Jo: Chapter 2: The Girl

The sun rose the next morning with sparkling clear skies and not the faintest hint of the rain from yesterday, except for the wonderful smells that were always left after a long rain. There was an orange light on the walls as the sun rose slowly above the horizon. This golden orange light was Jo’s favorite color, even though she wasn't sure of whether or not it was a real color.

The ground outside was still slightly soft and mushy from yesterdays rain so that this mornings outside activities would have to be delayed until the afternoon when it might be safe to venture outside again.

Jo was usually the first to rise in the mornings. She cherished the singing of the birds at sunrise. It was perfectly peaceful to Jo, a quiet yet unbroken by the noise of the girls’ various and, in Jo’s opinion, petty concerns. This morning Jo desperately desired to just go out into the crisp morning air and sit with the world, patiently, just soaking in the rays of the sun, and ignore the inevitable coming of the awakened day. But the ground was still muddy from the day before, and as mud is nothing without the rain, she decided to skip this part of her day and get up extra early tomorrow. But this morning Jo would go straight into the pantry and write up the story that she imagined yesterday, she might even be able to finish it before breakfast started.

Jo had been writing in the pantry for a quarter of an hour when she was unexpectedly interrupted by someone else entering the pantry. Miss Ryanne, however, was not at all startled to see Jo already up at the break of dawn.

“Good morning Jo. How are you today?” she glanced disapprovingly at the pages lying next to Jo. She did not approve of the type of stories that Jo wrote simply because there were never really realistic. “What is it about this time Jo?”

Jo gave her a short explanation of the story. “Oh Jo!” Miss Ryanne sounded exasperated. “Why do you write about such terrible things like dragons? They are not real you know. It’s very unladylike. And besides, dragons and unicorns don’t bring anything to the story at all.”

“It’s not about dragons or unicorns at all! It’s about overcoming fear. Being able to see the truth and the good in things. Dragons and unicorn just happen to be in it.” Jo said defensively.

“All right then” Miss Ryanne looked suspiciously at Jo. “Well, I must go into the town today and I have some instructions I would like you to pass on to the girls, if you would write them down please.” Jo picked up her pen and set it to the paper to show that she was ready. “Kindly tell the others that Grace is in charge today and any question one might have should be directed to her. Today’s activities should be conducted as usual. I will be back no later than three. Remember that you and Sara have laundry this month, remind Ruth and Laura that that they have morning dishes and Carolyn and Beth have the lunch ones. For no reasons whatsoever should there be injured animals inside, you may need to remind Kirsten this more than once. Kindly make sure that Mayna stays out of the attic, I don’t want her falling down those wretched stairs again. And please remind everyone that this Chelah is the third Chelah of the fourth month and as such the Inspector is coming and everyone should be doing their best to get this place in its cleanest state.” Miss Ryanne said all this in a way that made Jo wonder whether she was a child or a ledger keeper. Nonetheless, she copied down Miss Ryanne’s instructions perfectly.

“If it’s not too much to ask ma’am, may I inquire as to why you must go into the town today?” 

“Master Jacob called yesterday evening. He said they found a little girl, about your age as a matter of fact, after a house fire. It seems her parents died in the fire, and she has no other family to speak of. He asked me to come and collect her today.

“And I’m glad you asked Jo. Seeing as how you remain the only girl without a roommate, I want you to share your room with her. So before you do your daily tasks could you kindly make up your spare bed?” Miss Ryanne peered out of the pantry and looked at the sun rising in the windows. It was nearly above the tree line already. “Well, I must be off now or I shouldn’t return until late in the afternoon. And give those instructions there to Grace.” Jo assured Miss Ryanne that she had nothing to worry about and closed the door after she left.

She retreated to the corner of the pantry where her story still lay half finished and scooped the pages into her arms. It would be useless now to continue for the rest of the girls would be rising soon, and it would be nigh impossible to write with all the noise that they made. And sure enough as Jo was leaving the pantry with the start of her story, Grace entered. There was a quick hello and Jo shoved Miss Ryanne’s instructions into Grace’s hands and Jo was out of the room. Perhaps Jo would have stayed longer if she didn’t sense that Grace was about to give her another talking to because of the events of the previous day. Jo didn’t want to endure the persecution of something of which she had already let go.

After eating a hurried breakfast, Jo went obediently to her room to set up the second bed. Jo wasn’t very excited about sharing her room with anyone, and she assumed that the new little stranger would be very much like all the other girls of the orphanage. But nonetheless, she respectfully tidied the room and made it look welcoming to the new child.

She then went dutifully to the laundry room where she found Sara already immersed in the bubbly water. Sara was a few years older than Jo and far more beautiful. She had eyes like emeralds, dazzling green, and soft golden hair, priceless chains of human finery.

“Good morning Josephine,” said this soft spoken girl. “There is still another pile of clothes in the hamper there, although I don’t know where that other scrubber has got to, and I do think I’ve used enough soap for several loads worth. Oh I’ll never be able to measure correctly!” Sara, despite her age, always had difficulty mastering the units of measure, and was a disaster in the kitchen.

Jo was slightly amused at how flustered Sara became when she failed in her only weakness. Yet, despite Sara’s sometimes quick tempers towards Jo, Jo found her to be mildly entertaining and enjoyed that Sara was not only imperfect, but that she couldn’t quite, successfully, hide behind the unrealistic mask of perfection like many of the other girls.

By noon, Jo and Sara had finished washing the clothes and were starting to hang them up to dry in the cool breeze of the abounding air. Sara was the first to spot the horse and wagon returning from the town. Miss Ryanne had returned with the girl.

As Jo was the new child’s roommate, Jo felt that she should also be her mentor until the girl was accustomed to how things went. Jo decided to search for the girl in their room first.

At first glance, it was clear that they were the same age right down to the very season, the withering. There was something familiar about the stranger sitting there on the once spare bed, and it cooled the blood that ran through Jo’s veins. The girl had pale blue eyes with thick, eerily straight, dirty-blond hair.

“You must be Jo. My name is Samantha. It is a pleasure to meat you.” She spoke with a fiercely calm demeanor. Jo was not expecting that. “Miss Ryanne already explained to me how things are run around here and I have no more questions.” She gazed lazily out of the window next to her bed.

Despite Samantha's queer calmness, Jo found her intriguing, almost as if she were enchanted by some unknown quality that Samantha must posses. Something Jo found even more strange than the dead calm of Samantha was her genuine interest in Jo. As Jo had never encountered friendship first hand, she was slightly frightened and exhilarated.

The two girls spent the entire afternoon talking, and found that, despite their physical differences, they had much in common. For example, both of them had mothers who had died in child birth, and both of them had fathers who had bravely died to keep their children from harm. But talking about her past must have woken a monster that had been sleeping inside Jo.

 

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Jo was asleep in her room when the door sprang open and the light flooded in to reveal the man standing out of breath by the side of the little girl as she woke suddenly. She knew something was wrong for her father looked terrified. Jo knew that what he had warned her about was happening. By a loud crash from the floor below, both father and daughter knew they were inside the house.