Hello Everyone!
Well, besides finally getting the chapter out that I wanted to get done last night and getting ready to take a test for the Air Force, I'm still managing to put these chapters out. I know it's a bit of slow going story, and as Yours Anonymous has said "Why did she get in the chorus" I hoped it explained a little last chapter. Some really huge things are about to go down so this may be the longest chapter yet! Thank you for reading and as always Review or message me.
Very Respectfully Yours,
BroadwayStorm
Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Andrew Lloyd Webber or Gaston Leroux, this is a non-profitable cause. I am merely borrowing the characters and music as part of fanfiction, a creative writing project. Also, and places being used are just references and are not tied to me in any shape or form.
Chapter 8: Free at Last.
Sapphire woke up and looked around confused. How the hell did she get into her bedroom? Her face began to turn bright red.
"Oh… I must have fallen asleep on him, crying."
She buried her face in her hands, remembering all that had happened the other day. Her job just got a lot harder. She needed to see how much the pig was in debt and find a way to buy the house from him and give it to a certain ghost. She sighed.
"Why am I so damned insistent in helping him? Yes, I know I was obsessed back home but, now, I want to help him; I want to be his friend, and care for him… I don't want him lonely anymore."
She sighed and looked at herself in the mirror. She had changed so much; she no longer looked like a girl trying to get by in the Broadway scene. Smiling to herself she got dressed and gave herself a good twirl. Her black skirt and black long sleeved shirt complemented her.
"Ha! If I wore a mask, wonder if I could scare people."
She giggled quietly to herself. She looked at the clock on the shelf. 10 o'clock, she had slept in.
"I really must have needed sleep."
Her phone started ringing. She stared at the draw that she had put it in.
"What the hell, how the fuck is it working?"
She cautiously pulled it out and looked at the unrecognized number. Answering it curiously, she got the shock of her life.
"Hello?"
A bright voice answered the other line.
"OH MY GOD JAMES IT WORKED! Hi Sapphire! It's Julia! Hope you didn't mind me going through your audition forms for your number!"
Tear of joy came to her eyes.
"Holy shit Julia! How the fuck?"
She heard laughing on the other side.
"In Christine's diary apparently she left some sort of spell work for communication to and from the past and future. Gotta say useful as hell!"
Sapphire laughed as well.
"God it's so good to hear from you guys, you would not believe what a wreck this place is, I think I see why she did what she did."
Julia inquired about the situation.
"Well, you see, I got here, and by the way not funny, ERIK ALMOST KILLED ME YOU BITCH, okay that's out of my system."
Again Julia laughed but it was joined by James.
"Well, anyway, I went upstairs with Madame Giry after a bit of a cat fight, oh yeah poor Erik, it seems he's lost himself completely but anyway I auditioned and even though I apparently stunned the audience I didn't even get a chorus part."
She could just see Julia's anger through the phone.
"Why the fuck not if there were auditions?"
Sapphire laughed.
"Because, the managers are only hiring performers who are paying them to stay here, so instead I'm working on fixing the entire mess that is the opera house, the backstage was ruined and I just finished that yesterday and now I'm working on curtains. Next comes the stage, but yeah…"
Sapphire let out a scream as a hand touched her.
"What? What happened?"
Erik stood look inquisitive at her.
"I need to get you a damn bell."
She heard Julia's confusion.
"Oh, yeah, sorry Erik decided to come out of nowhere as per usual and scare the fuck out of me. Here I'll put him on speaker, expect a lot of question."
She heard Julia snicker and James call from the background that'd he wants to meet his counterpart. Erik stared at the phone.
"It works?"
Sapphire nodded.
"Apparently they found a way to do so."
Julia and James practically were gleeful.
"HI ERIK!"
He jumped away from the phone like a cat. Sapphire motioned that it was okay.
"Hey Julia, do you think video might work, it may be easier for him to understand the whole concept of the phone if he can see you."
She agreed and pressed the video button. It worked. She saw a bustle of people behind her.
"Are you getting ready for tonight's show?"
She nodded and Erik peeked over the phone. She waved at him and he tilted his head at her.
"I should warn you Erik, you remember how I told you about the play about you?"
He nodded slowly.
"This may be hard to hear but, she plays Christine while the man you see running towards her in the background with the cape…who just fell, plays you…"
She saw Julia turn around and then start laughing.
"Oh geez James, you clutz!"
Erik looked scared to ask.
"Why…would you want to be a monster… Even if it is just acting?"
Sapphire and Julia looked at him with sad eyes as James finally appeared on screen.
"You're not a monster Erik, and anyone who fucking thinks that is a god damn bastard. I have played the character enough to know that it's not your fault, it will never be your fault, and people are blind to the world around them and are selfish."
Erik had tears brimming. Sapphire smiled at him, being accepted so openly and being defending like that she was sure he was not used to it.
"Oh look the drama nerds are talking to another drama nerd."
I rolled my eyes and Erik just stared.
"Oh fuck off bitch!"
Julia said. Sapphire started laughing hysterically.
"My god she's La Carlotta, in the play, holy fuck I'm going to die!"
Erik looked at Sapphire worriedly and was trying to get a better look at her making sure she was okay. Julia began laughing at the antics and the La Carlotta fumed, while James held his sides in silent laughter.
"Well, you little bitch, looks like someone finally got rid of you!"
Sapphire glared through the phone. James looked toward Julia signaling he'd be right back.
"Listen here missy, you're insults are as bad as if a child were using them. I happen to be in Paris at the moment for some business that doesn't concern you. If you're going to act like La Carlotta miss drama queen, expect some unfortunate accident to occur. Just like they did to her."
