Here's where the events you're all familiar with begin, though they will be altered somewhat just to keep things interesting. A couple of things, though. I know some of you really dislike Raoul. I feel that the gothic love triangle is what keeps the story interesting, though, and Raoul is going to be treated fairly in this.
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He spotted her name at the top of the playbill just as an announcement was made at the microphone.
"As you've probably heard, the part of Magnolia will now be performed by Ms. Christine Daae," stated a tall, bearded man upon the stage, attempting to break through the steady chattering of the audience. "We wish Charlotte Gregory a very fast recovery but hope that you enjoy tonight's show. The performance will begin in about five minutes. Thank you for your time and generous donations."
Raoul glanced up in surprise and turned to his older brother. "Hey Phillip! It's Christine. Remember? When we came up here for the summer years ago? It has to be her."
Phillip turned from his previous conversation with an annoyed expression. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I thought the name sounded familiar. She was that scrawny blonde girl, right?" He laughed. "You two used to get into a hell of a lot of trouble together."
"Yeah! We had some good times as kids. I can't believe she's here. Maybe I can find her after the show." He leaned back into the plush seat, feeling slightly more relaxed in the formal atmosphere. The people in that seating section were all lavishly dressed, eager to display their designer suits and expensive jewelry at the charity event. Talk of lucrative business deals, month-long vacations in sunny Florida, and late night dinner parties floated from all directions.
Phillip chuckled. "Let's see what she looks like first! Hopefully she's grown up a little."
Raoul started to come back with a snide response to the shallow comment but was interrupted by a loud voice from behind them. "Hey! Phillip Chagny!" yelled out an overly-dressed older man. "How's life treating you?"
Phillip rolled his eyes and mumbled. "I really hate that guy." He turned around and faked a smile. "Everything's good, Mr. Robertson. How are you doing?"
"Pretty good. Pretty good." He leaned in. "You think you could share some stock tips with your old friend? Tell me whether the merger is going through next week?"
Raoul shook his head, glad he had kept his distance from his father's business. Phillip gritted his teeth. "You know I can't do that, Mr. Robertson! Not exactly legal!"
"Hundred bucks says you can!" The heavyset man laughed loudly and waved a green bill in the air. The people around them discreetly leaned in to listen, just in case Phillip did share some profitable knowledge.
Phillip shook his head in irritation and turned his back to the older man, leaving Mr. Robertson to mutter about lousy connections as he took a seat. Adjusting his tie and collar, Phillip leaned back and sighed. "It would be nice to get away from work once in a while. Some of these people, I swear..." He looked around. "Good seats, though. Front and center."
At that moment, the lights dimmed to near darkness and the orchestra began to play a lighthearted tune. The red curtain parted, revealing the wooden deck of a ship and a dazzling, blue background painted to look like a riverside. As Tricia Carlson walked on in a lavender dress to play Judy, the audience began to applaud. The first real song, Cap'n Andy's Calliope , began.
"When's your friend singing?" Phillip quietly enquired, holding back a yawn.
"After a couple more songs," replied Raoul without even having to look down.
Indeed, Magnolia was revealed several show tunes later. The young woman appeared on stage in an elaborate yellow dress that nearly matched her soft blonde hair. In one gloved hand, she carried an ornate folded umbrella. A dreamy smile lay upon her angular face, and her pale skin was illuminated by the stage lamps. Although undeniably lovely, Ms. Christine Daae also possessed an almost ghostly look.
"That's her!" whispered Raoul, leaning forward.
"Wow," said his brother with a smirk. "She has grown up! Still as thin as ever." He listened to her sing her duet with Tricia for a moment. "She has got a voice on her, though. Almost sounds professional!"
"Yeah," agreed Raoul. "She sounds great. I've got to get back in touch with her."
"Worth a shot," muttered Phillip, releasing a yawn as he stretched his legs out.
The musical continued with its fast-paced and cheerful beginning, and then moved on to its more somber middle and end. Some of the more famous solos such as Ol' Man River earned loud rounds of applause, as well as the more difficult dance steps.
