Behold, the new and improved "A Sister", with the help of a wonderful co-author, ERIKA DAAE!! -blaring trumpets-
Dedication- To all of the old fans and to the new fans. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer- We own nothing, except I own Jacqueline and Erika owns Cain. It's that simple. There's nothing else.
The Lizard's Child's yellow eyes stared out of her cage at the stage where she was to be displayed tonight. The stage was in the largest, most colorful tent the Gypsies owned. Tonight was their first show of the season in Paris.
She remained still as her Keepers lifted the cage, not caring how much they shook it. She was thrown against the bars more than what was necessary, but she didn't dare make a cry of protest. She simply tugged her long black hair in front of her scales. She wasn't called the Lizard's Child for nothing, after all...
She hissed as they jostled her cage once more, causing her right index finger claw to come too close to her eyes. They set her down on the stage, laughing with the thought of all the money that would be thrown on the stage that night. They left, talking of drinks and girls.
She shifted in the too-small cage. There was no room to move, no room to stand. She tugged her hair more firmly in front of her face, she had strict instructions to appear as human as possible. That's why they gave her a new dress tonight, long sleeves, long skirt. It had once been another Freak's...but she was now dead. Most Freaks didn't last long...she was one of the oldest...She could hear the crowds outside, laughing and talking. The circus was in town, it was time for celebrations...She shuddered.
She started humming to distract herself from the thoughts of what was going to happen that night. She started singing, so softly even she almost didn't hear it. The keepers hated to hear Freaks singing...
"Que sentimada paina, la bellina in la casa, dit bertolina..."
A soft tenor issued from the shadows across from Jacqueline's cage, from the area where the people were to stand. "Perché hanno portato il voi qui, sigillato che il tuo destino. Cantare di nuovo bambino, per l'ora è tardi."
Lizard's Child froze. No one in the Troupe had that beautiful of a voice...It was so rich and so resonant...it was everything you could ever possibly want in a voice...It seemed to come from all around her. She glanced about trying to see who it was.
"Parlare bambino," The voice continued. "Perché io ascolto. Raccontare le tue paure per me. Parlare bambino, ho capito. Rivelare i vostri sogni, essere libero."
Jacqueline was scared now. "Forgive me, but I don't understand!" she whispered-shouted. There was something happening...something big.
The voice switched from Italian to French, "What do they call you, child?"
"Lizard's Child." she paused. "If you've come to see the show, you'll have to wait until the doorkeepers get your tickets and escort you in." They had trained her to say that. "But my name is Jacqueline..." she said in a whisper so low, even she barely heard it.
"Jacqueline..." came the voice. She almost didn't respond. No one called her Jacqueline...not since him. "Why do they keep you?"
"You'll have to see with the rest sir, it's a secret." she said. She almost didn't want to send the Voice away. Had she finally gone mad?
A tall black shadow detached itself from the other shadows and approached. She squeaked with fright and pressed herself away from it against the bars of her cage, her hair falling away from her face, revealing her scales.
The figure drew in a breath, "I see child...I see."
She gasped, grabbing her hair with trembling hands and yanking it in front of her scales. She held her hair there, one yellow eye staring out at the figure. "Don't fear me, child...I know what it is like..." The figure raised his gloved hands to his face, and removed his black silk mask. Lowering it, he stared levelly at the girl. "See? We are not so different, you and I..."
She stared, she couldn't help it. There had only been one person with that sort of face...the one that the Gypsies still talked about with fear. "Devil's Child..." she whispered as La Esmeralda's song started from one of the neighboring tents. Everyone would be coming in as soon as the song ended. She was amazed how minuscule details like that trickled through her shock.
The living corpse held out a hand, "I can take you away from all of this, all I need child, is your assent."
Her clawed right hand slowly let go of her hair, slowly reached up. Did she dare try to escape again? Her back burned with the memory of the whippings she had received every day from the Hawk. The initials that he had whipped into her back were burning...Her hand paused right in front of her bars. Did she dare-?
The man's eyes shifted towards the other tents, where the singing had stopped, "I cannot stay here forever child. Make your choice."
As quick as a snake striking, she snatched his hand. "Help me..." she said, yellow eyes burning with fear.
The man tightened his grip on Jacqueline's hand. Reaching into the darkness of his cloak, he removed a thin dagger. She swallowed the cotton in her mouth. Did he require blood as a pact to free her? Was she going from cage to servant? Whatever it was, she didn't care. Anything to escape this Hell!
He slid the blade into the lock and gave it a sharp twist, "Come, child. Do not fear me...Do not fear the Phantom Of The Opera...Do not fear the Angel Of Death."
She let go of his hand. She pushed her cage door open, it was difficult as the bolts were unused to moving. She crawled out and stood, her legs unused to it. She looked up at "the Angel of Death". The man offered his arm to her.
"How old are you, child?"
She slowly took the arm offered. "I...don't know." she said. "My birth date was never told to me." They simply walked out of the tent. There was no one around...not even a guard for the the entrance of her tent. She looked up at him. Was he magic?
The man nodded, "How far back can you remember, then?" He led her away from the foremost tents, moving as silently as a ghost. She followed, trying to mimic his silence.
"My first real memory is the day daddy sold me...I think I was six..." she whispered, unsure. The crowd was going into her tent soon. They were all gathered outside, she could hear the shouting of "SOON, YOU SHALL BEHOLD THE LIZARD'S CHILD!"
The man slipped his cloak off and offered it to her. "The nights are cold. Your father, does he still live?"
Jacqueline shook her head, she was used to cold. The man returned his cloak to his shoulders. "I don't know." she whispered, stepping double for each one of his steps. "I don't even know what town I lived in."
The man closed his eyes, blocking their golden glow. "I see."
