lyddietalise
Full Member
I burn the pages in my head, but the memories are so clear.
Posts: 118
|
Post by lyddietalise on Feb 18, 2012 21:24:53 GMT -5
The night took hold as Lydia wandered about the manor once more. She had still much to discover and much to learn about the place she was now forced to call home. She had seen the gardens and the dining hall. She had met strange people of strange kinds. Paranoid and afraid. Confused just as she was. To her, this place was but a death wish waiting to happen. Lest she received answers to her questions. Why were they brought here? Where exactly were they? What was to be found if they left this mysterious manor? In many ways, Lydia wished to know these answers. Just as much as she wished not to know. For knowing could lead to unwanted answers.
Silently she walked along the cold floors. Her feet were unclothed. In fact, she choose not wear shoes this late evening. The cool of the ground had numbed her quite a bit, yet the long length of her ill fitting gown kept them warm enough to survive without the need of going back for her slippers. She looked around frantically for any signs of people. At the moment, there was an urge to be left in solitude. She could not bare meeting another ill tempered man, nor could she handle meeting yet another nut case at the moment. Reaching a pair of wooden doors, she pushed one open and peeked in.
A ballroom! For once in the entire time she had been in this God forsaken place Lydia had smiled whole-heartedly. The ballroom seemed to be empty of people of all sorts. In her mind that was absolutely perfect! The ballroom was grand, lonesome, cold yet to her it was comforting. Swiftly the train of her dress swept across the floor as she walked in and twirled around slowly in order to take in the view of the entire room.
Suddenly, as though she had been hit with a bright ray of light that brought her to focus, a memory resurfaced. She heard Madame Giry's voice in her head. "To live is to dance. To dance is to forget." Her voice was as clear as day and for a moment, Lydia felt a tear form in her eyes. "Dancing..." She mumbled softly. Yes! Dancing would be her escape. At least for that one moment. Shutting her eyes tightly for a moment, Lydia inhaled deeply and let out the breath softly. Before trying to recite the last ballet she had performed before waking here. Here feet gracefully tread across the floor, her dress flowing about her, but suddenly her mind hit a road block. She could not remember the next step and nearly twisted her ankle, falling to her knees and frowning. Her ankle was fine, but her pride flew right out the window in that moment. At that time she felt lucky no one was around. Or so she thought.
|
|
Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
|
Post by Erik Lenoir on Feb 24, 2012 18:48:39 GMT -5
Erik continued on his exploration of the strange mansion. Walking quietly, almost as imperceptably as a cat, he found his way to a corridor which led up to heavily carved dark wooden doors. He could hear nothing from the interior. He pushed on one of the doors and it opened silently. He entered the immense room and the door quietly closed behind him.
It was a ballroom which had once been grand. In his mind's eye, he could see the hoards of people talking, the music rising up to a crescendo and happy couples dancing. If that had truly been the case, he would have taken to his heel and left immediately, for crowds were something that Erik despised.
Instead, the ballroom was empty of everyone, save a lone woman, a young woman dancing. by herself... The woman's long dark curly hair flowed out behind her as she moved. She appeared to be unaware of Erik's presence and he continued to watch her, with quite a bit of appreciation.
Erik did not want to break the spell of her dancing and so carefully inched his way closer without making a sound. She continued to silently dance. But suddenly she faltered and made a seemingly wrong move and twisting her ankle, fell to her knees.
Not wanting to startle the young woman, still, he came closer to help her up. "Are you all right, Madamoiselle?" he said, bending over and offering his hand to her...
|
|
lyddietalise
Full Member
I burn the pages in my head, but the memories are so clear.
Posts: 118
|
Post by lyddietalise on Feb 24, 2012 23:22:35 GMT -5
When a voice was heard, she jumped and immediately gazed up in the direction of which the voice had echoed. Her hand clutched her chest tightly and she nearly had a heart attack hearing someone from behind her. "H-How long have you been watching, señor?" She asked in a slight accent that sounded like a mix of Spanish and French together as she avoided his question. Her hazel eyes peered at the hand that was offered in front of her, she gazed up at the man who seemed kind enough to help her. That was something she had not seen in this dreadful place.
