A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long! I have been really busy with school and our school play, also I might not be updating again until after the play is over…will see, but I promise I am going to finish this story so just be patient. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review!
Ch. 2: The Chance Meeting
"Well don't cancel it then. You could cast someone else as the main character." Aime told them thinking. "Maria could do it! The main character is named Marie anyways so it would be fitting! Oh that would be wonderful."
"I don't know…" Said Mr. Barret. "She can sing well, but…"
"Oh listen to her sing. At least a test, please?" Aime begged. Maria looked up nervously. She never thought she would have a chance like this. Mr. Barret nodded.
"All right then can you sing for us?" He asked.
"I suppose so." Maria answered as she stood up. She began to sing a beautiful haunting song from Faust, another Opera she had seen. At the end of her performance the two owners were very impressed.
"Maria, would you like to be our new Marie?" He asked. She beamed and told him yes she would love to. "Oh no I can't change the program on such short notice however."
"That is okay." Maria told him honestly. "I can be Renee for a day."
"Are you sure that is all right? I mean you would have to pretend to be her during the party afterwards as well." He told her.
"That sounds fine, its only for one day." Maria told him. With that she left with a script in her hands making sure to memorize all the words on time. Fortunately for her she already knew most of Renee's part by heart. She had always dreamed of being Marie in the Opera and now her big chance had arrived. She had to pretend to be Renee, but that didn't overshadow it too much. Besides it wasn't like she was performing for anyone inparticular. No one knew who she was anyways.
The crisp autumn air soon grew cool and night fell on Paris. The night for Maria's apperance as Marie in the Opera had arrived. As Maria got ready back stage Georg and Elsa made their way to their booth seats in the theater.
"Look Georg, that box over to the left of us. That box is where the fictional Phantom of the Opera supposably dwelled during the Opera's here." Elsa said with a smirk. "I can't believe some think the Phantom was actually real."
"You don't think it was real darling?" Georg asked her with surprise.
"I don't believe in ghosts, Georg." She replied briskly.
"The Phantom was a person Elsa, not a ghost. He was a real person who unfortunately had a disformation on his face…haven't you read the book?" Georg asked her.
"Well half of it. I got bored. I don't think there ever was a ghost so it didn't captavate me."
"You better watch your head tonight. I would hate for a chandelier to come falling on that lovely hair of yours my dear." Georg replied in a mocking tone. "It would serve her right." He mumbled under his breth. Elsa pretended she didn't hear his mumbling and proceeded to change the subject.
"I can't wait to see Renee tonight. She will certanly be at her very best. Oh and afterwards darling, don't forget we are meeting her at the party." Elsa told him.
"Oh I almost forgot about that. I can't wait to meet an arrogent snob."
"Now lets not be predjudice dear." Elsa told him.
"I have learned that all from you Elsa. Being prejudice is your life." He told her. She glared at him.
"You better watch it of the chandileir might end up on your head tonight." With Elsa's last remark the lights began to dim and soon the Opera House was filled with singing.
When Renne stepped on stage to sing Georg was immediantly stunned. He had never heard anyone sing that well, he had to admit to himself. Even his late wife Agathe could never sing with the kind of beauty and passion Renee had. He was also struck by her beauty and her performance sent feelings through Georg that he never thought he would have again.
While Georg watched impressed, Elsa sat in the audience confused. She could tell Georg was in awe of her, but to Elsa, Renee did not seem like herself on stage. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something out there was amiss. Elsa resorted to believing it was just good acting and and it was the new Opera that made her seem different, but she was still uncertain. Renee had never sounded better, or acted better. There was something different with the chemistry with the other actors though. Usually Renee acted as if she were the centerpiece, but on that night she, while being undoubtably the star had also made other characters performances stick out. Elsa did not know what to think as Georg ranted and raved about how wonderful she was that night as they walked down to the room where they would meet Renee.
Maria went bounding down the stairs to the party room where the cast was waiting.
"We made it!" She cried as she lept into the arms of Aime and the other cast memebers. The cast warmly received her, sending shock to the media present as they snapped photographs of Renee hugging her cast members, or "competition" as she so often reffered to them as. To their shock she graciously accepted their flowers and hugs and walked right up to the interviewer and immediantly agreed to be interviewed.
Maria stood there ready to tackle their questions. She was frietened she would slip, so she said a quick prayer to God and decided to just be herself…with the name of Renee.
Georg and Elsa walked into the room at about the time the interview was finishing up. They stood and listened in shock at what she said.
"…Well I really just went out there and tried to have a good time tonight. I also tried to do enough to make my wonderful cast look good, but the truth is there performances really carry me. I am so gratful to each and everyone of them. God has certanly blessed me with wonderful people all around me who have helped me become who I wanted to be. They are the reason I am up here and I will forever be in debt to them." Maria finished off. The reporters walked away thanking her for the interview, yet they were even more confused with her meantion of God. The last time they checked Renee had no religious beliefs. However that was eons ago, as one reported pointed out. Renee usually would never talk and if she did, only a few sentences would come out.
Georg starred blankly at Renee as they walked towards her. If that was how gracious she really was than perhaps everyone was wrong about her. Elsa went up to Renne and shook her hand.
"Renne my dear that was a beautiful performance I must say." Elsa told her giving her a smile. "You probably don't remember me. I am Elsa Scrader, we met in Vienna." Maria looked at her and smiled.
"Oh yes, I do remember that now that you meantioned it. How have you been doing since then?" Maria asked trying to sound like she remebered Elsa.
"I have been fine…" She began. Just then Georg tugged on her a little. She looked at his face which was totally entranced with Renee's beauty. "This is Captain Georg von Trapp, my fiancee." Elsa told her adding those words so she would not get any wrong ideas.
Maria stared back at Georg. She had never seen anyone so handsome. She never thought a sea Captain would look anything like that one. Especially one that was supposedly retired. She had heard so much about him and his famous battles that he won. He was very famous and Maria was in awe that he would be coming to see her perform. Well it wasn't really her, she reasoned in her head.
"It is an honor to meet you, Captain." She told him extending her hand. He kissed it lightly sending shivers down Maria's spine. "I have heard so many wonderful things about you, and what you did for our country."
"Our country?" He asked surprised.
"Well yes, you see I actually was umm…brought up in Austria for some of my life." She finished wondering where exactly Renee grew up.
"What part of Austria?" He asked very interested.
"Umm…Salzburg. I think it is the prettiest city out there, right by the hills it is just lovely. I love to go there to get away from the big city way of life in Paris." Maria told him with a smile. "I was actually planning a visit there in a few weeks."
"Salzburg?" Georg said in surprise. "That is where my family and I live." He told her. Maria froze at his words. Why in all the cities in Austria did he have to live in the one she was talking about? She decided to go along with her lie because she couldn't do anything else.
"I didn't know you lived in Salzburg!" She cried. "I thought you would be in Vienna…you know since you are more rich and that is where most rich people in Austria are from." Maria finished.
By this time Elsa could sense that Renee was not herself. It must not be her, thought Elsa to herself. The true Renee would never remember her from a party in Vienna she had just met to many people to remember anyone. Along with that Elsa could not recall Renee ever mentioning Salzburg as a place that she once lived.
She entranced Georg and Elsa was no idiot and could tell. She had to think of something so she walked away silently, not that the two of them would have noticed anyway. They were still both deep into a conversation about random things. She walked away thinking of how she could win back Georg, because obviously Renee had stolen his heart. Finally she decided if she could prove that the girl, whoever she was, was not Renee, Georg would turn away from her. She would go and find the true Renee and prove to Georg that she was not at all who she said she was. Along with that she would make Georg feel hurt along the way.