Hi! I'm sorry Chapter 4 was short.. Chapter 4 and this Chapter know were supposed to be together, but I had some trouble with them. Please, please, please review!
Three Months Later
Christine had received her nine-thirty lesson as usual. The Angel of Music had told her tonight that she was ready to sing on stage, and be the prima donna of the world. Christine was confused, La Carlotta was the leading soprano of the Paris Opera. "Do not worry my dear, I will take care of that. Just note that your lessons will be canceled tomorrow night" he said with a hint of amusement in his voice. Still baffled, Christine nodded. Tomorrow night was the opening of Hannibal! It was true that for the past month the Angel had practiced La Carlotta's part with her, but surely she was nowhere as good as the diva.
The Angel of Music said his good byes and good nights while departing. She gave him back hers in return, and decided to retire for the night. Tomorrow would surely be a tiring yet interesting day, in the morning everyone had a dress rehearsal, and in the night was when the opening was to occur. Christine sighed and placed her left hand under her pillow. Finally, she drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, the Phantom of the Opera (aka Erik), reviewed his plans for tomorrow. Christine had improved so much in these past few months. Everyday was more refreshing as he heard her voice get closer and closer to crystal clear sound., and now that time had finally arrived! Tomorrow would be an amazing day, oh yes! Tomorrow, his angel would triumph in front of everybody!
Higher up the lair was a small room, surrounded with flowery, tan wallpaper. Inside, the area was pitch black, besides a faint gas lamp lit above what seemed to be a walnut wooden desk. Sitting in the lightened shadows was none the less that Madame Giry, the Opera Populaire's ballet instructor, reading intently a handwritten letter.
To Madame Giry,
For the past three months, I have been vocal tutoring a certain ballerina by the name of Christine Daee. Over this time, she has greatly improved her tone quality, and could be quite the star if ever needed. If, by any way, La Carlotta does not want to perform in your latest opera performance, Hannibal, I highly suggest you put Miss Daee in the role.
Thank you for your time, dearest friend…
Best Regards,
Erik
Madame Giry was in shock. She had not heard from Erik in nineteen years, when she rescued him from those terrible gypsies. In her heart, she always felt bad for leaving him alone in the cellars underground despite the fact that it would be risky if he was seen. To this day, she left food for him by the trapdoor every night. Sometimes, if she listened very, very carefully as she put her ear to the trapdoor, she heard him play his organ with a great passion. If Erik had coached her practically adopted daughter, she must be very talented.
Late Tomorrow MorningThe Orchestra played with energy as the chorus sang the opera of Hannibal. Everyone was dressed in their exquisite, skilled costumes, which they were to wear later that day.
Suddenly, the manager waved a signal to stop the rehearsal, and began to speak. "I am sorry to say I will be retiring for reasons for my health" the manager announced as La Carlotta pointed and gave a mocking laugh to Piangi. The manager ignored her obnoxious behavior, and continued to speak. "I am proud to present to you the two new managers of the opera, Usa Firmin and Jean Andre!" Everybody clapped with manners as the manager continued, "And our new patron, the Vicomte De Chagny!" The chorus girls murmured with excitement to eachother as the smiling handsome young blond haired man walked up next to Andre and Firmin.
"Meg!", Christine whispered with a grin. "It's Raoul! When we were little, I used to play with him at the sea! I guess you could say we were childhood sweethearts. He called me Little Lotte.." Happy for Christine, Meg replied, "Oh Christine, he's so handsome!" The Vicomte pulled himself away from the flirtatious Carlotta and stated to everybody how proud he was to sponsor the world- reknown Opera Populaire. Finally, he wished everybody good bye and told them he would see them later at the night's gala. He walked past a bunch of chorus girls and stood over in a corner to watch a bit of the dress rehearsal.
