Chapter Three: Sneak Out
- Mother banned me from leaving the hotel room until further notice. "It's nothing you've done wrong, dear. It's just that, mother wants you to stay as safe as possible, alright? Here, I can watch you, and make sure you're safe." Said she, kissing the top of my head; she walked away and I fell backwards on the bed, not caring if my dress went up for not.
- I read through all of my books at least twice, and stared longingly out of the window (on purpose). I knew how to make my mother crack, it was either be so terribly happy and excited about something that she will let you do it, or, be so terribly depressed about her ruling that she'll let you go do it anyways!
I had already been terribly happy, and now the terribly poutish Daphne needed to be woken up from the depths of my emotions.
I knew the risks of leaving again, but, for some reason, there was something that drew me to the man I was thrown into on the green. I couldn't quite place my finger upon it, but I felt it, it was as if a rope was wrapped around me and he was at the other end, tugging me towards him. Besides, I wanted to visit the Paris Opera House anyways! And...the man wouldn't hurt me...would he? I...I don't think he would, then again, mother said never to talk with strangers...then again, I kind of blew that rule...how many rules had I broken in a single day?
Quite a lot.
Hmm, that isn't normally like me!
I sighed and broke from my thoughts; they were always so confusing and jumbled and I always turned out having a headache afterwards. I quietly pulled the man on the green's letter out of my pocket and scanned over it once more; who was this Christine woman he mistook me for? And, who was this Ayesha? She must've been their child. Then, I came to a decision. I would sneak out that night and kindly give the man back his music sheet and explain to him who I was and this would all straighten out and go away and I could enjoy my vacation to Paris, right?
...Right!
- That night, before leaving into her own room, mother sat on my bed as I brushed my hair; I sat in my nightgown, but, before I would leave, I would change into a different dress; walking into public with a nightgown on was just unclassy! "Darling, I wanted you to know that, whatever happens, mother loves you, very much." She said, I smiled.
"And, I love you too, mother...I just..." I whispered, averting my gaze from hers.
"You what?" Asked she, leaning forwards and gently touching my arm.
"T-There was a sentence you said...after Marcus and I came back and you read the note that man sent to me. I can't remember vividly what you said, I just remember you calling that man a 'monster'; well, when I met him, nothing about his demeanor gave me cause to believe that he was one!...D-Do you know that man, mother?" I asked hesitantly, attempting to choose my words but blathering it all out as fast as I thought it up. Needless to say, I wasn't very good at speaking or 'sugar coating' things.
She turned away from me and I moved behind her, gingerly placing my hands upon her old, creaky shoulders; that, once I applied pressure to them, popped and snapped. She sighed in satisfaction and rubbed her face. "I...I did know him...at one time, but, darling, that was a long time ago...very long" said she, swaying as each hand applied pressure and released her shoulders; in a pattern.
"Then...he could've changed! For good!" I said excitedly, continuing to massage her shoulders.
"Yes...he could've...but, reading that letter, I think not" said she, turning back to me; I let my hands drop to my lap and she smiled. "I've booked three tickets for us to go back to England where we will spend the remainder of our vacation-"
"But, mother! We haven't gotten to see anything yet!" I cried, she stood and stared down at me, I crawled forwards, on all fours on the bed, staring up at her with pleading eyes. "The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Jardin des Tuileries, The Arc de Triomphe, Musee d'Orsay, Place de la Concorde, the Paris Opera House! Oh, mother, please!
I may not ever get this chance to come see Paris, ever again" I pleaded, on the verge of tears. She sat down on the bed again and I backed away; she gave a weak smile and twirled a loose piece of my hair.
"Of course you'll get the chance again; your father and I will marry you off to a good, strong, rich Viscount; and then, you'll become a Countess and may go where ever you fancy" she explained.
"No, mother, no...I...this..." I said, glancing around the room again, I gave and exasperated sigh and sat back upon my haunches. She kissed the top of my head again and whispered goodnight, closing my door after her, and, I was alone.
