"I can't believe they made you the pagegirl!" Meg said angrily.
"Believe it," Raoul said.
"But why?" Meg demanded. "You gave such a spectacular performance last time! Why bring Piangi back?"
"Because the new mangers can be rather thickheaded," Madame Giry said. "They still haven't even paid the Phantom and you know how he gets about his salary."
"Oh no we should warn them!" Meg said worriedly.
"I've already tried but they won't listen," Madame Giry said. "That means that the Phantom's going to be horrible with his tricks until they pay him."
"He said to be prepared for 'great misfortune'," Meg said, "should Piangi take Raoul's place. Does that mean he's going to ruin the performance?"
"He wouldn't ruin it," Madame Giry said. "He'll only make it so that Raoul can perform. But what exactly I do not know." Raoul and Meg exchanged worried looks.
On the night of the performance, everyone got situated behind the curtain. "Carlotta's in box five!" Meg said peeking out from behind the curtain.
"Really?" Raoul said. Meg nodded coming over to him.
"The Phantom's not going to be happy," She said. Raoul nodded but they didn't have anymore time to talk before curtain call was coming soon. Before he could get to his spot, Christine hurried up to him. "Good luck!" She said.
"You too!" Raoul smiled. She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek running off before he could say anything. The music started up and the curtain pulled back. Raoul listen to the voices singing as he sat on the bed hidden behind the canopy with Piangi.
"They say that this youth has set my lord's heart aflame," The woman's voice sang.
However, off in the wings a mysterious hand came out and switched Piangi's spray bottle with another identical one. No one saw but Buquet who watched it curiously from above on the small bridges hung above the backstage.
"Her Ladyship sure would die of shock," The first man sang.
"Her Ladyship is a laughingstock," The second man sang.
"Should she suspect him," The woman sang, "God protect him.
Shame, shame, shame.
"This faithless lord's bound," They all sang, "for Hades.
Shame, shame, shame."
Then the curtains of the bed drew back to show Raoul with Piangi moving his hand across his chest from behind. When Raoul realized they were being watched he gasped and said, "Oh!"
Erik was trying his best not to simply just ditch his original plan and jump down and attack Piangi for what he was doing to his angel. But no he knew that his original plan would be much more interesting.
The two got off the bed and separated so that each stood at one end of the bed. Raoul was dressed up like a maid holding a pink feather duster in his left hand. "Magritte, your disguise is perfect," Piangi sang.
From down in the pit someone mimicked the sound of someone knocking on the door. "Why, who can this be?" He sang.
Meg playing the butler went over to the door to open it and then when she saw who it was at the door turned and began to runaway pretending to be frightened. Christine came in then following Meg.
"Great husband," Christine sang, "admit your loving wife." She then pretended to touch Meg's butt. Meg's hand flew to her mouth as she went, "Oh!"
Raoul turned around and began to pretend to dust. "My love, I'm called to England on affairs of family," Christine sang making her away across the stage, "and must leave you with your new maid."
"The fool is leaving," Piangi said behind his hand to the audience and they all laughed. When Christine left Piangi turned to Raoul and sang, "Magritte, away with this pretense." Raoul turned to him and threw away his maid's hat and feather duster. All of the other's pretend to be shocked by the sight. Raoul came and turned to Piangi as Piangi sang, "You cannot speak
But kiss me in my wife's absence." They both held up their hands and leaned in two each other pretending to kiss. Christine who was looking in from the wings pretending to be spying on them shook her fist at them making the audience laugh again. "Poor fool, she makes me laugh," Piangi sang. "Ha, ha, ha!" He sang hitting each as a high note. "Time I tried to get a better, better half," He sang.
"Poor fool, he doesn't know," They all sang expect Raoul. "Ho, ho, ho!
If she knew the truth
She'd never ever go."
Suddenly a voice spoke from nowhere. "Did I not instruct that box five was to be kept empty?" It said. Everyone gasped twisting around in their seats trying to see where the voice had come from.
"He's here, the Phantom of the Opera," Meg whispered to Raoul.
"It's him," Raoul said looking up at the ceiling's balcony.
"Your part is silent, little toad," Piangi snapped at Raoul.
"A toad, monsieur?" The voice said making everyone look up again. "Perhaps it is you who are the toad." Piangi scowled before turning and going into the wing's where one of Carlotta's entourage sprayed his voice helper into his mouth. Meanwhile Raoul and Meg exchanged worried looks.
