Reposted now! With significant changes, which are, in my opinion, for the better! These are due to my new beta, Krys, or A Phantom Moon! Go check her out! Amazing work over there! Anyway, hope you enjoy this new chappie!

By the way, I would like to reassure any new readers that this is not an E/OW in the least! I despise those and would never write one myself, so I have taken great precautions to prevent that! Lol anyway, the story! Again!

She had far too much to do. Of course, it was all her fault, her situation. No one else could possibly be blamed for her status, especially not her parents… She shook her head, grumbling at the way her perfect dark golden curls bumped her face. She was being bitter again, and how was she to find a husband if she was bitter every day? She was constantly asked that, and constantly had to restrain herself from saying that she didn't want a husband, that she could take care of herself. That she wasn't a porcelain doll, to be passed from person to person. That she wasn't a possession to store in a home and look at fondly. She wanted to scream, cut her hair off and throw it in their faces while she flounced out the door.

But no.

She must be docile, sweet, innocent, and, of course, submissive. As her former nanny Mme Luto told her, if she gained those qualities, she would have been married twenty times over by now. Then Mme Luto would laugh her barking but kind laugh, and her eyes would crinkle up so that her age showed even more, and Melisande would begin to think about how many years she had left with her substitute mother, and then she would become solemn and the moment's fun would be lost. Melisande could bear many things, but she could not even dream of being without Mme Luto. Actually, she could, and did, but those nightmares were pushed to the back of her mind and never happened. They were like the concept of war. It happened, but she had never seen one, so she didn't quite grasp the reality of the issue.

But like war, death did happen.

Mme Luto had died exactly two months, three weeks, and two days ago.

She should really stop counting…

Melisande laughed at her own stubbornness. She inherited that from her father, wasn't that what everyone told her? Her father. Hmph. Melisande threw her wardrobe doors open and selected a dress at random. Why did her vision always grow slightly red when she thought of her father? He had done nothing wrong, not that Melisande knew of. And she knew plenty of both of her parents. But for as long as she could remember, there was something about her father that made her angry. When she thought of her mother, however… Melisande dropped the dress and tried her hardest to keep the tears back. Her beautiful mother…

She failed. Miserably.

She sank into a heap of sobs on the floor. When she thought about how many times she had done this, she cried even harder. The stinging of her eyes and the burning salt of the tears made her heart feel emptier then a drum.

"Wh-why?" She asked her now tear-soaked dress. She noticed it was the rose-colored one, and smiled a devilish smile. That was one way to ensure that she didn't wear the dreadful thing for quite some time…

Just as suddenly as the tears came, they left. And left her with a hollowness that was so familiar to her, it was depressing. She brought herself to her feet and pulled her favorite royal purple dress out of the vast expanse of her wardrobe. The adornments weren't frivolous and it was light enough that it

wouldn't bake her underneath the sun.

"Damn thing…" she muttered as she attempted to close the door, glad that she woke early so none of the servants were near yet. She had always hated her wardrobe. It was big enough to fit several people as well as her clothing, and made her always feel as though she was being watched. She still remembered

the stories she had been told, of hobgoblins coming through her wardrobe to

steal her away.

That she could get away with cursing gave her some sort of secret pleasure, which she converted into energy and used to carry her behind her screen and change into her day clothes. She hadn't quite mastered getting her corset on by herself, however, and rang the tiny bell that was on the wall nearby for that very purpose.

A girl no younger than fifteen, Melisande's age, was entered the room and curtsied to her mistress. Melisande turned so that the girl could see the problem, and soon felt her vital organs being rearranged for the sake of society. She grimaced and slipped on her dress so that the girl could tie that as well.

She walked down the marble stairs to breakfast with a smile on her face, her hair scandalously hanging down on her shoulders. She waited for someone to reprimand her for it—

"Mademoiselle!" One of her butlers gave her her satisfaction. She turned on her heel and walked back up to her room, still smiling. She twisted and styled the hair into perfection, leaving nothing but one tiny lock hanging out. After all, even if she was the only one who noticed, it still felt rebellious.

Melisande adjusted herself in the plush seat of the carriage, finding it far too cushioned to be good for anything but show. It looked quite soft, with all its red velvet glory, but the wood beneath it bit into her thighs, making the journey even more uncomfortable. The carriage itself, though spacious, was far too cramped compared to her destination…

She gazed out the window, trying to see the roof of the opera house. She failed. The window of the carriage was too small, and the Opera Populaire was too large. She nodded to the driver as he bowed, holding the door open for her. She stepped on the small stool he had put out for her, preferring not to touch the man's dirty hands with her white gloves.

She secretly longed to have hands as dirty as his, just to feel what it was like… Of course, a speck of dirt under her fingernail would cause a public controversy. She stood at the door and turned to the thing that reminded her of her situation.

Stupid de Chagny carriage…

Let me know what you think! I'll delete the old reviews so you cangive me new ones, lol. This story is going to be reborn! Yay! Chapter two is coming soon!

Much love to all reviewers and readers! Just remember that not all of it was done by me! You can tell, too; the really good parts were written by her, lol!