Notes

Where had Christine disappeared to? That was all that Raoul could think when he rose from his bed. He remembered the man's voice that had been in Christine's room. He left to prepare the carriage, and when he came back the door was locked, and he could hear the voice inside. Who had it been?

Raoul rose from bed and quickly dressed. He had to find Christine. Perhaps Andre or Firmin, or even Madame Giry had found her during the night. After seeing her after so many years, all he could think about was her safety. He had loved her when he was a child, and now his love had been kindled again.

Raoul rushed to Opera House in his carriage. He rushed to his newly acquired office to search for anything that the managers might have left him.

Raoul walked to his desk and something caught his eye. The stamp that closed was odd, but it had to be something. He opened the letter and read the words printed in red ink.

"Do not fear for Miss Daae. The Angel of Music had her under his wing. Make no attempt to see her again."

Who had sent this note? The managers? He had to hunt them down. How could they have sent this to him? They had such nerve. Raoul rushed out of the office, the letter clutched tightly in his fist. He had to Andre and Firmin and find out why they had written the letter to him.

He thought first to look in the ground entrance room with the magnificent stair. They had to be there. Raoul ran into the room and saw them at the top of the stairs, apparently discussing something important. But nothing was more important than Christine's safety.

"Where is she?" he shouted up to them.

"Carlotta?" asked Firmin.

"Miss Daae," said Raoul, running up the stairs to meet them. "Where is she?"

"What? How should we know?" said Andre, shooting a quizzical look at him.

"I want an answer," said Raoul. Firmin walked to him, echoing Andre's look. "Isn't this the letter your wrote?"

"And what is it that we're meant to have wrote?" asked Firmin. Raoul handed the letter to Andre, who then read the letter aloud. The words still puzzled him. What did they mean? Had someone kidnapped her? If they did, they would have hell to pay for harming her…

"Where is he?" came a shrill Italian voice. Raoul swirled and saw Carlotta burst into the Opera House dramatically as usual, followed by her hoard of maids. "Your precious patron, where is he?"

"Ah, you're back," said Andre. Raoul watched as Carlotta ran up the stairs, waving an envelope in his face.

"I have your letter," she said to him, "A letter which I rather resent."

"Did you send it?" asked Firmin.

"Of course not!" Raoul shouted. What was Carlotta talking about? He hadn't sent her any note. "What is it that I meant to have sent?" Raoul took the note that he was accused of sending from Carlotta and read it aloud.

"Your days at the Opera Populaire are numbered," he read. "Christine Daae will be singing on your behalf tonight. Be prepared for a great misfortune, should you attempt to take her place."

"Come Carlotta," said Andre, grabbing one of her arms. "There are too many notes for my taste."

"Yes," agreed Firmin, taking Carlotta's other arm. "All we've heard since we came is Miss Daae's name."

Raoul stood where he was and read over the note once again. The handwriting looked like that exactly of his own note. The same red ink, and the same stamp on the back of the envelope. Whoever had sent his note must have sent Carlotta one, too.

A voice suddenly snapped him out of his thinking.

"Gentlemen," said the voice. Raoul turned to see Madame Giry standing at the bottom of the stairs with little Meg behind her. "Miss Daae has returned."

"Where is she?" asked Firmin.

"I thought best that she be alone," replied Giry simply.

"She needed rest," said Meg.

"May I see her?" asked Raoul. He needed to see if she was alright. But Giry said no and held up yet another envelope. Did these notes ever stop?

Firmin snatched the note away from Giry and read it aloud for everyone to hear. Raoul listened carefully as he read.

"Gentlemen, I have now sent you several notes of the most amiable nature, detailing how my theatre is to be run. You have not followed my instructions. I shall give you one last chance. Christine Daae has returned to you, and I am anxious her career should progress. In the new production of Il Muto, you will therefore cast Carlotta as the Pageboy, and put Miss Daae in the role of Countess. The role which Miss Daae plays calls for charm and appeal, the role of the Pageboy is silent, which makes my casting, in a word, ideal. I shall watch the performance from my normal seat in box five, which will be kept empty for me. I remain gentlemen, your obedient servant. O.G."

"This is a ploy to elp Christine," shouted Carlotta, "Her lover, the Vicomte, sent that."

"Indeed," said Raoul, appalled. "Can you believe this?"

Raoul slipped away when Firmin and Andre followed after Carlotta, once again begging her to stay. He walked back down the stairs, and found Meg standing there.

"Is she alright?" he asked. Meg had to have known how she was.

"She's fine, monsieur," replied Meg shyly, casting up a quick glance. "She was tired when we found her – we just took her to rest in her room. I think it is best that you leave her be."

"Are you sure she's fine?" asked Raoul. Her safety was above all else. Raoul looked down at Meg with a concerned frown on his face. He felt her hand touch his shoulder. Raoul saw concern in her big blue eyes.

"Trust me. She'll be fine, monsieur," said Meg, smiling softly at Raoul. Meg reminded him so Christine. She was also so beautiful… What was he thinking? He loved Christine, not Meg! He needed to go somewhere.

"Thank you, Meg," he said, slowly stepping away, heading down to the chapel. It was a quiet place, and it reminded him of Christine. He could think there.

Raoul arrived in the small chapel and sat in front of the stained-glass window. So many thing had happened, and so many different emotions flooded through his mind. Raoul asked question after question, trying to determine what exactly had happened, and what was going on now.

Suddenly, the letter that Firmin had read popped back into his head. The Opera Ghost! The list of demands flowed through Raoul's mind.

But then, he thought, hadn't Christine spoken of an Angel? Could it be that this Opera Ghost was Christine's angel? The "O. G." that was sending lunatic demands to him?

Raoul jumped up and sprang up the stairs of the Chapel for the managers' office. He had to see that these demands were rejected. The were absolutely absurd! He couldn't let these be followed – it was a ghost, for Christ's sake! What could a ghost do?