Chapter 1
The carriage was being pulled bumpily along over the old cobblestone street in Paris, and a young woman of eighteen looked out the window at the town she was passing through. Her emerald eyes scanned the buildings as they went by, and she carefully took it all in. As anyone her age would be when moving to a new place, she was filled with the eagerness of exploring her new surroundings. Something new always brought a strange kind of excitement, and since she rarely was able to travel this was a treat to her.
Her family was moving there from a small town on the outskirts of France. The move was her father's idea, who wanted a change of seen for his daughter and to make a business venture. This was quite a change for her, as she had grown up in the country and her only entertainment had been the many different tutors that her father had paid to come teach her. She was taught to play the piano, read and write in French, English, and Latin, to sing and dance, and some other things that her father believed every sophisticated young lady should know. Although her mother encouraged the lessons in singing and dancing, both parents soon found that their daughter did not possess the talent for either.
So off the carriage went, moving along until finally it came to a complete stop. The horses halted and the driver jumped off his position in front of the carriage to open the door for his employers. The girl's father got out first, brushing off the black suit that he was wearing and waiting for his family to join him. The girl was still looking out the window, as if in a trance. Her mother, who was still sitting next to her, noticed and decided to get her attention before leaving the carriage.
"Elle, my dear, we have arrived," she stated in her slightly raspy voice, making sure that her daughter acknowledged her before she took the hand that the driver was offering her. She stepped out onto the street, clutching a maroon colored handbag with her pale white hands. Then she turned her head to watch her daughter get helped out of the carriage.
Elle was wearing a blue dress, and she had her dirty blonde hair pinned up in a bun. She squinted at the sun that first hit her eyes, and then looked at her parents. They looked like an odd sort of wealthy couple, her father tall and thin and her mother short and plump. She was sort of in between them, neither tall nor short, neither skinny nor fat. Then her attention was pulled to something else.
Behind her parents was a large building, and she guessed that this was the surprise her father had kept hidden from her. The outside looked magnificent, an elaborate building that must have cost a fortune… but why would her father have taken them there?
"This is it," her father said, ushering his wife and daughter towards the structure. All three of them walked up the steps and he opened the front door for them. Back at the carriage the driver was busy taking their suitcases off and piling them together in order to take them into the building.
On the inside there were workers busy on the job, finishing up their work on the inside of the building. Elle looked around the large room, fascinated by the beauty that was already beginning to show in the people's work.
"What is it papa?" Elle asked as her eyes wandered. She had never been in a place like that before, and in its current state she was not sure what the building was to be used for.
The man smiled at his daughter. He was eager to try his luck with the opera house, using the money he made through his investments in railroads to restore the building. "Our future. I bought the ruins of this place two years ago, and look what they have managed to get done so far. Soon this theatre will be up and running again."
"Theatre?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Yes, this used to be an opera house. I'm planning on reopening it when the construction is complete."
"It will be wonderful," her mother commented optimistically, looping her arm with her husband's.
Still looking around, a question popped up in Elle's mind. "What happened here, to turn such a place into ruins?"
"I believe they said the place caught on fire," her father, Monsieur D'aubigne, replied. He didn't seem too interested in knowing the history of the old opera house that he was acquiring, but more into what he was going to do with the place. "Either way, follow me. I made sure that they would have our quarters finished first, so that we would have some place to stay."
Elle followed her parents through the building, and at one point had the strange feeling that someone was watching her. She looked up, but saw nothing but the ceiling, and continued on until her father stopped walking. He then put his hand in his pocket, looking for something. When he found what he was looking for he handed it over to his daughter.
"Here is the key to your room," he said. "We'll leave you to unpack. Dinner is at seven, we will send someone to get you then."
Her parents continued down the hall and she turned to face the door. Her suitcases were sitting outside her door, and she went to put the key in the doorknob. Strangely, the knob turned open without using the key; the door had already been unlocked. She took the key out and completely opened the door. She soon found that her room was furnished, and to her liking.
Elle set the key down on a table that was near the door, and then turned back to bring in her bags. When everything was in the room she shut the door behind her and began to unpack her belongings. After she was done, she took out a novel and sat down on a red velvet sofa that was against the wall on the side of her room. Reading was a pleasure for her; it gave her a chance to step into a story of adventure and intrigue, which was lacking in her current situation.
