Instinct and Intuition
Instinct is a funny, capricious creature. He taunts and teases and nudges us into following him on scores of mad capers, most often to the detriment of our hearts. Despite his unconventional-and sometimes disturbing-abilities to lead us down nonstandard paths, he is not a beast to be ignored.
Madame Giry knew this all too well, and loathe as she was to abandon Christine during the aria, the niggling feeling wouldn't leave her. Thus, it was Instinct himself who she followed as she made her way up to the private boxes; Box Five, to be exact. Just as she reached for the door handle, she heard the audience break into thunderous applause.
A small voice was scarcely audible above the clapping. "Can it be? Can it be Christine?" The speaker murmured the words to himself, but Madame Giry heard every syllable.
Whoever is in Box Five, he is not the Opera Ghost, she thought to herself with edgy comprehension and withdrew into the shadows.
A shout of "bravo" came from the box. A few short seconds later, the door swung open, and the Vicomte de Changy strode past where Madame Giry stood hidden. She fell into silent step behind him, anxious to see what the boy was up to.
The memory of his snub of Christine earlier was still fresh in her mind, and childhood sweetheart or no, Madame Giry didn't trust him. After all, it had taken Christine gaining the spotlight before he even deigned to recognize her. If he didn't see her when she was a ballet rat, then how could he know her as a person?
Madame Giry, despite her agility, still had to almost run to keep up with de Changy. His long, energetic strides led them rapidly through the various hallways and staircases that led to the foyer.
"Long ago, it seems so long ago, how young and innocent we were! She may not remember me, but I remember her." Though it possessed vivacity that only youth could lay claim to, Raoul's song troubled her.
Madame Giry paused behind a golden bust of a woman that served as a candelabrum in the reception area. Instinct, it seemed, had a twin brother, and his name was Intuition. He had planted himself quite permanently in Madame Giry's mind since she was a young girl, and along with Instinct, ruled over her thoughts and decisions. Right now, he was telling her that something far-reaching had been set in motion, and she didn't have enough power to prevent it.
The same misgivings she had experienced that morning doubled in weight and settled heavily on her shoulders.