5) Bad news

Spreading a rumour was ridiculously easy at a place full of chatting girls like the opera. Nobody could say who had actually started it, but everyone seemed to know a few details, and by the time Meg arrived the gossip had reached an almost dangerous level. With a contented smile she noticed the sudden silence as she entered the chorus girls´ dressing room.

Ariane put into words what they all wanted to know: "Do you really have an affair with the Opera Host?". "It´s the Opera Ghost. But the rest is true." This was the signal for the others to start, too. "How can you have an affair with a ghost?" "Has he ever used his lasso on you?" "Will he make you the lead singer of the opera?" "I heard his house has a torture chamber. Have you … ?" Meg answered the questions as well as she could, taking great pleasure in all the attention. It was a pity that Christine wasn´t here yet.

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"Erik and you are … ?" "…a couple, yes!" Meg enjoyed the puzzled expression on Christine´s face. She couldn´t have been more confused if she had caught Raoul and Carlotta snogging in the broom cupboard. "But how … ?" "Well, you know how quickly these things can happen.", Meg said, shrugging. "It´s like with Raoul and you. I mean, first you hadn´t seen each other for years, and the next moment you were engaged!"

Christine had only half listened. Her mind had come up with some very vivid pictures, and she was in desperate need of a confirmation that they didn´t correspond to reality. "But you haven´t … well … ?" She couldn´t bring herself to say it. "… slept with each other?", Meg finished pleasantly, wondering whether her friend would ever again be able to utter a complete sentence. "Of course we have!"

She heard a sharp intake of breath from Christine, but it only made her continue more cheerfully. This was the part she had really been looking forward to. Erik and she had spent quite a while talking about the details to be certain they wouldn´t contradict each other. "Erik is such a great lover. He knows how to make a woman happy.", she continued, watching her victim closely.

Christine felt as if she had been hit on the head with a ballet shoe. Of course she had never ever thought about making love to Erik, but if she had, she would have imagined his first time to be with her. She would have imagined his long, sensual fingers to glide over her skin, their mouths to meet in kisses that seemed to last forever and her body yearning for him as he finally … but being the good girl she was she had never thought about such things.

She looked so sad that Meg actually pitied her for a moment. Then she reminded herself that everything only was for their good. Christine couldn´t stand it any longer. She ran to her dressing room. She had to know. Meg chose another way, making sure that she would be with Erik first to fill him in on her part of the conversation.

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"Erik? I need to talk to you. Now!", Christine called as soon as the had closed the door. It took some time till he answered: "I´m rather busy at the moment. What´s the problem?". His voice echoed through the room, but her didn´t appear. Meg and he had agreed that he wouldn´t show up in person. The reason was quite simple: He would not be able to watch Christine suffer. He would tell her everything, just to make her smile again. However, it was good that Meg stood next to him. She had to grip the back of his shirt to keep him from going to Christine.

"Is it true what they say about Meg and you?" "Of course.", he replied calmly. She sank down on a chair as she went on, dreading the answer: "And you really … erm … ?". Having this conversation for the second time Meg had an idea what she meant and could interpret the stuttering for Erik. "Oh yes!", he said dreamily. "I´d never have thought my first time could be that fantastic. Well, I knew ballet dancers have to be supple, but …" His voice trailed off delicately, and Meg clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggling. Erik was a prefect actor.

He decided to give Christine one final blow. "Anyway, we´ll have a lesson with the two of you tomorrow evening. You can learn a lot from Meg. She´s such a talented singer." "If you say so …", Christine muttered and left the room without another word.

The two persons behind the mirror looked at each other. "Was that too cruel?", Erik asked when Christine was well out of earshot. "There is no other way.", Meg said. "It has to work." "It will work.", Erik assured her.