Christine arrived in Vienna on the day of the audition.
In fact, Christine arrived just on time for the audition. The auditions were scheduled to start at around noon and Christine arrived at roughly eleven. After checking in at an inn and getting herself gussied up, she made her way to the Opera House.
Vienna was absolutely beautiful. Christine loved it! As she walked through the streets, she admired the beautiful buildings and colorful trees. She had never been to Austria before and she was loving every moment of it.
Christine stood in the summer breeze for one more moment before entering the Opera House. It was the most brilliant building she'd ever seen! High ceilings, white marble pillars, black and gold flooring, large paintings on the walls… everything was gorgeous!
"Good day, Miss! Are you here for auditions?" a voice said, starting Christine slightly. She turned towards the voice, finding a handsome young boy smiling at her.
"Oh… yes, I am," she said, a small smile spreading across her lips.
"Excellent! What is your name, Ma'am?" the boy asked, revealing a pen and paper.
Christine glanced at the long list of names. "Oh… my name is Christine, Christine Daaé," she said. The boy wrote her name quickly onto the paper. "And who sent you to this audition?"
"Oh, my agent, George Barker," she answered. The boy wrote Mr. Barker's name on a separate list, next to the number seventeen.
"Very well, Miss Daaé. It looks like you will be our last audition today. Follow me, I will lead you to the waiting area," the boy said, beginning to walk. Christine followed eagerly, slightly surprised by the young boy's politeness. He had to be around Meg's age, maybe nineteen or twenty.
He led her down the long hallway and opened a large door. "You may wait in here, Madame. The audition room is right next door and I will call number seventeen when it is your turn to audition," he said, giving her a kind smile.
Christine returned the smile. "Thank you… what is your name?"
The boy seemed a little surprised that she asked him. Most of the other women auditioning were not that polite. "Oh, my name? My name is Edward Collier, I am a chorus boy here. Maybe if you get the role, we will get to know each other!" he grinned.
Christine grinned back at him, enjoying the boy's company. He was someone Meg would like for sure. "Well, it was very nice to meet you, Edward. Thank you," she said, heading into the room.
As Christine entered, she noticed over a dozen other women sitting on velvet-cushioned chairs. They all stared at her, most likely because she was a little late. She could tell which women were the stuck up divas and which were more like her. She took a seat next to a girl who looked to be more like her.
Immediately after she sat down, the girl made a smart remark. "You're late," she said. "It is not very professional to show up late to the audition."
Christine's eyes widened. Well, she was wrong. "Oh… I'm sorry… I just arrived from London and—"
The girl cut her off. "We do not care what you were doing. We all came from other places, too, but we're all here on time."
Christine stopped talking. Good God, is this what she was potentially working with? She sure hoped not.
Christine sat back, not looking at any of the other women in the room. She wanted to get this over with quickly, but she still had over a dozen women ahead of her! Hopefully the auditions didn't lag on, for she did not want to be stuck in a room with these divas for long.
Unfortunately, auditions did lag a bit at first. The first few women were in the room for a very long time, all coming out with different reactions. Christine began to worry as her audition number got closer, for the women started leaving the audition room with very angry expressions on their faces.
She could only wonder what was going on in that room.
"Good God, no! Why on Earth would you pick an audition song that you didn't even know the words to?" Erik barked, losing his patience rather quickly.
The woman in front of the piano got angry with him. "You are supposed to be listening to my voice, not the words coming out of my mouth!" she recoiled, putting her hands on her hips.
"Oh, but you are wrong, Madame! The words tell the story, they are the most important part! And how am I supposed to listen to that thing you call a voice when you're not even singing the right words?" He snapped.
Erik was not having a good day at all. He had a splitting headache, which was only getting worse with these horrid auditions, and he did not want to be here at all. He had wanted Maurice, Antoinette, and Nadir to run the auditions, but no, they insisted that he be present. But, oh God, his ears could hardly take this!
"How dare you! I'll have you know that I am one of the most highly respected singers in all of Austria!" the woman rattled on. Erik did not have time for this.
"Get out!" he roared, standing up from his seat. "The door is that way, Madame! I have no time for divas like you!"
