Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Phantom of the Opera. Only original characters and concepts are mine.
AN: Yes, finally, things are going to start moving. There's going to be more Erik and Lisette/Amelia, which should make for some good reading for everyone (wink). Have fun, and please review! Thanks!
Chapter 7: Evolving Friendships:
For an entire week, I did nothing but make plans concerning Erik's personality and how I was going to change it. Sadly, most of those ideas were impossible or incredibly stupid, and usually involved my imagination running wild with how things could go wrong. But on the bright side, it helped make for some good entertainment during my spare time.
Not that I slacked in doing my usual work. I still helped Mama make breakfast in the morning, took Meg and Christine to rehearsals and back again, and helped prepare dinner, so my routine was undisturbed. But in between those things, I thought about how to help the Phantom with his social and emotional issues.
In fact, I'd been so wrapped up in thinking about Erik and his problems that I had somehow managed to forget my own birthday.
Birthdays in the Opera House were either waved aside and forgotten, or celebrated with much enthusiasm. It usually depended on the person, their friends, and their situation in life, but mostly, the workers at the Populaire celebrated with a lot of wine, food, and raunchy jokes all around.
Mama was above that sort of thing. She wanted to be more "refined" than the others, and so, for each birthday in the family, she prepared a cake and a special supper for all of us to share that evening. The meals weren't very fancy, usually consisting of a simple beef roast or seafood stew that Mama put on the fire during her lunch, but they were always made with love, and were always delicious. Meg, Christine and I considered ourselves lucky that we had a loving mother to look out for us.
This birthday was no different than the others. After a hard day of dance rehearsals and preparing for the upcoming production of The Magic Flute, the four of us went home to a hot meal of delicious beef roast and clams, which Mama had bought for the occasion. A marvelous chocolate cake was served an hour later, and with the cake came the best part: presents!
Gifts were rare in the Giry home, and when we received them, we were always grateful. Mama gave me a book by Jane Austen, while Meg and Christine had pitched together to buy me a length of ribbon and lace to put on a dress I would be making for the Masquerade at the end of the year.
Yes, I'm talking about the Masquerade Ball, like the one in the story. It was an annual event that happened on the last day of the year and lasted well into dawn on New Year's Day.
Typically, only the rich, famous, and aristocratic were invited, but Monsieur Lefevre was a kind man, and permitted a few of the well-behaved Opera employees to attend. Being able to go was a great honor, and since Mama was the ballet mistress, she got an invitation every year. The only reason she refused to go was because she wanted Meg, Christine and I to attend as well, but since we were too young, she spent that night at home with us.
Now that I was seventeen, Mama had given in and decided that I should attend the Ball, if only to dress up and have fun. The dancers were all jealous, of course, but that was only because they thought I would be trying my best to ensnare a wealthy man for a husband. However, Mama and I had no intention of finding me a husband at the event, since most of the men attending were engaged or married already. Still, I was very eager to go, if only for the sake of dressing up.
The rest of my birthday night was full of games and the reading aloud of stories from an old fairy tale book that Papa had given me before he died. Although we were too old for such things, it was soothing to hear our mother's voice before we went off to bed.
But after I had climbed under the covers, the oddest thing happened.
It was late, and since it was my birthday, I had been allowed to stay up an extra hour so I could read my new book. When the outer rooms had gone quiet and their candles put out, I heard a light knock on my door. Believing it to be Christine or Meg coming to plead for a kiss goodnight, I called for them to enter.
Imagine my surprise at seeing my mother standing there instead. In her hands was a large parcel wrapped in brown burlap. She clutched it as though it were a dangerous secret, which, in this Opera House, might be the case. The expression on her usually composed face was enough to alarm me.
Quickly setting aside my book, I sat up in bed. "Mama? What's wrong? What is that?" I asked, looking at the parcel.
She sighed, quickly closing the door behind her before setting the package down on the bed. "It is something that was left with me a few days ago." She held up a hand to halt my questions. "No, do not ask who left it. They wish to remain a mystery, at least until they decide to reveal themselves to you. Go on and open it. I haven't looked inside to see what it is."
My hands reached out and began to pull the burlap away from the object. We both gasped at the sight; it was a bolt of shining green satin, clearly meant to be crafted into an elegant gown. An envelope fell out of the cloth, my name scrawled on the front and a wax rose sealing it on the back. Curious, I snatched up the note before my mother could, and ripped it open.
Dearest Lisette, Happy Birthday. Be sure to share this with your mother. Yours, O.G.
Blinking at the short message, I heard Mama searching through the rough sack. I looked up just in time to see her produce another bolt of cloth, this one of black silk with faint gold flowers pattered through it. It was a glorious length of material.
"Mama, may I use this to make my costume for the Masquerade?" I pleaded. "I could be a fairy or a dryad, like in my old story books, and you can use the black silk for your outfit."
She looked doubtful, and probably with good reason, but I wanted to keep the material so badly. I know, it's always a stupid idea to accept gifts from the Phantom, and it was selfish, but the satin was beautiful, so can you blame me? It was going to be my first Masquerade (past and present lives together), and for the first time since I'd been dropped into this time period, I had the chance to make a fantastic gown that would be the envy of the ballerinas and chorus girls. Call me shallow and spiteful, but I very much wanted to see their faces turn as green as the satin.
