Hey everybody!
Sorry it took so long, but, I had to mull things over for a few WEEKS, about this chapter, lol. It's kinda important, well, that's an understatement, but yeah. Last phic I did, I hardly did any revising and I didn't THINK about it thoroughly, and it suffered. I took it down, so if you had wanted to read my phic "Red and Black", it went bye-bye. Down the drain, into an oubliette and sent to the Bog of Eternal Stench, dropped into the Abysmal Abyss! Lol, yeah! I'm going to resurrect it this summer, when I have TIME to write---
Anyway…
I FINISHED LEROUX'S "Le Fantome de L'Opera" AFTER A MONTH OF READING IT! Of course, I could only read when I had the chance, so it was really only three hours, teehee.
OH MY GOSH, EIGHTY FIVE REVIEWS! Hopefully after this chapter, we'll be at 95! Or maybe a hundred, hmm? ;)
Be sure to thank BobMcBobBob1 and EriannaAbyss, because without them, this story wouldn't be HALF as good as it is now! So, thank you 'Rissa and Chris! Your cameos, well, actually, you guys will be in much of the upcoming chapters, so, I guess they're not cameos anymore now, are they! And thanks to ALL my reviewers that have been with me since the beginning! BUT WHERE ARE YOU SHADOWFAIRY! :tear: YOU DISAPPEARED-ED!
Oh, and Madame Opera Ghost, at least I think it was you, said something about two Christines—nuh-uh, there's ONE Christine and ONE Christina. But, the difference between them are their nicknames—the freaky girl (HA! Take THAT POTR-E! lmao) is Chris, and the main character Christine's nickname is Chrissy. Sorry about the confusion Mame. O.G!
AND I GOT A NEW REVIEWER! WOO! Thanks GavinVenom!
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for….ERIK SEEING THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA FOR THE FIRST TIME! And a call from a certain black haired boy back in Cali, maybe? Read and you shall see!
-Alianne
The Phone Call and the Play
"I—hmph!" Christine turned from him and started to walk towards the door, but changed her mind and ran back to him. The redhead threw her arms around his chest and both stayed like that for a moment.
She pulled away first, and smiled happily, "Thanks, Erik. I'm glad we're friends now."
Erik only nodded; he was still disoriented from the girl's sudden embrace.
"Bye Erik! 'Til tonight!" she called, her bright orange flip-flops flapping behind her as she ran down the porch to her house again.
Christine shimmied up the magnolia tree and leapt into her bedroom over the railing. She decided to shower before doing anything else and ran to the hall linen closet after slipping off her ridiculous orange flip-flops. All she could think about now was getting ready early enough so she would have the time to call Stephen.
Christine raced into her bathroom and switched on her hot curlers before turning on the hot water. She gathered her new, clean undergarments from her dresser drawer and went back into the bathroom. She emerged fifteen minutes later in a light yellow tank top and matching shorts with bananas and monkeys on them, rubbing the ends of her long copper hair together with a lime green towel. The girl immediately opened her closet doors and flipped through the outfits she had. She went through almost all the clothes in her closet before pulling out a knee length dark green and red skirt with a large plaid print and a black mock-turtleneck with long sleeves, as it would be colder tonight. They were wrinkly and she groaned.
"Argh, ironing…MOM!" Christine called, thundering down the stairs.
"What, Chrissy, hon?" her mother's auburn curls came into view from the kitchen. Luscious smells wafted from the oven, and a timer buzzed, signaling the completion of a delicious golden brown pork roast. Reneé Chagny pulled it out of the stove and took off her oven mitts. She came out of the kitchen just in time to catch a turtleneck and skirt hurtling towards her face and see her daughter run back up the stairs.
Mrs. Chagny rolled her eyes and went to the hall closet to set up the ironing board.
Upstairs, Christine dug through her dresser drawers until she found a pair of black knit tights. She went back to her closet and pulled out her favorite pair of shoes: black suede boots with a sophisticated wedge and black suede ties and shiny silver buckles. They had flaps on the top near her knee, and they gave the impression of a huntress, which Christine loved above everything else about the boots.
Christine didn't know exactly how she was going to wear her hair tonight, up or down? She held up her copper locks and surveyed her image in the bathroom mirror.