The woman gasped and threw her sheet music onto the floor, turning and storming out of the room. Erik sat back in his chair, massaging his temples.
"How many more left, Nadir?" he grumbled.
The Persian sighed and picked up the paper. "Only one, my friend. This is the one from George Barker in England, this is the girl that worked with Hammerstein in America," he said, adjusting his eyeglasses. The unfortunate part of this list Edward had given them is that it only contained the names of their agents, not the names of the women auditioning. Only Edward knew their names.
"Oh great, another diva!" Erik growled.
Antoinette Giry shook her head. "Good God, Erik! Just give them a chance before they get in here! You'll never cast the show if you don't even give them a chance!"
"Just send the woman in!"
Edward quickly went back into the waiting area to get the woman. Erik took a sip of the wine he had made Nadir let him bring. God, this next one better not be another waste of his time…
Edward slowly opened the door. "This is audition number seventeen, Christine Daaé," he said.
Erik's eyes widened and he nearly choked on his wine. He quickly set the glass down, almost spilling it all over his papers. He looked over at Nadir and Antoinette, who were wide eyed as well.
Had they heard him right? Did he really say Christine Daaé?
His eyes locked on the woman that entered the room. Her eyes were on her music and it was apparent that she was a bit nervous. It was only when she looked up that she realized who was on the other side of her papers.
Christine's face flushed white as she stared at the three familiar faces. She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide and her lips parted.
Her eyes drifted over to Erik's, locking onto his for a brief moment. Erik could see that her eyes held many emotions. Shock, disappointment, longing, anger, sadness…
She quickly looked away from him, walking over to the piano. She handed her music to Maurice, giving him a delicate smile before she took her spot in front of her judges.
How could she act so normal? Erik could hardly function! After three years of wondering and hearing rumors and worrying about her, here she was, a mere ten feet from him!
He remembered what Nadir had said earlier. Christine had just returned from America, where she had been working with Oscar Hammerstein. Was the rumor true that she had found a man and had a child while she was there? She certainly did look thin, there was no way she could have had a child. But was there a man in her life now?
Erik examined Christine. She had grown up, her body had matured. Her hips were a bit curvier, her waist smaller, her hair longer and her eyes brighter. He also couldn't help but notice that her breasts were a bit larger and rounder in her low cut dress.
His eyes snapped back up to her face as she began to speak. It became apparent that Nadir had begun asking her a few of the mandatory questions.
"What experience do you have, Madame?" he asked, steadying his pen in his hand.
Christine bit her bottom lip. "Well, I have performed in London, Switzerland, Norway, Paris, Spain, and I have just returned from working with Mister Oscar Hammerstein in America," she said shyly.
Wow, she had certainly kept herself busy! She had been all over Europe! How come he hadn't heard about this?
"I see," Nadir continued. "And what piece have you picked out, Chr—Miss Daaé?"
Christine folded her hands in front of her. "I have picked Sentra's Ballad from The Flying Dutchman," she said, straightening her posture.
"Very well. Maurice?"
Nadir turned to Maurice, whose fingers settled on the keys. He began to play and Erik watched as Christine opened her mouth to sing.
As soon as the first word left her mouth, Erik melted. Her voice had matured so much and it was so much better than he remembered! Who knew a voice like Christine's could get even better?
Erik's heart was racing and he felt like he was going to fall out of his chair. All of the passion and desire for Christine was returning to him after three long years. He could hardly control himself! Erik wanted so badly to press his lips back against hers, to bring her into private and make her his once again.
But oh, he could never do that!
Christine finished her song on a fleeting note, which drew a light applause from the three judges.
"I think that was rather lovely, Madame," Nadir said, giving her a small wink.
"She seems much more mature than all the others," Antoinette joined.
The two looked to Erik for his decision. Christine looked over at him as well, biting her bottom lip.
God, she was irresistible.
Erik straightened his posture, still feeling a bit dizzy.
"Congratulations, Christine. You will be our Marguerite."
Author's Note: Ooooo, so she has been cast! I wonder how Erik will handle this in rehearsals. We shall have to see!
Keep the reviews coming, and I will have another chapter out tonight or tomorrow! Thank you!