For a moment she hesitated before reaching for his hand to allow him to assist her in getting up. Her hands were rather rough for a woman's pair of hands and she felt self-conscious when it came to someone taking her hand. But immediately as she stood on her feet, she placed her hand back to her side. Her ankle throbbed as she stood but it was not injured, thankfully. She could tell because the last time she had twisted her ankle, Madame Giry had had to have one of the men carry her to the dormitories.
She took a slight step back for her own safety and tried to keep calm as she gazed at the stranger before her. He was a bit odd as she had never seen such a man before. The mask was what scared her most. What had he to hide? In some ways, she was curious but in other's she was only curious of what such a man was doing there, watching her in the middle of the night. "Who are you?" Her voice shook slightly.
Though her voice faltered, her face remained confident and poised as though she were looking for answers for unanswered questions. Did he know the answers? Was he the reason she was here? Had this all been a part of a master plan with which he planned to keep her and the other's she'd met locked away forever? The thoughts frightened her, yet her fear remained interior. She could not be like Christine. For all she knew, this man could have been just as innocent.
|
|
Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
|
Post by Erik Lenoir on Feb 25, 2012 15:30:02 GMT -5
Offering his hand, Erik helped the young woman up. "Are you hurt, Madamoiselle?" he repeated. "You had better sit and rest that ankle for a moment. It looks as though you've twisted it." He nodded to the wooden stage, where steps led up to the main platform. "Do you need some help; can you walk all right?"
"And I'm sorry, I should introduce myself. Erik Lenoir. Before you ask me what I'm doing here, I shall answer it for you...I have no idea what I'm doing here. And I am trying to find out some information. Do you live here? Erik noticed her slight Spanish accent when she spoke and the fact that she called him "Señor" made him think her a Spaniard. He also noticed that her voice was shaking.
"I certainly did not mean to intrude. I often observe people without them knowing. No harm intended. I was just watching you dance for a few moments. Very lovely. Are you a professional dancer? In a corps de ballet by any chance?" He paused, vauguely wondering why he was so talkative since coming to this strange place. "I really did not mean to frighten you..." Erik's voice was soft and gentle. He knew that the mask often frightened people or at least made them wonder, but it was better than seeing what was underneath. The only ones not afraid of him were those he had mesmerized...
Erik shook himself back to the present. "May I ask your name, Señorita? Perhaps you can shed some light on this place...I don't know how long I've been here...not long I think...I don't know why, where or how...it's ridiculous...I've always been in complete control..." Erik put his hand to his left temple. He felt terribly frustrated.
|
|
lyddietalise
Full Member
I burn the pages in my head, but the memories are so clear.
Posts: 118
|
Post by lyddietalise on Feb 25, 2012 18:17:36 GMT -5
She shook her head in response to his question. She felt fine, though her ankle throbbed, she felt it had been better to walk off the injury than act as though it were worse than it truly were. Turning her head in the direction he had nodded, she saw the stage and the small steps. "I'm alright, I'm alright." Lydia was rather stubborn when the time came to accept help. She could not help but try to seem as though nothing was wrong. Accepting help from a stranger or anyone at all made her feel weak and unhelpful. She was not the average woman. She was strong, at least in her own mind.
The moment he introduced himself to her, she nodded slowly but as he continued on to say that he had not a clue as to what it was he was doing in such a place, she frowned. Yet another person who was just an innocent bystander in a place that had no explanation what so ever. Again, she shook her head and nodded at the same time, her face had gone a bit pale at the thought that no one had any answers. "I..I live here yes...But I haven't for long. In fact, I have absolutely no idea as to how I cam about this place." She mumbled softly. Trying to keep calm, her head lifted with confidence and her eyes were fierce. Lydia did not allow herself to show fear very easily.