As the ballerinas danced to the Slave Master music, his eyes stopped to observe a chestnut brown haired, beautiful girl. She seemed so familiar to him, and yet he couldn't think of who she was. Perhaps she was in a childhood scrap of his? He left the Opera to go and look in his new office.
Twelve noon shortly arrived, and the stars were given an hour lunch break. When she arrived in her dressing room, she picked up her adorable little dog with joy. "Angel? Guess who is the new opera patron? It's Raoul! My best friend before my father died! Oh, I guess you could say we were childhood sweethearts, he grew up to be so nice and handsome!" she told him. Strangely, the dog's temperament began to change drastically, as he demanded to be put back on the ground. Christine sat at a chair to eat, when suddenly, she caught Angel chewing rapidly on the desk leg!
Christine flew up from her chair and eventually pulled him off the damaging desk leg. Gently, she stroked his fur and said to him, "I'm sorry I upset, Angel. Please forgive me!"
Finally, she placed him back onto the floor, and the little dog left the room, brooding.
"What a bizarre little dog he is sometimes" she thought to herself.
Meanwhile, Raoul continued to search through all of his childhood photo albums. Suddenly, he found a picture of him and a brown, curly haired little girl smiling with a wet red scarf. His memory started to reveal something, a sea, a rescued scarf, Little Lotte…. It was Christine Daee!
Erik scurried to the deserted stage and thought to himself. "Who is this Vicomte!" Maybe he overreacted to her description of this Raoul by damaging her desk leg, but still, she was falling in love with somebody else! He decided to shrug the issue off for now, for he had a more important duty to fulfill right now.
Pulling as hard as he could with his teeth, he opened the costume supplies closet to grab three different bottles of clothing dye, red, lime green, orange and blue in his mouth. Quickly, he hurried to La Carlotta's Think of Me dress. Then, with all of his might, he squirted all of the different colored dyes onto the costume turning it into a tye-dye mess. Oh how La Carlotta would be furious! He placed the bottles back into the closet, with his plan done.
Lunch break finished, and everyone was back at rehearsal. "Think of Me" was the next act, which was La Carlotta's solo. Suddenly, they all gasped when they heard the diva's scream echo through the large auditiorium. She ran onto the stage to reveal her costume, dyed with red, purple, lime green, and blue on the once all white, satin cloth. "WHO DID THIS!" she yelled. Then, a brave soul began to burst out laughing. Next another did, and eventually, almost everybody except Monseir Reyer and the new managers were laughing. "I AM LEAVING!" the diva burst out, heading for the door. The frantic, stressed out managers pleaded, "Please bella diva! We can make a better, grander gown in no time, right before the performance! Don't leave!" Although they were too late, for her, Piangi (the leading tenor), and a few other performers had fled out the door in a huff.
"Great Andre, our leading soprano, our star is gone!" Firmin exclaimed. "Isn't there an.. understudy?" Andre suggested to Monseir Reyer. "Are you kidding? There IS no understudy for La Carlotta" Monseir Reyer replied. "Andre, we shall have to refund a full house!" "Christine Daee could sing it!" Madame Giry said, remembering Erik's letter. " A chorus girl? Don't be silly." Firmin responded. "She has been taking lessons from a great teacher" Madame Giry added in, interrupting Firmin and his negativities. "Who?" Andre asked Christine. The Angel of Music didn't have a name! "I don't know his name, Monseir." Christine replied nervously. Monseir Reyer decided to try, and instructed her to sing from the beginning of the aria.
Think of me….
Think of me fondly, when we've said good bye……
The performers were in shock! They had never heard such a beautiful ingénue in their entire opera careers. Mesmerized, they walked closer to listen more carefully to Christine's voice.
Remember me, once in a whilePlease promise me you'll try
When you find, that once again you lone
To take your heart back and be free
If you ever find a moment
Spare a thought for me
The managers had discovered much more than an understudy for the gala tonight, they had found an unbelievably talented new singer.
They had found a new prima donna.
A star.