Note: Oh what fun it is to type up my story at 11 at night. I had to finish this, for my brain wouldn't allow me to sleep if I didn't. Now, this chapter gets a little rated R, but I really don't think so, just warning the younger ones who read this...hehe..I'm def. not young, I graduate high school in less than four months and I am a legal adult! Whee! Anyways, enjoy this chapter, I thought it was good, and for someone who said that Alex appeared so quickly, yes he has because now Ana's not only going to feel pressure from Erik, but from Alex as well. As you'll see in later in this chap. Not only that, but as soon as she left America, he left. I'll dedicate a small part of a chap (maybe the next one) to Alex's part in the story! Enjoy this one, while I enjoy Erik (who I have kidnapped from Moon Avenger again! Mwahahaha Erik looks at me...can I just stay in one place? Me- sure. Uses magical chains to chain himself to her. Take that Moon Avenger! posts guards of pirates around her, Luscious, anything suspicious moves I give ye permission to shoot!...whee!

Chapter 14

Ana felt better after sleeping for a day and a half. She was sitting in Friday's final dress rehearsal before the show that evening and reflecting on the letter and the rose that she had found when she awoke on Thursday afternoon. There was no tea or bread sitting by her night stand and Ana assumed that Meg had come and picked up the stuff. She quietly dressed and checked her wrists. The cuts were slowly healing, scabs forming over the area in which she had cut herself. She had stood up and made her way to her desk when she spotted the two objects.

"Dear Ana,

I hope you are feeling much better by the time you are reading this and I want to let you know I shall be watching the show tomorrow night. I want to see if you have improved on your...social dancing. At least, you didn't step on my feet for the fifth time of dancing around. I wish you all the best of luck and included in this letter is my next list of supplies.

I shall pick them up the evening of the show, after it is over.

Erik"

Ana then let her gaze fall upon the rose that sat on her desk. It was a deep blood red, a black ribbon tied around it. It was now her second rose from Erik. She still had to think of him as an acquaintance. In no way would she think of him as a friend or even a possibility of a lover. She kept telling herself that he was just like Alex, but something attracted her to him. Maybe it was the fact that he carried scars as horrible as she did, and she knew what it was like to be outcasted. She shook her head and reminded herself that she needed to go into town after rehearsal to pick up some wine and the music supplies.

"Ana! Let's run your solo, and then we can be dismissed." Madame Giry said as she looked at her.

Ana nodded and stepped to the center stage. The music began and Ana began to dance. She let everything in her mind go except for the music and the dance steps. She gracefully swept her body with her music. When it came time for her turns, she did them flawlessly. Then her partner picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He twirled the both of them around and Ana did her graceful hand movements. He placed her back down and together the two danced, mirroring each other. When the end of the song came, her partner sank down into a split and Ana finished her twirl behind him. He stuck his hands up and gracefully she placed her weight into his arms and went up onto her toes. The music stopped and the whole stage behind them went into thunderous applause. Meg was cheering the loudest and Sorelli looked like she was going to have another fit. Sorelli knew that Ana might steal her golden spotlight and therefore had worked extra hard on her solo. Her poor partner was so wearied from working so hard, that he collapsed on the stage after their solo. Madame Giry told everyone that the curtain would rise exactly at 7:30 that night and everyone had to be ready by 7:00. There was also to be a party afterwards that the managers had invited everyone to. Ana was unsure of whether or not she would be going. She would rather spend her time on the rooftop thinking.

Hurrying to her room, she dropped her stuff off and quickly changed. Then she grabbed the list and the bag of gold that was sitting on her desk and headed towards town.

Ana reached the music store with two hours to spare before she had to go back to the Opera house. Now, here was the puzzling thing, she didn't know which strings belonged to a violin and which belonged to a cello. Sure, she could sing wonderfully and she knew how to play the piano, but these two things were going to get her so confused. She entered the store and immediately smelt the rosin in the backroom, the store was in darkness for part of it and the other half in light. She walked around, picking up the music paper, some quills, a couple of pencils and finally she reached the strings. Now here was the area where she couldn't tell the difference. She looked from a pair of strings to another pair and to yet another pair.

"May I help you Mademoiselle?" an old female's voice croaked out.

Ana turned around and looked into two different eye colors. One was a pale green and the other was a deep dark grey. The woman's hair stood at odd angles from her head, it's frazzled look making her seem like she had just been shocked. Her skin was old and hung in wrinkles around her face and off her arms.

"Yes, I am looking for violin strings and cello strings." she said clearing her throat.

"Ah, I have just the thing." and the woman picked out two pairs of strings in a blink of the eye. She handed them to Ana, who was shocked that the woman's hand was soft to the touch.

"Thank you very much. That is all." she went to the counter and the old woman followed her.

"Do you work at the Opera house?" the woman asked, attempting to make light talk.

"Yes, I am buying some of this stuff for my friends in the orchestra. They like to compose while we perform on stage." she lied quickly. It shocked her to see how quickly she could lie.

The woman rang up her price quickly and told her the price. Ana pulled out the correct change and paid the woman. When the older woman began to push some change back to her, Ana declined. "No, keep it for yourself. I have plenty." the old woman smiled and tears sprang to her eyes.

"Bless you Mademoiselle." Ana smiled and felt a warmth spread throughout her body. She nodded to the woman and left the store. She began to sing a happy tune when a hand closed around wrist, yanking her back. She gave out a yelp of pain and surprise, but got no further when a strong hand closed around her mouth. That hand that she knew all to well, one that belong someone she hated more than life itself.