"Oh no, it's alright. I suppose I should have suspected that this would happen. There are a couple other's about this God forsaken place..." She sighed heavily in order to stop from becoming frustrated. His question about her dancing had caught her off guard. She swallowed the small lump in her throat and looked about the room for a quick moment before walking to the best of her ability toward the steps of the stage, speaking as she walked. "Oui, señor." She said in a mix of French and Spanish. "I'm a part of the corps de ballet at the Paris Opera House. Or...was..." Lydia raised the skirt of her dress only slightly to examine her ankle.
But again the man who was named Erik spoke up and she lowered the skirt before looking up at him curiously. "My name is Lydia." She said with a heavy sigh. "Lydia Constanzi. But..I am afraid that I can not tell you much of this place. I've only recently found myself here. I have no recollection as to how I came here. One moment I had been wandering a passage I had found in the opera and the next I was walking toward a dinning hall...here." Her eyes went from frustration to worry as she began to wonder who knew, if anyone at all, what this place was and how she had gotten here.
|
|
Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
|
Post by Erik Lenoir on Feb 25, 2012 22:15:17 GMT -5
Erik's curiosity was piqued again as the young woman named Lydia said she had no idea how she had arrived at this strange mansion. But more than his curiosity, his sense of frustration was turning into anger. If Lydia had not been there he would have allowed his anger full reign, but as it was, he did not wish to frighten her. He closed his eyes momentarily and forced himself to take several deep breaths.
"I'm glad you haven't hurt yourself. Now tell me, who have you met in this place and what have they told you? Any piece of information could be crucial to our being able to escape this ....place. If you can tell me who it is that you have met... It could be important..."
"All that I can tell you," Erik went on, " is that I was in a passageway underneath the opera house, more that five cellars below. I fell into an exhausted sleep. When I awoke, I seemed to be in the same passageway, but oddly, it led to this place. The library, to be exact. I doubt that anyone has been in that place for many a year. The books were crumbling underneath my fingers...."
One after another, thoughts flew about in his brain... Erik looked at Lydia closely. "The Paris Opera House you say? I know nigh on everyone in the corps de ballet at the opera house...I don't recall seeing you...but no matter." He paused. "You say there's a dining hall ...here? But I suppose it's broken down and dusty and of no use to us...I don't require much food, but on occasion..." Erik looked at Lydia and did not want to speak his thoughts, which were: " we shall probably all eventually perish for lack of food and water..."
|
|
lyddietalise
Full Member
I burn the pages in my head, but the memories are so clear.
Posts: 118
|
Post by lyddietalise on Feb 27, 2012 10:15:36 GMT -5
Unable to let her eyes fall from the man near her, she tried ever-so-hard not to stare but found it rather difficult. He was...intriguing, after all. Not knowing much about him, she was rather nervous. For all she knew he could have been an ax murderer though she knew she could not comment on such a thing as that idea, being who she was. Lowering her gaze to her lap a few moments later she tried to piece together ideas of how to find out how they came about this place and the only piece of information that stuck in her mind was the ghost Christine Ellen had mentioned.
"I-..." She was just about to answer the first of his newest question when he continued on. For a moment, she thought she could not bare to hear yet another story of how one had just..found their way into such a place in the oddest of circumstances. That only meant there were still unanswered questions and unknown mysteries of this place. If she knew any better, she thought that this would only mean there would be no answers.
Yet there it was. His words plagued her mind as she frowned in discontent. She looked up at him the moment he had finished explaining his arrival to the God forsaken place they now were forced to stay in. "I can not tell you much...I have met so few people. A Christine Ellen, señor. Who seemed to mention a ghost she had seen and a rather rude man..." She shuttered at her first memory of this place. The man had nearly kidnapped her that afternoon. "b-by the name of Alexander." Now uncomfortable in her own skin, Lydia stood from the stair well of the stage to leave this ballroom when he had mentioned not seeing her. 'Of course you haven't.' She thought to herself.