The big surprise that night, though, was Christine Daae, stunning the audience with her nearly perfect voice. She sounded as though she had walked off of Broadway, and many people checked their playbills twice to make sure she wasn't one of the guest actresses from New York. No one had ever heard of her before, not even the students at the local college.
"Jesus," said Phillip as the show began to wrap up. "That girl should get a contract. She could make some real money with a voice like that."
"Yeah," replied Raoul, eyes still glued to the stage. Christine was finishing her last duet with her lover, continuing to captivate the audience. "I still can't believe it's her."
The show concluded and was met with an uproar of applause as each of the actors and actresses came out for their bows. The crowd stood as Christine unsteadily walked up to the stage. She seemed to teeter slightly, and her eyes appeared lost in the bright lights. Plastering a smile upon her pallid face, she looked blankly around the audience as she took her bow.
"She looks kind of sick up there," whispered Phillip. "Hope she doesn't fall over."
Christine steadied herself, though, and stepped backward and in line with the rest of the cast. As the last actors took their bows, the curtains closed. Raoul quickly stood with the rest of the audience and focused his concentration on getting to the stage.
"Hey there, Phil!" He heard a woman shout from nearby.
Phillip turned and embraced her. "Hey! Sorelli! Have you been here all night? I was looking for you!"
Raoul left Phillip and walked off toward the aisle, attempting to push his way through the people heading in the opposite direction. She would keep his brother busy for at least a good hour. Sorelli was a beautiful dancer and actress, and Phillip had helped her get some small parts in films and plays. Over the past year, they maintained a long distance on and off again relationship. The girl could talk forever about the smallest things.
Finally getting through the crowd, he fought his way to a back corridor. At first he only saw a large group of people carrying scenery back into storage. The actors and actresses had already left for the dressing rooms or home.
He sighed and looked around, wondering if there was any way to look Christine up. It would be useless trying to find her in all of this chaos, and she was probably tired that night, anyway.
"Christine!" A worried voice shouted through the nearly-vacant corridor.
He whirled around to see a brunette girl with a frightened look on her face. Next to her was Christine, still in costume as she leaned against the wall in near exhaustion. Her face was white, and her eyes were dazed.
Just as Raoul rushed over to her, she lost her footing and slumped to a heap on the floor.
"Christine?"
She gazed up into several faces and blinked as they blurred in and out of focus. There was an older guy she recognized as one of the technical assistants, asking her if she was okay. Meg was crouched down beside her, her eyes wide with concern. To her right was an attractive blond young man that looked strangely familiar. Christine winced as she turned her head, feeling a throbbing in the back of her skull.
"Are you okay, Ma'am?" asked the technical assistant. "Want me to call an ambulance or something?"
"No," she quietly replied, propping herself up against the wall. "I'm fine. Just got a little dizzy."
"You're so pale," commented Meg, gazing down. "I thought you were going to faint on the stage."
"At least I made it off," Christine replied with a tired smile. She turned back to the two guys, closely eyeing the younger one again. "But I'm okay now." She blinked once to stop the room from spinning.
"Okay," said the technical assistant. "But be sure to get help if you need it. I've got to get some of these wires back into storage." He quickly walked away. Other people were beginning to stare at the scene now, some coming over and asking if they could be of help.
"Here," said Meg to Christine. "Let's get into one of these rooms. Maybe you can sit down and rest for a minute." She turned to the others gathering around. "Everything's fine. She needs some time to relax. She'll be out in a moment." Meg helped her up from the ground, and the guy opened a room for them to escape into. "It's okay now," said Meg. "You can go if you want."
"No," he quickly replied. "It's fine. I'm actually here to see her." He helped Meg get Christine into some type of lounge where they sat her down in a velvet armchair. "Here. Let me get her a drink of water." He rushed off into the hallway.
"You scared me to death!" exclaimed Meg, kneeling beside her dazed friend. "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe I should get my mom."
"I...I'm fine. I got so hot and dizzy upon stage. The lights were too bright!" She brushed her tangled hair away from her sweating brow and looked around. The room swayed a bit before finally coming into focus, and a feeling of nausea still lingered in the pit of her stomach. She turned her head as the familiar guy came back with a paper cup of water.
