Chapter Ten - The Time Is Near

Christina's POV

The three days that passed were very exciting. Every morning me and the rest of the cast would all practice our performances. They were all incredible performers and had such great singing voices and dance skills. After lunch we would do a full run through the whole concert on the stage, then if we had time we would run it for a second time. Meg enjoyed our private rehearsals a lot because they were a change from just singing and dancing with the others all the time.
Finally after my dinner each evening I would return to my room and he would come and collect me to help me practice my aria. I enjoyed these lessons more than the show rehearsals. The main reason was because of him. As well as practicing the song he also helped train me on how to make my voice stronger. It was incredible how much he knew, then again you'd expect that of someone who has lived for over a hundred years. As the days went by, the strong friendship and love I had for him grew larger and larger. And I could tell that somehow it was the same for him.

On the evening of the third day he came to collect me from my room as usual and led me through the mirror. When he sat down at his piano he said "The time is near, my dear Christina." I nodded in agreement "I know, I'm so excited." He opened the piano and cracked his knuckles "Right let's begin." The next twenty minutes that passed were just as wonderful as the first lesson was. I was definitely feeling ready to perform the song to a real audience.
When we were done he turned round to face me still sat on the bench "Beautiful Christina. The show may be tomorrow night, yet you're already perfect" My heart warmed as he spoke these words. "Thank you" But then I remembered something. "But I thought a perfect rehearsal means there won't be a perfect show" He shook his head and rose to his feet "From what I've seen I know that you will be amazing tomorrow night. Trust me". "I trust you" I said earnestly.
"Speaking of tomorrow Christina, have your parents bought their tickets for the concert?" My smile faded a bit. "No, I'm afraid they won't be able to make it, it's because they've already paid a lot. First with the new house and then my place here at the opera house. So they're going to have to miss my first performance here which is very sad." He placed his hand on my shoulder. "Don't you fret, my dear. I think I can help you. Here" He reached into his suit jacket and handed me a white envelope. "What's in here?" I asked "Two tickets for tomorrow night." My smile returned and my heart pounded so fast with excitement. "Oh, thank you so much! You're such a life saver! Mum and Dad are going to be so happy" He patted my shoulder "They'll be even more surprised when they see that both tickets are for a private box." My mouth dropped. "They are?" He nodded and his hand gently gripped my shoulder. "Tell your parents that the tickets are compliments of your singing teacher." I nodded and placed my hand over his on my shoulder. "Don't worry, your secret is still safe with me." "Thank you, Christina"
"Are you going to be attending the concert?" I asked. "Of course I am. Do you think I'd want to miss your first performance on that stage?" He said laughing and I laughed too "I was just wondering where you would sit, I mean someone would notice your mask and probably ask you about it." His smile widened and he said "Don't you worry about me, I already have a private box reserved for myself as it always has been. You remember Meg telling you about box five? The one that I had ordered to keep for myself." I nodded. "Well that is where I shall sit. And when I sit in there tomorrow night I will hear you sing, just as I heard Christine sing in that time long ago."

He sat back down on the piano bench and lightly stroked his fingers over the keys. "Oh Christina, the gods smiled when they imagined you. You are music itself." I stepped closer to him "You think so?" I asked. "Yes, Oh yes" He began to play on the keyboard again but this time he sang, in the most incredible voice I'd ever heard.

(Phantom)
Do Re Mi Fa Sol, Fa Re, Fa Mi
Do Re Mi Fa Sol, Fa Re, Mi Do
Now you

(Christina)
Do Re Mi Fa Sol, Fa Re, Fa Mi
Do Re Mi Fa Sol, Fa Re, Mi Do

(Phantom)
Move the Do
Do Re Mi Fa Sol, Fa Re, Fa Mi
Do Re Mi Fa Sol, Fa Re, Mi Do

