Chapter 12 – Not Ready To Make Nice

As Ella sat in class that Monday afternoon, her thoughts kept straying to a paper bag that was hidden under her bed. It wasn't so much the bag itself that she was thinking of, it was that contents of it that kept her mind occupied, for the bag contained a certain dead snake. A snake that was destined to end up in Margo Sinclair's bed before nightfall. She fought to keep a smile from her face as she imagined Margo finding her gift and the scream that would follow. She absentmindedly tapped her pencil against her notepad as she thought over her plan that she had already discussed with Alice and Sarah. The girls would keep watch from their respective rooms when it was time for dinner. Sarah would be watching for Margo and Bessie and when they left she would follow them to the dining hall and make sure they didn't return. Alice would make sure all of the other girls were gone from the hallway before coming to Ella's room. They would then make their way to Margo's room where Ella would complete her task and Alice would stand guard. Afterwards they'd join everyone else in the dining hall.

"I'll have to be fast," she said to herself as she thought it over. She couldn't afford to be too far behind the other girls in showing up for dinner or Margo would have reason to be suspicious. She continued tapping her pencil and starring into nothing as she perfected her plan. A sharp voice tore her from her thoughts.

"Miss Kennedy, stop woolgathering and concentrate on your work," Sister Mary Stewart admonished.

"Yes Ma'am," she answered as she lowered her eyes to the book in front of her. She heard a small snort of laughter coming from the front of the room.

"Miss Sinclair," the nun chastened, silencing the girl.

"We'll see how funny you think everything is later Margo," Ella said to herself. "We'll see how much laughing you do when you get into bed tonight."

The hours spent in class dragged by followed the hours she spent waiting in her room for her mission to begin. Finally the hands of the clock inched towards six and Ella began to get ready. Reaching under the bed she pulled out the bag and then rummaged threw a drawer for a glove. She then cracked open the door enough for her to be able to peer out but not enough to be noticeable to the girls passing by. She heard Margo and Bessie's voices in the hallway and she prayed that Sarah had stuck to the plan and that she was now following Margo downstairs. She watched as other students passed by, waiting for Alice to make her appearance. Finally the last set of footsteps was echoing in the stairwell and she heard a door being softly closed. A moment later Alice appeared at the door and she hurried out into the hallway with her.

They made their way to Margo's room which was on the opposite side of the hallway. They both glanced around cautiously before Ella reached out and turned the door knob and swung the door open.

"If you hear anyone on the stairs you signal me," she reminded Alice.

Alice nodded, "Be quick."

"I will," she promised as she hurried into the room.

Working quickly, Ella pulled back the blankets in one smooth swoop and then opened the bag and reached in with her gloved hand. She stretched the black snake out in the center of the bed and then pulled the covers up over it. She smoothed the blankets making sure they looked neat and untouched and then straightened the pillow before crumpling the bag and pushing it to the bottom of Margo's wastebasket. She hurried out of the room and shut the door behind her. She pulled off her glove and shoved it into her skirt pocket as she and Alice headed for the stairs.

"How far behind the other girls do you think we are?" she asked Alice.

"Not far, the last two girls were still going down the stairs when I came for you so I don't think we'll be noticed."

"I hope not, hopefully there will still be a line and no one will be the wiser," she replied.

They continued on in silence and upon reaching the dining hall they found that everyone was still waiting as the food hadn't been quite ready. Ella breathed a sigh of relief and shared a smile with Alice. Sarah who was further up in the line turned and caught Ella's eye. Ella flashed her a grin letting her know that everything had went as planned. Now all they had to do was wait.

