Ok, after that completely random last chapter, we're starting right back from where we left off! Yippee!
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Katey's POV-
M Lefevre turned back to Andre and Firmin and said simply, "Gentlemen, good luck. If you need me, I shall be in Frankfurt."
M Reyer groaned pitifully before Andre spoke up, turning from where he was watching Carlotta storm off and said, "Signora, Giudicelli, she will be coming back, won't she?" To this M Reyer only turned back and shrugged.
Mme Giry suddenly reappeared behind him and said, "You think so Monsieur?" She paused, letting the question go unanswered. "I have a message, sir, from the Opera Ghost." Firmin burst out, clearly annoyed, "Oh God in Hevan, your all obsessed!" but Mme Giry only gave him a piercing stare before continuing. "'E welcomes you to 'is opera 'ouse…" "His opera house!" Firmin interrupted. Mme Giry ignored him and continued, "And commands zat you continue to leave box five empty for 'is use," She pointed her cane towards the notorious box five before continuing, "and reminds 'ou zat 'is salary is due."
"His salary!" Andre demanded angrily. Mme Giry got what appeared to be a smug look on her face and swung her long braid over her shoulder while saying, "Well, Monsieur Lefevre used to give 'im 20,000 francs a month." "Twenty-thousand francs?" Firmin cried, disbelieving.
"Perhaps 'ou can afford more; with ze Viscomte as your patron?"
"Madame, I had hoped to make that announcement public tonight, when the Viscomte was to join us for the gala, but obviously we will now have to cancel, as it appears we have lost our star!" Firmin grew louder with every word, so by the end of the sentence he was practically shouting as he tore up the note.
Mme Giry, who had turned back to her ballet girls, only shrugged. My eyes darted to her, she made to motion that she was going to say her next line. So I spoke up.
"Christine Daae could sing it, sir!" I said, startling Meg and Christine who were chatting and completely ignoring the subject at hand. Mme Giry gave me a patronizing look as if to say, "You stole my line, dummy."
"What, a chorus girl? Don't be silly." Andre said, turning back to Firmin.
I opened my mouth to say the next part, but Mme Giry said it for me.
"She 'as been taking lessons from a great teacher." She said, glancing to the side at me.
"Who?" Andre asked to Christine. She paused, biting her lip before she said softly, "I don't know, Monsieur."
"Let 'er sing for 'ou monsieur, she 'as been well taught." Mme Giry said, putting her hand on Christine's shoulder.
Andre paused, glancing over at Firmin before he said "All right, come on, don't be shy." I nearly laughed at this. Yea, ok, don't be shy when the new owners are having you sing the Prima Donna's role.
Christine timidly stepped forward, and Andre gestured her along saying "Come on; come along, just… just…" "From the beginning of the aria then please mam'selle." M Reyer said, back on his sacred podium.
"Andre, this is doing nothing for my nerves…" Firmin said, shifting from one foot to the other, "well, she's very pretty." Andre said, casting an appraising look on Christine.
"Think of me, think of me fondly when we've said good-bye, remember me, once in a while please promise me you'll try…. When you find, that once again you long to take your heart back and be free…" she looked over at Mme Giry as if to say, stop? Mme Giry motioned for her to continue, and Christine stepped forward, her trembling voice gaining confidence. "If you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me…."
She finished the song perfectly, and the chorus members and we ballet girls were still in shock that she had such a beautiful voice. A few people applauded, including Andre and Firmin.
"I believe we've found our new star." Firmin announced happily as he left.
Meg and I all helped in getting Christine ready for the performance, which was in nearly two hours. We tried to reassure her that she was going to be absolutely perfect, but noting we said could calm her jitters. She was completely freaked out about having to sing in front of all those people.
"Christine, you know as well as anyone else that when you're on stage you can't even see the audience because of that limelight." I said, putting my arm around her. She laughed. "You're right. And besides with all this make-up, I don't know if anyone will recognize me!" She said, commenting on all the powder and rouge on her face and neck.
Mme Giry opened the door with a bang. "Meg! Fleur! You are Ballerina's, are you not? Then you two belong on the stage with the others!" Meg and I jumped up guiltily from where we were sitting next to Christine and followed Mme Giry out, saying that we'd see Christine in a moment.
