Ella

Ella listened as the others talked over the plan and Hannah cleared the table. Still talking, they, even Bella after a pause, pulled out baskets and cloth and started getting ready to do something. She started to sit up to see better, but Marmee stilled her movement with a gesture. "Stay put this one time, Ella dear. You have a fever and I want you to rest and get over it once and for all. We will work on the sheets and you may read to us if you wish to help."

"Finish that Dickens we were reading yesterday," Jo added eagerly. "I can't wait to see where this new story goes of his!"

Since nobody argued, and in fact, the general consensus was an agreement to the idea, Ella submitted meekly and took the offered book without comment. Flipping to the marked place, she read steadily through the next two chapters while the others sewed, and made comments on the way she was reading and on what was going on in the story. It made the reading go slower than she would have liked, but she didn't mind saying what she thought, as it was a very lively part of A Christmas Carol.

When she finished those chapters, she made a move to get up and was again told to be still. "I was only going to get some water." She said, frowning slightly. "My throat is dry."

"I'll get you something to drink." Beth offered and was up and out before Ella was able to protest.

The others started chatting and quickly adopted a plan of Jo's. The divided the four parts of the sheet they were sewing together and called the four quarters the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Bella was working on a pillowcase with Marmee, laughed at that. "Then I suppose I am working on Australia."

"That's the spirit!" Jo agreed while the others laughed.

Beth came back as the plan was started in earnest spirit, and handed Ella a cup of tea. "Callimille." She said in her soft, kind way.

Then she hurried back to 'Asia: And began to sew again with a will. Ella, who was allowed a break from reading, and indeed would not have been heard if she had tried because of the way her sisters were chattering, sipped at her tea and listened to the talk with growing interest.

It was so strange that she had so many sisters. She could not get over the feeling that she should never have five sisters. Bella didn't feel as strange as the others, but she still barely remembered her, and it seemed so strange not to remember your own twin. But the others was a complete mystery to her, and she now took the time to observe them and find out more about them

The Mother was very good with a needle, it was clear she was very good at sewing but she didn't seem to like it that much. Her mouth, when she wasn't laughing over some nonsense someone had said, was tight with forced patience. She offered advice to Bella over some part that wasn't as smooth as it should be, corrected Amy for a pucker that formed and made her re-do that part, and chastised Jo for going so fast that she was starting to make too big a stitch. She did so in such a kind way, that nobody seemed to resent it, and her comments on the various continents were interesting.

The fact of the matter was that all but Bella and Amy was sewing really well, indeed. That came to even more of a shock than Marmee being so good. She kind of expected a woman as old as their mother to be good at that, if she did this kind of sewing often. But even loud, boyish Jo being so good, and in fact seemed to be the best at sewing of all of her sisters was nothing short of astonishing.

Meg was almost as good and worked steadily through Ella caught her glancing at her fingers now and then with a worried frown as though scared of messing her hands up. Beth worked with careful attention to the seams. She was the slowest of them all, but since she was the only one that managed to not be corrected once, it seemed to serve her well. She had the least to say, Ella observed but laughed the most. And she was the one that seemed the most eager to help Amy to get her own work going better.

Amy worked hard, but seemed to not know as much as the others and complained the most about her back hurting, her fingers were raw, and she was messing up. Still, she had a lot to say about the content game and seemed to talk more than sew. Nobody seemed to notice that Beth worked as much of Amy's section as Amy did.

Bella seemed to sew only as good as Amy, but worked more steady. She seemed to be as talkative as Amy but sounded more knowledgeable. While Amy seemed to make a sad business of the funny names of the countries and cities she tried to talk about so knowingly, Bella managed to speak of them with far more competence of the pronunciation and general knowledge of the various countries they discussed as they stitched through them, or in her case, listened to them talk them over as she stitched through 'Australia.'

As the clock chimed nine, the work was put away, and the family rose to gather around the old piano, as though this was something they did every night. Ella was finally allowed to leave the couch and she hurried over to her twin's side. Just in time to hear Jo blurt out. "Aren't you going to get you violin?

Ella saw Bella give a sort of jump, as though she was deep in thought and Jo startled her. Then she smiled faintly. "I think I would rather sing and listen to Beth tonight. My head hurts."

"Are you sure you're not catching this cold too?" Jo demanded, sounding both exasperated and worried.

"No, I think it's just me being tired."

"Hmm, probably eyestrain more likely."

Jo stared at Bella for a long moment, then shrugged. "I suppose that thing don't let you sing much, does it? But you better not be getting sick too. I need you to step in if Ella can't act."

Ella jumped when Bella grabbed her arm as Jo went away to take her place. "You better not leave me to act in any play." She hissed, frowning worriedly."

"I won't. I really want to be part of it! I wonder who will watch?"

"I don't know and frankly I'm not sure I care that much. Just please, do your best to be part of it. Because I have no idea how to act this whoever he is!"

"Come on! we are waiting for you, you slowpokes." Jo called impatiently.

The girls gathered around the piano with Marmee. Beth played. Ella, not knowing the words, hummed along at first and listened to the others to learn the song. Meg, she thought, really did have a wonderful voice. Marmee had one that was even a little better. And the two singing together was a thrill, it almost made her stop humming even, just listening to them harmonizing together with awe.

Beth played very well, but the instrument she was forced to play was very lacking. It jangled and fell silent at odd moments, spoiling the tune Beth tried to play. But she had a way to touch the keys and making the jangles smooth out, and filling the silences with her own happy, bird-like little voice. Honestly, she was getting far more real music from the out-of-tune thing than Ella expected.

Amy sang with a decent, yet childishly thin high Soprano. It was fine, but compared to Meg and Marmee, it simply did not catch any attention. Bella was somewhere between Beth level of singing and Amy level of singing but seemed content to sing at her own level. Maybe she was just happy to sing?

And Jo was...Jo sang with a lot of spirit. A truly joyful noise. With an emphasis on noise. It was amazing just how bad Jo was at singing. Her voice went up and down and ended in a croak or quiver that seemed guaranteed to ruin even the most pensive tune. But she was so happy singing, that it was clear that nobody would say a word about it to her.

When the last song was sung, and the piano was shut up for the night, Ella followed the rest to the foot of the stairs. Meg made it first, and the rest filed into a line, going by age. When Ella realized that, she tugged on Bella's arm, and stood behind Jo. Then Ella stared hard, as she watched Marmee whisper something to her, then kiss her forehead. Meg nodded slightly, and then her little candle, which was handed out at the piano earlier, was lit. Then Meg started on her way to the stairs.