"No, I figure you have not. I often...keep to myself." Her answer was rather slow but honest. She did not like her co-workers, after all, they were gossipers and giddy little things. She was nothing like them. But she enjoyed her art and did what she had to, to dance. When he asked of the dinning hall, she nodded slowly. "There is a dinning hall, though it seemed rather equipped...I have heard that there is a village...nearby..." She mumbled. It was true, she had heard one night as she was wandering about this place. A soft, eerie voice had mentioned the village. "I suppose it would be possible to supply the dining hall with food. Though I would not trust a hope. I have no recollection of who told me..or what...But if there is a village, perhaps it is a way out?"
|
|
Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
|
Post by Erik Lenoir on Feb 28, 2012 20:21:49 GMT -5
"Yes, I have met Christine Ellen also." He frowned. Christine Ellen, the girl who was not at all like his Christine but, strangely enough, very much like her. The contradiction both confused and fascinated him. "A lovely girl, indeed. I have not met this Alexander you speak of...a rude fellow? And Christine also told me she saw a ghost. I know such things do not exist, but in this odd place, perhaps there could be something with the appearance of a ghost, I suppose."
Erik looked carefully at Lydia. He knew absolutely that he had never met her before. Why, therefore did she claim to be in the corps de ballet at the opera house, when he knew everyone in the entire opera house, the actors, the singers, the corps de ballet, the chorus, the stage hands, the directors, the managers, those who managed the costumes and makeup. Of course he knew them. No one could work at the opera house without his approval.
"Of course, Señorita, I would not expect you to know me. I run the opera house. It is my opera house, you know," he stated rather arrogantly. "I stay behind the scenes, but nothing happens there without my approval..." He looked at her again and knew that he would have given his whole-hearted approval to her dancing, had she truly danced at the Populaire. However, he had never seen her until he had walked into the ballroom...
Then Lydia said something that caused a ray of hope to form in Erik's mind. A village, Lydia said...
"A village, Señorita?" Then there must be a way out indeed! "A village?" he repeated. His eyes opened wider and he allowed himself just a bit of excitement and enthusiasm. It was refreshing after all the melancholy and depressive incidents he had been through in his earlier life, that is the life before coming here. "Then...we must be able to escape from this place!"
|
|
lyddietalise
Full Member
I burn the pages in my head, but the memories are so clear.
Posts: 118
|
Post by lyddietalise on Feb 29, 2012 23:10:37 GMT -5
She watched his reaction to her reply and beamed a bit at the mention of having met Christine Ellen, as well. She had not been seeing things after all! For a while she had thought that seeing Christine was merely a random image of her own insanity. At the mention of Alexander she nodded and once more shuttered. "Yes! I did not believe her either for I have not seen such a thing as a ghost in this place."
Watching him study her, she frowned. The thought of someone observing her as though she were not a part of the same species made her uncomfortable, yet she did not voice her opinion as she had with Alexander. Lydia often spoke her mind but he did not seem rude and therefore had no need to do such a thing on a whim. To preoccupy her discomfort, she looked away if only for a moment.
But as he spoke again in an arrogant tone about "his" opera house her eyes peered up at him. "Your opera house?" She mumbled. Somehow she did not wish to argue with that, but she could not stop from questioning. He had not seen her at the opera house? If he had run the opera house then he had to have known she worked there, yet somehow it seemed he had no idea. She frowned and once more looked away from the man before her.
She could not tell where she had heard the voice tell her such a thing or if it had been her mind. What if it was all a lie? A trap? She did not wish to lead someone into a trap such as that.
"Oui...But I am not sure. I have not been told by the other's that there is such a place." She saw the sudden excitement on his face and had realized how stupid she had been for attempting to bring hope to this place. "Oh please, señor! Do not trust a hope...We do not know what could be out there, if anything at all is to rest outside of this place..." Her voice was oddly concerned. Not only for the stranger she had just met, but for herself and those she had met during her arrival.
|
|
Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
|
Post by Erik Lenoir on Mar 1, 2012 20:52:19 GMT -5
Erik sat down on the edge of the stage. and closed his eyes momentarily, rubbing his let temple with his hand. He struggled to make sense of the illogical. This place was so confusing ... it went against everything that made a shred of sense to him.
Erik hadn't meant to upset Lydia, by his excitement at her mention of a village. A village meant that there was something existing in this strange place besides this odd house where time seemed not to exist and people appeared out of nowhere. He could only hope to either find his own way out or discover someone who could show him the way...
