The next morning Elle was awakened by a pounding at her door. She struggled to untangle herself from the sheets of her bed, forcing her eyes to open, and then slipped on a robe before answering the door. It was Madame Giry who wanted to inform her that there would be dress rehearsals that afternoon. Elle thanked her and proceeded to get dressed for the day. She pulled her hair back and tied it with a black ribbon. Before joining the other performers Elle stopped to have some breakfast. She would need the energy to make it through the day.
The pandemonium of the opera house reminded her of the opening night of Carmen. Everyone was running around every which way in order to get everything ready at the last minute. The directors were in their office and Elle's father was presumably in his, although he had not participated in the production at all. Normally Elle would have been getting dressed with her mother, in preparation for the night, but her mother was gone and she was to no longer be simply an observer. This time she was actually to be in the opera, to sing on the stage in front of thousands. The thought was overwhelming and enthralling, so she did not dare to think it.
Elle was given a dressing room and already waiting in it for her was her costume. It was fitted for Isabel, but as she tried it on the fabric slipped nicely over her body. The two young women were approximately the same size. Elle had lost some weight due to her lack of eating, so the outfit was a little loose, but the important thing was that it fit her. Since she was to play a page the costume consisted of black tights, a white shirt, and a doublet. Her hair was still pulled back as she looked in the mirror at herself. Two days ago she would never believe that she would be standing in that spot, dressed as a man, and preparing for a rehearsal. She did not have long to stare at herself for soon she was walking backstage with Isabel who was going over some last minute details with her.
Backstage was the more chaotic part of the entire opera house. Elle did not look around in awe because she had already been there before and she was too focused on Isabel, but if she had she would have seen a sight that is hard to describe. All of the occupants of that large area were busy doing something, be it getting dressed, cleaning, moving props, stretching, or drinking. There were many older opera rats that had a taste for liquor, so that was no surprise. The two women passed by the group of dancers who were lining up and Elle's eye caught a glance of Nadia. She was dressed as a guest for the scene at Capulet's party, wearing a red dress with a matching mask covering the top half of her face and her black shiny hair tied up in braids. Elle continued on, but in a way felt guilty for neglecting her friend.
Rehearsals went by fast. Every one of the participants was prepared and all seemed to be in good spirits. The directors were especially buoyant, joking with their staff and throwing out compliments to their performers. They appeared to be optimistic about that opening night and nothing could bring them down, unless of course another incident happened to stall the show. Yet all was going well, so there was no need to worry about any possible mishaps. After the swift rehearsal the directors left in a carriage that was waiting for them. They were both heading home to change into their formal attire for that night. Since it was an opening night they were going to present themselves along with a short speech to their wealthy customers and therefore they wanted to look their best.
Meanwhile Elle had a respite, so she returned to her newly appointed dressing room. She was in there for some time, practicing her scales and preparing herself. There was a fear deep down inside her mind that for some reason when she opens her mouth to sing no notes would come out. Although this was unlikely, it was still a thought that plagued her. She was still sitting at the vanity trying to reassure herself when she heard a knock on the door.
"Yes?" she asked, not moving from her spot. She was not that interested in who it could be because she assumed it was either Madame Giry or Nadia. Who else would come bother her while she was in her dressing room? In addition to that she was aware that Giry would come to summon her when it is time to return.
"It is me, Hector. Madame Giry said that I would find you here," the voice stated. Elle allowed him to enter, rather surprised that he was there. When she finally looked up from the mirror her eyes fell on him. He was already dressed for that night, wearing a navy blue vest over a white shirt and had on a black dress coat. As usual he had slicked his hair back and his blues eyes looked seriously on Elle. She turned in her seat towards the left a little to face him. "You look…"
"Like a man?" she asked humorously. She was not studying his face, but it was obvious that Hector was not in his normal relaxed frame of mind.
At her comment his mouth spread into a smile as he visually grew more at ease. "If so then like the most beautiful man I have ever laid my eyes upon," Elle laughed, not quite sure what to say to him, and allowed him to change the topic. His expression grew somber once more. "Actually I came here to speak with you on an important matter. Remember when you joined me for lunch several days ago?"
