Sorry for the prolonged absence; school is murdering me. But, all complaining aside, thank you to all who have stuck with me. Shoutouts to LimitedLegendFTW, Fireballmaddie, Ninja Kitty 101, Axelgirl, Severian101, cutelittlekitten18, Stormfrost14, PumpkinKitten, and roronazolosgirl. Now, onto the story. Enjoy!

Chapter 17

I stayed true to my word to Meg and attended the ballet rehearsals the next morning. Walking through the doors to the auditorium, my senses were assaulted by the rankness of whiskey and the unsightly view of Joseph Buquet.

"Well, well, little songbird. Looks as if you arrived just on time." He slurred.

"Yes, it appears that I have. Now if you will excuse me…"

He blocked the rest of the entrance. "What's the rush, ma petite? Surely you wouldn't to leave my company so soon?"

"Monsieur, I would greatly appreciate it if you would quit accosting me and let me through." I stated firmly.

"Now why would I do that?"

I smirked as I looked behind him. "Because you never know what could happen. If I were you, I would keep my hand at the level of my eyes."

He turned around to see what I was looking at only to be whacked in the face by a rope knotted into a Punjab lasso. He turned back to me, fury in his eyes. "You did this, you little brat!"

I looked at him, an innocent look on my face. "How could I have done it, monsieur? You were blocking my way." I said before slipping past him, making my way to a seat in the front row.

Madame Giry turned and looked at me with an impressed look, then turned back to the ballet girls to continue her instruction. She must've seen what just happened.

For the next hour or so, I watched the ballet girls seem to defy gravity with their leaps and mid-air twirls. They made it seem so effortless, as if everyone could do it. But, trust me, I know from experience: not everyone can.

Once they stopped for a little break, Meg and Christine, as well as a few other ballerinas, came over to me. "So, how were we?" Meg asked.

"You were all so very beautiful." I said with a smile. "I wish I could dance like that, but alas, I was born without a dancer's bone in my body."

This was received with giggles from the girls. "Well, what you lack in dancing, you make up for in singing." Christine stated. "Did you ever have lessons in th- I mean, where you're from?"

I heard her almost slip, but was grateful that she caught it. What would I have done if the ballet girls had found out about me being from the future? I certainly wasn't ready to find the answer to that question. "Actually, no. I never did have lessons. I learned by myself."

"Speaking of singing, have you picked a song yet for your first performance?"

First? "Not yet. I'm having trouble deciding."

"Can you sing us a song?" a girl by the name of Rachelle asked me.

I chuckled as she backed into the crowd of girls, obviously embarrassed by what she did. "Of course. What would you like me to sing?"

"Sing one that you used to sing where you come from." She requested.

"Hmm, alright. I think I have a good one…"

"Said goodbye, turned around,

And you were gone, gone, gone,

Fading into the setting sun,

Slipped away,

But I won't cry 'cause I know

I'll never be lonely,

For you are the stars to me,

You are the light I follow,

I will see you again,

This is not where it ends,

I will carry you with me,

'Til I see you again,

I can hear those,

Echoes in the wind at night,

Calling me back in time,

Back to you,

In a place far away,

Where the water meets the sky,

The thought of it makes me smile,

You are my tomorrow,

I will see you again,

This is not where it ends,

I will carry you with me,

'Til I see you again,

Sometimes I feel my heart is breaking,

But I stay strong and I hold on 'cause I know

I will see you again,

This is not where it ends,

I will carry you with me,

I will see you again,

This is not where it ends,

I will carry you with me,

'Til I see you again,

Said goodbye, turned around,

And you were gone, gone, gone…"

I was met with applause from the entire ballet, as well as the crew members that were in the auditorium who had joined the growing crowd. Shouts of "Brava!" and "Encore!" were emanating from my little audience. For some reason, this little gathering made my adrenaline rush, even more so than when I was in my time. I mean, sure, when I performed in front of the audience back in my world, it was awesome. But here, in front of actual opera workers and performers – people who know way more about music than anyone from my time – was just exhilarating!

I gave a little curtsey, blushing all the while. "Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week." I was disappointed that no one got the joke, but all that mattered to me was that they liked me. "Would you like another one?"

"That would be lovely," a voice cut through the chatter. I turned to find Madame Giry behind me. "But I'm afraid that will have to wait. It is time to resume practice."

I nodded. "Alright. Sorry, guys. You'll have to wait 'til later."

Grumbles rippled through the crowd as they dispersed to their proper places. I couldn't help but grin.

Madame Giry pulled me aside for a moment. "You were wonderful, by the way."

I blushed at her compliment. "Thank you, Madame."

"And, please, in the future, call me Antoinette."

I gave her a salute. "Will do."

She chuckled and walked back to the stage, a smile on her face. One was growing on mine as well. Yu, I think I could get used to this…

Song is See You Again by Carrie Underwood.