For reasons unknown this chapter really did my brain in to write. Which is very odd. Oh well, thank you for reading! :D


49

There was a bonus to most things in life Fleurette had figured that out quickly. The bonus to being in Erik's company for so long was that she had quickly learnt the secret passage ways which were littered all throughout the opera house.

At this point in time Fleurette walked down one of the darkened corridors holding a candle out at arms length. The candle did not give off much light and Fleurette had to keep squinting to try and get her eyes to adjust to the gloom around her.

A door appeared in her path, reaching out slowly she felt around for the handle. Once she found it she had to give the door one hard shove for it to open. Almost falling over from the impact, Fleurette righted herself and eyed a set of stairs up slowly before walking down one step at a time. She honestly didn't want to have another accident and fall down a set of stairs.

Once she had reached the bottom a roughly lit corridor awaited her, if she kept on following this it'd lead to another set of stairs and eventually the dark lake.

Fleurette hadn't realized how many different ways to get to one place existed here. While walking along in the dark and in the quiet Fleurette noted how now the opera house and it's many corridors and doorways reminded her of a rabbits warren.

Getting to the end of the corridor she sharply turned and eyed up the lake. The small boat was on her side which meant that Erik was somewhere within the opera house.

Rolling her eyes slowly she walked over and clambered into the boat. She didn't really have any other option than to sit and wait for him. None of the inhabitants of the opera house knew she was here, and that's the way she would like to keep it.

Admittedly Eleanor and Felix knew of her going out, she had told them the truth of where she was going and she said she would not be long. Which meant that she could not stay the night like she did previously.

Hearing very quiet footsteps she looked up and away from the flame in her hand. Erik stood and looked at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I need help." Her words caused Erik to look at her concerned, he got into the boat and sat down on the opposite seat to hers.

"Go on."

"I'm torn...I don't know what to do."

"And you think I may possibly hold the answer?"

"Yes," Fleurette nodded slowly. "Eleanor and I may need to leave to find other jobs which pay better." Fleurette spoke slowly, "We cannot keep the house going and work here. It just will not work. Trying to coincide another job with this one will not work either." Fleurette finished and slowly looked up at Erik.

He sat with a contemplating look and nodded slowly. "Felix says he shall help out where he can...which I guess is something." Fleurette added in while reaching down and putting the candle out with her thumb and forefinger.

"Would you leave immediately?"

"I do not want to leave at all!" Fleurette exclaimed while putting the candle beside her and then standing up and switching to sit beside him. "How can I leave?" She questioned while taking a hold of his hands tightly and leaning her head against them.

"You can leave quite easily."

"But I cannot leave you with ease." Her muffled voice said quietly. Slowly she looked up at him and shook her head. "How could I?" Her question was met with silence, nodding slowly Erik managed to get one of his hands free from her grasp. Putting it against her cheek he shook his head and looked towards the dark lake before them. Without needing to say anything Fleurette gathered that Erik didn't want her to leave either. She didn't really have any intentions of leaving, she was dearly hoping something would appear which would allow her and her sister to stay on.


The next few days were busy ones for the sisters. It involved writing numerous letters to people and then dress shopping because it became increasingly obvious neither of them really had a dress to wear.

Fleurette had mentioned about wearing the dresses they'd worn to their mothers funeral. But this suggestion was met with pointless excuses from Eleanor. It seemed to be that Eleanor wished to go dress shopping despite it not being for a happy occasion.

What money that their father had left over was spent on his funeral and on their clothes.

The funeral itself was brief, which Fleurette was rather grateful of. She didn't really have a fondness for churches so being in one for a long period of time would have seriously put her more on edge.

Beside her all the while griping onto her hand was Eleanor, beside her stood Felix. He would every so often hold onto her hand or wrap an arm around her shoulder.

Fleurette would be lying if she said she wasn't a little jealous of her sister being able to get comfort from someone else who wasn't her.

Once the funeral was over with and everyone piled out of the church the sisters were soon swamped in embraces and teary eyed looks.

Once friends of their fathers had said their piece and moved away it was just the two of them and Felix which remained. There were no family members left on either side of their family so the funeral itself was small.

Exchanging a look the sisters both sighed and walked away from the tall steepled building behind them. "I'm going to go for a walk." Fleurette announced simply, even before either of them could reply she turned and walked off quickly.

Picking up the black skirt of her dress Fleurette picked up her pace and walked along the dingy streets. She passed market stalls, the owners eyed her up carefully before taking to shouting again.

Turning down the alleyway she walked towards the door and opened it. Walking in and shutting it quietly behind herself she put a hand unsteadily on the wall and glided it along. She hadn't got anything with her which could give off light so she was walking blindly and carefully down the corridor before her.


Walking briskly with a lantern held at arms length Erik couldn't help but falter when his path intercepted with another.

Fleurette removed her hand from the damp wall and unwillingly wiped it on her skirt. After she had she entwined her black lace gloved hands in front of herself.

The two stood in silence. Erik didn't know what to say to her and she looked about the same. He simply watched as she approached him and stopped a few paces in front of him.

"Are you going out?" Fleurette questioned, her eyes took on an odd light in the dingy space around them. The lantern light flicked behind its pane of glass, and she briefly looked at it and then up at him again. "Where to?"

"You shouldn't be here." He said while changing to holding the lantern in his other hand. Fleurette blinked confused and frowned lightly. She took a slow step back and nodded slowly, she seemed to agree with him.

"I couldn't go back there." Fleurette shook her head and tucked a stray curl over her ear.

"So you thought you would come here?"

"You do not think I should be here do you?"

"No, and you know I don't." Erik said while Fleurette side stepped and stood by his side. "Regardless of the excuses you throw out. Do not look at me like that Fleurette. Your sister will still want you nearby even if Felix is there." Fleurette huffed and crossed her arms. "But to answer your earlier question," Erik said fixing is tone from stern to calm in a matter of seconds.

"There's a music shop near by."

"What are you shopping for?"

"Nothing in particular." He answered honestly and looked at her. "Did you want to come too?"

"I would love to." Fleurette smiled, Erik held out his arm and she linked hers with his. She was glad that, despite Erik not wholly agreeing to her being here with him, he wasn't about to keep lecturing her to go home.