Elle nodded, thinking back to that day. She had been too distracted to pay much attention to him, but she did recall him attempting to discuss something with her. The exact words that he uttered did not come to mind, so she stayed silent and waited for him to explain.
"Elle, as I told you then, I have been meaning to ask you something."
"What might that be?" she asked, wondering what in the world it could be. She had absolutely no idea of what this man was up to nor did she try to guess. What she did not understand was why it could not wait until after the show, when she would be more inclined to concentrate more on him instead of what was awaiting her. For a moment Elle sat still on the padded chair as Hector stood a couple feet ahead of her. A second later, literally within the blink of an eye, he was on his right knee reaching to pull something out of his pocket. At this movement the green eyes watching him widened in confusion and astonishment.
"Will you marry me?" he finally choked, holding out a small gold ring. At first her eyes could only register the ring as a shimmer reflecting the light of the room, but when she got a better look she could see how lavish it actually was. The ring had a rather large ruby on the top, with a diamond complimenting it on each side. When the piece of jewelry reflected light it was enough to blind someone close by. It seemed almost too much, and must have cost a fortune.
It took a couple seconds for Elle to comprehend what was happening. When she realized that he was proposing to her and offering her that expensive ring her hands shot up to her mouth as she exclaimed, "Oh my!" Her mind was racing, her pulse quickened, and she was not sure what to do. Her eyes moved back and forth between the ring and Hector as she sat without replying. She seemed as frozen in place as a statue, with her hands covering her mouth and her eyes staring down at the ring held before her.
Hector must have noticed her indecision and in turn tried to persuade her into a positive response. In a pleading tone he said, "Make me the happiest man in the world and say yes."
Elle did not have time to respond, even if she were planning to. Less than a minute after he spoke the door opened and was replaced with Madame Giry. She immediately realized that she was interrupting something, but she pretended as if she didn't. Instead of giving Hector a chance to continue she stood firmly and addressed Elle first. "Elle, there you are. Come, you must join the others. Sorry monsieur, but you will have to wait to speak to her until after the performance."
The woman waited as Elle obediently got up from her seat, throwing Hector one last glance before exiting the room. He quickly slipped the ring back into his pocket, pulling himself off of the floor and watching Elle walk away. Madame Giry waited at the door for him to leave the room before she closed the door behind her and followed after Elle. The performers were gathering back behind the stage, getting into their positions. The curtain was to raise shortly, signally the start of the performance.
Meanwhile out in the auditorium seating of the theatre people were piling in and beginning to take their seats. The clamor of the congregation filled the theatre as a thousand conversations took place at once. People commented on other people's attire and jewelry as they found their seats, gossiping about those they knew. Hector easily made his way to the box that the directors saved for themselves, not stopping to talk to anyone on the way there. The box was empty and for this he was glad because at that particular moment he felt like being alone.
Elle's appearance was not until Act 3, so she was able to watch the beginning from the side of the stage. When the music began the audience grew quiet and the rustling of people moving about altogether stopped suddenly. First the chorus sang and then the people playing the roles of Tybalt and Paris entered the stage. Isabel appeared not long after, confidently taking her place on the platform. The audience was surprised to see that Isabel took Estelle's part, but once the woman began to sing it no longer mattered. Her talent erased their thoughts of the previous prima donna. Next came up Mercutio's solo, the song about Queen Mab, and the blond did not disappoint them. Elle was able to see the promise in his talent after hearing him first sing at the auditions and now he was proving to the directors that he was a wise selection for the part.
Isabel and Maximilien sang well together and Isabel seemed to have much more confidence then she had in her performance of Carmen. The two singers met up to Elle's expectations. They performed just as well as she had predicted when she suggested Isabel for the part of Juliette. The audience seemed to agree with her by their hearty applause. The lack of Estelle did not render the opera house unsuccessful; instead it gave other performers a chance to be heard by the public.
