Why Have You Brought Me Here?

Chapter 3: Loose Ties and Feeble Lies

Hey people!!! Thank you to all of you who have been reading this story since the beginning :) I'm really getting into this plot, and i hope many of you are as well. As always, leave your comments/ideas on this chapter, vote, and fan me. I'll return the favor.

Enjoy :)

Sincerely,

SarahoftheOpera

----------~~@-----------~~@------------~~@-------------~~@--------------~~@------------~~@

Chapter 3: Loose Ties and Feeble Lies

                Looking outside the carriage window I noticed a pale-skinned, blonde-haired woman approaching the caravan. I only guessed that this lady was Meg Giry, my new guardian. She motioned her stealthy hand to the driver in an attempt for him to open my door. As he gestured his hand toward mine, my eyes locked onto hers and, for the first time, since my mother's death, I felt peace. She was an extension of my mother, it seemed.  

                She replied to my awkward grin with a sympathetic smile of her own. This smile left trails upon her cheek and filled in the gaps where her laugh lines resided; and on her face was a wondrous bewilderment. Had she known who I was? I thanked the driver and he left Meg and me standing in front of the Opera house, awkward and silent. She finally broke the silence with a brief giggle and casually grabbed my hand.

                "Hello, my dear. You must be Christine's daughter, June." "Juniper, actually." No one had called me "June" since I was a child. Meg looked confused for a second and then continued, "Ah, yes, Juniper...I just prefer nicknames. Your mother favored "June" instead of your full name." Did my mother ever speak of me to these distant relatives?

 "Oh...she spoke of me?" Meg's face looked sad for a moment as she freed my hand and slowed down her pace. Had I angered her? "You know, your mother loved you so very much. I don't have a daughter, but I can only imagine the powerful bond in which you shared with her. She often sent my mother and I photos of you and letters full of pleas for forgiveness."

                "What could she be sorry about...?" I asked as I looked hastily at my gown-my mother's gown. She was such a kind and loving lady, mother, and friend. I couldn't even imagine a world in which she hurt someone or broke someone's heart.

 "She fled from here the moment she and Raoul got married. The wedding was a secret, from us and from...him." My mind wandered swiftly as I though back to my mother's stories. "The Opera Ghost?" Meg slowly looked down at me and, seeing that I had registered her fearful expression, quickly shook her head in agony and negation.

                "No, there is no such thing as ghosts, dear. Your mother's imagination must have been rampant during her illness..." I steadied my head during her direction and retorted back. "I never said anything about my mother..."

                Maybe there was a ghost, and maybe he still had a lasting effect on anyone who came into contact with him. I still wasn't sure, but I knew that this conversation was one in which Meg wanted to avoid. So I did. I quickly changed the subject as we reached the door of the Populaire.

 "So this is the famous Opera Populaire. The exact one my mother danced and sang in?" Even though Meg nodded in agreement, I could tell that her mind was elsewhere. Was she still afraid of this Phantom, whether real or illusory?