Chapter Four
I gasped. "What?" Sara looked at me.
"N-nothing. Hold on a sec, I'll be right back."
I got up, knowing they were watching me in silence, and ran off towards the trees. I thought I saw her, she had to be there. I crept past a giant oak, wincing after my bare foot came in contact with a stick.
"Anne?" I whispered. "Are you there?"
No answer. But I know I saw something. I walked a little further, past some fur trees. I heard a rustle above me and a pinecone dropped and hit my shoulder. I looked up and stared into the face of Anne Shirley. I screamed, I really did. So did she. She dropped out of the tree and lay sprawled on the grass.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" I asked, kneeling down.
"I think so. Just frightened me is all. I was just watching the sunshine glitter through the tree boughs and I didn't even notice someone was coming. I'm fine, really." She sat up and brushed off her dress. I stared at her with an open mouth.
"What is it? Do I have something on my face? Besides the obvious freckles?" Anne put her hands up to her face.
"No, no, just-um, nothing," I stuttered, kicking myself mentally. I noticed her gazing at me. Then I heard feet running towards us. Sara, Mell and Mike came up to us, stopping and clutching their knees.
"We heard a scream (gasp, gasp)-came running," Mell got out. I looked over them. Mike looked soaked. I raised an eyebrow; we were out of the water a while.
"Oh, he fell in. Caught his toe on a rock." Sara jerked her thumb at Mike. I giggled, then stopped, remembering Anne.
"Oh, you guys, this is Anne Shirley." I glanced at Sara, who winked at me.
"How did you know my name?" Anne asked, standing up. She was a good deal taller than me.
"Um, lucky guess?" I bit my lip. I heard some snuffling from my friends.
"Sara, shut up."
"Sorry."
Anne looked at our strangely adorned group. Mike standing soaked in his clothes and all three girls in our underclothes.
"Oh, um, we just went swimming," I said, "Why don't you come with us? We're just going to dress."
"Um, all right."
We traveled back over the bridge to where our stuff was and quickly donned our school dresses.
"So," I said, rubbing my head with a towel, "Anne, these are my friends, if you haven't already guessed. This is Sara."
Sara shook Anne's hand. "I've heard so much about you, Miss Shirley." I gave her a look.
"And this is Mell."
Mell shook her hand too. "Pleased to meet ya. Know any Ben Folds?"
"No, how many are there?"
"Well, he's-uh-never mind."
"And this is Mike."
He shook her hand. "Nice to meet you," he mumbled, giving a slight grin.
We stood there for an uncomfortable moment, staring at each other.
"Are you new here?" Anne asked.
"Well, sort of. We came a couple days ago and we're staying with Mrs. Rachel Lynde."
"Really? I'm new too and I live just up the road at Green Gables, with Miss Marilla and Mr. Matthew Cuthbert. Why don't you all lay off your things there? I'm sure Marilla's about to have tea."
"Oh, tha-
"Sure we will!" I said, rather loudly. My friends followed me, rolling their eyes, down to Green Gables. Marilla greeted us far more welcome than the last time we stopped there. We sat down rigidly at her kitchen table. Anne seemed rather excited to have us here.
"Marilla! Set the teapot there, please, so everyone can reach it. There! So tell me a little about yourselves. Where did you all come from?"
"Fairfield, Connecticut." We answered together.
"Oh, you're from the States. That explains the accents."
"Yeah."
"And why did you decide to come here?"
"Oh, Ann wanted to come here. We're just her carry-on." Sara replied.
"Oh, is that your name?" Anne looked at me. "Isn't that a funny coincidence?"
"It sure is," I smiled through clenched teeth, glaring at Sara.
We stayed there through lunch and finally left mid-afternoon. As we were walking up the lane, I caught up with Sara.
"Hey, you, cut it out with the Anne jokes, ok?"
"Oh, come on, you know you would do the same thing if we had been transferred to Baker Street."
"Well-yeah, I would. But that's no excuse. Leave me alone."
"Fine, fine. Anne-girl." She muttered my nickname. I rolled my eyes.
"Man, I need a shower." Mell said, yawning, "this place sucks, there's no easy access to hot water."
"You'll have to do it the hard way, Mell."
It took five hours that night for the four of us to take baths in the wooden tub Mrs. Lynde had. Half of the time, it was lugging kettles of hot water onto the back porch.
The next day was Sunday. We were sent to sit in the Lynde pew in the local church. The church was the only thing I didn't like as much. The seats were uncomfortable and the service seemed to last for hours. When we finally got out, Anne came up to us and asked us to come to Green Gables for brunch. We agreed, or, well, I agreed. But my friends came anyway.
