Chapter 1: Dark Memories

Clouds rolled over the dark sky the light of the full moon shined down on the large city below the massive cathedral towering above it all. However a secret was held within its walls. The rays of pale moonlight poured in through the slates of the bell tower.

Sound asleep on the cold ground was the bell ringer of Notre dame. His name was Quasimodo, and he was the strangest being you'd ever see. However at the moment the deformed teens face was contorted in a pained grimace.

Quasimodo tossed and turned fitfully. "N-No." No! He tossed and turned even more restlessly it almost looked as if he were fighting something only he alone could see. Suddenly a hand grasped Quasimodo's shoulder.

"Leave me alone!" Quasimodo shouted fearfully as he backed away curling into a frightened ball. "Quasimodo." The frightened boy opened his eyes to the concerned face of his best friend Esmeralda the eighteen-year-old gave the younger boy a worried glance.

"Quasi-I'm fine!" He shouted panting sweat dripped down his forehead and he quickly wiped it away. "No your not, and you know it!" Quasimodo please, let me help you. "I-I don't need help."

Please, she begged. Fine! He said with tired sigh. Esmeralda rummaged through her bag she pulled a thermos of some sort from within. Drink, She said pouring the contents of the bottle into a cup.

He reluctantly obeyed but almost gagged and spit it back out. "I know it doesn't taste that great, but it will help you get some rest." Swallow...There. He stared up at her as his eyes started to drift shut. "E-Esmeralda?" Yes? She asked turning to look back her friend. T-Thank you. "Of course what are friends for."

She walked back to the Court of Miracles pulling her cloak tight around herself as she made her way home. However movement from a nearby alleyway caught her eye. She saw a flash of red hair. Quasi? She thought for a moment. No she'd left her friend sound asleep in the bell tower then what- She approached the alleyway.

Suddenly to her surprise a little girl with red orange hair dressed in white darted from the alleyway. She chased after the girl following her to an abandoned Inn. She peered in through a cracked and dusty window and was shocked by what she discovered

Within the Inns main hall were dozens of children of varying ages all dressed in the same tattered white clothes as the little girl. One of the children stirred awake. "Did you find any food?" No the girl said looking sad.

The girls stomach growled, and she began to cry. "Ray, w-what are we going to do?" She said stifling a sob. "Don't worry Emma we'll think of something." Get some rest. Suddenly the door creaked open.

The children's eyes widened in fear as a gypsy woman stepped into the room. She followed me! "You mean you were seen?! I told you to be carful, Emma!" I-I know. She approached the frightened children holding out a loaf of bread.

She'd been planning on saving it for her breakfast the next morning, but these poor kids needed it more than she did. The little girl stared at the bread with wide eyes. "Its ok, go on take it." The boy next to her nodded and she took the bread from her hands.

"Thank you miss-Esmeralda, my names Esmeralda." The girl eagerly woke the other children showing them the bread before dividing it among them. "Why are you all alone?" Where are your parents. The red-haired child looked up at her sadly.

"W-We don't have any miss." Your orphans. Esmeralda said giving them a pitiful look. She had to do something! She couldn't just leave these poor children in this crumbling old in, they'd freeze to death!

"Its late and its freezing out, you children shouldn't be sleeping in here you'll catch a cold!" B-But we have nowhere else miss. Then I'll take you with me to my home in the Court of Miracles, You'll be safe there and warm and there's plenty of food. T-Thank you miss! The girl said shedding thankful tears as she hugged the kind stranger.

Esmeralda smiled patting the girl on the head. "Come, all of you." The girl woke the rest of the children and they followed the roma woman to the Court of Miracles. "Are you sure about this Emma?" Ray asked giving the roma woman a cautious glare.

"She's given us no reason not to trust her Ray!" Besides she's right, I heard that the gypsies are always taking in stray children, it would be a lot safer than staying in that in. Fine! But I'm just being carful we've been in this world for a week.

