Disclaimer: Despite all evidence to the contrary, I am not Gaston Leroux, or Andrew Lloyd Webber.
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Adrienne Giry was an older sister. She had one young brother, called Philippe. He was one of her only companions during her childhood. He had a bright face, golden curls and bright blue eyes inherited from their mother. Adrienne, on the other hand, had ended up with a mass of often-unmanageable black hair and dull grey-brown eyes from their father's side of the family. Their parents hadn't mistreated her or anything, but they had always favored Philippe. So, as soon as she was old enough, they shipped her off to live in the ballet dormitories of the Paris Opera House.
She was a shy seven-year-old, avoiding contact with the other girls, preferring to throw her entire consciousness into her dancing. Under the strict, watchful eye of Madame Romilly the ballet mistress, Adrienne began her training as a ballerina.
Then one day, a month or two after she had first come to the Opera, a class was interrupted. Two men dressed all in black came into the room, spoke briefly with Madame Romilly, and left. At the end of the class, the ballet mistress told Adrienne that her parents and brother had perished in a horrible fire. The funeral was to be the next morning.
The next morning, accompanied by Madame Romilly, Adrienne trekked across the grey streets of Paris to the church. It was early in the morning, before the service officially started. Adrienne, with an intense air of silence about her, knelt and said a little prayer over her brother's casket, turned around, and walked out. From that moment on, she realized that she was alone in the world. She was determined to make something of herself as a dancer. She turned her mind away from her old life. She was no longer the sister of Philippe Giry, the blemish on her family's presence at social events. She was Adrienne Giry, and nothing more.
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A/N: Hey there! Sorry for the Series-Of-Unfortunate-Events-ish beginning and the slight emoness. If Mme. Giry really does have a first name, let me know. If not, I will continue to use mine.