It's a quiet day when Jem and Jerry sign up to fight against the underworld that Hades is creating.
War
Countries at war with one another, with problems larger than her own, as she waits for something to come and take her away from all of this
She remembers Jem knocking on her door, her sanctuary of a little white room, it used to be his before he went to Redmond, but now he is back to bunking with Walter when he's home.
"Can I come in?" He asks "Or can you come out?"
Rilla just motions to the other bed that used to be Miss Oliver's and wraps her comforter around her.
Her brother watches her for a moment, afraid to speak as looks her over. Pale and thin and withdrawn.
"I wanted to tell you, I didn't want you to hear it from the other, but I signed up for the war along with Jerry." He tells her quietly.
Rilla looks at him, hurt over her face. It was the first time she actively thought of the war. Sure it's talked about, she couldn't escape it, but this time looking at her brother. She remembers the announcement, how Hades erupted and took over her evening, how Ken had gotten swept up and stopped holding her hand…it's quick in its flashes…the steps, the alcove…she stops herself…only to find brother watching her as she tried to even her breathing. "
"Why?" That is all she could get out.
"Because I need to, because I need to get them to feel like a rid the world of some evil," Jem says quietly. "I couldn't protect you, but I can protect my country in exchange."
How long has it been since that night? She remembers how adamant he was about enlisting that night.
He waited to stay here at Ingleside to…because of her?
The station is bustling and she stands close to her fathers tucked into his side like a shadow. Not used to so many strangers around and it makes her feel uneasy. Jem is saying goodbye to everyone, Walter, the twins, Shirley, their parents and then lastly her. Even Dog Monday had come along to say goodbye to his dear owner.
His tail wagged, thinking that Jem was going to school again and not halfway across the world.
"Be brave," Jem says kissing her cheek.
"You too," Rilla says quietly.
"Write me, whatever you feel like writing, funny, sad, just write me…let me know how you are and what is happening around the house?" Jem put her hand on the side of her head, looking over to Faith who was waiting patiently for him. He stops though, bending to the little dog that followed him faithfully.
"I need you to watch Rilla for me. Can you do that for me on Monday?" Jem asks scratching an ear. "She needs all the protection you can give her if I can't be here to do it?"
Dog Monday looks up at him, licking his face in answer, paws on his master's shoulders as if he was hugging him goodbye.
Rilla watches before she steps away from him, she catches her reflection in the window pane, pale with fading green on her face, and a mostly healed cut that is on display as her hair had moved in the wind. She hears whispers around her, she sees Mary Vance watching her.
A new carriage arrives, Leo West in his uniform, with his father Martin West and Ken comes bounding out of the carriage as well, tying up the horses for his relatives.
Ken is around watching her and her stomach is churning as someone bumps into her. He reaches out to steady her quickly.
"Come sit for a moment," he says quietly leading her to the bench. "There's a lot of people around, and it's hard to say goodbye to siblings in such a way. Leo is going, 'It's why I'm here, to see him off as no one else can. But it would make anyone feel faint."
"I can stay and sit with her," Walter appearing in front of them watching Ken closely.
"I don't mind," Ken says with a shrug. "I've sat on many benches with Persis like this over the years,"
"When do you go back home?" Rilla asks him, colour slowly returning to her cheeks.
"Sooner than later I suppose? Only a couple of weeks left of vacation and I should decide on my school courses," Ken says looking out at the train that everyone was gathered around. He sitting close to her but still far enough to be proper. "I have yet to decide on what to do, really," he says mysteriously and Walter gives him a shocked look before it hardens.
When she stands on her feet she finds herself swaying lightly and Walter reaches out to steady her. Shirley is near enough to notice as well as he frowns.
"You didn't eat anything this morning yet," Walter says shaking his head.
"I saw Pinnells opening early for the train, why don't we get her something to eat? Some sugar will do good for her?" Ken says looking at Walter.
"I'm not sure if Mother or Father…" Walter says looking towards his parents who give Walter a long look. "We're going to get Rilla something to eat," Walter says to them. "She isn't feeling well," he tells him and she sees her parents frown looking concerned.