Definitely down.
The girl flipped open the case holding the heated curlers and parted her hair and rolled them in, securing them with pins. Then she dabbed a small makeup brush under the trickling water from the sink's faucet and applied some dark moss green eye-liner and dark brown mascara to her upper and lower eyelashes, creating the effect of even brighter and more striking eyes. A hot pink color of lip-gloss which Christine had never really had a use for accented her full mouth instead of her normal lavenders, lighter oranges and neutral colors that she wore every other ordinary day.
Her bedroom door opened and in slipped her mom with the freshly ironed outfit. Mrs. Chagny laid them gently on her daughter's bed and stood for a moment, giving her Christine a fond look before going to the closet and pulling out a dark blue duffel bag. She started putting in the clothes that Christine would need for her sleep-over tonight; pajamas, fresh clothes for the morning after, the DVDs her daughter normally brought over to the Howell girl's apartment in the French Quarter. The woman slipped out with the duffel bag before her daughter noticed anything.
Christine came back out of the bathroom with her hair nice and curled and put on the turtleneck and skirt. She was sitting on her bed tugging her black tights on when a familiar muffled jingle sounded from her nightstand drawer. Her hand darted to the drawer and out emerged her tiny silver cell phone in one slender hand, vibrating with each ring.
She saw the number on the screen and her heart leapt into her throat. "Hello?" she asked, feeling light-headed when she heard the person on the other end finally speak.
"Christine! I'm sorry, Christine, it's just…It's so strange talking to you now, hearing your voice for the first time in months! I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to call!" Stephen's voice said. Christine's heart beat madly in her chest when she heard the genuine heart-ache in his voice. This was why she chose him—he wasn't like any of the other guys she had met; Stephen was caring, and wasn't afraid to show his emotions, plus, he was pretty cute, too. That was always a bonus.
But somehow…she felt herself thinking of the conversation when she saw the movie again at Anna's house later that night. It reminded her of the scene where Raoul was imploring to Christine Daaé during the confrontation between the three in Erik's lair. How similar they sounded…but Stephen was no Raoul, and for that the girl was grateful.
"That's okay Steve, two months wasn't long at all, really," Christine replied sarcastically. "But, I'm glad you FINALLY did call, you know," she added.
"Yeah, Dad wanted me to start 'expanding my horizons'—which means every minute I'm not doing homework or sports, I'm in his office sorting papers. Calculators have become my best friend, seriously," Stephen said on the other end. Christine laughed, and she could feel her heart still thundering madly against her chest. She loved feeling this way, loved talking to him. She looked at her watch and saw that it was not even seven o'clock yet. The two began talking about other things, like school, sports, their music, and of the new friends they had made since the beginning of their freshman year. But Christine didn't mention anything about Erik.
All too soon it was 7:30, which meant they would have to end their conversation now so Christine wouldn't be late for the musical at the local college's theatre. "Well, I have to go, okay Stephen?" she said, more than a little disappointed that their conversation had to end so soon, but maybe a little too eager to get off the phone so she could meet up with Anna, Chris, and Erik.
"Right--sorry we couldn't talk longer! I hope you have a great time tonight with all your friends!" he replied, maybe a little too enthusiastically to sound genuine.
They both hesitated—Christine's thoughts swirled around in her head. Should I…no, it's just weird saying it now…gosh this is confusing…she mused. Not wanting to think about those three very important words any longer, she hung up after saying a quick 'bye'.
Christine gave a huge sigh of relief. Who knew that all those emotions could be so taxing? She was still feeling a little light-headed as she put on her boots and walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where her mom was dutifully washing her hands after putting two plates on the dinner table for herself and Brent, who would be staying at home tonight.
"I got your bag all ready, Janey. It's by the front door," her mom said, wiping her hands with a red dishtowel, still not looking back. She turned around to face her daughter and the same fond look she wore in her daughter's bedroom just half an hour ago crossed her features. "Oh Janey, you're so beautiful! I don't think I like this, you look so grown up! And you're only fifteen!" Renee Chagny cried, throwing her arms around her child, who instinctively embraced her mom fiercely in return.