"So you two know each other?" asked Meg, looking at him with curiosity and a little envy.
"I..." As Christine glanced back up, a feeling of recognition finally overtook her. "Raoul!" she exclaimed. "Oh my gosh! How are you? I haven't seen you forever!"
"Hey! You recognized me!" He smiled and handed her the cup of water. She gratefully drank, feeling her dizziness subside somewhat as the cold liquid went down her throat.
"Thanks." Christine rubbed the back of her head, noticing a little bump where she had fallen back against the wall. She looked back up into her old friend's eyes. "What are you doing all the way up here? You're in New York City now, right?"
"Right! Phillip wanted to come up here for the charity benefit since dad went to school here. He's looking to donate some money. Plus his…girlfriend goes to the university. I thought I'd come with him and get out of the city for a while."
Meg stood there grinning. "Oh yeah! Christine said she was friends with Phillip Chagny's brother." Christine blushed.
"Yeah!" he replied. "We had some good times during the summer when we were kids!"
Christine laughed, relaxing back into the chair. "We really did. I loved going down to the lake. Your brother was always yelling at us for getting into the muddy water."
"Yeah! But we went in anyway." He took a seat nearby. "Hey! I haven't even congratulated you on tonight! You were great up there! I didn't know you were still singing. "
Christine smiled, realizing she didn't even remember much of the performance. It was now a jumble of lights and noise, though she did recall the wonderful sound of applause. She also remembered a warm feeling of being loved by everyone. "Thanks, Raoul. It's all happened kind of fast, actually. But thanks!"
It was at that moment that she felt a strange tension building inside of the room. Christine suddenly knew without a doubt that she was being watched, which didn't really surprise her. There was something hostile about this sensation, though. Her stomach suddenly felt knotted.
"You guys should really catch up!" exclaimed Meg. "I'm Meg Giry, by the way."
"Nice to meet you, Meg!" He turned back to Christine. "We should catch up. Phillip and I will be here for a while longer. Maybe tomorrow we could get together for dinner or something! Seems like a nice town!"
Christine dazedly nodded, feeling the sudden need to be alone. "Um...yeah," she replied with a swallow. "Things are a little busy, but I'm sure we can get together. I could ...give you my phone number."
"Sounds good!"
"I..." She sighed and looked around aimlessly. "I don't have a pen with me right now, but I..." She was growing very nervous, though she didn't know what she was afraid of.
Raoul looked at her oddly, noticing her agitation. "Okay. Well, I'll look you up in the phonebook, then." He paused and stared at her pale features. "Are you okay? Feeling any better?"
"Yeah. Fine. Um, you can find my number under Mrs. Valerius' name." She instinctively looked to the ceiling. "I kind of need a minute to myself right now. Just to rest."
"Okay," he replied, slightly taken aback. "I guess I'd better get out of here and find Phillip, anyway. You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah," chimed in Meg. "You're really flushed! Maybe you should see a doctor."
"I'm fine!" she snapped back. "I need a moment."
"All right. All right," said Meg, obviously hurt. "I guess I'd better find my mom. I'll meet with you later out front." She quickly walked out of the room, leaving the two old friends to themselves.
Raoul gave Christine a tentative hug, and she lightly embraced him back. His warm arms and the mild scent of his cologne calmed her nerves some. Releasing her, he stood up. "I'll call you, then, Christine. It was great seeing you again."
"It was nice to see you, too," she wearily replied. "See you later."
After Raoul had left, she unsteadily rose to her feet and shut the door of the lounge with a loud click. Very few people were outside, and she was vaguely aware that there was an opening night party for the cast and crew. At that moment, though, she felt no desire to be around a large group of people.
Taking a deep breath, she turned around, still not knowing what to expect. For a moment, there was nothing but an eerie silence. Christine sat down in the chair to try and rest, realizing that the performance had taken a lot out of her. The back of her head still continued to pound.
The silence was suddenly broken.
"Who was that?"