Chapter Eight : Secretly Dreams of Beauty
When Elissa left Erik's house, he was not there. Dressed warmly and cloaked, holding her bags in her hands, she walked slowly around the house looking for him. Part of her still hoped he would come with her, but the knowledge that he would not left her steps trudged and made her shoulders fall in defeat when she at last walked silently and alone through the gate. But she raised her chin, defying her sadness with her newly renewed strength. She could do this on her own; maybe it was better this way. A future image of Pierre, dead and glazed eyes wide and unseeing, flashed through her mind and she shuddered before pushing it away.
The porter at the train station graciously helped her with her bags and led her to her small room. When he inquired good-naturally to her destination, she just smiled sweetly and answered she was visiting relatives. With a nod and a glance around, he wished her a comfortable trip and left. Elissa sat down on the chair next to the window and watched as the trees began to move backwards and the station disappeared from view. She rested her head against the cool glass, staring out at the dark sky for awhile before closing her eyes.
**Dream**
"Elissa, dear, it's such a nice day. Wouldn't you like to play at the park with the other children?" Madame de Loncrae asked Elissa gently. The little seven year old girl looked over at her from the window with her multicolored, innocent eyes, her black hair in two braids, and her face lit up.
"Will you come with me?" she asked hopefully.
Madame shook her head slowly, "No, Elissa. I don't think that would be wise. There are some people that..." she didn't finish the sentence but instead touched her cheeks, her trembling fingers touching the burnt, warped skin that had once been pale and firm and beautiful. Now was a face that children ran from, people cringed at the sight of.
Elissa shook her head, her braids swinging as she did, "Then I don't want to. I want to stay with you." As though sensing Madame's sadness, she crawled up to the armrest of the chair Madame sat up and placed delicate kiss on her cheek and wrapped her little arms around her neck in a childlike hug.
Eyes shining, Madame placed a hand on the side of Elissa's head and murmured, "Oh, Little Lissy, how proud your father would be."
"For what?" she asked lightly, stretching her short thin legs down the length of the armrest and smoothed down the skirt of her blue dress with the velvet bow in the back.
Looking at the child, Madame just shook her head, "Someday you will know. Would you like for me to read a story for you, then?"
"Yes, yes!" A ball of energy now, Elissa shot off the armrest in a frightening leap and ran over to the bookshelf. Rising on her tip toes, her tiny fingers grabbed the bind of a book, the tip of her tongue stuck out in concentration as she pulled. Triumphant, she brought the book back and climbed up onto Madame's lap.
"Ah, Beauty and the Beast," she said, taking the book and opening to the first well worn page.
"Uh huh! It's got a princess, and a castle, a witch and a beast who's really a prince! But SHE knows he's really a prince, doesn't she?"
"No, sweetie. She knows he's special, not that he's a prince. She falls in love with him before she even knows that, remember?"
"Oh..." the young girl said nodding, looking wise.
Madame began to read from the book, Elissa hung on her every word of the story she loved so much and the afternoon seemed to fade away in the comfort and safety of another land in which people turned out to be good, bad people were punished and love prevailed. Through the window on that sunny day you could see the little child nestled in her guardian's arms and then the dream faded into a soft gray mist and then finally black.
** ** ** ** ** **
Elissa's eyes slowly opened and she saw the black. The violet around her pupils shrunk a little as she woke but the jade specks seemed to stand out even more against the blue. Blinking, she raised her head off of the window and realized the black came from the night outside, not her dream. A cloak slid down her shoulder when she moved her head and she looked down to see a large, warm –man's- cloak wrapped around her, blocking the chill. She looked up to see Erik.
When Elissa left Erik's house, he was not there. Dressed warmly and cloaked, holding her bags in her hands, she walked slowly around the house looking for him. Part of her still hoped he would come with her, but the knowledge that he would not left her steps trudged and made her shoulders fall in defeat when she at last walked silently and alone through the gate. But she raised her chin, defying her sadness with her newly renewed strength. She could do this on her own; maybe it was better this way. A future image of Pierre, dead and glazed eyes wide and unseeing, flashed through her mind and she shuddered before pushing it away.
The porter at the train station graciously helped her with her bags and led her to her small room. When he inquired good-naturally to her destination, she just smiled sweetly and answered she was visiting relatives. With a nod and a glance around, he wished her a comfortable trip and left. Elissa sat down on the chair next to the window and watched as the trees began to move backwards and the station disappeared from view. She rested her head against the cool glass, staring out at the dark sky for awhile before closing her eyes.
**Dream**
"Elissa, dear, it's such a nice day. Wouldn't you like to play at the park with the other children?" Madame de Loncrae asked Elissa gently. The little seven year old girl looked over at her from the window with her multicolored, innocent eyes, her black hair in two braids, and her face lit up.
"Will you come with me?" she asked hopefully.
Madame shook her head slowly, "No, Elissa. I don't think that would be wise. There are some people that..." she didn't finish the sentence but instead touched her cheeks, her trembling fingers touching the burnt, warped skin that had once been pale and firm and beautiful. Now was a face that children ran from, people cringed at the sight of.
Elissa shook her head, her braids swinging as she did, "Then I don't want to. I want to stay with you." As though sensing Madame's sadness, she crawled up to the armrest of the chair Madame sat up and placed delicate kiss on her cheek and wrapped her little arms around her neck in a childlike hug.
Eyes shining, Madame placed a hand on the side of Elissa's head and murmured, "Oh, Little Lissy, how proud your father would be."
"For what?" she asked lightly, stretching her short thin legs down the length of the armrest and smoothed down the skirt of her blue dress with the velvet bow in the back.
Looking at the child, Madame just shook her head, "Someday you will know. Would you like for me to read a story for you, then?"
"Yes, yes!" A ball of energy now, Elissa shot off the armrest in a frightening leap and ran over to the bookshelf. Rising on her tip toes, her tiny fingers grabbed the bind of a book, the tip of her tongue stuck out in concentration as she pulled. Triumphant, she brought the book back and climbed up onto Madame's lap.
"Ah, Beauty and the Beast," she said, taking the book and opening to the first well worn page.
"Uh huh! It's got a princess, and a castle, a witch and a beast who's really a prince! But SHE knows he's really a prince, doesn't she?"
"No, sweetie. She knows he's special, not that he's a prince. She falls in love with him before she even knows that, remember?"
"Oh..." the young girl said nodding, looking wise.
Madame began to read from the book, Elissa hung on her every word of the story she loved so much and the afternoon seemed to fade away in the comfort and safety of another land in which people turned out to be good, bad people were punished and love prevailed. Through the window on that sunny day you could see the little child nestled in her guardian's arms and then the dream faded into a soft gray mist and then finally black.
** ** ** ** ** **
Elissa's eyes slowly opened and she saw the black. The violet around her pupils shrunk a little as she woke but the jade specks seemed to stand out even more against the blue. Blinking, she raised her head off of the window and realized the black came from the night outside, not her dream. A cloak slid down her shoulder when she moved her head and she looked down to see a large, warm –man's- cloak wrapped around her, blocking the chill. She looked up to see Erik.