Crossing Into Forever

Chapter 38

The next day was a Saturday, so Ella didn't have to get out of bed early. She laid in her bed, thinking about all of the events now of the past few months. Why couldn't she just be a normal girl with normal problems. Why are these things happening to her. She had always tried to be a good person. She was thinking if she were a good person, bad things wouldn't happen to her, but she was apparently wrong. All the arguments she had with Mother Christina about her leaving the convent kept creeping up in her mind. She knew she had given the mother a hard time for a while with wanting to leave. Maybe she deserved these things that were happening to her. It was ironic that back then, she wanted so badly to leave the convent but now, all she could think about was getting back there.

A knock on her door made her come out of her thoughts. She gave a soft "come in" and the door slowly opened. It was Millicent. She wanted to know if Ella wanted to go to breakfast but Ella told her she wasn't feeling well and didn't feel like eating. She didn't feel like discussing the past day's events with her friends yet. She knew she eventually would, but it was too fresh, and the pain was too bad. She didn't want to start crying in the cafeteria and didn't even want to cry around her friends right now. She just wanted to be left alone. Millicent told her she would come and check on her later in the day to see how she was feeling. They said their goodbyes and Millicent left. Ella knew she would have to tell her friends, she just didn't know how. She couldn't bear to talk or think about it. She promised herself she would tell them tomorrow. Maybe there will be some news about Erebus tomorrow and maybe the doctor will be able to get rid of him. It felt strange to think she wanted a life to end, but she didn't know what else to think. Did that make her an evil person? Maybe that is why all of this bad stuff is happening to her. Maybe she was evil? The tears welled up in her eyes and started all over. She laid her head back down on the pillow and tried hard to go back to sleep. Sleep would make it all go away, she thought to herself. After lying there for what seemed like an eternity, merciful sleep overtook her and for a while, Ella was free of her strife and troubles.

After some time, Ella awoke to a light rapping on her door again, she rose up in the bed, feeling so sleepy and like she had been sleeping for days. She had to gather her thoughts before she could tell the person knocking to come in. The door opened and it was Millicent, Lucy, and Sibylla. They all stood there for a second looking at her before anyone spoke.

"We know something is wrong" Sibylla spoke first.

"Are you sick? Do we need to go get the doctor?" Lucy chimed in with a concerned look on her face.

Ella knew her friends were worried about her and decided now was as good a time as any to tell them the news.

"No, I'm not sick. I promise. I got some bad news yesterday and it has been hard grasping the situation.

"I knew it! I knew something was wrong" cried Millicent. We are here for you Ella. Please don't think you have to go through your problems alone. We are here for you."

"I know you are, and I love you all for it. You all need to sit down so I can tell you what is happening." The tears were already welling up in her eyes, but she sniffed and wiped them away as the girls all sat down. Lucy and Sibylla sat at the foot of Ella's bed and Millicent pulled her desk chair around and sat down.

"Now what is going on, we don't like seeing you like this."

Ella buried her face in her hands and let the tears fall free. "I just don't know what I'm going to do. They are making me get married."

The girls all sat there looking at each other as the full weight of what she said hit them.

"What? Who?"