prince ♛ cole mackenzie

27 | kindred spirits

Cole had meant what he said when he claimed he was not going back. Silas found himself alone again. He entered the school building and hung his belongings beside Moody Spurgeon's.

Tillie, Josie and Ruby were already inside. The door opening again saved him from joining their conversation about Billy's most attractive talents.

"Miss Stacy seems modern and thrilling!" Anne remarked with admiration. Diana followed her inside with an enthusiastic grin.

"I heard she's a spinster," Tillie told her.

"I heard she's from the mainland," said Ruby.

"Why would an unmarried woman from the big city come here? There's a scandal somewhere, you'll see." Josie took her slate and led the group into the classroom. "Mother hated Miss Stacy on sight."

"So did mine," Ruby added.

Silas's mother hadn't been too shocked when he told her cautiously that the new teacher was a woman. One of his previous teachers in the city had been a woman and she performed as well as any male teacher.

'in the city', he thought. not 'back home'.

"Here's a recipe for disaster: show up an hour late dressed like a man," Prissy Andrews said,
"To tea with the Progressive Mothers. She may as well have hung a noose around her neck."

"Isn't that the point of the Progressive Mothers, though? To show men and women should have equal rights? I'm sure wearing pants falls under those rules," Silas spoke.

All four heads shot to him.

"Well, she had no right to look . . ." Josie started, unable to find the words.

Jane smiled at Silas to share a quiet victory.

"Don't disparage her when you don't even know her," Anne advised the girls. "I think she sounds spectacular. I'm going to help pave the way for Miss Stacy. I know just how it is to be new and judged harshly—"

"That fox is gonna be dead meat. I think I'll make it into a hat."

Billy's voice carried over Anne's speech. She turned swiftly to question him like he had just announced his marriage to Moody Spurgeon, who walked beside him. Billy had a long gun hanging over his shoulder; Silas rolled his eyes.

"Fox? What fox?" Anne asked.

"The one with the dark tail that's been stealing chickens," said Moody.

Gilbert had been reading silently at his desk. He also turned to the commotion. "Well, there's no fox here, so how's about you put that gun away? I'd like to live to meet the new teacher."

Just then, the door opened wide, to reveal a woman carrying two large satchels and a globe of the earth, which came tumbling to the feet of Billy. The students lingering at desks hurried to their seats.

"I just laid the world at your feet, didn't I?" Miss Stacy breathed. Anne gave a gasp of delight. "Good morning, everyone!"

"Here you go, little lady," Billy said coolly, handing the globe back.

"My name is Miss Stacy. Please take that gun outside, the classroom is no place for a weapon."

"Sure. I was . . . just about to do that."

Silas smirked to himself. Cole would've wanted to see that.

"What a pretty room! So many windows. I love to see green," she exclaimed. He heard a small squeal from Anne.

Miss Stacy set her basket atop Mr. Phillips's old desk and unravelled the scarf like a serpent around her neck. "Alright, let's get to know each other. Please stand up."

As expected, Anne was the first to rise.

"Now, please move all the desks to the side and take a seat on the floor."

Josie's judging voice came from the other side of the classroom. "The floor?"

"We're going to form a circle and make introductions."

Silas's heart sank. Most of the class whispered their opinions on her new way of greeting students as they adjusted the creaking tables. Jane chose to sit beside him, with Anne on her other side. Maybe school without Cole was not utterly lonely.

* * * * *

Miss Stacy concluded the class after their lesson on poetry. Silas couldn't wait to return to Cole and hear his voice again.

He was grabbing his coat from the pegs when Jane spoke behind him.

"Hi. Can I walk with you?"

"Oh, yeah, of course." Silas thought for a moment. Anne was friends with Jane, she wouldn't mind if she also joined them in the den, would she? "I'm, uh, actually going to the little hut in the woods. If you wanted to come."

Her eyes brightened. "Really? I'd love to."

"Okay. Cole's there already."

"Is he doing alright?" she asked.

"He's— he's okay. He said he's not going back."

"But he can't leave," said Jane. "He needs to go to school."

"I've told him. But he's good at sculpting. He wants to do that."

Jane sighed. "Even if he doesn't come back, I'm your friend. Anne and Diana and I will look after you."

"'Look after me?'" he laughed.

"You know you wouldn't survive on your own, Silas. It's a known fact."

"Woah, okay, thanks."

"I told Billy to stay away from you. He has no right to act as he does."

"You didn't have to do that. I really am fine on my own."

Silas bent to enter the den, where Cole was sitting with his back to them, creating a sculpture. "Hey," he greeted.

Cole turned, smiling. His expression shifted slightly when he noticed Jane.

"Hi, Cole," she greeted him shyly. She seemed unsure about being inside their hut.

"Hello."

"I'm . . . sorry. About my brother. I don't want to intrude. I think I promised to help Mother prepare dinner, I can go—"

"No, please. Stay," Cole smiled.

Anne arrived shortly after their friendship sparked, bringing with her the troubles in her life now that Cole was not as large a part of it as he had been.

They spent the afternoon screaming words out onto the sea from the cliffs, all four of them. They felt like more than friends; 'Kindred Spirits', to quote Anne's words that day.