Ok...so...it has been a while. A rather while. Yeah...

I am so sorry, this chapter took a reaalllyy long time to write- because...lots of stuff has happened/changed, some good some not so good, I also got a serious case of writer's block, I didn't like the initial concept and wasn't sure whether to split it into 2 chapters, BUT as I've been away for 10,000 years (boy it gives you such a crick in the neck) I thought I would leave it as one chunky chapter. Plus I want to speed this story's action up a bit. Tis slow no?

This chapter is a little cutesy sweet but I promise you I am using these chapters to lead up to some interesting, hardcore (?) events! So stay tuned!

But for now, let's get this going...

*peeps head out behind chapter* reviews/feedback are always very much appreciated!

As usual, the Sunday morning was greeted with the sounds of bells spreading through the winding, twisting streets of Paris. Its tumultuous echoes carried to every nook of the great city, and eventually settled in Marienne's ears as she walked towards the source of this aural splendour: Notre Dame.

The bells had always brought something special to the girl's life, but since discovering the beautiful, delicate soul behind their brass voices, they now brought her comfort. Hearing their chimes meant her friend was nearby. And it was strangely reassuring.

The more she had met Quasimodo, the more she had liked him. She knew she would, from that first encounter with him in his room, but she hadn't expected him to be so nice, and so polite, almost to a fault. It will always baffle her how such a cruel, wicked man like Reverend Frollo could have raised someone as kind and gentle as Quasimodo. He was so unlike any other young man she had known in her 16 years of life.

As she approached the Cathedral, she looked up at the bell towers towering high above and said a silent greeting to the bell ringer, before joining the other churchgoers inside.

The girl sat in her usual seat near the front of the nave next to her parents. She looked up to admire the beautiful ceiling that seemed to hold as much delicate, well-designed intricacies as the voices of the bells that surrounded the Cathedral in quietening tones.

Marienne exhaled slowly, disappointed that their last encounter in the bell tower had halted so abruptly. She could have spent an eternity sitting on the bell tower in his company. She missed the weightlessness she felt while sitting high atop the great tower with him, looking down at the world. The fear she initially felt had been instantly replaced with overwhelming peace. She didn't think it was possible to feel so at peace in that moment.

And yet she couldn't help feeling saddened by how uncomfortable the boy seemed to be in her company still. She noticed while they sat together on the roof how he was avidly trying to look anywhere but at her. She hoped meeting with him more would have eased this slightly. She didn't know what more she could do to help him.

And then it struck her. There was a way she could help him. The boy had said himself that he wanted to experience more of the world. And who could blame him? Having been kept away from it his whole life. If she could just help him adapt to it, he would see that his experience at the festival was not a reflection of the rest of the world outside his door.

But, even having thought about it for a few seconds, she already felt nervous about it. What if she was rushing all this too much? Maybe he didn't mean what he had said? She was definitely overthinking this. An increasingly common occurrence.

The bells then began to ring their song to signal the end of mass, snapping the girl out of her cycle of worries, and paving way for thinking about her plan of action.

The next day saw an excited Marienne as she eagerly awaited the peels of the lunch bell to chime the end of third period.

Hurrying to her locker to grab her lunch, she made her way down to the cafeteria, and was glad to find just the two people she needed to see seated at a nearby table in the busy hall. They both greeted her warmly as she sat down in the remaining chair.

"Okay…" Marienne began, more seriously than she had intended, clasping her hands together on the table and shudderingly reminding herself of the priest. This earned confused and intrigued stares from both Ines and Julia. "I…need to ask you both a favour."

"Okay…?" replied Julia, sceptically, putting down her fork.

Marienne looked at them for a second, desperately contemplating whether this was in fact the best idea.

"What do you need help with?" asked Ines, worriedly.

"Well…I…I really want to help Quasimodo." She didn't expect the two to still be staring at her, confused. "The boy at the festival," she finished, answering their silent question.

"Oh," Julia said, sitting back in her chair.

"How's he doing?" chirped Ines cheerfully, and momentarily dislodging the nervous lump in Marienne's throat.

"He's…doing well…enough," she spoke sadly.

"What do you mean 'help' him?" asked Julia, flashing her grey coloured eyes that Marienne had always been rather envious of. In fact, there were many traits of the two that Marienne was envious of. Though Julia dyed her hair so frequently all different colours that Marienne couldn't remember her natural colour, it was the nexus of her exotic grey eyes and bright magenta hair that looked beautiful in a way the girl knew her hair and eyes never would. Ines' dirty blonde hair was not nearly as vibrant in colour as Julia's, but Marienne still bore jealousy for how pretty it looked amid her simple sky-blue eyes.

