Chapter VIII- Murder, Murder
Author's Note on this chapter: (coming at the front of the chapter 'cause you guys need to know this, and I need a change)
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Thanks for reviewing, people! OOOH, I love you guys so much.
However, people really need to remember that Erik had five months to recover over Christine that I didn't write. That's a normal persons healing time, IMHO. I planned it that by this time, Erik is in love with Meg, but he doesn't know this. He doesn't know! (Theory of mine states that you can be in love with as many people as you wish but your match is right beneath your nose and you don't know it! (Not bad for a girl whose only had one boyfriend, eh? ;)) So, basically, he's still in love with Christy, but he loves our Peggy Sue also, but he doesn't know it yet, all right? All right. All right. Woot.
"Dearest Meg," The Emperor said, taking Meg's hand in her dressing room. "I feel like I have known you forever." Meg was really hoping he wasn't going to propose. Oh, please don't. "You must know that I am helpless without you, and I love you!"
Love Meg? How could he possibly love her? He had only known Meg for a few days! He didn't know anything about her- this was insane; the Emperor had gone mad. She glanced over at her mother who was knitting in the corner and playing chaperone. Madame Giry was straining to hear every word. Meg felt cornered.
"So I have come here tonight as your biggest fan, begging as your humble and loving servant for you to put me out of my misery and consent to…" he was dragging his fingers over her arm. It was tickling her and she never felt so uncomfortable in her life. The Emperor got down on his knees. OH NO!
Meg was quite sure that her mother was having an epileptic fit, because she was bouncing up and down in her chair, as giddy as a schoolgirl. Or a mother that just happened to be chaperoning her daughter as she was being proposed to by an international ruler.
"…be my wife." Eh? "Will you be my wife?" he said again, not exactly sure if Meg had heard him. She wasn't exactly sure if she heard him herself.
Maybe she was just very shocked, or maybe she really did like the Emperor, somewhere very, very, VERY deep down, but she said "Yes," without ever deciding to.
The Emperor let out a little squeal of happiness and without warning, swooped down and kissed her.
To be honest, it was very awkward. He was kissing her teeth, because she was just about to take back her words of consent- oh, too late. Well, she hoped her teeth tasted all right. He kissed her properly the next try. She smiled, but it took all the acting talent she had.
He slipped a very large ring onto her left hand. The ring was huge; the diamonds larger than her thumbnail, and it had one large ruby in the middle of it.
Now, to be fair it was a very nice looking ring, but Meg was a very big fan of moderation, especially when engagement rings were concerned. Yes, simple but elegant. That's the style Meg loved.
"Oh, Marguerite," Madame Giry exclaimed, coming over. Her eyes were moist. Was she really crying? "I am so happy for you!" She gave her daughter a hug.
"We must be wed by the end of the month," the Emperor said to Meg's mother. "I simply can't wait any longer."
So Meg's life was signed away while she sat, dazed, on her vanity chair. That was, until her mother declared that they were late and that Meg needed to dress for the night's Opera.
"Girls, girls" Madame Giry said, ushering all the dancing girls into place for Act One of Faust. "Quick! Quick!" Meg arrived in her starting point at exactly the right time before the curtain came up, and moved into her position. She noticed she was still wearing her engagement ring. Too late to take it off now!
Carlotta, as per usual, hammed up the stage with her singing. Meg was worried the audience would boo during the first act, but they seemed to like it. They even tossed roses onto the stage after her aria about how she was worried about Faust's mental health.
In fact, it seemed the audience was most displeased with the ballet than with the Prima Donna and her squeaky notes.
Meg realized that Carlotta most likely had friends in high places.
During the end of Act One, Meg noticed that Box Five was suddenly occupied. She prayed it was Erik, and not one of the Managers. They had caused so much trouble already. She knew Erik would not permit any more misconduct with the managers. His paper-thin patience had long since worn out. The figure was wearing a billowing cloak, with its collar turned up, like Erik did, and was that a fedora-
"Meg!" Little Jammes whispered in her ear. "Have you gone mad? Dance!" Meg then realized that she had been staring at the Box, transfixed for about five minutes. Meg, blushing, resumed the dance that her Mother had choreographed.
Her dance partner threw her much harder than necessary, she noted, on one of the jumps.
The intermission passed all too quickly and once again Carlotta pranced about on the stage to a lot of clapping and bravos.
Meg delivered her lines gracefully, and successfully wooed the audience with her solo dance, much to Carlotta and Little Jammes' huffy surprise.
"Gentlemen," Erik said, throwing his voice right by their ears. "I believe you are sitting in my box!"
"Do not stir, Firmin," Andre said, dressed in his finest suit. "Do not show-"
The Punjab Lasso circled his neck. Firmin yelped and ran out of the room, but Erik was going to make an example of Monsieur Andre. He tightened the lasso, so Andre couldn't breathe, and flung the rope over the buttress.
It might crack, but Erik would replace it without anyone noticing. Pulling on the rope, Andre was lifted higher, and finally he stopped shrieking and kicking. He was dead.
Dragging Andre's body by the noose, he put him on the stage catwalk, over looking the ballet. He could even see Meg performing. Erik tied the body up onto the catwalk and kicked it over. In his calculations it should fall right at the end of the Opera. He laughed.
It would be enjoyable to see the audience's reaction to his little present. So he settled back down in Tier One, Box Five and watched the rest of Act One in peace.
The final curtain call for Faust. Meg was beginning to think that it would never take place. Carlotta took another bow, and then it was time for the chorus members. Meg, as she was the lead dancer, had her own bow. She moved forward, and was about to bow, when something fell from the catwalk down to the stage. It snapped down, and then bounced back up a bit. Meg looked up. It was a body, and it was right near her head!
Meg screamed and fell back. The rope broke and fell on the stage. Ballet girls ushered around Meg, making sure she was alright.
"My God!" Someone cried, "Its one of the Managers!"
The Opera House exploded in pandemonium. The audience was ushered out of the auditorium.
"The Ghost! The Ghost is back!"
"The chandelier! Is it secure?"
"It's HER!" Little Jammes said, cutting through themayhem and pointing to Meg. "It's Meg's fault!"
Madame Giry scooped up Meg in her arms. "Mariette, what are you talking about?"
"The managers didn't want her to be the lead dancer, and she had the Ghost kill them!" Little Jammes screamed. The ballet girls looked at one another, and mutters went around the stage that it made sense.
"Everyone knows that Meg and the Ghost are accomplices!" Little Jammes yelled, twisting the proverbial knife.
"Yes, that's right!" The smallest ballerina yelled. "Odette, do you remember the threat he made?"
"Yes I do!" Odette yelled. The ballet girls advanced on to Meg and her mother.
"I didn't tell Erik to kill Monsieur Andre!"
"Oh, so it's Erik, is it?" Little Jammes cried. "You have just sunk yourself! She will kill us all! We will not be safe from her in the Ghost unless she is gone from the Opera Populaire! Throw her out of the Opera House!"
By undeniable evidence, the ballet girls and actors flung out Meg out of the Opera House and into the pouring rain.
"NO!" Meg said, banging on the Opera door. "No, I am innocent!" She slid down and wept at the side of the doorframe, her head in her arms.
Meg stood out in the pouring rain for six hours, shivering uncontrollably, until Erik found her.
(Sorry, guys, the chapter was very long and I decided to cut it. HOWEVER, I will update extremely, extremely soon. As in tomorrow.)
And I don't have a review song this chapter… I don't have any songs right now! So any suggestions?
Love you guys, and please don't forget to review,
Lemony