The meal was delicious. Marilla really was a fabulous cook. Mike especially thought so. We watched him in shock as he polished off his fifth helping of what they called "hotcakes." Anne gave us a tour of the house. When she got to the parlor, I squealed with delight.
"A piano! You have a piano!"
"Yes, but nobody plays it. I cannot play. I devote my soul to books, I've never had a music lesson."
"Never?" Sara asked in disbelief. "Sara," I said, thinking, this is not Fairfield High.
I looked at Anne. "May I?"
"Oh, of course you may." I sat excitedly at the piano. It was old-fashioned and black with a straight back and old, worn keys. I smoothed the keys with my fingers, gazing over the instrument. In gold letters over middle C, it said "Baldwin."
"Hey, I have a Baldwin piano at my house too!"
"Just play, Piano Ann!" Mell said, twiddling her fingers on the lower notes.
"Ok, ok," I cracked my knuckles and started the beginning of "Piano Man."
"Yeah!" Sara cried and sat next to me on the bench, "It's nine o'clock on a Saturday."
I watched Anne out of the corner of my eye. She was looking at us with a strange expression on her face. When I finished the last three chords, I looked up. Sara and Mell whooped.
"That was, um, an interesting song." Anne said.
"It's my favorite out of Billy Joel. Oh." I faded away, forgetting that Billy Joel wasn't even born yet.
"Hey, let me, I've been practicing." Sara pushed me over and began a familiar tune.
" 'Your Song' sounds good." I said. "But let me play something that we'll all know."
I sat back down and started the most famous hymn I could think of and sang the words of "A Mighty Fortress is our God."
Anne joined in. That's one thing, I thought, that's different about us. She's totally tone deaf.
"Ok, we're gonna teach you a song, Anne," Sara butt in during the second verse.
"We don't have piano music for this, but whatever. Ok, ready?" She looked at Mell and me and held up three fingers, putting them down one at a time.
"Uptown Girl!" we sang, "she's been livin' in her uptown world!"
Anne smiled, but down underneath I could tell she thought we were crazy. And Mike just stood there, shaking his head.
After the song, we grinned at Anne.
"What kind of music is that? I've never heard of it."
"Oh, it's from where we come from. You'll get to like it. We'll make sure of that."
I gasped. "What?" Sara looked at me.
"N-nothing. Hold on a sec, I'll be right back."
I got up, knowing they were watching me in silence, and ran off towards the trees. I thought I saw her, she had to be there. I crept past a giant oak, wincing after my bare foot came in contact with a stick.
"Anne?" I whispered. "Are you there?"
No answer. But I know I saw something. I walked a little further, past some fur trees. I heard a rustle above me and a pinecone dropped and hit my shoulder. I looked up and stared into the face of Anne Shirley. I screamed, I really did. So did she. She dropped out of the tree and lay sprawled on the grass.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" I asked, kneeling down.
"I think so. Just frightened me is all. I was just watching the sunshine glitter through the tree boughs and I didn't even notice someone was coming. I'm fine, really." She sat up and brushed off her dress. I stared at her with an open mouth.
"What is it? Do I have something on my face? Besides the obvious freckles?" Anne put her hands up to her face.
"No, no, just-um, nothing," I stuttered, kicking myself mentally. I noticed her gazing at me. Then I heard feet running towards us. Sara, Mell and Mike came up to us, stopping and clutching their knees.
"We heard a scream (gasp, gasp)-came running," Mell got out. I looked over them. Mike looked soaked. I raised an eyebrow; we were out of the water a while.
"Oh, he fell in. Caught his toe on a rock." Sara jerked her thumb at Mike. I giggled, then stopped, remembering Anne.
"Oh, you guys, this is Anne Shirley." I glanced at Sara, who winked at me.
"How did you know my name?" Anne asked, standing up. She was a good deal taller than me.
"Um, lucky guess?" I bit my lip. I heard some snuffling from my friends.
"Sara, shut up."
"Sorry."
Anne looked at our strangely adorned group. Mike standing soaked in his clothes and all three girls in our underclothes.
"Oh, um, we just went swimming," I said, "Why don't you come with us? We're just going to dress."
"Um, all right."
We traveled back over the bridge to where our stuff was and quickly donned our school dresses.
"So," I said, rubbing my head with a towel, "Anne, these are my friends, if you haven't already guessed. This is Sara."
Sara shook Anne's hand. "I've heard so much about you, Miss Shirley." I gave her a look.
"And this is Mell."
Mell shook her hand too. "Pleased to meet ya. Know any Ben Folds?"
