Disclaimer: I don't own Christy.
Part 2
April 1911
"Rachel, how have thee been?" Alice asked once she had a moment of alone time with Rachel.
"It's been a bit harder than I ever expected to leave England," Rachel admitted as she let out a sigh at how tiring it was on her.
"Thee has traveled far, child," Alice told her niece.
"That's only part of it Auntie," Rachel told Alice as they began to walk towards the mission house.
"Come and tell me shortly. Thee must meet our school teacher and your colleague," Alice said as she guided Rachel towards the mission school.
"Of course," Rachel said when the children from the mission school stopped playing there games.
"Miss Alice who's this?" Christy Huddelston asked.
"Miss Christy Huddelston, this is my niece Rachel Henderson. She's come to us all the way from England," Alice said as the tears began to fall freely down her face.
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Henderson," Christy said as she extended her hand to the new teacher.
"Pleasure Miss Huddelston. You must call me Rachel. Auntie has told me so much about the school and how in her last letter you came to teach here," Rachel told Christy.
"Really?" Christy asked, rather shocked that Miss Alice would even mention her to her niece.
"Yes. Now may I meet the school children?" Rachel asked.
"Yes, of course," Christy replied in a low tone of shock that this woman would want to start work directly upon her arrival.
"Recess is over children. Come inside," Christy called to the children, who rushed to their seats inside the one room school house,eager to meet the newest edition to the population of Cutter Gap.
With the pitter patter of bare feet, the young children and the teenagers among them took their seats. The older boys sat up straight as bricks, while the girls looked a bit taken back with the new woman who had come a great distance to teach them and her strange accent.
"Now this is Miss Alice's niece, Miss Henderson. Miss Henderson is here to co teach with me. This afternoon, she will be your teacher," Christy said as she took her seat at her desk.
"You all may call me Miss Rachel. I'd like to get to know all of you better. To do that, I feel like you should know me first," Rachel said. When she pulled out a miniature of the England flag and a map of her home country.
"Do you know what flag this country is from, anyone?" Rachel asked the class as she put the flag down on Moutie's desk.
"Pass the flag around, everyone, and see if you can tell me," Rachel said as she paced up and down the aisle to her classroom.
"We'd not be knowing, Miss Rachel. It surly ain't like no flag I'd seen 'fore," Creed Allen told Rachel.
"Well then Mister..." Rachel said, unsure of who this student was.
"Allen. Creed Allen, ma'am," Creed told his new teacher.
"Thank you, Mr. Creed Allen. This flag came from England, which is where I came from," Rachel told the class who looked at her in shock and uncertainty of where England was.
"Where's England as you calls it, Miss Rachel?" Zady Spencer asked.
"And you are?" Rachel asked.
"Zady Spencer, ma'am," Zady replied.
"England is across an ocean and very far away," Rachel said as she showed the students her map of England.
"That sure seems ever so far a distance, ma'am," Rob Allen said.
"Yes, it is. Who might you be?" Rachel asked.
"Rob Allen, Miss Rachel," Rob said when he stood to answer his new teacher.
"The writer," Rachel remarked.
"Yes, ma'am. How'd you be knowing about that?" Rob asked before he sat down.
"Miss Alice told me you have a great talent, especially with the help of your lessons that Miss Christy has been given," Rachel said.
"Now I believe that I'll turn this class over to Miss Christy for the rest of the day," Rachel told the students after more questions had been asked and given on both sides of life in England and in Cutter Gap.
"Thank you, Miss Rachel," Christy said before the other young woman left the schoolhouse.
"You're more than welcome, Miss Christy," Rachel replied as she left the school house to see her aunt and cousin by marriage speaking a short distance away.
"Neil. Neil MacNeill, is that you?" Rachel asked. When she left all of priority
in the winds as she ran to greet her family.
"Rachel, is it really you lass?" Dr. MacNeill asked as a huge grin came across his face.
"Yes. It's me, Neil," Rachel replied as he gave her a grizzly bear hug.
"Excuse me, Rachel, Neil," Miss Alice said, causing them to break the hug.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Alice," Dr. MacNeill said trying to wipe the smile off his face.
"My apologies, Aunt Alice," Rachel added when she lowered her gaze.
"Perhaps thy reunion could continue inside the mission house for us." Miss Alice gestured towards the building.
"That sounds like a fine idea," Rachel responded as the trio walked inside the place Rachel was ready to call home.
"Shall we sit down and talk about what led you to these mountains?" Miss Alice asked. She pointed to the seatee and chairs near the fireplace.
"Yes, we should," Dr. MacNeill responded before taking his seat, and the other two ladies did likewise.
