Christine marched through the gap left by the mirror, entering her room. However as she reached her door and began to turn the handle, she paused for a moment thinking.
What good will it do if I go shouting accusations at her? I have no proof that she did this to me; it would be my word against hers.
An idea suddenly hit her; she felt herself grinning as she thought it over.
Yes! I will make her pay for this. This will work to my advantage; I just need to play this the right way.
Christine must have stood there for a good five minutes before opening the door and slamming it shut after her. She raced down the corridor, going through her plan in her mind. All she wanted to do now was to find Catherine.
She was thankful for being the Prima Donna more than ever at this point, as well as being able to sing, she could act. Acting would be required to execute this plan. The only trouble was she had to be convincing.
Again she stopped. This time she was thinking about her father and how upset she had been when she visited his grave the day before the first performance of 'Faust'. Tears came quickly to her eyes. She continued to think about the memories of her father which caused more tears to flow. She felt her eyes going red and her vision becoming slightly blurred.
Looking down she made a run for the dining room.
-
"Daroga, I must go after her." Erik stated, attempting to sit upright.
"No Erik. I'm sure she knows what she is doing." The Persian answered, trying to calm him down.
"There is no telling what could happen between her and my mother. I need to be sure." Erik said standing upright out of bed. This was not a good idea, for he had a sudden head rush and collapsed back onto the bed.
"Erik, I told you not to get up."
"Yes, and I can see why." He groaned, pressing the cold flannel that Daroga had just handed him to his forehead.
"What do you think she will do?" The Persian asked.
"What ever she needs to do." he answered. "I just hope it is not anything too rash."
Daroga smirked. "She won't. Besides, that's your job."
Erik smiled. "I suppose that is true."
Daroga headed towards the door. "I shall leave you to get some sleep now, but call if you want anything and I will let you know when Christine returns."
"I appreciate it, thank you."
Daroga departed, leaving Erik to try and sleep. However Erik was not one for sleeping and lay awake for a while. Porsche curled up on his chest snoozing.
I hope you know what you are doing Christine.
-
Christine entered the dining room in floods of tears. Everyone looked up at her with concerned looks upon their faces. Catherine however was smiling.
"What's the matter miss Daae?" Asked one of the managers.
Christine said nothing and raised an arm on the end an accusing finger pointing directly at Catherine. "That woman." All eyes in the room turned to face the patron looking at her questioningly. "She attacked me." Christine finished.
The room gasped. Catherine looked angrily at Christine. "The child does not know what she is talking about. I did no such thing."
"Then what do you call this?" She yelled holding out her arm where the scar from the huge gash was. She had removed the bandaging earlier.
She moved her arm around for everyone to see. As soon as they had all seen the gash all eyes turned back to Catherine who became very discomforted by this and got up and made a hasty exit. Christine followed in her wake, leaving the room echoing with whispers.
"Very smart Christine. But you cannot prove that I did it." She whispered slyly.
"Well making a quick exit like that just shows you are guilty." Christine snapped back. Forcing more tears to flow down her cheeks.
"Is there another reason for you being like this?"
"You damn well know there is!" She hissed. "Using me to kill a mistake that happened all those years ago."
"Well my dear, it was you who killed him, not I." She said, smiling evilly.
"You are nothing but poison, I killed him unintentionally. It was really you pulling the strings." Christine sobbed. "Why couldn't you have killed me? I loved Erik." She shrieked.
"Awwww boo hoo." Catherine mocked, half laughing. "Well it was one way of getting rid of him. I'm surprised that he lasted at the circus. He is an animal, oops… I meant was."
"YOU WITCH!" Christine screamed. Taking a run up she slammed all of her weight into the other woman, sending her crashing to the floor. Christine started to hit her, knee her and kick her as hard as she could.
"Christine!" Ivan ran up to the catfight between the two and pulled Christine off Catherine.
Christine pulled herself from Ivan's grasp. "Get off me!" She paused as she was panting. She had managed to scratch Catherine and give her a bloody nose. "I will make you pay for what you did to me." She whispered. Without giving anyone another glance she marched back to her room.
She could hear Ivan and Catherine's faint voices but managed to work out what they were saying.
"She just attacked me for no reason. I swear I did not touch her." Catherine was protesting
"Alright, we will talk about this later on. Let's go and get you cleaned up."
When she reached her room she sat on her bed and smiled. Perfect, she believes Erik is dead. All I need to do now is work out how to get back at her. This will work, as he needs to rest, and I guess when he is better he will finish off his 'Don Juan'. So there is no need for him to make an appearance until the ball – That's it! – That's when I will get her back and expose her for the woman she really is.
