-1Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything, except Ella and such, but everyone and thing else belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber, Joel Schumacher, and Gaston Leroux.

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It was just a few minutes before the curtain opened. Christine would be making her debut! Her face was white and she was shaking like a leaf with nervousness as Madame Giry helped her finish her toilette. Ella watched her older sister's face in the large mirror. Ella had showed all the excitement a young sister should at hearing the news that Christine would be taking Carlotta's place. Still, a black ball of anxiety lay in Ella's stomach, though she could not say why. Christine would be perfect; her voice had improved so well, it seemed like a miracle.

As Ella stood next to Madame Giry backstage, listening to Christine perform "Think of Me" it suddenly became clear why she had such a sense of foreboding about Christine's performance. He would be listening.

Ella had never told anyone about the voice she had heard singing that night behind the chapel walls; not even Christine. After some days she had even begun to convince herself that there had been no voice; that she had felt lonely and tired that night and had imagined the whole thing. That was until she heard the voice again. She had come back from spending the day with Madame Cabot to find that the entire Opera had been given the day off; some sort of accident had occurred and La Carlotta was too upset to continue. Many of the corps de ballet had gone out, happy to make mischief elsewhere. Ella was surprised to learn from little Jammes that Christine had declined to go with any of the other girls. She was in fact spending the day alone in the dormitories; strange that the elder of the Daae girls should become so unsociable all of a sudden.

Ella felt in high spirits that day, Madame Cabot had had her read "Love's Labor's Lost", so she snuck up quietly to the dormitories, hoping to surprise and tease her sister. She was about to push open the door to the room she shared with her sister when she stopped dead. There were voices…One was definitely Christine's. Hadn't Jammes said that Christine was alone? And the other voice was a man's! The closed door muffled the sound too much for her to hear whose it was.

Ella held her breath as she slowly, stealthy turned the knob and opened the door a fraction. What she heard shocked her so much that she dropped the books she had been carrying. The voices inside were immediately silenced and a few seconds later Christine had pulled open the door the rest of the way. "Ella…? Oh, you frightened me so! You should have knocked!"

"Since when do I need to knock to come into my room, ma soeur." Ella retrieved her books and pushed passed Christine into the room, searching. There was no one else there and there were not many places for a person to hide, except under the beds. She turned back to her sister and demanded an explanation.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ella. There is no one else here."

"But there was someone here, Christine! I heard him! Once more that is not the first time I have heard him!" At this statement Christine blanched a whiter shade of pale, but she continued to deny the voice's existence. A rift formed between the sisters over the next several days. Finally Christine came to find Ella, taking her down to the small chapel.

"I can not stand it," Christine sighed. "I promised I would tell no one, but I cannot bear keeping secrets from you…you are my sister, my flesh and blood. Certainly he will understand that."

"He?" Ella asked, trying to be patient with Christine, not wanting to scare her off once again. Christine sat silent for a few moments, looking at the angel painted on the chapel wall.

"Do you remember when father died?...And he promised me he would send me an angel of music?"

Of course, how could she forget. He had made the promise just mere minutes before he took his last breath. All their father had said to Ella was "I have been very cold to you, child," as he briefly stroked her hair. Ella had thought she would cry then, and even now at the memory of it, but she did not. She thought perhaps she never would and that did not bother her as much as it should have. That was the real difference between her and Christine. Christine cared so much about others, felt so passionately for them that she could not help but show the emotions on her face. Ella however felt hardly for anyone else in the world except for herself and her sister...and Raoul, a little voice in her head said. Yes, and Raoul. But aside from that she was cold and dark inside.

Ella nodded for her sister to continue. "Well he has come!" was all she said.

"Who…?" Christine was not making any sense. Ella looked at the painting of the angel than back at her sister. "You cannot mean….

"The Angel of Music," they both said together. Ella shook her head. "No…no…Christine…" She stood up and placed her hands on her still kneeling sister's shoulders.

"No what? You heard him yourself….you said so. You said you heard him sing! That voice…that beautiful voice—." Christine gazed off dreamily for a moment. "Who else could it be but the Angel of Music? Who else could conceal themselves so well?"

Could her sister truly be so blind? So naïve? Ella let go of her sister. "You have no idea do you? Who he is? Who this man is?" Ella explained to Christine her theory about the voice being the Opera Ghost.

"How could you think that? How could you believe in such gossip and horrors as ghosts?"

"It is not so fantastic as you believing in angels!" Ella knew she was close to blasphemy, but she didn't care. "And I did not say I believe in ghosts! I believe that this phantom…this angel…is a man. Real flesh and blood." She could see the hurt she was causing Christine. "I cannot believe as you do, Christine. I cannot fathom that this voice that teaches you is a holy seraph sent by Papa." Christine's face went dark.

"So that is the reason? Because Papa showed me more love than you! Because he promised me the angel and gave you nothing? I thought you were stronger than that, Ella. I thought you were above such jealousies." And with that she fled from the chapel.