Piangi came back out onstage and smiled at the audience. Then with a wave of his hand, the music started up again.
"Magritte, away with this pretense," He sang. "You cannot speak
But kiss me in my—" But suddenly his notes dropped into a deep guttural sound making everyone gasp surprised. The music started up again and Piangi got ready to sing again. "Poor fool, she makes me laugh," He sang. "Ha! Ha! Ha—" But then once again his voice croaked and every time he tried to sing again it kept coming out as croaks. He looked around frantically before rushing offstage. Andre and Firmin rushed down onto the stage.
"Bring the curtain in, please, will you?" Andre asked and the curtain was once more brought down leaving Firmin and him to stand in front of it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize," Firmin said. "The performance will continue in minutes' time…" He opened up the curtains and grabbed Raoul's arm pulling him onstage with them. "When the role of the count will be played by Monsieur de Chagny," He said. Everyone applauded to this. Firmin quickly turned around and pushed Raoul back behind the curtain. "Go, go, hurry up," He said. "Hurry up." When he came back onstage he said, "Until then, we would crave your indulgence for a few moments."
"Meanwhile, we'd like to give you the ballet from Act three of tonight's opera," Andre said.
"Thank you," Firmin said as they went offstage.
Erik smiled to himself as he made his way across the wooden bridges hung above backstage.
The plan had worked perfectly. The mangers hopefully wouldn't try to go against his will again and if they did…well Erik could always cook some plan up for that couldn't he?
But right now wasn't about that. Right now was about going to congratulate Raoul on getting the part of the count.
But suddenly he heard footsteps creaked on the bridge behind him and whipped around. Much to his surprise Buquet was standing there. "Your…you're the Phantom!" Buquet said in fear.
"Your observations are staggering," Erik, sneered. He was very surprised when Buquet suddenly pulled out a small blade sneering back at him.
"Just imagine how famous I'll be if I kill the Opera Ghost!" He said advancing on Erik. "I won't have to be a lowly stagehand anymore. Oh, no I'll be infamous! The mangers will love me and so will the girls!" Erik stepped backwards eyeing Buquet cautiously.
"You monsieur are mad," He said. Buquet roared with laughter.
"And why is that sir?" He asked.
"Because you cannot kill a ghost," Erik said. Buquet suddenly lunged forward and Erik dodged him quickly but not quickly enough. He felt the blade slice at his arm. He hissed angrily. He had not been expecting that.
He turned back to face Buquet readying himself should the man attack again but instead found him looking stunned at his blade. Or rather precisely what was on his blade.
Blood.
Buquet looked up at him.
"Ghosts don't bleed," He said. "You're a man." Erik inwardly cursed. So much for scaring the man away. He reached inside the folds of his cloak for his lasso finding it easily.
"You should walk away while you still can sir," He said.
"No I may be afraid of a ghost but I'm not afraid of any man," Buquet said. He charged forward and went to stab Erik in the heart with his knife.
At the same time, Erik pulled his lasso out and moved quickly behind the man slipping the lasso around his neck then he pulled hard. Buquet gagged reaching up with his hands to try desperately to pull the rope away but Erik only pulled harder. Erik looked down at the dancers bellow and then let the body drop onto the stage.
Everyone screamed as the body trashed and convoluted going through its last spasms before death. Then Erik let the end of the lasso drop so that the body fell down onto the stage electing even more screams for those watching.
Suddenly he heard a voice cry, "Raoul!" Instantly his head snapped away from the scene bellow and looked over into the wings.
There stood a horrorstruck Raoul. He looked up into the bridges and saw Erik. The betrayal in those eyes was too much and Erik couldn't bare it. With a sweep of his black cloak, he was gone.
Christine ran up to Raoul a look of pure terror on her face. "Raoul, are you alright?" She asked.
"Christine, we're not safe here," Raoul said taking her hand and turning around. Quickly he led her through the crowds up the twisting wooden stairs that went to the upper wings.
"Why have you brought me here?" Christine sang.
"We can't go back there," Raoul sang back as they got up onto the upper wing.
"We must return," Christine, sang having to jog slightly to keep up with Raoul's powerful strides.
"He'll kill you," Raoul sang. "His eyes will find us there."
"Raoul, don't say that," Christine sang.
"Those eyes that burn, Raoul sang.
