Thank you again, Priestess of Anubis. You absolutely rock!

Oh, and Molly, if you're reading this and are going to review - you better not give anything away!

Enjoy!

MaskedDreamer

Chapter Seven: Meg's Encounter

Loralee had just finished another day of work at the Opera House. Her night visit from Madame Giry had gone well. She had encouraged Loralee to keep dancing, and also encouraged her to try out for the corps de ballet. Right after she suggested this Loralee merely laughed.

"You really think I, the run away and wanted Loralee Donoghue, would join the corps de ballet!"

Shaking her head, Loralee sat down, undoing the ribbons on her pointe shoes.

"I'm serious, Loralee. With some more practice, you could even become the next Prima Ballerina."

Loralee slipped off her right shoe, rubbing the blistered and aching toes. She sighed and seemed to gaze at nothing.

"Madame, with all do respect, I outright refuse to join the corps de ballet. Not only would I be in the midst of some of the most ungracious and money hearted whores, but also practicing would reveal some scars I'd rather not share, both physical and emotional. The only good part would be to work with you and Meg, but I already see you two enough to be content."

As she slipped off her left shoe and massaged her newly exposed foot, Madame Giry leaned against the ballet practice bar. After a long pause, the ballet mistress spoke.

"Your loss," she sighed out, looking Loralee straight in the eye. "You do have very good arguments, though, and it amazes me."

Before Madame Giry turned to leave, Loralee could swear she heard Madame Giry mutter something to herself along the lines of, ". . .and so does he. . ."

But now, the next day, Loralee was right on the border of sleep. She couldn't get to sleep last night after the meeting with Madame Giry until an hour before she had to wake up. As a consequence, she almost missed practice but instead just came late. Instead of the harsh punishments that Madame Giry gave out to all the corps de ballet for being tardy, she instead just nodded at Loralee with an understanding look. She even smiled a bit which was completely unheard of.

After that, Loralee new she could trust Madame Giry with anything she had hidden in her soul.

Madame Giry decided they would meet out at a local cafe that night for dinner. Loralee looked amazed that Madame Giry would even suggest such a thing and refused to stick a toe out of the Opera House or any place where Hector could be lurking about. Only after much arguing and disagreeing, Loralee was finally convinced that she would go so long as Madame Giry didn't bug her any more about joining the corps de ballet and would allow her to wear a wig from the props room to hide her unmistakable black silky hair.

She was thinking about which wig to wear while walking away from practice and to her room that Friday afternoon, but was soon jerked out of her thoughts when a large scream broke through the bustle of after a long day of work.

Every one became silent and turned towards the place where the scream had come from. Unluckily, the gaze happened to be straight at Loralee even though she didn't do the scream at all. No one seemed to notice her own genuine confused look.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand grabbed her upper arm and pulled her over into the shadows. Letting out a little yelp, Loralee turned to see it was her friend, Meg.

Meg had a look of pure fright, surprise, and amazement plastered over her usually bright and cheerful face. The rare change that Loralee witnessed meant only something of great terror happened.

"What happened Meg?" Loralee whispered, looking straight into her friends eyes.

"I. . . I saw. . . I saw him!"

Loralee didn't get it. Who could she have possibly seen that was so terrifying in the shadows of the Opera House.

"Meg, what are you talking about?"

"I saw him! I really did, Beth! I've heard all the stories, I know all the descriptions, and they all fit the person I saw perfectly! I mean it, I really do!"

"Meg, who in the world could frighten you so much? Who is this 'him'?"

"Don't tell me you've never heard of the Phantom of the Opera," Meg said, aghast. By now a crowd had gathered around them, listening to every word. After Meg said who "him" was, whispers and gasps echoed through the room. Loralee raised an eyebrow.

"You mean the ghost that everyone believes in?"

Meg only nodded, her breathing still irregular and face still in shock.

"Don't be silly, Meg. He's an idea cooked up by some lunatic who wanted to scare little girls like us. Don't let those thoughts poison your mind."

"He's true, Beth! Everyone knows he is. Especially after Don Juan Triumphant!"

Loralee's forehead wrinkled in thought.

"That was the opera that was the night of the fire, right?"

"Yes! He was there! He took the part of Don Juan in a scene with my friend Christine and she revealed him. Horrors, I say! Horrors! Never in my life have I seen anything so disgusting, so twisted, so-"

"Meg!" Loralee said sharply. "You should not judge people by what they look like."

She had always stuck to that word of wisdom. When she was younger, before she met Hector, she made friends with all the rejected people because of their looks in Ireland. After being with them for a long time she had made a friend who had a missing arm and found her to be the nicest, caring person she had ever met. The prettier girls were nice, too, but none seemed able to match the other disfigured girl.

"Anyway," Meg said, resuming the story. Loralee was still worried at Meg who still had the look of pure shock on her face. "He then got mad and whisked Christine away. There are rumors that he was in love with her but she was engaged to the Vicomte de Changy. The Phantom made the chandelier fall and Raoul went after them. My own mom helped guide him. I couldn't help but follow. I don't know exactly what happened but I heard that Christine and Raoul killed the Opera Ghost and they escaped and-"

"Silence!"

Every one went silent and turned towards the person who spoke with a loud and deathly hiss. Madame Giry stood in the corridor and a unreadable yet annoyed look were in her flaming eyes.

Meg immediately shut up and her grip on Loralee's arm turned to iron. Loralee bit on her lip to keep from squealing out in pain. Madame Giry swiftly and quickly cut herself through the crowd of people to Loralee and Meg, grabbing and pulling Meg along a dark corridor near by while the rest of the Opera Populaire went their own ways, whispering about Meg's tale and so called encounter with the Phantom of the Opera.

"Meg Giry. Have you forgotten everything I've told you? Do not spread rumors! They are vile things that harm gullible ears and you know I told you not to speak of him-"

Madame Giry suddenly noticed Loralee who Meg was still clutching. She was trying to pry Meg off of her arm but it didn't work. Loralee didn't notice that the ballet mistress had almost spilled a secret she promised to keep. Then Madame Giry noticed Meg's deathly tight grip and Loralee's struggling.

"And get your bloody hand off of the poor girl!" Madame Giry hissed angrily as she whacked Meg on the arm. The whack seemed to bring Meg back to her senses, and she yelped in pain, the look of shock off her face and instead replaced with shame. Meg let go of Loralee and bowed her head to her mother so she could not see the tear that slipped out of her eye and the realization of what she had just done.

"I'm sorry maman," Meg said, barely audible.

"Meg, go to your room now. You won't be able to go out tonight either by yourself or with some friends. Now go!"

Meg knew better than to protest, so she scurried down and out of the hallway. Madame Giry sighed, rubbing her eyes, tiredness slowly taking over her.

"Madame?" Loralee said uncertainly.

"Loralee. I'm sorry Meg had to bother you with that pishposh. Try not to think of it. The Opera Ghost is something all the Opera Populaire likes to talk about."

"I have never thought his existence to be real."

"You haven't?" Madame Giry said, looking slightly relieved. "Oh, thank god for that." She straightened up yet her face still carried some of the sleepiness she had before.

"I'm sorry, Loralee, but the dinner tonight will have to be postponed. There's a few things I need to. . . I need to take care of."

Before Loralee could say any of her questions, comments, or even a simple "Good-bye!", Madame Giry had disappeared down the hallway at a determined pace.

Curiosity slowly crept into Loralee's soul and suddenly she found herself running away to get her black cloak from her room. After putting it on, she slipped into the shadows and went out to search for Madame Giry.