The Forgotten Past

Chapter 3

"Gerard!", Christine said as we entered the opera house, "Its so good to see you it has been too long." I followed a few steps behind her. When we stopped at the end of the magnificent staircase, we sat the luggage at our feet.

"Yes, it has Christine. Who is this?" he motioned to me. "What is your name?" I stepped in front of Christine to answer his question.

"Anastasie, monsieur but people call me Ana." I said as I looked at him I could tell that he remembered me but not entirely.

"Were you not..."

"Yes Monsieur, my father came to talk to you when I was very young. I wandered away, it took my father and you hours to find me. When you finally found me I was backstage if I remember correctly." I looked at him with a pleading look asking him not to bring up my past. Thankfully, Christine was behind me, so she could not see my face.

"You are right, but I believe it was the prima donna's room we found you in."

"That is right, I am just honored that you remembered me from all those years ago." I said smiling. Yet, his face conveyed the message that we would be talking later.

"Well, both of you must be tired let me show you to your rooms." He said with a smile.

As we walked up the stairs I fell behind Gerard and Christine. I could tell that Christine was like a daughter to him. As we continued up I admired the décor of the opera house, I could never describe the beauty that the opera house held for me but that was not what was important to me. I was finally home.

I heard her. Christine is back! I rushed to get my mask and my cape. I hurriedly put the mask on and I fumbled with the cape, while I ran up the stairs to the dark halls that I traveled through. I reached the place where I could see the top of the stairs, hidden by a glass which others believed to be a mirror. Thankfully I made it in time to see Gerard and Christine approach the top of the stairs. She was still lovely as usual.

"Gerard" she paused, "I am so sorry for what happened. If I never came back to sing he might be alive today. As you might have known that I have not sung anything since that night and I might need some voice lessons." With that, I wanted to run to her to show her that I was still alive and to tell her I would gladly teach her again, but it was better to remain hidden at that time.

Gerard slowly looked at her after looking at the ground, he probably felt guilty for not telling her that is was alive. "Christine, it was not your fault and I will find voice lessons for you. Yet they might not be as good as you first lessons."

"Yes, that is true." She looked at the ground. I could see she was trying to hold back tears.

Then a girl a few years younger than me came to the top of the stairs. She had beautiful black hair that was in a bun. Her movements were graceful, as she stopped at the top of the stairs. She was a little taller than Christine. There was something familiar about her, but I don't know what.

"Christine..." she said, her normal voice was angelic, then she looked up right at me. Like she knew I was there. She looked right into my eyes, even though there was no way that she could see me. She said, "don't worry there is always espoir, Christine." She smiled at me and said it again, "There is always hope." She kept looking at me until she realized that Gerard and Christine continued down the hall.

I watched them walk out of sight, but there was something about how the girl walked something familiar, though different. Yet, there was something else that told me that she was in pain. Then I remembered what the girl said, making me think I could teach Christine again. "there is always espoir." Her voice rang in my mind. She was right there was always hope.