"Don't even think it," Christine sang.
"If he has to kill a thousand men," Raoul sang.
"Forget this waking nightmare," Christine sang.
"The Phantom of the Opera will kill and kill again," Raoul sang.
"This Phantom is a fable," Christine sang as they went up another flight of wooden stairs that brought them even higher up. "Believe me
There is no Phantom of the Opera."
"My God, who is this man," Raoul sang, "who hunts to kill?"
"This mask of death," Christine sang.
"I can't escape from him," Raoul sang.
"Whose is this voice you hear," Christine sang.
"I never will," sang Raoul.
"With every breath?" Christine sang.
"And in this labyrinth where night is blind," They both sang as they went up the twisting metal stairs that went to the roof.
"The Phantom of the Opera is here," Raoul sang as they went out onto the roof. "Inside my mind."
"The Phantom of the Opera is there," Christine sang. "Inside your mind." As
Raoul closed the door Christine went out onto the roof and looked at him. "There is no
Phantom of the Opera," She sang.
"Christine, I've been there," Raoul sang turning to her and coming down the steps
to her. "To his world of unending night.
To a world where the daylight
Dissolves into darkness
Darkness.
Christine, I've seen him.
Can I ever forget that sight?
Can I ever escape from that face?
So distorted, deformed
It was hardly a face
In that darkness
Darkness." Raoul turned from her then to face his left. "But his voice filled my
spirit with strange sweet sound," He sang as he walked forward away from Christine. "In
that night
There was music in my mind.
And through music my soul began
To soar.
And I heard
As I'd never head before. "
"What you heard was a dream," Christine sang taking a few steps to him, "and
nothing more."
"Yet in his eyes," Raoul sang, "all the sadness of the world.
Those pleading eyes
That both threaten
And adore." He stopped walking now and looked at the statue of the horse rearing
up before him. Little did he know that he wasn't seeing everything there.
Erik stood behind the horse statue. He had followed Raoul so that he could explain to him
what had happened but instead the annoying Daae girl had followed him causing him to
have to hide behind the statue.
He had heard all of the song and he wished that Christine would go so that he could talk to Raoul but for now he would just have to wait.
"Raoul," Christine sang walking up to him, "Raoul, Raoul." Suddenly a voice sang softly,
"Raoul…" Raoul span around to look at Christine.
"Christine he's here you have to go," Raoul said.
"What?" Christine said looking at him surprised. "Whose here Raoul?"
"The Phantom!" Raoul said.
"He's not real," Christine, said shaking her head. "I'm sure you must have
dreamed him up Raoul."
"I swear I didn't Christine," Raoul said. "Now you have to go or he'll kill you!"
"You should do as he says mademoiselle," Spoke a voice from nowhere.
Christine's eyes widened.
"It can't be," She whispered in shock.
"It is," Raoul said. "Now you believe me."
"Yes I do," Christine said. "But I'm not going to leave you all alone with him
Raoul!"
"You have to," Raoul said. He grabbed Christine's hand and pulled her all the
way to the door. There he opened the door and gently pushed her past it.
"Raoul no don't!" She said but he closed the door and locked it before she could
come back out to the roof. He then turned around to find Erik standing there. He came
down the steps and strode over to Erik. He then raised his fist and tried to hit him but Erik
caught his fist.
"Please Raoul let me explain," He said.
"Explain what?" Raoul said. "You killed Buquet!"
"Only because he tried to kill me first," Erik said. "The man wanted to kill me to
become famous."
"Why should I believe you?" Raoul asked. The words stung but Erik didn't show
him how much they did.
"This is why," He said pulling back his cloak to reveal the cut on his arm.
"Buquet cut me while trying to kill me. I had no choice but to kill him or be killed. Please
believe me Raoul. I never kill unless I have to." They both stood there for a few moments
the only thing breaking the silence Christine's pounding on the door. Then Raoul relaxed.
"I believe you Erik," He said. Erik let his fist go and watched Raoul's hand unfurl
from it. "I'm glad you're still alive," He said looking up at Erik. "I don't know what I'd
do if you were dead."
"You could always go with the Daae girl," Erik said.
"What?" Raoul said.
"She's in love with you Raoul," Erik said. "Don't you remember how she kissed
you on cheek before the performance?"
"Yes," Raoul said. "I did think that was rather strange."