Throughout the following act Elle had been enjoying the opera from the wings of the theatre, so when it was time for her appearance Madame Giry had to remind her that her solo was approaching. When it was time for the scene Elle took her place on the stage for the first time with an actual audience filling the many seats that the stage looked upon. With a fake sword in one hand and the other resting by her side she stood below the "balcony" of the Capulets' house. The curtains were pulled back again, opening on her alone. The music started to play and the audience was silent. Elle looked out into the crowd, remembering that there was a full house. That did nothing to calm her nerves and she took one deep breath before singing. As her eyes scanned the large theatre they paused at box five. The box was empty, or so it appeared, and she grew disappointed. Her own teacher did not come to see her perform.
"Since yesterday I have sought
In vain my master!
Is he still in your home,
My lords, Capulet?
Let us see a bit if your worthy servants
the sound of my voice this morning
Will dare to reappear."
That was what she thought until her eyes began to stray as she sang, passing over the thousands who came to see the opera. She caught sight of her father, who came as he said he would. Then, for a moment, she could have sworn that she saw a flash of a white mask and black cape. One blink later it was gone, but she could feel that he was there. Elle feel foolish for thinking that Erik would not show. She had not the chance to tell him about her new role, but she knew that he had a way of finding out things. Simply knowing that he was present filled her with self-assurance and drove away the pins in her stomach. Taking the sword that she held, she pretended to strum on it like it was a guitar as she serenaded the Capulets.
"What are you doing, white turtledove,
In this nest of vultures?
Some day, unfolding your wing
You will follow love!
To the vultures, a battle is necessary,
To hit with a cut and a thrust
Their beaks are sharpened!
Leave them, these birds of prey!
Turtledove, who gets your joy
From amorous kisses!
Guard well the fair one!
Whoever lives will see!
Your turtledove will escape from you,
A ring-dove, far from his green grove
Drawn by love,
All around this wild nest
Has, I believe, sighed.
The vultures are at the quarry,
Their songs, from which Cytheria flees,
Resound with a big noise!
Meanwhile, in their sweet intoxication
The lovers tell of their tenderness
To the stars of the night!
Guard well the fair one!
Whoever lives will see."
At the end of her song others joined her on the stage to carry out the scene. When the act was over the audience clapped, and Elle felt a way that she never had before. Being on the stage and singing in front of all those people was exhilarating, similar to an adrenaline rush. When she first stood on that stage, imagining what that moment would really be like, she had no idea how intense the feeling would be. Now she knew from firsthand experience and found that it was worth it. She could now understand the appeal of the stage to people like Estelle. Elle was ecstatic and all thoughts of anything but how she was feeling were wiped from her mind.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but I have been having problems with my computer. I actually haven't been able to do anything on my computer for five days, my dad has been working on it. I had a virus, but luckily everything is ok. Also I am sick again, sinus infection. Anyway, I am glad to finally get this chapter out. I am not going to take as long to update next time now that my computer is working. Thank all of you for reviewing.
Galasriniel- Sorry to hear about your great-aunt. Thanks for the review.
TheWyldeWestWynd- lol, yes. About your question, no. Thanks for reviewing.
Lynandreth- I did check out your story, it was no problem. I left a review too. Anyway, that is a good idea of yours, but you will have to wait to find out what happens. Thanks for reviewing.
Kchan88- Thank you. I will check out your story soon, although the name sounds familiar so I may have read part of it before. As to your question, Elle and Hector have been friends until now.
Amanda- Thank you, I am glad that you like it.
fay-sheik-kikyou-chan- lol, thank you. By the way, does your username have a meaning behind it? It is interesting.
Anri- Thanks.
RilkaGreenRider- Thanks, and I love compliments so its ok.
JMC- Thank you for pointing that out. I know that I have a tendency of doing that. I have never been good with grammar or mechanics, but I will try to improve.
Captain Oblivious- About the tip, I will try it is just that sometimes I don't even notice when I use certain words. Thanks for the review.
Asia1st- Sorry about the wait.
Siren6- His name is really Erik, I didn't name him. Anyway, thanks so much for the review and I am glad you enjoy my story.
Winged Seraph- Thank you!
Maxwuver- Thanks for reviewing!