I woke up too early to someone shaking me.
"whatthemotherfughdauowan?"I somehow managed to mutter, within a second I'd forgotten what I'd said to begin with. I couldn't even see, my eyes were too blurry. "Don't you know it's bad to wake people during REM sleep?" I managed to sit up and rub my eyes clear. I hear two gasps. The last day of my life had come flashing back to me. Stuck in The Phantom of the Opera. Shit; I needed a stiff one. "What?" I rubbed my eyes clear and saw that Christine and Meg had their backs turned to me. Both pairs of ears were a bright pink.
"You seem to have taken off your cloths in the night." Meg said, clearly embarrassed that she had seen another girl, albeit one she didn't know well, naked. I looked down to find myself in the buff, thankfully I'd pulled the blankets up with me so they couldn't see anything important, maybe I'd slipped a nip while getting up. Could've sworn I'd put on a pair of shorts and a shirt for the night. Ah well.
"I guess it's been so long since I actually wore something to bed I stripped in the middle of the night." I found my shirt on the ground and pulled it on. "So why am I awake at... when am I awake at?"
"It's six thirty." Meg said happily. I was surprised I didn't keel over.
"Why? Why would you get me up at this ungodly hour? I swear there shouldn't be a six thirty." I rubbed my eyes again.
"We always get up at six thirty." Christine seemed shocked I didn't start my day as early as she did. I laughed.
"It's hard to believe that I got up before eleven on a day I don't have school." I groaned and got under my covers again. "I'm a creature of the night, meaning that I despise the light and relish darkness."
"We're sorry, we never thought you would sleep later than us; since we were little we've had to get up at six and be rehearsing the next play by seven." My mouth hung open.
"How could you get up so early?" I forced my eyes open as I realized that I hadn't brushed my teeth or washed my face before flopping into bed. "Since I'm up wanna take me to the bathroom?" I rolled so I was upside down and pulled my backpack out from under the bed. Christine and Meg giggled at this. "What?"
"You've got no bottoms on!" They descended into full blown laughter.
"Yeah, yeah, I must be giving the opera ghost something to wank to." I let this fall out of my lips before I could think of what could happen if Erik was listening. Still, that would mean I'd mooned The Phantom of the Opera.
"What does wank mean?" Christine asked. I'm not telling her that.
"It means to get an eyeful of something. Like my milk chocolate ass." I laughed at this one, still hoping that Erik wasn't about to see my butt. It'd be funny to see the look on his face though, what with all these proper men and all in this period.
"Come on, I'll show you where we can get you a bath, your makeup looks like it was put on you by a child." I tried to look surprised.
"Oh, you don't think my day old makeup is beautiful? I think I'm pretty foxy." I pushed my lips out and sucked in my cheeks. I found my shorts at the bottom of the bed where I had apparently kicked them off in the middle of the night.
"I'd put on something a little less revealing if I were you." Christine laughed. I shrugged and pulled my toiletries out and grabbed my brown dress, some underwear and my stockings, garter belt and flack. I pushed my electronics down to the bottom of my bag; even if my clothes look weird it'd be harder to explain what a cellphone was. Sighing I replaced my bra with the corset. Still there was no way I was going to wear the ridiculous underpants. I pulled on the white under dress that was supposed to be worn underneath the corset; I didn't want to put it on yesterday, thinking it'd be too hot. Maybe I'll use it as a night dress until the day got too cold to go without it.
"Happy?" We walked to the bathroom quietly, like we would disturb anyone else, this place was practically deserted. I honestly didn't know what I was expecting when I saw the tub, maybe a bucket on the floor or a metal tub we'd have to fill by hand but it wasn't this. This tub looked pretty easy to use. "So how do I work this relic?"
