Chapter One-

A young woman of only sixteen sat on a park bench absentmindedly watching the couples and families that were also in the park. Her blue eyes looking, yet not truly seeing, as her left hand poked and prodded the bruise that was forming on her right cheek. She had run here after another fight with her mother, not really hiding, just waiting. What she was waiting for, she did not know, all she knew was that she was waiting. Ever since her father had left her in this earthly realm when she was twelve, she had been waiting.

A cold, harsh wind blew through the park, her body shivered and she felt the goosebumps form on her arms and neck, telling her to bundle up and keep warm. But she did not. Her eyes drifted upwards towards the sky, clouds were quickly covering the sky, turning the bright, cheerful evening into a dark ominous one. The couples and families quickly left the park to return to the safety of their homes.

She tilted her head straight up and closed her eyes as she felt electrified. This was what she had been waiting for. She smiled as she saw a bright flash of light through her closed eyes before her mind was swallowed by unconsciousness.

\'~'/

Madame Antoinette Giry was quickly hurrying through the park, along with her daughter Meg, in hopes to get them back to the newly rebuilt Opera Populaire in time before the storm came down on them. She and her daughter were just coming back from meeting up with the young Miss Christine Daaé, soon to be the Victomtess Christine de Chagny in a few short weeks. Antoinette was happy for her young ward, though, if she were honest with herself, she had hopped that Christine would have been the one to help her old friend Erik out of the darkness he had found himself in. But, alas, she was not.

As the two women came to the end of the park, a bright flash of light off to the side of them caused them to stop. The sound, of what sounded to be, a body hit the ground caused fear to take hold of Antoinette's heart. She gripped her daughter's shoulders as she looked towards where the sound had been. Her eyes widened when she spotted the body of what looked to be a young woman lying on the ground.

Antoinette removed her hands from her daughter's shoulders and took a step towards the young woman, something drawing her to this young woman. "Maman?" Her daughter asked in quiet concern. Antoinette held up her hand in a silent command for her daughter to stay where she was and Antoinette carefully walked over to the young woman.

When Antoinette got to the woman, she held her hands up to her mouth in a silent gasp. The young woman was Christine, and the poor dear looked to be in bad shape. Her beautiful dark red dress was ripped and torn in places, as if the poor dear had run through the woods and the branches caught onto it. Her long, curly brown hair was sprawled out around her, and there was a large bruise covering her right cheek. Antoinette shook her head as she bent down to better examine the young woman. No, this was not Christine, it couldn't be. Christine was on her way home in her carriage, safe with Raoul. Not only that Christine had not been wearing this dress, she had been wearing a soft pink dress.

"Meg, chére, quickly go to the Populaire and retrieve someone to help carry her to the Populaire." Antoinette said, looking over her shoulder towards her daughter, she saw Meg nod before taking off towards the building that was right across the street. Antoinette looked back at the young woman, it was hard not to think of her as Christine, she looked so similar to the young woman. A visible shudder ran through the young woman, Antoinette looked at her face to see that she was still unconscious. Another shudder and Antoinette took off her cloak and draped it over the young woman's body.

"Maman!" Antoinette heard her daughter call out and looked away from the young woman to see her daughter running up to her with a young stagehand closely following her. Antoinette stood up and allowed the stagehand to pick up the young woman, wrapping the cloak more securely around her body as he did so. The young woman's head lulled back, a moan slipping through her slightly parted lips, her eyes fluttered but did not open.

Antoinette heard her daughter gasp as the moonlight hit the young woman's face. She reached over and took her daughter's hand, giving it a little squeeze. "Do not fret, chére, though she looks similar to our dear Christine, I sense that this is not her." She told her daughter as they quickly led the stagehand back towards the Opera Populaire.

Once they got to the Populaire, Antoinette and Meg held the doors open for the stagehand before Antoinette quickly lead him towards the dorms. When she got to the hallway that led towards Christine's old room, Antoinette hesitated a moment before turning down the hallway. Antoinette came to a stop in front of the locked door, after the Populaire had been rebuilt exactly as it had once been. And though all of the rooms were filled to the brim, no one used this room in fear that the Opera Ghost would punish them. Antoinette glanced over her shoulder at the young woman in the stagehand's arms before pulling out a small key and unlocked the door. She allowed the stagehand to lay the young woman on the bed. Once the stagehand had laid the young woman down, he quickly turned and left the room.

"Maman?" Meg asked quietly from the doorway. Antoinette looked away from the young woman to her daughter who was standing just outside the doorway nervously wringing her hands. Meg's eyes were flying between Antoinette and the mirror, as if worried Erik would appear and punish them for being in this room.

"Relax, chére, I feel he will not punish us." Antoinette told her daughter calmly as she walked over to her and took her hands in hers. "Please go and fetch me some warm water and a rag, so that I may clean this poor dear." Meg nodded before turning and rushed down the hall. Antoinette turned back to the young woman and sucked in a breath, seeing Christine lying on the bed instead of the young woman. In the candlelight, in this room, the young woman looked hauntingly like Christine. Antoinette looked towards the mirror half expecting Erik to come sweeping through it to take the young woman to his home to protect her from whatever had attacked her.

With a shake of her head, Antoinette sighed and moved to sit on the bed next to the young woman. Antoinette gently began to run her fingers through the young woman's hair, untangling it, feeling the mother in her come out. This young woman may not be her daughter, not was she her Christine, but she was a young woman that looked to be in need of help, and she would give it to her in any way she could.

From the corner of her eye, Antoinette saw her daughter slowly walk into the room with a bucket of water and a rag. Antoinette took the bucket and sat it down with a 'thank you' before taking the rag. "Go and rest, chére, I shall stay here and tend to her." Meg nodded before she quickly left the room. Antoinette dipped the rag into the warm water, wrung it out a bit, before turning towards the young woman to begin to clean her.

"Oh my!" Antoinette gasped, dropping the rag, when she saw the piercing blue eyes watching her with a guarded look. Antoinette stared into the young woman's eye that reminded her so much of Erik's eyes. Though his were amber in color, they, too, were guarded. "You are awake." Antoinette stated picking up the rag once more. "How are you feeling, chére?" The young woman said nothing, just continued to watch her.

"I am Madame Antoinette Giry, I am the ballet instructor at the Opera Populaire." Antoinette said and noticed shock fly through the young woman's eye before becoming guarded once more. "What is your name, mademoiselle?" Antoinette asked. Her only answer was the young woman turning her head away to look at the wall beside her. Antoinette gave a silent sigh, it would appear that the young woman did not wish to speak. And after the traumatic experience that the young woman had gone through, Antoinette was not going to force her. She would give the young woman the space she needed.

Antoinette placed the rag on the bucket before gently opening the cloak to see that the young woman was still in her torn dress. She stood up and walked over to the armoire, and as she opened it she hoped that Erik would not mind that she was letting the young woman borrow one of Christine's old night dresses. "Christine." She heard the young woman quietly say. Antoinette froze.

"Pardon?" Antoinette asked spinning to look at the young woman who was still staring at the wall. When the young woman didn't say anything, Antoinette began to question whether the young woman had even spoken or not.

"Christine." The young woman softly said once more, turning to look at Antoinette. "My name is Christine."

Edited: 6/4/2020