Chapter Two
"Unh.." Alison fell and hit the ground hard. She lay there for a second, slightly stunned. Then she pulled herself to her feet, rubbing her arm. "Ouch," she muttered. She hoped she hadn't done any damage but she wasn't too optimistic judging by the way it felt. She looked around her in confusion. What she saw made no sense. She was standing in a large room with a tiled floor. In front of her was a large marble staircase with a golden banister and golden statues on either side. The ceiling was high and the whole room seemed like the entranceway to a large theater of some kind. She heard hurried footsteps echoing around the space. Suddenly a middle-aged woman dressed in black rounded the corner and started quickly down the steps. She carried a stick, although she didn't seem to use it for anything. She had brown hair in a long braid that wrapped around her head and went down her back. She looked upset and was muttering to herself in French.
"Ces filles! Ils sont tellement stupide quand le Fantôme est concerné. S'ils juste apprendre à ..." *(Those girls! They are so stupid when the Phantom is concerned. If they would just learn to..)Then she noticed Alison and stopped.
"Who are you? What do you want here?" the woman asked in French.
Alison hesitated. She had taken French in high school and was continuing to take it in college, but her French wasn't the best. "What is your name?" she asked haltingly.
The woman sighed. "My name is Antoinette Giry. You may call me Madame Giry."
Alison's eyes went wide for a second. Her mind was racing. Madame Giry? The Madame Giry? If she really is, then that must mean…
It was obvious that Madame Giry was expecting an answer. "Well, girl? I'm a busy woman, please do not keep me waiting."
"Umm… my name is Angelique. I'm here to…audition for the ballet school." She said the first thing that popped into her head.
"Your accent is a little odd. Where are you from?" Madame Giry asked curiously.
"I'm from America."
"America! You are a long way from home. What brings you here?"
She knew she couldn't exactly explain the whole fell-into-a-computer thing, so she decided to lie. "I am from a family that is… uh… relatively wealthy. They gave me some instruction in ballet, which gave me a taste for it. But when I expressed interest in becoming a dancer, they-um-refused to allow me to go further. They wanted me to marry into a 'respectable' family and become like a doll, good for nothing but showing off and giving babies. That was not the kind of life I wished to lead. I wanted to get far away from my parents. I decided to come here, since...um… I had heard that the academy was very good."
Madame Giry's expression softened. "Well, in that case, mademoiselle, you are welcome here." She seemed worried for a second. "Do you think there will be anyone who will come here looking for you?"
Alison's eyes sparkled. "No. They wouldn't come looking for me here, I promise."
Madame Giry relaxed. "Good. Then I will enroll you in the school. Would you like to move in with the other girls right away?"
Alison nodded. "Yes, please!"
"Then come with me."
Sorry the chapters are so short. This is my first fanfic so please bear with me. They will get longer, I promise. Please review!