A Whole New World
Prologue
Now, no matter where I am
No matter what I do
I see your face appearing
Like an unexpected song,
An unexpected song
That only we are hearing...
An Unexpected Song, by Andrew Lloyd Webber
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Christine swung her legs out of the bed and shivered as her feet touched the cold marble. She didn't like the fact that the floor of her bedroom was covered with marble. It felt wrong, somehow – like the set of a play, close to reality but with a little something always missing.
With a sigh, she stood up and looked back towards the bed. She could see Raoul lying on the bed, his breathing even. It still disturbed her slightly that they didn't wait until marriage to share a bedroom, but it had been Raoul's wish and she really didn't have the heart to say no to him, not after everything he had done for her. And after all, it was her fault that their engagement was so long…
They had been engaged for almost four years already. Christine was sure they would have gotten married much sooner, had the circumstances been different. Christine just hadn't been ready for the marriage before and Raoul had been patient. Two months ago she had finally felt it was time to leave the past behind and so they had set a date for the wedding.
Four months… Then I'll become Vicomtesse de Chagny. She crossed the room and opened the door to the balcony. She could feel the soft night breeze around her as she walked to the balcony railing.
Everything was so calm and quiet. And beautiful, she realised. It truly was a beautiful night…
They were returning to Paris in three months. She had decided that her painful memories were not a good enough reason to stay away from this beautiful city. She had always wanted to get married in a small church near Paris and Raoul had a beautiful house in the city. Why leave it all because she couldn't face those memories? Three and a half years had passed, what was there for her to be afraid of?
A sudden gust of cold her made her tighten the robe around her. She wanted to make sure she was now, at last, free. Free of everything. Of the dark thoughts, painful nightmares…
It had been so hard in the beginning. About a month after their departure from Paris, she started to hear voices and see visions. Everybody thought the future Vicomtess had gone crazy and nobody knew what to do. It had kept getting worse and worse, until one day Raoul had managed to catch her on the last moment. She had been standing on the balcony railing, ready to jump, when Raoul stormed in. After that incident, she was forced to stay in her room under guidance.
Christine had very vague memories of days before her suicide attempt, and she didn't remember anything from days afterwards. She only knew about these because she had accidentally found the notebook where the nurse, who was in charge of her, had written about every change in her condition.
Christine knew now how her situation had kept getting worse and worse. Everybody, even Raoul, had been losing hope. Then, one day, she simply woke up, greeted her maid in a normal manner, dressed and went for a walk outside for the first time in two years.
Everything that happened after that day was clear in her mind. She remembered the doctor who came to see her; she remembered how shocked everyone was at this sudden recovery. There were no more nightmares, no more visions, no more strange voices that only she heard.
It had been one and a half years ago.
"Christine?"
A soft voice shook her from her thoughts and she was relieved. Her thoughts were always jumping around something much bigger, much more dangerous, something much darker. Something she had tried to remove from her mind.
"Christine, are you alright?"
She turned around and smiled at Raoul.
"Yes, I'm fine, don't worry. I just wanted some fresh air."
Raoul yawned.
"Well then, come back inside. It's cold outside. You'll catch a cold."
Christine sent one last look to the fantastic, magical nightly world around her and then followed Raoul back to the bedroom.
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