For all we know years have passed in our world. "No...Your wrong!" I cant afford to think that, not now." I'm sorry I'm just being realistic. We cant stay here forever. "I know. Emma said taking a shaky breath.

"This is risky even for you La Esmeralda, my dear we cant just take in all these children!" Why not we do it all the time! She said giving Clopan a cold glare. "Clopan, Please." She begged. Clopan sighed. Fine! At least I get a bigger audience for my puppet shows he said sarcastically.

As Esmeralda tucked the children into bed that night, she noticed something odd that she hadn't noticed before. On each of their necks was a number tattooed onto their skin in black ink. Emma's number was 63194 and Ray's was 81194.

She found it strange and slightly unsettling. Who had done this to these poor children and why? She decided to ignore it for now as she turned in for the night. The next morning she went to the cathedral to check on Quasimodo.

He sat at his carving table his head resting on his arms as he slept peacefully. Quasimodo? Quasimodo's eyes fluttered open and he smiled at his friend. "Hello Esmeralda, you seem tired, trouble sleeping last night?"

Something like that. She told him about the strange children with the number tattoos. "I-Its probably nothing you should w-worry about. She sighed. Alright. "You should at least stop by today, I miss talking to you and the children love having you around, I've seen how well you are with Zephyr.

Quasimodo gave a tired nod. "I-I'll think about it." He looked cautiously out at the grey sky. "I-It looks like its going to rain." Esmeralda sighed. Not this again! "What is it with you and rain?" "Whenever it rains or snows you hide inside for days until it stops. Why is that?"

I-I don't know I-This wouldn't happen to with what Frollo did to your mother. Quasi sighed. Maybe. But I don't think she was my mother. I mean look at me I'm look nothing like her. He sighed. "Clopan said that she'd found me wondering alone in the forest when I was six years old but-I have no memories before that."

"Are you sure?" Esmeralda asked somewhat surprised. He nodded. "E-Esmeralda...I don't know who I am." She smiled placing a hand on his shoulder. "I do. Your my best friend and if it weren't for you I'd be dead, and Zephyr would never have been born.

"Come to the Court of Miracles today after it stops raining." You need to get out of this tower! He sighed. O-Ok. He stared out at the world below as the rain started to fall. Truthfully, he didn't remember his childhood before Frollo, and he hadn't been with the romani woman long enough to even remember her face, but he did remember something.

He remembered a very distinct melody a lullaby of some kind. He was absolutely certain it was his mothers voice he heard. Whoever she was he hoped he'd find her one day. Though what if had left him in the woods for a reason, what if she'd purposely abandoned him. Had Frollo been right all along? Had his mother really abandoned him?!

That afternoon after it had stopped raining he ventured out to the Court of Miracles. Esmeralda hadn't been lying when she said he needed some time away from his tower. He walked through the dark tunnels until he found the entrance.

Two of the roma men guarding the entrance gave him a nod but ignored him as he passed. As he entered the underground city he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He spun around to see Esmeralda standing behind him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." You ok?

"I-I'm fine." However his gaze became drawn to Clopan's puppet wagon a group of children watched the show with wide eyes. Some of the children were romani while the rest were strange children dressed in white.

"-And so the brave bellringer swooped down and rescued the gypsy girl from the flames hiding her safe within the walls of the cathedral." It was then that Clopan looked up noticing Quasimodo behind the group of children.

"Speaking of the bellringer, here's our hero now, anything to add monsieur bell ringer." The children turned around staring at him in awe. Did you really break those chains? One little boy asked. Uh well- Y-Yes. "Wow, cool!"

"Did you really save miss Esmeralda?" Asked a slightly older girl who looked to be about twelve, her hair was almost as red as his own if not somewhat lighter. Y-Yes. "Wow, your really brave!" "I'm Emma by the way, and this is Ray, Don, Gilda...She Introduced all the children in her group who in turn smiled and waved at him cheerfully.

"I-It's nice to meet you all my names Quasimodo." That day quasi left a little early so he could ring the bells. However instead of returning he fell asleep yet again at his worktable however he was soon plagued by more nightmares just like the previous night.

