Come As You Are (An Anne With An E/Sebastian 'Bash' Lacroix Fanfic)

03. Normal

I danced around my room as I hummed a song to myself. My skirts spun around me. I smiled and continued dancing, giggling to myself. I only stopped when someone knocked on the door.

I opened it. "Yes?"

"Breakfast is ready," Marilla said.

"Okay," I said. "Thanks for telling me. I'll be down in a second."

Marilla walked off and I followed suit a few seconds later. I joined them at the table and started eating. I found eating confusing since coming here and found it because of how Marilla set up my plate.

"Marilla, I have to say that I find eating confusing," I replied. "At blind school, they taught us how to eat and where the food was placed. Could you do that with me? So it doesn't throw me off?"

"Yes, of course," Marilla replied. "You can show me at dinner."

I tapped my fork along the plate. "I would appreciate it. I know it's going to be hard living with me but you'll get used to being around me."

"I think it's going to be an adventure and a learning experience," Anne announced. "Not a lot of people have the pleasure of meeting a blind person and I think it's a perfect way for us to learn how to live in this new normal."

I looked in the direction of Anne's voice. "I've already learned how to live. This is my normal. You just need to figure out how to live with me. This will become your normal. So please, don't put out my disability. Don't ask me questions and don't assume I don't know how to get around. I will ask questions when needed but I can do things on my own. That's how I learned and that's how you will too."

"I'm sorry," Anne stumbled. "I didn't mean . . ."

"It doesn't matter," I replied. "I understand that you haven't met anyone like me but that doesn't mean you have to say the things you say. Think before you say for what you say might be hurtful toward the person you are speaking with."

It was silent for a moment before Anne spoke. "I understand now. Thank you for shedding new light on my thinking. I will do exactly that before I say anything."

I raised my chin. "Thank you. I hope you, Marilla and Matthew, will learn from it as well. I will be as much as a teacher as I can be. A disability is only that if you allow it to be."

"Excellent words, Aria," Marilla said. "We will do as we can. I apologize if we slip up in the future."

"Thank you," I replied. "I have received much ignorance and hate because of something I can't control."

Someone grabbed my arm and Anne spoke, "I understand what it's like to be hated and unliked. I was looked down upon because I'm an orphan. I know that's nothing like behind blind but at least I know how it must feel for you."

I pulled my arm away. "You're right, it is different."

After that, no one spoke during the meal. I helped Marilla with cleaning the dishes. Once we were done, I went back up to my room to read. I crawled into bed and picked up my book to read.

I laid there for a while, enjoying being alone. I finally set the book down when my eyelids got too heavy to keep open. I got into a more comfortable position before closing my eyes.