WARNING: THIS IS LONGEST CHAPTER EVER WRITTEN! PLEASE BEAR WITH ME!
It was about an hour before 'Il Muto' started, and I was a nervous wreck. Christine assured me it would all be fine, that I couldn't even see the audience because of the limelight (Hmm that sounds familiar) and besides, it would just be like singing in rehearsals.
I wasn't so much worried about singing in front of an audience of strangers, and Raoul, but I was more afraid of Erik.
I was walking down to the costume closet where my costume dress was hanging, and I suddenly felt a breeze behind me, and then hands on my shoulders.
What would have once made me wet my pants, I casually turned around, jerking my shoulder so that the hand would release me. "Good evening" I said to Erik, not at all fazed by his sudden appearance.
"And to think that once made you tremble." Erik said, and I smiled.
"Me? Ha, you must be mistaken." I said, raising my eyebrows and tossing my hand to dismiss the thought. He gave a grim smile that looked a bit strained, and the next moment his face was as unreadable as stone. He was going to yell at me about Carlotta, and then I would have to persuade him not to kill her, and so on.
"Now, aside from reminiscing when I could frighten you, I've come to ask you about why Carlotta was given the role of the countess, despite my warnings." He said, with a sinister note in his voice.
"Hmm, what's that? How the weather? Ah yes, quite lovely…" I said, completely ignoring him.
"It's snowing out there. Answer me." He said, not at all amused.
"Well, I should think the snow will stop soon, I hope it does, the production is going to start in an hour or so. Oh goodness me, I need to get into costume, the good Lord knows it takes long enough to get into all of that powder…" I tried to turn away, but he grabbed my arm tightly, near crushing the bone.
"Ah, ow, yes, see, I think I might like to keep that bone un-broken." I said, trying to pry off his hand.
"Not until you answer me." He said, squeezing tighter.
"Ow! Ok, goodness… They only let Carlotta be the star because she would leave if they didn't have her as the countess. And, they don't really like it that someone unknown shows up out of the blue and- that's you by the way- tells them how 'his' Opera House should be run. Although I really don't understand why they want to keep Carlotta anyway; she sings like a stuck pig." I said, wishing to be rid of the iron grip that was tightening as I spoke. "Now will you let me go?"
"Fine." He said, and vanished into the shadows. I rubbed my arm where he had held onto me, cursing him silently.
'I hope it doesn't start swelling… how I would ever explain that to Meg and Christine… Although I could make something up about how clumsy I am, and that I fell…' I was looking down at my hurt arm, and I didn't notice a man was walking right where I was.
We collided, and I mumbled an apology, and then looked up to see myself face to face with Buquet.
Before he even asked if I was alright, he instead demanded "Who was that you were just talking to."
I furrowed my brows at his rudeness.
"And whose concern is it but my own?" I said curtly, wishing he would mind his own business. Suddenly I remembered what I should have said to Erik; about how he shouldn't kill Buquet or drop the Chandelier.
"I believe it anyone who is in this opera house. And you should watch out, he looked an awful lot like the Phantom here.
I laughed, and said "You don't honestly believe in that fairy tale?"
"You can't be too sure."
"Then perhaps you should watch your neck, and keep your hands at the level of your eyes. Just in case." I walked away without another word, and left him standing there to wonder what I had meant.
I breathed a sigh of momentary relief. Perhaps Buquet would pay heed to my warning, and Erik wouldn't kill him.
Hopefully.
Buquet was just an ignorant fly man, and probably thought that I was teasing him for saying there was an Opera Ghost, so he most likely would ignore my word of warning.
'The idiot.' I thought as I entered the costume room.
"Fleur! What's taken you so long! You need to hurry to get your makeup and your costume on!" Christine said, hurrying over from the vanity with her hair messy from trying to get it to stay in a bow
I quickly pulled off my dress and slipped on the over styled 18th century dress, and was in the process of straightening the ties in the back when Christine grabbed my arm and dragged me to the makeup table declaring that she would fix the ties, and that I needed to put the makeup on.
I grabbed the poof thing and began dabbing on the white powder which, in my hurry, floofed out and made the air thick with flying powder.
"Slow down! You'll get powder all over your costume!" Christine said from somewhere behind me, and I could feel a tug from one of the strings.
"Alright… I'm nervous though…" I said, slowing down on the powder.
A few minutes later I was all decked out in the over the top out fit; dripping in crystal 'diamonds', my gown the most awful shade of purple, and with brow paint to match it, as well as a fake tattoo of a heart on my lower jaw. And who's to forget the terrible wig with the pillow on top and little flowers stuck in at random.
I felt idiotic. Of course, the production was a spoof on the 1700's, so everyone was dresses gaudily and over the top, but I felt like a complete freak.
I rushed onstage and grabbed my fan from one of the stage hands, and then got in my position between Richard and Fredrikk, who were dresses in the scariest outfits ever.