"I'm not worried about Christine," Erik said. "I want to know how you feel about
her."
"I love her as a friend," Raoul said. "We use to be childhood sweethearts when
we were children before my mother died but now I only see her as a close friend."
"Is there…anyone you do love Raoul?" Erik asked hardly daring to ask the
question. Here Raoul's face broke out into a soft smile.
"Yes," He said. "You." Erik looked at him stunned and Raoul laughed. "I kissed
you wasn't that proof enough?" He asked.
"A kiss can mean anything," Erik said.
"Then let me show you how much I love you," Raoul said. And wrapping his
arms around Erik's neck he kissed him deeply. Erik closed his eyes and wrapped his arms
around Raoul's waist kissing him back. When Raoul pulled back, he kissed Erik's cheek
and whispered, "I love you my Angel of Music."
"And I love you my precious vicomte," Erik said kissing his cheek as well.
"Now," He said, "much as I adore this comfort there is a certain young woman outside
who will very soon break the door if she doesn't cease her infernal pounding." Raoul
laughed.
"Your right," He said. "She's probably getting even more frightened by now."
"Then go to her," Erik said. Raoul looked up into Erik's eyes.
"I don't want to leave you," He said.
"I don't want to leave you either but we must," Erik said. "You can't live with me
Raoul."
"Why not?" Raoul said.
"I want you to become the great singer you were meant to be," Erik said. "I want
to see you on stage and hear your voice move me as it always does."
"Can I still see you?" Raoul asked.
"Of course," Erik said. "But we must pretend that we don't love each other. If our
love is discovered then people will try to use you to find me. If you don't they'll threaten
you to make you do so. I won't be able to stand it if something were to happen to you."
"And I wouldn't be able to stand it if something were to happen to you," Raoul
said. "But what will we tell Christine?"
"Tell her that you made me go away and that I threatened that if she ever came
you near again a great misfortune would befall her," Erik said.
"Don't kill her," Raoul said.
"Not if you don't wish it," Erik said.
"Please don't Erik she's innocent," Raoul said.
"I know," Erik said. "But do not think that just because I won't kill her doesn't
mean I won't threaten her in not life threatening ways." Raoul nodded.
"I'll miss you," He said kissing Erik again. Erik kissed him back and when they
pulled back he pressed another to Raoul's forehead.
"I know and I'll miss you too my Angel of Music," He said looking at Raoul.
"But for now go and sing for me." Raoul nodded wanting to loose himself in the warmth
of Erik's arms but knowing, he couldn't. They separated and Erik hid behind the horse
statue again.
Raoul went to the door and opened it. When he did so he was greeted my an
armful of Christine.
"Oh Raoul!" She cried. "I was so frightened! Are you alright?! Did he hurt you?!"
"No Christine I'm fine," Raoul said wrapping his arms around the shivering girl
trying to comfort her. "But he did say to tell you something."
"What?" Christine asked looking up at him.
"He threatened that if you ever came near me again a great misfortune would
befall you," Raoul said.
"What did he mean by that?" Christine asked now visibly even more frightened.
"I don't know," Raoul said.
"Raoul I can't do as he says," Christine said. "I can't bare the thought of never
being able to be with you!"
"What?" Raoul said.
"I…love…you Raoul," Christine said. Raoul looked at her stunned. So Erik had
been right. It was one thing to hear about it from someone else however but hear it from
the actual person was another thing all together.
Christine reached up and touched his cheek. "I know you feel the same way Raoul," She said. "I know you haven't forgotten how much we loved each other as children." She leaned up to kiss him but Raoul pulled back from her. "Raoul?" She said looking at him confused. "What's wrong?"
"I don't like you that way Christine," Raoul said. "I loved you when we were
younger but I love now you only as a close friend." Christine's eyes widened.
"Is the Phantom making you say this?" She asked. "Don't listen to him Raoul! I
know you love me!" Raoul shook her head.
"I'm sorry Christine but I don't love you," He said.
"But you have to love me!" Christine said her eyes filling with tears. Raoul instantly felt guilty and pained that he was doing this to her.
"I'm sorry Christine," He said gently, "but I don't." He reached out to her but she glared at him and spun around stomping back up the stairs to the door. There she opened it and went through it slamming it behind her.
Raoul sighed and followed after her closing the door much more gently.
Wow this a very long chapter. The next one should be only kind of long.
Ja ne!
Redluna