After dinner, Ella went back to her room filled with anticipation of Margo's comeuppance. She sat down at her desk and reached for the stack of mail that she had carried back to school that morning. Eleanor had kept her busy all weekend and she hadn't had time to read the letters that had arrived. She searched through them hoping to see Johnny's handwriting on one of the envelopes but she found none. Disappointment welled in her chest. He hadn't answered her letter, he must still be angry with her. Her heart stung and she wondered briefly if he had found someone else already. Tears pricked her eyes but she blinked them back and pushed the thought away. Of course he hadn't found someone else, he loved her and those feelings wouldn't just disappear over night. He probably hadn't had time to write back or the letter had become lost in the mail. That must be it she reasoned, the letter got lost in the mail it happened all the time. She'd just write him again and surely the next time she'd receive a response.

The envelope on the top of her small stack bore the elegant writing of her mother. She held it for a moment and then tossed it aside without opening it. The absence of a letter from Johnny had brought with it a remembrance of her anger towards her parents. A glance at the next envelope told her that her mother must have anticipated her actions for the envelope in front of her bore the same handwriting as the other but the upper left hand corner read Mr. James A. Butler. Apparently her mother had thought it best to send his note separately to ensure that she read it. She smiled, thinking of her little brother and she tore open the envelope to see what he had sent her. She pulled out a folded piece of paper and opened it to see that he had drawn her a picture…of a train of course. Her little brother was obsessed with trains but it touched her that he had drawn it for her, especially after the way she had been treating him and Joy. She laid the picture aside and moved on to the next envelope which was addressed in a childish scrawl and read Miss. Joy E. Butler. She eagerly tore open the envelope anxious to see what her little sister had to say but upon seeing the words she had written she felt like she had been slapped.

Dear Ella,

Do you still hate me? I miss you. Come home soon.

Love Joy.

She really was a horrible person if her baby sister thought she hated her. She recalled her conversation with Carreen and she hated herself for not writing to Joy sooner. She pulled out a sheet of stationary and dipped a pen in the ink well.

Dear Joy,

I have never hated you and I am so very sorry if I ever made you feel that way. You are my sister and I have always loved you and I always will, nothing will ever change that. Sometimes I get angry with you but it doesn't mean that I don't care about you. I promise that when I come home things will be better. I promise to pay more attention to you like I used to. Write to me and I'll write back, I get very bored here and I'd like to hear from you.

Love Ella

P.s. Be a good girl so you don't have to go away to school. You wouldn't like it here, I know I don't.

Ella put the letter aside to dry and moved on to the last letter in the pile. She grinned as she recognized Wade's bold handwriting on the envelope and she hurried to open it.

Dear Ella,

I figured that if I waited for you to write to me, I'd probably be an old man before I heard from you so I decided to be a good brother and write to you instead. I hope you aren't still angry with me; there really was nothing I could do about your situation. How are they treating you at the Sister's of Mercy Convent School? Are they beating you with bibles and making you confess your sins? I'd pay good money to see you in the confessional. In fact I'd pay good money to see you and Mother both confessing before the priest. I'd probably laugh all day. Have you made any friends yet? That's probably a silly question; you'd befriend a snail if it could gossip with you.

I didn't get a chance to tell you about my new friend. Her name is Molly and I've been courting her for six months so I guess it's silly to call her a friend. I haven't told the family about her because she's important to me and you know how mother is. I wish I could say that you were the only one that now knows about her but mother has found out about her thanks to Joy snooping through my private papers. By the way did I ever tell you how grateful I am that you taught her to read? If you're wondering if I meant that sarcastically the answer is yes. Rhett tells me that mother has been up nights worried that Molly is a Yankee and that I'll marry her.

I didn't confide in Rhett the truth about Molly's heritage but I'll share it with you so that you may feel privileged. Molly is not a Yankee, she was born and raised in Virginia until she was fourteen and then she came to Boston to live with her great aunt but that's a long story and it isn't really mine to tell. I think you would like her, she's kind, intelligent and funny and she isn't weak willed. Don't tell mother that she isn't a Yankee; I like to let her stew awhile when she has such notions in her mind.

