Chapter 25
"Are you alright Christine?" Raoul asked.
I looked up at where Raoul was on the stage. I smiled a lie. "I'm alright. Don't worry about me."
"Promise me the moment you even think he is there, please give us a sign."
"I will." I uttered the lie in monotone.
He nodded and went back to his work with everyone.
It was time. I was nervous as I sat in the house just before the audience was to arrive. I was lost in thought as Raoul, the managers and Daroga were making sure that all the preparations were all in order for the Phantom. There were at least fifty policemen monitoring the opera that night. They were just as scared as I when the day had approached. Well we were all frightened. They were all frightened. How were they to know what was to happen that night? How was I to know what was to happen? It was no longer like the story that I had known. The uncertainty of the future unnerved me.
Not knowing what was to happen to me was the worse. I guess that is the scariest thing in the world. Not to know what is to happen to you. I believed once that to change the story I would help everyone else to have happiness because I was afraid of the outcome. But the façade of certainty was the crutch I desperately needed to be able to survive. Now that the veil had lifted I was frightened. How weak I felt when I could do nothing nor do anything without the knowledge of what was to happen to me. I was like the rest of them and it felt terrible. I didn't know if I was going to live or die like the rest of them. Or ever see my family and my friends again. Or to have a life that I always dreamed for.
Whatever was going to happen, my life would never be the same. I would never be the same.
"Wait for my signal to fire at him." Raoul said to the officer in the orchestra pit.
"How will we know if it is him?" The officer asked.
Raoul just stared at him for a moment. "You will know."
"Shall I give the order?" The head officer asked.
"Give the order." Raoul nodded. The police officer shouted the order. The reply from each man that guarded every door rang one after the other.
When the last reply called a voice echoed through the whole room. "I'm here The Phantom of the Opera."
We all grew wide eyed. From another corner of the room we heard "I'm here."
"Wait for my signal." Raoul ordered.
"I'm here" Came from another corner of the room.
Then from another corner "I'm here."
"I'm here. I'm here. I'm here."
I stood up and looked around for where he was perched.
"I'm here!" Then it came from right behind me and a gunshot was fired almost hitting my head. I nearly screamed but two other people did it for me.
"No!" Raoul and Erik roared in unison.
"I said wait for my signal and only then!" Raoul barked rushing over. I sat down clutching my chest. I was right I could die and not just by the Phantom. If that gunman's shot was any worse I would have been a corpse.
"For once the Vicomte is right!" Erik's voice echoed. "My patience is wearing thin. Let my Opera begin!"
…...
I bit my lip. I was worried. Everything was going smoothly so far with no appearance of the Phantom and unexpected croaks or deaths. Yet that didn't put me at ease. I still was not at ease. Backstage I waited nervously for my entrance. I watched the performance from the shadows. Personally I thought the Opera was extremely well written and the characters were good but what was surprising was that the audience was getting a kick out of it. They were entranced by the music and the plot that after every song they were on their feet. It was like they never saw such madness on the stage at once.
My thoughts began to wander again to Erik.
"Christine." Meg chimed. I looked at the small child. She was wearing her street clothes with her ballet shoes. Beside her was Marco who stood protectively beside Meg.
"You better get ready." Marco warned. "You are about to go on to the stage."
I dreaded that moment. "I know."
"Are you alright?" Meg asked.
"I will be."
She smiled. "I hope so. I was worried about you. Your face was white and it frightened me. I thought you were unwell."
"Meg." I said. She looked up at me. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead.
I looked at Marco with seriousness. "Go to Notre Dame. Take Meg with you. You have to leave now. "
Marco didn't agree. He didn't give me an answer. He just turned his head and stared at the stage.
"Do you understand me?" I asked.
"You're on." Then Marco pushed me on to the stage.
I almost stumbled on to the stage but to save myself the embarrassment I turned it into a skip. I cursed quietly to myself, vowing to get Marco back later if I got the chance. Now it was his entire fault that I seemed out of place at first. I became conscious about their peering, judges eyes so because I was nervous I remembered to perform the piece like he told me. I actually wished for him to be there. It would have made it easier but I couldn't think about that right then. I tried to act like a dreamy village girl who would be easily seduced. Each step I took I danced to my destination.