"Christine?" Came a voice from behind the mirror. "It's Daroga, may I come in?"
"Yes, of course." She replied. The mirror slid into the ground and the Persian walked through.
"I left Erik to get some rest. I thought you might be here. We were both concerned after you stormed off like that."
"I'm sorry. I was just so angry at what that woman did to me. But I have sorted it out."
Daroga looked puzzled. "What do you mean you have sorted it out?"
"Trust me Daroga. I know what I'm doing. Let's just say I have a plan to get back at her." She said, menace laced in her voice.
"I never had you down as that type."
Christine chuckled. "I didn't either. But I love Erik. What she did was just pure evil. What would have happened if I really did kill him? I have not been so happy since before my father died. She has no right to take it away from me or Erik and she certainly had no right to sell him as a mere child."
"I understand but, as a friend, I will give you a friendly warning: Be careful about this. It may do more harm than good, in your case anyway and for others." He said softly.
"I will. But I need to speak to Erik to tell him what is happening and what happened between me and his mother."
"Alright we shall go to see him. I doubt that he is sleeping. He isn't the sleepy type. I just hope he has not attempted to get out of bed." He replied.
They both went through the mirror leaving her room empty once more.
-
Catherine was sitting down in one of the guest rooms when a knock came at the door. "Who is it?" She called.
"It's only me step-mother." Called Zurie.
"Come on in child." She replied.
Zurie walked in and took a seat opposite Catherine. "What do you want Zurie?"
"What happened between you and Christine earlier? Was it really you who gave her that gash in her arm?" She threw the question at her.
"No, don't be so ridiculous, why…" She started.
"Well I know what you are really like. Pity my father doesn't believe me about Erik." She cut in.
"So, you two have met each other. Too bad your little finding of each other was so short lived." Catherine said with a sarcastic sigh.
"…Short lived?" Zurie whispered in puzzlement. "What do you mean short lived?"
"Erik is dead. Christine killed him but she is blaming me for it." She said completely unconcerned.
Zurie said nothing for a moment. "I don't believe you. She would never want him dead. It's only you who would. You proved that all those years ago when you sold him to the circus." She spat at Catherine.
Catherine smiled. "He belonged with them. If you don't believe me why don't you go and ask Christine?"
"I will, and my father will eventually see sense and realise that you don't love him. You have only ever loved the money. And I'm a complete idiot for not seeing it sooner. You and your false kindness." She said snidely.
"Say what you will about me, but it won't ever make any difference. Your father married me because he loves me and he trusts me. If you continue like this it will only cause a rift between you two."
Zurie realized that what Catherine had just said was partly true. It's already happened.
She didn't say anything and ran out of the room. This situation was getting more complicated, and now Catherine was saying that Christine had killed Erik. What if it was true?
She shook her head firmly. No, I don't believe her lies. I'm sure Erik is fine wherever he is.
-
Daroga opened the door to the room where Erik was resting and peered inside. Erik had dropped off and Porsche was in the same place. He quietly shut the door and turned to Christine who was stood behind him. "He is sleeping. We should leave him to get some rest. The body heals itself quicker when someone is asleep."
"Yes alright. Shall we go into the library for a while?" Christine asked.
"Yes that would be nice, besides there was something I needed to talk to you about, but firstly would you care for something to eat or drink?"
"Nothing to eat for the moment, but a cup of tea sounds good." She replied.
"Very well I shall bring it in for you. Then I will discuss this matter with you." With that he left in the direction of the kitchen.
Christine turned and walked in the opposite direction and entered the library, the shrine to books. Indeed this was a pleasant room and it seemed that there was every book in the world on these shelves. She sat down in one of the red armchairs thinking.
What does Daroga want to talk to me about? Can it be something important? I hope Erik wakes soon. I must tell him my plan. I do believe she thinks he is dead; I just have to keep pretending he is. Ivan does not know about Erik, he needs to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, a confession from her. But how would I get one out of her?
"Your tea Christine." Daroga's said as he entered the room carrying a silver tray on which were two cups, some milk and sugar. One of the cups looked like the regular brown colour before milk was added, the other one was clear except for a slight green tint to it.
"Thank you." She smiled at the Persian, looking at the strange green colored drink. Daroga saw she was looking curiously at it.
"It's herbal tea." He told her taking his cup off the tray. "It's rather soothing, and I prefer it to normal tea."
"Oh right. I just wasn't sure what it was that's all. Not many people drink it in the opera house." She said before adding the milk to hers.
Daroga took a sip of his then placed it down on his knee. "As I have told Erik, I found out what that substance does; the one that his mother placed on your arm in the cut."
"Well I know it controls people."
