Chapter 2 – different

"Christine!" Her not so calm friend attacked her in a hug, in a blur of blonde ballet bun and pink point shoe ribbon. "I can't believe you're coming to live with us, it's going to be like one big huge giant sleepover," a giant giggle burst up through her friends mouth, and made her blue eyes sparkle with the light of a thousand stars. Meg linked arms with her cousin, leading her in to the living room away from her mothers ears. "You know, mother even got DVD's and pizza to celebrate!"

Meg was one of the few people that nobody could ever hate or say a bad word against. Forever laughing at some thing or with a giant friendly smile on her face, she always made you feel accepted, which was some thing Christine herself possessed without even realising.

"Meg Giry, are you telling me you're messing with your diet program?! You know how badly you want to be a dancer, plus I don't mind eating your slice!" The two girls collapsed in a giggling heap on the sofa, and it made a wonderful change to Christine to have some one in her arms shaking of laughter instead of heart break.

The laughter died abruptly and they suddenly realised how every thing was different now from their regular summer meetings. But neither knew how to bring up the subject without upsetting the other. The TV remained off too, because they both knew the channels were crawling with shows on the death of the Daae violinist who's music had so vastly changed the entire century. Megs eyes were burning with questions, but Christine didn't have the energy to answer all of them just yet. "So how has life been?" she asked, blowing the lone curl out of her eye.

Megs eyes flashed, and Christine knew immediately that she would have a headache soon, because once you got Meg talking you could never get her to stop.

"Well, school have changed the uniform policies, skirts can be shorter now, which is awesome because me and Elle just found these cute little plaid skirts that go so well with the whole concept of jean jackets with badges. Plus, if we have to wear skirts down to our knees we'll look like nuns, and what sane boy at our school would ask us out on a date if we were dressed like that? Its totally ridiculous I know but-" " Meg?" "Yes Chrissy Chris chris?" Christine rolled her eyes and mock punched her cousin in the shoulder, which only made Meg giggle.

"You should really breathe in between rants." Moira's timing was perfect, she finished carrying the last of the boxes in, which she dumped in the hall way before demanding that the girls sort out her room immediately. "You'll be staying in the guest room dear, but should you ever get lonely, Megs room has the spare bunk which you can take" Meg coughed to interrupt "But if you ever want to take the top bunk, just know that you owe me many a slice of pizza" Christine rolled her eyes again and picked up the first box. "Meg grab your dance bag, you have rehearsal" "But mum, Chrstines only just got here and-" "She's still going to be here when you get back, now give the poor girl some space, and get your dance bag!" "Eurgh fine" "Why did I get the diva of a daughter?" Moira teased as Meg stuck her tongue out at her mum walking in to the kitchen.

"I saw that!" Moira said. "Sorry I cant help you unpack Chris" "Its fine really," Christine smiled, "Have fun at rehearsals, say hi to Elle for me!" "Will do, later!"

The door slammed shut just as Christine arrived at the guest bedroom with her last box ten minutes later. It took her in total, half an hour to unpack and get her things sorted. The room was white, with a small Victorian wooden trunk at the end of her single bed to put her clothes in, which also fit her small bible and her book of all of the Jane Austen novels ever, which she loved dearly. They had been a gift for her 13th birthday from her father, first edition, containing them all, from Emma to pride and prejudice. The bed was beneath a window with curtains as white as the walls.

Beneath the bed, right in the corner, Christine placed the only other things she had brought with her, other than her clothes and her two books. The first was a plain black box, filled with sheet music and a few unframed photographs. The other was her green army satchel, she took it every where, it had been hers for as long as she could remember. The badges were on the inside, because she was so scared of losing them if they fell off. It contained her text books and note books and her old nokia mobile phone, which she didn't have much use for – she hated technology.

Already bored. Christine perched on her bed looking out of the window at the sky. It was ink stained with night fall and only two stars were in sight under the cover of the stars. The silence around her roared wickedly, making her shiver, breaking her still reflection in the windows glass. She found herself kneeling with her hands joined before she even knew what her own intent was. "Dear God" she prayed. "I don't know if you're up there, or if you can even here me, I guess I understand if you cant. There are so many people in this world, they all have their own prayers, so I cant imagine it'll be easy picking me out from all of them, I am quite puny and my voice isn't nearly as loud as Meg's." She coughed nervously, her eyes remained closed.

"Please, send my love as always to my parents, I miss them so much, but I understand that you needed them far more than I do," she paused uncertain of what to say next, "But some times I wonder if you do. But I cant question you, I believe you must have had some purpose. But my purpose for prayer this evening is not for my parents, it is for me. A selfish prayer, if you will allow it." She listened for omens, cautioning her to stop, but other than the slow roar of traffic and silence in its fearsome quarrel, there was nothing.

"I – I would like very much for a friend, father spoke so often of an angel of music watching over me and-" she breathed shakily, feeling a lump in her throat, "Although I am grateful for that promise, for my angel of music, I need a human friend, some one who can understand me. Meg and Moira are sweet, but-" she took another breath before sighing, opening her eyes to the darkened sky. "They're nothing like me," she whispered. Her large brown eyes lifted imploringly to the skies, but she could see no signs of an answer. "Amen" Then Christine closed the curtains, changed in to her night gown and was just about to lock the door, when she saw she had missed a box.

"Fathers violin"

She picked up the box carefully, and hid it with her treasures in the corner beneath her bed. She kept making herself promises that she would learn to play it, but so far she didn't have the amount of courage necessary to begin. Plus there was no one to teach her. She knew a little, but her main instruments were piano and voice, and in the immediate future, she couldn't predict any prodigious talents changing any thing. She was nothing like her father in personality. Nor her mother. She had her mothers tiny body, her fathers dark hair and eyes with the pale skin that seemed almost translucent, but on the inside, there was nothing like them. Only a good heart was a common feature amongst them.

After stowing away the violin, she closed the door and locked it. After which she crawled in to bed. It had been a long journey and a devastating day. She felt emotionally and literally crushed. As the silence surrounded her, she fell in to a well earned sleep, with no nightmares to begin with, though her dreams always ended up warping in to them.

She would face the world tomorrow, but right now, she needed this small piece of sanctuary right here, with what was left of herself, because she was no ordinary girl. She was a Daae, and Daae's didn't give up on themselves. Ever.