Could it be? Is it actually an UPDATE?

Sorry about how long this took, but I've suffered from a terrible bout of writer's block. So sorry if this chappy is short, I just wanted to get writing again.

Thanks for all of the kind reviews so far, I hope everyone hasn't given up on me.

Please review, thank you very much!

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Things did not get any better in the following days. Rehearsals began, and though I loved singing, loved how bustling and busy the Opera was as the workmen prepared the sets, the tension and hostility from the other girl's was overwhelming.

I tried not to let Therese's comments bother me, but every time I made a mistake she was the first to criticise me. She had a wicked tongue and her biting comments reduced me to tears more than once. Even though I had found a friend in Astrid, the rest of the girls all followed Therese's lead and snubbed me.

"You should not let it bother you, Beth," Astrid said one night as we walked through the cold and empty Opera House, talking. "She is just jealous of your talent."

I sighed heavily. Jealous or not, the girl was determined to make me miserable. "I just do not understand why she must be so spiteful," I said. "I have tried to be nice to her."

Astrid shrugged slightly. "She thought she would be the first of the chorus girls to get a lead part. She is jealous not only that she did not get it, but she is angry that the part went to a newcomer."

"But I have no control over what the manager wants to do," I protested.

"I know that. And Therese knows it too. She is just bitter and angry. She has always been like that," Astrid said.

"But Madame Meg is not like that," I said.

"No. Therese is just…different. She has lived in the Opera House almost her whole life, after her father died when she was just a baby."

I thought about that. I thought about Therese growing up in the Opera House, not in a home, as I had. I thought about how hard it must have been when she was young, with no children her age. It was no wonder she was bitter, but it also did not mean she had to take her anger out on me.

We walked along in silence for a while longer. We were behind the stage when I saw a stairway. "Where does that go?" I asked curiously.

Astrid shrugged. "I do not know."

"Shall we see?" I asked, as I put my foot on the first stair.

Astrid looked at me, wide-eyed. "Yes, lets!" she said, eyes gleaming with excitement.

We walked slowly up the twisting staircase, which led, at the top, to a heavy door, which locked from the inside. I twisted the lock and pushed the heavy door open.

It led to the roof.

I stepped onto the roof, looking around in awe. Astrid followed, and she gasped as she saw the view.

The roof of the Opera House looked over the city of Paris. It was late, and pitch dark, but the buildings below glowed with lights. The night was slightly overcast, but there were stars twinkling in the breaks in the clouds.

Then I saw the statue. I recognised it immediately. It was Le Victoire Ailee. I had seen pictures of the statue in the books that I had read about the Opera House.

I stood beneath the statue and smiled. "It is magnificent up here!" I said. It was a warm night, filled with the sounds of the city below us.

Astrid grinned. "I have never been up here!" she said. "It is amazing!"

I knew immediately that this would be a wonderful place to go when I needed space, needed to get away from Therese's nasty comments.

Astrid and I stayed up there for a long time, exploring the rooftop. Astrid pointed out several large buildings to me. She could not believe that I was sixteen and had never been to Paris. I laughingly asked her how often she had been to the country. She grinned. "I have not," she replied.

When we finally decided to go back in, it was quite late and most of the lights had been turned off, which I had not thought about.

We made our way carefully down the winding staircase. It was almost completely dark and eerily quiet. We made it to the bottom safely, and Astrid immediately turned to return to our room.

"Go ahead," I said. "I am just going to walk around for a bit longer."

"Are you sure? I could come with you," Astrid offered.

"No, no. Go on, I will be there shortly. I just do not want to have to see Therese just yet," I admitted.

"Are you not afraid to walk alone in the dark?" Astrid asked, eyes wide.

"Of course not," I said. "It is not as if I believe in ghosts."

Astrid smiled. "Go, then. I will see you later."

I returned her smile, then turned and walked the opposite way of the dormitories. I walked onto the stage and stood at the front of centre stage, near the footlights, and looked out at the rows and rows of empty seats, trying to imagine what it would be like to perform in front of all of those seats filled with people. I shuddered slightly at the thought. Where all the other girls in the chorus had performed in front of an audience this size, I never had, and the mere thought was enough to tie my stomach into knots. And I had a major part, no less!

