Chapter Fifteen
DISCLAIMER: OK; I don't own phantom of the opera. Plain and simple
They had made it just in time. Meg got in line with the other ballet girls; and when they asked why her legs were wet; she told them she fell over a bucket of water on her way there. They let it go and the ballet girls started dancing while Karen learned her que to go on. She looked towards box five and she could see Erik's mask; he was smiling at her. She smiled and looked down at her engagement ring. She remembered vowing that she would never fall in love again. She would devote herself to the ballet; and her sister. Raphael had taken away her trust; and Erik had given it back.
She knew Erik would never betray her. He had been betrayed three years ago. His heart had been ripped in half; and he never thought he would be able to love again. Karen had never been able to trust anyone; knowing that they would leave as soon as she began to love them. The two people who never thought they'd be able to love anyone ever again; were engaged to be married.
"Karen! go!" She snapped back into reality and walked out onto the stage. She could see Erik out of the corner of her eye; and started to sing. The ballet girls danced and twirled all around. They all got dangerously close to the edge of the stage but moved before they could fall. Iris was watching Karen as she danced;eyeing her diamond ring. as she thought of who had given it to her; she didn't know how far on the edge she was.
She put her foot on the edge and fell into the orchestra. She let out a painful scream as Karen and Meg climbed down to her side and picked her up. Madam Giry took her to the infirmary
Meg and Karen went after her; sitting at her side. Her leg had been broken when she hit the orchestra, and was now incased in a cast.
"Your so clumsy." Karen smiled.
"Karen, Who gave you the ring?" Meg took Karen's hand and examined the ring.
"My god! It's beautiful!" She gasped. "Erik gave it to you didn't he?" Karen nodded and looked at it herself. "Your so lucky! Karen, are you and Erik going to have a huge wedding? Or a wedding with only a few friends?"
"Meg, there are things left undone. We've decided that after we finish a few things; we'll get married." Iris smiled at her sister.
"So Erik will be my brother?" Karen nodded; and hugged her.
Karen approached Madam Giry after practice and after Iris was taken out of the infirmary and into the dormitories; and began to talk to her.
"Madam Giry. Would you mind if I left Iris with a friend while her leg heals? Everyone will be practicing and she might not have anyone to take care of her; so I figured my friend could."
"The one two towns over?" Karen nodded. Madam Giry allowed it; and Karen was carried out of the room by Meg and Karen. Erik waited for them at the boat.
"What happened to you?" Iris was helped onto the boat by Meg and Karen as she explained.
"I fell off the stage and into the orchestra during practice." Erik laughed and helped them all onto the boat. Which was a bit more difficult now that one of them had a broken leg.
"Erik; can she stay here? Only until after the performance; there won't be anyone in the dormitories to take care of her-"
"You needn't explain." Erik told her. "Of course she can stay."
Once they got back to his home; they carried Iris to the swan-like bed and made her comfortable. When that was finished; Karen had to leave.
"I have to go practice with my costume; I'll come back later." Erik nodded and took her back. When he returned to Iris; and asked if she wanted anything; she began asking questions.
"Karen said your going to be my brother when you and her get married. Does that mean we will live here?" Erik took his cape off and sat on the bed.
"Probably. We haven't decided that yet."
"Can you show me how to paint? you said you would before but you never did."
"Ok." He went to get two pencils and notepads; he gave one to Iris and taught her what he knew about sketching at first.
The night of the performance; Karen was nervous.
"Do not worry." Madam Giry told her as she tightened the corset. "You will be wonderful. You know this part inside and out." Karen always hated corsets. She did not know what it was; she just didn't like how they cut off her ability to breath when she wore one. This corset was white; and the dress she was to wear was a purple gown.
"I don't know Madam Giry." She gasped for air when Madam Giry pulled the strings tighter. It was at that moment Karen knew how Joseph Bouchet must have felt when he was strangled to death. Even though Joseph Bouchet was strangled; he probably was a lot better off. If he had worn a corset he would have been put through hell before dying.
Erik sat in box five with Iris as his guest. It was dark enough that nobody even noticed him; and Iris was watching too closely to have drawn attention to them. When the red velvet curtains rose; the backdrop was half a forest; and half the inside of a house. The ballet girls danced around in green dresses their hair tied into low pony-tails with green ties. Karen took a deep breath and went out onto the stage. Karen's face was white with stage fright. Out of the corner of her eye; she saw Iris and Erik sitting in Box 5; and instantly; the color came back to her face and she began. She began to do housework and from the left of the stage; the side with the wilderness; a young boy came crawling out; wearing nothing but brown pants with a rope belt. Karen grabbed the washtub and took it outside; and the sound effects guy made the sound of rustling leaves.
"Who's there?" Karen asked sharply. Playing her character well. The boy came crawling out of the bushes backdrop; and Karen looked at him. "What's your name boy?"
"Francis.." He coughed out.
"Come in child. You look like you've not eaten in weeks." He nodded and followed her off the stage.
Many scenes later; she was to sing solo; her corset was hugging her body tightly; cutting off all possible passage ways for air to come forth. She sang with her eyes on Erik and Iris; whom were watching closely. All of a sudden; she held her waist and started gasping for air. That was why she hated corsets; they stopped the process of breathing. It wasn't until she toppled over unconscious that Madam Giry,and Meg Giry ran to her side.
"Mother; she looks like she's suffocating!" Meg shuddered. Madam Giry nodded and took Karen to the infermery.They tried to get her to breath; and when they left to find a doctor; not knowing it was the corset that was suffocating her; Erik came in at her side.
"Erik.." She told him hoarsely. "Can you do me something?"
"Anything."
"Cut this corset off." She reached for the pocket knife and handed it to him. She was laying on her chest; so when he ripped the back of the dress open; there were the laces to the corset. He took the knife and cut through the string; and soon; Karen took in a deep breath and thanked him.
"You were amazing." He told her, kissing her. "Until you passed out; but at least you didn't fall off the stage."
"My only chance at the spot light and I pass out.."
"Because of the corset." He told her. "If they don't make you wear one again; you should do amazing." Karen smiled weakly and thanked him for going. "Of course I came. I said I would. Even if I didn't say I would; I would have anyway."
Now. I'm spacing out the chappies; so I'll put the main idea of this chappie in the next one. It will aslo explain why they got engaged so soon. I'm not telling you why; I'm just saying that You'll like it. It will explain a lot of things later. It's one of those "Keep this in mind" Things.
