Erik paced his apartment floor, back and forth, over and over. He was restless and bored, a dangerous combination. "Damn this infernal solitude" He screamed. "Nadir, where are you?" He knew the little foreign rat would be snooping around the Opera House, he just didn't know where, and that made him madder. The Opera Ghost knew everything! Erik decided to go track down Nadir, perhaps give him a scare. Haunting was always great fun. As he made his way past the ballet foyer and the chorus room he heard a singing.
It wasn't Carlotta, thank the devil. Instead it had a crystal melody, very soft and harmonious. It was singing fine, until it fell flat. "Christine" The chorus teacher berated the voice. "Try a little harder and move your arms, it helps carry your voice." Erik thought to himself, "You need a sharp razor sir, and a washbasin to catch the blood." This voice, this Christine, had a perfect element to it. She sounded melancholy, but a little training and some vocal practice could make her the new Prima Donna. Erik wanted to see the girl, perhaps her beauty covered more than her voice.
They had been practicing for over half an hour, but Erik wasn't tired. He was enraptured by Christine's voice. The other girls sounded like dying cows, and the boys couldn't hit a high note if they got kicked in the pants, but Christine, what wonder! Suddenly the door to the chorus room banged open and the young trainees shuffled out. Erik slipped into the shadows, trying to pinpoint which one was Christine. He saw a sad little girl, barely eighteen, walk along by herself. "That Christine, she's such a bore" Little Jammes gossiped. Erik followed the young woman to her dressing room.