Porcelain

42

The opera house burned and Eleanor sat collapsed on the pavement, Felix was beside her trying to console her. Of what little use it was, Eleanor just kept trying to get in the building to find her sister. She also kept saying the odd comment about Fleurette coming out, and that they were going to go home and have a good long catch up chat. Felix was at a loss, from his vantage point beside her he could see into the opera house. The foyer was ablaze, the curtains and carpet burned and was blackened. The paintings which hung to the walls crinkled and the frames caught fire which led to the walls catching alight, if they weren't already.

Meg and the performers stood behind her all eyeing up the building. There hadn't been many people to burst through the flames and out of the door. A few had, Madame Giry and the dancer group were just a handful of people. Meg had quickly got questioned what happened by her mother. Meg had said how they were sitting joking about when someone had commented that the lighting inside was a little off. This comment was proceeded by someone plucking a candle off from the wall and lighting it.

The person at fault then thought it would be a good idea to have a bottle as a candlestick and went to put the candle in the place where the cork should rightfully be. Only no one was expecting the person to trip over their own feet, face careering off of the seat and in turn dropped the lit candle and bottle in the seat. It was an idiotic accident which had horrible consequences. Madame Giry was at a loss, she was actually speechless. For once there was not a comment which sprung to her mind which she could voice.

Hearing hoofbeats and exclaiming voices, the group turned and looked towards a horse drawn cart. No sooner had the horse and the cart drawn near did men jump down and run towards the building. One man ushered them away as his comrades ran into the building, there was a thin tube which lead from the doorway and from the direction where the men had ran in. There was an odd pushing and pumping noise which came from the side, Eleanor, who by now had got picked up by Felix, eyed up the cart and the strange looking item which sat on it. The horses shook their heads obviously not taking too kindly to being near to the smoke and heat of the fire which blazed by their sides.

Two men stood near the odd item which looked like a big urn and pushed on a lever which was on top of the urn like item, by now a small crowd had ventured out from the surrounding buildings. All eyes were aimed at the burning opera house, the hushed voices of the people around them was enough to cause the survivors of the fire to shift uneasily. Eleanor shook her head slowly and walked away. She couldn't stand there and watch anymore. She wasn't accepting the obvious truth, she wasn't in denial over the fact that her sister could be dead. She just didn't want to stand there anymore.

The fire and smoke, the performer group, the level curious gazes of the firemen and spectators were too much to deal with. Felix turned and walked after her, he wasn't leaving her on her own. The two pushed past some people who were rushing to see what the ruckus was about. Turning into an alleyway they stood in silence, Eleanor had no words, and Felix wasn't going to press her for a conversation.

Putting his hands on her shoulders he pulled her close, Eleanor clung to him tightly and cried. Away from prying eyes the pressure of everything had finally mounted up in the matter of minutes. Hearing coughing, Eleanor perked up and ventured further down the alleyway. Felix held onto her wrist to stop her, but Eleanor being Eleanor shook her hand free and continued on her way. Turning the corner she gasped and put her hands over her mouth.

A set of tired green eyes flicked in her direction, and a set of blue green eyes looked at her squarely. One female, and one male. Eleanor got over her initial shock and pulled her sister close to her. She shut her eyes as tightly as she could and squeezed Fleurette. When she next opened her eyes the man which was with her sister had gone. Eleanor's eyes skimmed over the dimness of the alleyway, he wasn't anywhere.