Chapter 2
A voice was calling her name. With her head absolutely spinning, she slowly raised herself.
"You had us all worried, mademoiselle." An older man gushed as he helped her to her feet.
"What.. What happened?" Belle muttered, looking around the strangely familiar setting and holding a small hand to her head.
"Why, I have no idea. You're the one who suddenly showed up on our stage." The man looked at his taller partner, whom nodded his head in agreement.
An envelope floated down from the rafters, landing by her feet. The skull seal was all she needed to realize where she was.
She was in the Opera House.
She opened the letter without hesitation, not considering even for a moment that the note might be for anyone but her. The beautiful scrawl was exactly as her mother had explained.
There was but a single line of text:
Welcome to my Opera House.
Nothing could have excited Belle more than those words.
Belle smiled, warmth radiating through her. "He merely sent a welcome. I am your new Soprano, Belle Daaé."
"Oh! Miss Daaé, we have been expecting you!" The taller of the two exclaimed, a sigh of relief slipping through chapped lips.
Belle gazed at the darkness above her, hoping that the Phantom, that Erik, would be as proud of her as he was of her mother.
An array of pops resounded as the conductor straightened himself. "From the beginning of the aria then, mademoiselle."
The music began to play softly, exactly as her mother had explained it. Belle had heard the song in her sleep since childhood, her beautiful mother the shining star upon the stage. Belle's eyes closed as she was ensnared by the sounds caressing her skin. Belle remembered the ache she felt whenever her mother told her of the rejection the Phantom received.
Belle was determined not to make the same mistake her mother did.
The light soprano of her voice flowed throughout the large stage, creating an almost haunting silence.
Think of me When you find that We never said our love was evergreen Think of all the things Think of me Recall those days,
Think of me fondly
When we've said goodbye
Remember me once in awhile
Please promise me you'll try
once again
You long to have your heart back
and be free
If you ever find a moment
Spare a thought for me
Or as unchanging as the sea
But if you can still remember
Stop and think of me
We've shared and seen
Don't think about the things
That might have been
Think of me waking
silent and resigned
Imagine me
trying too hard
to put you from my mind
look back on all those times
Think of the things we'll never do
There will never be a day
When I won't think of you
As she sang, the scene changed into that of a performance. Her dress morphed into something akin to a ball gown. The crowd was starstruck. Not a single sound was heard except for Belle's crystalline voice. Black ribbon was tied around her waist, and a diamond necklace graced her collar bone. Her image was as enthralling as her voice.
We never said our love Ah-ah-ahhh
was evergreen
Or as unchanging as the sea
But promise me that
sometimes
You will think...
Ah-ah-ah-ahh
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ahh-ahh-ahh
Ahh-of me!
The audience fell into a fit of clapping. Belle politely curtsied and left the stage. Her blood was on fire, and her pale skin was flushed. What a rush! A man resembling her father have her a bouquet which she graciously accepted as she stepped into her dressing room. Belle quickly discarded the dress and jewelry, feeling immense relief when the heavy attire was off of her petite form, Belle draped a light lacy dress upon her shoulders as she sank into the nearest chair, stretching her legs and small feet in front of her.
Belle was so tired that she barely noticed the soft voice lulling her to sleep until her body sagged into a warm embrace.