There was suddenly a scream from behind them. A man's voice shouted, "SHE'S GONE!!" Jacqueline softly screamed, the memory of the whips burned deep into
her flesh.
The man pushed her ahead of him, "Run!"
She did.
She was out of the Gypsy camp in seconds, fear placing wings on her feet. She ran down the cobblestone streets of Paris, ignoring everyone and everything. Someone tried to grab her but she dodged the hands, still running. She turned corners indiscriminately, running down the streets in a panic.
Jacqueline dashed into an alley, pressing herself against the dirty wall, gasping in an attempt to catch her breath. Then she cursed herself.
She had left her rescuer all alone at the Fairgrounds...he couldn't handle everyone, no matter how great his legends. She was just about to start back, when one of the Gypsy boys jumped her from behind.
"Got'cha!" he said, twisting her arms behind her back painfully. "Now...back to camp, Freak."
Jacqueline wept to see where she was. She had run in nearly a full circle, coming to an alley that was almost diagonal from the Fairgrounds. Green flames leaped into the air from somewhere near the middle. She dug her heels in as the boy tried to get her into the Fairgrounds. She couldn't use her claw, he had her hand too tight...She wasn't going back, she wasn't!!
"Don't make me break your legs!" shouted the boy, still struggling to get her past the open gates.
Jacqueline had had enough. With a hiss, she leaped in the air, kicking her legs back. The boy was kicked off of her. He flew a few feet before landing on his backside. He was stunned. She walked up to him, grabbed his hair and yanked his head up.
"Goodbye you piece of Gypsy trash!" she snarled, swiping her claw across his throat, splitting it open. With each heartbeat, his own heart drove the blood from his body. "I will never go back!" she hissed. But...her rescuer was still in there...
'I have to help him...I have to!'
She hurriedly sneaked back into the Gypsy camp, noting how almost everything was silent. The last time she escaped, there had been a full search party, a tracker and dogs. This time there was almost nothing to be heard. She rounded a corner to see her rescuer take a blow to the stomach from none other than the Hawk. The Hawk fell at the same time, taking a blow of his own. He yanked out a vial of his famous knockout serum, throwing it at her rescuer. The tall shadow fell to the ground. Hawk got up and turned.
"Don't touch him!!" shrieked Jacqueline, throwing herself through the air, landing on top of Hawk, slashing at his eyes with her claw. He had a mask on, it was difficult to get at the eyes. She didn't stop, even though he was thrashing. His dagger found her shoulder, ripping into the flesh.
She screeched, grabbed the hand, and bit down with all her strength all the way down to the bone. Hawk bellowed, ripping his hand away violently. Jacqueline spat out his foul tasting blood as they rolled. Then they stopped, he was on top of her, his dagger point down right at her heart. She swallowed, glaring at him as she went still.
"Now just stay still, Freak...and I won't kill you..."
"So...you'll kill me if I do this?!" she cried, plunging her claw deep into his gut. She ripped his belly open, smiling as his blood showered her. He actually screamed, a horrid sound, rearing back with shock.
A black hand shot out and grabbed Hawk by the throat, lifting him into the air, glowing golden eyes searing anger at him.
"Now...apologize to the young lady." growled the dark figure. Jacqueline still lay on the ground, watching this with amazement.
"I...d-don't see...a...young lady..." Hawk gasped out, glaring at Jacqueline. "J-J-Just a...a...FREAK!"
The dark shadow's hands twisted, and Hawk fell at his feet, dead. Jacqueline stared up at the shadow, who held a hand out to her again.
"Are you hurt, child?" he inquired.
"Just my shoulder." she replied, taking his hand. He lifted her up easily.
She hugged the hand, nearly weeping. "Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried. She held the hand for a moment more, then released it. "I must go now...they'll get their bravery back soon." she said, backing up a few steps from the man in the shadows.
"Where will you go?" asked the shadows, replacing his mask. Jacqueline paused. She didn't know.
"I...I don't know." she said, blinking rapidly. "I have to go somewhere...I can't stay here."
"Indeed..." said the man, looking at her with those glowing golden eyes.
Jacqueline looked down at her feet, stirring up the dirt slightly with her toe.
"There is...someone..I might have been able to go to..." she muttered hesitantly.
The gleaming amber eyes peered at her curiously. "Then, why do you say you have no where to go, child?" he asked inquisitively.
She bit her lip slightly. "He...he was the one who tried to save me...the first time...the one who gave me my name..." Jacqueline sighed, looking up at the man sadly.
"They sold him to some nobleman...I haven't seen him in a long time. He was like my little brother..." she mumbled, remembering the boy who had been the first to care for her. The one who gave her the strength to continue living...
Amber eyes watched her with the slightest hint of sadness, before sighing. "Come, child...if you have no where else to go, you may come with me." he held out his black gloved hand.
Jacqueline stared at him with curiosity. Who was this man who freed her? Who was this Phantom who spoke to her as though she were human? Who is this Angel who would want to take her in?
Her clawed hand grasped his. 'I suppose I shall have to learn these things myself.' she thought, feeling a strange feeling. It was so light, she felt like flying.
"I...thank you for freeing the Lizard's Child..." she whispered, feeling as though this were only a dream, and if she spoke any louder, it would vanish like one.
The shadow of a man glanced back at her as he began leading her off into the direction of a marvelous golden building near the end of the block.
"Do not thank Erik for freeing the Lizard's Child...thank him for freeing Jacqueline."
Thank you for reading the first chapter! Please tell us what you think! We really want to hear from you!
The Italian that Erik sings basically translates like this: First Line-Why did they carry you here, those that sealed your destiny. Sing of new child, for it now it is late.
Second verse-Speak, child, because I listen. Tell your fears to me. Speak child, I understand. Reveal your dreams, be free.