Chapter Nine: (Reality)
Erik and Christine kissed for what seemed like an eternity - and a little bit more than that.
Suddenly paradise was shattered to pieces when a knock on the door startled both Erik and Christine.
"Christine, are you all right?" a soft, concerned voice asked.
"It's Meg!" Christine exclaimed with a whisper.
She replied nervously, her voice rising with her nervousness, "Yes, yes, everything is perfect!"
Christine frantically started closing her unbuttoned nightgown.
Meg inquired again with a hint of worry in her voice. "Are you sure? Because I thought I heard noises!"
Christine bit her lip in embarrassment.
"Oh, it must have come from another room!" Christine replied frantically while trying to pull on her white robe as quickly as possible.
When Christine was decent, she looked up and to her shock, Erik was gone and there were no more candles. Christine opened the light in her room and looked around. In all the rush, she hadn't noticed Erik leaving but she didn't have time to think now.
She just rushed to the door and opened it to find a waiting Meg standing at the door with a frown on her face.
"Why did it take you so long to open?" Meg asked curiously.
Christine sighed and replied nervously, a deep red blush evident on her cheeks, "It's just that I was sleeping and when you knocked, you kind of startled me… I was looking for my slippers!"
Christine was babbling excuses but she quickly realized it and calmed herself down.
"Would you like to come in?" Christine asked.
Meg's expression was now more relaxed.
"No, no, it's fine. I just came to tell you that I thought you were wonderful tonight, since I forgot to tell you earlier. I'm sorry if I woke you; it's just that I couldn't sleep."
Meg bit her lip and looked down at the floor.
Christine smiled as she stated, "Would you like to talk about it? Don't worry. You're not bothering me."
Meg smiled and nodded. Christine closed the door and they both sat on the bed.
Looking down at her hands that were resting in her lap for a moment, Meg took a deep breath as she looked back at her friend and started hesitantly.
"Well, there is this fellow that I like… I like a lot actually. Who am I kidding, I love him," Meg exclaimed shyly and then continued. "I-I've been seeing him in secret because if my mother knew, she would kill me!"
Christine chuckled as Meg continued worriedly, "But you see, he doesn't seem to be interested in marriage. It's been two months now and he hasn't even made an attempt to talk to my mother or to propose. I'm scared that he just wants to take advantage of me."
Christine looked at her with concern.
"But you didn't cross the line with him, did you?" Christine asked cautiously
"No!" Meg exclaimed. "Of course not!"
She bit her lip as she slowly went on to confess, "Although he has been making inappropriate advances toward me lately."
Christine looked down at the floor for a few moments as she thought about how she was just about to cross the line with Erik. If what had happened was real in the first place!
"Christine, are you all right?"
Meg's voice cut through Christine's train of thought. She smiled and looked back at Meg in return.
"Thank you so much for coming tonight, Meg!" Christine said gratefully as she held her friend's hands in hers.
"My pleasure!" Meg laughed as she replied.
After a moment of silence, Meg hesitantly continued, "So, what do you think I should do?"
Christine cleared her throat.
"Well, first of all, do I know this man?" Christine questioned.
Meg nodded.
"But please, don't tell anyone! He's the new patron," Meg said slowly.
"Monsieur Pierre Richard!" Christine exclaimed, interrupting Meg's sentence.
Meg put her hand on Christine's mouth and replied frantically, "Shhhh!"
"I'm sorry," Christine said calmly, embarrassed by her childish outburst.
Just like that, Christine found herself thinking about Raoul. She remembered how they used to sneak around secretly because she was afraid of Erik at the time. Tears started rolling from her eyes.
Seeing her friend's sudden change of mood, Meg exclaimed, "What's wrong?"
Just a few minutes ago they were both laughing together, and now this.
"I-it's nothing. I just remembered Raoul," Christine confessed.
Meg leaned in and gave Christine a big hug.
"I'm sure that things will work out between you and Raoul in the end," Meg said reassuringly.
Christine pulled away from her friend's embrace.
"No, they won't. There are too many things that you don't know about me, Meg. Raoul and I don't belong to each other," Christine replied knowingly.
Meg just stared at Christine, concern and surprise filling her eyes. She refused to give up, as she pressed on trying to console her friend. "There is always hope."
Christine shook her head, a firm "No" as she smiled, wiping away her tears.
"I'm so sorry, Meg. We drifted away from the main subject again. So. You were telling me that Monsieur Richard is making inappropriate advances toward you. Well, I think, if that is the case, then you should leave him," Christine said with a steady voice.
After a moment's thought, Christine looked Meg in the eyes.
"Leave him before it's too late and you find out that you have been deceived by your own heart!" Christine exclaimed with urgency and confidence.
A sigh escaped her lips.
"Trust me, the pain will drive you crazy," Christine continued painfully, her voice wavering with emotion.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Yes, Christine had been deceived by her own heart and she didn't wish that upon anyone else because she knew how painful it could be. If she had only realized her love for Erik sooner, her heart wouldn't be so broken and her soul wouldn't be so tired and even the Opera House wouldn't have burned down.
As she lay in bed that night, Christine contemplated the possibility that she might be loosing her mind.
