Everyone loves a good opera, so I hope to make this appealing though a certain incident will cut it short. Many of the songs I use are modern, but they fit in nicely with the script. I really hope it works out. Good news however, we'll finally find out what causes Lotte's visions. Creates funky flashback waves Oh, now those are cool. Oops my bad, on with the story.

Chapter 33: The Truth Hurts

After breaking up the footsie game with much difficulty Erik finally got them to all go upstairs. They all sneaked out of Christine's dressing room and went their separate ways. Lotte still clutched the rose in her hands. Erik noticed how much she had grown up. She was as tall as her mother and just as beautiful. He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "You'll do just fine tonight."

She smiled brightly and he swore he could see her eyes twinkle. She followed Christine back into the dressing room and Pierre was just about to go down the hallway when Erik stopped him. "So you asked her huh?"

"Yeah, I did. Soon she and I will be married for sure. But I better go and finish getting ready." He looked at his watch. "We have half-an-hour!" he raced away down the hall.

Erik laughed to himself as he went into the main lobby. People had started coming in purchasing tickets and moving forward to find their seats. Erik soon spotted Raoul in the crowd. "That man never gives up." he thought.

Then Mme. Giry and Meg came up to him. Mme. Giry motioned towards an unoccupied corner. Once concealed she began to speak, "Erik, do you think this a good idea exposing Lotte on stage in front of Raoul? He'll recognize her right away."

"Mme. Giry let me explain. She's in costume, so no one will be able to recognize her. This opera was made for her and she wants nothing more than to perform it. Everything will be just fine."

"I hope so for your sake Erik. I would hate to see a repeat performance."

"If you weren't so kind to me I would be harming you right about now."

Mme. Giry raised her cane. "Back away Monsieur. Even though we are good friends I will not resist the urge to whack you over the head with this."

Erik actually did back up, for when Mme. Giry was angry with him once before he had been whacked with that cane. He rubbed the back of his hand when the cane had struck and glared at her. She lowered the cane and grinned at him. "You know I love these chats Mme. Giry, but I have to be going now," he exclaimed heading up the stairs.

Meg looked at her mother awkwardly. "Why do you torture him so? He already has enough to worry about," she asked timidly.

"Oh, I only do that when he gets to full of himself. So many times I had to remind him who brought him here in the first place," Mme. Giry said with a smile. Then she motioned for Meg to follow her. "Come dear I believe we will be late for the opera."

Once everyone was seated Erik, still dressed as a manager, walked up on stage and surveyed the audience. Every seat was filled except his own seat in the manager's box. Raoul sat in Box 5 his cheeks scarlet with anger.

"Ladies and Gentlemen it is an honor to have the Opera Populaire back on its feet again after 18 long years. It may seem a surprise to all of you that it even stands again in all its glory, but I can reassure everyone that the events that occurred here all those years ago will not happen again. Tonight's opera is an original piece that was presented to me during the restoration project. But there was no name attached to the score. So I have no one to give credit to on the piece. I believe I have said enough and wish for all of you to enjoy "Love Concurs All."

There was a round of applause from the audience as Erik strolled of stage. His favorite trio was standing in the wing and they gave a silent cheer as he passed. "Wonderful speech Father," Pierre called out, trying not to look suspicious.

Erik smiled then went up into the manager's box in order to watch his opera.

xxxxx

The overture began and Lotte walked onto the stage dressed in what looked like a tattered and ragged dress, swinging a basket of roses. A few other cast members came on dancing around her as she looks around her at what would be the town. Slowly she began to sing:

Lotte: Little town. It's a quiet village. Ev'ry day like the one before. Little town full of little people waking up to say:

Townsfolk: Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!

Lotte: There goes the baker with his tray, like always. The same old bread and rolls to sell. Every morning just the same since the morning thatI came to this poor provincial town.

Baker: Good Morning, Angelic!

Lotte: 'Morning, Monsieur.

Baker: Where are you off to?

Lotte: The street corner like always. I have to sell today's roses-

Baker: That's nice. Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!

Townsfolk: Look there she goes that girl is strange, no question. She has no family, can't you tell? Never part of any crowd 'cause she's always on her own. No denying she's a orphan girl that Angelic.

Lotte: There must be more than this poor orphaned life.

Christine: (Comes on the stage next to Lotte. She too is wearing a rather tattered looking dress, but to Erik is still the most beautiful thing in the world.) Ah, Angelic.

Lotte: Good Morning Danielle. I've come to sell the roses with you like you told me too.

Christine: It will be wonderful to have someone else to work with. The people on the street can be quite cruel so watch your back.

