Golden Eyes (Phantom of the Opera)

Chapter 1 - Sold

I shuddered as a cold wind whipped at the tattered edges of my dress. Even in the woods it was still cold. I shuddered again as I tugged what was left of my shawl tighter around my shoulders. I was sitting around the edges of a long gypsy camp and barely listening to the conversation which was going on. I had no friends. But that was to be expected because I was just the German girl who hadn't been wanted by her French aunt. And the reason, I was different. My parents didn't mind that I was different. My father and mother both said that my uniqueness was a blessing. What was different about me you ask, I have golden eyes. Yes, a pair of yellow eyes. As for my hair well, most of it is black but one lock on the left side of my head is golden. In fact the exact same shade as my eyes. I closed my eyes and remembered what little I could about my parents. Father was German and spoke with a thick accent while my mother was French and I couldn't remember her voice. She didn't talk much. Kinda the silent type. Father was an architect and Mother was a painter. I, sadly, didn't inherit either of those characteristics. They died in a fire when I was seven. So Aunt Ivette, my mother's oldest sister, took me to live with her in her French villa. It wasn't long before she decided she didn't want me and sold me to a gypsy band. I had been sold between the bands and was now in this one. Over the ten years of my captivity I had tried to run several times and still bore the marks from them. Gypsies didn't take kindly to their property running away. As I half listened to my master's conversation, I gathered I was about to be sold again. But, hey, that wasn't new. My ears pricked up when he said,

"Alair, you are being sold to the biggest gypsy camp in this region." I didn't flinch. I didn't care by now.

"Yes, master." That was the only thing I was allowed to say here. That was the one thing I said day and night, night and day. I hated it. They had tried to break me but couldn't.

"You will be leaving the morning. Torr, tie her up." A younger gypsy grabbed my by my arm and dragged me to the side of my master's tent. There was a shackle and it was attached to my right wrist. I had about two feet of movement and because of that my sleeping positions were extremely painful. They had only started to use the shackle since I had managed to cut the rope they used to tie me with. I couldn't break the chain so I pulled my shawl around me and settled in for the night. The wind had changed and was blowing straight at me. I tried not to think of the cold but of the fire that I had been sitting by a few moments before. Those thoughts calmed me and, shivering violently, I managed to go to sleep.

Hours later, I was slapped from my sleep and yanked to my feet. Torr and my master were standing around me and my master was speaking,

"Girl, your new master is here. He has come for his property. Be on your best behavior." They removed the shackle from my wrist and Torr dragged to toward the center of the camp. There, standing by the fire was my new master. He wasn't much to look at. He was of average height and build. He had a tuft of beard on his chin and his hair was dark as were his eyes. He looked me over and after giving over some money to my old master, clapped a shackle on my wrist and led me away. I heard some ridiculing but didn't bother to listen. Suddenly my new master was saying something.

"You will say only two words to me unless I ask for more. Do you understand?" He assumed I knew what two words those were.

"Yes, Master." I whimpered. He smiled and seemed pleased that I knew what two words he wanted. For two days we traveled by foot. He didn't speak to me and I didn't speak to him. He never touched me unless he had to clap on the shackle. I lived in that thing and as the hours dragged on I hated it more and I hated him more. At last we arrived at his camp. I didn't even act surprised. It was large and I realized with horror that it was a freak show. Of course, I thought to myself, what else would a gypsy do. I hope he doesn't plan on putting me in the show. I may be different but I'm not that frightening. As if my master understood my thoughts, he said,

"Don't worry. I'm not putting you in cage. Your different but not by that much. I have someone a lot scarier than you." He yanked on the chain and pulled me behind him. We walked by tent after tent and most had a sign above them. I read only a few of them before I realized what they were. They were the rarity he must have gathered from the ends of the earth. Such things as "The Headless Woman," "The Eyeless Boy," and "The Boneless Man." After reading those I didn't want to read anymore. But one caught my attention. It was the largest tent and had the largest sign. That must be his prize. I read the sign and my blood ran cold. It read "The Living Corpse." I didn't not want to know what lurked in there. If there was such a thing I didn't want to meet it. My master must have noticed the lack of blood in my cheeks and laughed.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" I shook my head. He laughed again. "You will be feeding my prize pet. The one that occupies that tent." He pointed to the one I had paled at. I didn't let him see had scared I was. I was to feed the Living Corpse. He pulled me away from the tent and threw me in a small tent of my own. He said that if I was good he wouldn't chain me but if I tried anything I would be beaten and chained. My only job was to feed the Living Corpse. I fell asleep that night, terrified.