The Opera Populaire, Paris, September 1870
"Think of me, think of me fondly
when we've said goodbye.
Remember me, once in a while,
please, promise me you'll try…"
The gentle, sweet tones of beautiful music sounded through the quiet hall as not a sound dared to disturb the performance of the singer on stage, her powerful voice not allowing anything else to be heard above her. Around the singing woman stood a circle of bystanders, people who came to have a look at the theatre's new owners and now observed as Carlotta Guidicelli, their prima donna who thought herself the queen of the theater scene, made an effort to show off before them as she stood on the stage in her brightly coloured make-up and lavish costume.
On one side of the hall stood a group of young singers and ballet dancers, dressed in a much more modest attires who, along with everyone else, looked at the woman with a mix of envy and derision, but all stayed respectfully quiet, for no one wanted to end up at the receiving end of La Carlotta's infamous temper.
All except one. Among the young dancers was a small, blond woman, who watched the Italian diva with the corners of her mouth lifted in amusement and it was clearly visible she was suppressing a chuckle. Next to her stood another female, a younger girl named Christine, with soft features with shining, brown eyes and a mane of dark, curly brown hair that flowed around her head like a halo. When Christine heard a soft snort right next to her, she looked over at her friend and gently nudged her when she saw the look on her face. "Katrina, what are you smiling about?"
The girl called Katrina lowered her voice to a quiet whisper as she answered: "Her. I mean her singing, it's either for laughter or tears."
Hearing those words, Christine looked at her with obvious surprise written on her face. "I have never heard anyone talking about Carlotta that way before."
Katrina made another snort. "That's because everyone's too scared of her to say it out loud. But just because she can scream her lungs out, doesn't mean she's a good singer. Most of the time she flings her voice around like a drunken peacock. Music is supposed to caress you soul, not make your ears hurt."
Just in that moment, as Christine was about to reply, there were several short screams from the audience as one of the backdrops suspended above the stage for later use suddenly dropped down, the heavy canvas almost crushing Carlotta beneath it, missing her by mere inches. While everyone stared in shock, some rushing in to help Carlotta stand, Katrina raised her delicate eyebrows, before she looked up and for a split second, she saw the retreating form of a man dressed in black. "It would appear he agrees with me." she said quietly and glanced at the other girls, who were frantically whispering among themselves.
"He's here, the Phantom of the Opera." said Meg Giry excitedly, her light blond hair swishing from side to side as her eyes searched for him up on the walkways. Katrina smiled at her antics. Despite being frightened by his appearance, Meg was always enthusiastic about the prospect of meeting the Phantom and Katrina felt that, just like her mother, who was always his ally, she could be a good friend to the Opera Ghost if he ever gave her a chance.
Presently though, she turned her head to watch as the new managers, who were now taking over from the retiring monsieur Lefevre, whose health has been acting up lately and so he decided to pass the theater on, fawned over the disgruntled singer. Katrina felt sorry about the older man leaving, he was a good man who cared about the theater and its people, while these two foxes that were now presented before them, monsieurs André und Firmin, two older gentlemen with greying hair and funny moustaches, looked as if they had little care beyond their own gain.
Katrina stepped closer now, watching as Carlotta raged that another so called "accident", and there were indeed many in the few months she's been here, happened to her and then promptly stormed out in a dramatic fashion, followed by mr. Lefevre, who left his successors to fend for themselves. Unfortunately for them, Carlotta was the main star of tonight's show and without her it seemed unavoidable for the two men to begin their new business with embarrassment.
To add more oil to the fire, madame Giry arrived, bearing a letter from the Phantom, who boldly announced his demands and his authority over the theater, only fuelling the manager's ire, until madame Giry suggested Christine as a possible replacement for Carlotta. Her suggestion was, at first, met with annoyed scepticism which quickly turned to amazement and joy however as they heard the young woman's voice.
...
"Think of me, think of me fondly
when we've said goodbye.
Remember me, once in a while,
please, promise me you'll try.
...
And when you find that once again you long
to take your heart back and be free,
if you ever find a moment,
spare a thought for me…"
The gentle, sweet tones of beautiful music sounded through the quiet hall as not a sound dared to disturb the performance of the singer on stage, her powerful, yet soft voice drifting towards the audience who sat there in reverent silence as the beautiful young woman before them finished her song, only then did they all suddenly explode in a wave of appreciative claps and excited jubilation. Tonight, all eyes were on Christine Daaé as she immediately won over the hearts of everyone who listened to the gentle, melodious tones of her voice and the ensuing celebration was a truly exhilarating affair as the managers wanted to publicly flaunt their recent triumph.
As a silent shadow watched Christine's performance from the safety of his hiding place, his heart swelling in prideful joy and love as he watched her glory grow before his very eyes, another set of eyes found themselves drawn to the young rising star. From his seat up in his box, the young vicomte Raoul de Chagny, the opera's new patron, a handsome man with darker blond hair and soft, yet noble features, stared at the young singer in which he, to his surprise, recognised his dear childhood friend whom he hasn't seen in many years and who, in his absence, has become quite the beautiful young woman with the voice of heaven's angels that made him fall in love with her at first sight.
His candour at commending Christine's talent did not go unnoticed as a pair of blue eyes glanced up from behind the stage to look at him as he jumped up from his seat and headed towards the backstage before the performance even properly ended. Those eyes now narrowed in concern as their owner turned back to watch the rest of the performance, waiting for her chance to follow.
A little while later, Katrina stood in the shadows behind a column as she watched the entrance to Christine's personal dressing room, and the frown on her face deepened as the handsome vicomte entered the lady's chambers bearing flowers and minutes later, he emerged with an excited smile on his face as he ran off. An angry, annoyed growl reverberated through her chest at the sight, when suddenly, a shadow moved past her, approaching the door and locking it with a flick of his wrist, taking the key with him, before disappearing through another corridor.
Katrina waited for a few minutes to see what would happen, and then she watched as the vicomte tried the door, finding it locked, before he forced it open and burst inside. A few seconds later she saw him run outside again in panic and then she quietly slipped away, finding her own way to the underground lair, for she was sure that's where Christine must surely be.
There, she quietly stood in the shadows by the edge of the lake for a while and her heart fluttered at the sight of Erik softly cooing to his Christine, who followed him around looking positively spellbound and enchanted, a dreamy expression on her face as she had her eyes only for him. Not wanting to disturb them she then left, leaving them to their bliss, going to sleep peacefully knowing that her friend might end up happy after all.