"Right," said Marienne, snapping back into the room and looking down at her whitening knuckles. "I…well…he's a lovely person, a really lovely person, and he deserves so much." She exhaled slowly. "The festival was the first time he had properly experienced the outside world, and, as you know, that wasn't the best time for him, at all. But he deserves to experience so much more of it and see that the world can be good…so I wondered…if I could introduce him to you and…I don't know-"

"Befriend him?" asked Ines trying to make sense of Marienne's fast talking.

"Well, maybe. Or maybe not. I don't know. Just let him spend some time with us. I just want him to see that there are so many great people in the world, and so many amazing experiences he could have for himself, that what happened to him at the festival was not what the world is really like."

"But he's just so…ugly," Ines whispered, rather dramatically, earning a glare from both Julia and Marienne.

"Exhibit A," Julia announced, gesturing to Ines.

"I'm serious, I thought he was wearing a mask at the festival. Couldn't believe it when they said he wasn't," said Ines.

"Well, yeah, everyone did." Julia looked back at Marienne. "Look, in all honesty, the world sort of is like what happened at the festival," she said thoughtfully. She then hesitated. "Especially for someone… like him. Many people just don't accept them." Ines nodded her agreement.

"I know," said Marienne, dejectedly. "I'm very aware. But, for now, I just really want him to experience something good. You have no idea what he's had to put up with. I only know a small part of it, and what I know is terrible. I don't want to know the rest."

Marienne caught Ines and Julia exchange a nervous side glance.

"What's he like?" Ines asked after a few seconds of silence. "As a person."

"He's…incredible." Marienne smiled as she recalled all her meetings with the misunderstood boy. "Just so different. And not because of how he looks. His personality, so unlike any other boy our age. I never realised a person with such a sheltered, limited upbringing can have such a refreshing view of things. He's kind, considerate and just so, so sweet."

Marienne didn't expect her words to be met with laughter, and, quite frankly, she didn't care for it.

"Woah, ok," retorted Julia, amusedly. "Should we start calling you Mrs. Quasimodo?" This earnt more laughter from Ines.

"Why is all this so funny?" Marienne said in annoyance, raising her eyebrows at the two. "He's a really nice person, and I like him for that. He's my friend. That's it." She was beginning to regret ever asking the two for help.

"Okay, okay," Julia answered, putting her hands up in surrender. "If you say so." She thought for a moment. "He sounds great, it'll be lovely to meet him then."

"Ines?"

"Sure, why not."

"Fantastic," said Marienne happily. "Thank you so much. I know you'll like him too."

Deciding the details of the meeting was easy compared to the effort she knew it'll take to get Quasimodo to actually agree to this. But she was certain this would be the best thing for him. She couldn't bare seeing her friend so miserable. And he did say he wanted to experience more of the world. This seemed like a good place to start.

So, after school, Marienne said goodbye to her friends and made the very familiar journey to Notre Dame cathedral. The only difference this time was the pleasant afternoon that greeted her as she stepped out of the school, as opposed to the endless rain that had accompanied previous visits.

The young woman only needed to walk a few yards towards the silhouette of the cathedral, towering high above in the distance amid a sharp, clear blue sky, to hear the powerful echoes of the bells. She breathed in deeply, sinking into their comforting chimes and letting them swim in and around her.

She passed through the huge oak doors and headed straight to an inconspicuous eave in the stone wall which housed a set of narrow, twisting stairs.

She made her way up to the dizzying heights of the balcony that stretched towards the bell tower, determined to make the passage across as quickly as possible and with desperate eyes fixed on the bell tower door up ahead that thankfully was growing larger as she neared it.

The bells were still singing their song as she stopped at the tower entrance. Their volume had significantly intensified now that she was so close to them, and it was making her ear drums dance. Breathing a long-held breath, she went through the small wooden door into the slightly chilly bell tower.

Nothing could have prepared her for the greeting she received when she entered the lofty tower. She had never heard the bells in their rawest, loudest forms before. Now with nothing between her and these musical giants, she was vulnerable to their piercing power. She instinctively covered her ears with her hands.

Looking up with squinted eyes, she could spot their numerous bodies swinging on their hinges. She had never seen anything like it. She never realised so many bells were used at once. There were dozens of them, all moving rhythmically in accordance with one another.

With hands still firmly over her ears, she began to climb the steps to the lower platforms. Even with the muffled sounds, she could feel the volume increasing as she got higher up. She craned her neck to get a clearer view. The sight truly was remarkable. It was one thing seeing the bells stationary but to see them in action was an unearthly experience.

