I'm sorry it's taken me a few days with the update, but when I went to update yesterday was down. And last night my school had a lock-in (spend the night at school) so I couldn't update until now because I only woke up at around 3:00. Yes I know what you're thinking, "who in their right mind would sleep at school?" It was actually very fun, they had henna tattoos, movies, food, and a free beauty saloon thingy. I only tried going to sleep around 4, and then they woke us up at 6. Suggestion; never throw a blanket topped by a sleeping bag on a hard floor, call it a bed, and then actually attempt to sleep on it, you WILL regret it when you get up, trust me. I spent those 2 hours drifting in and out of uncomfortable unconsciousness. The only perk; I was listening to my Phantom cd at the time. Anyway.
I'm getting a good reaction to this story, that's good. Reviews inspire me! And I get to take al my friends to go see the movie tomorrow again! Yay! I've been humming the music for days, I think my friends are getting sick of it, oh well.
Reminder on the lyrics. Lines song simultaneously by more than one character have the upper line(s) ending with a /
Who sings what:
Christine- Italicized
Erik- Bold
Raoul- Underlined
Anyway here's the next part, and no, though it pains me beyond belief to admit it, I do not own any of the Phantom characters. Does keeping them tied up in the closet count as stealing then?
A Different Spin on Things
Chapter 2
Christine was sitting in the chapel again, it seemed she was spending increasing amounts of time here, still seeking the guidance she wasn't receiving. She was dressed in a neat while blouse and black skirt, the simplicity of the outfit a startling contrast to the complexity of her wild, tangled emotions.
When Raoul came looking for her he found her sitting at the window, staring unseeingly at the landscape beyond. At his approach she turned her haunted eyes on him, pleading with him. She stood to meet him as he approached.
Raoul I'm frightened don't make me do this,
Raoul it scares me don't put me through this ordeal by fire.
She knew all about the manager's plan, and it filled her with a panic beyond belief. She didn't want any part of it, she didn't want any part of a plan that would bring her angel to ruin. So she quietly begged Raoul to spare her.
He'll take me, I know,
We'll be parted forever, he won't let me go.
What I once used to dream I now dread,
If he finds me it won't ever end,
And he'll always be there singing songs in my head.
He'll always be there singing songs in my head.
What she sang was true. If she returned to Erik she wouldn't be coming back again, but she wasn't sure that she feared that anymore. But then, she still wasn't really sure of anything anymore.
You said yourself, he was nothing but a man.
Yet while he lives, he will haunt us till we're dead.
Raoul sang soothingly, trying to convince her to help them. Christine felt torn in two. She should help Raoul, the friend from her childhood. But how could she possibly betray her angel. Tears glimmering in her eyes she wavered back and forth, to agree or to refuse.
Twisted every way, what answer can I give?
Am I to risk my life to win the chance to live?
Can I betray the man who once inspired my voice?
Do I become his prey? Do I have any choice?
He kills without a thought, he murders all that's good,
I know I can't refuse, and yet I wish I could.
Oh God, if I agree, what horrors wait for me?
In this the Phantom's Opera?
She felt hopeless. She was still expecting others to make her decisions for her, never before had she had to decide something so great for herself, but it was she who had to make this choice. But despite that she still wanted to turn to someone for guidance, and the closest person was Raoul.
Christine, Christine, don't think that I don't care,
But every hope, and every prayer rest on you now.
Raoul gently wrapped Christine in his arms. As she silently cried into his shoulder, feeling sheltered and safe, she finally made her choice, she finally realized who it was that she would inevitably choose in the end. And she quietly agreed to sing.
Opening night came roughly a month after the fateful day in the chapel. Everything had been set up according to Erik's specifications down to the last detail in costumes. The top of Christine's dress was the color of red wine, and the skirt was a white, floaty material as were the off-the-shoulder straps.
Raoul came backstage to see her before the play began. "Just remember what you have to do, and everything will be all right," he told her consolingly. "I love you," he murmured, kissing her gently on the cheek before he left to take his seat.
Christine was now trying to steady herself. She knew what she had to do, but working up the courage was something else. She could hear the performers on stage, hear the mumbling audience and knew that the reactions the production was receiving were not good. But then again, no one had really expected the loose play to be well received.
Despite how hard she dreaded it, the moment she had to go on stage finally arrived. She took a deep breath and slipped an actor's calm façade over her nervous demeanor. When she sang, her voice didn't tremble in the slightest.
No thoughts within her head but thoughts of joy.
No dreams within her heart but dreams of love.