"No, how many are there?"
"Well, he's-uh-never mind."
"And this is Mike."
He shook her hand. "Nice to meet you," he mumbled, giving a slight grin.
We stood there for an uncomfortable moment, staring at each other.
"Are you new here?" Anne asked.
"Well, sort of. We came a couple days ago and we're staying with Mrs. Rachel Lynde."
"Really? I'm new too and I live just up the road at Green Gables, with Miss Marilla and Mr. Matthew Cuthbert. Why don't you all lay off your things there? I'm sure Marilla's about to have tea."
"Oh, tha-
"Sure we will!" I said, rather loudly. My friends followed me, rolling their eyes, down to Green Gables. Marilla greeted us far more welcome than the last time we stopped there. We sat down rigidly at her kitchen table. Anne seemed rather excited to have us here.
"Marilla! Set the teapot there, please, so everyone can reach it. There! So tell me a little about yourselves. Where did you all come from?"
"Fairfield, Connecticut." We answered together.
"Oh, you're from the States. That explains the accents."
"Yeah."
"And why did you decide to come here?"
"Oh, Ann wanted to come here. We're just her carry-on." Sara replied.
"Oh, is that your name?" Anne looked at me. "Isn't that a funny coincidence?"
"It sure is," I smiled through clenched teeth, glaring at Sara.
We stayed there through lunch and finally left mid-afternoon. As we were walking up the lane, I caught up with Sara.
"Hey, you, cut it out with the Anne jokes, ok?"
"Oh, come on, you know you would do the same thing if we had been transferred to Baker Street."
"Well-yeah, I would. But that's no excuse. Leave me alone."
"Fine, fine. Anne-girl." She muttered my nickname. I rolled my eyes.
"Man, I need a shower." Mell said, yawning, "this place sucks, there's no easy access to hot water."
"You'll have to do it the hard way, Mell."
It took five hours that night for the four of us to take baths in the wooden tub Mrs. Lynde had. Half of the time, it was lugging kettles of hot water onto the back porch.
The next day was Sunday. We were sent to sit in the Lynde pew in the local church. The church was the only thing I didn't like as much. The seats were uncomfortable and the service seemed to last for hours. When we finally got out, Anne came up to us and asked us to come to Green Gables for brunch. We agreed, or, well, I agreed. But my friends came anyway.
The meal was delicious. Marilla really was a fabulous cook. Mike especially thought so. We watched him in shock as he polished off his fifth helping of what they called "hotcakes." Anne gave us a tour of the house. When she got to the parlor, I squealed with delight.
"A piano! You have a piano!"
"Yes, but nobody plays it. I cannot play. I devote my soul to books, I've never had a music lesson."
"Never?" Sara asked in disbelief. "Sara," I said, thinking, this is not Fairfield High.
I looked at Anne. "May I?"
"Oh, of course you may." I sat excitedly at the piano. It was old-fashioned and black with a straight back and old, worn keys. I smoothed the keys with my fingers, gazing over the instrument. In gold letters over middle C, it said "Baldwin."
"Hey, I have a Baldwin piano at my house too!"
"Just play, Piano Ann!" Mell said, twiddling her fingers on the lower notes.
"Ok, ok," I cracked my knuckles and started the beginning of "Piano Man."
"Yeah!" Sara cried and sat next to me on the bench, "It's nine o'clock on a Saturday."
I watched Anne out of the corner of my eye. She was looking at us with a strange expression on her face. When I finished the last three chords, I looked up. Sara and Mell whooped.
"That was, um, an interesting song." Anne said.
"It's my favorite out of Billy Joel. Oh." I faded away, forgetting that Billy Joel wasn't even born yet.
"Hey, let me, I've been practicing." Sara pushed me over and began a familiar tune.
" 'Your Song' sounds good." I said. "But let me play something that we'll all know."
I sat back down and started the most famous hymn I could think of and sang the words of "A Mighty Fortress is our God."
Anne joined in. That's one thing, I thought, that's different about us. She's totally tone deaf.
"Ok, we're gonna teach you a song, Anne," Sara butt in during the second verse.
"We don't have piano music for this, but whatever. Ok, ready?" She looked at Mell and me and held up three fingers, putting them down one at a time.
"Uptown Girl!" we sang, "she's been livin' in her uptown world!"
Anne smiled, but down underneath I could tell she thought we were crazy. And Mike just stood there, shaking his head.
After the song, we grinned at Anne.
"What kind of music is that? I've never heard of it."
"Oh, it's from where we come from. You'll get to like it. We'll make sure of that."