And then as if out of nowhere, a figure of unusual proportions and unparalleled agility leapt into her view. Marienne's legs nearly collapsed beneath her as she saw the figure fly from beam to beam, pulling hard on the thick ropes of each giant bell, before catapulting higher to do the same with the smaller bells above.

The young woman felt her heart in her throat at seeing her friend achieve these impossible stunts. It was already an impressive feat to be the cathedral's sole bell ringer, and his thick arms hinted at great strength, but she had no idea he was this good of an acrobat. Just seeing the endless drop beneath him was enough to make her want to sit down.

Quasimodo conducted the bells with the strength of a bear, and the grace of a spider. Marienne could tell that each complex move was perfectly calculated and well-rehearsed. He was at one with the tower and its brass occupants. It was as if he had been born to do this.

It wasn't long before the bell ringer had slowed his movements and left the bells to swing their last refrains as he let himself drop several floors into the shadows below. There was an unmistakable casualness to this drop which Marienne would have found amusing were it not for the rollercoaster of terror she had just endured at watching him for the past few minutes.

But that blood curdling panic once again kicked in as she only just realised she had somehow shimmied her way onto a narrow beam in her attempt to get a better view at the bell ringer's sky high circus act. It stretched over a fall of just a few metres, but the young woman's fear of heights made it seem much, much further.

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked down and could only manage a choked scream as she suddenly grew faint. In her panic, she lowered herself down to get a better grip of the beam, but one foot slipped over the edge, and she started to fall backwards.

She barely had enough time to scream again before she felt a strong arm catch her around her waist and hold her in a secure grip.

"It's ok…I've got you," she vaguely heard in the distance, her senses too distorted to place. She then felt herself being pulled up by that same strong arm and being carried slowly back along the beam. As she was gently placed down onto the safe hard floor, she slowly opened her eyes, and saw through hazy vision the unmistakable face of the bell ringer kneeling in front of her and looking very worried.

"Hey," she said weakly, smiling at him. The room was still spinning slightly but she didn't care. She was excited to see her friend again.

"Are you ok?" Quasimodo responded in a shaky voice.

The young woman felt a warmth in the top of her arm and looked down to find the hunchback's hand clasped gently around it. She swallowed her awareness of the fact that this was the first time the two had ever touched. Quasimodo seemed to just realise his hand was on her as well, and hastily removed it, quietly mumbling an apology.

"It's nice to see you again," she said cheerfully, looking straight into his friendly yet worried eyes.

"A-are you hurt?" he asked her, concern stronger in his voice.

Aside from feeling like her stomach had been put through the washing machine, she was otherwise alright. Her vision had fully cleared, and the room had stopped spinning.

"M-Marienne?"

Liquid happiness coursed through the young woman at the fact that he had remembered her name. This was the first time she had heard him speak it. She must admit, she liked how he made it sound with that gentle voice of his.

"Sorry. Oh, yes, I'm fine, really. I'm ok." She thought for a moment. "Thanks to you. Thank you for saving me. I thought I was a goner."

She was surprised to see Quasimodo give a light laugh. Even she found herself laughing at the melodrama.

"I-I'm just glad I-I was there to help you," he replied in that soft voice that so jarringly counteracted his unfortunate appearance.

"Yeah, where did you come from?" She looked above her as though the answer was hidden in the rafters. The last Marienne saw of him was dropping into the shadows quite a distance away from her. There was no way he could have got to her in the time he did. Should she add speed of a jungle cat to his already impressive arsenal?

"W-well, I-I just heard w-what sounded like a…scream, so I-I-I just…came to help." As Marienne had always noticed, Quasimodo spoke as though he was guilty of something. As though he was always made to feel guilty. Three guesses by who, she thought darkly.

"Well, thank you so much," she said, beaming at him, though this was lost to him as he, as usual, kept a keen interest in looking at his hands rather than at her.

She slowly started to stand up and caught the look of downright alarm etched across the hunchback's face as she did so. He appeared unsure of what to do. She could see his conflicting thought processes as he seemed to reach out to help her up but was unsure whether to follow through. It was saddening how unused to human contact he was.

"I'm really ok," she said gently, hoping to put him at ease, as she got to her slightly wobbly feet. "I've never been very good with heights."

To Marienne's pleasant surprise, Quasimodo let out another soft laugh, though she suspected this was more from nervousness. "Y-yes… I-I r-remember you telling me." This comment made the girl's stomach tingle ever so slightly.

Fully upright now, the girl was able to look at the bell ringer properly. She briefly studied his face, noting that his bruises were less harsh since the last time she saw him, and the cuts had faded to faint scars. Overall, he looked fairly alright, certainly the healthiest she'd ever seen him.