I shook my head, trying to clear my negative thoughts, then glanced once more around the theatre. The box seats, draped in red velvet, the high domed ceiling, painted with blue skies and clouds. And the magnificent gaslit chandelier, dark now. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like with the theatre full of people dressed in their finest, the women in their furs, the men in silk top hats. The chandelier would be lit, the crystals sparkling. The footlights would be lit and the light would gleam off of the gold accents and statues.

I felt a flutter in my stomach and was slightly disappointed when I opened my eyes to the darkened theatre, which seemed almost sinister after my daydreams of a bustling audience, and brightly lit chandelier.

I shivered slightly and hurried off stage. I was not ready to return to the dormitories yet, so I wandered along the hallway where the private dressing rooms were. As I passed by Dressing Room number two, my mother's old dressing room, I was suddenly startled as the door swung open before me.

With a gasp I jumped back, and then gave a sigh of relief as Maria Guidicelli poked her head out of the door.

"Oh, Beth, I heard someone in the hall and thought it was Clarisse, my assistant. I sent her to the kitchen for some tea," Maria said in her heavy Italian accent.

I smiled back. "I was just going for a walk," I said. "I did not realise you were still here and you startled me. Why are you here so late?"

Maria sighed. "I am living here for now," she said. "I have only just come to France and have not found a place to live yet."

I nodded.

"Would you like to come in?" Maria asked. "Clarisse should be back soon with the tea. Would you like to join me?"

I smiled and tried to hide my excitement at being befriended by the prima donna. "Oh, yes, thank you!"

I followed Maria into the dressing room, where she motioned me to sit in a large, plush velvet chair. I sat and Maria sat on a chaise across from me.

"Tell me about yourself," Maria said. "You are quite talented for someone so young."

"Thank you," I said, blushing at her praise. "I have always loved to sing," I said. "My mother and father trained me. My mother used to sing here years ago and my father was her tutor."

We were interrupted then by Maria's assistant bringing the pot of tea. She served the tea, then excused herself to the servants quarters.

"So you come form a long line of talent I hear," Maria said.

"My mother used to be a prima donna," I said proudly.

"And with your talent you are sure to follow in her footsteps," Maria said with a smile.

"Your sister sang here, too, did she not?" I asked. "Did you see her perform?"

"No, no," Maria replied. "She sang here many years ago. Carlotta is much older than I. We are…how do you say…half-sisters. We have the same father, but Carlotta's mother died years ago, and our father married my mother years later. She had already moved to Paris when I was born, and she had moved back to Italy when I was attending music school."

"Does she still perform?" I asked.

Maria shook her head. "No, she does not."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

Maria sighed and took a sip of tea. "I cannot say, exactly. There was some sort of trouble when she was here, at the Paris Opera, but my father would never tell me. Her fiancée died, he was a singer, also. She was never the same after that." Maria shrugged. "I suppose she was too delicate to handle her fiancee's death."

I felt my brow furrow as I thought about what she had said. Some kind of trouble? What did that mean? Maria's sister and my mother had been here at the same time. I wondered if my mother knew what had happened. I told myself to remember to ask her in my next letter.

We talked for a few minutes longer as we sipped our tea. Maria got a tin of hard cookies, which she called biscotti, and handed me one to eat with my tea.

"I should let you get back to the dormitories," Maria said finally. "It is getting quite late, and we have rehearsals early tomorrow."

I sighed. I had enjoyed my time with Maria and did not look forward to going back to my room, where I might run into Therese. But I knew I could not stay here forever, so I thanked Maria for the tea and stood up.

Maria walked me to the door, and gave me a quick hug. "It was wonderful talking to you, Beth," Maria said with a warm smile. "It is not always easy to make friends in this business."

"Yes, I enjoyed talking to you as well," I replied. "Hopefully we can do this again," I said, thinking about how much I had enjoyed talking to Maria.

"Of course. Goodnight, Beth," Maria said.

"Good night," I said, and slipped out the door.

As I walked back to the dormitories, my thoughts whirled. I enjoyed my friendship with Astrid, but Maria was older and so sophisticated. And she was the prima donna! I was flattered that she

considered me a friend. It made it easier to ignore Therese's scowl when I entered the dormitory. Astrid asked where I had been and I told her. Therese's scowl deepened when she heard that, but I did not care.

I was making friends, I had a lead part. I was happy.

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