Christine and Meg helped me with drawing the bath and left me to my lonesome. I stripped down and sank into the warm water. I'd decided to make it quick, only staying in until the water cooled. I scrubbed my hair and body, shaving my armpits afterward. As I massaged conditioner into my scalp my thoughts turned to my new life and Erik. It'll be interesting to see what will happen as this story progresses. Without a doubt I'll have to tell Erik I know he's not an angel and maybe help him become a little less fucked up. I breathed in the scent of my conditioner, letting it sooth me. I rinsed my hair out and wiped the soap from my body, letting my hand run over the long jagged scar on my stomach. I could feel the memories creeping up on me, not wanting to succumb to them I pulled the plug and got out of the tub.
I dried myself and wrapped my hair up in the towel. I pulled my creme out of my bag and put some on my body, got dressed, brushed my damp hair into a low bun at the nape of my neck and put on my makeup. I curled my eyelashes, added mascara and eyeliner and brushed on some lip balm. I was happy I had a good complexion and an even skin tone, I'd never gotten the hang of foundation. I put the locket necklace on and tucked it under my dress, feeling it's shape against my stomach.
I walked to the bedroom and dumped my stuff. Christine and Meg were reading as I entered the room.
"Have a good bath? You weren't in for very long." Meg observed.
"Yeah, it was great. I just wanted to get a good start today. You know I need to clean the Phantom's box." They looked at me like I'd been sentenced to death. "I'll be fine. It'll only take a few hours and I really don't think that the Opera Ghost is going to kill a little black girl for cleaning the box he's been whining over the state thereof." They gaped at me.
"I can't believe you just insulted the Ghost! And you still plan to go in the box! Are you completely out of your mind?" Christine whispered, knowing that the Phantom could be there at that moment. "He might catch you and we'll find you hanging from the Punjab around your neck in that box!" She clutched my arm, trying to prevent me from going.
"You and I both know that if I want to stay I have to clean box 5 every day. Once it's clean it won't take as long the next day, I'm sure it'll be in and out," I said pulling myself away from Christine. "Besides I don't have anyone here if I died it'd be of no consequence."
"Oh, please don't say that! We'd be sad if you left." Meg hurried over and held my other arm.
"Thanks; you do realize this doesn't change the fact that I have to go clean now?" They seemed to sober at the fact that I had to go, they obviously thought that I was going to die by the Phantom's hands. I'm glad I knew this story well enough to know that Erik wouldn't kill me, he wanted me to me his student and as far as he knew I didn't know he was the phantom of the opera.
"Please try to come back soon." Meg urged. I nodded and left the room. I walked down to the room where they kept their cleaning supplies and loaded up a basket of polishes, brushes, and rags; soon I was walking up the flight of stairs that led to the boxes. I stopped in front of Erik's favorite seat in the house. Slowly I opened the door to the dusty room; I could almost taste the stale fear in the air. I lit the oil lamp that stood in the corner and walked in, I wasn't going to let others decide it was too scary for me to clean in the Phantom's domain. I pulled a rag from the apron pocket, poured some solution on it and began to polish the first of four chairs. I let my mind wonder as I began to mechanically clean; what did this Erik look like? Would he look like a living corpse, as how Leroux described him? Maybe he'd look like Lon Chaney or Michael Crawford. Leroux Erik was a definite possibility, that haunting voice filled my spirit with a strange sweet song, more beautiful than any other I had heard. I felt a pain in my gut when I remembered the saddest part of the book, one that I remembered even though I hadn't had the courage to re read it in four years. When my own father never saw me and my mother, so as not to see me, made me a present of my first mask! He reminded me of myself with his own twisted family issues.
I began to sing the song Erik had taught me, singing always made the ache that came with thinking of my family hurt a little less. If I ever got back to my time I'd have to look up this musical Amor Und Psyche. Soon the gilt edges of the chairs were done so I closed the red velvet curtains and rubbed the cobwebs and dust off of them with a new rag. I tried to reach the top but I was too short. I took off my shoes and stood on a chair wrapping the end of the broom I brought in the rag and rubbed the top of the curtain, for some reason I had an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. So I began to laugh.
"What now cobwebs? What now? I'm gonna eradicate cho' ass!" Well there I was, going angry black women on a pair of once dirty curtains. God I needed a life. Or a man.
"How do you plan to remedy the situation my insulting my curtains?" Erik was making his voice, wanting me to cower in fear of the mighty Phantom of the Opera. I closed my eyes. Was he toying with me?