Their rift continued for several more days until Ella decided to be the bigger person. "I am sorry, Christine. You know I love you more than anyone in the world. We are the same flesh, the same heart really. Do not be upset that …that I cannot believe in things as you do. I never did believe all those fairy stories Papa used to tell us."

Christine smiled and kissed Ella on the cheek. "Yes, I remember. You do not have faith in much, little Ellie. But you do believe me about the Angel? You heard him…?"

"I did…." That voice had haunted her through all her nights. She did not have a great ear for music, but oh, that man's voice. She felt silly, but she could not help but sing herself.

Christine…

You were the one with the golden voice The one who the Angels ever loved' I could hear nothing but dark and shadow But then his voice seemed to come from above'

And it filled my spirit
with a strange, sweet sound
In that night there was music in my mind
And through music my soul began to soar!
And I heard as I'd never heard before

Christine smiled at her. "I love when you sing; you never do it often enough."

"It is not my voice the Angel wants…nor do I think Satan would take my soul if it meant listening to my voice for all eternity!" They laughed.

The final curtain fell and the crowd was still cheering, still calling Christine's name. It was so crowded and loud, Ella had to get away. She finally managed to maneuver herself through the crowds and into Christine's dressing room, which had been Carlotta's until this evening. Ella stood amazed at all the flowers. How they had managed to get some of the arrangements through the door she would never know. She sat down on a small pink couch to the right of the door, and decided to read while she waited for her sister to come back. It was then that she noticed the rose sitting on the small table. She picked it up. How funny. Just the single perfect red rose, and no card. Just a thread of silk ribbon tied around it.

She could hear Madame Giry's voice and saw the door start to open. She quickly replaced the rose and fell back onto the sofa. She rolled over so that her face was to the back of the sofa, closing her eyes tight, pretending to sleep. She could hear Madame right above her.

"He is pleased with you, my dear."

There was no doubt who he was. So Madame Giry knew the phantom! Of course, how stupid could Ella be? Hadn't it been Madame who suggested Christine step in for Carlotta.

"She is taking lessons from a great teacher, messieurs."

And the notes! Madame Giry always delivered the notes from O.G. Ella would have to question the woman about the Phantom later; tonight was for Christine. She must tell her sister how wonderful she was and how she always knew Christine would be a great diva of the opera. She was in fact about to turn around and do so when she heard the door open again and she heard Rauol de Chagney speak. When she heard his voice a small tremor went through her body.

Oh, Rauol…don't you see me, here? Lying softly? Still keeping her eyes closed she wrapped her long arms around herself and listened to this suitor and her sister converse.

God, how can they prattle so? Like children! No worse…like they had never spent these years apart, unaware of the minute pain that it was causing Ella. Finally Raoul spoke of her.

"And where is little Ellie?" She hated when anyone but Christine or Papa had called her that, though Papa rarely called her at all.

"Hush," Christine's voice whispered. "She is there…sleeping. Do not wake her. I am so worried about her sometimes…let her have the peace of her dreams."

"Yes, we should let her be," Raoul said, not giving the younger Daae a second glance. "But you and I shall go to supper."

"Raoul, no! The Angel of Music—."

"Would not want you to starve. I'll send for my horses….Quickly, get changed!" He instructed as he went out the door.

"Raoul! The Angel is very strict!" She made one last attempt, but it was useless. He was gone. Christine got up to go after him, but stopped short when the candles went out. She looked over at Ella, lying on the couch, willing her to wake. Ella had felt the draft blow through the room and her dark eyes snapped open when she heard the voice, the voice that had haunted her nights and had fueled the inspiration of her days.

Insolent boy, this slave of fashion, basking in your glory
Ignorant fool this brave young suitor, sharing in my triumph

Christine answered.

Angel, I hear, you, Speak, I listen, Stay by my side, guide me
Angel, my soul was weak, forgive me
Enter at last, master.

Ella wanted to scream at her sister. The little idiot! Don't answer him!

Flattering child, you shall know me
See why in shadow I hide
Look at your face in the mirror
I am there inside

Ella sat up and watched as her sister walked toward the mirror. Suddenly a shape appeared in the mirror. It was a man! It was the phantom! Ella could barely make him out in the dark, except that he was rather tall and strongly built. And then her eyes rested on his face. She could not see the left half, it was covered in shadow, but the right…! It was a mask, bone white and sinister. Why would this man with the voice of an angel need to wear such a thing? It was not the idea of what lay behind the mask, but the mask itself that frightened Ella from moving. She could only watch helplessly as Christine stretched out her hand to her "Angel of Music" and disappeared behind the mirror. She was now completely alone in the room, surrounded by mist. She looked at the door; Rauol had been banging on it but now all was silent.

What should she do? Should she call Raoul back? Who knew what would happen to Christine by then. No, she would have to follow them!

Quickly, she unlocked the door to the dressing room and opened it, in case Raoul came back. Then she ran to the mirror and slid it back. Ella looked once more behind her before stepping into the unknown.

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Whoa! This chapter took a lot out of me! For all you Erik fans out there he'll be making a big appearance in the next chapter! Please read and review!