Her face paled and she turned the other way. James came into the screen with the bald cap and hair on.
"Damn, I already miss having you here to chase her away."
Erik's jaw dropped at the change of hair, fear showing in his eyes, slowly backing away from the phone.
"Hey Erik, it's okay, we're not scared."
Julia said. His eyes betrayed him. Sapphire put her hand on his arm.
"It's okay Erik; I was not kidding when I said I knew everything about you."
Sapphire smiled at him. He managed to choke out a reply.
"How… Why?"
Sapphire continued.
"The book, movie, plays, stories, everything had been passed down."
Julia continued the explanation.
"Christine's diary was given to Gaston Leroux to use in 1925, where she acquired it back and wrote down how to help you. It was passed down through her family until James here received it."
James nodded and finished.
"My name is James Changy, Christine Daae was my great, great, great, great, grandmother."
It was at this point that Sapphire's jaw dropped.
"AND YOU COULDN'T HAVE MENTIONED THAT BEFORE I LEFT YOU DIMWIT."
She yelled as Julia busted into another fit of giggles.
"Well, Sapphire, I could have my understudy film the performance for you so you and Erik can watch."
Erik looked extremely uncomfortable and scared.
"It's up to you Erik, if you wish to see."
He nodded at her and she locked the door and sat down on the bed motioning him to join. He hesitated.
"We're friends, don't be scared."
He looked at her for a long time and then sat down shifting every so often. She saw the emotions clear on his face. At the end he jumped off the bed and paced.
"How dare they, how could they… why… Christine… why…"
He stopped, tears in his eyes, Sapphire looked at him. The understudy brought the phone back to Julia.
"Hey I gotta go, he's reliving memories now, call me in a week? Same time?"
Julia nodded.
"Take care of him Sapphire, we're trusting you."
Sapphire waved and hung up. She walked over to Erik as he completely tensed up.
"Erik it is okay, she didn't deserve you. You were too good for her."
He looked at her in confusion. She slowly put her arms around him and slowly sank to the ground with him.
"It's okay to cry, I won't tell anyone, and you won't get hurt from it."
She felt tears and silent shakes as he relieved all the years of pain and torment. It was a big step and she knew it, she slowly sung to him and ran her hand over his head, smiling the entire time, knowing she was helping him heal.
~Erik~
He stood behind the mirror, watching Sapphire talk into the device she called a mobile phone. He had gone to check on her since he hadn't seen her on the stage all morning. He reached out to her and she jumped sky high. He heard a quiet laughter from the phone. 'What on earth?'
He jumped back at the voices that then screamed his name, what on earth. 'She wasn't lying to the monster…' He agreed with the voice. It was almost like his thoughts and the voices thoughts became the same again. He asked to be sure if it worked and she confirmed it. He then saw her push a button and turn the phone to him; there were moving people on the screen. He tried to hide his shock as best as possible. Sapphire had than told him about the show. He saw a man dressed similarly to him fall in the background as Sapphire explain he was him, in the play. He was scared to know why but he needed the answer.
"Why…would you want to be a monster… Even if it is just acting?"
He almost couldn't contain himself at the man's answer. His eyes began to well with tears he thought long dried up. He was being defended, by someone he didn't even know, just like Sapphire. A woman came up vulgarly who looked vaguely familiar. He stared trying to place her. All of sudden she heard something about La Carlotta and then Sapphire doubled over. He rushed next to her trying to see if she needed help, and was okay. The next thing he saw was James again, except his hair was exactly like what his was under his wig. His jaw slightly dropped and he backed away in fear and confusion. He heard there words and felt Sapphire place her hand on him. He barely managed to get out his words.
"How…Why?"
They then brought up that James was his Christine's descendant and then if he wanted to see the play about him. Fear coursed through him. His life before this, could he bare to see what the world could see him as now. He slowly nodded in agreement, it was better to know now, than to find out later. Sapphire motioned to him on the bed. He had never been that close to anyone before, baring the one time with her, at least not willingly… She had given him permission and he moved to where she was shifting uncomfortably. The play started in front of his eyes as his own memories intertwined with them. He could see everything that happened as if it were yesterday. He tensed at parts knowing the outcome growled at others and held back tears at the rest. When the play had concluded he jumped out of his seat and began pacing. 'How could she leave me like that, how did I fall so far, did I really loose myself because of that women, look at my opera house.'
"How dare they, how could they… why… Christine… why…"
' It's her fault…no…no, it's not…it's mine..'
His pacing stopped and tears were held in his eyes. He would not show his weakness, his fear, his doubt. He did not deserve such a compassion for what he has done. He saw Sapphire walk up to him, his body tensed in preparation to be yelled at for crying.
"Erik it is okay, she didn't deserve you. You were too good for her."
She said to him. He was sure his confusion was mirrored on his face. No one ever thought he was good enough, so why did Sapphire say he was better than that. He felt arms around him pull him down to the ground, he was almost huddled in her lap hidden from the world.
"It's okay to cry, I won't tell anyone, and you won't get hurt from it."
That was all it took, his emotions came out like a flooding storm and tears fell from his eyes for the first time in years. How did this girl, this strange unusual girl from the future help him like this? How could she understand? But she did, and he knew it, she wanted to help him. He didn't know her reason but, it was time he moved on. So the pain from years of abuse, neglect, and torture spilled from his eyes, not even his mother held him when he cried, yet this girl did. 'thank you.' He felt free, more free than he had in years.