"It's probably the lack of food lately and Jem leaving," Shirley speaks up.
"Of course, just don't let her be alone," Mother tells the young men.
Her sister is being cradled by their mother, looking sullen and abandoned. Faith is looking the same in her stepmother's arms, but Walter takes her arm gently. Kenneth follows closely beside her, like a ghost wind. He didn't shy away from her, he didn't look at her with pity, not when she could see it possibly. He was just the same old Kenneth, his limp is still slightly pronounced.
He ran around looking for her….he was there when they found her. Shirley wasn't, he had gone to check another area. Still, Shirley was the one this morning who knocked on her door with a cup of tea and scone, which she didn't eat. She hadn't even slept, staring up at her ceiling until the sun came up. Trying not to think of anything that would make her remember.
No don't go there…no here, not right now. Shirley is also walking with them now, though Shirley never misses a chance for food.
They walk down the street to the bakery that doubles as an early morning tea room for the train station. There are fresh cinnamon sugar doughnuts and fritters made with wild blueberries. They get half a dozen and mugs of tea. She tries to eat, but her stomach still churns as she picks at the offerings and the tea is stronger than she likes.
They all watch her as they talk about everything else, and anything but the dance and that night. Shirley mainly sat back with a cup of coffee and watched the window they were near.
"So you're going to Redmond this fall?" Ken directs to Walter.
"Father wants me too, fit enough for school now according to him," Walter says. "Just wouldn't be fit enough for war? I suppose once your ankle is healed? Are you still in English?"
"Half English with a minor in law, but I may pick up more law this year I think? Not sure exactly what I want to do, but I'll probably finish the school for good measure most likely unless things change?" Ken says after a long drink. "I am sure the girls will be ecstatic to have you at Redmond with them though. Though I am surprised that Una Meredith is not going with Faith."
"She feels like three in college is good enough for her family. She didn't even go to Queens, if she had she could have taken over the Glen school now that Miss Oliver has finally married her beau." Walter says taking a drink of his tea. "Any ladies back home?"
"Trina was around most of the winter to keep me company, and she was nice company her brother is a year ahead of me. I sort of left for the summer with a simple See you later. She's nice and all, but not exactly who I see for myself. Though since I began hobbling around again, there is one I am curious about, but I am not sure if her brothers would be welcoming," he explains and he gives Rilla a quick look before pushing more doughnut at her. "You barely eat anything Rilla-My-Rilla, I cannot carry you back and Walter won't be able to either."
"I am eating," Rilla says under her breath. "Forgive me if I just saw my brother go off to war."
"And so did I, we all did," Walter says quietly. "Eat, unless you are unwell, then you should tell Mother?" He says even more quietly.
"Why?"
"Because," Walter stammers, ears turning red and Ken coughs as if they know something she doesn't.
"Because you don't eat enough Rilla," Shirley speaks up.
"Just let them know Rilla, please," Walter says as the door jingles and a few girls come in. Rilla sits up straighter. Her friends from school! They look at her, and then at each other, whispering as her face continues to drop when they don't even approach her. Only Betty and Alice seem to look at her with sympathy and longing.
"Mother says we shouldn't associate with her now, given the circumstances. No one needs to be marred by association from a good marriage." She hears Majorie say to the group of girls, in a whisper that is not a whisper.
"I want to go home," Rilla's voice wobbles. "Please can we go home," she looks to Walter, to Shirley, to Ken.
"Of course," Walter says standing up. He empties his teacup and Shirley bags up the doughnuts they hadn't eaten. Ken was already escorting Rilla out the door, not touching her at all as he led her out of the shop. Pausing as she adjusts her hat so her nose won't freckle as she blinks away tears.
"Here," Kenneth fishes out his handkerchief, moving to dry her tears but she flinches away from him and he curses under his breath. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to."
They find the carriage still there and Mother and Father talking to some of the townspeople as Carter Flagg's store opens along with the post office. The twins were looking in the window of the dressmaker and milliner shop, discussing the new hats that were for sale. Dog Monday is nowhere to be seen, he
Mother pulls Rilla to her side and beckons everyone to come along, it's best to go home and they could give Ken a lift back to over the harbour if he wanted to stay for lunch. To her surprise, she feels dog Monday at her ankles. Looking up at her with a look of intent, and when she moved slightly to let someone into the carriage, Monday followed her.
