Whoo, Chapter 14! Sorry for the delay, writer's block is a pain. Also, I may need some help trying to figure out a few songs later on in the story for the performance, so if you have a song you think I should use, either send me a private message or put it in a review. I look forward to your suggestions! Shoutouts to TheAlleyCat18, Lizzybug2000, HopefulLullaby, and Sayuri494. Now, onto the chapter!

Chapter 14

After my second grueling practice in less than 24 hours, I officially decided that singing was the most exhausting thing ever to do in a dress. Singing in regular clothes was no problem, but with that dang corset on? It was like a whale had eaten an elephant and was sitting on my diaphragm. It was fine during dress rehearsal and the performance back in my time, but here it was very hard. I knew at that time that this wasn't a dream. The pain and the breathing issues would have for sure made me wake up if I were sleeping. But, alas, I was not.

Monsieur Reyer finally called it quits, walking out of the auditorium. Once I got to look at a clock, I did my calculations. Let's see, I started practice at 8 in the morning and it is now 4 in the afternoon, with only a 30-minute break for lunch. That means I've been singing for…

"Seven and a half hours?!" I exclaimed. How am I still alive, much less still able to sing?

"Even I was wondering how you were able to go on for that long." A voice said, cutting through the now silent room.

I looked up at Box 5, seeing Erik in his usual attire of a black suit and cape. "When are you going to stop sneaking up on me? One of these days, you're going to give me a heart attack and I will die and you will have no one to entertain you anymore."

"Well, we wouldn't want that now, would we?" he asked sarcastically, a playful smirk on his face.

I shook my head. "Nope. Who would replace me in the performance? Who would replace me as the most entertaining thing in your life?"

He disappeared back into the box, appearing on the stage with me a couple minutes later. "Have you figured out what songs you are going to sing?"

My playful mood deflated. "No, and I have no idea where to even start. Most of the music from this time I have don't have words, and the modern music I have may not be appropriate for the whole proprietorial rules of Parisian society. Furthermore, they may mess some stuff up for the time thing." I said, pacing the stage.

"Sing one."

I turned to look at him. "Pardon?"

"Sing one of your modern songs for me. I will tell you whether they will like it or not."

I scoffed. "I don't really think you would be the best judge. You may be a maestro, but in the stories, your Don Juan Triumphant, while very good in my opinion, caused a lot of stir in Parisian society. These songs, to say the least, could rival that. They're not the style I think would be appropriate for an opera stage."

"Just sing one of them." He said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

I sighed. "Alright, fine. Let me find one." I said, digging my phone out of my jeans pocket under my dress, which to say the least was very difficult.

After I finally managed to get it out, I went through my library of songs, trying to find something suitable. No…no…heck to the no…why do I even still have this song…I guess this will have to do… "Okay, here goes…"

As soon as the music started, I began to sway to the melody, becoming lost in my own little world.

"Midnight, not a sound from the pavement,

Has the moon lost her memory,

She is smiling alone,

In the lamplight, the withered leaves collect at my feet,

And the wind begins to moan…

Memory, all alone in the moonlight,

I can smile at the old days,

I was beautiful then,

I remember the time I knew what happiness was,

Let the memory live again…

Every street light seems to beat a fatalistic warning,

Someone mutters and the streetlamp gutters,

And soon it will be morning…

Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise,

I must think of a new life,

And I mustn't give in,

When the dawn comes tonight will be a memory too,

And a new day will begin…"

By the time the instrumental part came around, I was dancing with an invisible partner, waltzing around the stage. Then, before I knew anything else was happening, Erik replaced the air that I had been partnered with. "Mind if I cut in?"

"Not at all." I said, a smile spreading on my face. We danced, feeling as if the stage were made of clouds and we were dancing in the sky.

"Burnt out ends of smoky days,

The stale cold smell of morning,

The streetlamp dies, another night is over,

Another day is dawning…

Touch me, it's so easy to leave me,

All alone with the memory,

Of my days in the sun,

If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is,

Look, a new day has begun…"

As the song ended, we slowly came to a stop in the middle of the stage, still holding each other.

"That was beautiful," Erik whispered after a few moments of silence. "You sang it with such conviction and passion, it was almost as if you were the song itself."

I blushed at his compliment, although I wasn't quite sure about that last part. "Thank you. The song is so beautiful, it's hard not to be passionate while singing it. Actually, to tell you the truth, this song is from a musical about cats." I said, softly giggling.

His eyes widened in surprise. "They must be running out of things to write if they have to resort to writing about an animal."

"The same person who wrote the musical about cats wrote the musical about you, too."

I couldn't hold back my laughter at the look of horror that passed over his face.

The song is Memory from the musical Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Thank you to Lizzybug2000 for recommending this song. It is absolutely beautiful!