A/N: Okay, here it is, the next chapter, and a big thank you to all those who reviewed the previous one.One thingthough,I'm having trouble putting words in bold or italics... help would be very much appreciated.
InuLvr7: Thank you! That was so nice... glad to have inspired you in some way or other.
Zanee: You're welcome, and thanks for reviewing! Glad you liked it.
phantomann: I spent ages working on that particualr part, so... I'm really happy to see that someone liked it!
La Romantique Perdue: Thanks for reviewing! And aboout that phrase, which one did you mean exactly?
Chapter 3
The heavy wooden doors creaked as Christine pushed them open, stepping from the glowing warmth of the inn out into the wintry morning. Tiny snowflakes flitted to the ground around her as she stood for a moment, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. Here she was, in the last place she thought she'd be - Paris. Arriving the night before, tired and stiff from hours of travelling, she hardly had time to take it all in. But now, standing by the street, the mass of familiar places and people all around her, she could no longer deny the fact that no matter how many miles she placed between the city and herself, Paris would always be home to her.
Walking for a short distance up the street, she made a right turn towards the nearby stables, a hint of a smile upon her lips. By evening she would be on her way back to England, two days before Raoul's return from Italy, and she could act like she'd been safe at home in London all the while. He didn't have to know...
She could not risk him ever doubting her loyalty... ever.
Approaching the carriage-driver, she pressed a small bag of coins into his palm.
"The cemetery please, Monsieur."
He nodded, counting the money and slipping the coins into his pocket. As he left to retrieve the horses, Christine found herself alone in the quiet. As she stood in the cold, a sudden rush of memory hit her, forcing her mind back to a similar time one year ago. Just as she was about to now, she had been doing something she wasn't supposed to- betraying Raoul's trust and heading for the cemetery without his knowledge, when it had been previously made clear that she was not allowed anywhere outside her room without his company. Even then, her guilt had lasted only for a minute, replaced almost immediately by a strange sense of calm. Perhaps she had known all along, who it was sitting before her, his face shrouded by a black hood. And she went with him even though she knew something was amiss. She had sensed the danger... that feeling of trepidation. Yet she was swept along with it, filled with an undeniable tinge of excitement and boldness. She did not fear him the way she should have...
"Mademoiselle?"
Christine spun around sharply, caught by surprise. Following the man outside, she headed for the carriage, its horses harnessed and ready. Drawing her cloak tighter around her shoulders, she stepped up and settled on the seat as the horses started trotting gently along the snow-covered road. Buildings and shops passed quickly as the pace quickened, and soon the carriage was rumbling slowly through the city.
She stared silently ahead, the cool wind blowing against her face. As they made a left turn onto a wider street, the sudden realisation of where they were dawned on her as her heart seemed to miss a beat. The increasingly familiar sights did not help either, and soon she very well knew which area of the city they would soon be passing through.
Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as the agonising minutes passed swiftly by.
Dull noises could be heard in the distance, increasing in volume with every second. Then, almost unexpectedly, the horses made a right turn and the magnificent form of the Paris Opera House loomed overhead, the statues upon its rooftop gleaming in the early morning sun. In a single moment, Christine felt all the breath leave her lungs as she stared transfixed at the large structure. Scaffolding had been set up against its sides as workmen busied themselves with the reconstruction of the building's charred facade. More streamed through the wide open doors, hoisting planks and panes of glass.
As the carriage passed slowly by, Christine felt a rush of numbing sadness, taking in the extent of the damage for the first time. The fire had left the outside of the building scorched and blackened, while a number of shattered window panes had yet to be replaced. It seemed only just yesterday that visitors were streaming in through the front doors, dressed to the nines for the opening night of a new season. She recalled vividly the form of the Opera House as it stood out, proud and magnificent with its many lighted windows a stark contrast to the darkening sky.
Gazing into the massive entrance, she didn't feel as if she was looking into the wide open doors. Instead, staring straight back at her were her own painful memories... a succession of images flashing through her mind... images which she had battled to quell for so long. Over the course of a year they had been forced to the very bottom of an aching heart, and now seemed to burst forth again in a massive flood of anguish.
And strange enough, she was unable to tear her eyes away as they involuntarily ran a trail up the edifice, absorbing every shape, every detail, right to the very form of Apollo raising his lyre towards the heavens... stamping all of it firmly in her mind.
Even as she took it all in, she felt something undoubtedly call out softly to her amidst the din. It was soft and haunting, very much like the distant lullabies of the ghosts in her memory. The more she listened the more she was certain it came from within her... gentle tunes... questioning, almost, as her soul ached to delve into the very depths of the massive structure in search of the answer.
She buried her head in her hands.
This had to stop... now.
She strived to mentally reprimand herself, but even as she did so, felt all logic and rationality seep out of her veins. As the gaping doors continued to beckon silently, she felt she would certainly go mad if she did not comply.
Calling out to the driver, she made a hasty excuse and rose from her seat as the carriage slowed to a stop. Ignoring the puzzled look on his face, she gestured vaguely for him to wait and started making her way across the snow covered road towards the Opera House.
The snow crunched beneath her feet as she approached the doors, avoiding the bustling workers. Coming to a halt before the wide opening, she paused, unable to ignore the raging battle within her.
Her mind weighted towards logic and rationality, yet, her thirsting soul yearned desperately for the answers which she knew lay just beyond her grasp. It was a struggle between reason and intuition, and it seemed none could be justified without dismissing the other.
Looking down, she curled her fingers into fists and took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind.
This was leading her nowhere...
She had to trust her instinct and go with it. Rational thinking was out of the question. It would continue to churn forth endless streams of logical reasoning, complicating the situation even more. She sighed softly.
If only it didn't feel so wrong... if only she didn't feel as if she were betraying the trust of someone whom she cared deeply about.
Perhaps this was the only chance she would ever have to seek the answers to questions which had haunted her mind endlessly... and if so, would it not then be the right thing to do?
Only she could save herself from the clutches of the past.
Looking up, Christine closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an effort to calm her racing heart. Fighting back her fears, she forced them open them again, strode quickly towards the entrance... and crossed the threshold.
A/N: Please Review!