Sing Once Again With Me

Jacques leisurely strolled through the kitchen door in a pleased manner. Ella was sitting at the round breakfast table by a large window, reading a book she had recently bought. Jacques came to stand on the opposite side of the table. With one finger he slowly pinned the book down against the table and leaned over looking into Ella's eyes. "Honey, how many times must I tell you? Books are not meant for women..." He slid the book from her fingers and tossed it towards the garbage. Ella simply stared down at the table where her book had been. "Welcome home dear. How was your day?" she responded with no emotion. Jacques tipped her chin up so she would look at him, "I don't want to see you reading anymore books." he said simply. A boiling rage rose within her. She hated everything about Jacques, loathing him with all of her being. Ella bit her tongue so as to not say anything that would anger him and managed a sharp nod looking back down at the table.

To avoid her anger from showing though she suddenly stood from the table and began wiping down the already clean stovetop. Jacques loved whenever Ella became nervous, especially when he was the cause of it. He sauntered up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist; his hands coming to rest on top of hers. He then whispered into her ear. "I'll be seeing you tonight wife dearest... I expect you to be ready..." He chuckled and roughly nipped her on the neck, where a past bruise from him was already placed. He finally left to attend to other duties around the household, leaving Ella standing there shivering in anger and fear. She winced and rubbed the fresh teeth marks on the bruise, going to pick up her book.

Footsteps sounded near the kitchen door once again and Ella quickly stood up straight, holding the book behind her back. She relaxed when an elderly man named Audric Parsall stopped short when he noticed her and gave a quick bow. "My apologies Miss Ella. I hope I wasn't interrupting?" Since she had first come to live with Jacques, Audric had been a great help and the kindest soul in her small world. He was the most faithful servant of the many Jacques had hired but Ella considered him a good friend. She grinned and tipped her head to one side, crossing her arms with the book in hand. "You would never be a disturbance to me Audric." He humorously smiled and nodded, "Yes, but I heard you and the Maitre talking and I didn't want to intrude." Ella lightly sighed and sat down, dropping the book on the tabletop. "Uh oh..." he said, leaning against the stove and crossing his arms. She glanced over at him, "Oh, you know... the usual..." Audric now looked out the window, "As I've said before I am truly sorry you're treated in such a manner Miss Ella.." he walked over and picked her hand up, comfortingly patting it. "A lady such as yourself deserves much better, and one day you're going to get it. I don't believe a live is lived without fulfilling its rightful destiny." Ella smiled and stood up to hug him, "I hope you're right..." Audric always knew the right words to say to cheer her up and restore her hope.

~~~

Salty blood ran down her lip and black bruises were beginning to swell on her wrists. Her heart was racing, she was running as fast as she ever had, and she had never been so terrified in her life. She faintly heard horse's hooves on the cobblestone streets, rushing wheels of horse carriages and the shouting voices of men. Ella sharply turned into a pitch-black path of stairs between two buildings. She glanced over her shoulder and hurriedly made her way down the path. Eventually she found herself on a normal street once again and saw a woman with a small horse and carriage of her own. Ella sprinted over to her, panting for breath she managed to request a ride and the woman quickly nodded. "To the Opera Populaire please." she ordered as she lay a bundle of clothes on the seat next to her. "Pourquoi Miss that's two day's even with a carriage." the lady noted. "Just take me as far as you can, as fast as you can please!" Ella quickly responded, looking around. The lady nodded and commanded the horse into a canter.

It took two days of traveling. She rode a few horse carriages, but by the afternoon of the first day Jacques had everyone searching for her. So she spent most of the time walking, but even more than that she was running. The only thing she'd eaten was some bread on the first day and here it was the second night and she was drained. She was walking dead on her feet, the only sense of direction she had in mind was straight forward. Her legs were weak from all of her running, her stomach was swimming but empty and she was light headed from the beating she had taken. Her heart was still racing, and with it all wrapped together she was exhausted.

The sky had darkened significantly since she parted with the carriage driver, and she was either paranoid about the descending darkness... or she was being followed... Ella acted like she was watching a bird fly by far away, and when she did she saw a woman and a man holding hands, walking down the other side of the street just a ways behind her. She chewed her bottom lip worriedly and casually kept walking while trying to think up a plan to lose these two, if they were following her. All the while she kept the dagger strapped to her leg in mind. She came to the corner of the street and proceeded to cross it, when the couple turned and began heading her way. They were a good few feet away when Ella decided to just run. All in one second a hand was wrapped up in her hair, her neck twisted all the wrong ways and she clumsily fell back into the muscular body of a man. Ella heard feminine laughter to her right and she stood up the straightest she could with her head being held in such a manner.

"Well you were right Bailey! It is her! And the money is ours lovey!"

'Money!? He's got a reward for me like I'm a criminal!?'

The man grinned down at her, "So tell us Mme. Ella Temes, what's one such as yourself doing in such a place as this?"

The woman slapped his stomach and they frowned at each other, "Hush darling! She probably doesn't even know what's really going on... what with her mental state and all..."

'Mental state!? Everyone thinks I'm a crazy girl on the loose!?'

"Umm... excuse me? I'm not mentally challenged, though you may think it. You don't understand my real problem here..." Ella tried to explain. The woman looked at her and tilted her head sympathetically. "Oh, listen to the poor thing..." She leaned down in Ella's face and she could smell the strong liquor on her breath as she spoke the words slowly and defined with hand gestures. "We - take - you - home. You - " Ella quickly kneed Bailey in the groin though and took off running, much faster than usual, thanks to her past couple of days work out. She could hear the woman gaining on her, just a few feet behind her. Ella fearfully searched for a plan to lose the woman, but eventually her drinking caught up with her. She began gasping for breath and her footfalls became heavier and clumsier. She lunged for Ella but tripped and fell down on the street and Ella could hear her vomiting. Then Bailey's voice was calling after her. He was slowly gaining and Ella didn't dare look back. She turned a corner and slipped into a small place between two houses. Bailey ran past and Ella darted out of her hiding spot, running down the other street. Finally she lost him partly by his drinking backfiring and a few sly tricks Ella had learned from being raised in a gypsy circus. Her exhaustion was merciless though and hunger tore at her stomach, having not eaten in the last forty hours. Her running slowed but after a little while she had made it. She had finally reached the Opera Populaire.

She glanced around and jogged around the corner, spotting the large door for residents and knocked three times on the top, and twice on the bottom. She heard a series of locks being undone and was overjoyed when her brother's face appeared from the darkness. "Marcus!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly. Marcus strongly returned the hug, "You were beginning to worry me!" Ella let a few tears slip past, but Marcus wasted no time about leading her inside and down a hallway. She tripped and was walking rather slow however. Marcus comfortingly put a hand on her back and she smiled at him. She took a few more steps but then her fingertips began tingling and her body went numb. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell unconscious. Marcus caught Ella before she hit the floor and picked her up bridal style, beginning to rush to his room. On his way he saw Madame Giry on her last room check. He took a few steps towards her, "Madame! Please help, she just fell unconscious and I don't have anything that could help." Madame Giry briskly walked over and looked the girl over before nodding. "Take her to your room, let her lie down and I will be there shortly." Marcus thanked the Madame and continued on his way.

