Christene took the CD player out of her bag and plugged it in. She set aside a couple of cds and stared into the mirror. She couldn't help but feeling like eyes were on her. She shook off her feelings as someone who'd read too much POTO stuff. She kicked off her sandals and collapsed on the bed a small moan of pleasure escaping her full lips. Twenty-four hours on a plane were enough to make anyone grumpy and any bed would have made her moan.
A knock on her door roused her a few minutes later. "Hold on a minute,um who is it?" "Mr. Robere" "Oh crap!" "Umm hold on Mr. Robere" Christene slipped her hair into a respectable ponytail and brushed some lipstick on. She opened the door and smiled at Mr. Robere "come in please." He looked around the room, noticing the old fashioned look . "Are you sure that this is what you wanted Ms. Daae?" She smiled "why wouldn't it be?" He swallowed nervous. His grandmother had been the decendant of the opera house manager Firmin. "Rumor is that this room is haunted by the opera ghost!" Christene rolled her eyes "If he's a ghost he's dead ergo no threat." The manager left, not without a shudder, and Christene popped in a cd.
The shadow from the chandelier studied her. The thing that roused his interest the most was the flash of gold on her left hand. He couldn't tell but it looked like…no it couldn't be. He swallowed tears of pain and longing. His Christene was long dead. He had been there at her funeral. Christene Elise Daae was dead and had been for over eighty years.
Christene listened to the overture, as always the chilling organ had goosebumps going up and down her back and arms. She studied the full length mirror. She was tempted to see if the stories were true but she couldn't bring herself to check. She fingered the ring on her finger. The gold gave her a feeling of security. She opened her mouth and sang a few lines of Faust.
"Think of me,
Think of me fondly
When we've said goodbye
Remember me once in awhile.
Please promise me you'll try.
She hummed as she unpacked and picked out a shirt for practice later. She smiled as she imagined performing in front of an audience. She sang more of another familiar song
"In sleep he sang to me,
In dreams he came,
That voice which calls to me,
And speaks my name,
And do I dream again?
For now I find the Phantom of the Opera is there,
Inside my mind."
She waited for the phantom to finish his part and smiled wondering who her phantom was going to be.
"Those who have seen your face draw back in fear,
I am the mask you wear,
Your spirit and my voice in one combined,
The phantom of the opera is here,
Inside my mind"
She was startled out of her reverie by a sharp knock at her door. Alyssa entered. "Christene I am so sorry to bother you but I wanted to know something" Christene paused the cd. "Yeah?" Alyssa looked around and swallowed. "Are you related to the original Christene Daae?" Christene sighed, she knew this would come up. "Ok Yes, I am if you want to know the story I'll tell you, but it's not exactly pretty" Meg sat in a chair forcing Christene to take the bed, "Please". She glanced at the mirror, "I, I'd like to know."
The watcher smiled beneath his mask. Scaring Meg Gidry's great-great-great granddaughter had proved to be a very wise decision. Now he would know who this Daae was. How she was connected to his Christene.
Christene sat, looking at herself in the mirror. With her waist length chestnut hair, sapphire eyes, and full expressive mouth, along with her petit figure she knew she resembled her ancestor closely. She sighed once more and began her tale.
"As you know, or may not, the story of The Phantom of The Opera has it's roots in fact. There was a Christene Daae, a Vicomte De Changy, and a Phantom and it did all happen here at the Opera house but as for details I have none" Christene walked to a closet and got out four books all old and brittle with age. "My grandmother kept these journals. There were five but she burned the first one. She mentions at the beginning of the second one that she can't 'bear the mention of his damned name!' I can only guess who this means. More on that later.
Christene and Raoul were engaged for about three months but then Christene broke it off. She said she was still in love with someone else." "Umm Christene?" "Yes?" "How do you know she loved someone else?" "This story has been passed down generation to generation. So we know she told stories of her love to her child, Aaron and she also mentions an Erik in these journals. Over and over. Anyways.
About four months after their engagement was called off Raoul came to Christene's flat presumably to get her engagement ring back." Alyssa swallowed "Is that Raouls' engagement ring?" "this? no this is another ring, it too is an heirloom. This was Christene's most prized possession but we don't know who gave it to her or why. Only that she never took it off, ever."
Christene smiled but a tear showed her true feelings" Anywaus Raoul, went into her flat and he, he , he said that if she wouldn't be his bride he'd be damned if any man got her virgin blood" Alyssa gasped "he didn't…""yes he raped her. Afterwards she found out she was pregnant. Alyssa do you know any of this story?""No why"
"Christene turned to her friend Meg Giry to help deliver her child" "No!" "yes she did and Christene gave birth to a baby boy. She named him Aaron, Aaron Lucas.
Christene never married. She took care of Lucas and eventually went to Raoul to tell him of his son. Raoul never believed her. He took a swing at her and she landed a blow to his cheek. Ever since then the de Changys and the Daaes have hated each other." "Like the Capulets and montagues" Muttered Alyssa. "Yeah but without the murdering problem" joked Christene. "ok here's the family tree. Aaron married a girl named Elisa, they had two children Angelle and Michael. Michael married Lousie and had two children, Erik and Caroline, Erik married Veronica and had three children Jennifer, Brittany, and Erik Junior, Erik Jr. married Jessica and they had two children Charles and Christene, me. I am the first Christene Daae since the phantom of the opera." "Alyssa sat back "wow! That's a lot of people" Christene smiled amiably "I know" Alyssa rose, "it's almost six, ballet practice starts then" The news hit Christene "you're part of the ballet! Then we'll have a couple of practices together!" The girls squealed in glee and Alyssa left, closing the doors behind her breathing heavily.
How could Christene not know there was someone watching her? "Thank you my dear, your grandmother served me well, continue her tradition and I promise no harm will befall you under my roof." "Sir?" Alyssa squeaked out "She was my great-great-great-great grandmother." "Yes Ms. Giry but that is such a mouthful and I'd rather conserve my breath for more productive things if it's all the same to you!" "Yes sir!" He stalked off and Alyssa started to breathe again. She was sure of one thing and one thing only, the phantom of the opera was back!
Down below the opera the masked man paced incessantly. He finally stopped and slammed his hand on the table. "Damn him, Damn him to hell and back again!" He silently vowed that any de Changy who dared crossed his path would regret it. He thought of Christene's daughter living above and a small smile crept over his face. The Angel of Music was back and ready to give lessons.