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Divine Intervention

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The weekend spent at Aunt Josephine's house was a humble affair. Although it was short-lived, Florence, Cole, Diana, and Anne agreed that these two days were one of the best days of their young lives. Josephine was a knowledgeable and loving woman who was overjoyed to see the four children at her annual get-together. They had, in some ways, made the event much brighter than it had been in prior years when they hadn't been present.

Florence's conversation with Josephine on the night of the party was etched in her mind as a treasured memory to be cherished for a lifetime. Josephine had helped the young girl face all of the doubts that had been plaguing her mind for as long as she could remember. It was for this reason that Florence was feeling particularly melancholy on the morning of the day the group of friends were to catch the upcoming train back to Avonlea. She didn't want to leave just yet, but she knew she had family and friends waiting for her when she returned. Despite her current sadness, she assured herself that she would visit again very soon.

As soon as the train arrived, Anne had waved Aunt Josephine farewell and boarded. Diana Barry already had a personalized carriage waiting for her when she left the house that morning, courtesy of her parents, so she wouldn't be joining the others on the train ride home. Florence sighed as she looked over at the train.

Turning around, she hugged Josephine warmly before letting go. "I suppose it's time to go."

"Just because you have to leave now doesn't mean it's a goodbye," Josephine added, her smile so sweet it could lift anyone's spirits. "Look after yourself, dear. And do you recall the promise you made to me?"

"To visit again very soon," Florence finished, "I remember."

Josephine nodded.

"Thank you once again for everything, Jo."

"There's no need to thank me," she said, "I just helped you get started. It was you who figured out everything at the end."

Florence then shifted her attention to Cole Mackenzie, the young boy who had kindly escorted Anne and Florence to Charlottetown only a few days before. Cole, the new student in the class who she had befriended with a basket of cookies over a year ago, was as confident as ever now, all traces of a scared and lonely child having faded. When she looked at him now, she saw a different person, a beautiful person. She remembered with regret that he would not be accompanying her and Anne on their journey back to Avonlea. He and Josephine would start a new life in Charlottetown. Josephine was well aware of his struggles, and she had gladly volunteered to help him, which meant that he'd be staying with her in her home. Florence was genuinely pleased for him, although she was slightly disappointed that she wouldn't be seeing the brunette boy very often anymore. In the little time she'd known him, he'd become such a tremendous friend to her, and she knew Cole felt much the same way.

Florence wiped away a few tears that had unintentionally fallen from her eyes. Cole breathed deeply and took a step closer to her. He extended out his hand and wiped a single tear from her cheek, then looked at it with astonishment. He gave her a curious glance. "Sadness doesn't suit you, Flo."

"Oh, shut up," she said, chuckling, and he grinned faintly, pleased that he had managed to make her laugh. "Am I not allowed to cry?"

"You're welcome to cry, but not in front of me. Because if you cry, I'm going to cry as well."

Florence wrapped his neck with her arms and drew him in for a long hug. He effortlessly returned it. She was the first to let go after a brief moment and knowing full well that she'd miss the train if she stayed any longer, she packed up her belongings and boarded the train. The train began to move as Florence waved to both Josephine and Cole, and soon her two companions were gone from view, leaving Florence and Anne alone in each other's presence.

***

The days that followed were a haze. Florence couldn't recall anything major from those days in her life, so she just left it at that. Florence was having dinner with her grandparents at the dining table one evening. The sky was still clear and streaks of light could be seen peeking through the clouds as darkness approached.

When she remembered that she had left her notebook in The Secret Sanctuary, it hit her like a tonne of bricks. She knew it was important for her to get it now since Avonlea was expected to be struck by heavy winds overnight, and the notebook could be blown away. Florence pulled a shawl around herself and slipped on her shoes as she made her way outside to the woods after assuring her grandparents that she'd be returning shortly.

It didn't take her long to get to The Secret Sanctuary, but once she arrived, she was out of breath. The ground of the location was littered with broken wood and shattered glass, their vividly painted greens and blues lost beneath the surface. The debris was so dense that it formed a fur-like coating over them, or maybe particles of the old cobwebs that hung from the trees above. She felt her legs weakening, but she composed herself.

Just a few feet away, Florence heard maniacal laughter and turned to find Billy Andrews and his group of minions, holding their hunting rifles and laughing amongst themselves at the shambles they had so clearly created. She walked slowly towards them, oblivious to the seething rage in her blood and the fact that her fists were clenched beside her. She was the first to break the silence. "What are you three doing here?"

Billy glanced at her at once and all the colour drained from his face. Just about now he was wondering how and when she'd gotten here, and how he was going to explain himself out of this one. Florence's eyes squinted as if she couldn't believe what she was thinking. She didn't know what she'd do if her suspicions were proven to be true.

"Oh, um, we were . . ." He motioned to his hunting rifle. "Hunting. Some late-night hunting. Isn't that right, boys?"

His minions nodded, but one of them scratched the back of their neck, a telltale sign of uneasiness and, more than likely, a liar.

"Billy . . ." Florence started and Billy turned his head to face his friends, motioning to them to head on back and leave them alone for a moment. One of them left as instructed, but the other stayed close behind. Her voice came out cracked and laced with anger as she added, "Why would you⸺"

"I don't . . . I don't have a good enough explanation for this."

"Of course. You never have good explanations or intentions for anything." That was why he didn't care when he hurt her feelings so many times in the past.

He frowned. "Why does this blowhard of a place matter to you anyway?"

"It's a home."

The minion who stayed close scoffed. "A home? As in a home that you don't already have because you're an orphan?"

With a stern expression, Florence moved her gaze to meet theirs. "Good theory, honestly, but at what point will you shut up?"

When Billy shoved them away, the minion rolled their eyes and grudgingly made their way back to the other.

"The last thing I need is for you to take a stand for me, Billy Andrews. At the end of the day, I know you don't mean your support. If you truly did, I wouldn't have come to loathe you as much as I do today."

As he glanced at Florence's departing form, Billy's eyes widened and he became speechless. As his friends ran up to him, asking if everything was alright, he dropped to his knees and tossed the rifle far away. Florence hated him? He couldn't believe it. He shouldn't have been surprised, given his previous transgressions against her and her friends, but he couldn't help but register the nasty feeling at the back of his throat as regret. Even when his friends tapped him on his shoulder and called his name, he didn't hear a word since he was too concerned with the unfortunate reality he had created for himself.

Because of this, Billy felt that he probably deserved what he endured the next day from a fellow student. He was thrown against a fire burner after purposely starting a fistfight, and parts of his ear were ripped open in the process. Despite the fact that he was in excruciating pain and he required many stitches in the events following the fight, all he could think about was Florence. 

It was the fact that she wasn't there that pained him the most.

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Author's Note:

If you haven't already noticed, I tend to mix up timelines sometimes which means that Cole doesn't leave to stay with Aunt Josephine yet, but he does so in my story.

Also, what are your thoughts on Billy character as projected in this story? Do you think he deserves forgiveness or possibly a redemption arc?