Her Teacher

Chapter 1

The mysterious thing about love is that it can happen between any two partners, there's no agreement, no planning it just happens no matter how unlikely the circumstances.

A small girl stood in a poorly lit room at the bedside of a man, trembling as she gripped his hand. "Papa, please don't leave! I need you, I can't be alone!" Tears dropped off of her small pink cheeks and fell onto her papas shirt, staining it. A young nurse entered the room taking the small girls hand. "Come now Christine, it's time to go." The nurse led her towards the door with a comforting hand on her shoulder but froze when she heard a weak voice call out. "Christine..."
Christine tore away from the nurse, filled with hope, and held her fathers hand one again. "Papa? Can you hear me?" She squeezed his cold hand tightly. "Christine... My time here is ending and I must go. When I'm in heaven child, I will send you the angel of music and you will never be alone." Her father spoke followed by a weak cough. "I will be strong for you, i promise." But her tears betrayed her as they came pouring down once again. Her father smiled up at her cherubic face even though it looked like the action took a bit of effort and sighed. "I can rest in peace then. I love you, my daughter." His eyelids grew heavy and he let them close as he drifted into a deep sleep. "I love you too papa." Christine choked out and she allowed the nurse to escort her out of the room so she could weep away from her father. The nurse spoke to her in a hushed tone but Christine couldn't make any sense of the words, her breathing came in shallow, quick breaths and she allowed her mind to shut down.

"Christine, this is Miss Giry, she will be taking care of you from now on." Her fathers nurse smiled at her as she gently pushed Christine closer to greet her new guardian. "Hello dear, I was quite close with your father and I can assure you, you will be in good hands." She was dressed in a way that normally would have made Christine wary with her dark clothing, and a long wooden cane. But she felt somewhat at ease with the woman. She spoke in a thick French accent, and even though she appeared to have little emotion Christine felt it was there. "Hello." Christine whispered, unsmiling. The nurse frowned at the child's response, quickly apologizing to Madame Giry who was unfazed by her actions. "The girl has just lost her father. I do not expect a smile." She said sharply to the nurse. "Go and pack your things, we will be leaving soon."

The cab ride was long and silent, all the passing faces and scenery went by in a blur of colors. Christine's young mind was struggling to grasp the reality of the situation. she would never see her dear father again. She felt completely and utterly alone. After an hour, the cab pulled to a stop in front of a grand building with glorious architecture towering into the sky. "We have arrived. Welcome to the Opera House." Christine's blue eyes widened at the sight. An opera house? What could they possibly be doing here? She leaped out of the cab and had to jog to keep up with Madame Giry's long strides. The inside was even more grand than the outside. The skillful craftsmanship was something Christine had never seen before. Golden statues of elegant women lined the entrance and they looked as if they were reaching out to the sky, to God. She looked up and the ceiling was covered in a painting of small children with wings sprouting out of their backs. They were reaching towards a man riding on horseback out of the clouds. "That's where papa is." She thought, comforting herself. They continued through the entrance and Miss Giry lead her through a hallway that was much less elaborate. "The performers stay here, and you as well." There were multiple doors which Christine assumed led to the performers rooms. There was a small spiral staircase in the middle of the large room the hallway ended into. Christine could hear a woman singing warm ups as well as the tapping of dancers shoes. It was a welcome sound. She always adored the arts and was happiest when she watched her father perform on his violin. A small girl around Christine's age with bouncing blond curls came running out of a room when she saw Christine and her mother approach. "Hello! You must be Christine Daee! I'm Meg Giry, her daughter." She gestured to Madame Giry without looking at her. "I've been so excited to have another girl my age to play with." Meg beamed at her, her brown eyes sparkling. Christine managed a weak smile in return and remembered her manners. "It's lovely to meet you, Meg." She said softly. That seemed to be enough encouragement for Meg. She pulled Christine away from Madame Giry, and towards her room. Christine looked nervously back at Miss Giry who nodded, unsmiling in encouragement. They entered a room with two plain beds, one was scattered with sewn dolls, the walls painted white and the wooden floors worn down from being danced on constantly. It wasn't what Christine would assume the interior would look like after seeing the outside. "This is the room I share with my mother, we dance most of the day but when we aren't I get to play with my dolls." Meg took two tattered cloth dolls from off of her bed and handed one to Christine. "I've always played alone until now." She smiled brightly at Christine who stared at the doll in her hand. "I.. I've never played with a doll before." Christine admitted shyly. "Oh it's easy! I'll show you." Meg Girly came across as a spunky, bubbly young girl and Christine found it refreshing after being around the stiff nurses for so long. She felt much more at ease.

The girls spent the next hour playing with the dolls until Miss Giry entered the room. "I'm glad you're having fun girls, but Christine has not been to her room yet." Madame Giry took Christine by the hand and helped her stand. "Awe, we were having so much fun!" Meg pouted at her mother. "There's always tomorrow. After practice of course. Speaking of practice, Christine, tomorrow we will start your training as a dancer." Madame Giry lead her out of the room with Meg shouting a goodbye after her. "A dancer?" Christine questioned allowed. Would she have enough grace and elegance to be a dancer? "Not to worry, child I will teach you. You will make a fine ballerina." Christine didn't entirely agree but chewed on her hair to keep silent. Madame Giry led her down through the dorms and stopped at a door. "This is your room, you are fortunate enough to not have a roommate but I do worry about you being alone considering your age. Will you be comfortable alone?" She opened the wooden door and Christine winced as it squeaked in protest. The room inside was blanketed in darkness and Madame Giry strode in confidently and lit a gas lamp, shedding light on the bedroom. There was a small bed against the cream colored wall, covered in plain white sheets and next to the bed was a large floor length mirror. On the other side of a room sat a small wooden desk with a chair. "Yes, I'm fine with being alone." Christine whispered quietly, remembering the solitude she often had to endure while her father worked trying to make enough to get by. Being a single father was never easy for him and he had to put his dreams of being a well known violinist aside to take care of Christine, who would always be grateful for her fathers sacrifices. "Then make yourself comfortable. I'll bring your belongings in a moment." She left, closing the door behind her. Once she was alone her thoughts came crashing down on her, the grief nearly knocking her to the floor. Without meg's warm presence or Miss Giry's protective aura, she truly felt alone again.

Authors note: I'm really excited to start this story because I'm truly obsessed with the phantom of the opera so hopefully I'll stay motivated enough to finish it. Please give this story a chance and hopefully you'll enjoy it. Any comments or criticism would be appreciated. :)