(A Cold Morning)

*December 8th, 1941*

*9:25 am*

The sound of the alarm clock buzzed as Mary had risen to shut off the clock.

"Another day of watching over the orphanage while Mrs Harrison goes to work.." Mary spoke to herself, yawning to herself while getting up from her bed to head toward the bathroom to freshen herself up for the day.

"First I'll shower as usual then I'll fix myself some breakfast, thank god Mrs Harrison made the other orphans sandwiches the night prior.." Mary spoke to herself in relief while turning on the shower to freshen up for the day.

Mary would eventually step in the shower to freshen herself up, and after ten minutes, she would step out.

*9:35 am*

"A good warm shower always hits the spot. It's easy to be the first one because the water eventually gets cold, and I hate cold showers.." Mary spoke to herself while drying herself up.

She looked into the mirror to see herself for a moment before resuming drying up.

Mary would eventually walk over back to her room to get dressed for the day before heading downstairs to the kitchen area.

"Okay, maybe I should cook some eggs and sausage, or perhaps I should make myself a sandwich…" Mary spoke to herself while opening the refrigerator to take out a carton of eggs and a few sausages as she set them on the table.

"Thank god I'm a self-made orphan, or otherwise, I would have starved until Mrs. Harrison came back for her lunch break and that would have been bad!" Mary uttered while letting out a smirk as she began to prepare her breakfast.

Mary took out a small frying pan, placed it in the oven, and turned it on, and after a few seconds, she would finally cook her eggs and sausage.

"I may be twelve, but I can still pull my weight around here. I wish the other orphans did the same."Mary thought to herself while letting out a small laugh as she continued to cook her breakfast for a few more minutes until she was finally done.

"Thank goodness Charlotte taught me how to cook eggs properly. She's such a good friend to me." Mary spoke to herself while she used a large spoon to place her food on a plate before walking over to sit down at the table; however, she noticed a note on the table which prompted her to read it.

"Dear Mary, please watch over your foster siblings while I'm at work, okay? I also want you to head over to the market to gather some vegetables and don't worry, The other foster kids can tend to themselves in the meantime, from Mrs Hamilton." Mary spoke, reading the letter with great interest before placing the letter down as she resumed eating.

"Today sure is cold. I've outgrown my old sweater, so I guess I have no choice but to wear something long-sleeved while also toughing it out.." Mary spoke once more before getting up from the table so she could head upstairs to put on something warm.

"I'll eat later. It's best to gather the vegetables before the market gets crowded, and I don't want to talk to anybody, but Charlotte today.." Mary thought to herself while walking over to the closet to put on a long-sleeved shirt.

Despite the outfit, Mary knew she would be cold; however, she smiled warmly, chuckling to herself as she began walking downstairs, and toward the exit.

"I'll be fine. I'll manage to get a sweater in the future, hopefully…" Mary spoke once more to herself as she exited the orphanage, locking the door behind her before officially running off to her destination.

Mary would quickly run across the block for a good minute or two until she eventually entered the market, and to her luck, it wasn't crowded due to how early it was.

"Good, I've made it. I should get the vegetables, and get back to the orphanage before the little rascals wake up, this is going great.." Mary spoke to herself, breathing in exhaustion due to her running as she began walking across the market in search of the veggie vendor.

Mary continued to walk across the market, and during her walk, she could hear plenty of people chatter about the recent attacks that had taken place yesterday...

"The Pearl Harbor attacks…It was like the world stopped and that was honestly the first time I've felt dread and fear. What if New York is next…" Mary thought to herself while the chatter about the attacks slowly caused her to feel dread as she continued to walk.

"I recalled that Charlotte was extremely worried that her father might join, and even Anya was worried about Calvin.." Mary spoke to herself while looking around to see many more people talking amongst themselves about the unknown future.

Mary continued to walk until eventually arriving at the vegetable vendor.

"Good Morning, little girl. Are you here to pick up the vegetables for Mrs Harrison? Don't worry, she came by yesterday to notify and pay me in advance, so here you go.." The Vendor Man spoke to Mary politely while handing her the bag of vegetables which brought a small smile to Mary's face.

"Thank you, and I didn't know this, but I'll be sure to tell Mrs Harrison that I've picked up the veggies as ordered, have a good day." Mary responded to the man politely before turning around to head back home; however, during her journey, she noticed Charlotte and her mother shopping together.

"Charlotte? Mrs Smith? It's quite the coincidence to meet them here, but maybe I should go up and speak to them.." Mary spoke to herself before running over to her friend.

Mary would run up to Charlotte and her mother quite excitedly as she began to speak up with a smile.

"Charlotte! Mrs Smith! What brings you here today? It's great seeing the both of you.." Mary greeted the pair, waving at them with a smile.

This caught their attention and they turned around to see their friend.

"Friend! It's wonderful to see you today, how are you? And I've been doing good." Charlotte greeted Mary back, hugging her warmly while Mary hugged back before speaking once more.

"I'm glad to hear that, and what brings the both of you here today.." Mary responded, shivering in coldness while Mrs Smith began to answer the question.