Richard was in baby blue from neck to foot, with a high wig accented with blue ribbons, the same white powder I was wearing, only with blue eye shadow and blue lips. Fredrikk was an exact duplicate, only in yellow. And they both looked completely embarrassed to be seen in public with such horrible out fits. Suddenly I remembered they were under the role title of 'fops' and I wanted to laugh aloud. Back home I had heard countless people call Raoul a fop, but last time I checked, he didn't wear face powder, ect, ect.
The curtain was still, but I could hear the audience chattering, waiting for the show to start. I felt extremely nervous about singing in front of strangers for the first time, and I could feel butterflies appear like magic in my lower intestines.
"Don't worry about it; it'll be just like in rehearsal." Richard said, apparently reading the fear on my face.
"It'll be easy, and in the end, you'll laugh about how nervous you were." Fredrikk said, fanning himself.
The music started playing, and immediately the unseen crowd hushed. I said, "But I'm nervous now!" whilst waving my hand in the air to prove my point. Fredrikk shooed the stage hands off into the wings, so they couldn't be seen, and we got into our beginning position.
The curtain drew back, and we rushed forward, as was in the steps, to the applause in the audience. I risked a look to box five, where Raoul was so unwisely sitting, but I couldn't see a thing past the pit because of the limelight.
We flipped the fans down from our faces, and Meg came forth with her little tray.
I inhaled and belted out the opening notes and, much to my surprise; my voice didn't crack or tremble. It felt exactly like rehearsal.
"They say that this youth has set my lady's heart aflame!" I puckered the last note of 'aflame' making it sound like I felt all high and mighty sharing these secrets, and rolled my eyes skyward. While it was written in my part, I was glad for this opportunity to look for Erik. I saw a shadow above that looked a bit like a man, but it could have just been one of the costumes stored away up there.
"His Lordship, sure would die of shock!" Richard sang after me, sounding well in part, like he wasn't nervous at all, and then Fredrikk followed up with "His Lordship is a laughing stock!" like he was declaring the obvious.
"Should he suspect her, God protect her, shamea, shamea, shamea." I said, adding an 'a' to the end of 'shame'.
"This faithless lady's bound for Hades… shamea, shamea, shamea." Fredrikk, Richard and I all sang.
We drew our fans back once more, and then stepped back as the curtain for the bed was pulled back, revealing Christine and the pink cupcake called Carlotta.
Christine gasped in mock shock, and then stood up with Carlotta, grabbing a feather duster as Carlotta belted out "Serafimo your disguise is Perfecta! Oh why who canna this be?"
The percussion guy in the pit hit the wood block, and it sounded somewhat like a knock on a door.
"Gentle wife, admit your loving… husband…" Piangi said, walking onto the stage, pausing before he said husband to pretend to hit Meg on her rear.
The audience laughed, and Piangi's friend, who was the 'little man', followed behind him. I personally didn't like him, for he was known as a pervert, and every chance he got, he looked up a girls skirt. Thank heavens he hasn't looked up mine… yet. I thought, remembering that he looked up mine in just a few moments.
"My love, I'm called to England on affairs of state; and musta leave you with your new maid…" He paused to fake rub Christine's buttocks before stating, "Though, I would 'appily take the maid with me." This got another laugh out of the audience.
"The old fool is leaving." She said to the audience, as though her 'husband' couldn't hear her.
All the while the little man, whom I decided to dub Smalls in honor of 'The Sandlot', was running around Carlotta's skirt, as though inspecting it.
"Addio…. addio… addio!" she and Piangi sang, and suddenly I had the brief remembrance of the time I sang this with a group of my friends at a talent show. I was the countess, and I sounded waaaaay better than Carlotta, while still hitting the high notes.
Whilst she was singing away, Smalls had snuck up on me, and began lifting up my skirt. It was under M Reyer's strict orders that we were not to practice this with him really lifting my skirt, and I had momentarily forgotten what I was supposed to do. I slapped his hand away, then remembered I was supposed to just shoo him, and so I dismissed him with my hand, all the while feeling violated.
I backed more into Fredrikk, trying to get away from Smalls. Richard, sensing my embarrassment, whispered out of the corner of his mouth "It's just the act… remember…" but I didn't feel very comforted. I tried to refocus, realizing that Carlotta had just said "Serafimo, away with this pretence!" And Christine was tossing off the wraparound skirt. I gasped on cue, and my hand flew to my mouth to show my 'astonishment'.
"You cannota speak, but kiss me in my husbands, absence…." Carlotta warbled, flipping out her fan to hide her face, as she and Christine leaned together behind the fan to 'kiss'.
She and Christine drew back, and she continued "Poora fool he makes me laugh, ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha" (x 10 or so…) "Time I tried to geta better half..."
Richard, Fredrikk and I took our cue and sang with Carlotta. "Poora fool he doesn't know, ho ho ho ho ho! Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! If he knew the truth he'd never ever go!"
Suddenly a loud reverberating voice filled the auditorium, cutting off the music, and making my stomach curl. I had forgotten about Erik…
"Did I not instruct that box five was to be kept empty?" he boomed. Oh yea, he sounded mad alright.
I gasped as one with the audience and stage crews, actors and all, and didn't bother taking my hand to my mouth as would have been appropriate.