Hours went by, although Elle did not notice at first because she was engrossed in the novel. Then she began to hear something, but she was not sure what it was. She tried to shrug it off and continue reading, which she found to be impossible. The sound was getting gradually louder, and she could not concentrate on the book. She set it down on the page she left off at and stood up. Where could the noise be coming from? Wait, was it even a noise? It sounded as if someone was singing…
She left her room, attempting to follow the music to the person who was singing it. Not paying attention to where she was going, she let the melody lead her as she put one foot in front of the other. Something came over her, like she wasn't thinking about what she was doing. She was in some sort of trance.
"Mademoiselle?" a voice asked, and snapped Elle out of her stupor.
She looked in front of her and realized that a couple feet in front of her stood a woman. The woman looked like she was in her late forties. She had her grayish brown hair up and across her face was a serious expression.
"Yes?" Elle asked politely.
"Your father sent me to find you and bring you to dinner," she responded. "Follow me to the dining room."
The lady showed her the way, but Elle was not paying close attention. Instead she kept looking back, wondering where she would have been led if she had not crossed paths with the lady. Eventually she was led into a fancy room that had a large table in the middle. Her parents were at each end and she was seated on the side furthest from the door. The table was already set, food was there, and candles were lit.
After she was seated the woman left the room and they began filling their plates with food. Then her father opened a bottle of wine and poured each of them a glass. Elle had not eaten since before noon, so she was starving. She indulged in the scrumptious meal and then turned her attention to her parents.
"So," her father said after taking a sip of the red wine. "How did you find your room? Was it satisfactory?"
"It was perfect," Elle replied. "Thank you papa."
"At first I was weary of the idea of living in an opera house, but this is actually pretty luxurious," Madame D'aubigne stated.
"All of this is new; they had to start from basically nothing. Most of the building was ruined in that fire. On the other side there are the dormitories for the dancers and singers. The lady you met, Madame Giry, is going to be in charge of the girls' dormitories. When they move in I'm sure there will be a number of girls your age, and perhaps you can make some friends," Monsieur D'aubigne said, first directed towards his wife but then to his daughter.
"That is a great idea," his wife responded, looking from him to her daughter. "You need to become more social; always living in your books."
Elle didn't say anything. She knew her mother was right, but she was not sure of she would get along with those types of girls. She herself was by no means considered good at either dancing or singing, and so they would have nothing in common. Also her father now owned the theatre; therefore she would be their boss's daughter. Either way she was not going to give up reading, and she was not going to backtalk her mother.
Her father noticed the look on her face, and so said to her in a reassuring voice, "Don't worry Elle, I promise you will like it here. It's very different from our old home, yes, but you will get adjusted to it. Maybe tomorrow I can get Madame Giry to give you a tour."
She smiled at her father, thanking him for his caring. "I would like that very much."
"Good."
"Oh, I almost forgot. The tailor is coming the day after tomorrow. We are having new dresses made for the opening of the opera house," her mother told her. She took a break to have another sip of wine and then continued. "I want you to look nice at your introduction to the people of the city."
"Of course mama," Elle said, and then turned to look at her father. "May I be excused?"
"Certainly," he answered. "Don't forget, breakfast tomorrow morning is at eight. You remember the way, right?"
She nodded and then got up out of her seat. Elle left the room and headed back to her room. She remembered that she forgot to lock it, so she was not surprised to find the knob unlocked. Closing the door behind her, she entered her room and moved over to dresser. She pulled out a nightgown and changed into it, hanging up her gown in her wardrobe. Then she sat in front of her mirror and pulled the pin that was holding her long hair up in a bun out, causing her hair to curl down past her shoulders.
She picked up her brush and began slowly brushing her hair, thinking to herself. What had she heard earlier- or more importantly- who? With these thoughts in her mind she set the brush back down and walked over to her new bed. She laid down on it and pulled her blankets over her, resting her head on a soft silky black pillow. Elle closed her eyes, and let her mind wander. Soon she drifted off to a world where anything can happen, a world of dreams.
A/N: Hi there. This is my first Phantom of the Opera fic, so I hope that you like it. Please review!