Christine sat in her lair two weeks later, waiting impatiently for when it would be time to go get Cameron. She'd been very bored without him.

She pulled out her pocketwatch and glanced at it. It was 3:45 P.M.. Rehearsals for Genius's Mistake would be finished for the day in fifteen minutes. Then Cameron would soon arrive in the dressing room, and she would be able to take him down with her, back to her world.

She took a deep breath. "Fifteen minutes, Christine," she murmured to herself. "Fifteen more minutes before you see him... calm down; you can survive that much longer."

Then, after a moment, she turned impatiently towards the piano and started playing to pass the time.

After rehearsal for Genius's Mistake, Emilie came into the dressing room with the mirror, where I was putting on my cloak. She saw what I was doing and looked disappointed - and angry.

"You're going back to her, aren't you?" she demanded crossly. "I was hoping that you might change your mind and come back to me! Then we could... oh, I don't know... get married

I sighed and walked over to her, placing my hands on her shoulders. "Emilie, darling, I want to see her again," I said. "Besides, no one else but Jannes visits her. I'm sure she gets quite lonely."

"Tell me where she lives, Cameron! I demand to be told!"

I shook my head. "Where Christine lives is no concern of yours. Besides, it wouldn't be safe for you to go down to her alone and uninvited. You'd be most unwelcome. And you and I both know that she'd kill you without a qualm of conscience, no matter what our relationship is."

"Is that why you're going back to her?" she asked. "So that she doesn't kill me because you won't see her? Because if she's threatening you with my life -"

"No, she's not," I assured her. "I believe that Christine would rather die than do something that would harm me."

"Then why do you go to wherever she lives to see her? What is it about her that makes you go back there to her?"

"She's my friend, Emilie."

She nodded and looked at me rather suspiciously. "Are you in love with her?" she demanded.

"No, darling," I sighed. Honestly, I was starting to get rather tired of Emilie constantly asking me that question. It's as though she thinks that Christine can come between us! "No... I love you. Now go on. I'll see you in a few days."

After staring at me for a moment, she walked out of the dressing room, closing the door behind her.

I stood there for a moment, making sure that she was gone, and then walked over to the mirror and knocked on it.

When it opened, I smiled and stepped inside, waiting to be transported down to Christine's world.

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A few days later, Christine and Cameron sat in her lair, doing something to occupy themselves while enjoying each other's company.

Christine stopped writing in her journal and looked down at Cameron, who was sitting on the floor in front of her, reading a book. "Cameron," she finally said, "may I ask you something?"

"Sure," Cameron murmured, still reading his book. "What is it?"

"Tell me, Cameron... is your fiancee jealous of me?"

He glanced up from his book at her. "What makes you say that?"

"Well," she said, shrugging, "you normally chatter about her incessantly, speaking her name as though it were a prayer, when you're down here. You haven't done that since you last came back down here."

He sighed, marked the page that he was on, and closed his book. "Yes," he admitted. "Yes, she's jealous of you... she constantly asks me if I'm in love with you."

She drew in her breath sharply. "And what do you say?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"I say 'No'. I tell her that you're only my friend, which is true."

"Oh," she murmured, trying not to sound disappointed. "But she thinks that you're in love with me?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Hmm. Are you upset with her at the moment? Is that why you haven't spoken about her?"

"Yes... why do you want to know?"

She shrugged casually. "Well, I was just wondering. After all, we're friends, right?"

"Right." Then he opened his book and started to read again.

She pretended to start writing in her journal again, and then glanced down at him and smiled secretly.

Then she started writing again.

Apparently, Emilie Chastain feels threatened by me! She thinks that Cameron is in love with me! (It's too bad that he doesn't... either that or he won't admit it.)

Well... then no quarter on either side, Emilie Chastain! You may have beauty, but you don't have my knowledge or my voice. And with those very things, I shall steal your fiance from you!

I shall use your jealousy - and my talents - to my advantage!

Yes, there shall be a wedding soon... with a slight change of cast in the role of the bride!