Falling Grace

Prologue

"Miss. Cherie, you have 10 minutes left before your performance." Margaret knocks the door as Cherie keeps staring at the music box.

  "Do you hear me?" She comes forward, looking at her through the mirror.

   "Yes, Madame Margaret," she said while closing her eyes, putting back her music box. She walked past the door and moved towards the back stage of Palais Garnier, the most famous theatre in France.

   Today is a big day, she is going to perform in front of many people with a famous background. She feels like she's too young to have an experience like this, since she always begged her mother to let her perform ballet back then when she was eight. She tried to not look like she's nervous even though it's not the first time  she danced in front of mang people. She promises herself to not disappoint everyone or else she will get punished.

   She does a little stretching while looking at her other teammates doing their dance.

   "Remember Cherie, always correct you body posture every time you do the twirling things. Keep smiling and don''t get nervous. That's all, good luck." Margaret patted on Cherie's shoulder twice.

   It's her turn now. She did whatever Margaret said. Smiling to all the audience while she does her solo. There's another dancer who spins around her and makes a shape like a flower. And then, they ran to the back stage and left Cherie alone to let her do her solo.

   As she keeps dancing, she accidentally makes eye contact with one of the audience. One second before she breaks their eye contact. Why does she feel nervous right now? Sweat dripped on her forehead and she just ignored it. She saw Lydia, her mother looking at her with no reaction. Oh god, did she just make a mistake? She continued smiling to let her nervousness go away. She did the Temps Levé move around the stage and a Pirouette until the song finished. Everyone clapped their hands as she bowed and ran to the back stage where every dancer was supposed to go after the performance.

   "Great performance, Cherie!"

   "You look so gorgeous on stage, babe!"

  Everyone keeps congratulating her as her 'not first' big performance. Margaret hands her a bottle of water, she drinks like she is thirsty to death. Remembering the light of his green eyes when he looks at her.

   "I am very proud of your achievement, Cherie! After this, I'm gonna put you on the stage with the main role. I know you're gonna love it!" Margaret's little jumps make her giggle.

   After the performance, she went back to her changing room. She sat on a chair and looked at the mirror. Right now, she was staring at herself through the mirror, touching her face and imagining that he's the one who touches her face. Wake up, Cherie. Forget those eyes!

   She left the changing room and met her parents, they were talking to someone who looked older like her father itself.

   "Cherie, glad you're here right now. Introducing one of the most rich millionaires from Greece plus my business partner. Mr. Chrysanthos, meet my beloved daughter, Cherie Estelle Auclaire." Cherie's father introduced her.

   "Nice to meet you, Miss. Auclaire. What a great performance!" He shakes Cherie's hands.

  "Thank you, Mr. Chrysanthos. I'm glad that you like it," she said honestly.

   "Oh Lydia. I've never thought your daughter would be this beautiful!" It's Mr. Chrysanthos's wife. All she could say was she got mesmerised by Cherie's beauty.

  "I know, just look at her mother." Lydia and Mrs. Chrysanthos laughed.

   She saw someone walking towards them right after the Mr. Chrysanthos's wife came to them. Oh god, that's the guy with green eyes! He shakes his hands with Mr. Auclaire. How can he look so mature and handsome at the same time?