Disclaimer: Since I am extremely lazy, see the first chapter.

This is a somewhat long and boring chapter, so I apologize if you feel like throwing yourself out the window. And believe me when I say this is all adding up to the Phantom, so please give me a bit of patience.

Child of Two Worlds

Chapter Two

I gazed up at bright blue sky above me, clouds once in awhile interrupting the setting. The summer breeze breathed through the trees of the forest to where I lay. The birds were chirping, the lambs were joyfully frolicking and I was truly happy. I slowly closed my young eyes and drifted into a dreamless slumber.

"Maria Antonia?" a soft female voice whispered into my ear. "Maria Antonia, wake up mon petite l'un."

I smiled secretly to the ground and rolled onto my side away from the voice. "Fine, have it your way" the voice said. I suddenly felt soft hands tickling the back of my neck, my shoulders and my feet. I burst into shrieks of giggles and rolled frantically away from my mother. I paused to gaze at her face, her vivid smile, her bright green eyes, her golden curls and the dusting of freckles on her rosy cheeks. I then resumed rolling across our meadow, laughing all the while.

"Oh look, your getting your beautiful dress all dirty!" my mother breathed. "Your father will be furious!"

"I don't care what Papa thinks!"

My mother gave out a soft breathless laugh. "Don't say such things mon petite. Of course you do. Now come over here and we'll try to clean up your dress before Papa comes home."

I eagerly ran over to stand before my mother. She vigorously swept her hands over my faded blue cotton dress, quietly fretting over my father's reaction over my appearance. Suddenly she stopped moving her hands, intertwined her fingers around my skirt and let out a great gasp.

"What is it Mama?" I asked with concern. Getting no response, I looked over my shoulder at her. She gazed past me to the far end of the meadow, astonishment evident on her youthful face.

"Mama?"

My mother let out a light-hearted breath. "Well I'll be. It's Étienne Rieux. What a fine surprise."

I awoke in a cold sweat, my breathing irregularly hard and fast. The tears that never seemed to completely leave my side made their way into my vision once again.

I gazed out my window as I always did when the dreams visited me. The moon was full with a misty white coloring, a perfect difference against the black night sky. I let out a heavy, then another and then another.

"Oh Mama, what shall I do?" I pleaded to the sky. "I don't know if I can go through with this. I need your guidance. I need a sign."

I naively concentrated on the outside world as if my mother's image would somehow appear in the stars and speak to me. But nothing happened. Nothing ever happened. My mother was gone and I'd never see her again.

It was Lady Dawn that brought me courage. I watched the sun rise as if for the first time. Everything seemed new to me today, for today was the day that I could start all over again.

I had contemplated what I would do with my newfound freedom. I obviously couldn't stay in the village near our farm. I would not be welcome as is no woman who wishes to live on her own.

I wanted to go to Paris, the city of opportunity, the city of fame and fortune, the city my mother had told me about as I lay in wait for sleep.

The farm rooster crowed announcing the arrival of morning. It was time for me to leave.

I sat up slowly in my bed as not to wake Aubert and Yvette and removed my pillow. Underneath it lay a large lock of golden hair with a light sky blue ribbon wrapped around it. I held the lock before my eyes and grasped a lock of my own hair next to it.

The golden hair was much more lively than my chestnut brown hair and the lock was silky and smooth while my own hair was grim, frizzy and in bad need of a wash.

I removed all the straw from inside my pillow case and lovingly placed the golden lock inside. I then crept over to the wall that held a single thing on it, a rusty old hook with my only two dresses hung up on it.

I inspected the only clothes I had had for the past three years with distaste. They were dull and grey like life on this farm. I stuffed them aggressively in the pillowcase. I surveyed my small room for anything else of value to me. My eyes fell upon a small glint under my bed. Mon Dieu, I had nearly forgotten my money box! I grabbed it viscously as if it would disappear if I didn't.

I gazed at my small pine box long fully, as I had with my lock of hair. There were pretty pink and blue flowers painted around the box while on the top, the words 'To Little Maria Antonia Laurent Rieux' were carved into the wood. I opened the box to find my eighteen francs were still inside. I stroked them gently, each one of those francs, some of which I had had since before I could remember, some of which I had had since I was a little girl and some of which I had stolen from Yvette before I knew what was good for me.

I closed my little box and placed in the pillow case which was already full from my two dresses. I twisted the ends of the opening of the case and tied a large knot closing the case to all other things.

I stood up and made my way to the door frame of my room. My room had never actually had a door while I was alive, my father had never really believed that I deserved privacy. Being a young woman as I was, I had to sleep in my day clothes, rather than sleep in the nude and change out in the farm before I milked the family's cow.

I glanced one more time at my room. The bed with a pile of straw lying on it, the single window overlooking the farm and our beautiful french countryside, the single nail, the white washed walls, the moss on the ceiling. I couldn't honestly tell myself that I would never think and miss this room or even this house again. I had spent my whole life, my whole existence here. My father's family had lived here as had my grandfather's. Three generations of Laurents had lived under this roof and by breaking a bond with this house, I was breaking a bond with them as well. But eternal bonds were meant to be broken.

I said my final goodbye to the room that had protected me from the terrors of the night for seventeen years and crept down our creaky stairs to the kitchen.

The remains of the porridge from last night were spilt on the floor along with Aubert and Yvette's bowls and spoons. The candle on the table had not been blown out, resulting in candle wax stuck to candle holder and on the table. There was a large bottle of whiskey lying against the table's leg, its contents empty in the bottle and 'emptied' on the floor. I had no knowledge of whether Aubert and Yvette were sleeping in their bed or flat on their backs in mud.

I caught sight of a whole loaf of bread, never used from last nights supper. I mischievously grabbed it and tucked it under my arm. If Aubert and Yvette wanted breakfast, they could make it themselves for once.

I walked out the back door with my head held high and without a second glance or thought. I was through with this farm, this world, this living. I made my way around the house to the front. I walked across our lifeless garden and onto the main road. The road that would lead me to Paris. I paused and gazed back long fully back at my home.

"Goodbye my beloved land. You have been my prison and my shelter for all these years. Perhaps in this lifetime, we shall meet once more." I drew a last mental picture of my home in my mind, hoping it would never fade with age or memory. I then turned my back and began my journey to Paris.

Okay, let me know what you think. I am so looking forward to writing the next chapter since I have nothing better to do with my time. Well besides doing homework, but who wants to do that?