(Christina)
Do Re Mi Fa Sol, Fa Re, Fa Mi
Do Re Mi Fa Sol

(Together)
Fa Re, Mi Do

(Phantom)
Oh, you are music
Beautiful music
And you are light to me

(Together)
Oh, you are music
Moonbeams of music
And you are light to me

(Phantom)
Do Re Mi Fa Sol, Fa Re, Fa Mi
Take a breath on one
And after three

(Christina)
Do Re Mi Fa Sol, Fa Re, Fa Mi
Breathing first on one
And after three

(Phantom)
Breathing in the air
And ebb and flow
Breathing taking care
Fa Re, Mi Do

(Christina)
Breathing in the air from deep below

(Together)
Ready for the run, from do to do
You are music
Beautiful music
And you are light to me
Oh, you are music
Sun burst of music
And you are light to me

I was overjoyed with happiness when the song ended, but just before I could talk a yawn escaped my mouth. He closed the piano and got to his feet. "Come on, you need some good sleep if you want to give a spectacular performance tomorrow night." He was absolutely right. "Ok" I said through another yawn. We walked back down the tunnel side by side his hand on my back. When we made it back to my room I pulled off my dressing gown and kicked off my slippers. I collapsed heavily onto my bed exhausted from the long day. "Good night" I said settling on my side as he laid the duvet over me tucking me in. "Sleep well, my dear Christina" he whispered giving my hair a loving stroke as he had done since that first night.
Just before he reached for the lamp switch I asked, "When will you tell me the truth about yourself and your past?" He got down on one knee and whispered "Maybe tomorrow after the performance. It all depends" I blinked my sleepy eyes "On what?" "If I feel ready to tell you." he said, sounding unsure. I sighed. "Well I'm certainly ready, I have been ever since we first met." He smiled and stroked my cheek with his index finger. "I'm sure you do. Come on now, go to sleep." I closed my eyes and he switched off the lamp. A few seconds after the mirror closed shut I flicked the light back on and picked up my phone. Staring through my heavy eyelids set an alarm and slipped it under my pillow. I then reach for my diary that was in the top draw of the side table. I open it and read what I wrote earlier.


15th September 2010

Dear Diary

I can't believe tomorrow night is the show. Everyone is getting so excited that they're always skipping down the corridor and jumping with joy whenever I see them. And I think that he is the most excited out of all of us. Because he puts so much dedication into our rehearsals together, not to mention love. I hope that he will soon tell me his real name and the truth about himself. I really want to know, because sometimes I can see this pain within his eyes. He may not know but I can see it and it hurts me seeing him in pain. I want to know what it is so I can heal it. But he keeps insisting for me to wait until he is ready. If that's what he wants, then that is what he shall get. Whatever makes him happy.


I closed it and placed it back in the draw. I collapsed back onto my pillows and settled down ready to sleep.
When I now slept he somehow appeared in all the dreams I had. I could also hear that sweet lullaby tune that he had sang to Christine when she was a child. I loved it so much because it made me feel safe and I knew that I wasn't alone at night.

When my alarm went off the next morning at ten to eight I quickly got changed and fixed my hair into a neat ponytail. I then collected my pencil case and the envelope with the tickets for Mum and Dad. I laid them on my dressing table and wrote on the front of the envelope.


Mum, Dad, This is compliments of my singing teacher. Don't tell anyone about it, I'll explain when I see you later. I hope you enjoy yourselves tonight.
Christina XXXXX


I laced up my trainers, grabbed my coat and hurried out of the room. I ran all the way to the front entrance and out of the door. After crossing the road I ran to my house, not wanting to wake Mum and Dad I posted the envelope through the letterbox and made my way back to the opera house.

As I hurried towards the dining hall I turned a corner and almost bumped right into Rosetta. She was wearing a French pink satin dressing gown, and under a head-net her red hair was in dozens of curlers. Luckily I managed to dodge right round her which is quite a skill because at her size she almost filled the space of the corridor. "No running in the corridors!" she screeched like a parrot. I continued running anyway and called over my shoulder "I have to, I'm late for breakfast!" Rosetta is the one thing in this theatre that is a complete pain in the arse. In every rehearsal she expects everything to be picture perfect. She complains at the smallest thing like an undone ribbon or an untucked shirt. She taps the culprit hard on the shoulder and sharply points it out under her breath. And what really annoys me is the whole curtsying thing. Everyone acts like its law and always do it without complaint. I did too for the first two days. But now I try avoiding it in every possible way. I mean Rosetta isn't a Duchess or a Lady-something so why the hell should we do it?

