Chapter 23
Everyone in the grand hall stood in silence, Erik still found this quite strange coming from La Carlotta, Senior Pianji, and the two managers, but he realised quickly that he could get quite used to it. This light thought however, was the least of his problems for the moment. He sank to the ground without a noise and put his head in his hands. What was the Phantomess doing? Why would she say to give him the lead role? Erik put his hands down and peered around the corner and saw the group still standing in stunned silence. This wouldn't go well at all, thought Erik. Pianji would never accept being second best to him, and the managers would never allow themselves to be pushed and bullied around at someone else's expense. The Phantomess might be able to control a lot of things, but there was one thing she couldn't control: the pride of a gentleman used to getting his way. This was bound to be a disaster and Erik's gaze left the group and he looked around the lobby expecting to see her. He needed to reason with her, but then again, why did he expect her to listen to him. Of course she wasn't anywhere to be seen and so he returned his eyes to the group, although he could have sworn he heard laughter echoing around the hall, but it was drowned out when Pianji yelled in frustration.
"Erik!"
shouted Pianji. Erik froze, but when he saw that no one was looking
his way he relaxed visibly.
"Whatever next...?" mumbled the
managers together, wishing all the madness would stop, and for once
Erik whole-heartily agreed with them
"It's all a ploy to help
Erik!" Pianji shouted and this time La Carlotta shrieked in as well
to his defence. It was just as well, two broken ear drums were more
painful then one.
"This is insane..." the managers said
again, trying to edge their way away from the two angry singers who
would not let them move.
"I know who sent this: The Countess -
his lover!" screamed Pianji in a rage and threw an accusing finger
in Rachelle's direction, who took a step a back and glared back at
him. She smoothed out her dress and looked to the managers, but they
avoided her gaze like the plague.
"Indeed?
Can you believe this?" said Rachelle lifting up her hands as if in
surrender and rolled her eyes. She didn't quite get the reaction
she had hopped however, for the managers were surrounding Pianji and
gave him pats on the back.
"Signor!" they said in a
comforting voice, but Pianji shrugged them off and began to walk away
muttering to himself and Carlotta dutifully followed, clutching his
arm. The managers began to follow Pianji, but when they got to close,
Carlotta turned around and hissed at them like a snake and they
watched their step from then on. "This changes nothing!" the told
him hoping to make him stop and listen, but it was if they had just
stayed silent for all the good it did. "Signor!"
they cried again, trying to catch up to him before he and Carlotta
walked out the front door and took all that money they made with
them. It was enough to make any respectable man get down on his knees
and beg. "You are our star! And always will be! Signor!" they
both cried, close to tears by this point. Rachelle, however, was
ready to strangle the pair of them, first for doing nothing about
Erik's kidnapping and then for not being on her side about this
affair. "The man is mad! We don't take
orders!" they had reached Pianji's side and both had put
themselves on either side and gently grabbed his arms, making him
listen to them.
"Monsieur Destler will be playing the Page girl - the silent
role..." began Firmin speaking in a soft coaxing tone to the heavy
tenor. Andre, catching his partner's drift finished the sentence.
"…Carlotta will be playing the lead!" Pianji stopped at the
front doors and stood still before throwing both the managers away
from him in one dramatic sweep of his arm. Rachelle sighed and shook
her head muttering something about actors always wanting attention.
"It's useless trying to appease me! You're only
saying this to please me!" Pianji shouted, and
Carlotta rushed back to the side of his arm and gave a terrifying
look down to where each of the managers lay sprawled on the ground,
unfitting to their positions. They seemed to catch on to this fact
quicker then expected and stumbled to their feet.
"Senior! Please!" said Andre clutching Pianji's other arm, the one without Carlota attached to it. Firmin came and stood in front of Pianji with a wide smile on his face, but the look on Pianji's face did little to wipe away Firmin's expression.
"Get out of my way! Don't you want your precious little star!" With a man like Pianji making his way closer to Firmin who was at least half his size (although the food that managers indulged in most every night made sure that the above fact was not quite true), one would think that Firmin would scurry out of the way. However, Firmin held his ground and grinned even wider as Pianji made his way closer and closer.
"No Senior. The world wants you." Firmin said simply, as if explaining it to a child, and Erik thought this way of stating it was very apt, for Pianji was indeed just an overgrown child. Senior Pianji squinted with disbelieving and sceptical eyes at the small man who stood before him. Wanting to prove his point quickly, Firmin reached the brass door handles behind him and swung them open and Pianji's mouth hung open very unceremoniously.