"Well my dear. How kind of you to step out of the Opera house with no one around you. Now, come with me. We have things to...discuss." he shoved her into an alleyway that was dark and dank. Rats scurried across her feet and Ana hoped that what she was thinking was not going to happen. He wouldn't be that insensitive to her to force her what she was thinking about in an alleyway. He made sure that they were in a dark, secluded corner and then slammed her body against the wall.

"Alex, surely you can't...not here, please no! God damn it, no, please no!" she cried out to him when his hand released her mouth.

"Shut your mouth, you bitch!" he slapped her across her face. "You were the one that left me and forced me to go to other women. Of course, when we were married I had mistresses galore, banging down my door just to bed me. Of course, you already knew that. But that's neither here nor there, I have waited four months, and four months my dear is way to long to wait." he slapped her again and then raised his hand as if to punch her.

"No! If you punch me before my show, I'll have a black and blue mark on my eyes and it'll be hard to explain it and..." but she got no further as Alex's fist descended into her jaw, rendering her unconscious.

Ana groaned as she rolled into a small puddle of stale water. She sputtered and coughed as water filled her nostrils. She sat up, wincing as pain shattered through her jaw and up into her temple.

She looked down at her legs, where blood trickled down. Alex was no where in sight and it had grown darker. She hastily covered her legs in hope that no one had come by and seen her. She had to leave, she was at the strong possibility of being late for her makeup and getting her costume on. She slowly stood, her legs aching in response to the abuse that they had received. She gripped the wall for support, not trusting her own legs. Then seeing the bag that contained Erik's supplies, that had laid beside her the whole time, she bent down and picked it up. Slowly she made her way to the edge of the alleyway and onto the street. Glancing across the street, to where a church sat, Ana looked up. The clock read 6:15 and she knew someone would notice her absence. She had left the Opera house around 4:30 and said she would be right back. She had fifteen minutes to reach the Opera House and get into her things. Ever so slowly she trudged her way back, her legs telling her that they had suffered way too much abuse. She happened to glance herself in a glass window. There was a lump where he had punched her in her jaw. Her face still bore the red marks of his slaps and more than likely when she changed into her costume, she would find bruises on her upper arms, hips and thighs. She cursed herself for not screaming, but it was highly likely that someone would come to save her. But it could have bought her time to cause him injury.

'Of course, if you caused him injury, you'd look much more worse for the wear than what you do now.' she thought bitterly to herself. The Opera house loomed in sight and she sighed. People had already begun to line up and so Ana made her way to the place where the carriages were brought. It was a back entrance and it was near her room anyways. She slipped in unnoticed by any of the stable hands as they hustled around, taking that horse to that stall, polishing some noble's carriage or other jobs. She finally reached her room and had unlocked the door. No sooner had she set the bag down, then a knock resounded on her door.

"Hold on, I'll be there in a minute." she cried out and winced as she shifted too quickly. 'How am I going to dance?' she thought as she made her way to the door. When she opened the door, a frantic Meg stood outside.

"Oh thank god you're here! I was getting terribly worried. I told Mama that you weren't back yet and she said that I should keep an eye out for you. I saw you making your way down the hall...Ana are you okay?" she looked into Ana's pale blue eyes.

Ana had to fight with herself internally before she answered. "Yes I'm fine. I just got held up at a store, that is all. If you could tell Madame Griolia that I am ready to get my costume on and she can send it down whenever I would greatly appreciate it." Meg only nodded still somewhat concerned about Ana. But she didn't voice her opinion and Ana hoped that Meg hadn't noticed her jaw. If she did, she didn't say anything at all, but went on her way. Ana shut the door and walked slowly towards her bed, sitting down she drew her knees up to her chest.

"I am such a fool! I should have asked Meg to accompany me into town. I should have known that Alex would have been watching me, waiting for me to leave. And when I did, his opportunity came to have me. And have me he did. He must have taken me at least twice, the dirty rotten bastard. I hope he rots in hell, or better yet, Dante's third level of hell reserved for the carnal sinners." she scolded herself. Had she been paying attention to what was going on around her, she would have heard the low growl that came from her mirror. Madame Griolia came flowing in and got Ana ready. She didn't ask Ana about her face or why she had dried blood on her skirts and between her legs. She just helped Ana into her costume and with her make-up. Then left the room as gracefully as she came in. Ana did a couple of stretches and winced in pain. She bit her lip to keep from howling her pain and found her lip bleeding by the time she was done. Then slowly making her way towards the door, she glanced around and left. Erik, who was behind her mirror and heard her whole conversation to herself, turned on his heel and stalked down into the darkness. Now he knew who to believe, and he hoped that he made his choice correctly.

Hey guys, thanks for reading this chapter, just wanted to let you know, you can review, don't be afraid, I wanna hit 50 by next Friday. So review a lot that would be nice! Thank you oh so very much! Now, on to musical practice... "Ladies and Gentlemen we are here tonight to fight the devil..." "The world has mad today, and goods bad today and day's night today...I know the answer when you propose, Anything goes!" for all of you who can't tell...we're doing Anything Goes...and I'm an Angel (Reno's sidekick, 1 out of 6) and my name is Chastity...hahaha! That's great...anywho, sleep is needed...and practice for musical as well...REVIEW! Thanks...