Beau asked me to send you his regards. When I told him about your ill fated elopement and subsequent punishment he laughed so hard that I was afraid he'd break a rib. Uncle Ashley shook his head and said there was no denying that you were Scarlett's daughter. Don't worry I was a good brother and defended your honor. I reminded him that you weren't exactly the same as mother, after all your hair is red and hers is black and that your sixteen and she's thirty-eight. I couldn't think of any differences besides those but at least you know I tried.

While we are on the topic of the Wilkes' ,I want to tell you that Beau is the one in love with a Yankee. Her name is Callie and he follows her around like a whipped dog. He'd probably lick the mud off her boots if she asked him to. This information also falls into the 'don't tell mother' category. I want to tell her myself, in person, perhaps at Christmas. I admit I'm fond of telling her things of this nature that I know will make launch into one of those speeches of hers about relatives rolling in their graves and wartime hardships. She may even need smelling salts for this one. Well my dear little troublemaking sister I'll close this letter now. I have to study for an exam. I'm anxious to hear from you. I want to know all about this school run by nuns and how you're coping.

Love Wade.

Ella laughed as she finished reading the letter. She loved her brother; he always knew what to say to make her smile. She folded up the letter to Joy and put it into an envelope and addressed it and then pulled out another sheet of paper to write to Wade.

Dear Wade,

No, I am not angry with you anymore; I know you would've helped me if it had been possible. Don't worry your secrets are safe with me. I have no intention of telling mother anything about you or about me for that matter. My classes here are going well. I'm making good marks and with a few exceptions things here are usually quite boring. I haven't been hit with any bibles yet, although I have had some tacks stuck through my knees, hot spices dumped on my food and my face smacked off a desk but I'll explain all that later and please don't tell mother anything about it or your Yankee secrets will be revealed.

I have been introduced to the confessional and I find it awkward confessing my so called sinful thoughts and actions to a priest. Thanks to the, shall we say 'unpleasant' Mother Superior, I was also lectured about the virtues of honoring thy Mother and thy Father. I had to bite my tongue to keep from asking if step-fathers really counted in all of that. I had to say so many Hail Mary's that I had to keep tally on a piece of paper so I wouldn't lose count and have to start over.

I'm sure you're laughing about all of this; I wouldn't expect anything less of you. My misfortune has always been a great source of amusement for you. Speaking of amusement you tell Beau Wilkes that I'm glad he finds this situation funny because I certainly don't. Tell him he deserves to be caught by a Yankee and I hope she does make him lick the mud from her boots. As for Uncle Ashley he can just mind his own business, he doesn't know anything about me and he certainly doesn't know anything about mother anymore except of course whatever gossip you choose to feed them. Honestly Wade, you're worse than a woman when it comes to talking about other people's business so really you have no right to call me a gossip.

I have made two friends; their names are Alice and Sarah. They've been very nice to me and I'm glad to have found them. I'd be mighty lonely if I hadn't. I have also made an enemy named Margo. She has seen fit to criticize me for the color of my hair and eyes, my name and my heritage. She's also the person responsible for the accidents I mentioned earlier. Don't worry, I always get her back. In fact I'm waiting for her to find the surprise I left in her bed this morning. It's a shame she's afraid of snakes.

Molly sounds like a lovely person. I hope to meet her soon. She must be a special person to have put up with you all of this time. I'm sure mother will like her when she learns that she's a born southerner. I don't believe mother really has anything against you marrying; it's the thought of you making her a grandmother that sickens her. The first time the word is mentioned in relation to her she'll probably be reduced to spasms.

I've been getting to know Aunt Carreen, she's a nice person but she seems very sad. She's lonely here, she's told me that much. She always asks how you are doing. You should write to her, I think she would like that. Tell her about your studies and about Molly. I think mother is the only one who writes to her regularly; maybe she'd feel better if she heard from more of her family. Write to her Wade, do it as a favor to me. She's been kind to me and understanding and I'd like to return the favor somehow. I have to go for now but I'll write again soon. Try to keep yourself out of trouble.

