Chapter Text
The sound of iron on cobblestone was all that could be heard as Eleanor arrived at the Palais Garnier. Anticipating the arrival of her newest ballerina, Madame Giry was waiting for her at the front steps of the opera house. Collecting her bags from the coachman, Eleanor looked around, nervously surveying the place she was to call home for the next several years. Her anxious thoughts were interrupted by the tap of Madame Giry’s cane.
“My dear,” Giry said, “Welcome to the Palais Garnier.”
“Thank you, Madame,” Eleanor replied, fidgeting with her hands.
Nodding her approval at Eleanor’s response, she continued, “I hope you will find your new life here fulfilling. I cannot say it will be fun, it will be hard work, and there is a lot of learning to be done for you. However, I can guarantee that you will find yourself at home here.”
“I am sure of it, Madame. And as for hard work, I can assure you I had anticipated this and am prepared to put in the work to stay here,” Eleanor replied.
Giry nodded once more and escorted the girl silently up the steps of the opera house. When they reached the foyer, Giry explained to her where each door led and which paths she would be allowed to walk through to get to other parts of the theater.
Eleanor took this in most attentively, making mental notes of which doors she was allowed to use and which she was not. She loathed getting in trouble and aimed to stay out of it as much as possible. She could only hope that she would stay out of people's way and silently exist within the opera house.
Madame Giry took her through several more corridors, showing her the kitchens, the main stage, the ballet room, and several staircases. Eleanor tried her best to keep up, making a mental map of her surroundings. By the fourth identical hallway, she had accepted that she would most definitely get lost at least once and have to ask for help. They arrived at the ballet dormitories, and Madame Giry paused once again to speak.
“You may leave your things here. There is a bed prepared for you in the far right corner. Do not unpack, I have a few more rooms to show you before I leave you to settle in.”
Eleanor nodded, bringing her bags to the back corner of the room and leaving them by her bed. She quickly examined her bed, noticing how clean and neat it looked. Having sleep to look forward to, she rushed back to Madame Giry, eager to finish the tour.
Madame Giry led her through two more corridors that weren’t far from the ballet dormitories. One of these, Madame Giry explained, contained storage and old costumes that she was by no means allowed to play in. She explained that girls from the ballet were often caught in these rooms and were punished for it.
Walking down the second corridor, they passed another staircase that led down. Eleanor was about to ask where it led before Madame Giry explained that no one was allowed down it. She said it was dangerous as there was a lake under the opera house where several people had drowned. This frightened Eleanor enough that she had no wish to ever go down that staircase. Stopping at the end of the corridor, Madame Giry pointed to a door with a cross over it.
“This is the chapel. You will find a quiet space there if you ever need to pray. This concludes the tour. If you have any further questions or feel lost, please don't hesitate to ask me at any time. I understand this opera house is rather large, and it is easy to get lost if you don’t know it well. I will leave you now. Do you need me to escort you back to the ballet dormitories?”
“No, Madame, I can find my way back. I wish to light a candle for my brother.” Eleanor replied.
“Very well, you are expected to be awake and dressed by 7 am for breakfast. We will begin rehearsals at 8 am. I will see you tomorrow morning.”
With that, Madame Giry left her alone at the chapel. Eleanor entered, happy to have a moment to herself. She sat, lighting a candle for her brother Edmund before praying for him. Her dear Edmund, whom she left with their aunt and uncle to be here. She sat in silence a little longer before a voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Who are you?”
Startled, Eleanor stood, looking around with a frightened expression. The voice was that of a boy, no more than Eleanor’s age.
“Monsieur?” She said.
The voice only repeated, “Who are you?”
Gaining confidence, Eleanor replied to the voice, “I could ask you the same thing. Who are you?”
The voice replied, “I am a ghost. Who are you?”
“That’s silly, you’re no ghost, for ghosts don’t know they’re ghosts. So I ask again, who are you?”
The voice was silent for a moment, contemplative, before replying, “I asked you first.”
Eleanor huffed, rather annoyed at this joke, “Fine, if you must know, my name is Eleanor. This is a cruel joke, sir. Show yourself.”
“I will reveal myself to you if you answer this. Why are you here? I haven’t seen you before,” the voice replied.
Still annoyed but a little intrigued, Eleanor answered, “I am here as a new ballerina. One of the current dancers saw me dance at a small, local showcase and recommended me. I was quick to take the opportunity. I’m an orphan, you see, and my aunt and uncle were eager to be rid of me. Now, reveal yourself as you have promised.”
“I made no such promise, but I suppose I shall keep my word. That is very sad, by the way. Your story,” as he said this, a latch on the stained glass opened, and a boy no older than sixteen or seventeen stepped through and into the chapel.
He was dressed rather nicely, but something struck Eleanor as peculiar. The boy wore a white mask over the right side of his face. It was none of her concern, so she didn’t ask him about it, but curiosity lingered in the back of her mind.
Eleanor’s face was astonished but quickly turned to annoyance. “That was very rude of you to try to trick me into believing you were a ghost.”
“I apologize, mademoiselle. Allow me to make amends.”
She thought for a second before replying, “I suppose I could forgive you if you told me your name.”
“My name is Erik,” he inclined his head in greeting.
Erik sat down behind her on one of the pews and gestured for her to join him. She sat down beside him at a small distance, still wary of this strange boy from inside the walls.
“I am sorry about your parents. I know what it’s like. Is that who you lit a candle for?” Erik continued the conversation.
“No, I lit a candle for my brother, Edmund. He is still with my aunt and uncle. I care very much for him and I worry about his safety and happiness.”
“Will you write to him?”
“Indeed, but until I hear from him, I shall be very worried.”
“There is no need to worry if you expect to hear from him. You are very lucky to be so close with your brother. I always wish I had siblings.”
With this, Erik looked away sadly, and you felt a pang in your chest at his sorrow.
“If you have no siblings or parents, why are you here? Do you work here?”
Erik sat in contemplation a moment before replying, “Madame Giry took me in several years ago. She takes care of me, and I help, in my own way.”
“I’ve noticed that many of us here have been taken under Madame Giry’s wing. She must be very busy indeed.”
“Yes, she is. She is very kind for it, though sometimes she becomes stressed and it makes her rather irksome,” With this, Erik laughed, and Eleanor couldn’t help but laugh with him.
Eleanor looked up at him, her laugh settling into a smile.
“I think we are going to be very good friends, Erik.”