Madame Giry eyed the doorway to her rehearsal room carefully, waiting for the emergence of her newest pupil. Normally she'd refuse to accept any additional students in the middle of the season, but an exception had been made for Christine Daae de Chagny's niece. At just past two in the afternoon, a timid figure stepped through the door.
"Miss Fabre," the experience ballet instructor rose from her seat and crossed the worn wooden floor, hand outstretched. The young girl took it tentatively and curtsied, obviously intimidated by the darkly dressed woman in front of her. Doing what she could to attempt to soften her features, Madame Giry led Camille to the center of the room and stepped back.
"I'd like to examine your form, if you're prepared." The woman suggested. Camille nodded, obviously dressed to rehearse, and waited for further instruction.
"En Premiere," Camille immediately went into first position and held it with the unwavering stillness of a statue. She watched the black haired woman anxiously, not worried about her form, but instead over the question she was about to ask. The one that had been gnawing at her all day, the second she noticed the whispers and stares that seemed to accompany being anywhere near Christine and Raoul.
"Madame Giry, may I ask you a question?" Camille kept her voice quiet and respectful, training her eyes on the floor.
"En Seconde. And you may." Madame Giry answered, inspecting the young girl's form as she went into second position. Camille hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"What was it that happened here with Christine and Raoul? Everyone acts so oddly around them. I've heard whispers all day, even outside the theater. Something about a phantom?" Madame Giry's eyes visibly widened and she hurried to hide her reaction. Praying that they weren't being watched, she instinctively glanced around the room before answering.
"There is someone who haunts this theater. A genius, you could say. Your cousin was the object of his teaching, admiration, and….and obsession. She and Raoul barely escaped his clutches. It is important that you be wary of this place, Camille. This building will always belong to him." The ballet instructor warned in a grave tone. Camille struggled to disguise her shock and instead chose to focus on perfecting her stance.
"En Troisieme," Camille switched to third position in one graceful move and kept her eyes downcast.
"So he still resides here?" The teenager questioned.
"I believe so, yes. Though we haven't seen another incident, I find it hard to believe he has departed." Madame Giry answered softly. Camille nodded, and waited for further instruction.
"You have quite impressive poise. I look forward to working with you." The older woman tapped her cane on the floor lightly and turned away from her newest student. Camille looked a bit alarmed at her curtness, but relaxed her posture.
"Thank you ma'am. Do you happen to know where Christine is?" The young girl asked.
"I believe the Vicomtesse de Chagny is being fitted for her costumes. Have you been shown to the wardrobe room yet?" Camille thought back to the day before and nodded, knowing that it was at least somewhere around the dance studio. She knew that they were at least on the same floor.
"Yes, I think I can find it alright. Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you." Camille said politely, giving her new teacher a respectful nod of the head. Madame Giry returned it and watched as the young girl hurried out of the mirrored room.
Camille wandered down what seemed like the fifth hallway in the last 10 minutes, peering into various rooms. Although she had been sure she could find the costuming room, the teenager was now quite lost.
"You seem a bit turned around, my dear." Camille whirled around in surprise to see a darkly dressed figure standing behind her. The man wore an odd, white mask across half of his face and was cloaked in what looked like a hooded cape. He offered a half smile, stepping a bit closer to her.
"Yes, actually. I was looking for wardrobe?" She replied, studying the man carefully.
"Ah, I just came from there. Take a right at the end of this hall and it will be the fifth door on the left." He instructed, gesturing to the mask on his face. Camille nodded, grateful for the explanation and directions.
"Thank you, sir." She smiled slightly before turning around and hurrying away. Despite how friendly the man had been, she had been a bit unnerved at how he had just appeared out of nowhere. And if he had just come from the wardrobe room, how had he come from behind her? Shaking the uneasiness from her mind, Camille hurried to the right and counted the doors until she finally reached her destination. The teenager tentatively stepped through the door, searching for her cousin.
"Camille, you're done already?" Christine's voice was laced with surprise and she smiled at the younger girl in the reflection in the mirror.
"Madame Giry had only wanted to inspect my form. I'm sorry if I'm intruding." Camille replied apologetically. Christine shook her head and went to turn towards the doorway, where the young girl still lingered. The stab in her side from her seamstress' needle corrected her immediately.