Love, Ella

She had no sooner finished addressing the envelope when a shrill scream rang through the hall. The screams continued and she could hear doors being swung open and girls pouring into the hallway. She forced her features to take on a blank look and ran out into the hallway to join the others. She followed the crowd to Margo's room but hung back so that she wasn't easily seen. Alice and Sarah moved to stand by her. Standing on her tiptoes she could see Margo in her room screaming hysterically while pointing at the black snake lying in her bed. Bessie was trying to calm her and Caroline Stevens was running from the room yelling her intent to fetch the Mother Superior.

"Of course," Alice muttered upon hearing Caroline's statement.

Ella smirked and cast her a glance, "I'm sure she'll fly up the stairs to comfort her pet."

"If it was one of us she wouldn't," she replied.

"You've got that right," Ella whispered.

"Is she ever going to stop screaming?" Sarah asked her eyes glittering with amusement.

"It doesn't sound like it," Ella answered. "Maybe she'll lose her voice in the process and then we won't have to listen to her run her mouth."

Sarah sighed, "That would be too much to hope for."

A few minutes later Caroline came running back up the stairs, the Mother Superior trailing behind her.

"Miss Sinclair, what is going on here?" she asked as she walked into Margo's room.

"Someone put a snake in my bed," she stammered as she shook with fear.

The Mother Superior turned her icy glare on the occupants of the hallway.

"I demand to know who did this!" she exclaimed.

Her request was met with a chorus of denials. She eyed each girl standing in the hallway and Ella steeled her spine as her eyes landed on her.

"Miss Kennedy, did you have anything to with this?"

Ella met the woman's eye and keeping her tone even replied, "No ma'am."

The nuns jaw tightened, "Somehow I doubt that."

"I was in my room all evening, Mother Superior," she answered.

"Do you think that proves to me your innocence?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I had a letter from the president stating my innocence."

"That is because the President is more likely to believe your lies than I am."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Mother Superior."

"We didn't have problems like these until you came here, Miss Kennedy."

"That is something I don't believe," Ella answered.

"You are a hateful girl, Miss Kennedy, and you will pay for it one day."

"I'm not the one who did this," she lied. "I am not the only person who has a problem with Margo Sinclair."

"This all comes down to jealousy, you are jealous of Miss Sinclair and so you keep harassing her," the Mother Superior accused.

"I assure you, Mother Superior, Margo has nothing that I want and if anyone has been harassed it is me but you refuse to see that. I didn't put the snake in her bed but I do congratulate whoever did."

"Get rid of it!" the nun stated hatred in her voice.

"It's not mine to get rid of," Ella replied. "Let Margo do it, it's in her bed that makes it her property."

The nun glared at her before turning to the others, "One of you do the right thing and remove that creature from Miss Sinclair's room. She is obviously too terrified to do it herself as been suggested."

"Oh for heavens sake!" Sarah exclaimed marching into the room and snatching up the snake. "It isn't going to hurt you, its dead."

"Get it away from me!" Margo shrieked.

"Oh come on, Margo; stop being a ninny," she taunted as she shook the snake at her. "I think it's only appropriate that it be here with you after all you're both cold blooded species."

Margo screamed again as the snake swung close to her face.

"Miss Wills, did you have something to do with this?" Mother Superior asked.

Sarah pretended to be shocked, "Why would you ask that? I haven't been in any trouble."

"You seem to be at ease handling snakes, Miss Wills."

Sarah smiled, "Well, Mother Superior, when I am not in school I have the misfortune of living next door to a snake."

"I live next door to you!" Margo exclaimed.

"I'm aware of that, Margo; who did you think I was speaking of?"

Ella struggled to hold back her laughter as Sarah taunted Margo. She knew what Sarah was doing and she appreciated it even though she hadn't intended for one of her friends to take the fall for her.

"Get rid of that creature right now, Miss Wills; and tomorrow you will be washing dishes after dinner, perhaps that will make you think twice before pulling anymore of these juvenile pranks," the nun stated before storming away.

