December 1864
Annabel started dancing at the Opera.
Each day she reconsidered her decision.
Annabel honestly had no desire to be part of the arts again.
It was not easy that very first week.
So much pressure were press down onto her shoulders to improve in order to be on the level of the rest of the Corps de Ballet. Annabel felt incredibly useless.
It's been six years since she had properly danced. Though for some odd reason the head of the dance compartment Mme Murie thought her good enough.
Annabel still couldn't believe it but
Mme Murie kept pushing her.
They were already hard at work on the new production that would be staged in a month.
Hannibal.
Excellent piece but extremely difficult.
They danced irregular hours because of it, late at night and sometimes resulting in only three hours of proper sleep.
As time passed Annabel got used to this new way of living but unfortunately to her disappointment her passion did not return.
She was still trapped in her same pitiful state of despair.
The opera only made her forget about it temporarily but as soon as practice was over and they made their way towards their bedrooms that same hopelessness returned.
Only that was so until she had the dream.
In a period of only a few weeks time something strange had happened to her.
Annabel started experiencing heavy dreaming every night.
The same dream for a week now.
This particular dream which she didn't believe true made her passion return.
Annabel knew it was absurd! It couldn't be true, what could possibly have brought it back to her.
After all she had been depressed for so long, it just seemed to good to be true.
She would go to bed and the dream would begin immediately.
The dream would start with music playing. Violin melodies floating around in her head. Unknown melodies that made her stomach flutter.
Annabel would dream that she was standing in the middle of her bedroom listening, just listening.
Later on singing would join the composition and that would be the climax of the dream. Every time that angelic voice would join her heart would be filled with awe.
At this point in the dream was also the worst.
Suddenly the voice would stop and the violin would slowly fade away in the distance leaving Annabel alone. When this happened she would already be awake.
And how awful it was to wake up!
She wanted to hear more. Annabel wasn't ready to wake up, yet she had to.
6 o'clock in the morning she had to be already awake. Another wicked thing of the dream was that Annabel would wake up very tired as if she didn't sleep at all.
But she pushed it aside and rather embraced this miracle which had come her way.
At present as the time passed Annabel made the conclusion that perhaps God had granted her, her desire. Finally He had answered her prayers!
Because of this Annabel has found new strength to continue her journey here at the Opera.
************************************
Quade was pondering around his messy music room in complete frustration.
He had to find a way to teach this girl.
He just had to!
Quade didn't know what he would do if she would be left to some ignorant fool to teach her.
He would become insane!
Only he and he alone knew how to work with a peculiar voice like that.
She was right here in this very building!
All he had to was communicate with her, only he couldn't.
Quade had everything, everything he needed to help her yet there was one deliberate limitation which stood in his way.
Himself.
For goodness sake she didn't even know he existed!
No one did for that matter.
All that people did know was nothing.
Only that someone was responsible for this building and the productions in it but that was it.
Quade went over the little chair by his organ and sat down with his face in his hands.
It's been only about an hour when he last saw her and already he couldn't get her out of his mind.
He couldn't possibly be obsessed already.
Though he couldn't care less right now there had to be a way to reach her.
As the aching minutes passed Quade suddenly got an idea. What if he could teach her only with her being unaware.
Years ago when he was just a child of about nine years he had learned his voice had the power of hypnotism.
This was first acknowledged when he saw it happened to his mother. It was one afternoon, he was playing the piano singing when suddenly his mother came into the room.
This was unusual because her behavior was not normal. She positioned herself next to him and stared at him with artificial admiration.
Trance like.
Quade was startled by this since his mother never admired him for anything he done. He was so startled that he stopped singing and in a matter of seconds his mother's admiration turned to horror.
Out of shock she crashed the piano lid down missing Quade's thin fingers by inches.
The sound of the lid echoed in his mind as the memory appeared.
Was this really an option?
Was he so desperate that he would go beyond that point and hypnotize Annabel.
This was absurd!
Quade couldn't do this, what good would it bring?
Out of anger he threw down his fists unto the organ keys creating an awful sound.
Quade pressed his hands over his ears in complete agony.
You fool!
Quade cursed in his mind. He immediately inspected the keys that he almost damaged.
Quade sighed with relief when he could see no clear damage.
He came to a conclusion.
Quade would not proceed this deceitful plan.