𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 ᵍⁱˡᵇᵉʳᵗ ᵇˡʸᵗʰᵉ

07

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛ ♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

" I'm fine "

- Charlotte Wells

---

"WE THANK THEE O'LORD, for your mercy," the minister said, standing in front of the now black house and the people of Green Gables. "And of some have compassion, making a difference, others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto Him he is able to keep you from falling. Praise be to God Almighty."

Anne walked alongside Charlotte towards Marilla and Rachel.

"The Gillis family we be billeted out," Rachel announced.

"We owe you all a great debt of thanks," Mrs. Gillis said, turning to Charlotte and Anne. "Especially you two. Risking your lives for us in such a quick action. And ladies, thank you for agreeing to take our children. Ruby, come here please."

Charlotte's face was covered in soot as she watched Ruby walk over.

"Now you three can get to know each other better," Mrs. Gillis said.

"What?" Ruby widened her eyes. "I don't want to stay there. Why can't I stay with Diana? Please don't make me."

"Be grateful you have anywhere to stay at all," Charlotte scoffed. "Or if you don't want to sleep inside you can stay with the horses if that works better for you."

"It doesn't matter what the others girls think Ruby," Diana stated. "It matters what you think. And I for one think the Cuthbert's are marvelous and brave."

Charlotte looked down at the soil below her. She wasn't a Cuthbert whereas Anne became one. Neither Matthew or Marilla had offered to write her name down in the family bible. After a while she lost hope they ever would.

She walked away from the group of girls, not wanting to listen to Ruby sobbing any longer. She threw her blanket in the nearby water trough, jumping onto the horse she arrived on, aiming to go back to green gables.

She let out a sigh as someone stepped in front of the horse, looking up to the sky as the same person kept coming up to speak to her at times she didn't want to be spoken to. That seemed to be what Gilbert Blythe did, somehow he was never there when she felt like speaking to people, and when she did, he was there. Then again, Charlotte never enjoyed talking to people.

"What do you want now, Blythe," she huffed. "I basically said thank you what else do you have to talk to me about."

"I just wanted to check if you were okay, you looked like you were about to faint earlier." He looked up at her worriedly, placing a hand on her horses reins so she couldn't ride off as she did earlier that day.

"I'm fine," she replied. "But I am tired so if you could get out of the way so I can go back to the house it would be greatly appreciated."

He did as she said, stepping back slightly. "Also, you've got ash all over you."

"Being in a fire does have that effect, believe it or not."

As she rode of for the second time, Gilbert stood there in wonder. She had changed since the school break. She had always been stubborn, but not to the extend she didn't even want to approach him. She had always had a rough personality, but her words weren't laced over with sarcasm or rudeness. Her eyes, though they were the brightest shade of blue he had ever seen, looked duller. Her face looked thinner. She had always been smaller than him in height, and since he had grown she still was. But in his eyes now she had physically gotten smaller, that or she wore a corset that was two sizes to small.

Maybe it was just the effect of not being around her for months, but she hadn't been this quick tempered or aggravated the last time he was in Avonlea. Charlotte was the only girl on the island he couldn't figure out, and maybe he just annoyed her to get a reaction from her, or because he wanted her attention.

Every other girl had the same personality, same body language. Charlotte was the only girl he couldn't read. Maybe it was because her resting face naturally looked grumpy, or maybe she had built walls around herself that nobody, not even someone as persevering as him. 

That was something Gilbert himself didn't quite know.

—

Anne and Ruby walked along to the construction of the Gillis house, Charlotte trudging along behind them. She didn't want to be there. Not only did the two girls force her to bake blueberry scones, they also made her deliver them to the men working on the wreckage of the burnt house.

"Would you care for a scone minister?" Anne asked, guestering to the bastek her and Ruby held together.

"Don't mind if I do," he smiled. "This is some heavy work."

"I can tell, you're already breaking sweat from standing still," Charlotte mumbled, earning herself a nudge from Anne as the three continued walking towards the constriction.

"Look, it's the freaks and their new sister," Billy called from the top level of the house. A laugh escaped his throat as Ruby stumbled face first into the ground, having tripped on a plank of wood.

"Girls are so useless," Billy said to Gilbert. "Guess you should have stayed home in the kitchen."

"What is wrong with you?" Anne yelled up at him.

"Go home, and bake cookies," Billy bit back.

"Headline: they already did," Gilbert reminded him, beginning to crawl down the roof of the house towards a ladder.

"This is Ruby's property, or did you forget?" Anne said.

"Yeah he also forgot the people that ran into the fire and actually stopped it. Last time I checked, you stood there like a coward while everyone else was doing the work," Charlotte snapped. "All you're doing is whacking a hammer which we could do in our sleep."

"Why don't you shove off, and leave the men to the work-"

"Why don't you give me the hammer and I'll finish the job myself, since you're to busy being a bully to get it done!" Anne yelled, earning chuckles from the men around the girls.

Gilbert rushed towards the girls, helping Ruby upright. The girl looked at him in complete adoration, staring into his soul. Gilbert glanced over at Charlotte uncomfortably, silently begging her to do something impulsive so Ruby would have something else to look at, or he could have something to distract himself from the girl looking dreamily up at him. 

"Hey Charlotte, looks like you're still burnt slightly from the heat of the fire," Billy chuckled to himself.

As Charlotte grabbed a spare wrench from beside her, aiming to throw it up at the boy, Gilbert grabbed her arm, taking the wrench from her hand and throwing in on the ground beside him. "You're going to knock someone out wit-"

"Yeah I want to knock him out," Charlotte said through gritted teeth.

"Just ignore him," he told her, to which she cocked her head to the side.

"So I'm supposed to ignore those type of comments he makes towards me, literally every time he looks at me?" Charlotte questioned up at him. "I really like your taste in friends, Blythe."

Gilbert knew either way he answered the question, she would be mad at him regardless, he knew that from the many years he had known her. Charlotte was always there in his life since he was a child. "Yes?"

As predicted, she glared up at him, turning to Anne. "This is why I didn't want to come because all guys are jerks."

She stormed away, Ruby and Anne behind her. 

---

28/11/2023

It feels so weird not writing swear words in this book, but it also feels weird putting swear words in it. 

But short chapter today. 

Hopefully you guys are enjoying 'Enchanted'