Hey, I wrote more...aren't you lucky? Nah just kiddin. But I am serious about the writing stoppage due to lack of reviews, if i don't get any, the story goes. Anyway, to those who did review:
Darklady5289: I live in a POTO-hatred zone, so in order to get anyone to read it, it had to be written unconventionally ie: name changes and stuff.I'm glad you like it and thanks for adding me to your alert list
Sunshine23: Um...if you are a fan of the Giry's, I don't think you'll warm to Alyssa, and if you are aErik/Christine (in my case Chantelle)shipper you will end up loathing her...so thats that thanks for your review! P.s: Is Erik your number one?
So...here it is then...
Previously:
She felt herself drifting into sleep when a voice seemed to seep from the walls themselves. "Alyssa…" She sighed deeply as the voice filled her mind, "Alyssa…Shouldn't you be at rehearsals?" She woke with a start. Rehearsals! She leapt from the bed and flung the door open, before looking back curiously.
Had that been a dream? She shrugged and trotted down the corridor in the direction of many voices.
As the door swung shut behind her, she was unaware of the deep chuckle that resonated around her room, the type only one man could produce.
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6: First lesson-
"You can't let me forget my voice lesson, ok?" Alyssa took a bite of her croissant and looked around the great dining hall.
She swallowed and turned back to Amelie, "I so want to get off on the right foot with whoever is tutoring me."
Sarah walked around the two and joined them, putting her plate carefully on the wooden table. "Yeah Lyss, who is teaching you anyway?" She said as she sat down next to Amelie."I don't know of anyone who does it except for maybe Reyer, but he does orchestra at four."
Alyssa pondered the question for a while, unable to reach an answer and shrugged.
Madame Giry would be tutoring the junior dancers, so it couldn't be her. Monsieur Reyer, the old conductor would be taking orchestra, so he was off the list. Alyssa shuddered at the thought of Charlott, the temperamental shrieking soprano as her tutor, and dismissed the thought quickly.
She could think of no one else and began to feel frustrated, as she couldn't stand suspense. "Nope, I just don't know. I guess I'll find out sooner or later."
She suddenly remembered a story she overheard when she first arrived at the Academy, of a man who had taken a chorus girl and taught her to sing to prima donna standards.
She didn't know much else, except that he had almost destroyed the Academy because she rejected him. Perhaps he was still around, looking for another young protégé.
She finished the last of her croissant and licked her fingers, reclining back into her chair.
"You mean you'll find out at four, right?" Amelie broke her train of thought and reminded her. Alyssa rolled her eyes and laughed, throwing her arms around her friend. "Where would I be without you Amelie? Four o'clock, right."
Amelie giggled as Alyssa loosened her grip around her shoulders and wrapped her bread crusts up her paper napkin. She looked across the hall and spotted Melody, then closed one eye and aimed for her head, pitching the weighted napkin-ball with impeccable accuracy to smack Melody in the back of the head, causing her to spill her tea which she was in the process of drinking.
Melody turned to face Alyssa, dripping with tea and fuming. "You fucking bitch!" steamed Melody. Alyssa giggled and used the sappiest voice she could muster. "Oops! I missed the trash can! Oh wait, no I didn't! I almost forgot, you're the trash around here!" She pouted sarcastically and turned to laugh with her friends as Melody rose and left her table, heading to the bathroom to wash the tea off her face.
"Come on Lyss, time for morning dance." Amelie dragged at her friend and Alyssa moaned in protest.
"Is it time to go already? God there's no rest in this place, only dancing and eating." She stood and dragged her sore feet across the smooth, waxed floor of the dining hall towards the communal dorms. Amelie teased, "Don't forget, singing too. Dancing, eating and singing for you. What are you doing? Rehearsal stage's that way silly!" She nudged Alyssa playfully as she slapped her forehead. Her memory was so short.
She linked arms with Amelie and they sauntered off together down the long hall to morning rehearsals.
-
Erik crept through the catwalks above the main stage like a ghost, watching over Alyssa as she and her friends walked on and began their stretching.
They gossiped idly about this and that, laughing now and then and paying little attention to Madame Giry as she fought in vain for the control of the older class.
When they were finally quiet, the girls were instructed to practice for the magnificent performance which was being planned as they spoke.
Erik observed Alyssa intently as she moved through her routine with unrivaled grace, catching the eye of all present. She finished with a double axle and took a deep bow, earning applause from many in the class.