Marienne then spotted the look of discomfort on the bell ringer's face as she studied him, and immediately deterred her eyes. In any case, she should have known to stop doing this now. She knew it never put the already nervous boy at ease. Her eyes locked instead onto the bells above them.

"I'd never seen you ring the bells before," she said simply, looking up. She could see Quasimodo follow her gaze. "To say it was an impressive display is one heck of an understatement," she added dryly. "You're quite an acrobat."

"Thank you," he replied, almost too quietly for Marienne to hear.

"How do you do that everyday?" Marienne thought for a moment. "Multiple times everyday?

"I-It just takes practice."

Marienne looked at him and spotted in that moment a light in his eyes as he looked at them fondly, like a father would at his children. It was clear these bells meant a lot to him, they were his friends. She reasoned this was what made the bells sound so beautiful. His love for them shone through in their voices.

"I-I didn't expect to see you again so soon," Quasimodo said, his light voice telling Marienne instantly that he was pleased to see her regardless.

"Is this a good time for you?"

"Y-yes, a-absolutely."

"Great! Ok, well…" Marienne was briefly distracted by a flock of pigeons flying off through the gaps in the tall parapets. "Well…I wanted to…pitch an idea to you." Marienne saw Quasimodo's Ceylon-Emerald eyes fixed on hers in trepidation.

The girl looked around her as though worried someone would be listening, before trying to find her voice again. "I wondered how you would feel…I remember when we were talking on the bell tower roof that you mentioned you wanted to experience more of…well, life."

Marienne was already going into one of her famous fast-talking spiels, as she did when she was nervous, and so took a second to compose herself before continuing. "I-I wanted to show you that not everyone is like those festival idiots, so I thought you might like…" Quasimodo's eyes seemed to be growing in anxiety as each word sunk in. "…To meet my friends." She bit her lower lip, not letting her breath go as she awaited his response.

The silence between the two was unbearable for the girl. The hunchback had gone from looking at her anxiously to blinking multiple times. She noticed his mouth would open briefly and then close as though about to say something but had thought against it at the last moment. The poor thing seemed in a brutal internal battle, and it was difficult to witness the evidence as she watched him.

Quasimodo eventually cleared his throat. "Oh," he said quietly.

"I know it's sudden and…very different," she said supportively. "Their names are Julia and Ines, and they're really lovely, sweet girls. And they're really excited to meet you, that is, if you would like to."

"They know about m-me?" Marienne didn't think he could look any more petrified.

"Well, I was just telling them a bit about you, that you were incredibly kind." She smiled reassuringly at him, but Quasimodo looked quite disturbed by this news.

"H-have you told m-many others about me?" His tone wasn't particularly angry, but it had lost its usual softness.

"No, not at all!" She knew what Quasimodo was fearing. "It's just them that I told. And they really are lovely, and they just want to be your friend."

She didn't dare tell the boy that in fact her entire school, even those that didn't attend the festival, knew about him now, with the story of the festival being splashed all over the media. It was impossible not to have come across the story of the mysterious deformed bell ringer being revealed in the most public situation imaginable. She didn't expect that he'd get a copy of the paper delivered to his room very often to know this.

"I…I-I'm sorry. I-I just don't want m-many people knowing about me. I-I just w-want things to be h-how they w-were. I-I belong…a-alone." His stutter always seemed to get worse when he was agitated.

"Would you prefer I stopped seeing you?" She asked quietly, deliberately calming her tone so she wouldn't come across as accusatory. She had been meaning to ask him this for a while. In all the times that she had thrown herself into his life repeatedly, she had never asked him if he was actually ok with it.

Marienne knew Quasimodo didn't entirely mean what he had said. But she felt she had to ask, just on the off chance it was true. She respected him and didn't want to impose in his life if it was in fact not what he wanted. She knew he would be too polite to say so himself.

"N-no…I-I really like seeing you," he said almost instantly, much to Marienne's great relief. "I-I r-really appreciate y-you spending time with m-me. A-and I-I would like to m-meet your friends, it's just…I-I n-never thought I-I w-would ever have a friend in all my life…I-It's just a little…overwhelming when y-you say that other people w-want to be too." He averted his eyes to stare at his hands again.

It was endearing how much effort he had taken in choosing his words so carefully to not offend her or make her feel uncomfortable. Marienne was angry at herself for having not fully considered the fact that all this, their friendship and her visits, were jarringly new and difficult to get used to for the lonely boy. She hadn't even thrown the priest into the equation; no doubt Quasimodo was always apprehensive about getting caught every time Marienne came to see him. She mentally slapped herself for her ignorance.