"Oh my, I must be in the presence of the Opera Ghost. And if you really must know I'm celebrating the Tamaranean holiday Gorb Gorb. The holiday of berating drapery." Teen Titans don't fail me now. "Stupid curtains!" I yelled at them.
"You are such a strange specimen of female culture." He was trying to sound serious but I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Oh, I'm not like anyone else. Here at least. I'm from the future so I'm special. Also a little crazy." I smiled at I rubbed the last bit of dust off the very top edge of the curtain.
"I couldn't possibly doubt that but what are the evidence you give for your insanity?" I could tell he was amused.
"Well, I just yelled at drapery and used a reference from the future that you'll never understand in this lifetime and I'm speaking to the famed and feared Phantom of the Opera without running away and screaming. I must be batty." I smiled, knowing Erik wouldn't hurt me so I talked to him like I would to any other person.
"Yes, you must be completely out of your mind." I lifted my arms above my head.
"I regret nothing!" I love being me. "I'm awesome, I think I'm one of the best people I know." I heard a snort.
"Crazy and modest, you must have a wonderful mind." Erik seemed to forget that he had to be the angry Phantom of the Opera.
"Don't be jealous, I know everyone wishes they were me; I'm too irresistible." I faked a sigh. "The trials of the life of me."
"Now why don't you tell me what are you doing in my box?" I knew he already knew, but I guess he wanted to play up his part.
"I'm the cleaning girl, since all the other maids are scared six feet under of this room and refuse to go near it they needed me. And, since the rest of the cleaning staff have this place covered, this is my only job. Pretty interesting huh?" I began to sweep the dust from the floor into a dust pan. "Gee, I'm freakin' Cinderella." I swept all around the floor, knowing Erik was watching me.
"You don't seem to mind the fact that you have to clean this box, even though I can tell you'd rather not be here. Why?" Erik made a point, I didn't like cleaning the dirtiest box in the history of dirty boxes.
"Because it's the only way they'll let me stay there; plus I don't really have anything to lose. I'm trapped in the past, in Paris and I don't know french. And if you were to kill me it wouldn't be like I'd cause anyone a profound sense of loss, they'd get over it pretty quickly and go on with their lives. I'm pretty much of no consequence." I'd thought about this a lot last night as I drifted into sleep. Maybe being killed was my way home.
"I think Christine and Meg would feel very sorry that you were gone." Crap, he had heard us this morning.
"So you were listening in on us this morning were you? Pray tell before or after I got in the tub?" I didn't want him to have seen me half naked.
"After." I almost sighed in relief. "Were you insulting me then as well?" Well shit.
"I wouldn't call it insulting, just telling it like it is. You were sending note upon note to the manager asking why your box was never clean. That sounds like whining to me." I dusted off my apron and looked around. I was almost done, I only had to dust the walls off with the feather duster. "But the powerful Opera Ghost does not whine am I right?" I lowered my voice, making a poor imitation of him.
"You didn't seem afraid when they told you I would kill you. Why?" I couldn't tell him the real reason so I made something up.
"So I could get an interview with you." Could be worse.
"You'd want to talk to the Opera Ghost? You really must be out of your mind."
"Or maybe I'm curious about the man who terrorizes the Opera House."
"Do you not know my dear? Curiosity killed the cat." I could hear the smirk in his voice.
"Yes but satisfaction brought it back." Well, I'm arguing with the Opera Ghost. Maybe Erik will kill me after all.
"Why would you want to talk to me? Haven't you already heard that I am a ruthless killer?" I finished dusting the walls and packed up. Looking at my watch I saw that I had been cleaning the box for three hours.
"Well I don't think you kill without a reason and, from what I hear, you want the Opera Populaire to be successful. You can't be all bad. Besides," I packed up all my things. "The thought of you being alone so often makes me sad for you." I opened the door to the hall and paused. "If you need a friend I'll talk to you." And I left the room.
