Porcelain

27

There was a bonus to most things in life Fleurette had figured that out quickly. The bonus to being in Erik's company for so long was that she had quickly learned the secret passage ways which were littered all throughout the opera house. At this point in time, Fleurette walked down one of the darkened corridors holding a candle out at arm's length. The candle did not give off much light and Fleurette had to keep squinting to try and get her eyes to adjust to the gloom around her.

A door appeared in her path, reaching out slowly she felt around for the handle. Once she found it she had to give the door one hard shove for it to open. Almost falling over from the impact, Fleurette righted herself and eyed a set of stairs up slowly before walking down one step at a time. She honestly didn't want to have another accident and fall down a set of stairs.

Once she had reached the bottom, a roughly lit corridor awaited her, if she kept on following this it'd lead to another set of stairs and eventually the dark lake. Fleurette hadn't realised how many different ways to get to one place existed here. While walking along in the dark and in the quiet Fleurette noted how now the opera house and it's many corridors and doorways reminded her of a rabbits warren. Getting to the end of the corridor, she sharply turned and eyed up the lake. The small boat was on her side which meant that Erik was somewhere within the opera house. Rolling her eyes slowly, she walked over and clambered into the boat. She didn't really have any other option than to sit and wait for him. None of the inhabitants of the opera house knew she was here, and that's the way she would like to keep it.

Admittedly Eleanor and Felix knew of her going out, she had told them the truth of where she was going and she said she would not be long. Which meant that she could not stay the night like she did previously. Hearing very quiet footsteps, she looked up and away from the flame in her hand. Erik stood and looked at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I need help." Her words caused Erik to look at her concerned, he got into the boat and sat down on the opposite seat to hers.

"Go on."

"I'm torn...I don't know what to do."

"And you think I may possibly hold the answer?"

"Yes," Fleurette nodded slowly. "Eleanor and I may need to leave to find other jobs which pay better." Fleurette spoke slowly, "We cannot keep the house going and work here. It just will not work. Trying to coincide another job with this one will not work either." Fleurette finished and slowly looked up at Erik. He sat with a contemplating look and nodded slowly. "Felix says he shall help out where he can...which I guess is something." Fleurette added while reaching down and putting the candle out with her thumb and forefinger.

"Would you leave immediately?"

"I do not want to leave at all!" Fleurette exclaimed while putting the candle beside her and then standing up and switching to sit beside him. "How can I leave?" She questioned while taking a hold of his hands tightly and leaning her head against them.

"You can leave quite easily."

"But I cannot leave you with ease." Her muffled voice said quietly. Slowly she looked up at him and shook her head. "How could I?" Her question was met with silence, nodding slowly, Erik managed to get one of his hands free from her grasp. Putting it against her cheek he shook his head and looked towards the dark lake before them. Without needing to say anything, Fleurette gathered that Erik didn't want her to leave either. She didn't really have any intentions of leaving, she was dearly hoping something would appear which would allow her and her sister to stay on.

——

The next few days were busy ones for the sisters. It involved writing numerous letters to people and then dress shopping because it became increasingly obvious neither of them really had a dress to wear. Fleurette had mentioned about wearing the dresses they'd worn to their mother's funeral. But this suggestion was met with pointless excuses from Eleanor. It seemed to be that Eleanor wished to go dress shopping despite it not being for a happy occasion. What money that their father had left over was spent on his funeral and on their clothes.