"Mo-o-om," Christine groaned, pulling away. A car honk sounded from the street, and with it came a shout.
"CHRISTINE! COME ON! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" Anna yelled. Renee chuckled and put a hand on her daughter's shoulder, not knowing it was the same one Erik's hand had occupied earlier that afternoon.
"Be careful, Jane Christine Chagny," her mom warned.
"Of course, mom! Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Christine replied. She grabbed her dark blue duffle bag, which was full of everything she needed that night. "Save some of that roast for me!" she called, shouldering the duffel bag and running out the front door to Anna's mom's station wagon.
Christina was already on the front steps leading to the double doors of the LSU New Orleans campus' Amphitheatre by the time Anna, her mom, and Christine pulled into the street light littered parking lot. She jumped up as Christine climbed out of the station wagon. "CHRISSY!" she yelled, staying where she was.
The redhead and Anna ran over to the Asian girl and they began the introductions. Anna eyed Chris' outfit surreptitiously under her lashes as her best friend happily introduced the two, taking note of the other girl's mismatched fingerless gloves and the black suit jacket with tails hiding a white blouse. She could barely make out a black pull-over hoody underneath the suit jacket and the brunette could see a pair of long black dress slacks, and the toes of shiny black boots.
Anna's own outfit was a pretty affair of blue—she wore a slim, gauzy sky blue dress with silver heels and a pair of faux diamond chandelier earrings that dangled from her earlobes. Her hair was up in a bejeweled clip; two tendrils of her curly brown hair tantalizingly framed her pretty features.
Introductions over with, Christine finally noticed her new friend's hair. "Chris, your hair!" she cried. "It's auburn now! But it was black this afternoon…And it's so long!" Christine gawked at its length: Chris' hair went past her hips! And she almost found herself envying the way her new friend's hair was nearly perfectly wavy, not like the springy curls the redhead had to tame with hot curlers.
The Asian looking girl laughed. "Yeah, it was dyed black—this is my natural color. Heh, sure right it's long! Now let's get inside!" she said, grabbing both girls' hands and pulling them through the throng of people flooding into Amphitheatre.
"Hey Anna, Christine! Over here!" a girl called, waving from her post at the ticket stand. Larissa was wearing a pretty red knee-length dress with thin spaghetti straps. Mark was beside her in a chair passing out the seat numbers and putting money into a safe box.
" 'Rissa! Wow, your dress is so cute! Where'd ya get it?" Anna asked brightly, and the two girls launched into a conversation consisting of their favorite outfits and new clothing stores. Christine rolled her eyes and looked at Chris, who was uncharacteristically silent. The Asian girl was looking at someone behind the redhead with unsuppressed glee.
Christine felt a hand on her left shoulder this time, and turned around to see Erik standing in front of her. He looked a little disconcerted at the hungry stare Chris was unabashedly giving him, but quickly focused on the redhead.
He had traded the dark grey sweater from the afternoon in the mansion for a black one and grey dress pants, which showed off his slimmer build than the Erik in the movie Christine had come to know. He was lean, but not gaunt; tall, almost abnormally tall—he was as imposing figure to behold, and the two girls couldn't keep their eyes off of him. Erik was wearing a black half-mask tonight instead of his standard white one.
"Good evening, little lioness," he purred. Christine blushed and glared at him when she heard Christina's giggles from her right.
"Good evening yourself, Monsieur Opera Nit," the redhead replied sweetly, tilting her head a little to see him better. She heard Chris choke with laughter from her right, but Christine still faced Erik, her blush growing brighter as his eyes lit up with amusement. The rational Erik guffawed at what she had said, but Don Juan didn't know whether he should be amused or affronted. But he settled for amused when he saw the girl was blushing bright red.
"Shall we take our seats, mademoiselle?" the man offered his arm to Christine chivalrously and she giggled a little and placed a hand on his forearm like women from the Victorian Era used to do. She saw it in tons of movies and hoped she got it right. She laughed at Anna's face when the two walked by the food stand where the girl in blue was currently chatting with Constance and a few other girls Christine didn't know but had seen before at school.
"Hey Connie, Anna," Christine waved at the two with her right arm, her left hand still on Erik's right forearm. She suppressed a hysterical laugh when she saw Constance's eyes widen considerably, and Anna's goldfish impersonation.
