A/N: Thankyou for your kind reviews, it has inspired me to keep going – and try my best to get rid of typos and other nonsense! Please continue to review and let me know what you think. Knowing people are out there and reading this gives me the drive to keep continue

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Chapter Two:

LET ME BE RIGHT THIS TIME

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After washing her hands Monique reappeared, she sank down to the floor, laying out across the books.
"So? Is that theatre… still standing?" Kari looked intently at her, crossing her fingers in her minds eye.
Monique sighed with pretend indifference and nodded, "Yeah."
"Really?" Karis face brightened, "Do you know the theatres name? Do you know where it is? Do I know of this theatre?" she threw the questions out at her quick-fire.
Monique smiled, "Oh, " she sighed with mock indifference once more, "That theatre is a little known theatre called…" she yawned trailing her hand across the floor lazily, her hand passed over the score of the Aria that lay on the floor, she flipped it over, a bold stamp on the back of the socre PROPERTY OF OPERA DE PALLISADE glared up at them boldly from the papers. Monique raised her eyes to Karis, her pupils were large inky orbs boring up at her, "The Opera de Pallisade." She finished in French accent.

Kari gasped, "WHAT?" she sat up straighter, "Are you joking with me?" she half-cried, half-accused.
Monique shook her head as a no, and unrolled the scroll before them both, it was an architectural plan of the Opera de Joyleux, Gala frowned, "But this is-"
Monique interrupted, "This Opera House was named that from its previous owner -after himself. Seems a careless ballerina knocked over a table of burning gas lamps back stage, the wings caught fire… and eventually the inside of the theatre was completely gutted. After the theatre fire - believing it to be bad luck - Jean-Luc Joyleux, sold it. One - Bianca Pallisade purchased the theatre, and in keeping with the theatres tradition, named the Theatre after herself but basically ignored the theatre for the rest of her life. She had one of her illegitimate lovers run it for her – but they don't give his name in the publication" Monique sat back, "So..." she pushed the scroll closer to her, "What do you think?"

Kari looked down, "Let me have some time."

Monique nodded, and got up off the floor, and went to the kitchen. She sat up on the sink and looked out the small kitchen window, and leaned right up against the fridge and smiled – in this awkward position you could see the Eiffel Tower – it was their shabby apartments only claim to fame. She liked to sit up there and look at it… marvel at its majesty, when she wasn't ready 'Gaston Leroux's ' novel, and marvelling at IT's majesty. Monique sighed aloud, "Let me be right this time…" she murmured softly, as if the Tower could grant her the wish.

Kari sat admiring the architectural plans of the Opera de Pallisade, the very theatre where she would soon, hopefully be singing the Aria sitting on her floor. It was a toss up between whether she would get to sing it, or her Russian arch-rival, the Yekaterina Katsovich. No one ever called her Yekaterina, it was only Kat or Katerina, and the way her last name sounded was too good for many of the company to pass up. Those that didn't like her, and yes, there were quite a few, called her "Kats-a-bitch" behind her back.

Karis eyes wandered over the sketch of the theatre, then turned to the book that Monique had left beside it, it was opened on a page about Charles Garnier:

The Opera de Pallisade purchased by Bianca Pallisade in 1870, following a devastating fire, took two hundred and twenty architects 8 years to restore. The theatre was built resembling, but with the intention of overshadowing, the Paris Opera. While Bianca succeeded in opening a grand theatre in 1879, that did overshadow the Paris Opera in size, with a 20 story building, 9 stories of which, lay beneath the stage, the theatre never reached the same critical acclaim that the Paris Opera had. The Opera de Pallisade was still wildly successful by the standards of the day, and many a star was discovered upon the grand stage. After a strange controversy and another tragic fire, the ill-fated theatre was once again sold (the theatre had changed hands many times) and bought by Charles Garnier for its similarities to his beloved Paris Opera.

Kari sat back, "Woah." She said aloud to herself, it all sounded like a dream. Perhaps she'd fallen asleep and was simply dreaming this whole crazy scenario. She shifted her eyes back to the drawing of the Opera de Pallisade, it too had several floors beneath the stage that would be routinely flooded for ballast for the heavy stage. She couldn't believe it. She looked out towards the kitchenette, Monique was seated in rather uncomfortable position, gazing out the window as she often did. "Monique… I…. I think you're right." She stammered, barely believing she was able to say those words.
Monique shrieked and jumped off the bench and bounded into the lounge room, where Kari stood up and grabbed her hands, suddenly they both screamed and jumped up and down around the lounge like mad things. "Oh my god!" Kari squealed, "Can you believe it?" Monique shrieked back, all the while they continued to bounce up and down excitedly. Suddenly a pounding from the floor knocked them out of their regression to 13 year olds. "STOP JUMPING ON MY CEILING!" a voice boomed from below them. Kari rolled her lips into her mouth to hold her laughter in, a small snort escaping her nostrils. "God, that guy is such an ass!" Monique rolled her eyes and deliberately stamped her foot, picturing Mr Lincoln standing in his lounge below them with his broom in hand, ready to bang it up against his ceiling if they made so much as a sound. Kari laughed at that, collapsing onto the sofa, her face flushed but balanced well with her endearing smile.

Monique realised she had a broad smile plastered over her face and collapsed beside her. "I can't believe it. We're so close now." She mused, almost talking to herself. "Well.. where do we go from here?" Kari turned her head to regard Monique. Monique sighed, "Well… " she trailed off, "Oh.. I didn't get that far. I did all the research! Its your turn to plan!" she waved her hand in the air.

Kari closed her eyes… her thoughts drifting to the Opera de Pallisade, the Aria she'd have to practice… the Phantom, they all came and went – fully occupying her minds eye for a moment at a time. She sighed, "Well I suppose I could request to rehearse the Aria in the theatre, tell them I need to get a feel for the acoustics, work out how far I'll need to project and whatever – and then when we get a moment we can go exploring the theatre?" she offered with a shrug. Monique looked over at her, "God, that was simple," she frowned, "Well do you suppose we could go tomorrow?" she added.

Tomorrow seemed so soon, well… it was soon; it was… tomorrow. Butterflies stirred in Karis stomach, desperate to start the journey, but afraid to take it all the same. What if they reached a dead end, what if they found something they didn't want to? But she couldn't back out. "Uhh, well I can ring the director and see if he thinks it'll be okay to use the theatre. I mean, I don't see why it will be a problem – the crew will be in their already, breaking down the last set and getting the next one up. As long as we don't get in the way or whatever it should be okay." She reasoned. "Cool. Well…. Call him." She tossed her the phone. "HER. And geez… hold your horses, you sure about this?" she hesitated. Monique murdered her with a glare. "OKAY! God!" Kari picked up the phone and began dialling. Monique jumped to her feet excitedly, she would have to read the book again tonight, or at least the section regarding Christines descent into the Phantoms lair, to make sure she had a clear idea of what she was looking for.

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Thanks for reading. Please leave me a review, then continue on.
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I hope you are enjoying so far, but as always it should generally get better with progress.