Then I sat do on the table holding an apple in my hand ready to take a bite out of it when I heard him enter. I knew it was him because I remembered the familiar way he sang it to me long, long ago. I was on the brink of breaking the act to run into his arms. That made it the harder to act.
"Away from all your childish games you have come to me for me." He sang. The hood of the cloak covered his face. I stood up and walked upstage right to play with my apple "Searching for something here that is for us both…."
Erik sang holding a wine glass. Then handing it to me I drank only to have him guide me back to the bench. "I have wanted to you to come, my dear. But soon my dear we will be one for one moment. For one lifetime. For my desire for you grows stronger yet. The tears that have been shed are gone at last for we have past the point of no return."
I sat down and he sat behind me with his body pressed to mine. It wasn't an act when I shivered with anticipation. "Past the point of no return, no backward glances…The games we played 'til now are at an end. Past all thought of 'If' or 'When'. No use resisting Abandon thought and let the dream descend."
"What raging fire shall flood the soul? What rich desire unlocks its door? What sweet seduction lies before us?" I felt his hands caress my skin. I shivered at his touch. "Past the point of no return, the final threshold. What warm unspoken secrets will we learn? Beyond the point of no return."
When he sang that last bit I felt his hands move from my leg to my chest. I ran away from him. Looking down at the officer I remembered what I had to do. I got back into character and stated to sing again. "You have wanted but we have to wait, until we wed. For God shall not be happy with his poor child in hell if not. But, still I imagine us our bodies entwining defenseless and hiding as we past the point of no return."
I walked over to where Erik was still sitting and I sat down behind him "Past the point of no return, no going back now. Our passion play has now at last begun. Past all thought of right or wrong, one final question; how long should we two wait before we're one?"
"When will the blood begin to race, the sleeping bud burst into bloom?" Erik raised his hands for me to grab. They shook. I only went on trying not to get excited. I saw the ring on his finger and I almost started to cry. To keep myself in character I took his hands and wrapped his arms around him. I sang on. "When will the flames at last consume us?"
Releasing him I started to flee but Erik grabbed my hand to drag me back to center stage. When he finally got me to stand right on the center with him I looked up to where Raoul was standing next to the wall of the floor of the house. He seemed to be unaware of my pleading look. Erik saw where I was looking and turned my face to look at his covered face.
I jerked my head to take his hand away from my face. I pulled my hand out of his grasp and faced him as we sang together. "Past the point of no return, the final threshold; the bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn."
I reached to his face. "We've passed the point of no return." And at that I lifted the hood to reveal his face. I heard a gasp from the house. I heard a the officer in the pit fumble with his gun.
I just stared at him. The way he looked at me burned my soul. There was so much sorrow in his eyes. I started to try and shield him from the guns man as best as I could. I heard him start to sing "Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime."
"Lead me, save me from my solitude." I sang my heartbreaking while I did. I looked back at Erik. It was hard to sing the next part because my eyes were pricked with tears. "Say you'll want me with you here beside you."
"Anywhere you go let me go too," Erik stepped toward me. He smiled. I raised my hand to his face as he whispered. "Roxanne, that's all I ask of—."
Before he said the last word I pulled of his mask and wig. The audience screamed out in fear at the sight of him. I didn't watch anyone else but him. It pained me to do that to him but I had to for it to work. He cried in anger. My heart was being pulled apart. I reached a hand out to him. Then he grabbed my arm. "Now!"
Yet again I felt the feeling of falling again and the trapdoor was released. With a thud we hit the cushion. There was immense clapping in the audience. There was the sound of many feet trying to get to us. I saw Raoul's face look down at us. Then the door closed.
Disclaimer: I don't own any Phantom of the Opera.
Hello there. sorry that this was a short chapter but I think it works. I hope this gave you chills of delight. I wanted to tell you about how much I love writing this book because we are dwindling down to the final chapters. But there is no time for that. And Props to those who remembered the gunpowder from the novel.
Past the point of no return, the final threshold. The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn. We've passed the point of no return.
I can't change it to bend to my needy request to ask fro reviews, so just please review for my sake.
Now here is my question to you; Who is your favorite character in this story? My guess that 90% will say Erik. Why I ask you this? Well since you have read this up until now, it must mean that you liked something about it so I want to know what I am doing right. I'm going Carlotta on you guys yet I am just curious so I can keep doing what I am doing for my next Project: The Nutcracker.
See you all soon :)