From Angel's Eyes
Chapter Two
Christine sat at the back of the theatre, watching the other performers. She sat alone. She didn't really know the people in her class that well and rarely spoke to them.
Dr Carter climbed onto the stage and clapped his hands to get their attention.
"Settle down please, we've got a lot to get through." Dr Carter looked around and said,
"But before we begin, I'd like to introduce the man who is funding our summer musical. Mr Erik Destler."
He clapped his hands and everyone else applauded as a man dressed in black stood by the door. Either this guy was a little eccentric or he really loved the show, Christine thought wryly, because he wore a white mask over the right side of his face. He looked around at them without smiling and the man he was stood with, clearly an employee, smiled only briefly. Dr Carter looked around at the students.
"Mr Destler has generously donated to the musical and is very interested to oversee the rehearsals and backstage details. I hope you will all make him feel welcome and make sure that his time is not wasted. And on that front, we'll start the auditions."
"Who's going to be judging?" A girl called Rebecca Griffins asked. She was a good singer, one of the best. Probably Christine's main competition for the part she wanted, she noted with a frown.
"Myself, Mr Destler and Mr Khan." Dr Carter said, gesturing to himself and the two men who had now sat at the table.
Once they were settled, Dr Carter looked down at his sheet and gestured to Rebecca.
"Why don't you go first?"
Christine listened to the auditions without a word. She chewed her lip idly, wondering when her turn would come. As she waited, her eyes wandered to Erik Destler. What was behind the mask? Actual scars or simply an obsessive Andrew Lloyd Webber fan? The other side of his face was good looking, his jaw strong and his eyes a startling shade of green, the kind that you don't really expect to see on a real person. His dark, almost black, hair was brushed back and smoothed down. He watched the auditions with only a half-interested expression on his face. Dr Carter looked around at the remaining students. There were only a few left to audition, but most had stayed behind to watch the competition they were facing.
"Now… who shall we have next?" he said aloud and glanced over at Erik Destler. He looked around and he met Christine's eyes. She held his gaze for a moment and then lowered her eyes. Erik nodded at her.
"Who is that?"
"Christine Danes."
"Let her sing." Erik said calmly, turning back to the stage. Dr Carter looked surprised but called to Christine. The other students started to talk curiously as their withdrawn classmate made her way to the stage.
"What song are you going to perform, Christine?" Mr Khan asked. Christine said quietly,
"Think of Me. I thought more people would be doing that one."
Very few people had performed this, which had surprised her. She'd thought it would have been the favourite. The only other person who Christine knew had sung it was Rebecca, who was now watching her with narrowed eyes.
Christine took a deep, calming breath as the introduction began and fixed her eyes on the large clock at the back of the theatre as she started to sing. Her classmates sat up in surprise. Dr Carter's jaw dropped and he stared at his student.
Nadir Khan cast a sideways look at his employer. A slight frown had crossed his forehead and he sat up to attention, for the first time that day. His eyes were fixed on the slight figure that stood before him, listening to the pure sound echoing around the theatre.
Christine felt her soul lifting as she sang. A bubble of joy welled up inside her, on the verge of erupting at any second as she let the song flow from her. She closed her eyes as she sang, allowing herself to smile.
The final part of the song came and she opened her eyes. They met the bright green ones of Erik Destler as she began to sing the operatic scales of the final bars. In an eruption of beauty and song she pelted out the last two words of the song.
Silence. Christine felt her heart sink and she turned to make her way from the stage. And then the applause started.
"That was amazing!"
"I didn't know she could sing like that!"
"She's got to be Christine, she's great!"
Christine made her way back to her seat at the back of the theatre and sat down to listen to the final few auditions, keeping her face carefully blank. But inside she was laughing with delight. This was all she had wanted. Just to sing, and she had done it well. Why shouldn't she feel a little pleased with herself?
After the final audition, the three judges went out to a little office to discuss the cast. Christine reached into her bag and took out a bottle of water, drinking it slowly. A boy from class, she didn't know his name, grinned across at her. He had dark brown hair and very blue eyes, as well as a cheerful grin.
"That was fantastic, Christine."
"Thank you." she said, smiling slightly. He held out his hand.
"Max Hodges. Auditioning for the Phantom."