He had begun to wonder about time. Time was moving strangely. It didn't seem linear any more, if that made any sense. All he could think of was an overwhelming urge to find out what was going on and escape this nightmare.
Erik had almost forgotten that Lydia was there. He opened his eyes and smiled. "Please, Señorita, don't be concerned. If there is nothing out there beyond these walls, then that is our sad fate. But I refuse to give up hope unless we truly know that there is nothing more." Erik grew solemn. I have lived through so many strange occurrances that I shan't give up thinking that there is a logical explanation. I know there must be. But..we won't know, will we, unless we investigate. Did you wish to come with me and look for a way out? Which way did you come from when you entered this room... I believe there is much more of this odd place to explore."
|
|
lyddietalise
Full Member
I burn the pages in my head, but the memories are so clear.
Posts: 118
|
Post by lyddietalise on Mar 3, 2012 12:36:08 GMT -5
Keeping a close eye on Erik, she could see the frustration and felt awful for bringing down the excitement he once had. She was nervously looking about, thinking if it would truly be so bad as to take a chance and see if anything was out there. Lydia never was the type to let fear get to her, but in these times she couldn't help it.
Now it felt as though Lydia knew not who she was. No longer did she feel safe and easily intimidating to those around her. But she wished to be that way again. Holding her head high, her eyes becoming fierce and ready, she knew she could forget the fear. She would get passed it and find a way out. Erik seemed intent on finding one, perhaps this would not be so bad of an idea if she were to go with someone else, rather than alone.
Her gaze moved from the masked man before her to the rest of the ballroom. She was able to see the beauty and elegance this place once had and the idea made her smile. Lydia was always interested in an eerie sort of elegance. The ballroom had that. It seemed eerie due to the absence of people yet elegant when really taking in its beauty.
When Erik spoke up once more, she shook out of her thoughts and turned her head toward him. He was smiling which in a way relieved her but also frightened her a bit. She could not understand. He had gone from frustration to smiling? Perhaps he wished to comfort her discomfort in that moment. She nodded at his words. "I-..." Debating with herself, she could hear her head say no but her heart wanted to find a way out. She did not wish to stay here for the rest of her days, which would be short lived if there was nothing about. "Yes. I would rather look for a way out than stay here, monsieur." She looked around and find the grand entrance. The large wooden doors were closed, giving the room much more space. "There." She pointed at the entrance and gave a small polite smile.
|
|
Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
|
Post by Erik Lenoir on Mar 4, 2012 18:35:39 GMT -5
Erik was aware that this lovely, and seemingly self-sufficient woman had mixed feelings toward him. He felt a bit of reluctance on her part to trust him, and no wonder. He wore a mask, which seemed to signify he was hiding something. Certainly he was hiding something, his hideous face. But many took it to have a different significance, seeing the mask as a symbol of deceit perhaps? Hiding his feelings? Hiding his personality? Hiding an evil secret? Of course he had several of those.
But Erik had no wish to frighten anyone. He wanted to find out as much as possible about this place and therefore any alliance that could be formed would be exceedingly helpful to all persons involved.
Another thing that often unnerved the few people that met Erik was his fleeting moods. They came and went as the clouds covering the sun fled from the sky on a warm breezy summer day and then came back again just as quickly as the summer rains.
Lydia, to Erik, seemed a strong woman, one not intimidated by his strange looks. But she certainly did not intimidate him either. She seemed intelligent and one who would be able to think quickly in a crisis. He hoped that he was correct.
Erik stood up and faced her. "Señorita," he said, "if we are to find a way out, and find a village, perhaps as you said, there my be strange things waiting for us. Are you up to that? You must be, for your only choices will be to stay here or to come with me and see what we can find." He said the last in a quiet, gentle voice, wanting her to feel confidence and trust in him. "The mansion awaits us," he said in, a hint of a smile playing at the end of his odd looking lips.
|
|
lyddietalise
Full Member
I burn the pages in my head, but the memories are so clear.
