𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 ~ 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐲-𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭

Chapter Five

Chapter Five:
Uncle Issues
.

・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Mabel quietly opened the door, hoping not to alert her family. She had taken the longer way home, hoping to gather her thoughts enough to appear normal. Unfortunately, the walk didn't help. She felt no different than she had before. She still carried those same worries, the same confusion she held for the past months. Nothing seemed to work. No amount of walking, thinking. Nothing worked.

Yet, she still tried. Every day after she left Anne's, or anyone else's house, she took the long way home to think. To try to get her thoughts straight.

Mabel had lost track of time, and by the time she arrived home the sun had already fallen behind the hills. She glanced around the empty room, thanking her lucky stars when she saw no one.

Quickly but quietly she began tiptoeing towards the staircase, worried that any sound whatsoever would alert her family.

"Where have you been?" A voice startled her, causing her to jump. Mabel raised her hand to her chest while catching her breath.

"Edward! You scared me.." Mabel mumbled harshly, her right hand gripping the end of her dress.

"Where were you?" He repeated, crossing his arms. He looked upset. Not angry, but hurt. Worried.

"I was walking home from Anne's.. I must have lost track of time, I'm sorry." Mabel explained briefly, praying that he would accept the answer. "Were they worried?"

"No." Edward said, uncrossing his arms. "They thought that you stayed the night because it got dark fast. I was, though. There's something you're hiding from us."

Mabel nodded, awkwardly clasping her hands together in front of her. "There's nothing I'm hiding."

He didn't look convinced. "Well, um, good night, Ed."

She felt odd seeing her brother when she didn't expect to. Especially when she had spent the past two hours thinking of Anne and her dumb uncle.

She felt... dirty. Her parents, along with everyone else she had ever met, had taught her that girls like boys and boys like girls. Never any different. Mabel had been taught that anything else was wrong.

She felt that maybe she was wrong as the thoughts of Anne didn't stop as she believed they would after walking home with Moody. No, they only grew stronger.

As the thoughts of Anne increased, so did her discomfort. Mabel felt like she was lying to everyone. To herself, especially.

Her parents had also taught her never to lie. And here she was. Doing just that. Lying and questioning everything she had ever been taught. Everything she had ever known.

She felt she was burying herself. Burying who she truly was and who she truly wanted to be in order to make everyone else around her happy. But she would only do anything to make one person happy.

Anne.

Mabel knew she would do anything for that redheaded beauty. And honestly?  That scared her.

As Mabel crawled into her warm bed, her head laying against the silk pillow, she couldn't help but let the tears flow freely.

It all felt like too much at once. Everything felt like it was piling onto her at once.

Mabel raised her hand and wiped away the hot salty tears from her face, trying ber best to get to sleep.

~~

"I just don't understand why you avoid Nate so much!" Anne exclaimed, "He's so smart and he could help you with geology. Didn't you want to go into that field? Or was that your sister? Or other sister? Or brother? Or your other brother? There's so many of you I get mixed up sometimes, I'm sorry!"

"That's not me, Anne. And I told you this before, I just don't like him." Mabel sighed, growing weary of this conversation already. She'd had it before, and she'll have it again. And again. And again. She knew that.

"But why?" Anne cried out, "I need to know!"

Mabel grunted, rolling her eyes. She didn't want to talk about this to anyone, let alone Anne. She didn't want to burden Anne and make her feel bad for bringing her around Nate so often. Mabel just wanted Anne to drop the subject.

"He reminds me of my uncle." Mabel said simply, hoping she would drop the conversation.

"Your uncle? Why would that upset you? I would love to have someone that reminds me of my uncle! Or any family member!" Anne rambled, "It's a blessing, truly, to know your uncle! I simply don't understand why this would upset you."

"My uncle is not a good man. He's bad." Mabel muttered, a hint of annoyance in her tone. "A really really bad man."

"Oh.." Anne whispered, "Why? What did he do?"

Mabel let a sigh fall past her lips, she just wanted to walk home in peace. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Anne silenced after this. Part of Mabel felt bad, ahe didn't mean to sound so harsh. But the other part was happy, she didn't want to think of her uncle anymore.

He had caused her enough pain already, and she refused to let him cause her anymore.

"I believe the letter has gotten to Gilbert by now." Anne spoke up, breaking the few minutes of silence.

"That's great, Anne." Mabel nodded, pushing down the jealousy she felt when she spoke his name.

"Do you think he'll come back? Not that I care, or anything!" Anne shouted, stopping in her tracks.

"I don't know, Anne. His father died. I'm not so sure I would come back if that happened to me."  Mabel stopped in her tracks to face Anne.

Her redhead was tied into her classic braids, and laid on her chest in front of her.

Anne brought her lip between her teeth, beginning to think. "I'd go with you." She spoke, seeming to surprise herself. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open to stutter out an excuse.

Mabel felt herself blush, "We'd be the brides of adventure together. Wouldn't we?"

Anne grinned, giggling as she spoke, "We would."

Mabel stood in silence, watching Anne. She couldn't help but stare at her.

Anne was truly beautiful, and the more Mabel saw that, the more she noticed, the more it scared her.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

{ Word Count: 1,069 }

{ A/n: This is a note to future me when editing: if you don't give them a happy ending then you need to reevaluate yourself. thats all. have fun editing. }

{ Edited: No }