Chapter 2:
Christian furrowed his eyebrows.
"What are you saying, Toulouse?" he slurred.
"Come quick!" Toulouse grabbed Christian's arm and pulled him out of the room.
"I don't understand..." as he dropped the bottle to the floor and staggered out the door, Toulouse leading the way.
When they reached the street, there was a commotion in front of the Moulin doors.
"What's going on..." Christian began as Toulouse quickly ducked behind a building and peeked out.
"They mustn't see us, Chwistian," Toulouse whispered.
A group of girls stood in front of the opened door. A man stood in the doorway, blocking the entrance, but Christian and Toulouse could not make out his face.
"Let us through these doors!" shouted one of the girls.
"You can't do this!" another girl chimed in.
"Ladies, please," the man begged. "Please back away!"
They would not move away from the door even an inch. The crowd got even larger as spectators moved in closer to see what was happening.
"What is it, Toulouse?" Christian asked softly.
"The Moulin Rouge, it's been shut down..." but Christian interrupted him.
"I know that, Toulouse. I haven't seen anyone around in months. But why now? What has happened?" He stared at the crowd, wanting to get closer.
"Come, Chwistian. There's more..." Toulouse motioned for Christian to follow him behind the building. Christian reluctantly tore his eyes away from the crowded street to follow Toulouse.
"Toulouse," Christian panted.
"Here!" Toulouse pointed forward and Christian squinted to see it.
Straight ahead, about 100 yards, there was a small window near the ground. The window was dusty and looked as if it had been long ago forgotten. Christian suddenly realized that they had come up to the back stage of the Moulin Rouge where all the girls' dressing rooms were. Toulouse approached the window cautiously and Christian followed close behind.
A man and woman stood in the hallway inside talking about something. Their words could barely be made out, but Toulouse began to explain to Christian...
"It's Marie and one of the men who cwosed this pwace. Marie has returned, I bewieve, for her things... but something seems fishy, Chwistian. I don't know what's going on, but Harowd has returned. He came up in a carriage this morning." Christian's eyes widened.
"Harold? I thought they sent him away," he whispered.
"He was on a 'vacation' but he's back."
"Does he not know? Didn't anyone tell him? It seems a convenient time for a vacation if he was not aware of the..." He was cut off by a loud banging. The two jumped out of the view of the window and turned to see what was happening.
They crouched and slowly edged along the building until they could see around to the front. Harold stood at the door banging. The crowd had moved back.
"Open this door!" he thundered. "Open it or I will open it for you!"
"Let's go," Toulouse said, eyes wide.
"No!" Christian insisted. "I have to find out what's going on. You go, I'll make it back, don't worry about me."
Toulouse stared at Christian, not wanting to leave his friend, but afraid to stick around and be caught snooping. He finally nodded and left the same way they had come. Christian crouched lower and turned back down the side of the building, passing the window, until he reached a familiar hidden entrance, the same one he had used to come back stage during Spectacular Spectacular. He just needed to find Marie. He was sure she would talk to him if he could find her alone.
He dropped down and heard voices from the hallway, both male voices.
"He has been ordered to stay away from here. If he doesn't go, we'll have to force him away," said the deeper voice.
"Hasn't anyone told him?"
"Of course," the deeper voice replied, but there was an uncertainty in his tone.
"Christian!" came a whisper from behind Christian.
He jumped and held his breath until he saw where the voice had come from.
"Marie!" he smiled.
"You can't be here!" She grabbed him and ducked down another hallway.
"What's going on, Marie? Why are all these people here?" he asked slowly. Marie led him down the hall to a quiet place where they were alone.
"Look, Christian, I have come to get my things. I'm sure you know that the Moulin is closed. Harold could no longer pay for the expenses he incurred from the theatre after the Duke removed his investment. The night Satine died was the night the Moulin died." She looked at her feet sadly. "I have just come to get my things."
"I'm sorry, Marie. I knew something of what happened. But I guess I just had this feeling, like something wasn't right, when I saw you and that man in the hallway..."
"You saw us? Where were you spying?" she accused, surprised that he had seen what he had.
"I'm sorry, Marie, I..." but she cut him off.
"Well now you know. I came for what I had left, which isn't much, and now I have what I came for. Is that all that you wanted to know?" A tear formed in her eye and Christian immediately felt horrible; a pain pierced his stomach and he swallowed the frog in his throat.
"Oh, Marie. I didn't mean to... I mean I don't really know... what I'm doing here. I hadn't even come outside since... since..." he breathed in quickly.
"I know, dear." She paused for a moment, watching the boy as he feebly tried to regain his composure. As she watched him, she took in his sunken eyes and ragged appearance for the first time. Sure she had noticed the 6 month old beard and untrimmed hair, but his clothes hung looser and his skin was paler than ever before. "Dear, did you... ever see her grave?" she asked carefully after a few moments.
"No, Marie. How could I?" His eyes stayed firmly planted to the ground.
"Shall I take you there?"
"I don't know, Marie..." but he had already made up his mind. He would go, if only for her. He hadn't gone to the funeral and he at least owed it to her to visit her grave, even if only just this once.