library, as she had no real need of the money at that time due to the compensation money she'd relieved. Also she had many other distractions in her life which took up her free time...

Such as the young man named Gilbert Blythe.

Gilbert watched Anne from across the table. They had studied together often over the spring, at Green Gables or in his home at Blythe farm, piles of books and notes covering their kitchen tables for whole afternoons at a time. He treasured the time he spent with her, even if it was only studying.

Since the fire at Barry Manor months ago they'd not exactly grown distant... they were seeing each other at school each day, enjoying their usual competition and they'd naturally fallen into the routine of regularly meeting for study sessions. These were often followed by Gilbert walking Anne home or the pair going for strolls afterwards. Nearly everyone in Avonlea had noticed their behaviours and Gilbert had heard a lot of talk about them courting, yet they didn't seem to be in a courtship of any sort. Though the special way Anne tended to look at Gilbert confirmed that she still cared a great deal for him.

Gilbert often thought about the terrible things which they'd been through together but he also remembered all the beautiful moments that he'd never forget... The words Anne had spoken on the night of the Barry Manor fire still stuck in his brain, bringing so much joy to his heart:

"I love you so much, more than I've ever loved anyone."

Gilbert sighed and put down his pencil. Stretching his arms out and behind his head, he looked around the room. The Blythe farm kitchen was full of sunlight, birds sung loud through the open window and there was a quiet buzz of bees hovering amongst the flower pots outside. Gilbert heard his friend and housemate, Sebastian, banging posts into the fences outside in the field. Sebastian, or Bash, had picked up the farming skills quite quickly, when Gilbert had the time he'd been teaching him. Bash wanted his own farm and was eager to learn the trade. He enjoyed gardening too and had delighted at the colourful flowers which he'd planted as bulbs in little mismatched pots along the porch finally blooming.

Desperately tired of her boring book, Anne glanced up at Gilbert and thought how handsome he looked. His hair had grown a lot, falling in dark curls around his lightly-tanned face. Light brown freckles scattered over his nose and there was a thoughtful glint in his eyes as he stared out the window. His light shirt hung off his lean body as he stretched. He was looking so mature now, Anne had even begun to notice hints at scruff appearing along his firm jaw. Gilbert was almost eighteen after all - nearly a man. Anne still felt that flurry of butterflies in her chest whenever she was near him.