She stepped out into view of the audience, self-conscious in her revealing gown. But all thought was swiftly swept away by a tidal wave of shock. The man emerging from the opposite side of the stage was not Ubaldo Piangi, and it was not Piangi who sang. It was, however, a voice she would recognize anywhere. But Erik wasn't supposed to be on stage, he was supposed to be watching from box 5!
In utter confusion Christine looked up at Raoul, who also seemed to know who the man onstage was. Then Erik began to sing and Christine promptly forgot everything else.
You have come here
In pursuit of your deepest urge
In pursuit of that wish which till now
Has been silent
Silent
I have brought you
That our passions that may fuse and merge
In your mind you've already succumbed to me
Drop all defences
Completely succumb to me
Now you are here with me
No second thoughts
You've decided
Decided
Past the point of no return
No backward glances
Our games of make-believe are at an end
Past a thought of "if" or "when"
No use resisting
Abandon thought and let the dream descend
What raging fires shall flood the soul
What rich desire unlocks its door
What sweet seduction lies before us
Past the point of no return
The final threshold
What warm unspoken secrets
Will we learn
beyond the point of no return
While Erik sang the two of them had wandered almost aimlessly around the stage, the eyes of each never leaving the other. Christine was by now completely wrapped up in the music, forgetting everything else. Forgetting Raoul, forgetting that she was on stage, forgetting that she was in a performance, for it seemed to her that this was reality. She began to sing her piece.
You have brought me
To that moment when words run dry
To that moment when speech disappears
Into silence
Silence
I have come here
Hardly knowing the reason why
In my mind I've already imagined
Our bodies entwining
Defenceless and silent
Now I am here with you
No second thoughts
I've decided
Decided
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
When will the flames at last consume us
While she sang, Christine and Erik had climbed two separate, spiraling staircases to a bridge above stage. When they met in the middle they began the duet that ended the song.
Past the point of no return/
Past the point of no return
The final threshold/
The final threshold
The bridge is crossed/
The bridge is crossed
So stand and watch it burn/
So stand and watch it burn
We've passed the point of no return/.
We've passed the point of no return.
The music faded into silence and Christine seemed to almost slam back into reality. She blinked, trying to clear her head and focus. There was something she had to do, and she had to keep her mind on track. But then Erik began to sing again, but not anything from the production. Still, the song was terribly familiar to her .
Say you'll share with me
One love, one lifetime
Lead me, save me from my solitude
Christine caught her breath. She knew why he was singing this, and the pleading behind his tome was almost painful to hear. And she knew how she had to answer him. She stepped up close to him.
Say you'll want me
With you here
Beside you
Her hand reached up and traced Erik's face. He tilted his head into the caress as he continued to sing quietly. By now most of the audience was aware that this was not the man who had been singing from the beginning, and Raoul had informed the police who it truly was onstage.
Anywhere you go
Let me go too
Christine that's all I ask of…
He never got to the word you, for Christine's hand suddenly closed on the mask and tugged it off, letting it fall to the floor. Erik automatically shied sideways, but wound up facing the audience. There was a collective gasp from the onlookers and even a few terrified shrieks. Erik turned back to face Christine, inches away from him, anguish and betrayal written plain in his eyes.
Christine calmly stared back at him for a second, then brought her hands up to cradle his face and closed the few inches between them, sealing his lips with her own. She felt him start and try to pull back but she held on, and after a few seconds he carefully brought his arms around her back, cradling her as gently as though she were a glass figurine.
The entire theatre was watching this new turn of events, some with horror, some with wonder, and some with utter confusion. Christine didn't care, she wanted them to see. She had made her choice and she wanted to show all of Paris. In her mind she silently apologized to Raoul. She loved him yes, but more as a best friend. It was Erik whom she loved with her soul.
They finally broke apart, separating only a few inches to catch their breaths, dazed with wonder by what they had just shared. Those few seconds contained an eternity, but even eternity can end. A bullet tore through the set just behind Erik. Instinctively, he clutched Christine to his chest and turned so that he was shielding her from the direction of the audience. He had to get her out of here.
Tugging the sword from the sheath at his waist, which was no prop sword but true steel, he sliced through one of the two trick ropes. He couldn't bring himself to slice the second one, which would release a trigger and drop the chandelier, anymore. Not after what had just happened. The rope he cut triggered a trap door right under his feet, and he and Christine dropped through it, falling straight through the trap door in the middle of the fake fire pit right under that, safely down to his domain below the stage. Christine clung to him the whole time.
Hehe. Here's to all you E/C fans! I'm one of you! Did I have anyone worried after the chapel scene? Hope you all enjoyed that, the last chapter will be posted soon. Review please!