Posts: 118
|
Post by lyddietalise on Mar 6, 2012 20:18:52 GMT -5
Her mind wandered for a quick instance to the idea that perhaps this was a trap. What if this man had planned all of this? After all, she had no reason to trust in anyone. She was in a strange place and living with a bunch a strangers. She didn't know who to trust or what was in where. For all she knew anyone could be in on the plot that brought them here. Suddenly it dawned on her.
"Erik?" She began in a soft, rather distant voice. The way she rolled the 'r' made his name sound much more exotic than perhaps it was supposed to. "...Christine Ellen mentioned ghost's...you don't think that...if there are any ghosts...perhaps they would know...how we got here?"
She cautiously kept her gaze away from him to stop from staring for all she could hear in her mind was her mother's voice telling her how disrespectful it was. She had not known her mother for very long. Five years, was not enough to truly know ones mother but anytime she had done something remotely wrong she would hear her mother in her head.
But, as it would anyone, her curiosity of the masked man she had just met seemed to grow. She was curious as to what mysteries were hidden beneath it. She wondered why he wore such a piece of clothing but dared not ask. What he chose to wear was his business. As she wanted now was to truly know if there was a way out.
The moment he stood and faced her, her eyes became fierce and concentrated on the task ahead but to her, it seemed as though Erik was trying to convince her to continue on. She would have no matter if he had tried to convince her or not, but if it hadn't been for Erik's words she would have been much more unnerved. "I can handle it." She replied confidently though a hint of uncertainty mixed in her voice.
|
|
Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
|
Post by Erik Lenoir on Mar 6, 2012 21:34:03 GMT -5
"Here we are back to ghosts again," Erik muttered under his breath. Then he smiled again. "You and Christine Ellen seem to have a bit of an obsession with ghosts...it's all right, just a bit odd to me, as you see I don't believe in ghosts. However, I do believe that there may be something to it, considering that the both of you seem convinced. I just can't imagine what it may be. Can you show me where these unlovely apparitions may make their home so that we may speak to them?" Erik realized his words sounded as if he were making fun of her, which he really wasn't. He tended to be a bit rude and sarcastic at times and his words hadn't sounded nice. He tried to smooth things over. This woman seemed to have fiery eyes and perhaps, he speculated, a temper to match. If he was going to get along, he must watch his words.
"Señorita, I am being a bit rude. Forgive me, for I am a man who has lived apart from others for many years and my manner can be brusque. I apologise if I have been rude." Erik noted that when she looked at him her eyes darted up to his mask. He wasn't about to reveal his horrific secret, for it had made others scream and flee from him, but nonetheless, curiosity about the mask could be unnerving. There was never anything he could say about it, as an explanation, that sounded reasonable. It was not exactly a fashionable piece of clothing, He decided to avoid any mention of the mask, as he usually did, and he hoped that Lydia would not bring it up.
"I would say, that your idea of trying to find some of these ghosts might be a fruitful venture to engage upon. Where shall we start?"
|
|
lyddietalise
Full Member
I burn the pages in my head, but the memories are so clear.
Posts: 118
|
Post by lyddietalise on Mar 6, 2012 21:51:16 GMT -5
Offended by the way he had said she had an obsession with ghosts she immediately glared at him. "Obsession?!" She exclaimed. Lydia was not obsessed. In fact, she had not believed Christine Ellen at all. But it was an idea! Perhaps Christine Ellen had seen a ghost? What then? Her nostrils flared with anger yet she quickly calmed herself down. "Señor, I do believe you are mistaken. I have no obsession with ghosts. It was merely a suggestion to test what she saw. Perhaps there would be answers." Her tone was that of frustration and confidence but she tried to stay calm.
Soon she noticed that he had apologized and her anger calmed quite a bit. "All is forgiven, señor. No need to worry. I understand, truly I do. I've avoided people up until my arrival to this....place..." Her eyes still fiery with stubborn confidence, she looked away and towards the exit. If they were to truly find a way out it was best they did so soon. After all, anything could happen in the little time they wandered about or gossiped amongst each other.
Her lips pursed and brow furrowed in thought. Where was there to start? "Perhaps retrace our steps? See if we find new rooms we have not discovered. There is bound to be something around..."
|
|