"Nice freak ya got there, Christie," Constance sneered, finally getting her penchant for petty remarks back. "How'd you get him to come with you? No one in their right minds would, that's for sure."
Christine saw the appalled look on Erik's face and she squeezed his forearm in reassurance—she was used to these little snipes from Constance, but she was still more than a little embarrassed because the drama club girl did it in front of the very guy she had sworn to worship. She couldn't help but giggle at that—everyone knew Constance was a little more than obsessed about the Phantom of the Opera---but then again, not everyone knew about Christina and her…past times…
The mousy blonde girl scowled when the redhead showed her amusement, but Christine just smiled sweetly, even though her cheeks were tinged with pink. "Well, I'm the one here with this extremely handsome so-called 'freak', so lay off you little prying Pandora and get out of our way. We have a musical to see and we will not be kept waiting by stupid little Erik-fanatics like you," Christine said with a sickeningly sweet grin that showed off all her pearly whites, relishing with a sadistic pleasure the look on both Erik and Constance's faces.
So the lioness has bared her teeth…Erik thought to himself as he saw the two girls face off. He couldn't say that he wasn't expecting the insult to his person, after all, a century and a half had done nothing to ease civilization's scrutiny on a face such as his. However, he was most taken aback when that girl spoke to his kitten in such a crude manner.
Oh yes, your kitten, hmm? Rational Erik inquired. Since when is she yours?
Just shut up, Erik replied, keeping an ear on what the girl beside him was saying.
"Please excuse us, Connie, and don't come near us again tonight—I wish to have a pleasant evening, without you ruining it with ill-placed words that you could regret later on," he heard Christine sniff. The redhead pulled him away from the rude girl and walked away as swiftly as she could, but Erik was giving her a hard time with that because he was digging his heels into the lush red carpet, preventing them from going any further. They were by one of the entrances to the theatre aisles on the first floor.
"Now what was that all about, kitten?" the man asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down his nose, or what was left of it behind his mask, at the blushing redhead. But the blush wasn't caused by shyness, oh no. Anger was the reason, righteous anger directed towards the girl who had dared insult her friend so callously.
"Kitten? Now that's better than lioness," she said, grinning ever so slightly. Then her face turned serious, "And what do you mean, 'what was all that about'? Uh, duh, Erik—she just insulted you pretty badly, and I couldn't let her do that to one of my friends, especially you! You aren't a freak, you're…you're you! Constance literally wants to sanctify the ground you walk on, or at least, the character based off of you anyway, yet she still finds the gall to so rudely say those things that aren't true!"
She looked up at Erik earnestly. "Believe me Erik, I can't take her anymore! I deal with her every day at school, and tonight's special—you're here as my friend, which makes it all the more important to me, and all my friends are here…" She broke off with a rueful grin.
Erik could only stare at her as she looked out at the stage's curtains that were sometimes being bumped as people prepared backstage. She was being so open with him, and it made him feel proud, and amused at the same time. She could get so worked up about things…it was an endearing trait of the girl's. But the fact remained…she was more than a century younger than him….and why the heck was he thinking these horrid thoughts?
"Well, what I mean is, I don't want to give her the satisfaction of ruining our night, so let's go find our seats, Erik!" With that, Christine pulled Erik towards the upstairs levels to their assigned seats. This time, he didn't even try to stop her.
"Hey CHRISSY, ERIK!" the two people sitting comfortably upstairs heard someone shout from below. Christine bent over the railing and saw Chris waving up at her ecstatically.
"Our seats," at this, the Asian girl gestured to Constance and Mikhail, "are down here, but Larissa and Anna are going upstairs right now! How's everything up there!" she yelled with her hands cupped around her mouth, drawing the disgruntled stares of the other theater-goers around her.
"Okay! Everything's just peachy up here!" Christine yelled back. "Oh, and Erik says hi!"
Erik, who had recently joined the redhead, bolted like a rabbit from the railing back to his seat when he saw the girl below give him a devilish grin and blow a huge kiss up to him.