~~~

Eric was cut off in mid-sentence when he heard heavy footsteps drawing near. He glanced back at Madame Giry before he politely nodded and stepped back into the shadows, instantly invisible if you hadn't witnessed the hiding. He watched as the boy named Marcus turned the corner and asked of Madame Giry's assistance for the girl's sake. Eric's eyes locked onto her form, his gaze burning into her. She looked exactly like...

Infuriated he wanted to scream and make the boy pay for bringing her in here. How could life be so cruel? In rage he silently made his way back to the catacombs. He wanted to search the Opera House and kill a wanderer in the halls but he knew the Madame would have nothing of it. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew he slightly depended on her, if even just a small amount.

~~~

Marcus kicked the door to his room open and stepped in to hear his three roommates complaining. Ignoring their groans he carefully laid Ella down on his bed and lit two candles near his bed to examine her; taking in the bruises on her arms and legs and her bleeding lip. 'Damn that Jacques... He's going to pay for this...' Finally Madame Giry arrived. She handed Marcus a cloth of freezing water and he laid it across her forehead. The Madame set down her candle and sat on the edge of the bed, looking her over. "This is the girl you've been writing letters to?" He glanced at her questioningly. How had she known he'd been sharing letters with her?

Giry smiled, "You're very expressive when you read her letters. So I figured it had to be someone close to you. And I overheard you mentioning it to a friend during practices..." He smiled and looked down, brushing Ella's hair out of her face. "My little sister, Ella. I haven't seen her since she was ten." Giry continued looking at him a moment longer before she picked up a bottle, wet another cloth with it and handed it to him. "Put this on her open cuts." Marcus did as she said then wiped the blood on her lip away with the dry end of the cloth. Madame Giry tended to a rather large cut on her leg and when she was finishing bandaging it she said. "Come, we will take her to stay in the diva's changing room for the night."

Marcus picked Ella up bridal style again with the utmost care and they made their way to the room. He laid her down on the bed and covered her with the blanket. "Does she plan on staying?" He stood up straight again and nodded before she continued, "Then tomorrow morning you and I will talk with Monsieur Firmin and Monsieur Andre. Meg can take her to have some breakfast and show her her way around." Marcus nodded but asked, "If they do agree, I would actually like to be the one to show her the way around. I haven't seen her in so long, I'd like to spend the time with her..." Giry smiled, "Though that's fine with me I'm afraid it's not my decision to make. You'll have to discuss it with your own instructor." Marcus lightly smiled and agreed with a small nod before they both finally left for their own rooms.