(Hello again all! I know it's been awhile since I've wrote--ah! Written! hehehe. Phantom moment. OOOOhkay. So, Angel of Music is a story I've been working on for several months with a friend of mine, Chelsea (featured in both Pirates in the Pantry and Parenthood for the McQuaids). I personally believe it's one of my better stories, and it's going really well. We're almost finished. I hope you enjoy it! R and R!)
Disclaimer: Andrew Lloyd Webber owns all the music and yada yada...I own Anna, Chris and Andy. Chelsea owns Ted, and I don't mind. She can have the fat man. Enjoy.
She glided upstage and took a bow as New York City's Majestic Theater errupted into applause. Her reward for a job well done: a standing ovation. Not bad for her first starring role, her castmates had told her. The curtain dropped and she made her way through the spinning maze of the backstage area to her dressing room in the back. On the door was her name: Anna Larsen. Underneath was her character's name: Christine Daae.
Stepping through the door was like leaving the world of the theater and stepping into a botanical garden. Flowers lined the room; on the floor, on the table, everywhere she stepped. And there on the dressing table, away from all the others, was a single red rose, a black ribbon was tied around the stem. Anna cautiously picked it up and looked around, clutching her dressing robe around her shoulders tightly.
"I am your angel of music...Come to me angel of music..." Anna jumped back, disturbing the glass of water on the table as her hip hit it.
"Oh shhhit..."she hissed, bending over to mop it up with a cloth.
"Christine..." Anna sighed and answered.
"Angel I hear you speak. I listen. Stay by my side, guide me. Angel my soul was weak, forgive me. Enter at last master." She was sure by now that she knew who it was, so she played along.
"Flattering child you shall know me. See why in shadow I hide. Look at your face in the mirror. I am there, behind." Her boyfriend, Andy , appeared from behind the full length mirror, a smirk on his face.
"Very impressive, darling. You'd give Chris a run for his money."
"My angel." Andy bowed, taking his girl's hand and kissing it. "You're a star now babe! Think about it!" Anna giggled as Andy whirled her around the room. "Your name in lights every night!"
"Ahem...Sorry to interrupt kids, but I need to talk with our star."
"Oh, alright." Andy said, letting go of Anna hesitantly. "Anna, I'll wait for you outside, alright? Then we'll get something to eat to celebrate." The manager of the Majestic, Ted Harcourte, smiled and nodded and Andy left, sidestepping him before shutting the door softly behind him.
"Seems like a nice guy..."
"Yes. He's been my boyfriend for nearly a year now." Anna replied, taking off her earrings and laying them neatly on the table.
"Well, you can take him with you when we leave."
"What do you mean?" Anna inquired. Ted smiled hugely, which was a funny thing to watch. He was a nice man, kind, but overenthusiastic sometimes, and, he had an unhealthy addiction to doughnuts.
"The cast of Phantom of the Opera will be going on tour in Europe starting next month. We will kick it off in France, more specifically Paris."
"Paris? You mean at the--"
"Opera House?" Ted interrupted. "Exactly. That way, you and the rest of the cast will have the Phantom's blessing as you rise above the rest." Anna was speechless. She collapsed into a plush armchair, crushing the flowers that lie there. "A befitting way to begin, don't you think?" Anna nodded, her mouth gaping open. "Well, I'm glad you're excited. You did very well tonight. Goodnight, Christine." Ted waddled (being a large man) out of the room, leaving the door wide open behind him. Anna was still stunned as she rose to shut it so she could change without company.
"To the opera house itself," she said to herself, testing it. Anna was excited, but also a little scared and nervous. She had been driven to be Christine Daae since age twelve, when the young girl, studying to become a ballerina and also appearing in off-broadway productions, had seen Phantom of the Opera for the first time. From that day forward, she had been in love with anything having to do with the show. Andy teased her about it all the time.
"He is a fictional character, Anna," he would say. "There is no Phantom of the Opera."
Anna smiled with remembered memories as she laid her hand upon the doorknob. Suddenly, she heard something. A stair creaking, a rope swinging.
"Angel?" Anna cried out, stepping away from the door as it opened.
"No, Andy." he said.
"Oh it's you." she said, relieved.
"Of course it's me. What have you been doing? Why aren't you dressed yet?"
"I got distracted. I have to tell you something, but let's get out of here and get some food first."
"In your robe and makeup?"
"Why the hell not? I don't want to be in this room anymore." She gave a confused Andy a kiss on the cheek. Grabbing her jacket, Anna looked back at her mirror with apprehension. She flicked off the lights, plunging the room into darkness.
(so, there it is. If you like it, review, please! And if you don't like it...still review!)
Next chapter: The plane ride to Paris. We meet Chris(the phantom) Cheri (Carlotta) and Anna's best friend, Claire (Meg).