Christine looked positively beautiful in Carlotta's Hannibal gown, and sang like an angel. For a heart stopping moment I thought of Erik listening three floors below in the sewers below the orchestra pit, but a moment later I laughed at my sudden chill, for it was completely pointless to be afraid. It would be like being afraid of Santa.
"Although I think I have reason for fearing Santa. There was that one year he brought me tampons…" I thought, remembering that terrible Christmas morning.
I sighed, and absentmindedly scanned the audience, straining my eyes past the bright limelight. I found no familiar faces in the balconies besides Andre and Firmin, but my eyes swept the right side balconies, and saw Raoul sitting, watching Christine with rapt attention.
I felt my heart skip a beat, and wished feverishly that it was I in the center of the stage, basking in the blinding light.
I looked vainly at Christine and thought rashly how pale and washed out she looked, that the colors on the gown didn't suit her complexion at all, and that she looked down right… I caught myself mid-curse and immediately regretted my mean thoughts.
"She deserves this, she's wanted this since she was little, and here I am cursing her because I'm just a little jealous." I thought sadly. "But I've wanted this since I was younger than her!" a little voice said in the back of my mind. "So? You had to opportunity and you didn't take it, you were the one who said she could sing it." Another little voice said, arguing. I mentally swore, realizing that both sides were right, but as I started to ponder this further I was interrupted by Christine's cadenza, signaling the end of the song.
My focus came crashing back to reality as loud clapping assaulted my ears. I remembered myself a moment later, and jerked my hands together, trying to look happily at Christine, as if I was proud of her. Over the calls of everyone else in the audience, I could hear Andre yell loudly "Brava! Magnifica! Stupenda!" and I smiled at Meg, who was still clapping for Christine.
After a few moments more, Christine took her final curtsy, and the curtain dropped, muffling the applause still going on.
Everyone in the wings rushed forward to congratulate Christine, to tell her how amazing she was and the din was horrifically loud. Meg and I elbowed our way into the center, and hugged her. The only difference between us was that I was doing it half-heartedly and coldly and Meg with love and happiness.
Meg and I were called over by Mme Giry to the Ballet warm up area on the stage, and the crowd slowly dispelled.
Mme Giry first congratulated us on our performance, and then dismissed us after pointing out things we were going to work on tomorrow morning.
Meg and I left, hurrying to the main hall that leads off to the Prima Donna dressing room where Christine would be, and were met with a huge crowd of people, all fighting to speak to Christine. "Deja vu" I thought, thinking of a few minutes before on the stage.
I grabbed Meg's hand, and pulled her through the crowd, trying to elbow our way through the crowd. "She might be in the chapel!" Meg yelled at me, trying to be heard above the crowd.
I veered off to the left, and elbowed a man, who, in his astonishment of being elbowed backed up into me, and stepped on my ballet slippers. I let out a little cry of pain, and the man turned around to apologize, but I couldn't hear him above the din.
"Meg," I said, turning to face Meg. "I think I'll go back to the dormitories…" I trailed off, gesturing to my foot that was almost visibly throbbing. She gave me a sympathetic look, and said, "You go on, I'll tell Christine." She said, patting my arm. "Do you want me to help you?" "No, I'll be fine." I said. She smiled, and we parted ways.
I made my way back, slowly, bumped around by the mass of people. It was dangerous being a small ballerina of only 5-3 among 6- something men. A man backed up, and I dodged out of his way, but only crashed into someone else.
The man caught me by my arms before I fell to the floor. "I'm sorry, Monsieur…" I said, apologizing for falling into him. I looked up to his face, and my heat skipped a beat. I was being righted by none other than Raoul. "It's nothing Mam'selle." He said, and smiled at me.
He let me go and I reluctantly moved away, and looked back, trying to get another glimpse, but he was already lost in the crowd.
And my heart was still pounding by the time I got back to the dormitories.
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Hope you liked that, it was kind of an abrupt ending, but I figured I had to stop somewhere. Above when I was commenting on the colors of Christine's gown, I wasn't talking about the dress she wears in the movie, but the one in the Broadway show, which I saw on the fourth. And actually, I liked it better than the movie, except that I like the movie's singing and certain male characters better.
It was a nice long chapter, so I'm hoping for reviews! Good ones, mind you.