Sarah took the snake and left the room and the other girls drifted back to their quarters. Ella and Alice moved to follow them but Margo's voice stopped her.

"I know it was you, Ella Kennedy," she hissed.

Ella turned and glared at her, "Just like I know you deliberately tripped me, right?"

Margo opened her mouth to speak but closed it before saying anything.

"Sweet dreams, Margo," Ella told her with a smile as she turned and went back to her room.

The next day Ella thanked Sarah for taking the blame for her.

"Don't worry about it," Sarah told her. "It was worth it just to get to torment Margo a little."

"What did you do with our little friend?" she asked.

Sarah's eyes gleamed, "He's stretched out on the outside window sill of the Mother Superior's room."

Ella's mouth dropped open in shock, "You didn't!" she exclaimed.

"I did!" her friend replied with a laugh. "I figured she had it coming to her."

They laughed together and suddenly Ella felt like things weren't so bad after all.

The days passed by quickly, the early days of October fading into one another without anything to differentiate them. After finding a snake in her bed, Margo had been silent and hadn't launched a new attack but Ella knew that it was only a matter of time. Margo wouldn't give in that easily but she would be ready for her when she chose to strike again. The day of her seventeenth birthday dawned brightly. The sky was cloudless and the air void of the crispness of autumn. Ella brushed out her long dark red hair before coiling the curly mass and pining it up. She sighed feeling slightly nostalgic as she slipped into her plain dark blue school dress. She hated such plainness; she longed to put on a beautiful gown adorned with lace and ribbons that she loved so much.

She didn't feel as she usually felt on her birthday. There was no feeling of excitement or anticipation of gifts and a party. She frowned, a party would've been nice and just the thing to break up the monotonous pattern her life had settled into. She wondered briefly if her mother had come to Charleston like she said she would. A slight smile tugged at her lips, her mother had always been good at celebrating birthdays. Her mother had always made it a grand occasion, even when she wasn't the most attentive parent. Memories of her sixteenth birthday washed over her. It had been a magnificent affair with no expense spared. Scarlett had gone all out throwing a ball in her honor. She could remember the way they agonized over every detail from the crystal cut glasses to the centerpieces of pink roses and white magnolias.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she remembered how it had felt to walk down the stairs in the gorgeous white gown trimmed in green that Rhett had given her. She had laughed and danced all night. She had felt beautiful and loved and she wanted to feel that way again. She sighed as she allowed a tear to slide down her cheek. Her birthday had always been the one day of the year that she felt special and now she was locked away at a school run by mostly sour faced nuns. She had two good friends, a grandmother she only saw on weekends, an Aunt she hardly knew and one very annoying enemy. It was a far cry from what she had in Atlanta she thought to herself. Another tear landed on her cheek and she swiped at it angrily. She wouldn't cry, that's what everyone wanted. They wanted her to cry and breakdown and give in and do what they felt was right. She moved to the wash basin and splashed water on her face, erasing any evidence of the few tears that had fallen without permission. She pushed the feeling of weakness and nostalgia behind her and forced herself to focus on the day ahead which would probably be full of disappointments. At least it was Friday and she'd be able to escape to her grandmother's. She wouldn't get her hopes up that her mother would be there waiting for her. She was sure that Rhett would've prohibited her mother from coming, probably telling her that celebrating her birthday would get in the way of her punishment.

"It's going to be a long day," she muttered as she gathered up her books and made her way to the chapel for morning services.

"Happy Birthday, Ella," Alice and Sarah said in greeting as they sat down at the breakfast table with her.

"Thank you," she replied. "How did you know?"

"Sister Mary Frances told us," Alice answered.

Ella smiled, she had yet to see her Aunt Carreen but obviously she had taken the time to ensure that she would receive birthday greetings.

"So it's our little Irish kitten's birthday is it?" Margo said snidely from her end of the table.