"I'm really glad to hear that," Marienne replied, with that fuzzy feeling in her stomach making an appearance again. "I know all this can be overwhelming for you. Just think about whether you'd like to meet them. It's entirely up to you, see how you feel." She hoped her tone came across as relaxed as she intended.

"A-at the festival…they didn't…l-like me," the bell ringer said sadly.

The young woman exhaled slowly, trying to cast the haunting images out of her mind. "Don't worry, I promise you, Julia and Ines won't hurt you in any way. I promise."

"But…m-my mast- I-I-I mean…Frollo would never allow this," he replied, managing to look at her in the eye for one small moment.

"We'll make sure he won't find out." The girl looked about the tower. "We'll meet here!" she reasoned, excitedly. "When he's working. He will never know."

"But…I-I-"

"I've been up here a few times now, and he's not once caught us," she concluded.

"H-he's u-usually working when you visit here."

"Well then that's great! We'll do it right after school, while he's busy. We won't be long anyway." She was feeling rather happy about this plan, but one look at the bell ringer's forlorn face and her chest tightened painfully. "You don't have to," she said gently.

"W-what if they don't…like me? I-I mean…I don't want to frighten them." The childlike innocence in his voice was almost too much not to make Marienne drop all inhibitions and hug him. Goodness knows he needed a hug. But perhaps this would be too soon.

Instead, she just stood there, thinking of her answer carefully. "If you show them the kind person you are, then there'll be no reason to be frightened." The bell ringer smiled gratefully at her.

With everything said that needed to be, the girl thought it best to leave him to help give him time to think about her proposal, so she gave him one last smile of support and turned slowly to leave.

But soon a quiet voice pierced the chilled air. "I-I'd like to meet them."

Marienne turned back to see Quasimodo smiling at her. She knew that behind that smile was an insurmountable amount of fear and an apprehension for the unknown outcome of meeting with two strangers. But he had put all that aside. It was in that moment that she saw he truly was a genuinely exceptional person.

The two agreed the day and time to meet her friends. Marienne didn't think she'd feel nervous about the hunchback meeting her friends, but the tight knot caressing her stomach during the whole of school as she anticipated the last bell of the day had greatly proved her wrong.

The knot had not left her even as she walked the short walk to the Cathedral, with Ines and Julia beside her. She had considered inviting Anne-Lise along to meet her new friend, but she had decided against it for two reasons; she herself didn't know Anne-Lise as well as Julia and Ines since she tended to stick with her textiles friends, and she didn't want Quasimodo to feel too overwhelmed with three strangers to meet. Two was plenty as it was.

As much as she tried to join in with the two girls' cheerful conversation, Marienne couldn't help feeling very anxious. She almost felt like she was going to be sick.

This is ridiculous, she thought. She wasn't sure why she felt so nervous. Sure, she was slightly worried that something would go wrong, maybe Julia and Ines would be too frightened and make Quasimodo feel even worse about himself. Or maybe the shy bell ringer would be put off by the meeting and elect to hide even further in his small, cold room forever. Maybe he wouldn't even want to see her again.

Maybe this once good idea had more consequences than it had benefits. Maybe she should just call the whole ordeal off. But the whole reason she thought of this was to help him. She had made a promise on that horrifying day of the festival that she would be that friend he deserved, that friend he had deserved for 17 years. She had vowed to help him in any way she could. She knew this would be good for him. This was what he said he wanted.

It was like her mind was playing tennis with itself. All these conflicting thoughts and emotions weren't helping her stomach. She focused her eyes on the small grains in the cobbled stones to help distract herself.

"It's ok," Julia said compassionately to the girl, smiling at her and giving her shoulder a supportive squeeze. Marienne hadn't realised she had made her nerves this obvious. "I'm looking forward to meeting him."

"Definitely," chimed in Ines, appearing next to them.

The bells had begun tolling in the distance, their chimes growing louder as they rounded the corner into the square. Marienne looked up at the Cathedral as it came into their full view. Strange, it didn't seem as welcoming at it usually did. And, for the first time, the bells didn't comfort her as much.

"Say his name again, sorry," asked Julia.

"Quasimodo," said Marienne in a slightly strained voice.

"Quas-i-modo," Julia repeated, sounding it out slowly.

"Yeah, unusual isn't it," Marienne laughed weakly.

"I've never heard a name like it," said Ines, thoughtfully. "I like it." You don't want to know what it means, thought Marienne contemptuously.

Maybe it was Ines' innocent admiration of Quasimodo's name, or Julia's comforting hand on her shoulder, but Marienne began to feel a little better about the meeting. It was the reassuring notion that this afternoon might be a success. That the bell ringer might want to explore more of the world he so clearly craved. It certainly helped that the priest wouldn't be making an unscheduled appearance. At least that was one less thing to worry about.