The two girls laughed and the lights started to dim slowly. Larissa and Anna had brought four popcorns and drinks and were already situated by the time the voice from the speakers called for silence and asked the theatre-goers to turn off all cell phones and to enjoy the show.
Larissa was at the end of the middle aisle, with Anna on her right, Christine on Anna's right, and Erik on Christine's right. There were a few seats separating Erik from a cuddling old couple who looked very much in love, even after all the years they must have been together, and the seat next to him held all the girls' purses. Now why must women have these contraptions? Don Juan had grumbled as the girls handed him their purses so he could set them in the empty seat to his right.
The curtains finally opened, and Erik could see that Christine was watching everything happening on the stage with undisguised delight. At first, Erik thought it was quite boring, until he heard the Overture blasting from the orchestra pit…and he was filled with a sharp pain in his stomach.
How…how in the world did these people get my music? He thought in outrage. This Andrew Lloyd Webber, how DARE he? He did notice some changes, however, but how did they get his music? Was it…
Yes…Katherine Leroux…Gaston had brought his youngest daughter to the bowels of his Opera House a few times before he left…She had always been interested in his music…she married an Englishman…what was his name…ah yes, William Hart…that was it…she was only what, fifteen, sixteen when her father introduced us…the conniving little…she took his music!
But now the world adored him, if not for his true musical genius, then his literary fame…He didn't know whether to strangle her or…well, just strangle the girl if he ever met her ghost one day…
Erik looked around the auditorium and saw the enthralled faces of everyone, faces that positively glowed with excitement and wonder as they heard his music, and he changed his mind.
Yes, Katherine Marie Leroux would have to be thanked…
(Ha, I WAS going to leave it right here, but, I know you guys have been most upset at the dreadful amount of time it took me to get this up, so here's a lot more!)
Christine watched the actors on the stage eagerly during the first scene—and when the chandelier arose with the Overture thundering in her ears, she snuck a glance at Erik, who seemed to be deep in thought about something, he was staring at the stage, but he wasn't seeing it…
The woman playing Christine was extremely talented; her rendition of "Think of Me" was amazing! Couldn't Erik hear her? She was fantastic!
But Erik was still deep in thought…until the duet between Christine and the Phantom in Christine's dressing room. Then he came out of his trance, and he tensed up, his back ramrod straight in his seat.
He heard the girl beside him singing along with the two people on stage under her breath. She seemed oblivious to everything around her, save the stage. That is, until she turned her head a little towards Erik so she could see him more clearly.
The Phantom of the Opera Suite pounded in their ears, and he had to say, the boy playing his character was quite good, and the young woman acting the part of his former love was bearable, but nothing like her…
The play went on peacefully, well, as peacefully as it could get when Erik saw the person playing himself scream in rage at the leading lady in his lair, until the scene between Christine and Raoul on the rooftop on the night of the tragic Il Muto. The chandelier had just fallen, just as it did a century and a half ago, and they were singing to each other passionately as the fake snow fell from the rafters around the two actors.
Christine could see the pain in her new friend's eyes no matter how hard he tried to hide it. It had been a big blow to him, and she knew it wasn't really helping that she was part of it…
But then again, maybe it could!
She gently grabbed his left hand and squeezed it comfortingly. She winced when he flinched at her touch. She looked into his eyes and her emotions were as bright as day in hers when she whispered, "I'm here, Erik."
His eyes traveled to where their hands were intertwined and he stared at them for a long moment. Christine took advantage of this and she laid her head gently on his left shoulder, her copper curls contrasting sharply with his black sweater. Erik looked down at the young girl beside him and he felt tears prickling the edges of his eyes.
Dammit! I will not cry! He thought furiously to himself, but he found one stray tear escaping from his left eye, the one uncovered by his mask, trickle down his cheek and fall onto Christine's hair. She felt it, but didn't look up—she knew this was going to be strange to him, someone who cared about him after all he had done, finally finding a friend after decades of solitude and heartbreak.
She felt him gently squeeze her hand in reply and she smiled into his shoulder. Then she turned her eyes back to the people on stage and laughed in delight during the Masquerade scene, when Erik finally showed himself as the Red Death. She could feel his silent chuckles vibrating in her ear as his character prodded Piangi with his rapier and insulted Carlotta. But they grew silent once again when he heard the 'Phantom' speak to his Christine so harshly.