"Well, me and my daughter are picking up some small things for our dinner tonight. It also seems that you're doing the same, right?" Mrs Smith responded while Mary nodded in confirmation.

"That's wonderful, and I'm doing the same thing. Mrs Hamilton has a shift at the department store today, so I'm doing a little shopping." Mary responded with a smile while Charlotte and her mother smiled back.

"Wonderful, and you seem cold. Want me to buy you a sweater? I want you to stay as warm as possible. It gets quite cold in New York during this time of the year" Charlotte suggested while Mary shook her head much to Charlotte's dismay.

"Nah, I-I don't want you to waste your money on me or feel pity for me, but thanks for the offer, Charlotte." Mary responded while still shivering to herself as Charlotte shook her head.

"No, don't talk that way. You're my friend, and I must ensure that you are safe and sound. So I'm getting you that sweater, friend." Charlotte responded with a smile while Mary was hesitant; however, she eventually gave in.

"T-Thanks, and knock yourself out. I've outgrown my old sweater since I'm getting taller, but maybe something medium might do.." Mary responded to her friend with a smirk and this shocked Charlotte as she began to speak.

"Outgrown?! Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would have brought you a new sweater. It's extremely cold these days, and I don't want anything bad happening to you.." Charlotte responded in a surprised manner while Mary chuckled to herself in embarrassment.

"W-Well, I-I didn't want you to worry or anything, so I just toughened the coldness out. I'm pretty used to it anyway.." Mary responded, nervously chuckling to herself while her friend shook her head before speaking.

"Of course, I'll be worried. You're my friend, and I don't want anything bad happening to you, but just know It's not a bad thing as well, so let's head to the department store so I can buy you that sweater.." Charlotte responded kindly while Mary slowly began to smile.

"T-Thanks.." Mary responded, smiling, looking over to her side.

The gang would eventually walk their way toward the parked car and enter it with Mrs Smith being the driver. Mrs Smith eventually began to drive to the department store while Mary and Charlotte began chatting.

"So, I heard Judith is friends with Anya it seems, right? I never thought I'd see that rich girl change her ways." Mary asked Charlotte while looking out the car window while her friend nodded in confirmation.

"Correct, I talked to Anya the other day, and she told me that Judith isn't ready to approach me and the others; however, she does express remorse for burning my girlfriend's diary, so that makes me happy." Charlotte responded while looking at her friend.

"I'm glad, but do you forgive Judith for how she treated your friends and girlfriend? I mean, I heard her say and do terrible things to everyone.." Mary responded, turning around to look at her friend; however, she didn't see any resentment in her face, but one of forgiveness.

"I do, when Judith is ready to apologize in person then I will tell her that I forgive her. I can't hold on to any grudges. That's what I did with my father, and it ended up hurting me, but don't get me wrong, Patrick wasn't a good father and husband at all; however, I still found myself forgiving him, so I must do the same for Judith." Charlotte answered while this made Mary smile as she chuckled.

"I see, Me and her never interacted, but I'd probably forgive her as well If I were in your shoes.." Mary responded, still looking out the car window while Charlotte smiled back before turning back to face the car window for the rest of the car ride.

*10:05 am*

*Gerald's Department Store*

Mary, Charlotte, and Mrs Smith finally arrived at the department store so they could buy a sweater, during this, Charlotte and Mary walked across the sweater area.

"Friend, what size are you? If you've grown out of child sizes then we should get you something meant for teens, Ironically enough, you are becoming a teenager in a few weeks so getting you an early birthday would be great as well." Charlotte asked Mary while observing the sweaters.

"I'm a size medium, and maybe I should get a teen size, and thank you once again. I appreciate it.." Mary thanked her friend, smiling warmly at Charlotte as she smiled back.

"Of course. I don't want you to ever feel like you're a burden or anything. I'm always here for my loved ones, and that means you." Charlotte responded warmly while Mary gave her a smile and thumbs up before resuming her search for a sweater.

Mary would look through the sweater before coming across a black sweater that instantly made her smile which was noticed by Charlotte.

"I chose this sweater. Wanna know why?" Mary spoke to Charlotte, grabbing the sweater from the hanger while her friend smiled once more.

"That's a beautiful sweater, and I would love to know why, my good friend." Charlotte responded while waiting for an answer as Mary spoke once more.

Before speaking, Mary had a bittersweet look on her face despite her smile which was noticed by Charlotte who gently held her hand in comfort.

"This sweater reminds me of my father. I was little, but he used to always wear this large black sweater. I still remember the fresh scent of the fur as well. That's why I want it.." Mary responded with a warm smile, as she felt a warm hug coming from Charlotte.

"That's wonderful. And If that's the sweater you want then I'll buy it for you, okay? We also should get going since I don't want to keep my mother waiting too long." Charlotte responded warmly before releasing herself from the hug and proceeding to walk toward the register.

"Thank you, Charlotte. You are the best friend anyone could ask you.." Mary thanked her friend with a beautiful smile before following her to the register with her morning being extra brighter with the help of her friend and good memories.