"Christine. For Christine." She said, shaking his hand.
"You've got to get it, you were amazing."
Christine smiled, only a little smile, but one all the same. Then Rebecca spoke up.
"Don't get your hopes up, Danes. I'm going for Christine too." Christine looked over at her and the class fell silent, wanting to listen.
"I'm not making any assumptions. I hope I get the part, but if I don't it'll be because the better singer got it." Christine said quietly.
"In which case, you might as well leave right now." Rebecca said smugly. Max looked at her crossly.
"Shut up, Rebecca. No one knows who's getting which part yet."
They were interrupted by the return of the judges. Everyone sat to attention, eager to hear the results. Dr Carter smiled around at them.
"Well done, everyone. That was quite a display of talent. But we have made our decisions as to the cast."
He first read out the names of the minor characters. Applause followed each name and Christine saw lots of people hugging and grinning in delight. She tilted her head as more names were read.
"And finally, our top four people. Carlotta, Raoul, Christine and the Phantom." Dr Carter said ominously. Christine sat up, twisting her hands in her lap, mentally preparing herself for disappointment.
"Raoul will be played by Tom Sutherland." Dr Carter announced. Tom shouted, "Yes!" and punched the air, much to the amusement of his friends. Christine smiled slightly. He was a nice enough guy, he deserved the chance.
"The Phantom will be played by Max Hodges." Max grinned happily and Christine offered him a smile.
"Congratulations."
"Thanks! Wow, this rocks!" Max said delightedly. Dr Carter waited for the applause to die down.
"Carlotta will be played by Rebecca Griffins."
Rebecca's mouth fell open in disbelief. Not the good kind of disbelief. But before she could make a remark Dr Carter smiled and said,
"And Christine will be played by none other than our very own Christine Danes."
Christine stared at him in amazement as the rest of the class applauded her.
"Me? Really?"
"Yes, you. Now, if Christine, Max and Tom would stay behind for a moment, the rest of you will need to be back here tomorrow morning at ten for a script run through. Congratulations everyone."
Christine turned to pick up her bag, but it was knocked onto the ground by Rebecca as she passed furiously. Christine glared after her and bent to pick up her things. Max helped her.
"Isn't this fantastic?"
"It's great." Christine agreed with a smile. They made their way to the front of the room, by the stage, where the three judges and Tom were waiting for them.
"Congratulations, you three. You're going to make great characters." Dr Carter smiled at them. Mr Khan said,
"We were all very impressed with your performances. Mr Destler and I will be taking an active part in the production of the show and want to work with each of you individually."
He handed them each a thick book of the score.
"Here's your music. Have a glance through, although you seem to know it well already. Well done, all three of you. We want you three here at nine tomorrow, just to get a quick practise in so we can see how you work together."
Christine took the score and looked down at the black cover, with the white mask lying in the corner, a red rose beside it. She smiled slightly. This was good. This was very good.
"Any questions? Then off you go." Mr Khan said pleasantly. Dr Carter said,
"Christine, a word?"
She waited with the three judges as Max and Tom left, talking cheerfully. Dr Carter waited until the boys were gone before saying,
"Christine, that was an extremely impressive audition. Why have you never sung in class before?"
"It… it just didn't feel right. I know that sounds a little silly, but my mother was the one who taught me how to sing and I just… I felt I had to keep it to myself." She said, trying to explain how she felt.
"What made you change your mind?" Erik Destler asked quietly. She looked at him and shrugged slightly.
"I'm not sure. I just wanted to sing again."
"I'm glad you did. We'll see you tomorrow." Mr Khan said kindly. Christine nodded and turned to leave. When she reached the door, she glanced back. Mr Khan and Dr Carter were talking busily, but Erik Destler's eyes were on her. Christine hesitated and the pushed open the door, looking down at the cover of the score.
Why can't the past just die?
Sat in the living room of her house, Christine flipped through the score, although she knew most of it off by heart. This was going to be good for her, she knew that much. This would help her. And she was going to enjoy it. She would make herself enjoy it if she had to.
Trister rubbed his head against her knee, looking for attention. Christine bent down and hugged him, kissing the top of his soft head.
"See? Things are getting better. This is just what I needed, Meg was right. But let's not tell her that."