"I drove you crazy once and now you're driving me crazy," Christine thought in grief and guilt. Tears silently rolled down her cheeks, staining her pillow and her soul with their wounds as she realized in horror, "That's your revenge."
x-x-x-x-x-x
The morning light filled Christine's room as she opened her eyes to greet the morning. The morning gave her a breath of new hope. What a long night it had been and Christine was glad that it was over. Last night's conversation with Meg had given her new strength and determination to finish what she had started. It was time to put the past behind her and Christine was going to do that, no matter what the cost.
She slowly rose from bed, wore her beautiful white robe and walked toward her vanity table. There she sat down and wrote a letter to Raoul. In it, Christine asked for a divorce. She didn't care for the scandal anymore. She didn't care what people thought or said; she just wanted to end it completely and to get on with her life.
Christine was fed up with both men; one had pushed her away so abruptly and without any explanation and the other was torturing her ruthlessly. Christine had had enough of it all. It was over in her heart. All she felt was anger toward both men for the terrible way they had treated her.
Christine Daae was done with anything that had to do with men or falling in love. Erik and Raoul were not allowed to ruin her life anymore. No man would ruin her life anymore.
Christine sealed the letter and slowly got up to get dressed and to prepare herself for a long day of rehearsal. As she was finishing the final touches of her make up, there was a knock on the door. Christine opened to find Meg standing before her, dressed in her ballerina outfit and ready.
"Shall we go to rehearsal?" Meg asked with a smile on her face.
Christine nodded and replied, "Yes, we shall."
x-x-x-x-x-x
Monsieur Firmin entered the stage, holding what seemed to be a new Opera in his hand.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please," his voice rang throughout the noisy crowd of the performers.
Suddenly, the room became quiet and everyone looked at Monsieur Firmin, who went on to say, "There will be a change in the program. You will perform this new Opera instead of the one you were just rehearsing."
Soft hisses and whispers of curiosity filled the room as Carlotta told her assistant, "See. I-a told-a you-a that-a something strange-a is going on-a."
Christine was listening intently to Carlotta's conversation as Carlotta went on to say to her assistant, "Not-a to mention that-a no one-a knows-a who-a this-a mysterious composer-a is-a!"
Christine's heart missed a beat as she thought to herself, "Could it be Erik? No, it is impossible!"
"And why the sudden change of heart, Monsieur Firmin?" Monsieur Reyer inquired with great irritation.
"Well, because I reviewed both Operas and I found this one to be much better," Monsieur Firmin replied.
But under his breath, Firmin cursed Erik for putting him in such an awkward situation.
The truth was that it was Erik's order. He had just composed that Opera and he wanted it to be performed instead. And Monsieur Firmin had obeyed, for what else could he do.
"Is this absolutely necessary, Monsieur Firmin?" Monsieur Andre interrupted nervously.
Monsieur Firmin mumbled under his breath "You have no idea." Then he raised his voice in reply as he said confidently, "Yes, it is."
Monsieur Andre gave in without any argument since he trusted Firmin's judgment.
Turning his attention from Monsieurs Andre and Reyer to Christine, Monsieur Firmin went on to say, "Christine will also be the lead. She is our star now."
"What!" Carlotta yelled with her loud nasally voice. "And what-a about-a me and my doggy!"
"You're still our star, too. Now, we have two stars," Monsieur Firmin replied in exasperation, trying to contain the damages.
Carlotta shook her head in anger. She would have left joyfully at that moment but because she knew no other theater would take her, she bit her lip and accepted her fate. Carlotta knew that Christine was the real star now but what could she do.
Monsieur Firmin handed the score to Monsieur Reyer, who opened it and studied it for a few moments and replied in defeat, "Alright then, let's start with this new Opera. It's entitled 'A Second Chance.'"
Christine's heart missed a beat again as she looked around the stage for a moment.
Oh, how that title rang inside her being, "A Second Chance" when Christine had finally run out of chances to give, when she had decided that the past was behind her. What kind of cruel game was fate playing now?
The orchestra started playing the score, in practice, as magical tunes filled the atmosphere. At that moment Christine realized that there was only one composer who could compose such enchanting, powerful music; but how could it be?
Even Madame Giry had an uneasy feeling about it all. As she looked around for a moment, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a shadow. A man was standing behind one of the curtains and her eyes grew wide in shock as her heart trembled. The shadow was gone in an instant and so was Madame Giry's focus.
Reality, what is reality? What makes reality real?
Those questions haunted Christine's mind all the while as they practiced that day. Christine felt Erik's presence around her as every word she sang seemed to be a message from him to her.
Every kiss and every touch was still burning on her skin. She had seen him; she had heard him; and she had felt him. How could it all be nothing but a mere illusion, when it felt so real and so true!
Reality, what is reality? What makes reality real?
Those questions haunted Madame Giry's mind as she began to put the pieces of the puzzle together. There had been too many incidents which she had ignored. After all she had done for him, Erik couldn't possibly allow her to mourn his death if he were still alive. She just couldn't believe that. And yet, in that instant, Madame Giry didn't know what to think as all her doubts about Erik's death were awakened all over again.
For an instant, Christine's timid doe eyes met Madame's blue stern ones. How was either woman to know that they were thinking about the same thing.
Reality, what is reality? What makes reality real?