Lotte: Oh, I will. Have you got any new gossip?

Christine: Ha! Not since yesterday.

Lotte: That's all right. I'll stand on . . . . . this one! (She goes to stand on the corner)

Christine: That one? But you've sold from there twice!

Lotte: Well, it's my favorite place! Far from the prying eyes of Madame and a chance to see everyone in town.

Christine: If you like it all that much, it's yours!

Lotte: But Danielle!

Christine: I insist.

Lotte: Well, thank you. Thank you very much!(Christine walks off stage)

Townsfolk: Look there she is that girl is so peculiar. I wonder if she's feeling well with a dreamy far-off look and her dress all full of soot. What a puzzle to the rest of us is Angelic.

Lotte: Oh, isn't this amazing? It's my fav'rite job because you'll see here's where I meet my daily costumers, but I won't discover that my love is out there until three.

Woman: Now it's no wonder that her name means "angel." Her looks have got no parallel

Shopkeeper: But behind that fair façade. I'm afraid she's rather odd. Very diff'rent from the rest of us.

Townsfolk: She's nothing like the rest of usYes, diff'rent from the rest of us is Angelic.

(Pierre and a young man Erik cast, named Lyle come out on stage dressed of the upper class)

Lyle: Well! You shaped up rather nicely this morning! You'll be the finest king in all of France.

Pierre: I know. You tell me that every time you see me.

Lyle: No man alive stands a chance against you. Ha ha ha! And no girl, for that matter.

Pierre: It's true. And I've got my sights set on that one.

Lyle: What that girl selling roses.

Pierre: She's the one - the lucky girl I'm going to marry.

Lyle: But she's -

Pierre: The most beautiful girl in town.

Lyle: I know, but -

Pierre: That makes her the best. And don't I deserve the best?

Lyle: Well, of course! I mean you do, but -

Pierre: Right from the moment when I met her, saw her I said she's gorgeous and I fell. Here in town there's only she. who is beautiful as me, so I'm making plans to woo and marry Angelic.

Lyle: But don't you know that she is just an orphan. And of lower class might I add. Your mother would be in quite a state if you were to take her for your bride.(Pierre ignores him as he walks towards Lotte, but the townspeople get in his way.

Man I: Bonjour!

Pierre: Pardon.

Man II: Good day.

Man III: Mais oui!

Matron: You call this bacon?

Woman I: What lovely grapes!

Man IV: Some cheese.

Woman II: Ten yards.

Man IV: one pound.

Pierre: 'scuse me!

Cheese merchant: I'll get the knife.

Pierre: Please let me through!

Woman I: This bread -

Man V: Those fish -

Woman I: it's stale!

Man V: they smell!

Baker: Madame's mistaken.

Lotte: There must be more than this poor orphaned life! (See tries to sell roses to the people passing by)

Pierre: Just watch, I'm going to make Angelic my wife!

(Lotte goes back to trying to sell the roses and begins a new song hoping that it will bring about the people's attention.) Lotte: Who will buy my sweet red roses? Who will buy this wonderful morning? Such a sky you never did see! Who will tie it up with a ribbon and put it in a box for me? There'll never be a day so sunny, it could not happen twice. Where is the man with all the money? It's cheap at half the price! Who will buy this wonderful feeling? I'm so high I swear I could fly. Me, oh my! I don't want to lose it So what am I to do to keep the sky so blue? Who will buy my sweet red roses? Two blooms for a penny!

(Pierre finally gets up to her and looks at her.)

Lotte: (Hold up two rose) Would you like to buy some roses Monsieur? Two blooms for a penny.

Pierre: How many roses do you have in there dear girl?

Lotte: 20 blooms Monsieur.

Pierre: Then I'll buy them all. (He takes out a coin purse) If you don't mind Angelic?

Lotte: How did you know my name good sir? I can say I've never seen you before and would never give out my name to a stranger.

Pierre: I guess you don't listen to the people on the street very often. They whisper about your name as if your not one of them. But once I heard that name and saw this beautiful face of yours I knew I was looking at an angel. There is no doubt. Now how about letting me buy those roses?

Lotte: Oh of course. (She takes the roses from her basket and realizing she has nothing to wrap them together with takes her favorite hair tie letting her hair fall in place along her back and ties the stems together) There you are. I hope you enjoy them.

Pierre: (Hands her the money) Actually I won't be taking them. They are a gift to you. (He begins to walk down the street)

Lotte: (She looks down at the bundle in her hand then takes a single one with the hair tie around it and chases after him) Please Monsieur at least take this one. That way you can remember me.

