Loved for Myself: A Modern Day Re-Telling of The Phantom of the Opera

Chapter 1

The beeping of an alarm clock was never heard in the small apartment belonging to Christine and Meg. The two thought that the traditional sound of an alarm was too ugly, and as Meg always put it, "If we have to abandon the bliss of a warm bed, we might as well be greeted by something beautiful in the mornings!" They decided that instead, a piece of music set to play instead would be best, and the two decided "Ritorna Vincitor" from Aida would make a good choice. After a few weeks, Christine swore she'd never be able to feel pleasant during any performance of the aria again. This morning, Maria Callas' masterful voice echoed through the apartment earlier than normal. Christine woke from an light sleep, and turned off the alarm. She never slept well before her lessons. Christine looked over at Meg, who had stirred at the sound of the alarm. Christine longed to tell her of some of the things that had happened to her in the past few months, but knew she couldn't. If she told anyone, her lessons would not be able to continue and Christine was not ready to give up the two hours a week that she spent with her new vocal instructor.

Christine got up and quietly dressed for the day. She stepped into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She sighed at her unruly auburn curls which framed her pale face, but admired her pink lips and naturally dewy complexion. Christine was never one to brag on her own attributes, but she felt beautiful today. Something about the aura of the days she got to have a lesson filled her with a breezy and pleasant attitude. She pulled back her hair into a pony tail, deciding that fighting with the curls was not worth it, and was brushing her teeth when Meg's tiny frame appeared in the doorway.

"Chrissy, why are up so early?" Meg asked, "We don't have to be at the theater until ten - and I don't know about you, but that last glass of wine put me over the threshold into hangover territory."

"Well," Christine replied, after rinsing her mouth and returning her toothbrush to the holder, "I did not drink any wine, if you'll recall. We do have to sing for a living, Megan, and you know what Ray would do if he found out you downed a bottle of Chardonnay during a late night Gossip Girl binge." Christine was talking of their stern-faced music director, Raymond Heir, who scolded any chorus member he knew had done anything bad for the voice. Meg looked at Christine, sleep still in her eyes. "Live a little, Chrissy baby." Meg said, "Besides, he won't find out unless a certain goody-two shoes was to tell him." Meg gave Christine a playful kick in the rear as she pushed past her towards the front door.

"Wait," Meg called after her, "You didn't answer my question. Where do you have to go so early?"

"I have a lesson, that's all." Christine replied, slipping on her shoes.

"Ah the famous mystery man! Where exactly-" Meg started, but Christine cut her off.

"I'm running late, no time to talk Meggie. There's aspirin in the bathroom cabinet for your head, and may I suggest a cup of tea, nothing caffeinated. Love you, muah!" Christine blew Meg a kiss and slipped out the front door, quickly grabbing her purse and almost slamming the door behind her. She could hear Meg give a sigh and shuffle away on the other side of the door. Christine hated keeping things from Meg, and rarely let her get a question out about her lessons so that she wouldn't have to do much actual lying. All Meg knew was Christine was taking lesson from a man somewhere in the city, and that since the start of these lessons, Christine's voice had taken flight like never before. Christine knew that Meg had caught on to the fact that Christine was trying to keep the details of these lessons private; they were best friends and often knew what the other one was thinking with just a simple look. Meg didn't bother her about it though - either she didn't care enough about it to pester Christine for information, or just decided to let Christine have a secret. Christine had a strong feeling it was the former, Meg was a wonderful friend and person but was a bit apathetic. Christine took an elevator down to the lobby of their apartment building, walked out to the street busy with New York traffic, and hailed a cab.

"Kay Theater." she told the cabby, and she sat back and closed her eyes. She ached to start her lesson.

...

Christine Dennan never knew her mother, she had abandoned Christine and her father mere days after Christine was born. Her father was a talented composer and violinist, though he had no real training and no luck to take him into the stardom he was capable of. In Christine's early years she and her father played at coffeehouses and on street corners. he dazzled crowds with his violin, and she sang in her sweet, light, bell-like voice. Christine was a happy child, and never questioned why she and her father never had a real home, for they often relied on friends and kindly people to house them. She loved her father, and the music they made together. When she was eight, though, her father died and she was put into the foster care system. Christine was a "problem child" for her many sets of foster parents. Music left her life and she was near mute.

At the age of thirteen, she happened to meet Mrs. Valerius, a wealthy widow who found the adolescent Christine hiding in the park after she ran away from a foster home. Christine took immediately to the kindly older woman, who got a cab and took the crying and frail looking girl to a diner for the first good dinner Christine had had in days. Once Christine calmed down, Mrs. Valerius fell in love with the intelligent and funny girl who Christine let out for the first time since the death of her father. Though Christine was emotional and unruly, Mrs. Valerius knew that Christine had a good heart. After a bit of struggle with CPA, Mrs. Valerius and was able to adopt Christine on her fourteenth birthday. As a birthday gift, Christine's new Mama Valerius took her to the opera. One act into Cosi fan Tutti, Christine knew that she wanted to be on stage one day.

Mama Valerius decided to enroll Christine in voice lessons (which went splendidly, though the instructor could never get Christine's voice to shine like he knew it could). She also took dance lessons, where she excelled quite rapidly and ended up meeting her best friend, Megan Greene. Christine lived happily now, comfortable with Mama Valerius and blooming into a beautiful and talented young women. At the age of eighteen, Christine left Mama Valerius' home (with many hugs and a good amount of tears from both parties) and moved into a small apartment with Megan. Christine won a scholarship to Brooklyn College to study vocal performance, and Meg went to the Julliard School to study dance. They now both worked in the same opera company, a relatively young venture called Skyline Opera Company. They had been in the chorus together for about six months but with the way her new lessons were going, Christine didn't let the thought that greater things that chorus parts might be in store leave her mind.

...

Christine hurried into the theater, and made a beeline for the tiny dressing room she shared with Meg and two other chorus members. It was empty now. She sat anxiously, searched on the edge of he seat. She was always afraid he wouldn't come. Suddenly, a rich male voice came from nowhere.

"Christine..." said the voice. It was smooth and dark and beautiful, like black silk.

Christine weakly answered, "Yes, my...angel."