Disclaimer: I can finally say I own something! ^_^ I own Kali / Diana. But that's it -.-
A/N: Fweeith! Reviews! As I stated before, I've never been anywhere backstage in my –life-. So don't flame me. Reviews, as always, are good. Very good. ~. ^ And, a hat to the people who recognize my name in here. Yes, it's in here. ^-^ Although I won't tell you what it is. =P Major hugs to Fireblade K'Chona, Opera Ghost Kid, LeLeMusicAngel, La Marionette, BMW, clemmy, Deirdre of the Sorrows, Bubonic Woodchuck, and Mrs. Prouvaire. Merci!
:Chapter 3-Dans Le Thêatre:
Once inside, Erik could not help but stare around him in amazement. Behind the stage were all sorts of costumes, wigs, props. . .everything unknown yet familiar to him. It almost seemed like what the backstage of his life would be. . .Ah, yes, he remembered, this is the backstage of my life. . . His eye caught a red leather bound book, the words Don Juan Triumphant inscribed on it in gold. Bringing his hand to it, he was almost able to pick it up before a very loud gasp was heard.
"She's –what-?" Kali's unmistakable voice said in a tone of amazement and delight. "But what about. . .oh, I see. Thank you!" she said as the rustling of papers was heard and Kali soon appeared behind Erik. "Juanita's out tonight. . .actually, she'll be out for a while, come to think of it. . .on maternity leave, as of yesterday. Oh, Erik, do you know what this means?" she asked, obviously very excited. Erik shook his head, smirking at the girl's delight behind the mask. "It means that I have been given the role of Christine! Well, until they drag someone out from the tour and replace her. . . Oh, but grandmamma was right, I would be playing the role of Mlle. Daae someday. . ."
Erik stopped dead and turned around slowly, staring at Kali. "You. . .are Christine? In tonight's performance?" He asked, not believing his ears. Of course, there had to be a Christine in the story of his life, but this small, so un-Christine like girl? Although she looked like Christine's twin, she certainly didn't act like her or even speak like her. "Who exactly were you before you received this role?" He asked intently, wondering more about what she could sing.
"Oh, I was a swing, you see. I needed to know every female role in the book. . .Before Phantom, I was with the Met and I did their production of La Nozze de Figaro. I played the role of Susanna as well as the understudy for The Countess. Why do you ask?" Kali replied, running her fingers lightly over a long white gown, obviously a wedding dress. It was quite a gorgeous dress indeed, white satin, Erik supposed; suspended from the hanger holding it was a beautiful veil, and Erik could only look away, painful memories forming in his chest.
The sudden sound of Kali's voice finally made him turn back to look at her. "I promised you something to drink, didn't I? I'm sorry, this way, Monsieur," Kali said, drawing out a key and leading Erik down a dimly lit hallway. Sliding the key into its lock she opened a door, the name plaque on it reading 'Juanita Kensington'. "Please, have a seat," she said, motioning towards a beige colored couch. "Coffee? Tea?" she inquired, placing the backpack down and the key to the dressing room on a (nearly empty) counter.
"Tea would be fine, mademoiselle, merci," he replied, sitting in the indicated spot.
"Right then, I'll be back in a moment," Kali said quickly, walking out of the door.
Hearing her footsteps become faint, Erik stood and looked around the room. The furniture in it consisted of the beige couch he had been previously sitting on; a few armchairs, a counter (obviously used for makeup and wigs), and a large mirror covering one side of the wall. Around it was a line of electric bulbs, and pictures were scattered around the frame. One of these pictures, Erik noticed, was a picture of Kali, dressed in that gorgeous gown from before and, apparently, receiving a curtain call.