Pierre: (He takes the rose and smiles) Thank you Angelic. I'll treasure it always. Will you be back at that corner again tomorrow?

Lotte: Yes, Monsieur that is my favorite corner. Will I see you again?

Pierre: I shall return for you. Be there and I will take you all away from this.

Lyle: (Runs up out of breath) Be forewarned sir, the queen is on her way and she is quite upset.

Carlotta: (Yes, Erik cast her, but who else do you get to play a vicious character, but someone who is already pretty vicious and ugly.) What is this I see? The crowned prince hanging about with a little orphan girl.

xxxxx

Lotte began to get a cold feeling and it gave her goose bumps. The people on stage were beginning to disappear and be replaced by strange ballet girls she had never seen before. She looked up to the manager's box and her father had been replaced by 3 gentlemen. She heard rustling from up above, but as she looked up at the fly she saw nothing. She looked around her fear growing. Then there were screams ringing out from the audience and the dancers. Lotte whipped around to come face to face with a hanged man that she had never seen before. A scream escaped her lips as she took off across the stage pushing people aside as she fled.

She had pushed Carlotta, who began to curse in Spanish. Erik stood up in confusion at Lotte's behavior. What was she doing ruining the opera like this? Just then he got it. She had obviously just seen the hanging of Buquet. Beneath him the people in the audience were laughing and chatting to each other. He had, but one choice to end all this madness. "Ladies and Gentlemen I'm sorry, but the show will have to be postponed for tonight. We will refund your tickets for tomorrow's show though."

Everyone looked up at him with confusion, but he didn't have time for this. He ran from the box and down to the backstage. Christine ran up to him. "Monsieur Armand it's awful. Jacqueline just ran off the stage."

"Where'd she go?"

"I think into my dressing room."

There was the sound of a slamming door. Erik looked past Christine, who was terrified now. He touched her shoulder gently and led her towards the dressing room door. The rest of the cast looked at them confused and began to mutter things to each other. Erik rolled his eyes, he really had no time for this.

Lotte collapsed to the floor after slamming and locking the door behind her. She had ruined her father's greatest achievement all because of these stupid visions. She sobbed as she held herself. Then she heard her father knocking at the door. "Jacqueline open this door please. We need to speak with you."

He only called her that when people were standing around or were in earshot. She began moving towards the door, but a strange voice called out to her. "Don't open that door dear. If you do it will be the end of your father."

"What? Who are you? The end of my father?" Lotte questioned looking around the room.

"Oh, how rude of me to not introduce myself. I am Madame Esmeralda. You don't know me, but I know everything about you. You're the daughter of the Phantom aren't you?"

"What if I am?" Lotte demanded.

"Well then that means my curse has been effective. Soon you will see the last of your father's past and it will drive you to finally end his life. That fool has forgotten about me, but I have not forgotten him. He will pay for my husband's death by losing his own or coming back and taking his place as the devil's child."

"NO! Leave him out of this. I won't let him go back to your fair. He will not be your freak show anymore. I will not allow him to be tortured and ridiculed by you any longer."

"If you stop him from coming here you'll just kill him instead. Face it child, the path that lies at your feet has been chosen for you. There is no way to change it unless he comes here and becomes part of the show again."

"Leave us alone! Get out of my head," Lotte pleaded.

"You don't have much of the past left to see dear girl. Look up and you'll see another one."

Lotte did so and she saw her mother being beckoned towards the mirror. Standing within the glass was her father. Seeing the image suddenly threw her in a state of rage that she couldn't control. She picked up one of her mother's vases off the vanity and chucked it at the mirror hearing it shatter into a million pieces. The vase shattering at the end of the tunnel brought Lotte to her senses and she took off through the mirror, the glass digging into her toe shoes as she ran.

Erik also heard the glass shatter and cursed under his breath. "Pierre run back to my office and get a key with a red tassel on it." Pierre took off and Erik tried pounding on the door until he found it to be useless and let his fist slid down the door.

Raoul came to them and began yelling. "Monsieur we can't have this happening every night. I put a lot of money towards this Opera House and on opening night the show is postponed, because of a stage fright girl. I will not have it."

"Calm yourself Vicomte. We're trying to solve the problem now and I must say that you are not helping. So if you please take your business elsewhere for now I would appreciate it."

"I won't. I want to have a word with the girl myself. Explain to her just how much this place is worth and how big of mistake she made."

"I'll pass the message along Vicomte. It's just that right now I don't she needs to hear that. Ah, here's Pierre with the key. Now if you'll excuse me."

Raoul left in a huff. Erik rolled his eyes as he unlocked the door, pushed it open, and then finally stood in shock at the room. Glass was everywhere on the floor and Erik soon noticed a few spots of blood on the floor. Christine peeked in from next to him and let out a small gasp.

