It is June 12th 1981 almost a year since the horrendous ordeals of that fiery night of the phantoms opera. Miss Christine Daae is now engaged to the vicomte de changy Raoul and soon to be married. The vicomte is still Patron of the opera populaire and Christine still works there but only in costume and with very small silent parts. Raoul will not allow her to sing lead due to his fears for her being taken into the music and drawn to her angel again. Christine is deeply in love with Raoul but has emptiness in her heart where she longs to sing again and to be coached by her great tutor, as she still believes it would be what her father would have wanted from her. Ever since that night, after the phantom had let her go with Raoul she has been in great doubt as to whether she had made the right decision is leaving her angel of music behind. Even though she now knew her angel was in fact the phantom ghost, she still could not stop herself from thinking of him as an angel of music. Her fiancé Raoul would always remind her of the phantoms evil plans and tricks he had always plaid on them in order to steal her from him. Raoul had made a promise that very night not to let anyone harm or threaten his lover again, which was why she understood his demands and obeyed them when he asked her not to get involved with major parts in the operas. With out his knowing so Christine would quite often find herself singing alone on her old dressing room where the mirror had been situated, this since been bricked up to prevent any further problems as the phantom had never been captured.
It was a warm sunny day when Christine arrived at the opera populaire to help with rehearsals. The opera house was full of dancers and singers all panicking and trying to get the rehearsal right, this was the opening night of the first major opera to take place in the opera populaire since Don Juan. The show was called 'Les Grand Jour'and was a complete sell out. The story told was of a young couple in love and their wedding day and the dangers they face and overcome in order to get married. Meg Giri was to play the lead role with a young talented Christian Dubai to play the lover. Ever since the death of Piangi La Carlotta had lost the will to sing in any opera and now resided in a quiet village in Spain. Christine had always disliked Carlotta but she would often find herself wondering how she was and whether she missed the singing as much as she did.
Before Christine had time to remove her hat Meg came running to her.
"Oh Christine, where have you been? I cannot find my dress for the opening act and my hair won't sit right oh and…" Christine stopped her mid sentence "Meg calm down you are just anxious of your first show, you need not to be as you are extremely talented" Christine smiled at Meg "Come I will help you find your missing costumes". As they walked through towards the dressing rooms Christine remembered the days when she would have been running around changing her costumes and getting her make up done. "Will Raoul be joining you tonight to watch the performance?" Christine walked on with her head in the clouds daydreaming unaware of her friends question. Meg tapped her on the shoulder "Christine are you going to answer me?" Christine stopped to look at meg "I don't think it is wise for me to watch the show let alone Raoul" she run her hand through megs hair "I am sorry meg its just Raoul fears anything happening to me and feels it a risk to be here on opening night". A disappointed look now filled megs face she almost looked tearful "please Christine I wont cope with the show unless I know you are there supporting me" she pleaded with her friend "it's been a whole year and you have been here helping us rehears surely if the phantom still haunted this place we would have heard something by now". They reached meg's dressing room " meg, go on in and get your make up ready I will go look for your costumes" just as Christine shut the door meg called out "Christine what about the performance ?" Christine stopped and opened the door again "I will try to talk Raoul into coming to see the show, it wont be easy but I shall try my best".
Christine starts frantically searching for the missing costumes throughout the opera house, making sure not to leave a dressing room unsearched. She comes across her old dressing room which is now a dressing room for the new opera tenor a young Christian Dubai. Although the secret access behind the mirror has now been bricked up they still feel too superstitious to allow a soprano to prepare in there. Christian was around her age with dark brown hair and deep brown eyes; he was in the middle of changing his shirt when Miss Daae eagerly pushed open the door. "I beg your pardon monsieur, I was unaware anyone was using this room as dressing room any more" Christian turned to see Christine standing in his doorway almost blushing at the sight of him with his shirt still undone. "Ah please, come in if it is not the great Christine Daae, I was a great fan of yours when you sang" he pulled out a chair for her "I came to that performance of Don Juan, it was terrifying yet a brilliant performance never the less". "I am sorry monsieur I cannot stay I am in search of mademoiselle giry's costumes, she seems to have misplaced them" she smiled "well they seem to be very well hidden so far" they both giggled a little before Christine swiftly left the tenor to carry on with his preparations. "Oh, monsieur good luck with your debut".
No longer had she closed the door did she notice something fall in front of her, something white. Surely it can't be what she feared it may be she walked over to where it seemed to have rested. It was a small piece of paper folded in half, but this cant be a note surely it would have an envelope and a stamp, that of course was the way the phantom used to leave his notes. Curious and somewhat scared she picked up the paper and unfolded it, a shiver overwhelmed her whole body as she read
If the costumes for miss Giry is what you desire then return to the place where lovers once sang in the snow and look no further
Although it seemed likely, Christine did not feel this was a note from her previous master it was unlike him and written on a scrap piece of paper in poor handwriting. She knew if this was her master, it would be putting her in great danger to follow the instructions, but curiosity held the best of her and she ascended up the flight of stairs to the roof.
