"Christine, are you sure this is what you want?" Raoul's eyes searched his new bride's thoroughly, secretly hoping to find some trace of doubt in them. The idea of going back to the Opera Populaire mere months after their…encounter seemed to be pure madness.
"I'm sure Raoul. I…I belong there." The soprano replied earnestly. Her husband sighed uncertainly before glancing out of the carriage window at the large, beautifully built theater.
"So does he." Christine pursed her lips at the man's response and attempted to ignore the small amount of uncertainty the reminder brought on.
"He won't be a bother to us anymore. He's changed, Raoul. He let us both go free. He understands now." The singer gripped Raoul's hands and squeezed them reassuringly. Though still not entirely confident of the situation, he decided not to argue. Should that…man become a problem again, he was entirely prepared to protect Christine.
"Come Raoul, we mustn't keep her waiting." The young woman said excitedly, releasing her husband's hands. Finally, a smile returned to Raoul's face and he quickly exited the carriage before extending his arm to assist his bride in stepping down. At their wedding, Christine had been reunited with her aunt, whom she hadn't seen since before she and Raoul had even become childhood friends. The young singer had been delighted to find that she had a cousin and after an excited discussion, it was decided that the girl would come to study ballet at the Opera Populaire under none other than M. Giry. Though the idea of being responsible for the youth was a bit of a surprise to Raoul, he knew how much it would mean for Christine to have a relative back in her life.
"I believe that's her up there. Ah, and your aunt is there next to her." He pointed out, gesturing towards the large doors of the theater where two petite women stood, bags at their feet. Christine hurried up ahead, dragging him behind her until they reached the top of the entrance stairs.
"My beautiful niece!" Christine's aunt exclaimed, pulling the performer into a tight embrace. Lydia Fabre had hardly been able to believe the spitting image of her sister that had walked down the aisle only a week before. Though it was clear that Christine had inherited her father's disposition for music, her looks were an obvious gift from her mother.
"And Raoul, handsome as ever." The older woman smiled, releasing her niece and in turn hugging the beaming man next to her. Christine turned her attention from her aunt to the adolescent girl next to her.
"You must be Camille. It's so nice to meet you; I'm Christine." She extended a hand warmly, studying the new face in front of her.
"Pleased to meet you." The girl replied, taking her cousin's hand and returning the greeting.
"Well, shall we begin the tour? Starting now will surely give us enough time for dinner before your aunt has to depart." Raoul suggested before bending down and picking up the bags at the ladies' feet. Christine nodded in agreement before looping her arm through her cousin's and guiding her into the theater.
He had sworn it was over. He had sworn he wasn't going to do this anymore. He was going to stop. He was going to retreat, to leave the outside world alone. Yet when the rumors of Christine returning began to spread, he couldn't help himself. He just wanted to assure himself that he had done right by freeing her.
The dark cloaked figure sat quietly in Box Five, scanning the seats below. After the incident, the entrance to the seat had been boarded up, which quite truthfully was a relief to the man. His passage into the small balcony had been left untouched and now intrusions were no longer a bother to him. The man straightened up in his seat as four figures entered the theater. He quickly recognized two of them, his stomach churning in some sort of mix between anger and sadness. However, the two women accompanying the couple were far more interesting and he strained to hear what the eldest one was saying.
"…will be so wonderful for you to become acquainted with your cousin over the next few months." Erik gripped the arms of his seat tighter as the words reached his ears. A cousin? Christine not only had the audacity to return to flaunt in front of him, but she brought along a relative. He turned his attention onto the so called cousin and studied her carefully. The girl was a bit plainer than her older relative, though certainly not to be overlooked. With a petite frame and an upright, graceful poise, her body language screamed ballet. Spiraled curls, the same as Christine's, fell down from her shoulders to the small of her back, though far darker in color. Erik leaned back in his chair, bringing a hand up to his chin, deep in thought. Though he doubted that the girl contained the sheer talent Christine had, she still could be of some use to him. Especially in terms of getting even.
"Now, when Camille begins her training she'll be staying here at the theater, but until then we're absolutely thrilled to have her stay with us. Our home is just a short carriage ride away, as Christine wanted somewhere close." Raoul explained, glancing instinctively up towards the box seats as they entered the main stage area. Somehow Box 5 still managed to look darker than the others. Forcing himself to look away, Raoul attempted to hide slight discomfort on his face from Christine's aunt.
"How long have you been dancing?" Christine asked, hoping to make some sort of conversation. Camille glanced away from the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling and made eye contact with her cousin.
"Truthfully, for as long as I can remember. You've danced here, yes?"
"Under Madame Giry, yes. Her daughter and I are actually quite close. I'm sure you and Meg will get along well." Christine replied excitedly. Camille smiled tentatively and then looked back around the intricately detailed theater. She felt completely out of her element here. The stage she had grown up performing on was of no match to this monster of a performance space. Not to mention the fact she had never been away from home for longer than a night. Camille had only been here for a few moments and she already felt like her every move was being watched.
Just saw this show the other night and completely fell in love! Let me know if you'd like to see more. Also completely open to suggestions. Thanks!