They all went into the room and locked the door behind them. Erik set Christine on the bed so she didn't get any glass in her shoes. Then he took the red curtain from around the bed and hung it over the mirror. "I don't understand why she would break the mirror. She's risking a lot because of this."

"What was it she saw from the stage? I tried to stop her as she ran past, but she pushed me aside and went straight for the dressing room."

"She saw when I hung Buquet. But I'm sure by now she's down in the lair. We have to make sure she's all right. Come on dear I'll carry you," Erik insisted as he reached out for Christine.

She climbed into his arms and he carried her over the glass wincing at every crack under his feet. Pierre followed watching the door in fear. They traveled down through the darkness till Erik stepped on something else made of glass. "It's no point going this way. She would have taken the boat. We have to go around." He turned and went down the other path. After awhile he set Christine down. "There's no more glass here. You'll be safe."

"Hello Erik!" an older woman's voice sneered inside his head. Erik stopped and looked around.

"Whose there?" he asked.

"We're here Erik. Christine and Pierre."

Erik looked at her, but some how couldn't see her. He tried to reach out into the darkness and grasped her shoulder, but what he was seeing was much different. He saw a small child sitting in a cage with a bag over his head. Right away he understood. That little boy was him.

"So you do remember this Erik," the woman sneered again. "I knew you would. Do you remember who I am?"

Images of the fair began to flash past Erik's eyes until it fell upon the fortune teller Madame Esmeralda. "You! I thought I was free from you," Erik yelled his grip tightening on Christine, who let out a timid squeak.

Pierre tried to pry Erik's hand off her. "You need to snap out of it Erik. You're going to hurt Christine," he cried desperate to dislocate them.

"I'm not gone yet Monsieur. My curse has followed through and in due time your daughter will have gone through every one of your memories. Once she has gone through all of them she will be so outraged that she'll have no control over her actions and she will kill you. You brought this upon yourself when you fled the fair and slept with that woman. It's entirely your fault."

"Leave me alone you witch," Erik roared. He let go of Christine and clawed at his head trying to get rid of the woman's voice. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder Christine grabbed onto him.

"Erik stop you'll hurt yourself. What's wrong?"

"Yes, Erik what's wrong?" the gypsy laughed.

Erik was now on his hands and knees cursing violently. Kneeling beside him was Christine pleading with him to snap out of this nightmare. As soon as the voice had appeared it disappeared and Erik fell forward onto the stone floor.

"Erik, speak to me are you all right?"

He pushed himself back up onto his knees staring blankly into the dark his chest heaving with every breath. His hair was now laying in large clumps around his face and his make up had been wiped away by his hands and tears. "It was horrible," was all he could say.

Christine threw her arms around his waist and held him to her. "I was so worried. I was afraid you were going mental or something. You were trying to squeeze my shoulder and it hurt," she said choking on tears.

He pushed her back a bit and looked at her shoulder. It was still white from where he had been grasping it. "Oh, Christine I'm sorry. I had no control on my actions. I think I just witnessed one of Lotte's strange visions only mine was in the present. I saw myself at the fair as a child, but this fortune teller was saying things to me. Something about a curse on Lotte that's entirely my fault. She'll end up killing me if I don't go back to the fairgrounds."

"You can't. From what it sounds like they want you to be a part of their show again. I won't let you do that."

"But Christine if I don't go, I'll die at the hand of our daughter."

A scream echoed from down the tunnel. Pierre looked up then began sprinting down the tunnel. "Something tells me that Lotte just saw what you saw."

They ran after him to find that Pierre had beaten them there and was cradling Lotte in his arms. She was now sobbing so hard that her breathing became shallow and her feet were still bleeding from stepping in the glass. As soon as she saw her father she tried to pull away. "Stay back I don't want to hurt you. I saw it. I saw it all!"

Erik began to shake all over. To have his own daughter push him away was heart wrenching. He staggered a bit and would have hit the ground if Christine hadn't been supporting him. "I forgot all about her silly curse, thinking it was a trick to scare me. I had no idea it would really happen. Forgive me Lotte. I never meant for this to happen." His whole body seemed to go numb as he began to sob. Big tears rolled down his cheeks as he turned away from her, his Little Lotte.

Suddenly Lotte ran up to him hugging him tightly around the waist. She managed to say a few words in between her tears that seemed to fix everything, "I love you, Father."

Oh wow this one was good. Credits go to Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and Who Will Buy? From Oliver Twist. I hope you guys liked it and I look forward to all of your reviews.