Insanity's Seduction

Chapter One: A Toad in the Hole

She woke from her restless slumber. The air was heavy with morning fog pouring from her open bedroom window. She immediately felt something wrong as she jerked her head to her dresser clock.

Oh God.

She sprung up from her mattress and dashed down the hall to the dancer's shower rooms only to find the normally crackling showerheads dripping from after use. The many giddy girls that prepared for their routinely dance rehearsal, snapping their towels playfully at each other's fleeing bottoms, and cut each other in line to use the mirrors were all absent. The sight made her stomach sink as she stripped off her evening sleepwear and rushed underneath the closest showerhead.

"Miss Daae, why so early? You need not to lose your precious sleep, after all, what's twenty-five minutes going to hurt our pitiful dress rehearsal?"

Christine guiltily concentrated on her pale feet while her finger nervously intertwined with each other behind her hunched, drenched, back. Her springy curls still leaked from a desperate shower, her scalp already ached from the raking of her impatient fingers. She knew she caught Madame Giry on a bad day; her crude sarcasm and temperamental eyes always masked the normally calm and patient woman when her mood went sour. Christine nervously ushered herself into her place in the chorus line with her eyes never leaving the floor as she felt the stare of her song-mates follow her until her last step.

"Madame!"

Christine cringed as she felt the floor vibrate from the head singer's latest temper tantrum stomping towards the Madame.

"Merde!" Hissed the instructor under her breath "Its Carlotta, start your routine while I handle this, from the top."

Christine and the other chorus girls nodded as the conductor gave the initiating flute note that would begin the merciless thunderstorm of stomping feet, twirling costume gowns, and harmonizing chorus melodies.

As Christine acted on cue and swayed her arms above her head, she managed to catch scraps of Madame Giry's and Carlotta's argument.

"…If only you had a dedication the strength of your arrogance!"

"I need not hear of your lectures! Soon, I won't have to be obligated to hear of you, or any of these pitiful girls!"

"Well the fact remains that you don't Carlotta, so assume your position and sing your part! This is c'est fini!"

Christine knew this day would be hard and possibly intolerable, but she held her breath and danced hoping maybe a good effort today will ease up the Madame's mood.

Carlotta's dress flapped violently as she marched to the front of the staged in her ragged wedding dress costume, pushing rudely past the dancing chorus girls.

"Love held by the weakest string!

Laced by a single ring!

Blinded by the white veil

Reality forever concealed!"

Carlotta faced her co-star, Piangi, dressed in his groom's tuxedo as she sang to him in her broad, vibrant vocals.

"You entice me with your bittersweet wine

And enchant me in your spell

You played my heart well!"

"And now you're mine!" Piangi bellowed in his alto pride.

As the chorus girls in their bridesmaids' outfits put their hands over their mouths in surprise, Christine took the cue with nervousness; her big cue was coming up now.

As the entire Opera house echoed in song, Christine braced herself as the chorus girls began to take hold of her.

"I want to marry you

Marry you

Mary me!"

Carlotta sang her final line, holding the note. "Marry me!"

As Carlotta's note ascended, Christine stiffened her slender legs as her dance-mates lifted her high above all the rest, the human pyramid reaching almost to the top of the curtains.

Christine stood straight and sang in her chorus backup.

Her legs shook a bit from the balance, but ultimately, she kept upright and let out a sigh of relief when her feet touched solid ground behind the closed curtains.

"Much better, but Miss Daae I expect more balance, I want no chances taken on opening night."

"Yes, Madame."

As the Madame turned away breaking through the crowd, Carlotta's sickening voice gurgles in her ear.

"Yes, Miss Dim, do you think you can handle that?"

Christine quiet and tried ignoring the smirking the arrogant eighteen-year old, with her wide smile and crooked lips, her shocking blue eyeshade made her eyes gleam with all the more taunt.

"Why so silent, little toad? Have a croak in your voice?"

Now, Christine's dance-mates began turning their attention to her humiliation.

"Shut up, Carlotta, why don't you go spray some of that stuff in your mouth and try sounding like a human singing for once?"

"Oh! Little toad has a voice! Unfortunately, not mine, so tell me, if I sound so horrible, why don't you take the stage?"

Christine stayed quiet, her cheeks burning from the torture of her bullying.

"Come now, sing!" Right there, Carlotta pushed the helpless chorus girl powerfully through the stage curtains, as she lost her balance and fell to her knees right in the front stage, her knees skidding to a burning hault.

Carlotta rushed through the curtains leading a tribe if nosy chorus girls with a triumphant smile on her. "Little toad cannot sing!"

As the crowd of chorus girls began to giggle or stare at her with idle expressions, Christine jumped off the edge of the stage and dashed into the darkness of the inner chambers, not knowing the entire Opera Populaire or its mysterious paths, not caring, only wanting to get away from them all so they wouldn't see her glossy eyes outlined with tears.

"The little toad returns to her swamp!" She heard Carlotta howl in delight before Christine disappeared behind an unknown door.