Thanks for the reviews everyone! I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying it :D

Lady Wen - :D thank you. I wanted somebody to stand up him more and yes I'm sure he'll get over it soon…well soonish.

Genevieve Lee – Yeah her uncle is a bit horrid isn't he? I'm glad you like her. Thanks.

Tadriendra of Milkwood – Ooo I am glad. I thought my grammar would improve if I didn't make the sentences so long winded. Hopefully I won't put the wrong words in this time and I'm glad you're enjoying it :D

Hot4Gerry- Yes hopefully he will soon. And thanks I know what you mean about updates so I'll try to update often.

Here we go…Chapter 3 :D

Reinette walked quietly down into the entrance hall. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders and her blue eyes scanned the large room. Around half a dozen people were there, talking, sitting and genuinely enjoying their day. She nodded at Madame Giry as she passed her and received a kind smile in return.

Reinette had been living at the Opera House for two days and she was enjoying it a lot. She wasn't constantly yelled at, told off, hurt or watched. She could do her own thing and nobody would really think twice about it.

Reinette thanked the man who opened the door for her with a sweet smile and left the large Opera House. Outside it was raining and Reinette giggled as she saw many women running, all over the street, for cover. Nobody liked getting their brand new hairstyles wet or their fashionable designer clothes soaked. Reinette found her gaze pulled to the sky and her eyes froze; fascinated by the dark thunderous clouds. With a deep breath she strode out onto the street and began to walk. The rain found her at once, a new victim amongst its group of prey. She didn't care though, she strode along letting her hair slowly start to stick to her face and her clothes cling to her skin. Reinette didn't even care about all the funny looks she was being thrown. Conversations stopped behind closed carriage windows as she passed but Reinette just threw them amused looks. Didn't they have anything better to do?

Reinette felt her elbow suddenly grabbed by a strong hand and she turned to glance behind her. Monsieur Tordu's hair was soaked and his eyes seemed to burn into her.

"Get inside the carriage," he said gesturing to one nearby. His eyes darted back and forth across the street. He was afraid someone who knew him would see Reinette.

"No, thank you, I'm fine with walking, Monsieur." Reinette turned and shook her elbow from his tight grip. If she believed this would stop Monsieur Tordu, she was highly mistaken. He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her into a small street. It was long and empty, water lay in puddles on the floor and grime ran from the walls. How could such an awful place exist in such a beautiful city?

Reinette turned around, her hands folding into fists as anger spiralled through her. Even so Monsieur Tordu seemed angrier. His eyes were ablaze with a hidden fury and his lips had ceased to be but only a thin line. New wrinkles had appeared across his face in the last couple of days from the worry and stress that the new Opera House was bringing but now they were nowhere to be seen as anger took hold of him. There was no mercy, no weakness and no kindness in any part of his face as he stared down at the eighteen year old in front of him. In a sweep of fury he pushed her up against one of the slimy alleyway walls, his hand gripped her throat and his other hand gripped her arm.

"You've humiliated me far too often," he hissed and his eyes seemed to bulge. Reinette swallowed uncertainly, had she really pushed him to his limit or was he just bluffing? The main question running through Reinette's head was a much darker one though. Was he going to kill her? It seemed highly possible.

"Monsieur, I-"

"Save your breath." He whispered, pushing his hand further into her throat. "I looked after you because of the stupid mess you got your father into. You don't even seem to feel guilty about that. If you were my daughter I'd have drowned you a long time ago." He looked up into the dark sky, rain falling heavily onto his face. "I guess strangling you in the rain is just as good."

"Your mad." Reinette wheezed. Black spots were appearing before her eyes and her head was spinning. She was going to die. Reinette kicked out feebly and Monsieur Tordu laughed.

"No one will notice you're disappearance, we only just got here and I even have to keep it a secret from your parents as to your whereabouts. Encase the letters are intercepted. Therefore no one will know."

"Someone will notice," Reinette whispered as the muscles in her arms went numb and heavy, "You'll be caught."

"That's the beauty of it, no I won't. You've driven me to this. It isn't my fault. You're a little brat who deserves to be in a gutter. This wouldn't be happening if you'd done the right thing a year ago. If you'd accepted the gentleman's offer then his family would not be out for revenge upon your own. His family wouldn't feel humiliated and embarrassed. Therefore your father would never have sent you to live with me and you wouldn't be seconds away from death. You deserve this, you know that don't you?" he snapped but he was disappointed in her reaction. Reinette wasn't angry or upset. Her eyes seemed to have glazed over and she was just staring at him. She was still conscious, he could tell by the way her eyes winced every time rain slid inside them. "Fine," he snapped and he slammed her head against the wall.

&&&&

Erik walked slowly away from the graveyard. He went there a lot, just to check if Christine would ever show up to see her father's grave. He shook his head angrily and pulled his cloak tightly around him. He shouldn't still have feelings for her. As he walked back he felt his eyes being pulled into every alleyway he passed. Something hidden inside his complex mind was making him check each one. The rain had disappeared and the night sky felt fresh and welcome, the darkness circling him in a friendly grip. He looked down the next alleyway and he paused. There was somebody or something down there, slumped on the floor and not moving. Erik slowly walked down the alleyway, keeping close to the shadows encase the thing wasn't unconscious at all. Cautiously he approached the body and saw their face was facing towards the floor and a letter lay next to their hand. Erik leant down and picked up the small piece of paper and slowly uncurled it as he stood back up.

Dear my father,

I'm sorry but I felt this had to be done. To help our family.

Love you always Reinette

Erik nearly laughed as he slipped the piece of paper into his pocket. This girl probably had never known the true meaning of unhappiness. She had never spent endless hours waiting in a graveyard. Waiting for someone who had never loved her in return to show up and getting soaked to the bone as she waited.

"Reinette," he whispered as he crouched and turned the body over. "Ah," he said dryly, "that Reinette." That Reinette. That girl. However, something did not make sense. Reinette wanted to be a writer yet this letter didn't have a spark of imagination in it He would imagine Reinette's suicide note, if she ever wrote one, would be longwinded and full of description. At least two pages of parchment, not a quickly scribbled note. Erik looked down upon the girl and saw her head was badly damaged and her clothes soaking wet. Her hair was a tangle of blood and water and her skin was cold. Erik cocked his head to the left to examine her. A grim feeling of unwanted responsibility was building up inside of him. "Foolish child," he hissed as he glanced up and down the alleyway. Surely somebody lived nearby; surely somebody else would take it upon himself or herself to help her. After a few minutes, Erik's dark eyes adjusting to the absence of light and he saw a noose was tied loosely around the girl's neck. An amused smile tickled the corners of his lips as he raised an eyebrow. It was obvious Reinette had not tried to hang herself. There was no sign of anything to which she could hang herself from and the noose was tied far to freely. Somebody had tried to kill her himself and from Reinette's shallow breathing he seemed not to have finished the job. He sighed angrily as he realised that Reinette did need looking after otherwise she would be dead by morning. A battle raged in his head as he tried to convince himself to walk away but he knew he couldn't leave her. Carefully he slid his arm under her shoulders and his other arm under her legs so that he could carry her easily. She felt light and soft in his arms but any feelings of warmness towards her were flattened by his constant anger. She had mocked him, she had laughed at him and she had not been scared of him. "And now, I'm the gentleman stuck looking after you." It wouldn't be for long, he told himself, he'd make sure of that.

Hope you enjoyed that :D ! Next update should hopefully be up by Thursday.