I looked up to box five, and noticed for the first time that the limelight had been cut. There I saw Raoul craning his neck to try and see where the voice was coming from.
"He's here, the Phantom of the Opera…" Meg said fearfully.
"It's him…" Christine said, looking up to him.
"Your part is silent, little toad!" Carlotta said, pointing her fan at Christine and Meg. She then smiled back at the audience.
"A toad Madame? Perhaps it is you who are the toad!" I imagined Erik saying, and then I felt a little shock. He was about to play the part of ventriloquist and make Carlotta croak.
But as Carlotta hurried to the right wing and her maid sprayed her voice junk, I had a stabbing awareness that he had used the 'switcheroo' trick. Which Buquet saw… and so Erik… "KILLS HIM!" my brain screamed, and I wanted to slap Carlotta for taking the spray. But I knew that it was too late, and there was nothing I could do…
"Maestro some Italian words I don't want to try and spell"
And with that, she started back up at
"Serafimo, away with this pretence! You cannota speak! But kiss me in my husbands… CROOOOAAAK!" there was a moment of shock before a loud gasp went out. Then laughter.
Even though I though Carlotta a dirt bag who was rude and insensitive, I did feel a little bad for her, and I could tell she was shaken. So she tried another line.
"Poor fool he makes me laugh, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha… CROAK! CROAK!" Her voice had gained confidence, but after the first croak she couldn't stop croaking, and she broke down and started sobbing while still croaking, and through her croaks Erik yelled "BEHOLD! SHE SINGS TO BRING DOWN THE CHANDELIER! AHAHAHAHA!" The chandelier began to shake, and the candles flicker.
There was another collective gasp, but the chandelier stopped moving and flickering.
"Non posso piu… I cannot go on…" Carlotta said, finally finding her voice.
She was rushed offstage, and the curtains closed abruptly, nearly shutting in on me, but I stepped out of the way just in time. Fredrikk, was of course, shut out.
He tried to find the part in the curtain, but he rushed off the stage as Firmin and Andre came through the part, and called "ladies and Gentlemen, we apologize! Uh, the uh, performance with continue!" He was cut off by Richard and I, trying to get over to the left wing, was shown through the curtain, which swung open for a moment. I ducked out of the way as the audience laughed, and Firmin continued, not even sparring us a glance.
"In ten minutes time, when the role of the countess, will be played…" He reached behind the curtain and pulled Christine out by the wrist "by Miss Daae! Thank you!" The crowd applauded as he said that, and he shoved Christine back behind the curtain and said, "Go on! Hurry up! Hurry up!" and she fled to the dressing room.
Richard, who was just talking to one of the stage hands, grabbed my hand and said, "They're doing the ballet from act three! Hurry up and change!" and pulled me to the dressing room with the ballet costumes.
Behind me, muffled by the curtain, Firmin confirmed Richard by saying "Until then, we would like to crave your indulgence." Andre cut in "Meanwhile, we'd like to give you the ballet, from act three…"
I didn't hear the rest, for I shut the door to the dressing room and tore off my costume, wiped my face (this powder comes off pretty easy… I thought) and pulled on my ballet costume, and hurriedly dabbed on the rouge that we needed. I pulled my Hair into a bun, and shoved some pins and faux roses into it to make it look pretty, and then rushed out the door, almost forgetting my toe shoes in my hurry.
I ran onstage and ignored the laughing as I collided with Fredrikk in my hurry, and helped the other girls get the scenery into place.
The backdrop was put down, and we began dancing.
As I did a turn, I noticed the shadow of a man behind us, and I gasped, grabbing the shoulder of another dancer to point this out, but by the time I got her attention, the shadow was gone.
Aaron, the male dancer, tapped me on the shoulder and commanded I dance, and not worry about the shadow of props, and so I danced, but every time I looked at the scenery behind, I saw the shadow of Erik and Buquet. Another girl saw the shadows, and screamed. I turned, and saw the figure of Erik tie a noose around Buquet. Suddenly his body jerked up, and by this time we had all stopped dancing to stare at this phenomenon, and were about to begin again, but the body of Buquet dangling from the ceiling above stopped us.
I let out a blood curdling scream (I knew it was Meg's part but she had fainted) and nearly fainted too as the body fell next to me.
I backed all the way up against the scenery, and covered my mouth in terror.
It was my entire fault he had died. Why the hell didn't I tell Erik not to kill him? Why hadn't I begged Buquet to stay away from the catwalks? Why? Why? Why?
I turned and fled. I wanted to be comforted by my mother, anyone, who I could tell that it was my entire fault; to ease my conscience.
I saw Christine and Mme Giry run out of the Prima Donna dressing room, aroused by my scream, but before I could run to Christine or Mme Giry, I saw Raoul enter, seeking Christine, to ask if she was safe, and I saw her lead him up to the flight of stairs that led up and up; all the way to the roof.
"No!" I yelled, but I was drowned out by the shouts behind, and I chased after them, forgetting the chaos behind me.
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WOW! That was super, super, super long. I'm sorry I let it drag on, but I just couldn't find a part to stop.
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