NOTE: This chapter and the previous one took place in Sweden, just for clarification. In chapter 4, we'll get to some Parisian shenanigans!
Sorry for the long wait! 'O' level burnout is real! And schoolwork usually has to come first! Also, would anyone be interested if I made a playlist for this fic? Let me know!
Voices. There were distant voices. She was confused. Her head ached and her entire body ached. The voices were unfamiliar and there was a low hum, was it the sound of an engine?
There was a lurch, and she turned, but the movement left her feeling weak and dizzy. She tried to sit up, but instead felt something shift underneath her, and with a terrifying motion, she felt herself start to slip. She tried to move, she pushed herself up with all of her strength, but that made the falling faster, and she hit the ground with a painful thump.
She woke up on a hard bed, pain radiating in her ribs and throbbing pain on her head. Her eyelids and most of her body felt heavy like stone and when she tried to speak, her throat felt dry and she did not know what she wanted to say.
"It's okay, my dear, it's okay," a middle-aged woman sat on the bed and took her hand "We will be taking care of you,"
"What happened to you? Where did you come from?" the woman, Mother Svenna had asked her the same questions when she woke up, waiting patiently.
"I don't know," the girl would reply, her voice small and uncertain. No one had any idea where she came from. When they had found her, she was breathing heavily and barely alive, her tracks covered by the heavy snow.
"I have a little something for you," Mother Svenna gently pressed a locket into the girl's hands. The locket had a small engraving on it with the phrase "My Christine, you will always be in my heart…" She examined it closely, not sure what she was supposed to make of them.
"Nothing?" Mother Svenna's eyes glinted with genuine concern as she was met with an embarrassed shrug "You had it when we found you… I believe 'Christine' is your name, don't you remember anything about it?"
"I don't, I'm sorry," she wanted to cry, the girl almost felt like an empty vessel of someone she used to be, a girl with no name, no memories and no past… sometimes, she wondered if she was actually dead. Ever since that night she was found, she had been haunted by ghosts… ghosts who would sneak up on her when she slept and prey on her vulnerability…
"Don't worry my dear, everything takes its time…" Mother Svenna cooed gently and reassuringly as she changed the girl's bandages.
"Christine sounds nice," She finally said at last, after a long moment of silence.
A year passed since Christine had slowly recovered from the accident that happened to her, left alone to fight for survival as she wandered aimlessly from village to village, taking up small jobs and fending for herself whenever she could until the people deemed her too insane whenever her hysterical screaming and panic attacks became too loud for anyone to tolerate. Her eerie dreams and terrifying nightmares often left her hollow and haunted whenever she tried to find out who she was. She often warmed herself up in the cold winters by the little hope that the answer was in the next town. Until they cast her out again.
During those difficult times, Christine daydreamed of a distant memory whispering a place she somehow yearned for... Manhattan. She didn't know whether if it was instinct or a forgotten memory telling her to go there, but she knew answers would await her there…
The snow pelted the young woman trying to keep warm in the bleak winters. She was tired, she hadn't slept in a real bed ever since she had left the convent years ago, and she didn't remember what it felt like to live comfortably. Her instincts kicked in and she began to look for a place to curl up in for the night. As Christine walked, she spotted a narrow, dark alley, or maybe it was a small street. She wasn't sure, to be honest. For some reason, she felt safe here.
"Sorry, who are you?" Christine turned to face a woman, her dark hair unkempt and grey eyes glinting with suspicion and curiosity. For a moment, she hesitated before answering "I just want to find a place to sleep,"
"I know a place where you might be able to sleep," the dark-haired girl whispered, "Come with me!" Christine blindly followed the woman around the corner to a small door. Gently, the woman knocked on the door and it swung open to welcome the two girls.
Inside was an empty room and there were sacks filled to the brim scattered around the room and tattered blankets.
"Nearly everyone is out for work but I'm meeting someone in a few minutes. He's just a little late tonight." The woman shrugged nonchalantly, however, Christine was not paying attention as she tried to process the information.
These women were soliciting on the streets… true, she was desperate for money, but she could never see herself in the streets waiting for a man to take her home and make love with her without her consent.
Looking around for a place to sleep, she noticed a poster with a man's face on it. It read:
WANTED
DEAD OR ALIVE
RAOUL DE CHAGNY
FOR FRAUD, THEFT…
"... and smuggling immigrants out illegally…" Christine murmured, her fingers tracing the words.
"Oh, that man you saw on the poster? You might want to look out for him! He's a notorious con man! So far, he has successfully smuggled 95% of his clients out of the country! All of Europe is searching for him! But don't worry, he's somewhere in Paris waiting for his next daring adventure so you can't possibly fall victim to him!"
Christine nodded mindlessly, mulling over the man she saw in the poster. "Raoul de Chagny…" she muttered to herself, taking a blanket to wrap around herself. It had been a while since she had a blanket and that was always a luxury in harsh times like this. She pulled the blanket and closed her eyes.
Her eyelids were heavy and she fell into a deep slumber, knowing where she had to go to now…
Yes! This is R/C! Another reason why I put "In My Dreams, Shadows Call" and "Dreams of My Past (Rewrite)" on hiatus! My R/C needs haven't been met!
Next up, we meet Raoul, Phillipe, and Erik!