A New Start

Chapter 1: Marie Claire

And so, our story begins, sixteen years after the birth of Marie Claire...

The clear, beautiful, soprano, singing voice of Maire Claire de Chagny rang out as she was in her room dressing for dinner. She always seemed to find herself singing whenever she was bored. Raoul heard his daughter singing and couldn't help but break into a grin. He popped his head into Marie's room.

"You know sweetie, sometimes I can't tell whether its you or your mother singing." he teased.

Marie Claire smiled, her blue eyes sparkling beneath her dark curls.

"You really think that I'm that good father?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes dear, you really seem to have inherited your mother's talent for singing. I'm sure one day you'll be very famous."said Raoul as he leaned down to kiss his daughter on the cheek.

"Well then why won't mother let me try out for a production at the opera house? She still performs, and it would be fun to be in a show with her." said Marie, her face clouding, "Then you could watch both of us."

Raoul's smile faltered. This subject always seemed to come up, and it always worried him.

"Your mother has her reasons, and someday you will know them." said Raoul gently but firmly.

Marie Claire let the subject drop, not wanting to argue. She got up and hugged her father as they walked downstairs to join Christine and Felix, Marie's eight year brother, for dinner. The two chattered happily, but Raoul couldn't help but feel a growing sense of dread. They were going to have to tell Marie Claire the story of the Phantom of the Opera eventually, and it was going to have to be soon.

Christine smiled as she watched Raoul and Marie come down the stairs. It always made her happy to know that she and Raoul both had always been there for Marie and Felix. It was much different from the childhood Christine had experienced after her father had died. Always surrounded by people, but always feeling so alone. The "Angel of Music" her father had promised her had turned out to be Erik, the Phantom of the opera. It had seemed at the time that he was her guardian, the angel of her father, a father figure. But it had turned out not to be so. But how she wished it had been so. She had wished so much that her father would have been there to hear her sing, to see her fall in love with and marry Raoul , to see Marie and Felix born. She often wondered what had become of Erik, if he had lived or died. If he had found happiness. And if he had lived, would he come back to haunt she and Raoul? Christine turned her thoughts away from this unpleasant topic as the family sat down to dinner.

"I heard you singing earlier Marie dear, you sounded wonderful." remarked Christine to her daughter.

Marie Claire' s face glowed.

"You really think so mother?" she asked.

"Yes dear I do." answered Christine.

"Ya Marie you sang really good." remarked Felix.

Marie laughed and touseled her little brother's hair.

Raoul and Christine gave each other a contented smile as they watched Marie and Felix tickle and tease each other. Dinner went on normally until Marie asked the inevitable question:

"Mother, father, if I sing so well, then why will you not let me audition for a part in one of the opera house productions? I would really like to." Marie Claire asked, her face hopeful.

Raoul and Christine gave each other a knowing look, knowing that they could not hide the story of the Phantom of the opera from Marie any longer. None of the reasons that they had used to try and prevent Marie from being in a production would work anymore. Raoul and Christine grasped each other's hand as Christine began to speak.

"Marie dear, there is something your father and I need to tell you. But first we need to put Felix to bed." said Christine, noticing that Felix was falling asleep at the table.

Christine gently picked up Felix in her arms and went upstairs to put him to bed. She came back downstairs with a solemn look on her face. Christine and Raoul exchanged grim looks. The three of them moved into the living room and sat by the fire, which glowed upon them warmly.

"Marie dear, we have a story that we need to tell you. The reason that we have not allowed you to audition for a part in one of the opera house productions." Raoul began.

"The story of Erik, the Phantom of the Opera." said Christine apprehensively.

Marie stared. She had heard fables about this supposed Phantom if the opera, but she had never believed any of them. She listened intently to her parents words as they told the tale of the events that had happened so many years ago. But as the family sat in their living room, they had no idea who was standing outside their window, listening to the story that they told...

"He's there the Phantom of the opera..."