Christine turned back to Meg, a puzzled frown on her face.
"Box Five?"
"Yeah," Charles piped up from where he was standing behind Raoul, "You said
I could choose which box I wanted."
Meg smiled, "And it's available, since the Opera Ghost isn't around
anymore."
Christine sent her a thanking glance.
"Well, are we going in, or what?" Charles asked, ever the impatient one.
Meg led them into the box, pointing out the programs in the small box at
the front. She waited until they were situated comfortingly, smiled, told
them to enjoy the show, and left. A few minutes after she was gone,
Christine felt a chilling presence, and she self-consciously realized that
Erik had joined them for this performance.
After a little while, the chill got worse. By the middle of Act One,
Christine was actually shivering. Raoul hadn't seemed to notice anything
peculiar, but Charles was looking over his shoulder uneasily once in a
while. Christine put a hand on his leg, and he stiffened slightly, then
started to relax.
Christine knew she couldn't relax. Who knew if Erik was there, behind the
velvet curtains that surrounded the box, or in the 'marble' pillar that
stood so closely to Christine's side that she could have reached out a hand
and touched it with the tip of her finger. Suddenly aware of how close this
column was to her, she tensed.
A few minutes more and it seemed that she heard a soft breathing a few feet
behind her. It got closer, and closer, until Christine thought she might go
mad with this sound seemingly located so near, and yet, so far. She felt
she could swing out a hand behind her, and she would hit the source of the
sound. Which was why she was left completely bewildered when the sound
abruptly stopped. She paid no attention to the singing going on on the
stage down below her. She just strained to hear that sound. Then the
horrific noise was back, located right behind her left her. She willed
herself to stay still, but couldn't bear it, and turned abruptly around,
hoping to catch the source of the abominable sound. It stopped again, and
Christine was left to stare into the darkness of Box Five, straining to see
through the gloom.
"Am I going mad?" Christine said softly into the shadowed box. As she
slowly turned back around, it started again.
Christine managed to hastily whisper an excuse to Raoul before she leapt up
out of her seat and left the box as quickly as possible, both running from
and in pursuit of that horrible sound. She had no doubt that it was Erik.
Christine soon got to an intersection, hesitating on which way to go. Her
mind told her to go one way, and her feet the other. Before she knew it,
she was standing in front of her old dressing room.
"Box Five?"
"Yeah," Charles piped up from where he was standing behind Raoul, "You said
I could choose which box I wanted."
Meg smiled, "And it's available, since the Opera Ghost isn't around
anymore."
Christine sent her a thanking glance.
"Well, are we going in, or what?" Charles asked, ever the impatient one.
Meg led them into the box, pointing out the programs in the small box at
the front. She waited until they were situated comfortingly, smiled, told
them to enjoy the show, and left. A few minutes after she was gone,
Christine felt a chilling presence, and she self-consciously realized that
Erik had joined them for this performance.
After a little while, the chill got worse. By the middle of Act One,
Christine was actually shivering. Raoul hadn't seemed to notice anything
peculiar, but Charles was looking over his shoulder uneasily once in a
while. Christine put a hand on his leg, and he stiffened slightly, then
started to relax.
Christine knew she couldn't relax. Who knew if Erik was there, behind the
velvet curtains that surrounded the box, or in the 'marble' pillar that
stood so closely to Christine's side that she could have reached out a hand
and touched it with the tip of her finger. Suddenly aware of how close this
column was to her, she tensed.
A few minutes more and it seemed that she heard a soft breathing a few feet
behind her. It got closer, and closer, until Christine thought she might go
mad with this sound seemingly located so near, and yet, so far. She felt
she could swing out a hand behind her, and she would hit the source of the
sound. Which was why she was left completely bewildered when the sound
abruptly stopped. She paid no attention to the singing going on on the
stage down below her. She just strained to hear that sound. Then the
horrific noise was back, located right behind her left her. She willed
herself to stay still, but couldn't bear it, and turned abruptly around,
hoping to catch the source of the abominable sound. It stopped again, and
Christine was left to stare into the darkness of Box Five, straining to see
through the gloom.
"Am I going mad?" Christine said softly into the shadowed box. As she
slowly turned back around, it started again.
Christine managed to hastily whisper an excuse to Raoul before she leapt up
out of her seat and left the box as quickly as possible, both running from
and in pursuit of that horrible sound. She had no doubt that it was Erik.
Christine soon got to an intersection, hesitating on which way to go. Her
mind told her to go one way, and her feet the other. Before she knew it,
she was standing in front of her old dressing room.