Then came the 'Twisted Every Way' sequence in the chapel with Raoul and Christine…The redhead's grip on Erik's hand grew unbearably tight and the man could feel her quivering with emotion.
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…
Christine could feel Erik squeeze her hand just as tightly as the fateful Don Juan Triumphant's overture resounded in their heads, the men around them crossing their legs and the women shifting uncomfortably as the Phantom and Christine Daaé sang of the raging fires, opening buds, and crossed bridges…
When the girl playing Christine tore off the Phantom's mask, everyone around the redhead and Erik gasped at the sight of the Phantom's deformed face.
But Jane Christine Chagny was not one of those people.
She pulled her hand away from Erik's and glared furiously at the adults and teenagers around her from the edge of her seat. How DARE they! It's not even REAL! Her mind screamed.
She looked back at Erik, her eyes blazing, and then hugged him fiercely. Erik flinched slightly again, but was grateful for her defense. No one had done this before…touched him willingly…It was all he could do not to tear up again…until the confrontation between the three lovers. Erik cursed himself when he heard his Christine sing those words…The tears I might have shed for your dark fate…Grow cold, and turn to tears of hate!
The redhead beside him sang along so softly it was hard for Erik to hear her—but hear her he did…and the memories crashed into him again. The scene ended with Christine returning his ring to him, and Erik cursed himself again for what he did all those years ago.
He didn't feel guilty about Piangi and Buquet—it was necessary that they were disposed of; Piangi was just plain terrible to hear, plus he was in the way, and that stagehand knew too much.
The musical finally ended, and Christine heard sniffles coming from everyone around her. But the redhead didn't cry…she couldn't. That would come later, right now she had to help Erik.
Christine took his right hand in hers and smiled up at him. "Wasn't that great, Erik?" she asked.
Erik stared down at her and replied, "It was…bearable."
The redhead grinned, and they walked out of the Amphitheatre where Anna's mom was waiting in the dark green station wagon. Constance, Larissa, Mark, Mikhail and Anna parted ways and Christine waved back at Erik before she and the brunette girl climbed into the car.
Erik smiled and watched the car disappear from his sight before slipping into the darkness.
Christine and Anna stayed up 'til the wee hours of the morning watching the Phantom of the Opera movie over and over and over again. When Anna had finally dozed off, the redhead lay awake until she gleefully finished reading Leroux's book at sunrise.
At around 11:30, Anna awoke to see her best friend curled up by her window seat with the book resting on her chest, her chest rising and falling softly with every breath. She didn't want to wake her up, so the brunette crept out of the room and into the flat's kitchen, where her mom was already making breakfast.
Christine was awoken by the smell of pancakes and bacon not long after and she leapt up and ran to the kitchen. Mrs. Howell chuckled as the girls devoured their meals in record time. The redhead glanced at her watch and yelped. She was supposed to be home by now! Anna helped her friend repack her things, and Christine called her mom to tell her that she was coming home. Mrs. Chagny didn't seem too upset by this, which made Christine was extremely happy.
Christine said her goodbyes and left, carrying her duffel bag on her shoulder as she walked through the French Quarter. She passed by the alley she had been caught in and shuddered, swiftly passing through it into the neighborhood of Victorian houses.
She entered through the front door of her house this time, and hugged her mother good morning. Christine went upstairs and wasn't surprised to see the crimson rose lying on her bedside table.
:Dodges torches:
SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT!
HA! YAY! Do you guys like it? I haven't seen the play, just the movie, and I read the book, so…yeah!
Review Responses:
EriannaAbyss: MY MUSE! bows before muse THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! REVIEW, NOW!
Maska:I hope you liked this chapter! Well, Erik's reaction to it is somewhat to be expected, isn't it? Lol, NOW REVIEW! I'm such a dominatrix…HA, no.
ChristineErik: You! Yeah you! REVIEW!
LiTTleLoTTe1991: YOU REVIEW, TOO!
And to everyone else I may have forgotten, REVIEW!
Lol, 'til next chapter, you guys! AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FANTASTIC REVIEWS!
Alianne