"Monsieur Lefevre it is madness how you throw away your money like that. I mean honestly sir, twenty thousand francs a month is not exactly pocket change!" George Louis Oyler sipped his coffee as his companion Giles Lefevre looked across the street at the grand Opera House, his Opera House.
"Oyler," He said turning back to his coffee, "you have no idea the criticisms I receive for my, eh, generosity!" The men snorted loudly, annoying the other customers in the café.
"It's an intriguing story," Oyler said clearing he throat, "but it sounds to me like some bedtime story told to keep the ballet girls from roaming about."
"Partly, and well, I don't want to sound like a child of twelve, but strange things have been happening Oyler." He began to stir his coffee nervously. "Odd things, it has been fifteen years since I came to the opera house and for, let me see, twelve of those fifteen years there has been a presence there, something that can't be explained." Oyler watched wide-eyed, intrigued by his friend's apparent uneasiness.
"Well, what do you expect old man! It's a theatre, a large one at that, I suppose there is something floating around in here that will never be explained! But," he snorted loudly, "that doesn't mean they need twenty thousand francs a month!" The tense atmosphere faded as the men continued to drink their coffee never again mentioning the strange phenomenons of the Opera House.
Madame Giry hurried to the bed followed by Nicole. Christine was nowhere in sight. Instead of appearing annoyed, Madame Giry appeared worried.
"Nicole, you stay here with the other girls, don't alarm them…"
"I'm sure she is just curious about her surroundings." Nicole nodded curious about Madame Giry's apparent nervousness. Her demeanor was odd, and it puzzled and frightened Nicole. Madame Giry excused herself calmly, slamming the door.
"I don't understand," Meg looked at Nicole mystified. "She is probably just exploring…" Nicole nodded reassuringly not wanting Meg to see the confusion and panic in her own eyes.
Claire Giry had sensed something that night, something unexplainable, something from her past, something having to do with the arrival of…
"Christine!" She found the girl wandering down a long, dark corridor at the back of the Opera House, as if she was under a trance. The girl stopped without turning to look at Claire. She inched toward the small figure; her steps were delicate and slow, as if the girl would disappear at any moment.
Madame Giry reached Christine kneeling down in front of her. She was weeping, the poor child was weeping. "I-I, I heard something." She choked on her words, her small voice shaking uncontrollably "A voice…I thought…"
"Christine…" He whispered, knowing he had found her, the one who would share in his loneliness.
Christine's eyes widened and she raised her head unexpectedly.
"What is it Christine?" She followed her blank stare realizing Christine was only a few feet away from the chapel. Someone must have been in there praying, Madame Giry breathed a sigh of relief. The acoustics in the small hollow room were strange, and often times prayers could be heard throughout the backstage area. Madame Giry grabbed her hand tenderly leading her back towards the dormitories. Not noticing the small white envelope which had fallen lightly to the floor.
"Claire, don't be so foolish as to believe it was just her imagination. I have found her Claire, someone to share in my loneliness, someone who has nothing, I have nothing, but now we have each other Claire. You promised to never leave me... but you did Claire you left me to my own darkness. Out of guilt you have returned… See to it that she is given the proper attention and love, she, unlike me, is not the child of the devil, but an angel. My angel.
O.G