Dozens of knickknacks were aligned quite neatly in a corner of the porcelain counter, all resembling some sort of freakish being. One seemed to be modeled faintly after him; a tall skeleton being with a death's head. Curiously, the area where the nose should have been was rubbed away. Picking it up, he examined it, turning it around in his hand. After looking at the base of it, he realized that it was a musical figurine. Twisting the key three times, he held it still and listened to the strange melody echoing off of it. Examining the base again, he noticed the faint words 'The Nightmare Before Christmas – Jack's Lament'.
"Ah, so you've found our good luck charm," Kali said lightly, appearing in the doorway with two steaming cups in her hands. Handing one to Erik, who had placed the figurine back down on the counter, she half-smiled as the melody finished playing. "Juanita and I loved Jack Skellington…we were quite good friends, you know. Roommates in collage. . .so one day I showed up with that figurine, and as a joke, we both rubbed his 'nose' for good luck. But it was quite frightening. . .that night, her boyfriend, Daniel, proposed, and I was actually able to hit Carlotta's part perfectly. . ." her voice trailed as she shrugged, sitting down. "Since then we've both rubbed his nose every night for good luck. So, M'sieur, how do you like New York?" Kali inquired, reclining in her chair and looking at him cheerfully.
"Very well indeed, Mademoiselle," Erik replied politely, taking a sip of his tea. "I don't suppose you have some sort of a program or such for this. . .show lying about, do you?" He implied, wondering in the back of his mind why she was so content to be around him.
"Of course I do!" Kali said, springing up from her seat. Picking up her bag, she unzipped the first pocket and began digging through it. "You wouldn't –believe- what kind of things I have in here," she said over her shoulder, drawing out pens, books, what appeared to be a wad of currency, a stick of gum, the newspaper previously mentioned, three CD cases, a walkman, a strange binder, and finally, an autographed white program in a plastic sleeve,
"Here," she said, drawing it out of the plastic and handing it to him. "I brought it with me this morning as another good luck charm," she added with a laugh. "To help me break my record. Of the earliest time I've arrived, that is. And it worked. Amazing, isn't it? Anyway, it's signed by Michael Crawford. . .I must have you listen to him at some point. My parents got it for me when they saw Phantom in the '80s. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for in there. . .unless it's the names of the stars. Their names will be in the playbill tonight, I'm sure. . ."
Erik flipped through the program, finding exactly what he was looking for. As he scanned the synopsis, he felt Kali's eyes on him and he glanced up. Without saying a word, Kali understood immediately what he was about to say.
"Of course, Andrew Lloyd Webber skimped the story a bit, but I'm sure that you'll like most of what you see tonight. Trust me, not even I agree with some of the choreography that The Phantom has to do," she told him with a sigh. {{A/N: 'Slick pose', the portcullis in MotN, and how Erik takes off his cloak and hat in the end of the title song. They scare me. Much.}} Glancing down at a small clock resting on the counter amid the knickknacks, Kali had an expression on her face that made one think that she was making a choice about ending the world or not. "It's 12:45 now. . .Rehearsal is in fifteen minutes, and so here's my question for you: would you rather come to rehearsal and watch, or explore the theatre for yourself?" she asked, taking another sip of her tea.
Erik thought this offer over for a moment, before finally deciding to wander the theatre. "I wouldn't dare interrupt your rehearsal by making your little Christine beside herself with excitement throughout the entire thing," he replied with a hint of teasing. Of course, he was quite shocked at his words. . .he had known this girl for only about forty-five minutes and already he was speaking with her like he would with Nadir? This girl apparently was quite influential. . .
Kali laughed, scribbling something down on a piece of paper and handing it to Erik. "Hand this to someone if they try to kick you out," she told him, picking up the binder and tucking it under her arm. "I trust you'll find your own way around, you seem to be quite acquainted with theatres and the like. Oh, and I do suggest you switch to English, most people here aren't fluent in French like I am," she added. Seeing the look on his face, she sighed, "Yes, we've been speaking together in French, Monsieur. Rehearsal should be finished in about two and a half hours or so. . .feel free to come and watch," she said with a grin, walking out the door and down the hallway.