Chapter 32: A woman's Madness:

Christine sat alone in the ballet dormitory for a very long time, stewing over what had happened, where her plan went wrong and becoming more and more angry and less remorseful. She blamed her situation and the whole ordeal on Meg and not the Phantom. It was her jealousy coming through as she paced up and down the empty room. How could it be that a girl who was nothing compared to her could obtain a love that one a man killed for. Christine didn't understand how she could not have won the Phantom's heart when, at one time, she hadn't wanted it. She was distressed and hated Meg even more for being the kind hearted person that would see the goodness in anyone, even a monster like the Phantom of the Opera.

"Well at least you weren't kicked out completely," she said to herself as she walked, "you could have been completely banished from this place but they know they can't work without you. You'll just have to work to show them that Meg Giry is nothing and that Christine Daae is and always will be the star of the Opera Populaire. As for the Phantom, he must still love me," she cooed to herself, "or I would be gone. He's just playing with me," she said pushing his love for Meg as far out of her mind as she could possibly manager.

She believed herself to be the next legend of the Opera Populaire, she would go down in history, much like the Phantom himself, and she deserved the title. She could do all that it took to get what she wanted, just as the Phantom had done, only three years before.

"Would you killed for this?" a voice inside her asked as she looked into a mirror that hung on the wall, "if it comes to that, yes, I would, but there are worse things then death for Meg Giry, isn't there?" she asked herself, "never dancing again, a career threatening injury," she said to herself, "what I did tonight was nothing, and if I have to push her off the stage to stop her from dancing I will, then there would be no reason for the Phantom to give her his undying love and affection, she would be useless to him. It will be returned to me, everything that was taken from me tonight and in my past, it will come back to where it belongs."

Christine sunk into her bed as the ballerinas started to arrive from a long day of work. She pretended to be asleep as they crept in and whispered to one another.

"They have let her come back to the ballet troop," she heard one of the younger ballerinas say in shear disgust at seeing Christine in bed.

"Trust me, she is becoming just like La Carlotta, I was here when she was and the woman was a tyrant. We rejoiced when she was gone and now we have a new tyrant, Christine Daae. She has to understand that she is washed up. That Viscount, that she married, stole her youth and her talent and now she has nothing of interest for anyone,"an older girl whispered and was met with loud giggles, she hushed them as she looked cautiously at Christine's bed, "I dare say she wont last much longer here, the Phantom wont have it, for isn't it obvious he has the love of a ballerina now?"

"Who would want a over the top Diva anyway, singing is so over rated," another ballerina giggled and pirouetted in the dormitory. The other girls laughed with her knowing just how seductive the dance could be.

Christine had turned to face the wall, with her back to the room, when the ballerinas had started to arrive. The ballerinas could not tell that she was listening to their every word but she did not care. Her idea of self worth was much higher and her judgement was so clouded that she had to suppress her laughter at the stupid ballerinas. She smiled to herself as they whispered to each other and laughed at Christine's expense but Christine, the whole time, was plotting on how to get ride of them all while she was scheming against their beloved leading ballerina.

The chatter ended when Madame Giry entered the dormitory. The ballerinas had always been paranoid to let their mistress hear any of their negativity. The woman always looked so strict and serious. She was never one to put up with anything and had always caught the scheming before it could transpire into anything else. It was like she had a sixth sense that way. She walked up and down the rows of beds with a look of anger and suspicions on her face, analyzing every girl as she passed. It almost felt, for the ballerinas, like she could see deep within them and read their inner most thoughts. It was a terrible feeling when the woman was angry and her eyes fell on you.

"I want you all to listen and listen well," Madame Giry said into the silence of the room. She spoke loud enough that it would have woke even the soundest of sleepers, "Christine Daae are you listening to me?" she asked as she stepped forward and jabbed Christine in the back with the end of her cane, "I know you are awake and always have been." the ballerinas gasped.

Even if Christine had been asleep, she couldn't fake it now. After the sharp, painful, jab she rolled over in bed, rubbing her eyes and looked up at the ballet mistress.

"Listen all of you," Madame Giry said, never taking her eyes off Christine as the rest of the ballerinas gathered around, "another display, like that of this afternoons, will not be tolerated in this institution. We have absolutely zero tolerance for anything that anyone should be planning and should you try anything you will be removed from this place and asked never to return, humiliated for your crimes against the arts and this school. Had it been up to me, Christine would have been banished on the spot and until I have been contacted by the Phantom and give him my opinion on the situation you will not be in this performance at all," she said staring down at Christine.

Madame Giry turned sharply away from Christine and headed for the door, "do I make myself clear ladies?" she asked as she walked out.

"Yes, Madame," echoed through the hall and after the ballet mistress as she left.

Christine rolled back over in bed to face the wall again. She smirked to herself, she didn't believe a word of what the old woman had said. One day she would rule the theatre again, as she had when she had started, and her first step toward that goal would be to be ride of Meg Giry. With her out of the way, Christine knew she would could move into the place of power. The theatre was no longer at the hands of the opera Ghost but was like putty in the Diva's hands.

"The first to leave, when I am queen, will be you. You old bat," Christine hissed under her breath as she listened to the frantic gossip of the Ballerinas.