AN: Here's another chapter for you! I hope you all like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own it, I don't own it, I don't own it… It belongs to Gaston Leroux, Susan Kay and ALW. Harder To Breathe is Maroon 5's.

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A Whole New World

Chapter 3

When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe...

Harder To Breathe, by Maroon 5

-

"You are Christine, right?" asked Isabelle, one of the two girls who were going to London with her.

Christine nodded, turning her eyes back to the sea.

„I heard about the accident. I'm terribly sorry. You know, my brother is the police officer's assistant, so he went there and all... He said that the carriage didn't look like a carriage any more, it had been so wrecked. It must have been terrible accident. But I wondered that if the man, Vicomte de Chagny, was your fiancé, then why… why are you here?"

Christine didn't believe her ears. Didn't the girl know anything about being polite? She was about to answer something cold when her eyes fell to the girl's anxious face. She was very young, not older than fifteen or sixteen. Looking at her made Christine miss Meg. So much time has passed since I last had someone to confide in…

So instead of giving the reply she had originally intended to, Christine just sighed and told her the truth.

"My fiancé's brother, his only living relative, does not like me. He wanted nothing to do with me, and as me and Raoul were not yet married, there is nothing that will make him help me. He doesn't have to – there is not one rule that says he should."

"Oh…" said Isabelle, before she, too, turned her attention to the sea.

After some time of silence, she spoke again.

"I know I shouldn't have brought up the whole accident thing, but it fascinated me so. And when I heard that the tree you crashed into was the same tree where I always used to play with friends when I was a little younger, I just couldn't resist!"

"The carriage crashed into a tree? I… didn't know," said Christine, realising she didn't actually know anything about the accident. She had been thinking about Raoul and never bothered to ask about the accident itself.

"How come you didn't know?" Isabelle asked, clearly surprised.

"I suppose I only had room for Raoul in my mind, so I never asked…" Christine told her sheepishly.

"Oh, I understand. I'll tell you then, alright?" Isabelle asked and after seeing Christine nod, she continued: "Well, as you probably guessed, the whole accident was caused by the storm. The police officer guessed that first the carriage started sliding on the icy road. The carriage was so heavy that it started sliding off road, down the hill. Did I already mention that you were riding on the edge of a hill? Well, then the horses somehow managed to come free, and the carriage slid down the hill, into a tree. But you were lucky – the door on your side of carriage opened and you flew out, so you didn't get hurt in the crash itself." Isabelle then looked at Christine.

"Am I making any sense at all? Because I've been told that I'm a very poor storyteller – I mess things up and start from the middle," she said.

"No, I can understand you quite well. So you say that I flew out because my door was unlocked?" Christine asked the young girl.

"Yes. That's why you were quite all right, when the others… died. You flew into soft snow but the other two got fatal injuries in the collision, when they flew against strong objects. The carriage moved so fast and the crash had so much power, you see, that the tree is now slanting."

Isabelle then noticed Christine's paleness.

"Mon dieu, are you feeling bad? Do you want to lie down?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

"Yes, I would like to lie down… I suppose it is just seasickness, and nothing else," Christine replied quietly.

In truth, it was the accident that made her feel sick. She didn't understand why she had wanted to know – it had been so better when she didn't have the faintest idea of what had happened. But now she already knew.

And there was no running from reality.

-

It was dawn when they arrived to London. The first rays of light played on rooftops and birds were singing.

Christine had no idea what they were to do next, but Louise, always certain of herself, guided the other girls through the people to an older man.

"Hello! Are you three the maids for Lady Matthew?" he asked, in slightly accented French.

"Yes, we are," replied Louise, while Isabelle and Christine just watched and listened.

"Very well then. I'm Andrew, Lady Matthew's butler and right hand. You are to obey to my commands. Is that clear?" the man asked sternly.

The three girls nodded silently.

"All right then. Please follow me," and with that, Andrew the butler turned around and started walking.

Trying their best to keep up, the three young girls hurried along.

-

The carriage ride wasn't very long and soon they stopped in front of a great house.

"Come on, come on. We don't have much time," said Andrew, ushering them inside.

"I'll show you your rooms. Please follow me."

They followed the butler up the stairs and around a corner. Then there were stairs again and then a long corridor, which ended with stairs. And they just kept on walking.

After a fifth turn around another corner, Christine was rather sure she will get lost in this house. It's not a house; it's more like a castle!

Finally, they stopped in front of a little wooden door. Opening it, Andrew said: "This is your room. You can put your things away now. You can also find your uniforms in the room."

The girls nodded and quietly entered the room.

It was a small room, with one window. The only parts of furniture were a wardrobe and three beds. Overall, the room was very nice and Christine decided she liked it.

"You have free time until 9 am. Then I shall be waiting for you in the hall, to give you the lists of your duties and to make sure you know all the rules," Andrew added before leaving the room.

Christine dumped all her few belongings on one of the beds and lied down next to them. The bed wasn't as comfortable as the one she had owned when she was about to become the Vicomtess, but there was no reason to complain, it was what she had chosen.

Her new life had begun today.

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Broken-Mask – I'm happy that you like it. Erik will come in in two chapters, if everything goes as planned. It's a while, I know, but it is important for the story. And yes, poor, poor Raoul indeed…

Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this!

Countess Alana – I'm glad you like it. I hope this chapter explained things better for you!

Thank you very much for reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

Thank you all for reading and especially big thanks and hugs to those who reviewed, your reviews made me very glad! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please, review as well, even if it is only to say that you don't like it at all. Feedback is very important and I'd like to know what you think about this story. Also, if there's someone who could be my beta, I would appreciate it very much, because it seems I've lost my beta.

Thanks again and please, do review!