A/N: Welcome to MY opera! As previously posted, this chapter will be split into three parts due to the length. I have been waiting for the moment since Phoenix has started posting. This is it…this is MY opera.
As always, read and review. Part II will be posted later tonight. As promised, I will reveal the new title of Phoenix's Phantom story. I hope you welcome the new Erik with open arms as you have done with me. Look for it to be posted soon after Light ends.
'In the Mind's Eye'
And now, my loyal patrons…the stage is yours.
With much love,
Erik
Chapter 50 – There Was a Priest, a Girl, & a Boy…: Part I
The stage had been set for days. Most of the workers had worked overtime to ensure that it was done. This was the Opera Garnier's most important opera and everyone involved had made sure it would go off without a hitch.
No one had any idea of what was being performed. Only the dancers and the managers knew what the audience had in store. Arnaud had been worried for days and Meg could not console his fears. She could not console her own. It was hard to imagine anything coming about and the way this one had scared the both of them.
Meg worried more for Angelina then the opera itself. Arnaud had no clue as to why Meg's fears would not be satisfied. Christine and Raoul were both on their way. Raoul had found out who Angelina had met and his anger was beyond anything that Meg could have imagined. Christine's fears were great and Meg could do nothing to help them.
Angelina had fallen in love and she knew it. Meg begged Angelina to listen to reason but Angelina would hear nothing of it. Erik consumed her morning, noon, and night. She had no idea the severity of the relationship but she could just imagine how far Angelina and Erik had gone.
The Opera Ghost was real and it claimed the life of an innocent…
Angelina shivered as she stood in front of the mirror. She looked at her reflection and noted how pale she looked.
Please, tell me it is because I am nervous. Tell me it is not because I am sick.
She had rehearsed all week with Erik. The fears that she had felt had grown in intensity as the week had progressed. She refused to tell Erik. The opera was his and she did not want to disappoint him. He had asked her several times what was wrong and she would repeat her mantra – nothing.
Her nerves were shot and every reserve she had: gone. She shivered but not from the cold – from her nerves. If Erik had seen her now, his face would turn and grow glum. She had to be in top form but her nerves would not comply with what her mind told her to do. Angelina was shaking and it was becoming violent. She sat in a chair in front of the mirror. Her head slowly rose and her eyes met the eyes that were reflected in the mirror.
God, please grant me the strength to perform tonight. Do not let me disappoint Erik and the rest of the opera house. This is my shot. Please do not let me lose it.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly rose on sturdier legs. She straightened her black dress and sighed.
"This is your time – your moment. Take it."
Fear. Hate. Desire. Passion. Anger. Happiness. Erik could not figure out the emotions that stirred within him. Angelina and he had grown close over the months that she had been in Paris. It was this opera that drove them even closer. The kiss, just days prior, still burned within him. It touched his heart unlike anything ever had. It had feeling behind it, unlike the one he had shared with Christine.
She knew everything and had not run. His past with Christine, with Raoul, and his face – she still had not run. It was either a miracle or he was just blind to see how much she really despised him.
His opera would be performed tonight and Angelina would be the star. Rene would star along side as would a new tenor. What the young tenor did not know was that he would be quickly replaced by him. He would not pass up the opportunity to star in the opera that he had written for Angelina.
It would not be like Don Juan, Erik had promised himself that. There would be no trap door or anything of the like. Everything would go according to plan and he would hear his angel's voice. No one would disturb the performance. And he would take a large chance and be unmasked for the entire performance.
Angelina…
He knew of the fears she possessed. She denied it of course, making sure not to disappoint him. But he expected it. This would truly be the first opera that she carried. Don Juan was nothing but this was everything. Angelina feared disappointing him but he knew that nothing she did would ever disappoint him. Erik had fallen in love.
He turned to the covered wall and pulled away the drape that covered it. A large mirror loomed in front of him. His hand gently touched the mask that had covered his face for years. It seemed to plague him now – an unwanted piece of clothing that he longed to strip.
The fingers on his large hand grasped the mask and ripped it from his face. The mask fell to the ground – shattering. Erik would be on stage naked for the entire world to see.
"This is your time – your moment. Take it."
Christine and Raoul both sat in Box Five. The empty seat near them still left a hole in their heart. Alexander was still missed and they both knew it hit Angelina harder than she admitted.
Raoul was ready to save his daughter much like he did with Christine the night she performed on stage with the Phantom. His heart was racing and his mind continued to think of how to save his child – his daughter.
She was everything to him. Angelina claimed his heart as any daughter would a father. But there was a bond there that no one could touch. Christine knew this and let him grow close with their daughter. Christine could not reach Angelina as he had. It was difficult for her but she understood.
His daughter had met the Phantom. Raoul had failed in his task to protect his daughter. He had wept for nights after thinking how close the monster was to her. The story was told quickly to Christine and she had insisted on coming to Paris at that moment. His mind continued to turn and formed several ideas on how to reclaim his daughter.
This is your time – your moment. Take it.
Rene looked at Angelina pacing near the right stage entrance. His master had told him of the nervousness of the young woman. The Opera Ghost, Erik, had told him to protect her until he could reach her again. Rene had grown quite fondly of Angelina but he dare not cross the path of Erik. He knew what lied within the Phantom's heart – love. It was the deepest devotion that any man could have for a woman.
Does she know? Does she know how much he loves her?
"Angelina, you need to stop pacing."
"I am too nervous to stop pacing."
"This is just another opera."
"There is a difference in this opera, Rene. I am sorry but I cannot stay calm about this."
Rene knew that she worried about disappointment. This was the Phantom's opera. She did not want to fail him.
The orchestra began its melody as both Rene and Angelina looked toward the stage. The candlelight slowly began to brighten. Rene watched as Angelina's face began to grow pale. He rushed to her side and grasped her by the shoulders.
"Listen to me. This is your night. This is your opera. Brigitte is nowhere near it. All of Paris is waiting to hear you sing. You will not disappoint anyone. Do you hear me?"
Angelina slowly nodded her head.
"Just imagine the man that you love so much watching you. Know that he is with you and beside you. Let his love consume you and carry you."
Angelina rose on her tip toes and kissed Rene on the cheek. They both looked at each other for several moments.
"Thank you."
No other words needed to be expressed. Their relationship was more then just friends. They were almost as if they were brother and sister. She had clung to him after her brother's death. Erik and he were the only outlets she had. They had grown closer after that event and he thanked God for it. There was a special place in his heart for her that he would cherish for all time.
"Go show Paris the woman I have come to love."
Angelina swallowed hard and turned her back to him. He watched her take a deep breath and began out onto the stage.