Mama was reluctant, but she knew there was no other way to get what was needed for an appropriate costume for the Ball. The most we had hoped for was to buy bits and pieces of decent material from the costume mistresses and pray that it would look good enough for the Ball. But even if I pitched in a good deal of my savings, I could never afford to get material of this quality, nor at such quantity. If I wanted to make a good impression and make her proud, we would have to keep these to make dresses out of.
"Very well," she acquiesced. "We will start working on your gown within the week. Now, go to sleep. You need your rest."
Happy that I'd gotten my way, I slept very well that night.
Lying in bed, Antoinette bit her bottom lip. Worry, fear, and anger swarmed through her, and she didn't like it.
'Why would Erik send Lissie a gift such as that?' she wondered.
It made no sense! He could not have designs on her, so perhaps he was merely being kind after her attack in the halls? It was possible that he simply wanted her to feel better, and this was his way of cheering her up.
Still, she didn't like it. From now on, she would have to keep an eye on Lisette to make sure that was all that was happening.
Antoinette scowled into the darkness, somehow knowing she had to protect her eldest child with everything she had.
As my mother promised, we started sewing my costume that very weekend. The Ball wouldn't place for at least six months, but considering how busy we always were, it was best to start early on a big project. That way, if the gown didn't fit or needed to be altered in some way, I would have ample time to do it.
But during my quiet moments, I couldn't help but wonder if I should make another kind gesture towards the Phantom. It would be harder to do so, because Mama was now keeping an unusually close eye on me. That was not a good sign, and would mean I would have to start sneaking around in order to try and do what Destiny had ordered. Still, it was possible; I just had to find a way to do it.
Now the main problem: what could I give him this time around? Money was too impersonal, not to mention that he already had tons of it from the extortion scheme he had going concerning the Opera manager. Chocolates were silly, and jewelry of any kind was too expensive.
Finally, a few weeks later, I inadvertently found what I was searching for. I had gotten the idea to search for a passable gift in what I called The Forgotten Prop Room. This was a room where mounds of props from past performances were sent, but never taken back up again for another production. Everything had a thick layer of dust, but once I attacked it with a damp rag or feather duster, I was able to find some rather remarkable things.
I managed to find Erik's gift on the second table I searched. It was a simple, but pretty box of dark wood about a foot long and six inches wide. It was four or five inches tall, and would come in handy for storing valuables. After all, everyone needed a box to store stuff in.
The top was engraved with a large intertwining Celtic design painted in gold, and seemed to be of good quality. I thumped it on the table a few times, and smiled when it didn't fall apart. Sturdy, simple, but still attractive and in great shape –it was perfect.
Now came the hard part: getting the box to the right hands.
That wouldn't be easy. Ever since my birthday, Madame Giry had been watching me like a hawk, though I didn't know why. Well, okay, I could guess why, but how was I to know that the Phantom would send me a gift for my birthday? It was a kind gesture, and a step in the direction that Destiny wanted him to take, but it was starting to make life difficult for me. Plus, I had a strange feeling that, if I couldn't get this present to Erik, things would start taking a turn for the worst.
A dream that night confirmed it. Destiny wasn't in it, but the vision I got was probably from her. In this dream, I saw Erik growing more depressed at not hearing from me, and as he grew sadder, he also got angrier, turning into the murdering madman everyone would come to associate with the title Phantom of the Opera.
I woke in a cold sweat, and knew that, somehow, I had to get my present to Box 5. It wasn't much of a 'thank-you,' but it came from the heart, which was all that mattered. The only problem was getting there.
Thankfully, an opportunity presented itself about a month after my birthday. We had just finished an opening night production, and with everyone busy at the "after parties," there was no one available to run an errand for Monsieur Lefevre. He wanted someone to inspect the most expensive Boxes and see how much cleaning they would need in the morning.
One would think that all the seats in the house would get a nice tidying up after each performance, but this wasn't the case. The cleaning women tended to be old, cranky, and lazy, so they gave the appearance of working hard when they really weren't. They tidied up the regular seats well enough, but only because they could be seen whenever Monsieur Lefevre walked into the auditorium. Box seats were harder to see from ground level, and so the cleaning women didn't work too hard putting them to rights until the day before a performance opened.
Normally, one of the small messenger boys could do this task, but since there were parties going on backstage (as well as in the grand entrance of the Opera House), the boys were needed to fetch food, drinks, and (secretly) drugs for the workers. With them busy running around like idiots, there was no one left to check the box seats.
As can be expected, Monsieur Lefevre decided to put the task on one of the more reliable Opera folk, meaning me. Mama wasn't thrilled at the idea, but since all of the other workers were going to be at the parties, it was doubtful that I would come to harm. With the Opera's manager providing free liquor and food, no one was going to be wandering away from the parties before dawn. Those that did leave would be either in their beds or someone else's; the rest of the Populaire would be completely void of employees until after noon the next day.