Trister simply flopped down by her feet and began to lick his paw. Christine smiled and settled back on the sofa to read the score again.
Erik Destler half listened to Nadir Khan as he read out the schedule for the rest of the day. Nadir paused.
"Erik?"
"What?"
"Have you heard a word that I just said?"
"No." Erik knew there was no point lying. Nadir knew him too well. His employee sighed and closed the diary.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. I'm simply thinking about the musical."
This was a puzzle to Nadir. His withdrawn, crowd hating boss suddenly deciding to take an active role in the community and put on a university musical. Still, Erik Destler was rich enough to be as eccentric as he wanted. Most people assumed that was why he wore the mask. Nadir knew differently.
"I think it will be rather good. Tom and Max were both very good and Christine Danes was…"
"Perfect." Erik said quietly. Nadir cast him a glance.
"Yes. I suppose she was."
Silence settled between them and then Erik said,
"Go through the schedule again. What have we got at four?"
After Trister's walk the next morning, Christine climbed into her car, the score in her bag beside her and began the drive to the theatre. It was a little early, but she wanted to avoid the traffic and arrived at the theatre at 8:25.
To her surprise, the doors to the theatre were already open. She went to the theatre room and paused by the door as she heard voices. She pushed open the door and saw Doctor Carter and Mr Khan talking, both of them holding a copy of the score. They looked at her in surprise.
"I'm sorry I'm so early." She said.
"Oh, don't be. Just shows your enthusiasm." Mr Khan said cheerfully. Christine smiled briefly, taking her score out of her bag.
"Do you already know the music?" Mr Khan asked. Christine nodded.
"I was brought up around music."
Dr Carter cleared his throat.
"Why don't you start warming up, Christine?" She nodded and started towards the piano. But before she could sit down Erik Destler appeared beside her and sat at the keys, starting to play. His eyes met hers and she began to sing a scale.
When Tom and Max arrived, Christine was sat at the piano whilst Erik, Nadir and Dr Carter discussed something. She was frowning slightly as she played, her fingers stumbling over the same piece. A frustrated grunt escaped her and she began to play again. Max crossed to her.
"Everything OK?" He asked and she glared at the score.
"It would be if I could play this bar." She muttered.
Max bent down and played it quickly. Christine glanced up at him, half annoyed, half amused.
"No one likes a show off."
"Try it again." Christine placed her hands on the keys and played. Yet again her fingers missed the notes and she ground her teeth. Max sat down beside her.
"Try calming down a bit. You're a bit tense."
She followed his advice, breathing deeply. Max placed his hands on top of hers and guided them, playing the tune slowly. Christine looked at him in surprise.
"How did you do that?"
"Dunno. Try it again, without me." Christine did so and the piece came out perfectly. She eyed him.
"Now you really are showing off." He laughed.
"I do my best."
They were interrupted by Dr Carter, who said,
"Christine and Tom, do All I Ask Of You. I want to see how your voices mesh. Mr Destler, if you would?" Erik sat at the piano and began to play. Christine placed her score on the music stand and Tom stood opposite her, facing her. As he began to sing, Christine followed his lines in the book and came in perfectly on her cue.
Max perched on the edge of the stage, watching happily. His eyes wandered over Christine and he smiled to himself. But what were the chances that she would want to go out with him? Not likely. He knew for a fact that she hadn't dated anyone for at least four years. In fact, he knew a lot about her. He wasn't stalking her or anything, but you could pick up a lot from just watching a person occasionally.
"That was excellent." Dr Carter said as they finished the song. He looked over at Max.
"The Phantom of the Opera. Let's see how you get on." Max swapped places with Tom and grinned at Christine. She returned it with a faint smile and flipped through the score to find the right page, brushing a curly brown lock of hair behind her ear. Erik Destler began to play the ominous sounding song and Christine waited for the cue, lifting her eyes to meet Max's. This song was all about electricity, she knew that. She wanted to see if Max knew it as well.
His sky blue eyes met hers and she saw the smile had faded from his face, to be replaced with a look of pure intensity. How strange, she thought, that the cheerful nature could so easily be wiped away. Her moment arrived and she began to sing in a low, mysterious voice. Her eyes were fixed on Max's and when he began to sing, it sent a slight shiver down her spine.
