Chapter 13: Gala night
Christine's POV
I sat in the small chapel that I had sat in so often during my years at the opera. I lit two candles on this night however; one for Raoul's progress in healing and one for the soul of my father. I was sick with worry for my beloved, so very worried that the very delicate condition that he was in would worsen any second. The doctor had said that he was very strong and was doing quite well under the circumstances, but I couldn't help but be concerned.
I looked out the stain glass windows as I stood up. The sun was beginning to set on Paris, and the evening rays were shining through the colorful frames. I walked slowly back through the chaotic halls of the opera, where everyone was rushing to get ready. I chuckled as I watched my friends; the last hour before a performance was always sure to be insane. I had just reached the door of my dressing room when I ran into Firmin, who gave me a kindly smile.
"Christine, before you go and prepare for the performance I'd like to tell you something." he said. "Since Raoul couldn't be here tonight we've left box seven empty in his honor. And also, Andre and I have decided to name the box after you and your family, and it will always be reserved for you as long as you stay at this opera."
"Oh my, thankyou monsieur. Raoul will be so pleased when I tell him." I said as I curtseyed.
"Anything for the two of you Madame. You and Raoul have kept this opera alive." he replied as he kissed my hand. "Give Raoul my best, and good luck tonight."
I thanked him once again as he walked away, probably to make sure that there had been no refunds. I stepped back into my dressing room to put on my costume; my hair and makeup were already done. I heard a knock at the door and Madame Giry entered.
"Christine dear, I came to help you into your costume." she said.
"Everything seems to be going well." I said as she tightened the laces on my corset. "I hear we have a full house."
"Full to the brim," she replied as she helped me slip into the vibrant gold, red, and blue costume that I wore for the first act of Hannibal. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?"
I turned to my surrogate mother and responded truthfully. "I'm holding up as best I can. I'm doing this for Raoul. I'm just glad that Lucien and Phillipe and staying with him until I get back."
She kissed my forehead in a motherly fashion. "You've been through a lot for your eighteen years Christine, but I know that you'll make it through this. I'll be backstage if you need me." she said as she turned to go, looking as though she were out to accomplish something.
"Thankyou." I replied as I turned to look in the mirror for one last check. My hair had been left completely down for the first act with gold braided around some of the strands. It was a good thing I had on stage makeup however, because my face was pale from the events of last night. I smiled though, as I looked down at my stomach. I hadn't begun to show yet, but this glorious blessing of a child was so exciting that I knew I could make it through anything. I looked down at the clock, and seeing that it was twenty minutes until curtain call I turned to go backstage. But as I walked out the door I heard a deep voice all around me, even though it seemed to only a whisper.
"Sing as I have taught you my angel of music..."
I whipped around but saw nothing behind me; but one thing was for sure, that had been Erik's voice. I closed the door behind me, trying to focus on the performance ahead and trying to keep the bone chilling voice out of my head.
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Erik's POV
I moved from behind the wall of Christine's dressing room as I heard her close the door. I couldn't enter the room seeing as the mirror had been removed, but I knew she could hear me through the thin wall. I walked through the damp and murky corridor of the cellars and back up towards the rafters where I could observe without being seen. But before I climbed my way up I craned my neck around to look at the audience. It looked to be a full house. I smirked; this was excellent. It gave me a wonderful opportunity to put the fear back into everyone's hearts for not performing my revised opera.
As though it were a reflex, I looked up at box seven to see if de Chagny was there; I was quite shocked to see that he wasn't. But before I had time to consider this strange occurence I felt a familiar presence behind me and I turned around. There was only one person who would dare to sneak up behind me and suceed.
"To what do I owe this surprise?" I said bitterly as I turned to see Antionette Giry standing behind me, leaning ever so slightly on her cane.
"If you think that I didn't see you sneaking out from behind the wall of Christine's dressing room you are wrong Erik. You cannot hide from me." she said, the slightest hint of a smile on her face, though I could sense that she was perhaps, a bit worried about something.
"That is true," I said with a chuckle despite myself. "But I know you haven't come to simply chat. What do you want?"
She sighed heavily and I could tell that something was on her mind. "Erik I know that you don't keep up with news but Raoul de Chagny was nearly murdered last night. He made it, but Christine is distraught and that type of stress is not good for her pregnancy."
I didn't respond for at least a minute. Half of me felt a sick pleasure that the man who had taken my angel from me was hurt, but a small something in the back of my head felt a bit bad for Christine, for at the bottom of my heart I knew that Christine truly loved the boy.
"Your point?" I said in a hard tone, ignoring the other piece of me and letting the angry side take over.
"Erik the ones who tried to murder Raoul are the gyspsies that have been robbing all the wealthy of Paris. They are the very same clan that held you captive as a child." She stopped, letting me take the information in.
My eyes widened as my head pounded with unwanted flashbacks. "Do the Vicomte and Christine know this?" I asked, not really knowing why.
"Yes, I told them. Raoul was really the first they've tried to rob who fought back. He managed to knock them out before he got hurt." she said sadly.
"And why do you feel it necessary to tell me this?" I asked stonily.
"For a few reasons Erik. One, because I wanted to warn you. I do worry a great deal about you." she said as she put a hesitant hand on my shoulder, that I didn't resist. " And because..." she stopped as though unsure. "You may call me insane for this but I believe that you could help Raoul and Christine if the foul men return, which I am sure that they will."
I stared at her in disbelief as I shook free of her touch. "You are insane." was all I could manage to say.
"I thought that you might say that. I just thought.. you know all of their ways. But Erik, if you care about Christine at all you will not disturb the opera tonight." she said with narrowed eyes that looked as though they might have tears in them.
"I will agree to that, but only because despite myself, I still care for Christine. But as to the other, I absolutely refuse." I said as a draft blew through the corridor.
"Thankyou for agreeing to not disturbing the opera." she said as she turned to go. "But at least consider what I said. I know the three of you have a difficult and hard past together, but sometimes hard times call for you to put the past behind you. Raoul really is a wonderful man; he's not at all like other aristocrats. It could be a chance to start over, a chance to forgive, and a chance for you to redeem yourself. But Erik be careful with those gypsies here, I don't want anything to happen to you." And with that, she turned to go, black dress billowing out behind her .
I turned and walked towards the always empty box five and snorted at the absolute ludacris nature of her idea. But then again it would give me a chance to seek revenge on those gypsies who had cursed my existence. I shook my head once again as I watched the opera begin and became lost in the sea of color and song.
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A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for the wait, Christmas and all of that, and I was out of town. But ugh, school tommorow. Thanks to all of my reviewers, old and new, I love you guys. Hope that you like this, the next chapter will also be about the opera. Sorry as well about all the POV changes, that won't continue for much longer; most of them will be in Raoul's POV. Please read and review!