A/N: Thanks so much to all my reviewers! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this (I know I am).

I don't know if any of you know French so I'll try to give you the translation for some of the more common ones I use: Garcon - boy; mamzelle - slang for young woman; allez - go; s'il vous plait - please; merci – thank you; de rien - of nothing/you're welcome. Any other time I've used French I've included the translation - often the sentence after it. Example: Ne t'inquiétes pas. Don't worry... If there is anything you want translated - let me know... I tend to write more in French than I intended to.

I own nothing as you all know... Anyway... enjoy this next chapter. Hopefully between now and Saturday, I'll have chapter 8 up too. :)


Adele followed the boy as he ran farther away from the camp into the darkness. He led her blindly down black alleyways and narrow back streets. As they neared the city, he always managed to keep in the shadows, avoiding any light. His steady energy and stamina astounded Adele as she struggled to keep up with him.

Finally, Adele could take no more. She slowed her pace and called out to her mysterious leader. "Garçon! Garçon, please stop!" The boy immediately halted in front of her. Adele approached him cautiously, still a bit shaken by what he had just done. "Garçon?" He turned his covered head toward her direction. Adele took a deep breath. "Garçon, where are we going?"

For a long time, he did not answer her. Adele bit her lip nervously as she could not even see his facial response to her question. Then she heard his faint voice from under his bag, "I do not know, mamzelle. Away. Away from them."

Adele and the boy stood silently in the darkness for what seemed like an eternity. Neither was sure what they should do next. A cold wind whistled down the street, and sent shivers down Adele's spine. For a brief second, she wished she had listened to Marie and returned to the warm Opera House. Then she had an idea. "Garçon, I live in the Opera House," she said slowly. "It's not very far from here. It's quite large and often empty, well except for performance nights. Why don't you come spend the night there? It'll be warmer than this street and the…." She paused, not wanting to upset him. "The gypsies will never think to look for you there."

He remained silent and Adele thought that maybe he did not understand her. But before she could say anything, he spoke, "Would anyone be able to find me there?"

"Not for a while and not unless you want to be found," she said, thinking of the many rooms and hallways that made up the theater. Not to mention the intricacies of the stage and the levels above it. "Just for the night, s'il vous plaît."

He stared in her direction for just a moment longer, then slowly nodded. "Show me."

Now it was Adele's turn to lead. She tried her best to stay in the shadows like the boy had done, in hopes of somehow pleasing him. It seems like hours later when she finally caught sight of the Opera House. She stopped and pointed out the magnificent structure to him. "There… that is the Paris Opera House." He made no movement and showed no emotion of any kind. Adele hoped he would not think she would take him across the lit-courtyard to the front entrance. "Ne t'inquiétes pas. Don't worry,we shall go in the back entrance," she said with a forced smile.

She cautiously skirted around the buildings that stood near the Opera House, always staying in the shadows as much as she could. The two soon reached the alleyway that ran alongside the theater. Adele traveled down the alley, estimating where the lobby, stairway, and auditorium would be. Finally as they neared the rear of the theater, she approached a decorative grate that was built into the wall of the theater at eye level. She gently reached up and fiddled with the lock for a few seconds. Suddenly, a faint click was heard and a grin spread over Adele's face. This grate had often provided Adele with an emergency entrance and exit into the theater that no one else knew about.

She motioned to the boy to enter. He only stared for a moment, then approached the opening and hoisted himself up onto its ledge. "Allez," Adele whispered. "Go on." With that, he disappeared into the opening. Adele then glanced up and down the alley to make sure that no one had followed them before hoisting herself up.

She slowly moved inside, pulling the grate closed behind her. She quietly relocked it, sealing the way from which they came. Adele then turned to see the boy surveying his new surroundings. Pale moonlight poured through the grate and dimly lit the room. "This is our chapelle," Adele explained. "It's a sanctuary for those who wish to pray or be in thought." A metal candle stand rested next to the window grate. A few of the candleholders had pictures or names under them. The boy seemed to study it. "That is where we put the pictures or names of our loved ones who have passed away. Then you can light their candle every time you come to pray for them." The boy said something under his breath, then turned away from it.

However, Adele continued to talk to him, "Feel free to wander as you see fit. I will do whatever I can to help you…" The boy began peering out the open doorway. Adele hurried over to him. "Wait, garçon! Before you go, I must ask you to meet me here early tomorrow morning, before the sun rises. Please."

He slowly approached her until they would have been eye-to-eye. He then nodded and softly said, "Merci, mamzelle."

Adele swallowed hard, still uneasy about not being able to see the face of the boy who spoke to her. "De rien," she replied, turning towards the door. "Please come here tomorrow."

The boy stared at her, then nodded as he quickly slipped out the doorway and vanished into the darkness. Adele paused a moment before she too left the chapelle and journeyed down the corridor. Yet her destination was a bit different.


Don't forget to review:)