With Mama busy lecturing the dancers, and my sisters helping the costume mistresses organize the costumes for tomorrow night, I was able to race to my room to retrieve the wooden box with little trouble. No one stopped me to ask what I was doing, or where I was going, so it all went very smoothly. I was able to leave my gift in Box 5, and be home in time to catch a good night's sleep.
Observing Lisette from the shadows, Erik saw her leave the object in Box 5 before returning to her home. Once he was alone, Erik quietly slipped out of his hiding spot to see what Lissie had left him this time.
To his delight, it was a wooden box, one that was perfect for keeping his more precious tools safe from rodents. The design was one he recognized from a past production, and it was somewhat worn, but he was genuinely touched by the gesture, and appreciated of such a gift.
However, he was now once again at that awkward point he had been in when Lissie had left him the handkerchiefs. Should he reply with another gift, or send a note? Perhaps a monetary present would be appropriate?
Erik quickly rejected the latter idea, if only because he knew Antoinette would never allow her daughter to accept money from him. Anne would see it as a bribe, or something equally inappropriate, and going against propriety was something she would never let her children do.
Clothing would also not be a good idea. First, he hated repeating himself, as he had already sent two bolts of fine material to Anne and Lissie. True, he had stolen them from the costume rooms, but he'd first made sure they would not be missed, so that was alright.
'It truly is amazing how much cloth goes to waste in the Populaire,' Erik thought with a smirk. That was also how he had managed to procure the cloth for his own clothing, so he couldn't complain.
But that still left him with a dilemma on his hands. What in the world did a man give a woman who was not his friend, or close to him in any way? Chocolates, flowers, and other ridiculous things were for lovers, not vague acquaintances who had met but once.
'Perhaps I should take something from the long-forgotten store rooms?' he wondered. Or perhaps there was something he had created back in the caverns that could suit his purpose?
That was an idea. There were bound to be a dozen things that would make a suitable gift, and would not be missed.
Smiling, Erik headed down through the tunnels, eager to begin his search.
Of course, I did not receive a "good night's sleep" after leaving my gift in Box 5. Destiny visited me, but only for a little while. It was basically a few words of praise, and a thumbs-up, but that would be enough to make me slightly grumpy the next day. I never got a decent rest whenever Destiny visited me. Fortunately, I would be able to sleep in an extra hour or two, so I probably wouldn't be that cranky when I went to rehearsals with Mama.
The next morning greeted me with a very pleasant surprise, when I woke to find a carefully wrapped bundle on a table near my bed. Since no one in my family entered my room without knocking, and that Mama probably wouldn't risk giving me another gift from our favorite Opera Ghost, I figured that it had to be the Phantom's work. But how did he get into my room?
The answer hit me like a ton of bricks: There was a secret passageway leading into my bedroom!
At first, I didn't know how to handle this. I was kind of pissed off that he'd snuck into my room without permission, not to mention kind of freaked out at the thought that he might be spying on me when I least expected it. I knew that "Peeping Tom" was probably on the Phantom's list of skills, but I was seriously hoping that he wasn't practicing it on me.
Conflicted, I stared at the bundle on the table. Like the bolts of cloth he'd left, this was also wrapped in burlap, though it was far smaller. My fingers itched to unwrap it and see what was inside, but my head reminded me of how the package had gotten there in the first place. At last, my fingers and curiosity won out, and I snatched the bundle off the table.
Much to my disappointment, it was a simple wooden box, about the size and height of my hand, and made of polished mahogany. There were no designs of any kind decorating it, though there was a small gold latch in the shape of a leaf on the front. Gently lifting it up, the latch came undone and the lid popped open half an inch. Using extreme caution, I slowly opened the lid.
Inside, the box was lined in soft blue velvet, and on the velvet was a silver chain attached to a small silver pocket watch. It wasn't small or delicate, like a woman's watch would be, but it wasn't a huge heavy piece of metal, either. There were a few vines and leaves carved into the silver, as well as a few flowers (which I could tell were recently added), so it wasn't completely plain either. It was easily a watch that could be used every day, which would come in handy.
Smiling, I began to get dressed. Explaining the watch to my mother wouldn't be easy, but I had a feeling Mama would let me keep it, if only to get me to stop asking her the time.
As Lisette left the Giry apartments that morning, Erik preened at the sight of the silver chain dangling from her pockets. She was using his gift!
Yes, it was a practical gift, but it wasn't as conspicuous as a necklace or bracelet; people tended to notice if a woman received expensive, frivolous trinkets such as those, and they usually began asking all sorts of odd questions.
A watch was something all respectable women, such as Madame Giry, wore without question, and it was useful as well. And since Erik had been working to finish that particular watch for quite sometime, it was a perfect solution to his problem.
While watching Lisette toy with both the silver chain and the watch itself, Erik realized a sense of accomplishment and happiness. This watch was something he was proud of, and after so much work and concentration, he'd been able to finish it and give it to someone who enjoyed it.
Grinning at the swell of joy inside him, Erik descended towards his home, humming under his breath.
AN: Oooh, things are starting to get interesting now! More fun coming up, I promise. Please be kind and review! Thanks!