- I waited until the clock struck ten to silently ready myself; that night I wore a lovely violet dress with white lace around the neck and cuffs, my hair lay curled (as was its natural state) just below my shoulders; I packed the music sheet in my small purse and off I went. Creeping down the hallway, past Marcus and my mother's rooms as silently as was humanly possible.
The night was warm and the hum of insects around me caused me to smile.
The night was alive! People laughed and spoke jollily to one another; women dressed in their best furs and went out to see a ballet. But, the ballet was no longer at the Paris Opera House, for, the Paris Opera House caught fire many years ago. (Wait, haven't I said this before?) Anyways, sadly, I broke away from the crowd; taking a completely wrong turn!
I ended up in a small alley littered with trash, old food, and god knows what. And, when I attempted to turn back, there was a man in my way! He was short, shorter than me, and carried short black hair with dazzling green eyes. He wore a dirtied red shirt and brown trousers that were torn up to the knees; his resting face looked that of a murderer and, in no aid to this, he carried a long, iron pole in his right hand. I backed away and bumped into another man, quickly turning to see a tall, African American man in blue overalls and a torn top hat.
I stood nervously between the men, I gave a small, anxious laugh and sighed. "P-Please, I just want to get back; I must go to the Paris Opera House" said I, hurriedly glancing from one man to the other.
"What's your business at the Paris Opera House?" The small one sneered; I straightened up and gathered a bit of stupidity.
"That is not of your concern" I declared; the men laughed and I looked from one to the other quickly. "W-What?" I asked shakily.
"Your courage!" The small one laughed, his high voice beginning to try my nerves. "Oh, man, he didn't lie about you having amnesia, at all, Christine!" The small one added, laughing so hard he fell to the ground. I turned to the African American man and clenched tightly at my purse.
"I am not Christine; my name is Daphne, Daphne de Chagny! I am the daughter of Count Raoul de Chagny and Countess Megan de Chagny; this is why I need to get to the Paris Opera House, to explain to the man who I am" I said, addressing both men. The small man wiped his eye and walked over to me, grasping my hand and pulling me down to his level.
"Listen, Christine, you got conked on the head, that's all. Don't worry, your husband will explain everything when we arrive" said he, pulling me out of the alleyway, still holding my hand with me bent down to his height.
"Husband?!" I cried in horror. The small man turned to me and allowed my hand to go back to me. He rubbed his face in frustration.
"God, damn, you must've gotten hit hard! Yes, your husband!" He yelled, I gave him a frank expression and he smacked the palms of his hands against his head. "The man in the park!" He screamed, loosing his patience with me. I paused and shook my head.
"But, I'm not Christine" I whispered, the small man grasped my hand again and began pulling me to the Paris Opera House.
"Whatever, you'll see Christie, you'll see" the small man said quietly.
- The night became even darker as we headed away from the festivities and closer to the quieter side of Paris. The moon was waxing and our way was lit by a series of street lamps on either side of the cobblestone road; the stars twinkled in the sky, nudging the moon to become brighter, but the moon seemed to be quite lazy that night!
It seemed we walked for an eternity and a day before we reached a large, gothic style building with golden angels hanging off of each side! There was a great, glass dome at the top of the building and I could clearly see that some of these windows were smashed through; along with most of the main windows to the building, the rest were boarded shut. The moon fell behind the opera house and added to its imposing posture; I gaped in awe as the shadow thrown down from the building bathed us three. "This is...this is..." I whispered feeling my jaw unhinge; both men laughed and pulled me towards the marble staircase leading up to the front door. The small man allowed my body parts to come back to me and produced a small, golden key; he turned to me and placed the key in the palm of my hand.
"Go on, Christine, open it." Said he, I closed my eyes and turned towards the door.
"My name is not Christine" I whispered beneath my breath, inserting the key into the small hole and turning it all the way around; finally feeling the lock click and the door cracked open. I paused before the door; a little worried about going in, for, the spance before me was nothing but utter, despairing, blackness.