Erik smirked as he quietly joined their applause, not taking his eyes off her as she made her way to the side of the stage to watch her friends rehearse.
He slunk along the catwalks towards her when suddenly she looked up and he froze. A strange expression crossed her face as she searched the darkness above her and Erik's stomach tightened. Had she seen him?
She looked away and shook her head, then turned her attention to Amelie, who was now on the stage rehearsing her exam routine. Erik relaxed and allowed himself to breathe, that had been too close for comfort.
He made a move to leave but suddenly found he couldn't bear to turn his back on her.
She was like an angel, sitting quietly with her legs folded beneath her grey and white skirts, her hair falling delicately around her shoulders and her porcelain skin glowing with the beauty she seemed to radiate every day. Her dainty hands were folded in her lap and a far away look was set in her eyes, one which Erik had never seen before.
He inwardly cursed as he felt himself developing feelings for her and began the process of blocking them out, as he had done on many other occasions. He was not going to love her. He was not going to love anyone.
The look vanished as Amelie sat down beside her, complaining about cramps and massaging her shins tenderly. Erik sighed and turned away. There were preparations to make for later that afternoon, so he grudgingly slunk back across the catwalks and back to the safety of the shadows.
-
The water gurgled down the plug hole as Alyssa stepped from the bath and reached for her towel.
She patted herself dry and winced as she dragged the towel up her aching legs; Madame Giry had worked the girls doubly hard as performance time was drawing ever near.
She wrapped up her sopping ebony locks in the towel and turned to face the full length mirror to her left, admiring her naked body.
Before she had time to start criticizing herself, there was a sharp knock at the door, followed by a shrill voice which could only belong to one woman. "Hurry up in there you little brat! Your bath time is up! Darse prisa!"
Alyssa jumped at the sudden noise shattering her calm silence and covered herself quickly in the nearest bathrobe hanging on the wall. "Sorry Signora, I'll be out right away!"
The only person in the Academy that Alyssa did not cross was the leading soprano Charlott Gudicelli, a fiery tempered screeching Spanish woman who could have you expelled at the drop of a hat, just because she felt like it.
Even in the short time Alyssa had been there, she had seen a few girls simply kicked out under her orders, even for no reason apart from that they irritated her. Nothing was said about the fact that Charlott irritated just about everyone in the Academy, they just had to put up with her.
As Alyssa began to open the bathroom door, it was flung open and she was pushed out of the way as Charlott bustled in, her face still plastered with stage makeup and her long red hair piled on top of her head.
Alyssa made for the exit and was shooed out quickly before the door slammed shut and sounds of complaining were heard from inside.
She sighed and made sure her towel was in place before trudging back to her room, shivering slightly from the cool draft making its way through the candle-lit corridors, teasing the small flames as it passed.
When she reached her door, she heard the voices of many young girls making their way to afternoon rehearsals and she smiled to herself. Thank god for whoever set up my voice lessons, she thought, now I won't have to endure any more torture, for today at least.
She stepped through the door and locked it, before taking a few steps to the centre of the room and dropping her robe and head-towel.
She shivered slightly as her wet hair brushed her back and she stretched out her arms, relishing in her own privacy. She began to hum as she made her way over to her wardrobe, selecting a fresh uniform consisting of white and grey muslin skirts, with a darker grey bodice.
She opened a nearby drawer and took out a clean corset and set of undergarments, and went about dressing herself. Never before had she had the privilege of privacy as she had always lived in communal dorms, surrounded by many other girls. She took advantage of this new freedom and took her time, lacing her corset slowly and making sure her stockings were perfect before sitting at the grand vanity to fix her hair.
She settled with two long plaits in either side and as she powdered her nose, she glanced at the small clock hanging on the wall beside her. It read 4:05, she was late.
She swore loudly as she leapt up, dropping the powder puff and struggling into her skirt and bodice. A last minute check made sure that her clothing was on properly and she was out the door, making her way to the chapel using all the short cuts she knew, all the while praying her tutor would not sack her, as punctuality was everything in this place.
-
Erik sat on the organ stool located behind a look-alike stone wall in the shadows, tapping his fingers on the key cover.
He had constructed a place for himself to play out of her sight, so it sounded as it the music, and his voice, were coming form nowhere. A clever illusion, he thought to himself, though almost on the corny side.
