The opera house wasn't hard to find. Everybody knew where it was, everybody except us. It seemed that it lay right in the middle of Paris.
As we neared the Opera my heart beat faster with mounting excitement. To think we would be standing in the very building the Phantom had stalked just months before. He was dead now of course. Every account said that he had died shortly after Christine had left. I wondered if someone could really die from a broken heart. Perhaps they could in this age before modern technology and scientific logic had ruled out broken hearts as a cause of death.
We entered the building with no problems. I supposed our clothes made us look like members of the upper class. Patrons, perhaps. All we had to do know was find the mirror.
Ashley looked around with awe. "It's so big..."
She had a point. "That damned mirror could be anywhere."
An older woman chose the wrong time to pass by and caught my words. She gave me a look. "Such language." She passed on hurriedly not wanting to be in the company of such uncouth people.
"I better watch what I say from now on." I said thoughtfully. It wouldn't do to have people thinking badly of us.
"Hopefully we won't be around long enough to think about it." Ashley said looking around and trying to think of where to search first. Just then a lady dressed all in black came down the staircase. She smiled at us as though she knew us.
"Ah, there you are. I've been expecting you." she looked us up and down. "Yes, exactly as she described to me. I'm so glad you have decided to join our little family here at the Opera. From what I've heard you two are the best."
"The best?" I asked a little confused.
"Now, now. Don't be so modest. Your talent is known all over. I'm thrilled that we could get the best. I was so worried that some other company would snatch you before we could." she gave a little laugh. "But, I go on to much. Come let me show you to your dressing rooms."
We followed her down a long hallway with doors on either side. She unlocked the room at the very end of the corridor and escorted us in. "This room is to be yours Anne." She said referring to me. "It belonged to our former Primma Donna. She went on to marry a handsome Vicomte. Of course he won't allow her to perform anymore. Wouldn't be proper. I hope everything is to your liking?"
I stood in a daze. Married to a Vicomte? I noticed she was still waiting for an answer. "Oh, yes. Yes , of course. This will do nicely."
"Brigette your room is just next to this one." She was referring to Ashley of course. "Here is the key. I apologize but I am late for rehearsal."
"Of course, we understand." I gave her a reassuring smile as she headed for the door.
"I'll leave you here to get adjusted. I just know you'll make primma donna in no time, Anne! And you Bridgette, good luck on leader of the row! I'll see you at auditions tomorrow." She left and closed the door behind her.
Me and Ash looked at each other. "Auditions?" We said together.
"We have to get out of here before they figure out what's going on. They'll throw us out if they know we lied about who we are." Ash sat down in an arm chair looking very exhausted.
"Yes but at least we will have access to the whole opera house now. The mirror shouldn't be too hard to find. If only we could pull it off..."
Ashley sat up straight all of a sudden. "Oh, no you don't. We are not pulling anything off. There is no way you could pass for primma donna and I certainly don't know the first thing about dancing."
"...And before we came here neither of us could speak French. You could learn to dance."
"And what about you?"
"I can sing. I've sung before."
"Ya, masquerade in the shower."
"Don't be so negative. This could work. Besides, don't you want to have an adventure like that creepy lady at the mirror store said? She's right, not many people have a chance like this."
Ashley thought for a minute, looking over the room. Her eyes landed on the tall mirror that dominated the decor of the room. "Alright, but just until we find that mirror."
"Fine."
Meanwhile somewhere across the channel…"WHAT! What do you mean the ship has been delayed? For how long?" The real Ann shouted.
"Indefinatly"
"But, we have to be in Paris within the week. We have auditions."
"I'm sorry madam," said woman who looked suspiciously like the woman from the mirror shop "but there is nothing I can do."
"But why?" Piped in the real Bridgette.
"Inclimate weather."
Bridgette and Ann both looked out the window. The sun was shining pleasently over calm waters. Birds flew overhead while children played happily on the beach.
"Candy?" the woman said as she offered up a bowl of skittles.
Since our guide had mistaken us for people who already had assigned talents we had to come up with a way to look like we actually had those talents. No easy task when you realize that Ashley was more of a professional singer than I was, and as I watched Ashley topple over for the third time after trying a simple step, I realized Ashley's forte wasn't dancing either. I had been the dancer in our little family up till now. Aside from, a few lessons when I was younger I hadn't been professionally trained, but I had seen Center Stage, I had imitated the moves on our living room floor in front of our TV set. I was convinced that I could have fooled the judges at auditions here if I had had to. I knew I had the will power if nothing else, don't tell anyone, but I had always secretly wanted to be a ballerina. Not the whole pink tutu thing, but the graceful movements, calculated steps and romance of it all intrigued me.
After a while of falling down, Ashley and I decided that we needed to do something simpler than what we had been attempting to pull off. I made her memorize a series of dance steps that I knew. It was more of a warm up really but it looked good. I was counting on the fact that the technique that I had been taught was more than a hundred years ahead of what they did here. The styles had to be different.
The next day the auditions where held on the big stage huge stage really big scary intimidating stage. The curtains had been drawn close for the auditions and I stood as close to them as I could. The plan was that Ashley would be standing behind me behind the curtains singing while I attempted to lip-synch her words. We hadn't had much time to rehearse but I was hoping for the best.
The managers, dance instructors, composer and tutors sat in the front row staring up at me. I was afraid for a moment that they would be close enough to see through our little trick, but as I opened my mouth and tapped the curtain to signal Ashley they smiled appreciatively at me. Everything went well up to the last note when I jabbed the curtain and took my bow. Great I was in, no problem.
I walked down off the stage and took my seat behind the managers. Now it was Ash's turn. She walked on the stage with total confidence. She was an actor after all, and so she wasn't intimidated by the big stage like I was. As the music started she began to go through the routine we had rehearsed. I could tell that the managers where impressed. What she had forgotten she improvised and I tried to send her signals from where I was sitting though I doubt she could see them with the bright stage lights shining in her eyes.
When the music had stopped she stood grinning on the stage. She seemed right at home here as if this was what she had been born to do. I was sure I would have no problem convincing her to stay now. I was wrong.
"What do you mean you want to stay?"
I looked at Ashley as I tried to unlock my dressing room door. "Oh, come on Ash you can't tell me you didn't enjoy yourself up there."
"Maybe but that's no reason to stay stranded so far from home. I miss it. I miss Jessie and all the fun we had. I miss my house. I want to go home!"
It looked like and old fashioned case of home sickness and while I pitied Ashley I just couldn't see things like she did. I liked it here, but then I had never really felt like I had belonged back home.
After another exhausting search I flopped down into a comfy leather armchair while Ashley helped herself to its companion. I made a sound of frustration before attempting to turn my head to face Ashley. "Are sure you wouldn't rather stay here for a while? It would be a lot easier than trying to find that damn mirror." Ashley gave me a look and I sighed. "Fine we'll start searching again first thing tomorrow." I closed my eyes and leaned my head back in the chair again. Now ash was just being plain difficult.