Suddenly

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"Ugh finally that dreams over." I said rubbing my eyes as I woke up. I looked up at the marble plated ceiling. "Are...you...kidding...me." I said looking down at my lace covered arms and satin bed sheets. "Dang it." I said rolling my eyes and standing up. I looked at the white tutu hanging in the closet and decided to change early. "Ooh, brand new...and they're so shiny!" I said picking up the pastel pink satin pointe shoes. I slid them on and tied them around my ankle. I admired the shoes when a knock came from the door. "Yes, who is it?" I said snapping out of my daydream. "It's Meg Giry Mistress, my mother wanted me to walk you to the stage." A shy and bubbly voice came from the other side of the door. "Hello." I said opening the door to face her. "Wow." She said looking at my new tutu. "Follow me Mistress!" She said happily, taking my hand. "Ju-just call me Antoinette...or Ann works." Meg stopped in her tracks. "Ar-are you sure mistress, I-I mean Ann." She said looking over at me. "Very sure Meg, I'm just like you, I'm only a dancer." I said with a little laugh. She smiled and began walking again, we quickened our pace so we weren't late to rehearsal. "Wow." I said looking up at the marble pillars and gold plated embellishments on the stage. Madame giry was already there telling stagehands where to put props. "Mistress you're very early, I hope Meg didn't wake you." She said looking over at her with a stern look. Meg looked down at the ground, "No, Madame do not worry she caught me as I was leaving." I responded with a smile. Meg looked up at me with a shy smile, "Well, that's good to hear I wouldn't want her waking you." She said beckoning both me and Meg over to her side. "Meg will you show her what I've taught you and the others so she is caught up." Madame giry said pointing at the open space in the middle of the stage. "Yes mother." she said leading me over to the center of the stage. Meg went over the steps with me and Madame Giry watched over making sure every step was perfect. After a while the girls had joined and we finished the day learning a couple new steps. "Wow Ann, you're really good at ballet." Meg said as we walked out to the foyer. "Thank you, I've taken lessons my whole life." I said with a little laugh, "You're quite impressive yourself, I mean you've grown up learning ballet too." I said as we walked back to my dressing room. "You could say that I guess." She said with a smile as we walked in. "Looks like I need to buy more dresses." I said with a laugh looking at my empty closet. "You didn't bring any from your home." Meg asked, confused. "No I suppose I didn't." I said with a little laugh. I saw my leather bag sitting in the closet and picked it up, the mask was still in it but everything else I kept in my bag was different, my makeup had been changed to something more period appropriate, my wallet and credit card  became a coin purse that was spilling open with money, along with many other things being different. "Well then." I said rummaging around with the coins and bills. "How would you like to accompany me with a little shopping." I said turning to face her. Her face was beaming and she looked more excited than I'd ever seen her. "Yes!" She said sitting upright. "Well let me change and then we can leave." I said smiling. I changed into my old dress and grabbed my bag. "After you." I said opening the door with a smile. She smiled as we walked out and left the opera house. "Forgive me if this is too much to ask, but i'm not familiar with this part of town. Would you be able to show me around?" I said looking over at her. "I can do my best...I don't leave the Opera house very much." she said looking over at me. "That's okay, we can explore it together." I said with a smile. "Now, how about we start over there." I said pointing at a set of shops with nice looking dresses in the windows. "Those look quite expensive." Meg said. "Well, it's a start." I said with a little laugh, she responded with a smile. We spent the day walking from store to store and buying a couple dresses and accessories, like hats, parasols, gloves etc. Things Meg said were necessary for a Mistress to have in her wardrobe. We stopped at a cafe on the way back and I bought us both a cup of black coffee. We talked about France and the Opera house until an interesting topic came up. "Well you're lucky, at least the Phantom has not scared you off yet." she said smiling and looking back down at her coffee. "Phantom?" I said looking back up at her. "Oh I'm so sorry, I should've waited to tell you when you're more comfortable here." She said messing with the spoon in her drink. "N-no tell me more." I said as she looked back up at me. "Well, some say he's a ghost, among other things but I've heard others talking about a masked man." she said, I nodded in agreement. "But what would I know, anybody who sees him is never seen again." She said pushing her cup away. "I think it's best we head back, my mother is probably looking for me." She said standing up and helping me with the dress boxes. We walked back and she helped me get everything put away. "Well, I should be heading back now." Meg said with a smile. She walked over to the door getting ready to leave, "Meg wait!" I said pushing past the dressing divider to get to her. "Thank you, really it's nice having someone like you to teach me my way around." I said, giving her a light hug and smile. She smiled back at me, "Anytime Ann." she said as she left the room. I walked back over to the closet changing into my dressing gown, I turned and picked up my bag pulling out the mask. "So it's true, you really did exist." I said rubbing my finger over the shape of the mask, I could almost decipher what he must look like from the structure of it. I sat on the bed looking at it. "Or did I just buy into a lie so many believed years ago." I said laying down and looking up at the ceiling clutching the mask to my chest. "Fascinating." I said before turning to face the door and laying my head on the pillow.