Chapter 2
"God it stinks!" Marinette mumbled to herself as she collected her baggage from the carriage. The smell of sewage and desperation was overwhelming to say the least, it was strong enough to singe her nostril hairs.
"Everything there Miss?" The carriage driver smiled a weathered smile and Marinette sighed.
"I suppose so, I was really expecting a grander looking opera house, not...well this." Marinette looked up at the aged opera house, true it had been grand once upon a time. But the lack of funds and years of wear and tear had really done a number on the place.
"Oh it was a beauty in its prime Miss! You should have seen it then, but after that horrible fire some years ago...well the old girl has never been the same. No one is willing to pick up the ownership or patronage either. Such a shame." The carriage driver began to walk away, as he climbed onto his seat he hesitated and turned a wary eye from the opera house to the pretty young thing before him. "Just be careful, the ghosts of the past can be nasty ones, keep your hand at the level of your eyes." With that being said he took the reins and left Marinette to her own devices. Of course she thought it was a strange warning. She shrugged her shoulders and picked up her two small suitcases.
If she were younger she would have romanticized climbing the long ornate staircase to the front doors. But, the whispers and homeless that littered themselves around the entrance kind of dulled the romance. Marinette heaved as she pulled the heavy doors open and rushed in before they had the chance to close on her. She looked around and was just as disappointed with the interior as she was with the exterior. Everything was either out of date, poorly cared for, and covered with a thick layer of dust. Instantly Marinette felt her eyebrow twitch with annoyance and disgust. How hard could it be to pick up a duster here and there, or even polish the marble that could have been the most beautiful marble she'd ever seen.
"Marinette Gippetti?" A small, delicate voice rang out and Marinette spun on her heel. The person she heard was a small blonde girl, wearing the traditional ballet garb. It was severely out of date and tattered. But the girl's beauty more than made up for it, she was pale with the most striking blue eyes she'd ever seen.
"Yes that's me." Marinette mustered a small polite smile as she walked up the angelic beauty before her. The girl smiled and took Marinette into her arms.
"I knew it was you! You look like Maman when she was younger, except the hair and eyes...and height… well maybe you don't look so much like Maman but still!" Marinette blinked, the girl was obviously a spitfire and very energetic.
"I'm sorry but who are you exactly?" Marinette stepped back away from the girl. A small frown formed on her face but she quickly recovered.
"I'm sorry I'm Meg Giry! Your cousin? Your grandmother wrote to us months ago that you were planning on visiting us." Meg took Marinette's hand as Marinette cursed her grandmother, she had known that Marinette would have come to France one way or another. Marinette gently removed Megs hand from her own and chuckled nervously.
"Sorry, I'm not big on touching...it's just a personal preference. So...you're my cousin and you mother is…" Meg laughed slightly.
"Your father's older sister, yes, Oh! I'm so excited to get to know you, I haven't really had any friends my age for a while. Well, none that have stayed long enough for me to form any permanent attachment anyways. We should get you set up with a room and of course you must meet Maman!" Meg hooked her thin pale arm through Marinettes and began to drag her through the worn down opera house. They walked quickly through the old wooden corridors and the faint smell of smoke was heavy in the air. If one was well practiced in the art of smelling, they could also pick up the musty smell of mold and rot. Within a few short minutes of dizzying walking the two young ladies arrived at their destination.
"Your toes should be pointed ladies! Backs straight and heads high! You are to be graceful swans not sickled toed pigeons! Again!" The sharp rapping of a cane hitting the stage floor only added to the command of the ballet mistress' voice. Much like her daughter she was petite and just as pale. But her voice held so much power that it was enough to make Marinette feel inferior about her own posture. The mistress turned her head upon the two new guest's in her midsts and sent an icy glare on her daughter.
"Meg Giry, why are you not in formation. If you expect to debut on time for your Prima Ballerina performance, you need to perfect your positions and your arabesque." Madame Giry began to make her way towards the girls, using her cane for support.
"Maman, I'd like to introduce you to Marinette Gippetti. Your brother's daughter?" Meg shrunk back from her mother and Marinette squared her shoulders.
"Ah yes, let me finish lessons for the day and then we will convene to the kitchens for tea. You, young lady, are the spitting image of your mother." Madame Giry smiled softly and turned away from her daughter and niece. Instantly, Marinette felt her rage begin to build, but she stifled it as quickly as it had come. Madame Giry couldn't have known what had happened with Marinette and her mother. Meg smiled as she scurried off to join the other ballet rats, leaving Marinette to her own devices.\