She felt the sun blazing as she opened the door to the roof it filled her with instant reminders of that cold wintry night when she had sang with Raoul and he had promised to keep her from harm. As she walked across the roof it was quite hard not to notice the dress and shoes draped over the ledge of the roof. Quickly Christine ran over to pick them up on top of them another note.
Now you have found what you so deeply desire, but is it truly what your heart wants Christine? to allow a naïve friend such as meg to take your place in this grand opera search your soul Christine you know this is not the way you wish it to be. I know you still long to sing I have heard your voice still like an angel and surely if your great lover truly loves you he would understand your needs and give you anything you wish.
As I would have …..
She dropped to the floor as she read the note and tears filled her eyes, my angel of music still watches over me "and he'll always be there singing songs in me head, he always be there singing songs in my head" she sang to herself. "Brava Brava Bravassimo…"quickly she turned to the doorway to find Christian standing there applauding her. "You startled me monsieur" making sure to pick the costume up she walked towards the new tenor wiping her tears away from her cheeks. "I am sorry I seem to be startling you quite a bit today" he smiled "are you ok? You seem like you have seen a ghost". "I am fine monsieur, I find this place full of good and bad memories and some of them overwhelming" she looked towards him with a slight reassuring smile "well if your sure your ok miss" he held the door open "but please call me Christian all this monsieur talk makes me feel older than I wish to be" he sniggered. "Ok, I would not wish to make you feel old" she smiled and descended down the stairs. "mademoiselle, you dropped this" he handed her over the note she had just finished reading "oh yes thank you, I am in such a rush I did not realise um please do call me Christine" she took the note and hurried back to meg's dressing room still unsure of what the note meant and if it was indeed her great tutor returned again. Was he here to take her again or was it just to achieve forgiveness from her and her fiancé, she could not grasp it so folded the note and placed it in a small bag she had been carrying with her.
Meg rushed to greet her friend as she returned with her costume "Christine where ever did you find it?" Meg asked eagerly "it was merely misplace meg, down with the ballet costumes" Christine did not feel it right to mention the note just yet. There was a knock at the door "may I come in?" a familiar and friendly male voice "of course my love" Christine shouted as she ran to open the door to her sweet Raoul. She grasped hold o him and hugged him like she had been away from him for months "Christine is everything ok, not that I complain about such a greeting" Christine pulled away "no my love I am just happy to see you, and um I have a favour to ask" she smiled to him "meg would really love it if we were here to watch the show tonight" raoul stopped her there "you know how I feel about such an idea, its too risky you know as well as I do that he is still out there somewhere probably watching us". He turned to meg and apologised "I am sorry meg but it is impossible for s to attend" Christine disagreed with him " I am not afraid of the phantom returning there is no need to be afraid I will be with you and I know you will protect me, will you not?" raoul turned to his lover "always" "then its settled we will go and watch and enjoy the show" Christine smiled again "but what if …" "no what ifs my dear … if anything strange occurs we will leave straight away" raoul chuckled to himself and turned to meg "it seems I have been told and we will be watching after all" meg hugged both of them and then quickly returned to her preparations. "I suppose we must go and get changed then my love" Raoul held his arm out for Christine "yes my love" she turned to meg "I will see you later on this evening good luck although you really don't need it" meg gave a have wave as she was far too busy adjusting her make up to really give a proper farewell to her friend.
As they exited the opera house they heard a voice behind call out "hello… vicomte ... miss daae… hello" as they turned they noticed Andre running behind them "hello André how lovely to see you again" Christine said "oh Miss Daae the pleasure as always is all mine" he goes to kiss Christine on the cheek "uhum" raoul tries to obtain André's attention. "Oh yes vicomte the show is a sell out its going to stupendous a show more magnificent than ever before" "wonderful Andre but do you have two seats left for mademoiselle Daae and me?" Andre's excitement seemed to disappear "ah you see vicomte it seems the only seats we could not sell were those in box five". Raoul looked to Christine with doubt in his eyes, Christine held his hand in hers and smiled "well Andre consider box five sold" he said with a slight tremble in his voice.
"Ah splendid, I will inform firmin of the great news" André ran back in to the opera house "firmin… firmin my chap I have great news".
Mean while I figure in the dark watched from a window in the bottom corner of the opera house as Christine and raoul entered their carriage and left. "Soon my dear soon you will realise what you are destined for" the voice said quietly to himself.