Chapter 7: Silence And Flames
People were rushing around preparing for the opening night of the phantom's opera but Hope sat within her room starring into the flames of the fireplace,
"The time must be now, Hope... This is your duty" Madame Giry told her before placing a small vial on the table next to her,
"I prepared a sleeping draft so that the extraction of Christine's voice shall be more easier for you" she said and watched how after a moment, Hope took the vial in hand before standing and left the room.
Hope approached Christine's dressing room and went to knock hesitantly but stopped when she heard muffled voices coming from within and she pressed her ear, gently against the door,
"This is it, Christine. Are you ready?" Hope heard Vicomte Raoul De Changny, the opera's patron say,
"Yes. I know he won't be able to resist harmonising his voice with my own... And when the time is right, I shall give the signal" Christine said,
"And the phantom shall be no more" Raoul finished causing Hope to hold a look of horror on her face,
"You are certain you will be able to lead myself and the police to his home?... You are certain the artefact is down there?" Raoul asked,
"Yes. He told me of the priceless jewel he kept close to his side and soon it shall be ours, my love" Christine whispered and Hope's eyes widened.
Madame Giry looked stunned when Hope told her what had happened,
"A priceless Jewel?" she pressed,
'Yes. I know of the jewel she speaks. Before Erik and I came to Paris we escaped from a travelling circus that was visiting Persia at the time... Erik always was a stubborn old goat. The jewel belonged to the shah whom had shamed Erik at one point by revealing his face to the royal court. He wanted revenge but I stopped him. I told him murder was not the answer... So he took the crowned jewel from the shah's royal staff instead' she explained and the ballet mistress looked at Hope firmly,
"Did you give Christine the sleeping draft?" she asked,
'I wasn't going too... But yes. When Raoul left, I waited a moment before knocking and told her it was a herbal tonic to calm her nerves for tonight. It knocked her out like a rock' Hope told her and the ballet mistress nodded,
"And her voice?" she asked, watching as Hope reached into her pocket, retrieving a small sphere that contained a pink swirling mist that twisted with a slight black mist,
'Even the purest voice can be tainted with lies' Hope signed before giving a silent sad sigh,
'He shall never forgive me for this... But I am thankful for that for it means he shall live' she finished, closing her eyes sadly.
As the opera of Don Juan Triumphant began, Hope felt her heart beating fast within her as she got more and more worried; Hope watched as Christine walked gracefully onto the stage within her Amita costume and Hope closed her eyes tightly when Christine opened her mouth to sing but nothing came,
"NO!" she heard Erik yell after a few moments of silence and she opened her eyes to see an angry Erik watching the stage from a high balcony above the auditorium and he searched the room with his eyes as if looking for an answer, His eyes soon falling on her,
'I am sorry' she signed and felt her heartbreak at the sight of hatred Erik aimed towards her before storming off into one of his secret passages.
Madame Giry entered Hope's chamber sometime later to find her packing a satchel,
"Where will you go?" the ballet mistress asked sadly and watched as Hope sat down, seeing her tear stained cheeks,
'There was a time when my visions showed me how mine and Erik's path were aligned... I can no longer see this joined path. Erik's life is safe but because of my betrayal... He must continue the rest of his path without me' she finished and the ballet mistress hugged her tightly,
"You must never loose faith. I believe your path with Erik shall cross again... As I believe our paths shall cross again" she said with a smile, which Hope returned,
'I pray you are right' she signed before picking up her satchel and smiled at the woman before her,
'Farewell, Madame' she bid before leaving and Madame Giry smiled to herself before looking at her reflection within a mirror,
"You need not pray, dear child... For I have already seen it to be so" she said to herself secretly, watched as her aged green eyes gave off a golden glow for a moment.
As the sun rose, bringing a new day; Hope stowed away on a ship, her destination unknown to her and it was only when night fell that she approached the ship's side, retrieving the swirling pink sphere from her satchel.
Madame Giry was overseeing rehearsals when Christine came to see her,
"Christine?... I suppose you shall be leaving with the vicomte" the ballet mistress said and watched Christine nod,
"Yes. There is nothing here for me now" she replied causing Madame Giry to look confused,
"You... You can speak?" she asked,
"Yes... My singing voice seems to have vanished but my speaking voice is still in tact. The doctor's are quite astounded" Christine explained and the ballet mistress held a look of realisation. Hope hadn't taken Christine's voice... She had split it into two, taking only her singing voice, leaving only speech behind.
Hope closed her eyes tightly as she held the pink sphere above the crashing waves below,
Singing is a gift, she thought,
No one should use such a gift to manipulate someone like Christine had done to Erik, she reasoned with herself before slowly releasing her hold on the sphere, allowing the relic to be lost to the depths of the ocean.
Is this the end?!... No haha. Don't worry. We shall see Erik and Hope reunited in the next chapter.
Kind Regards,
TheAuthor1996