"Yes, but I have managed to trace where it has come from. You see in my home country of Persia a Daroga is actually a chief of police. No one calls me by my real name much. But I'm called Daroga because that was my profession years ago. That's where I came across a case similar to this." He paused taking another sip of tea. Christine was watching him intently.
"But I was able to trace where the potion came from. It goes by the name of Narkèsado just so you know. And I know Paris reasonably well due to my businesses here. I managed to trace it to a place called Agatha's Apothecary which is a couple of streets away from here in easy walking distance. The potion is very rare and is usually only used by gypsies for witch craft."
Christine finished off her tea. "Could I find proof that Catherine was there?"
"I expect so. I think they write down a list of what has been used, and get customers to sign something as it's not actually legal to sell those sorts of potions in Paris."
That's what I need for proof, to go and find this place and ask the owner. Christine thought.
"I see and Erik doesn't know about this?" She asked.
"No, not yet, I will explain my findings to him when he awakens, but I thought you had a right to know." He replied.
Christine nodded before looking back at Daroga and asking: "You said Daroga was not your real name?"
"No one calls me by it any more, I am commonly known as the Persian, close friends or business partners know me as Daroga."
"What is your real name?"
"Khan, Nadir Khan." The Persian replied.
"Why doesn't Erik call you Nadir?"
"He has always known me as and called me Daroga. It was only my family who called me Nadir." He said sadly.
"What happened to your family?" She asked. But quickly added: "If you don't mind my asking."
"No, no." He said. "It was along time ago."
He continued. "I won't go into every detail but I will give you the outline of what happened. I was the Daroga, head of the police department in Persia. My job was locking away criminals. Well as you can guess I made a few enemies but there was one named Isaac Armster. He was a leader of a group of criminals, which we arrested and brought to justice. Funny thing was that we used to be good friends when we were very young but we grew up and went our separate ways." He chuckled slightly. "I went to one end of the scale and he went to the other. He swore revenge against me and my wife and children after I arrested him. He escaped while I was out on a job. I got a message from my department of a break in at my home. Well, I jumped onto the nearest horse and took off as fast as I could, only to find that I was too late. My wife had been knifed to death, and my children smothered." He paused as his breathing had become slightly ragged. "I knew who was behind it. Eventually I found him and as much as I wanted to avenge my family/ it was in the hands of the law, and I was the one who upheld it. Isaac was sentenced to death. After that I resigned. I took off to France, which is where I met Erik. I couldn't stay in Persia with those memories haunting me."
"My god, I'm so sorry." Christine whispered.
"You want to know something?" Daroga asked.
"What?"
"Ever since Erik met you he became a different person. Even though you didn't know about him, his love for you has given him another purpose in life. There are two things that matter most to Erik, you and his music." He smiled.
"I didn't change him. He changed himself. But I really love him Nadir."
The Persian looked up and smiled. "It's nice to be called by my real name again. Thank you."
"It's alright if I call you that?"
"Yes, I welcome it."
At that point the door was pushed open and Porsche came trotting in. 'Meow' announced her arrival. Daroga and Christine both looked at her. "Hello Porsche." Christine said.
"I expect she has come in to tell us that our dear Erik has awoken from his slumber." As he said this Porsche headed back out the door. "I will take that as a yes then." He said as they both got up and followed Porsche out of the door.
Erik watched his two guests enter and greeted them with a smile.
"My dear friend, how are you feeling?" Daroga asked him.
"A lot better after that snooze, thank you." His eyes looked toward Christine. "Christine, are you alright? What happened?"
"I will explain everything to both of you in a moment. I'm just glad you feel better." Christine went to sit on the chair beside him, and held his hand.
"Christine, what happened?" He asked again clearly not wanting to wait.
Christine gave in and began to tell Daroga and Erik what had happened between her and Catherine. And her plan to get back at her.
"She thinks I'm dead." He said sarcastically. "Well that's what she wanted. She will get a very nasty shock when I come back from the grave." Christine could not help but smirk.
"Ivan doesn't know about you. If he were to find out he would surely leave her, having been lied to for all those years."
"Yes, it certainly would bring disgrace on his family." Erik agreed. "You had better get back up to the surface, if you want to convince Catherine that I'm dead. She knows about the rumors of the opera ghost living underground. If you disappear she may suspect I'm still alive."
"But I want to stay here with you." She pleaded.
"I will keep in contact by writing to you. Porsche will bring the letters to your room." He replied.
"Also there is something I want to discuss with you. I have told Christine about it. But you need to know too."
Agatha's Apothecary I will need to find that place if I am to get some proof.
Christine did not attempt to argue. She had another thing on her agenda to take care of and so bid goodbye to Erik and the Persian, and returned to the surface.