Standing before the grand steps of the Opera House was a large crowd of rich ladies and gentlemen all dressed up for a wonderful time at the famous Paris Opera House. The sleek, black top hats of the gentlemen twinkled in the afternoon sun and the flutter of ladies' fan were mixed in with the shouts of the vendors, who seemed to never leave the busy square, right out front. Many of the women held flowers, or single red roses, or any other assortment of gifts wrapped in brightly coloured paper. They pushed and muttered to each other, each woman trying to maker her way to the front in order to bestow her gift on the leading tenor at the moment: Erik Destler. Pianji took all of this in a broad smile came to his lips as he welcomed what he thought were his adoring fans. One of the woman managed to push her way forward, above the rest and held out a single red rose to Pianji, since Firmin had stepped aside, and smiled sweetly. Her brown eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled with her thin lips. She was well into her 30's, but her enormous amount of face powder that she had applied to herself as well as the pile of makeup she had adorned herself with seemed to be a futile attempt to keep her young.
"Monsieur Destler?" she inquired with that smile, as her eyes searched Pianji who stood before her. "Can you please give this to Monsieur Destler?" she asked again. Pianji glared at her, the kindness now out of his eyes. He fumed in anger at the woman who had unintentionally done something wrong, but Firmin smiled politely and shut the doors in her and the rest of the crowd's face. Pianji's face was slowly turning red, and the veins on his neck were beginning to pop out, a sure sign of a tantrum coming on.
Erik looked on as Firmin shut the door and he was puzzled. Were all those people out there really wanting him? Was he their star? He couldn't see how, he didn't even know if he really wanted it to be true anyhow. Rachelle stood apart from them, her eyes darting around, but not really seeing anything, and muttering to the letter she held in her hand. Firmin and Andre were surrounding Pianji, and Carlotta was on the outside, trying to pry her way to stand beside Pianji, desperately trying to listen in. The dialogue between them however, did not interest Erik very much and so he looked for Mme. Giry, just to make sure the coast was clear. When he couldn't see her anywhere, he assumed that she had gone back to finish the ballet rehearsals and so he turned around and crossed beneath the stairs. His path made him invisible to the group in the front hall and to the people in the auditorium, who were only interested in their own conversations. By this time he had reached the edge of the stairs, and the shadows and now he was about to take the plunge into the light and dart off to his dressing room. Strange, his little voice told him, you fear the light as well, it seems now that darkness is your companion. Erik shook his head, forcing the voice from his mind. He needed to concentrate he really didn't need to be thinking about her. He was nothing like her. His feet steady beneath him, he crouched low and coiled his muscles for the sprint to the corridor, which led to his room. 3…2…1… He dashed out, and collided with something tall, dark, and hard.
"Watch where you're going child." A sharp voice scolded him and a talon like grip was around his arm and dragging him somewhere. Stars exploded in Erik's eyes, and he couldn't see where he was going. The voice was a woman's and she was breathing hard, Erik didn't know if it was from the collision, or the fact that this woman was pulling him along. His head swam as he fought to remain conscious, but his feet tripped over each other uselessly. His arms were pinned against his sides, it seemed that the only thing that was working properly was his mouth.
"Angel?" he groaned as a new wave of pain shot through his head, making it pound. He tried to curl into a ball to stop the pain but the woman would have none of it, so they kept on moving.
"Don't you dare say such things here." The woman hissed in his ear and he shrank away slightly. Erik might not have been able to see, but the difference between light and dark was apparent, and he could tell they were in a dark place. He also knew they were alone, for he could hear no voices, except in the distance, and so he assumed that they had left the front hall and the auditorium. Only the sounds of the two pairs of feet softly padding on carpet gave Erik an idea that they were in one of the many corridors and he had the sneaking suspicion that they were headed to his own room that very minute.
"Where are we going?" Erik asked stupidly, having a good idea where they were headed. He was met with silence. "Why are you taking me there?" he inquired louder this time. For an answer to his question, the woman pulled his arm harder and sped up so that Erik painfully followed the woman as his sight returned. He gazed up, and in the dim light he could make out her features.
It was Mme. Giry.
"Mme. Giry?" Erik asked in bewilderment.
"Haven't I told you be quiet." She said in a whisper, "shecould be listening." Mme. Giry glanced around nervously and continued down the corridor. "After all, Erik you of all people should know, she is always watching and listening." Erik opened his mouth again to speak, but she shook her head and put a finger to his lips. "I will say no more until we are safe."
"I don't understand."
"Hush child. Must I tell you every two minutes?" She rolled her eyes and they stopped in front a door, which was unfamiliar to Erik and he looked up at Mme. Giry with questioning eyes. She reached into her black robes and glanced around before putting the key in the lock and turning it so that there was a dull clicking sound and the door swung open because Mme. Giry pushed against it. She glanced around a second time and ushered Erik into the room before closing the door behind the both of them.
"Where are we?" asked Erik as he explored the new room with his eyes.
"Don't touch anything in here Erik, or I shall see to it personally that your life will be miserable. My possessions are very precious to me; I would hate anything to happen to them." Erik nodded his understanding and gave the room another look around.
It was very strange indeed to be in the room of Mme. Giry. The ballet mistress.
A/N: Sorry about the wait everyone, thank you for being patient. I hope you liked this chapter, I promise though it will get better, now that Notes/Prima Donna is over…well you all know the rest of the story, more or less, without my very own personal twists. Read and review please!