Ella ignored her as she pushed around the bland tasting scrambled eggs on her plate.

"How old are you, Ella?" Margo asked.

Ella raised her eyes to look at her adversary, "I'm seventeen."

Margo wrinkled her nose, "I turned seventeen months ago."

"Good for you," Ella replied as she reached for the jam to smear on her toast.

"I should've known I was older than you, you are very immature compared to me."

Sarah nearly choked on her eggs, "Margo, I really think you have mental problems," she told her.

"I wasn't speaking to you Sarah!" she stated. "You're just angry because you couldn't hold onto to your beau."

"Apparently you couldn't hold onto him either, he's been writing to me asking for another chance."

"He didn't leave me, I left him," Margo told her. "He's not good enough for me."

Ella saw the anger in Sarah's features and decided to turn the conversation back to herself to keep a war from breaking out.

"I'm glad you're older than me, Margo," she stated casually.

"Oh? Why is that?" she asked, her icy blue eyes narrowing.

Ella smirked, "Because it means you'll be old and grey haired before me."

Margo gasped, "That isn't going to happen to me! I'll always be beautiful."

Ella laughed, "It's going to happen to all of us eventually, Margo; even you."

The girl shook her head, "No it won't, I will be beautiful no matter what my age is!"

"I assure you that my mother is fifty times more beautiful than you Margo and even she is beginning to get little lines around her eyes."

Margo glared at her, "I bet your mother isn't as pretty as you want us to believe."

"Oh she is," Alice remarked. "Ella showed me a picture of her family and her mother is very pretty, in fact Ella looks a lot like her."

"Of course you'd think she's pretty, Alice; anyone is prettier than you!" Margo stated harshly.

Alice's face paled and she lowered her eyes. Ella felt sorry for her, Margo always attacked her looks and for no reason. Alice was a lovely girl with her chestnut hair and brown eyes framed with long lashes. Her skin was without a blemish and her facial features well shaped. Her only problem was her shyness.

"Don't pay any attention to her, Alice; she knows you are pretty or she wouldn't try so hard to convince you otherwise. Besides if she wants to see something ugly all she has to do is look in the mirror at that big nose of hers."

Alice and Sarah giggled as Margo fumed.

"Ella Kennedy, you are a despicable person and I hope you have a rotten birthday!" she exclaimed.

Ella smiled, "Why Margo, I do believe that is the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Margo snatched up her plate from the table, "Come on Bessie," she demanded as she left the table.

"Have you ever noticed that Bessie doesn't talk much?" Alice asked. "I didn't even realize she was there."

Ella nodded, "I think she only speaks if Margo gives her permission."

The day went by routinely and finally Ella found herself running out to Eleanor's carriage.

"Ella, wait," Carreen's voice called.

Ella paused at the side of the carriage and waited for her Aunt.

"I didn't get a chance to see you earlier but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday," Carreen told her as she embraced her.

"Thank you, Aunt Carreen."

"I have something for you," she replied as she handed her a small object wrapped in a piece of tissue paper.

Ella unfolded the paper to reveal a crocheted bookmark made with bright yarns of pink and white and a tassel hanging off the end made of golden threads.

"Thank you," Ella said with a smile.

"I know it isn't much, but I remembered your mother saying you liked to read so I made it for you," she answered.

"It's beautiful I love it," Ella told her with sincerity.

Carreen embraced her once more, "I love you, Ella."

"I love you too."

"You better get to your grandmother's now, I'm sure she's waiting for you. Give my regards to your mother."

"I will if she's there," she replied.

"You don't really believe that she won't be do you?" Carreen asked.

Ella shrugged, "Anything's possible."

Author's Note: I intended for the entirety of Ella's birthday to be in this chapter but it would have made it much too long for what I have written out for it but on the bright side since I've decided to split this chapter up I already have a head start on the next one so I am hoping that I'll be able to update sooner rather than later. Thanks for your reviews!