The tea Esmeralda had given him last night hadn't really done any good if anything his nightmares had gotten much worse. "Quasi?" He woke startled. He blinked rubbing his tired eyes. Standing next him was Emma holding a small basket.

"Did you have a bad dream?" I-I...He took a deep breath. "E-Emma what are you doing here?" "Esmeralda wanted me to bring you this." She said holding out the small basket. Within it was two loafs of bread a block of cheese an apple a bottle of wine and small bag, which he assumed held the same herbs that Esmeralda had given him the night before.

"T-Thank you Emma." Wow did you make these yourself?! She asked her wide eyes now focused on his collection of carvings. "M-Most of them." Wow their really good! Can you teach me how to make one? Quasimodo looked somewhat hesitant.

"I-I'm not sure a feel comfortable giving a knife to a child." Didn't you make some of these when you were a kid though? He sighed some of them but-Please! "I'll be really careful I've used a bow before how hard can using a knife be.

He gave her a suspicious look. "A hunter took us in a while back." H-He taught me how to hunt. It certainly helped that's for sure. "No Parents?" He asked. She shook her head. Were Orphans. "We all grew up in the same orphanage." Did you run away?

She looked nervously at the ground. "I-I noticed something strange happening at the orphanage. Children began disappearing. The lady who ran the orphanage said that they got adopted but I found out that they were being killed!"

"W-What?! A-Are you sure? One of the little girls, A girl named Connie left her doll behind me and my friend, Norman went to return it and...and...Tears began to stream down her face. "I-Its ok d-don't cry." He gave her a comforting hug patting her on the back. "T-Then they killed Norman he was the last to go."

"I'm so sorry." So you all ran away? "Y-Yes but we left some of the younger kids behind, They would have slowed us down. But one day soon were going to go back and rescue everyone!" T-That sounds dangerous. "I-It will be." He sighed.

"I-Its late, I-I'll walk you back to the Court of Miracles and if you want...I'll teach you how to carve tomorrow." Really?! Thank you Quasi! She said hugging her new friend excitedly. They walked in silence through the dark tunnels. Quasimodo stopped, pointing a few feet ahead,

"The entrance is just a few feet away." Thank you, see you tomorrow. "Oh and E-Emma." Yes She said turning around. "I-If I can...I promise to help you save your friends, the children that are still at that orphanage. R-Really? Q-Quasi-no its alright besides Phoebus is the captain of the guards if there anywhere in France we'll find them, I promise.

"Thank you." She said her back to him as she entered the Court. There you are! I was worried. Said Ray glaring at her annoyed. She instantly told Ray about her meeting with Quasi. "He wants to what?!" I know ray but-Look I've been thinking, and I think we should come clean about everything, to Esmeralda and the others.

But Ray- She took us in! We owe her the truth and I think you should tell that new friend of yours the truth to. If he still wants to help us afterward, I won't argue, but I'm sick of the lies!

Esmeralda stared at the children in Disbelief. "D-Demons?" A farm?! "Wow and I thought I had a messed-up childhood." Clopan! Esmeralda snapped. Your not making this any easier. "Can you blame me?! I mean this sounds like a fairy tale.

"Its not, a fairy tale. Its real!" Emma pleaded. "Why wont anyone believe us?! Ray shouted do we look like liars?!" Of course not, Ray and no ones calling you a liar. She glared at Clopan who shrugged. Alright, I believe you, but you better hope these..."Demons" don't come looking for you.

Meanwhile Quasimodo sat up in the rafter looking out at the star-filled night sky. He gave a tired sigh. "Why did I make that promise." I must be out of my mind, but all I can think about is that look of horror on her face.

Though he felt she wasn't being entirely honest, what could she possibly be hiding from him? Whatever it was he made a promise and now there was no turning back he'd talk to Phoebus about it in the morning for now...

He just hoped he could get a good nights rest without having anymore nightmares. However he had no idea what he would soon discover and none of it good. For soon his nightmares would become very, very real!