The three girls walked into the nave of Notre Dame, and Marienne couldn't help giggling when she saw the look of childlike wonder on her friends' faces as they took in the scenery. The Cathedral's beauty never ceased to amaze the girl, but it must be even more so for those who don't attend mass here every week.

Marienne led the two up the familiar eave in the wall that housed the twisting stairs that paved straight up to the bell tower. She could still hear the booming bells in the distance, and they grew louder as they neared the top.

She had done this route a few times now and was pleased to notice that it had become a little easier to carry herself up those countless steps. Looking behind her, she let out a sporting laugh as the complete opposite was evident for her friends.

She would have thought the endless drop below them as they scurried along the balcony would be a bit easier to handle as well. But sadly, her fear of heights was still greatly instilled in her.

The bells were dying down as they approached the small oak tower door. Trying to ignore the girls' nervous glances at each other, Marienne opened the tower door gingerly, and the three slowly stepped in.

"Quasimodo?" she announced to the slight darkness, her voice echoing around them. She waited a few moments for any sound of movement but the only sound that greeted her was the distant sound of pigeons being disturbed from their wooden perch.

The three walked further into the tower, and Marienne noticed the same awestruck expressions on Julia and Ines' faces that they had when taking in the serene splendour of the Cathedral's nave. She watched as they stared above them at the countless brass bells swinging slow, ghostly rhythms from this afternoon's Angelus.

"Quasimodo?" the girl called again, concern spreading in her voice. She craned her neck in the hope to catch him on one of the wooden beams, but to no avail. Then suddenly she heard a soft thud, followed by the gentle creaking of floorboards. Marienne turned to the source of the quiet sound, but wherever Quasimodo had just landed, it was not somewhere conspicuous.

The girl reasoned that she would let the bell ringer come out in his own time. The last thing she wanted was for him to be more uncomfortable than he must already be. footsteps continued towards them, and then an equally soft voice followed.

"H-hi," came the small, unsure voice of the bell ringer, and Marienne could just about make out his silhouette a few yards in front of the three, partially hidden by shadow.

"Oh, hey!" Marienne replied, cheerfully. "I wasn't sure where you were." She saw Julia from beside her squint her eyes in her attempt to make him out. It seemed the hunchback preferred to remain slightly concealed for the time being.

"Oh." Marienne turned to Julia and Ines. "So, these are my friends from school, Julia," she gestures to Julia on her immediate left, "and Ines," she concludes, gesturing to Ines.

"Hey there," Julia chirped, waving at the shadowed form that is Quasimodo.

"Hi!" followed Ines, displaying the same level of enthusiasm. Marienne beamed at the two. She hoped their friendliness would help put the bell ringer at ease.

"A-and this," Marienne gestured to the shadowed corner, "is my good friend...Quasimodo."

"It's nice to meet you," replied Julia, looking attentively at the shadowed figure. "Thank you for inviting us up here."

Marienne looked hopefully at her shadowed friend, but the hunchback merely scratched his arm anxiously and gave a few meek nods. He even seemed on the verge of running away. The poor thing couldn't seem to shake off his shyness.

She suspected this would happen when Quasimodo had first accepted to meet her friends. It had not even been a couple of weeks since what she assumed had been the worst day of his sad, lonely life. When his pedestal of triumph had turned into his cage of torture. She understood it was never going to be easy to shake off the feeling of victimisation for mere appearance.

Watching him in the shadows now, Marienne was reminded of when he had concealed himself in the rafter's shadows when she had tried to console him after the festival. She remembered that sinking feeling when she had watched his scared, shaking form back away from her, as though he had never even met her before. As though he had forgotten those few encounters in his bedroom, and how his nervousness around her had gradually started melting away, only to be instilled in him again after the festival.

She had the sobering assumption that the events at the festival had imparted in him two things; that people, not even exceptions like Marienne, could be trusted if they were capable of such low, unjust treatment, and that his appearance really was as hideous as Claude Frollo had taught him.

But the girl was slowly amending his initial distrust and fear of her, paving the way for a blossoming friendship between the two, and so perhaps that could be the case with his anxiety with Julia and Ines.

Perhaps he just needed a little encouragement. Swallowing hard, the young woman walked slowly towards Quasimodo's shadowed corner. "You can do this," she whispered just quiet enough so the other two wouldn't hear. She glanced across to the two girls standing rather uncomfortably behind her.