"Of course not. This is actually wonderful. Collette here is just finishing up and then you and I can perhaps take a walk. It's beautiful outside today." Christine suggested excitedly. She felt the woman at her side snip the end of the thread she had been using and finally turned towards Camille expectantly.
"That sounds quite nice. I'd like that. Also, who is the masked character in this production of Sapho?" Christine's face visibly paled at her cousin's question. Stepping down from the seamstress' stool, the soprano crossed the room in a hurry and lowered her voice.
"Did you see a man in a mask? Camille, where was he?" The younger of the two frowned in confusion and glanced back towards the doorway.
"He was just down the hallway. He said he had just come from here and gave me directions. I had gotten lost-"
"We need to leave right now. Collette, please help me out of this." Christine's voice had taken on a frantic tone and she turned around towards the seamstress. Camille watched in confusion as her cousin quickly shed the intricately beaded dress and threw on the dress she had come in.
"What's going on? Why must we leave?" Camille frowned in concern as Christine grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her into the hall. She struggled to match pace with the older girl and waited for an explanation as to why they were practically bolting. Christine didn't say another word until they had burst out of the theater's front door and onto the street. Camille finally planted her feet firmly on the ground and refused to budge. Christine turned around in surprise, fear written all over her face.
"Christine, what's happening? Why are we running like this?" Camille demanded, tightening her grip on the older girl's arm so that she couldn't run away.
"Please just keep walking and I'll tell you." She begged, tugging on Camille's arm. Sensitive to the fact that Christine truly was panicking, Camille agreed and the two of them began walking down the street, away from the theater.
"Are you alright? Should we find Raoul?" The young girl asked in concern. Christine took in a shaky breath, fingers intertwining with Camille's, and continued to pull her down the street briskly. Waiting patiently, Camille stayed silent as she watched Christine struggle to catch her breath, as well as to collect her thoughts. They finally came to a small bridge and Christine stopped walking abruptly. The two of them edged towards the railing and looked down at the water below. Finally, Christine opened her mouth and began to speak.
"Has anyone told you about what happened?" Camille bit her bottom lip and nodded.
"Madame Giry spoke to me a bit about it. She only said that there was a man who seems to own the theater and he had been some sort of a threat to both you and Raoul. Was the man I saw him?"
"I believe so. It could have been someone playing a cruel joke, but I just couldn't take that chance," Christine sighed, shaking her head. "The man, the one they call the Phantom, his name is Erik. I'm afraid…I'm afraid he may be angry with Raoul and I for returning to his theater so soon. You see, I was his student only a little while ago. I suppose he became infatuated with me, though I was in love with Raoul. He pretended to be my…my angel of music. I thought it was a sign from my father. It just didn't end well and that's why you must be extremely cautious from here on out. I can't imagine he'd do anything to hurt you, but you can't possibly be too careful." Camille listened carefully, eyes widening at the slightly more detailed account of what had happened. The idea that the masked man could in fact be the man Christine was recounting her experience with suddenly made perfect sense. He had appeared out of nowhere and the story of where he had come from hadn't added up at all.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, Christine. Whatever it is that actually happened, I'm sure it was terrifying. You've offered to be there should I ever need to talk, and I want to do the same for you. I can't imagine how hard that was for you." Camille offered genuinely. Surprisingly, Christine found herself strangely relieved and comforted by the younger girl's offer. Perhaps Camille wasn't going to be as hard to get to know as she had thought.
"Thank you. Truly, that means more to me than you could ever know. Raoul doesn't like to speak about what happened to the two of us. He nearly lost his life. And I don't think anyone else truly cares other than for the sake of gossip." Christine shook her head, shivering as a chilly gust of wind breezed past the two of them.
"Most people only care about tragedy when they don't know the details. Not knowing bothers them more than what actually happened. Perhaps we should start back towards home? You seem chilly and I'm sure you're a bit shaken up." Camille proposed gently. Christine nodded in agreement, goosebumps rising on the exposed skin of her arms. Leading the way, the older girl began to lead her younger cousin back in the direction of the theater, where their carriage sat parked.
Little bit of drama being stirred up. Hope you guys liked it! Comments or suggestions are welcome!