_
ERIK
I watched this strange girl go. What was going through her mind to give friendship to me? The monster that roams the halls of the opera house, terrorizing the people inside. She seemed to see past the outward glance that people would normally give me. I moved out of the shadows and took a turn about the room. For how quickly she had done her work it was nice and clean for once. I decided to comment on it in the next letter to my manager.
I silently slipped down to the tunnels I called my home and sat at my desk, writing my note.
Dear Lefèvre,
Please inform the 5th violin player that he has need of a new job as he cannot keep up with the others and drags each hamony into an unrecognizable mess. Also, I'd like to remind you that my salary is due in a week's time. The new girl who you have hired seems, at least, to be working out well and I would like to see the upkeep of my box in the same state she has now left it in.
Your humble friend,
O.G
I sealed the letter and left it on his desk for him to find when he returned. When I was again in my home I thought of Danielle, she has had former teaching and had a beautiful voice, I wanted her to sing on stage and show the world the talent she has. I want her to sing the music I write for her. And Christine. She also has a wonderful talent and I must meet with her soon to work on her voice. I had been teaching her for only two years now and she has become a quick learner. I wanted Christine to excel and step out of the shadow of her famous violinist father; soon I plan for her to take that bitch Carlotta's place as prima donna. But where would this leave Danielle? Maybe she could get small singing parts, I still had no idea if she could act. It would be a shame to see her voice go to waste.
_
DANIELLE
I walked away from the door, wondering when Erik would call me to sing again. It had taken a while but talking with him made it go that much faster. I liked talking to Erik but it was kind of annoying that he's going to pretend to be two different people who both talk to me. I can see this getting very hard in the future. I went back to the room where they kept the cleaning supplies and dumped my things. I'd started at seven so it was around ten or ten thirty so I decided to get something out of the kitchen for breakfast.
"Danielle. Danielle." I turned to see Christine coming my way.
"Hey Christine," I said. We met up and walked to the kitchen together.
"I'm so happy you're alright. I thought the Ghost got you for sure." Christine sounded relieved; if only she knew who the Angel of Music really was, then she'd be singing a different tune. "The dancers are coming back today and you'll be able to meet them all. Tomorrow we start rehearsals for Faust."
"That's great! I've never seen a play in a fancy Opera House. I was going to but I wound up here instead." Faust was the play Erik kidnapped Christine from in the book and I wondered if it was going to happen the way that Leroux wrote it. I had my doubts though because Christine looked like Emmy Rossum with brown hair and blue eyes and Christine in Leroux's book was a blonde. I'm guessing it's going to follow the movie. Or play. Whatever, I'm not going to think about this.
"So are you going out for any parts in this?" Christine looked down.
"I don't think I could. There are only a small portion of rolls and La Carlotta always gets the lead. Anyway I'm not experienced enough." That was pure, unadulterated bull, I knew Erik was teaching her to sing.
"Christine won't you sing with me
I'm feeling lonely by myself.
Christine won't you sing with me
And add a harmonious voice." I sang to her and she looked back at me, surprised at my soprano singing. "Don't tell me you can't sing, Christine. I've only met one person that can't sing so far and you aren't her. You need to be nicer to yourself." I could swear I heard Erik praise me.
"Brava, brava, bravissima."
"I'm sorry, I've never felt comfortable singing in front of other people." She blushed and I rolled my eyes.
"Do it to make your father proud. He can already see you dancing like a prima donna, why don't you sing like one too?" She looked up at me sharply. "Trust me," I said. "I know."
By five o'clock the dancers were back and I'd met them all. They seemed pretty nice and thought I was the bravest person they knew for cleaning the Ghost's box. By seven we were eating dinner together and telling stories about their free time, I pulled out a pill and drank it down with some of the wine they served with dinner. By ten we were joking around in bed. By eleven we were all asleep.
Yeah, not a lot in this chapter but Danielle is talking to Erik, maybe she'll FACE him soon. Get it? Face? HA! Okay, bad joke but still I hope you enjoy this chapter, I've already started writing the next one and it'll be up by Friday. Danielle is mine, but everyone else belong to Leroux, Webber and themselves.
Review!