Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Phantom of the Opera. Sue me and all you'll get it some pocket lint and a very strange kitty.
O, you will take whatever's offered
And dream that all the world's a friend,
Suffer as your mother suffered,
Be as broken in the end. W.B. Yeats
Elizabeth gazed at the daffodils that blanketed the grounds outside Taylor Hall. This was the second time they bloomed since she came to Bryn Mawr and she mourned because it would be the last. As the past few days had been filled with packing and planning, Elizabeth had no time to allow her new reality to set in.
With departure a few hours away, Elizabeth toured the campus one last time. Walking slowly and pausing often, Liz bid a silent adieu to the many reasons she loved Bryn Mawr so well. Behind the majesty of the architecture and the beauty of the campus, the college had a strong undercurrent of scholasticism. All the women at Bryn Mawr had one thing in common – a superior intellect. During her first day on campus, Elizabeth had felt an instant camaraderie with her fellow students. She had finally found a place where she belonged.
The memories were the hardest to let go. She couldn't take them with her. Elizabeth knew it would be too hard to make a new life if she was plagued with memories of paradise.
God, this hurts she thought as she stared at the daffodils before her. They became a kaleidoscope of yellow as tears blurred her vision. When Liz first came to Bryn Mawr, she thought she could start anew, away from the bad memories and broken dreams she left at home. It didn't take her long to realize that her baggage had followed her all the way to Philadelphia. After all, she merely changed locations, not personalities. Elizabeth's self-destructive habits continued. While she dwelt in her heaven on earth, internally she was living in her own personal hell.
Elizabeth's dean hadn't caught on until a week ago when her eyes caught the scars on Elizabeth's arms. From there it took only a few meetings for the college to conclude that she was not well enough to remain enrolled. They were sending her away. Liz's sister Marianne was driving down from Maine to bring her home. She would be arriving any minute. Determined not to let this tragedy ruin her, Elizabeth wiped the tears from her eyes. It was time to go.
Author's Notes: Please review. I love reviews.Much love to my beta Sandi.