"You are taking his words to heart?" She asks stooping down to give him a pet and an ear scratch.
The drive is quiet as she's sandwiched between her parents. She doesn't speak, and Monday lies down at her feet, and jumps after her, following her faithfully into the house. While he doesn't sit at her feet as she sits in her chair in the living room, he positions himself in his bed so she is in his sight. It's a sea of cotton as her sister settles packages and lengths of cotton they had gotten from the Red Cross. They were old enough for such a thing, and Rilla wasn't, then again she could barely tell you what day it was, what time it was or when she had last eaten something.
It didn't right or normal, any of this…all of this.
Hades bubbled on the surface, erupting and stealing young men, sons, and brothers from their homes. Hades making men do unthinkable things to girls they don't know…ruining lives and reputations forever. Her head turns at the sound of Walter talking about her upset stomach.
It's quiet, a pin could be heard falling onto the floor. Her parents were watching her, looking at her, it was all too apparent what was happening. To them anyway? She felt this way queasiness for days at this point, a churn, a flip that never stopped when food was forced, or in a presence.
They don't ask…not yet anyway.
Rilla does the only thing she can do, hide away in her room not wanting to face it, and think of her mother's distraught face. The clicking of canine nails on the floor following her is something she isn't used to.
How long has it been since that night? She can still feel their hands and voices in her mind, she cries into her pillow. Jem said the war started two and a half weeks ago at this point, almost three.
Nausea rose in her throat.
It can't be true, but she hasn't bled yet, there was still time? There had to be. She didn't want…
She couldn't…
A cold nose bumps her hand.
Across, over the harbour, careful consideration of the telephone line that was not private, but a conversation that needed to be done with.
"You cannot be serious Kenneth, or have thought this through." Ken hears his mother through the phone.
"But I have mother, and I know I don't have to, but how can I stand aside and watch…. If it was Persis and one of my friends you would be grateful to them," Ken tells her.
"She's a child!" Leslie exclaims, thinking about her first marriage. "I was married off at sixteen Kenneth, I don't think you realize how young that is Kenneth!"
"And yet this happened to her anyway Mother, but she can stay on the island with her family and I will finish school. Name only," Ken tells her. "I am also not the man he was Mother, I would never hurt her."
"Well, bloody course it would be," Leslie says sighing, "And later? When she's older?"
"Then it's her choice and if this war is still around when I am able to join…well that just makes it easier for her if I don't come back isn't it?" Ken says quietly and he hears his mother take in a breath.
"They say the war will be done by Christmas, what then Kenneth? If she wanted out one day? I don't like talking in such a way Kenneth, but even if this war lasts longer than imagined, what if you don't come back? I cannot lose you, Kenneth." Leslies says over the phone line.
"Then I'll find a way to break it without scandal," Ken says quietly. "I can't…I can't help but wonder if one thing changed, if I didn't ignore her mother maybe this would have been different?"
"You cannot blame yourself," Leslie tells him. "
"Mom, please this is Rilla Blythe, Little Rilla Blythe who follows you around in the summer when we visit, who you buy silver slippers for and birthday presents. I'm just trying to help her, an ounce of kindness when everything in her life is upside down and will change. I can't promise her much, but I can promise to treat her respectfully and offer her hope."
"Could you love something that is not yours?" Leslie asks quietly knowing the telephone lines weren't private. "Could you stand to be attached to someone who you may never love, or love you?"
"I don't know, but I know at the very least we can be friends?" Ken tells his mother.
Leslie sighs. "Well, I have a feeling you already made your decision, I just worry that playing a knight in shining armour will confuse her more."
"I am no knight in shining armour, if I was this would have never happened at all," Ken says quietly.
"Then, I suppose I have nothing else to say, Kenneth, if you feel this strongly then do as you feel you must and your father and I will support you in it," Leslie says quietly.