"I never thought I'd walk away from you. I did.
But it's a false sense of accomplishment; every time I quit.
Anyone can see my every flaw. It isn't hard.
Anyone can say they're above this all. It takes my pain away."
-Jimmy Eat World, "Pain"
The next day, Julianna and Christine woke up early, just as the sun was starting to show on the horizon. Today was a big day. The day they would break Erik out of jail, and they had a lot of work to do to get ready.
The first thing they did was map out how Julianna and Erik would get to her house. They obviously couldn't travel on the open road. That would be the first place they would look for him. They would have to get away from all public places as soon as possible because they would most definitely be heavily guarded.
Julianna decided it would be easiest to cut through the forest that separated her house from the city of Paris. If there was a trail going through the forest it would take them half the time to get there than traveling the road would, but there was no trail. The forest was thick and it would be hard traveling, but it seemed to be the only safe way.
Christine suggested taking a carriage, but that idea was quickly dismissed. Horses were faster and more reliable than carriages and Julianna and Erik couldn't take any chances of getting caught. Besides, it would be impossible to take a carriage through the thick, deep forest. It wouldn't last five minutes. Julianna also considered that they would likely have to cross a few streams along the way. Horses would definitely be the best choice.
At first, they were planning on having two horses, but Julianna made up her mind that they would only take one horse. That way they would have less a chance of being tracked. Obviously, Erik and Julianna would have to ride double and probably bareback, too, unless they could find a saddle big enough for the both of them.
Since the woods were so thick, Julianna calculated that it would take them approximately two days to get to her house. They would have to spend a night in the forest. That fact didn't bother Julianna at all. She was used to being in the woods at night. She used to go camping with her father before he died. Many happy memories were hidden in these woods. Certainly, she never had camped so close to the city and never as deep in the woods as they would be. But still it didn't really bother her. She hoped Erik would be okay with it and that he could get some sleep. She, on the other hand, didn't plan on sleeping at all. She was going to stay up and keep watch to make sure they were safe.
Julianna considered all of this when packing her horse's saddlebag. She packed only the bare essentials: a canteen of water, a little food, a few candles, lamp oil if they needed it to help start a fire, a throwing knife, and a small blanket for Erik. She knew the forest pretty well, so she decided that she didn't need the map. What's more, if she lost the map then it would lead the guards right to them.
Once they had finished all their preparations and made sure they'd taken every precaution, Julianna decided it was time for Christine to return to her fiancé. They quickly put on some nice dresses, a modest, blue one for Christine and a low-cut, light pink one for Julianna. Christine was surprised at how nice Julianna looked in a dress. It was the first time she'd worn one in a long time, she told Christine. She just didn't like to attract too much attention to herself, but she thought it would be okay for today.
They quickly caught a cab and journeyed to Raoul's estate. The trip wasn't long and they arrived there around noon. Christine immediately introduced Julianna to Raoul. She was introduced as Elizabeth, a former dancer and friend of Christine, visiting Paris for a few days.
Christine explained to Raoul that the reason she disappeared the other day was she felt suffocated after everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks, and she needed to get out and do something instead of being stuck inside all day. Raoul assumed that she went and stayed with Elizabeth for the last couple of days, and that's exactly what the two women wanted him to think. They both agreed that he could never know about Christine getting drunk.
Of course, Raoul questioned why she didn't tell him that she needed to get out. He said without doubt he would have given her permission to stay with her friend. Apparently, he was worried sick about her. Christine only said that she thought he would have understood. Anyway, the good thing is that he forgave her. Without his forgiveness, this whole plan wouldn't work. Julianna did think that he gave his forgiveness a little too easily though. She figured he was just very relieved to have Christine back.
After the three of them talked for a little while, Christine convinced Raoul to invite 'Elizabeth' to stay for lunch. Julianna was relieved at the offer and accepted immediately. She needed all the energy she could get, because in just a few hours, she would be breaking the Phantom of the Opera out of jail.
When they were done eating, Julianna thanked Raoul and Christine for the meal and proclaimed that she must depart, having urgent business to attend to. Christine smiled inwardly at that statement, knowing exactly what Julianna's 'urgent business' was. Raoul thanked Julianna for taking such good care of his beloved Christine, and to Julianna's surprise, he kissed her on the hand.
As Julianna walked out the door, she smiled, knowing that she was about to do a very good thing for Christine today. She hopped into the cab, which had been waiting for her, and traveled back to her hotel room.
The first thing she did when she got there was change her clothes. She didn't think she could get very far in breaking into a prison with a long, tight dress and corset on. She changed into a pair of comfortable, brown cotton pants and a white long-sleeved blouse. Being very early in the spring, it was still quite cold, so she threw on a light jacket as well, even though she was used to the harsh temperatures. Now the fun begins, she thought to herself. She picked up the saddlebag she had packed earlier and rushed out the door. She was headed for the stables, where her horse awaited her.
Once she got there, she immediately started brushing the horse. She always brushed her horses before riding. Then she checked the horse's feet to make sure they were all right and that the shoes were still functional. She smiled to herself, thankful that she had brought her best horse. Of course, she had many horses back at her house, but most of them weren't as reliable as Stardust, her solid black, purebred Arabian mare. Julianna used to informally race Star back when the horse was younger. Even now, at 14 years old, the horse was still very strong and steady. She never bucked or reared, only when she felt that Julianna was being threatened. Without a doubt, Stardust was a very dependable horse.
Julianna quickly bridled Star with one of the bridles that belonged to the stable's owner. She made a mental note to someday bring that bridle back to its owner, but for now, she needed it. She looked around for a large saddle, too, and luckily she found one. Having a saddle would be much more comfortable than riding bareback. She promptly saddled Star, and jumped up on her back.
The large saddle was rather uncomfortable for just one person and Julianna was sure that it looked pretty bizarre, a small woman in a large saddle. She decided to get off and lead the horse the rest of the way. It wasn't far and they arrived there in less than twenty minutes. She tied Star to a post exactly one block away from the prison. Then she headed in the direction of the prison.
Well, there's chapter 6. I'm starting to get depressed; no one's reviewing. Please review. I want to know if my story's good. Well, I promise the next chapter will be more exciting. Jailbreak! lol. : )