The only time she took her eyes off his was when she turned the pages and he did the same. And then the moment came for her to sing that strange section at the end of the song, the peculiar scales of falling and lifting notes. Christine lifted her face as she sang, concentrating on the notes.
Erik didn't watch the music as he played. His eyes were fixed on her face, the slight crease across her forehead as she sang, the graceful fall of her hair around her face, the pure, sweet sound emanating from her mouth.
The song ended and she looked to him for a verdict. That surprised him. He'd thought that she would look to Doctor Carter but her eyes were fixed on him. He nodded briefly and she gave a tiny smile, looking back down at her score.
By the time the rest of the class arrived, Tom and Max, who had been digging through the props, had found a pair of swords and were now fencing around the room. Not really though, as neither of them knew how. Christine snorted as Max lunged forward and missed. He glanced at her.
"Suppose you could do better?"
"I've been fencing since I was five." She told him.
"Really? Show us!" Tom said. Christine hesitated and said,
"Well, there's no one to fence with."
"Mr Destler knows how to fence. Perhaps you could provide us with a brief performance." Mr Khan smiled, having been listening in amusement to their conversation. Christine glanced over at Erik who looked nonplussed. She shrugged.
"Well… OK."
She dug in her bag and took out a hair clip, pushing her hair back out of her face, taking her jacket off to reveal a simple black sun top over jeans beneath it. She took the sword from Max and Tom handed his to Erik.
They went onto opposite sides of the stage and Max started to cheer and applaud. Christine rolled her eyes and Erik bowed politely. She returned the gesture and Erik asked,
"How long have you been fencing, did you say?"
"For nearly seventeen years." Christine replied, lifting the sword. Erik lifted the eyebrow that she could see and asked,
"Shall I hold back?"
"Please don't." she replied haughtily, slightly insulted. A moment he lunged at her. She stepped swiftly out of the way and lifted the sword to meet his with a clear clang. A gasp echoed around the room as they circled each other, the swords still touching. Christine decided to move first, swinging the swords around and lunging. Erik met each blow with his sword, pushing her advances away. She stepped back, lifting her sword, a smile gracing her lips. Erik smirked.
"You fight well."
"So do you." she replied.
They began to parry again, as quick as lightening, the crashing of the swords making the audience gasp in wonder. Erik let his defence slip slightly, tempting her. He knew she would take advantage of it, and she did. She thrust forward and he brought his sword up quickly. She gasped as her sword was thrown from her grasp. It fell to the opposite side of the stage and Erik lifted his sword to point it at her chest. His smirk irritated her slightly and she ducked under the blade, and with a rather impressive display of gymnastics, managed to jump past him, pick her sword up and bring it swinging around to meet his.
A cheer went up from some of the students and Christine allowed herself a grin. Erik lifted his eyebrows in surprise but parried her advancing swings and lunges, more entertained than worried about who would win and Christine felt no need to make it anymore competitive than it already was. She was simply enjoying herself.
A quick thrust, Erik stepped back and Christine swung the sword down at his legs. He jumped with surprising agility and when he landed, he lifted the sword to press against her neck, only to find her blade at his ribs.
Checkmate.
A round of applause and Erik said calmly,
"A draw?"
"I believe so." Christine said pleasantly and withdrew her blade. Erik lowered his own and bowed. Christine did the same and he caught her hand, kissing it lightly.
"A pleasure, mademoiselle."
Christine lifted her eyebrows in surprise and smiled slightly. Dr Carter smiled at them both and said,
"Well, that was wonderfully entertaining! Now, let's start warming up everyone and we'll go through a few things."
Christine took her seat and picked up her score. But as she did, she risked a quick glance at Erik. His eyes were fixed on her and she smiled briefly before returning to the music.
A/N: I hope this chapter cleared a few things up I've got to say, I'm mega-nervous about this story. Especially after the reaction I got to 'Cold, Cold Heart'. So, yeah, hoping I can live up to expectations. If not, I don't care! I write for me.
Also,
about my spelling. Stuff like practise, which was pointed out, that's
not me making mistakes. That's me and my English-ness. Yup, I'm an
English gal, and we spell things differently. Like sticking random 'u's
into words. Just so you know