She looked back at him and impulsively stretched her hand out to him. She wasn't entirely sure why she had done this but hoped it could maybe offer him some reassurance and encouragement. Or maybe it was too much, but she kept it there just in case. She could see Quasimodo's eyes squint as he gave her a look of what she would describe as frightened determination.

What happened next surprised her; she felt a large, calloused hand slowly reach out and carefully take her small, delicate outstretched hand. She marvelled at the rather amusing contrast of her hand almost engulfed by his. Despite their roughness from years of labour, his hands held a certain softness. She also couldn't help noticing how gently he held hers, as though afraid of crushing it with the smallest squeeze. For all she knew, he could do it.

This was the second time in a few days that the two had touched, and unlike the first time, Quasimodo seemed determined not to retract away. Though she suspected he was fighting every instinct in his body not to do that as she slowly guided him out of his safe concealment to the waiting eyes of Julia and Ines.

There was a deathly still, unsure silence in the lofty tower as the two girls took in the full, unconcealed appearance of the deformed man staring, terrified, at them.

Despite the two having seen what the shy boy looked like at the festival, it seemed as though they were seeing him for the first time. Marienne heard Ines give a small gasp, though she disguised it with a cough. Julia hadn't made her reaction as obvious but Marienne could see the look of alarm in her grey eyes.

All three of them seemed to be fighting the urge to bolt from the scene. But being mediator of sorts, Marienne felt she needed to break this initial air of discomfort, or perhaps more accurately, terror.

"S-so," she began, trying to ignore the fact that the nausea from previously had returned. "You should see him in action when he rings the bells, it's quite a sight." She smiled at Quasimodo who returned it with a small smile of gratitude.

"Right," Julia perked. "I'm sure." Marienne noticed the slight nudge she gave Ines which seemed to spring the blonde girl into action.

"So…your name…where did it come from?" asked Ines, and Marienne could see that she was finding it difficult looking the boy in the eye.

Marienne made a slight involuntary wince as the question that carried so many unfortunate, painful memories and reminders was tossed so casually into the chilly bell tower air.

There was a painful silence, and Marienne saw Quasimodo looking more uncomfortable than ever. She partly wished she had given the two a list of what not to ask him before bringing them here. This question would have been the first pointer. But she knew Ines was never one to cause any spite, and this question was just another result of her innocuous curiosities.

"I-I'm… n-not sure…m-my…guardian chose it for me." The boy bit his lower lip as though trying to hold back tears.

"I-I think it's Latin," chimed in Marienne quickly, trying to ease Quasimodo's discomfort and put a lighter spin on the question.

"Who's your guardian? If you don't mind me asking," spoke Julia.

"R-reverend Frollo," replied Quasimodo dismally.

The looks on both girls' faces told Marienne they felt how she had felt when she first found out that cruel man had raised such a sweet, gentle being. It will never make sense to her. It was a testament to Quasimodo's strong character to not let himself be so corrupted as his 'master.'

"I must say," spoke Julia, "this place is incredible. I didn't realise this place was so big." Marienne was exhaled in relief from the change in subject.

"And those bells," chimed in Ines, looking above her. "They sound so nice. Well…I suppose, you make them sound nice."

"Thank you," replied the shy young man, almost whispering his words.

Marienne laughed. "That's exactly what I told him when I first found out that he rang the bells."

"How many are there?" asked Julia, looking above her at the bells as well.

"Twenty o-one."

Julia nodded in acknowledgment. "So…" she furrowed her brows inquisitively. "…you ring them all…by yourself?"

Marienne smiled at the similarity of these questions to her own when she had enquired about his bell ringing duties. She was sure Quasimodo's small, knowing smile in her direction meant he had the same sense of deja vu.

"Y-yes."

Julia nodded again, clearly very impressed.

Marienne took a moment to peruse the scene in front of her and gave another small breath of relief at how her two school friends were growing visibly more comfortable in the bell ringer's company. She even noticed the hunchback's demeanour was growing a little more relaxed.

"W-would you like to see them?" The sudden strength in Quasimodo's unsure voice made Marienne's stomach give a small dance.

"Yes please!" said Ines and Julia, almost in unison.

Marienne saw Quasimodo give a gentle nod of what she figured was forced determination, before leading the three up the wooden steps. They passed platform after platform as they climbed the steps higher and higher.

The rapidly increasing height made Marienne feel queasy again. She tried to keep at the pace of the others leading ahead but found herself getting slower as her stomach continued doing back flips.

She finally stopped mid step. She clutched the banister hard and looked down at her whitened knuckles, trying not to focus on how it felt like she was caught in a steam roller.

But then she heard a voice, gently calling her back from the spinning haze.

