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[ Paris, France, January 3rd, 1824 ]
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The house was quiet. Everything seemed to have stopped, momentarily paused in time as snow fell outside. Inside one of the rooms, a young girl was seated in her vanity, staring out into space as one of the house maids brushed her brown hair.
The girl in question is our main character, the heroine. Her name? Annette Beaufort. A girl that is usually filled with laughter and joy, who's smile and kindness can bring light into even the darkest of situations.
But at that very moment, the person who needed light the most, was Annette. She could barely register what was happening around her, the feeling of the hairbrush feeling faded out in the quiet room.
Contrasting to the silence of the house, her head was filled with thoughts, making her wish that every voice in her head would just shut it for a second and let her be. She could feel the all her joy leaving her body.
After all, how was a fifteen year old girl supposed to feel after losing both her parents?
She had gotten the news two days ago, it had been the morning of a new year. Her and her brother Alexandre had been eating lunch together in a comfortable silence. They had been waiting for their father to arrive back home from a business trip.
Their mother had unfortunately passed a few years ago, causing a tear in the teenagers hearts that time would never be able to fix. But they still had their father, the kind man that always encouraged them to chase their dreams and conquer life.
They had gotten used to it, having just dad around. It had been a foreign thing a first, not having their mother there to read with them, take them out to the streets of Paris and kiss them goodnight.
But after a while, the routine that they had established with their father had become normal. He would leave home quite frequently for work, leaving the children with the staff that cared for the house. And every time he left, he did so with the promise that he would return.
But promises are meant to be broken.
A knock had sounded out across the house and the fifteen and seventeen year old siblings had rushed from the table, eager to see their father after so long. But when the door opened, their world turned dark once more.
Annette could barely remember what had happened in that moment. Her head had snapped out of focus after the man at the door uttered the news. For a split second, she thought that it was all a sick joke, because why would the world be so cruel as to take away her father only years after her mother had left her?
Her and Alexandre had spent a while in silence, just crying together and holding each other. Thinking back, Annette was thankful that she had her older sibling with her, because she could tell how strong he had tried to be for her.
And now, she was getting ready to leave Paris with Alexandre and move to Montpellier with their Aunt Chantal. Her bags were packed and already awaiting her downstairs as the maid working on her hair finished up.
"All ready dear" the woman spoke from behind her. Annette turned around and faced the woman, nodding lightly with hollow eyes.
"Thank you." she whispered, standing up and starting to head out of the room.
"It will be alright you know?" the maid spoke up once more, causing Annette to freeze from were she was standing "Time will help and you will grow up to be an amazing woman Annette"
Annette simply nodded at the woman and walked away, her footsteps sounding across the floor as she headed downstairs. When she got there, Alexandre was talking to their Aunt, who had arrived a couple of minutes ago.
Upon entering the room, both Alexandre and Chantal turned to her, watching as she slowly walked towards them. Aunt Chantal was one of her mothers sisters and the woman had kindly offered to care for the children after their fathers passing.
"Annette" Chantal spoke softly, walking towards the girl and pulling her into a hug "I'm terribly sorry about your father."
The girl looked over at her brother and saw that he shot her an encouraging look. She knew exactly what he meant by that, she had to break out of this shell that she had placed herself in and start interacting with people once more, she had to be strong.
And that was just what she would do.
"Thank you Aunt Chantal" Annette spoke up, pulling away from the woman and smiling at her lightly.
"My driver has already placed all your bags in the carriage so we should probably head out" her aunt spoke up quietly, taking both sibling by the hand and pulling them towards the door.
Annette took Alexandre extended hand and got inside the carriage, sitting herself down and adjusting in her seat so she was comfortable. Her aunt then began talking to both the siblings, telling them all about how she had already organized their rooms and gotten everything ready for them in an attempt to get their minds of their father.
As the woman spoke, Annette glanced out the window and looked at her house as it got farther and farther away from her view. She recalled all the memories she had experienced in that house and a soft sight escaped her lips.
The girl could not help the single tear that rolled down her cheeks as she wondered wether or not she would ever see that house again.
But what she did not know was that her story in Paris was far from finished. For in seven years, she would return to her home and experience something that she would never have expected. Something and someone that would change her life would be waiting for her when she returned.
As the carriage moved across the streets, the teenagers soon fell asleep, their heads leaned together as they finally gave in to the tiredness that the passed days had caused.
Their aunt, who before this, had never had to care for any child, never having experienced a child of her own, stared at them. The woman recalled the days when she would visit the Beaufort house, and she thought back to how the children were so full of joy.
She decided that it would be her mission to make sure these siblings have the best life she can give them. After all, they deserved nothing less than the absolute best.
"Suddenly you're here, suddenly it starts" the woman sang lowly "can three anxious hearts beat as one?"
She watched as the siblings slept, their faces seeming so tired and drained, yet she realized how they seemed at peace.
"Yesterday, I was alone, today, you walk beside me" she carried on singing "something still unclear, something not yet here, has begun"
For now, this would be Annettes life. Staying with her aunt in Montpellier and dreaming of her real home: Paris. But once time passes, her life will change, and so will she. The light and kindness within her will carry on the same, but the hardships that she had been through at such a young age will give her a spark of rebellion and strength. Something she will find useful when the time comes.