He wanted her to feel the music, not look at where it was coming from, a wretched desperate maestro longing for someone to save him from his torment. He dragged himself from his self hatred and glanced at a small clock on the bench next to him. It read 4:07, she was late.
He had guessed as much, as she wasn't really the best law abider in the Academy. That's what he liked about her, she wasn't afraid to get fiery at times or answer back to someone in authority. She had guts, and she was going to need them for what he had planned for her.
Erik stood up suddenly as he heard small footsteps in the chapel foyer, accompanied by quick breathing and quiet cursing. He peered around the fake stone wall and saw her making her way slowly to the centre of the large, hexagonal shaped chapel.
He casually sat back down on the organ stool, raising the key cover as he did so, then removed his leather gloves, preparing to play. "You're late." He stated simply, smirking as the acoustics of the room took hold and accentuated his voice, making it louder and more resounding.
He heard her gasp and spin around looking for whoever was speaking, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Calm down Alyssa, you're no good to me panting like that. Come into the light, where I can see you."The sound of her heavy breathing sparked delicious images in his mind, and he found himself smirking again as he watched her suddenly relax, sauntering casually into the large square of light streaming in through the ornate stained glass window.
The stained glass dappled her creamy skin and sent beautiful patterns over her uniform. "Much better." He said softly, watching her as she stood with her arms crossed low and a small smirk crossing her face.
Noticing this, Erik quirked and eyebrow questioningly. "May I ask what you're smirking about?" He asked sharply, "I see no reason why, you're eight minutes late for your first lesson and that's nothing to celebrate."
A small laugh erupted from her throat to his surprise and she looked out the window, shaking her head slightly. "I knew it was you, who else would it be?"
He was caught off guard by her answer, but even more by what came next. "So are you going to hide from me like a coward Monsieur, or will you join me for my lesson?"
For a second, Erik could not respond. She knew who she was addressing, yet she cut him down like scum. He was almost taken over by rage but that was soon replaced by arrogance, and he admired her bravery, yet did not give anything away.
"I, mademoiselle, am far from a coward and shall sit where I please. You on the other hand, are too smart for your own good. I suggest you watch your tongue, unless of course you wish to lose it. Now, shall we begin?" She sighed and nodded, assuming that Erik was watching and they began the lesson, starting with scales and simple arpeggios, then moving to more complex exercises and finally the song she was to learn as the leading understudy.
He played with exceptional skill, as if he was born to make music, and she followed his lead with her beauteous voice, the two forces uniting and sending wondrous sound throughout the chapel.
She felt as if his music was coursing through her veins and each time he sang with her, she felt as if her heart was about to leap from her chest.
As the song finished and the acoustic echo died away, the large grandfather clock at the back of the room chimed 6:00. They both jumped at the sudden shrill chime, and realized they had been playing for two hours.
As the last chime rang out, Erik replaced the key cover and stood quietly. "You'd better get to the dining hall before you're late to yet another appointment."
She turned quickly to leave then stopped and smirked again. "Monsieur, just one more question?" Erik cringed at the title of monsieur and answered her quickly. "Please, call me Erik. Of course, what is it?"
She picked the nail on her index finger and smirked again. "Ok, Erik, just out of curiosity, did you kill her?" Erik was sure he felt his blood run cold as she finished her question, knowing exactly what she was referring to. Chantelle.
He was so taken aback by her question that it took a few seconds to regroup his scattered thoughts, and his delayed reaction told her she'd hit the mark. "Oops, guess I hit a soft spot. Gotta go, see you tomorrow then Erik!" With that she was gone, dashing out of the chapel and towards the dining hall, getting the exact reaction she wanted.
By the time she reached the entrance to the corridor leading to the dining hall, she slowed to a walk and went over her last two hours with the mysterious maestro.
His music still rang in her ears and she almost regretted being such a smart-arse. She had always had a soft spot for powerful men, and the image he had set in her mind of himself excited her.
She quickly shooed the promiscuous thoughts from her mind and reminded herself that she didn't even know him, and made for the light and warmth of the dining hall, spotting her friends and hurrying to catch up with them.
Back at the chapel, Erik listened to her footsteps fade and swallowed hard, exhaling deeply. He turned to the shadows and began making his way to the secret entrance to his home, turning her over in his mind. She was a fiery little viper, proud and full of herself. She wasn't afraid to tempt the devil.
And he liked it.
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A/n: Sorry if the spanish is wrong, it said it was right on my computer thesaurus.
Well, you know what to do, review and the story will continue...