CHARLES

"Feeling better?" I asked Dad the next morning as he padded into the kitchen in his robe and slippers, rubbing his head. I bit back a grin as I sipped my coffee as I read the paper.
"You certainly are chipper this morning…" He said, opening a cupboard and obviously looking for some aspirin.
"Second cupboard on the left." I said, unable to hide a smirk. He raised an eyebrow at me and poured himself a cup of coffee, taking the aspirin without water. As he sat at the table, I pushed a plate of toast that Therese had made earlier. He waved it away, as if the thought of food disgusted him, which I have no doubt, it did.

He sat at the table and picked up a piece of the paper that I wasn't reading.
"How did your day with Mademoiselle Denton go?" He asked and I looked up from the morning headlines.
"Good…she is surprisingly exceptional. A natural talent…she will go far." I cleared my throat, trying to find the words to tell him what I had planned to do.
"Dad?" I said tentatively and without looking up from the paper he simply responded,
"Mmm?" I ran a hand through my thick dark hair and said,
"I um…I have to tell you something…" He set the paper down, looking at me suspiciously.
"I am afraid to ask." He murmured as I took a deep breath.

"The opera is putting on Hannibal and as you know Anselmo has gone to Rome." I said quickly. Dad nodded, eyeing me.
"Well…I remembered what you said…you know about being a musician…" His eyes lit up a bit, but he remained firm.
"Yes Charles…just get on with it…" He said, and I knew I needed to get to the point.
"I want to audition for leading tenor…" I said all in one breath and his eyes lit up.
"Leading tenor? A singer? You are a bit young, but I don't think that will…" He stopped suddenly, "Charles, does this have anything to do with the Denton girl?" I held my breath.
"No…well yes but…it's mostly for Mother. She'd so hoped I would join the opera one day…" I said, knowing he couldn't resist when I threw Mother into the protest.

He shook his head, involuntarily grinning.
"You are a conniving devil Charles de Chagny." Dad said with a small sad gleam in his eye. He combed his light hair with his fingers and sipped at his coffee again. I still watched him, waiting for a response. He looked up from the paper at me again, noticing I was watching him. He even looked a bit intimidated by the way I was looking at him.
"What?" He asked, and I smiled.
"So is that alright then?" I asked him and he turned serious.
"Charles, you are twenty-five years old. You don't need my permission to choose a career. You know I will support whatever you do. Just do me a favor and don't go crazy on me, alright?" I frowned in confusion.
"Why would I do that?" I asked and Dad shrugged, muttering,
"I really don't know. Opera seems to do that to men. Opera and women." He shook his head and went back to reading the obituaries as he did every day as if he was desperately looking for someone.

I went over some designs for a new church outside of Paris for a few hours before I pulled on long coat and headed back over to the opera as it was beginning to snow. I had been here more times in one week than I came in one year before my birthday. I was greeted by the sound of Aunt Meg coaching the ballerinas onstage, so I decided to sit at the back of the theater and watch the rehearsal to wait for Maddie.
"Deirdre, you are spinning too fast, Madeleine, you are half a count behind." The ballerinas and two male dancers were working on the slave dance from Hannibal.
"Let's try it again from the top of the dance…" Aunt Meg said with her long blonde hair tied back, as the ballerinas rose and adjusted the chains around their wrists.

I watched Madeleine from the shadows in back of the theater and couldn't help admiring her grace and beauty. Every move she made just flowed beautifully into the next and all of the other ballerinas seemed to disappear while Maddie just danced alone, when in reality, she was cuffed between the redhead that Gabe had asked to dance at the gala for Faust and Deirdre. As I watched her I wanted nothing more than to disrupt the rehearsal and kiss her until Aunt Meg had to beat me off of her with a pointe shoe. This was a dream that would never come true, for she didn't want me.

Who was to say I was good enough for her anyway? She'd been hurt and survived so many things, and I had taken the things that were dear to me for granted. I'd realized this last night when she'd admitted she had nothing to wear to the masquerade. Everything in my life was worth it when I saw her face as she held the pink gown to her small body and tried to hide her excitement. It was the moment I knew that I would do anything and everything to make her happy, even if only as her friend. I wasn't in love with her, at least I didn't think so, but in the short time I had known her, I had come to idolize her. Not as a goddess or anything, but as a person. A human being with feelings and regrets.

Suddenly an obviously flimsy piece of the set came tumbling down and chaos ensued. The ballerinas started running around frantically, stumbling over each other as Aunt Meg tried to calm them down. Maddie got frustrated and removed the cuffs from her arms as Deirdre fell onto her. The little redheaded girl cried,
"It's happening! The ghost is back!" Aunt Meg rubbed her temples, frustrated as she yelled,
"Nonsense! Back in line this instant! Deirdre! Madeleine! Get up!"
"But Madame Bennett…the ghost…"
"Does not exist." Aunt Meg finished for the girl and I couldn't hold back a laugh. Almost every single girl onstage gasped as I stood up and came out from the shadows, still wearing my long coat. One little dark haired girl screamed when she saw me emerge.

"The ghost!" She cried, pointing at me and I felt my face heat up. Aunt Meg whirled around and shrieked when she saw me, but realized who I was and breathed.
"I'm afraid not." I said, winking at the dark haired girl who fainted.
"Charles de Chagny, don't you ever sneak up like that again!" Aunt Meg said, coming to kiss me on the cheek and I laughed.
"I didn't sneak. If you silly girls weren't so superstitious…I've been sitting in the back row for almost ten minutes now." Out of the corner of my eye I could see Maddie rolling her eyes.
"And what brings you here disrupting my rehearsal young man?" Aunt Meg said, with a twinkle in her eye.
"Well, while the thought of scaring the daylights out of all you lovely ladies has its appeal, I am here to see Madeleine. After rehearsal of course." I replied and a couple of the ballerinas made noises, teasing Maddie, who had gone completely red.

"I'll just be in the front row…" I said, winking at the little dark haired girl who'd managed to pick herself up, and she fainted again. Aunt Meg laughed, shaking her head and said,
"Tell you what ladies and gentleman," She said referring to the two males, "Let's call it a day. There's only a few minutes left anyway." As Maddie went to change, Aunt Meg turned to me and said,
"You're quite taken with her…aren't you?" I nodded and said,
"Actually I am helping her out with her singing." Aunt Meg smiled.
"That's so nice-her what?" She asked, realizing what I'd said.
"Singing," I repeated, "She's very talented." Whatever shock Aunt Meg had shown before, she was doing a damn good job of hiding it now.
"She's a good girl…"Aunt Meg agreed, "Just be careful Charles." She said, and walked away. Why did everyone keep saying that?

Madeleine appeared wearing an older green dress. She had a stern look on her face but an amused look in her eyes.
"The girls are convinced that you are the opera ghost resurrected." She said, rolling her eyes and I chuckled.
"That's a good reputation to get the week before I audition for leading tenor." She snorted.
"Your insanity knows no limits…" she muttered dryly as I led her back into the old storage room, moving to light the candle again. She warmed up quickly as I produced yet again, the aria from Act three of Hannibal. She groaned.
"Charles, there is no chance of me playing Elissa…none. I've never even sung a solo much less a leading role." I sighed.

"Madeleine, this isn't about you playing Elissa or Margarita or whomever. This is about learning something and knowing it inside out, backwards and forwards. This is about portraying the true meaning and passion behind the music, whether it be for an audience of thousands or an audience of one." I explained and she seemed to understand where I was going.
"Alright Charles," She said calmly, "I'm ready."