CHAPTER 2: ANOTHER SOMBER FACE IN THE BACKGROUND
Christine awoke smiling in her new bed. With the dawn of a new day, anything seemed possible to her. After all, just yesterday she'd gotten to Las Vegas, Nevada, where practically anything could happen. For Christine, that included getting a free hotel room in the performing arts capital casino. As she got up, she combed her hair singing The Only Exception. She didn't normally sing it because it reminded too much of her father.
Right now, it sounded like the right tune, at least the beginning of it anyway, although it was a very somber tune for her mood. She looked through her suitcase in distaste. Her overused and faded clothing had never bothered her before, but it didn't seem like the kind of thing to wear when trying to get a job as a singer. Her eyes went over to the dress her father had given to her, but she shook her head. That dress was for something very special, not a day of walking around.
Eventually without much satisfaction, Christine put on a light pink blouse and a short black skirt. She was about to pull her hair back, but her father had always said she was prettier when it was down. She'd never agreed; her curls didn't look beautiful, but messy most of the time. Still, she left her hair down. She slid into her sandals, which were also overly worn-out. She didn't mind this as much as her clothes because the more worn out sandals were, the more comfortable they were. She grabbed her purse and went down to explore the hotel.
She walked down to where the elevators were. No one else was waiting on the floor, so Christine hit the button and waited for a few seconds before the elevator doors opened. She was disappointed; it would have been nice to know someone else who was staying at the hotel, or at least someone to recommend where to have lunch. Now that she didn't have to spend money on rent for a little while, she had plenty of money on food.
Christine looked at her clothing with distaste. She probably had money to spend on a couple of new outfits too. When the elevator clicked open, she was greeted with the sound of chatting and light music. She hummed along to Raise Your Glass, the song that happened to be playing overhead. She went back down the hall to where she had seen the other hallway. Above the music the smell of smoke came into view, but Christine didn't mind very much. In fact, she hardly even noticed it. Her father had smoked when she was younger, and she had gotten used to the smell.
The sound of slot machines rang in the distance and Christine debated playing a couple games. Her stomach grumbled and she decided to eat first. She walked into the actual casino part and was impressed. Huge signs displaying original-looking posters for shows such as Cats, The Lion King, and Evita. Christine looked at each one smiling. Masquerade masks were placed on some windows. One thing that bothered her is that the sign said: Welcome to the Le Cínema not La Cínema. The cab driver had gotten the name wrong. It was probably just a pronunciation error, but it bothered her for some reason.
Christine kept walking until she found a little café. It was called the Angel of Music Café. She liked the title it seemed cute. The whole place was set up like a stage, complete with curtains. She went up to the window to order a coffee and egg sandwich. The girl at the front counter was sweet and overly-peppy. Her name tag read: MEG. "Welcome to the Angel of Music Café, what can I order you."
Christine smiled back at the girl, "Hi, can I have breakfast sandwich and a black coffee please."
"Sure." Meg rang up the order and then came back to me. There were only a couple of costumers in the restaurant, so it wasn't a problem if we talked for a few minutes. "My name is Meg; are you new to Las Vegas?"
Christine smiled back at her, "I'm Christine. This is my first day here; I came in yesterday. I was actually hoping that I could apply for a job here sometime soon after this."
Meg raised one eyebrow. "You mean at this job, because you can have it. I'm going to be a background dancer in the new Dancing Through Music show."
"That's actually what I was hoping to do, get a job as background singer here." Meg smiled, but I could see that her smile was somewhat fake.
"Don't get excited. It's almost impossible to get a job here; for a newbie it's impossible to get a part of any kind." The news discouraged Christine only a little bit; she hadn't really expected to get a job anyway. Meg must have realized she hurt Christine's feelings because she said, "Don't let me discourage you. When you go into the residential wing, keep going. They will schedule you an appointment for a tryout. You should have a song already picked out before you go in."
"Thanks for the advice." Christine got her coffee and sandwich to go, eating them as she walked around the casino. She was looking around so much, she accidently ran into someone. She looked up to apologize, but there was no one there. She looked around, but no one was even a foot near her. She dismissed this and through out her trash before she walked down the hall to go to her interview.
Sure enough, Meg's directions were accurate. There were flyers for several auditions. A woman was sitting at the desk and Christine went up to her. "Hello, my name is Christine Daaé, and I would like to apply for a background singers job in the new Dancing Through Music show?"
The old woman smiled. "Sure dear; my name is Mrs. Giry, and if you wait a couple of minutes, we can have you in an interview right now."
"Thank you, Mrs. Giry." Christine sat down as a plump woman came out of the dressing room, stomping her feet in anger.
A man came out looking in a panic. "Carlotta, please come back!"
The woman spun around and screamed at the man, "This was it Mr. Moncharmin! I am through working for a stupid, mindless, person who knows nothing about talent!"
The man ran a hand through what was left of his hair, cursing. He turned to Mrs. Giry, "Where am I going to find another lead singer now?"
That was the moment where everything could have changed. If Christine had gotten up and asked to sing for the part, her entire life could have changed. She would have been given the part, gotten great reviews, and become an overnight star. None of the events that were about to happen, the good and bad, could have been avoided completely.
Christine did not speak up. Instead she sat by, waiting for her interview. She had never thought she was good enough for a solo, much less a leading part.
Mrs. Giry spoke back to Mr. Moncharmin, "I do not know what we are going to do, sir." The man cursed again and left.
A woman came out of the office and called out, "Christine Daaé, please come in here for your audition."
Christine got up eagerly and walked into the office. It was plain, not a single chair except for the one that the woman was sitting in. She was probably in her early forties, and beautiful. She was smoking, and the room was filled with smoke. Christine tried to pretend this didn't bother her.
The woman sounded bored as she spoke, "Do you have a song in mind, dear."
"Yes, ma'm. I'm going to sing Total Eclipse of the Heart."
The woman smiled, admiring Christine's confidence. "Hard song, let's hear it."
Christine's nervous tendencies kicked in while she sang, faltering on more than one note. She knew she wasn't going to get the part, and she wanted to smack herself and cry at the same time. When she had been given her chance, she had chocked under all the pressure that had been put on her.
The woman showed some pity and tried to break it to Christine easy, and Christine was grateful. "It was brave of you to try out. We welcome you to try out again." Christine nodded, turning away in tears.
At the moment Christine left, the phone rang. Christine walked out of the office. Mrs. Giry didn't look at her and continued to type on her computer.
Christine was about to leave the office when she heard her name being called. She turned around to see the woman who had interviewed her before. She looked startled, angry, and even a little bit scared. "I'm sorry, it turns out that you're hired. We want you to work as a chores girl, nothing to hard. It doesn't pay very well, but it's a start."
The woman didn't bother to ask if Christine wanted the job; she knew Christine would. The girl was just like all the others: another a somber face in the background, always hoping for something better to come along for them.
"Thank you!" Christine cried, hugging the woman. The woman pushed her back and Christine was embarrassed, but too happy to really care.
Erik smiled form somewhere deep under the hotel. He hung up the phone, knowing that his request would be granted. All the people that ran the hotel were puppets just looking for someone to control them. They were all somber faces in the background of his world.
I hope you guys like this chapter, even though there isn't very much Erik. I decided to add in a lot of the original characters because I love them! I'd really love 3 reviews this time, you guys have been giving me such good advice.