"Marienne?" she heard faintly. The girl looked up from her paled, shaking hands into the Ceylon-emerald eyes of the bell ringer. "A-are you alright?" She hazily followed his eyes as they frantically inspected her for any signs of harm.

Looking into his concerned eyes, she gave a weak laugh as another sense of deja vu hit her. "You're...you're getting pretty good at coming to my rescue," she muttered.

"W-would you l-like to go back down?"

Marienne looked behind him at Julia and Ines who were at least another platform higher. They both looked down at her with concerned faces.

"Thank you," she said through waves of dizziness. "But I think I just need a minute and I'll be fine."

"O-of course," Quasimodo replied gently. "A-as long as you need."

Quasimodo stayed with her for the 5 minutes it took for Marienne to feel a little less dizzy. Indeed, the vertigo was still very much there, but she had got to the point where she, with Quasimodo's help, could just about continue the rest of the journey up to the highest platform where the bells rested.

In fact, if it wasn't for Quasimodo's patience and gentle encouragement Marienne would have in no way been able to succeed in reaching the top to greet Julia and Ines. Taking a minute to breathe once she stepped foot on the platform, she went over one particular event of the last 5 minutes that she couldn't let go of.

It had come of a complete surprise to the girl, but Quasimodo had offered his hand to help her finish the rest of the course. She knew how unused to physical contact he was, which absolutely made sense as to why he had shyed away when touching her shoulder a few days ago.

It was one thing that he had accepted her outstretched hand to him not 10 minutes ago when drowned in shadow, but for him to actively, and of his own free will, offer her his own made the dizziness in her stomach get entirely engulfed by the warmest of sensations.

It told her he trusted her. That he was not afraid of her or uncomfortable around her.

For the several weeks she had known him, she had been yearning for this to happen. And for what felt like the 500th time, she beamed at him.

The bells were more magnificent now for how close they were to them. If it weren't for her preference to remain taped to the banister, she would have reached out and touched their majestic brass shells. The light that dimly shone through from the sunset outside gave their bodies a spectacular amber glow.

Marienne watched in awe as Quasimodo practically danced about the bells, introducing each one to them and showing the girls their purpose in their musical refrains. He had even given them names. Gabriel, Emmanuel, Anne Genevieve, Etienne, Jean Marie to name a few.

Quasimodo turned their attention to the biggest bell Marienne had ever seen. It was absolutely colossal, and that was saying something considering the majority of the bells were absolutely humongous. She learned he had lovingly named this particular bell Marie. The girl couldn't help noticing how particularly fond he seemed of this one. She thought back to how her father lovingly called her 'Marie.'

As the girl traced his brisk movements, she noticed how different Quasimodo seemed as he excitedly told them about how and when he would need to ring each bell. He seemed to be completely in his element. It was almost like he had stepped out of his usual shy, unsure self and revealed who he truly was underneath. Even his limp was barely noticeable.

Catching that look of fatherly admiration in his eyes again, Marienne could tell Quasimodo clearly adored these instruments. They really were his friends. She thought soberly that these must have been his only friends and confidantes before she came along.

The sky outside had eventually let go of its golden sunset hues and had put a blanket of dark blue and purple in its place. Marienne knew she could spend the whole evening listening to Quasimodo happily talk about the bells, but she suspected Frollo ought to be finishing work soon and didn't want to risk the boy getting into trouble.

While all four made their way down to the lowest level, Julia and Ines, now completely comfortable in the hunchback's presence, chatted idly with the bell ringer, asking him questions about the bells and his duties as sole bell ringer.

"Thank you so much for a fantastic time," announced Julia as they walked towards the tower door and gathered their things to leave. "It was really great meeting you."

"Yeah, thank you!" Followed Ines, nodding fervently.

"I-it was lovely m-meeting you too," replied the bell ringer to both girls, seemingly back to his reserved disposition.

He then turned to Marienne and smiled warmly at her. The girl could tell it was a smile of both gratitude for her suggesting the meeting, and relief and happiness at having had the courage to do it.

"See you soon?" Marienne asked the bell ringer, not letting go of her smile.

"Definitely," he answered assuredly.

Marienne once again had the overwhelming urge to hug him, but begrudgingly fought against it. This afternoon had gone so well, she didn't want anything to change that by overstepping. Instead, she gave him one last small wave before stepping out into the chilly evening with the others. She wrapped her jacket around her more, and was very aware of that warm, fuzzy feeling still having not left her.

cuuutteeeeee

Ok, but this doesn't necessarily mean that warm feeling is 'romantic' per se ... who knows, let's see what that is, and don't worry, you won't have to wait another 10,000 years (Oiii!) to find out...