OSTRACIZE | GILBERT BLYTHE

4

N O W

The school break had ended which meant that Ellis had to go back to school. She had heard rumours that an orphan girl that the Cuthbert's had adopted was joining them.

Her Pops - of course - had a very strong opinion on that.

Ellis was sure going to school would be a lot easier if Carter was going too, but he dropped out at 14 and was adamant that he would never return.

She couldn't blame him, he wasn't very cut out for it. He thrived in their farm and with Toffee, definitely not learning the alphabet or how to count.

Ellis sat in her usual seat while the other students greeted each other with either hugs or friendly smiles. Nobody bothered to talk to her, like usual.

"Hello there, I'm Moody." Moody and Charlie walked up to the red headed girl.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Anne apologised.

"Moody Spurgeon."

"Oh. I'm Anne." Anne introduced herself.

"I'm Charlie." Charlie placed his hand over his heart and offered Anne a smile.

"Charlie Sloane."

Diana smiled.

"Happy to meet you."

"Don't talk to the boys. They're ridiculous." Diana looked at both Moody and Charlie.

"Nice to see you, too, Diana." Charlie said leaning on Moody's shoulder.

"All except Gilbert Blythe. He's dreamy, but he won't be here today." Ellis heard Diana whisper to Anne and she couldn't help but feel vulnerable. "This is Jane Andrews, and Josie Pye and Ruby Gillis and Tillie Boulter. Everybody this is Anne."

"Hello Anne."

"Hello."

"Nice to meet you."

"It is a scrumptious pleasure to make your acquaintances, and I shall do my utmost to prove myself worthy of your friendship." Anne smiled at the four girls standing before her.

Ellis was slightly taken back at all the words that Anne used. She decided to tune out the rest of the conversation and wonder how she was going to get through today without Gilbert's help.

"Who's that?" Anne whispered pointing to Ellis who was sat looking out of the window. Josie practically smacked Anne's hand down.

"That's Ellis Bennett. She doesn't really talk much and she often keeps to her self." Diana summed up and even though she tried not to show them, Ellis blushed.

~

"Spell ravishing." Mr Phillips instructed as he walked up and down the classroom with the cane in his hand.

Ellis looked down at her chalk board.

R-A-V-V-I-C-H-I-N-G.

She looked at it with a proud smile, that was until she looked up at the board to see Charlie's spelling.

R-A-V-I-S-H-I-N-G.

Her smile fell from her face as she quickly wiped her mistake from the board.

"Correct. You may sit." Mr Phillips said to Charlie. "Ellis, stand and deliver." Ellis took a long deep breath before walking to the board. "Spell preserve."

Ellis took a minute to think about what she was spelling. She could hear the rest of the classes chalk on their boards.

P-E-R-S-E-E-R-E-V-E.

She placed the chalk down and turned to face Mr Phillips and the rest of the class who all erupted in fits of laughter.

"Dreadful." Mr Phillips laughed. "Follow me." He instructed. He took her to the corner and placed the dunce cap on her head. "Turn and face the wall."

Ellis began to anxiously fiddle with the sleeves on her light pink dress.

"Moody. Stand and deliver. Spell..." Mr Phillips paused. "Dreadful. Like Ellis' spelling-"

Ellis felt her eyes brim with tears but she daren't cry.

Not in front of everybody.

"-and your hand writing." Mr Phillips commented.

"Moody, it has an 'A' in it, right after the 'E' but the 'A' is silent." Anne stood from her seat.

Ellis wished Anne would have told her the correct spelling of preserve so that she didn't have to face this kind of humiliation.

"Yes, the 'A' is silent, as you should be." Mr Phillips said towards Anne. "You're the, um, orphan yes?"

"My name is Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, and please spell 'Anne' with an 'E'." Anne spoke enthusiastically about her new name.

"Did I call on you?" Mr Phillips questioned.

"You-you just asked me a question." Anne responded.

"Did I call on you?" Mr Phillips repeated, but slower.

"No?"

"Then sit down." Anne quickly sat down. "Ellis, you may return to your seat." Ellis quickly took off the dunce cap and headed back to her seat without a word.

~

It was lunch and the girls had happily left Ellis eating alone while they made their den, like usual.

"I'm Anne." Anne introduced herself as she sat across from Ellis, an unheard of occurrence.

"I-I-I'm." Ellis paused. "El-Ellis." She stuttered anxiously.

"Anne!" Diana shouted her over, she looked across almost guiltily and then back at Ellis who knew what was going to happen so to save her the embarrassment she said,

"Y-you c-c-can g-go." Ellis slowly nodded.

Anne furrowed her brows.

Curiously from behind the pair, Billy listened to what the orphan said to Ellis his nosey demeanour meant that he sat down and thoroughly eavesdropped.

"What's wrong with you?" Anne questioned.

She didn't mean to sound to rude or mean but Anne couldn't help but wonder why Ellis stuttered, and why the other girls excluded her so.

Billy burst out laughing, along with a few of the girls. Some of them beat tables as the laughed, others fell on top of each other as tears rolled down their cheeks.

Quickly, Ellis packed away her things, grabbed her coat and left the school.