Only Time Will Tell

Chapter 1: Meeting

Sakura: Hello, everybody! As you can see, I'm back to writing again. I just hope you all keep reading. I would now like to introduce our friends, the main characters in this story. There are many of them, none of whom belong to me…

Erik: Good day, to you all…

Mme. Giry: Hello.

Meg: Hi!

Christine: … Do I know any of you?

Raoul: An honor to meet you.

Sakura: Hi! As a note here, this story is based on the 2004 ALW movie. It is centered upon Erik and Mme. Giry. If you don't like that pairing, read it anyway! Maybe it'll grow on you.

Meg: You forgot to mention something…

Sakura: Oh! Occasionally, we will have a guest come to talk. I am open to requests of people you would like to see! For now, though, enjoy!

XXX

The morning sun shown through the dusty windows of the ballet dormitory as the girls woke. "Time to get up, girls! We have a busy day ahead of us. Get out of bed, all of you. Hurry along or you'll miss breakfast!" A voice echoed through the room. The ballet mistress had come to wake them, as she did every morning, but the girls seemed eager to start their day. They quickly rolled out of bed, chattering to one another excitedly as they began to dress, instead of their normal grumbling. Today was special. Today was their day off from practice. Not only that, but they would be visiting a gypsy fair. The girls hurried through breakfast, wishing time could go faster. After finishing up the small chores that had been assigned to them, they met in a group near the entrance to the Opera House.

The walk to the fairground seemed to take ages, though it was only halfway across the city. They finally arrived, their eyes wide at the sights they saw. The ballet mistress let them explore in small groups until it was dark. Then they gathered again to see the sights together. They passed jugglers, contortionists, and sword eaters. Tightrope walkers and animal trainers. They watched in suspenseful silence as a man walked back and forth over hot coals. Moving on, they came to a tent. The sign read "The Devil's Child". A man with crazed eyes and wild clothes beckoned them inside where he stepped into a cage. A small boy sat in the middle with a dirty sack covering his head. As the onlookers all pressed their faces close to the bars, the man pulled the sack off, yanking the boy's head back by his hair. The crowd gasped but soon, many were laughing and jeering. People threw money at the boy before leaving the tent. All the girls followed the others - all of them but one.

That one young girl, the only person who hadn't laughed, stayed behind with sadness in her eyes. She watched the man whip the poor boy that had grabbed the sack and put it back on. Even with his face covered, she could see the pain in his eyes.

While the man was collecting the coins on the ground, the boy sneaked to the bars and untied a rope. Before the girl had even blinked, he was strangling the man to death. Her eyes widened in shock as he looked up at her and without thought, she opened the door to the cage, grabbed the boy's hand, and ran. Shouts of angry people followed them as they ran through the streets towards the Opera House. Shoving the boy inside secret entrance, the girl ran inside through the back door to meet the strange child. She took his hand again and led him through a damp, dark tunnel to an abandoned room where props from an old opera were being stored. There they stopped, panting. The boy spoke up at first. "Why did you take me away from there?" he demanded angrily. "I rescued you! You should be grateful. Now those people can't hurt you," she replied, slightly confused at his reaction.

"You don't understand, you-!" he yelled before a hand clamped his mouth shut.

"You have to be quiet! Do you want us to get caught? Who are you anyway…? I can't just call you 'mask boy'…"

"Erik," was his mumbled answer from behind her hand.

"Erik… My name is Antoinette Giry. Annie."

"Annie…" Erik said, seeming to taste the word on his tongue.

"Yes. Now you stay here and I'll be right back. Be quiet, okay?" Annie said.

As soon as Erik thought she had gone, he slumped to the floor and started to cry softly. Now he was not only lost but also alone. Why couldn't she just have just let me be? Why… he wondered to himself.

Meanwhile, Annie had snuck into the kitchen to grab some food. As she reached for what she had come to get, she heard voices coming towards her. She scrambled to hide behind a stack of crates labeled "potatoes". From her position, she peeked through a gap between the crates to watch as the cooks entered the kitchen.

"They couldn't find her anywhere," one cook was saying.

"You mean they searched the whole fair?" the other cook asked

"Yes! She was nowhere to be found. They're back now to look here."

"I hope they find her… poor Annie…"

Annie fought back a gasp of surprise as she realized they were talking about her.

"Come and help me find the ingredients for this stew," she heard the head cook say and they exited the kitchen once more. She took this as her chance and grabbed the food before quietly darting back down to where Erik was. He hadn't moved. "Erik," she whispered and he turned his head to her, eying her nervously.

"I brought you something." The boy stared at her, standing up slowly.

"What… is it?" Erik asked in a quiet voice.

"It's food. For you."

His eyes widened as she handed the bread and cheese to him along with an apple saved from lunch. "I'm sorry I don't have more but that's all I could find."

"It's more than I've had in a long time," he whispered. "I… I have to take this off to eat," Erik said, pointing to his mask. Annie nodded but didn't look away. "Go ahead. I really don't mind." The boy slowly took the sack off his head, looking down to hide behind his hair and began to eat. He finished quickly, smiling at Annie. "Thanks," he told her. She nodded, smiling back, and took his hand giving it a squeeze.

XXX

Sakura: There's the end of chapter 1! I'm sorry it's so short but I wrote it in school during lunch…

Erik: You know, I still have that mask somewhere.

Annie: It wouldn't fit you now.

Erik: That's why I'm not wearing it, Madame.

Sakura: Anyway, whether you liked it or not, please review! I could really use some feedback… by the way; I'm including a link to a very amazing and funny video on YouTube. You guys should totally watch it!

Annie: It really is quite amusing.

Erik: To you, maybe.

Sakura: I did post a disclaimer! So yeah… That's all for now. I'll post more of the story soon!

LINK: h t t p : / /w w w . y o u tube. com/watch?v=sWP-ZHCsXgk&feature=channel_page

Please take out the spaces!