I was out of breath when I made it to the dining hall. Most of the other girls were silent because I could guess that the excitement of tonight was building up inside each of them. It was certainly building up inside me and I could feel the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I then went with Meg to rehearse. "Why were you all out of breath when you arrived for breakfast?" Meg asked opening her flute case. "Because I had to rush home to give Mum and Dad their tickets for tonight". Then we went through the whole song and I sang without looking at the sheet. But Meg of course needed the sheet to follow her notes. When we were done I asked "You nervous about tonight Meg?" She seemed hesitant to answer then said. "I'm very excited but quite nervous." I patted her shoulder "Don't be nervous. You're going to shine out there tonight." She smiled "Not as much as you will" And we both giggled.

Just as we were packing up there was a knock at the door "Come in!" I called. Monsieur Pascal entered the room "How are things going girls?" he asked. "Very well thank you, Monsieur." I said. "Is the song ready for tonight then?" he asked leaning against the door frame "It looks like it is sir" said Meg as she closed her flute case. "Wonderful. Meg, your mother would like to see you on the stage right now" "Thank you monsieur" said Meg gathering up her things. "See you later Christina" "See ya" I said. After she left the room Monsieur Pascal turned and smiled at me. "Miss De Chagny, would you please follow me, there's something I'd like to show you" "Ok" I said following him out of the room.

He led me to the huge wardrobe where all the show costumes are stored and hung up on many rails. We went to the middle of the room where a white sheet was draped over what must have been a mannequin. Pascal pointed at it. "While you were rehearsing with Meg, I was up in the attic where all the costumes from the old days were kept. And by some miracle I found this." "What is it?" I asked. His smile widened "This is one of the dresses that Christine Daaé wore for her debut performance.
He removed the sheet and there over the mannequin stand was a floor-length white gown that had diamond stars stuck all over the puffed out skirt. "Wow, it's beautiful" I said stroking my fingers over the smooth materiel. "But how can this still be here? I thought that the opera house had been ablaze in a fire many years ago. And I presumed that a lot of the old things would have been burned, or if not they would have been sold at auctions." Pascal shook his head. "The fire had been put out very quickly, so a lot of the old stuff survived. And yes most of the things were sold at auctions. But a few were kept because they were too precious to be given away." Pascal patted the headless mannequin and said "This is what you will wear tonight for your aria" My eyes widened "Really?" he nodded then turned and took a brown purse off a shelf and handed it to me. "As well as the dress, I also found these." I opened it and inside it were hair slides that were all in round star shapes with diamonds embedded on them. And a pair of dangly earrings with the same round stars with diamonds. "Oh Monsieur, thank you" I said. "You're welcome" he said.

"When you finish the aria and walk off you will be led to a dressing room off the side of the stage. And there is where you will be helped to change into the dress you will wear for your performance with Meg." He pointed at something behind me. I turned and there over another mannequin was a dress that was a baby blue colour. It wasn't big like the white gown, the skirt was knee-length, simple and yet lovely. "We wanted you to wear something blue and gentle like the ocean." said Pascal. My fingers stroked over the skirt "It feels wavy, like the flowing of the tide. It goes with the theme of the song." I said "It certainly does" said Pascal from behind me. "I've got some jewellery that will go with this dress. So you won't have to worry about providing me with any" I heard Pascal approaching me and turned to face him. "Would you like this for your hair?" he said showing me a hair clip with a baby blue flower on it. "That will do nicely, thank you" I said. "So after dinner you'll be going with the other girls to have your hair and make-up done. When you get back to your room someone will be there to help you into the dress. The show starts at seven thirty so don't be late." I shook my head "I won't Monsieur, don't you worry" He patted my shoulder. "Excellent, now off you go. Don't want to miss the last run through." I handed the brown purse back to him and headed to the door. "See you later!" I called over my shoulder as I left the room heading for the stage.


The Song in this Chapter was

You Are Music - Phantom: The American Musical Sensation