Sorry for taking so long to update. I have a lot of things going on, but I'll still right it if anyone cares.


Unexpected Meeting

"I cannot believe I got the part!" Christine exclaimed while jumping on her best friend.

"I know! I'm so proud of you, Christine!" Meg replied.

A thought entered Meg's curious mind. She asked her friend, "Who is this teacher maman was talking about?"

Christine's face dropped. "Oh…uhm…well. I'm…not really sure."

Meg looked puzzled, "How can you not be sure?"

"He never told me his name." Christine answered truthfully.

"Really? That's odd." Meg said.

A bunch of ballet girls jumped into the conversation to congratulate Christine. Cecile Jammes was one of them.

"Christine! Why didn't you tell us you could sing?" Cecile asked.

"I never really thought it mattered."

"You were brilliant! Really, so much better than La Carlotta!!" Cecile laughed.

"Thank you." Christine looked up at the time, "I must go. I have to rehearse my lines and try on my costumes."

"Lucky girl!" Adèle, another ballet girl, said.

Meg watched as Christine walked down to the chapel room. She assumed Christine was going to pray to her father as usual. And maybe she would practice down there too.

"I'm glad someone replaced Carlotta. It's about time!" Adèle said to Cecile. She then continued, "I'm really looking forward to this opera."

The three girls continued to talk about the opera until a young man walked by. "Well, well. Check out the new patron." Cecile exclaimed.

Adèle hit her and laughed, "Down girl."

Raoul looked over in their direction and smiled. He then turned his attention back to the two managers he was discussing business with.

Cecile and Adèle admired Raoul from across the room as Meg laughed softly. "You two are always after guys who come around here."

"We do not!" Cecile replied.

"Well if they're rich and handsome, then why not?" Adèle joked.

Meg looked over and noticed that Raoul and the two new managers left. "Well it looks like you girls missed your chance this time."

"Damn. Maybe we'll run into him later." Cecile said.

"Don't fool yourselves, he's a nobleman. He's not going to pay any attention to us ballet rats unless he has bad intentions." Meg told them.

Cecile rolled her eyes, "What bad intentions? You mean having sex with us? If that's the case I really don't mind. I mean, I'm not looking to marry the guy!"

"If you don't get your act together you're going to wind up as bad as La Sorelli." Meg stated.

"I'm just looking for some fun." She replied.

"Well an attitude like that could get you into trouble, or could get you into a horrible situation."

"Lighten up, Meg! I get enough lecturing from your mother!" Cecile laughed.

Cecile and Adèle continued to chat away as Meg sat down and listened to their conversations about life, boys, and the opera.

"Do you really think the ghost is responsible for Carlotta's accidents?" Adèle asked.

"Well let's just say I don't believe they are 'accidents'." Cecile replied.

"You believe in the ghost too?" Meg asked.

"Yes I do!! I saw him!" Cecile exclaimed.

Adèle laughed, "You did not!"

"It's true! I saw him in Box 5!!"

"Well, what did he look like?" Meg asked curiously.

"Well he was a tall, dark, shadowy figure with a white half-mask."

"A mask?!" Adèle questioned.

"Yes! He wears a mask." Cecile answered.

Joseph Buquet overheard the girls and started talking, "He does wear a mask! To hide his yellow parchment skin."

"What? You've seen him?" Adèle asked.

"I have…he's gruesomely disfigured, skeletal like, with no nose." Joseph said.

"I don't believe that." Adèle said.

"You should, and you should always be aware of your surroundings because at night he lurks…"

"Joseph Buquet!!" Madame Giry yelled, "Stop pestering my girls! I will not tell you again."

"I'm just telling them the story of the opera ghost." Joseph responded.

"Enough of it! I will not let my girls believe any of your childish ghost stories."

"You know he exist Madame Giry, admit it."

Madame Giry did not respond to him. She turned her attention to the three ballet girls. "You three should go get ready for the performance!"

"Yes, Madame." Adèle and Cecile said.

The two ballet girls walked away to the dormitories. Meg watched them leave and decided to walk in an opposite direction. In the background she could hear her mother yelling at Buquet.

Lost in thought, she didn't see where she was going. This caused her to run into someone.

"Oh, excuse me." Meg apologized.

"No, it was my fault. Please excuse me Mademoiselle…"

Meg looked up and to her surprise she saw the Vicomte talking to her. She stood in silence for a while before realizing he was asking for her name, "Oh…Mademoiselle Giry."

"Giry? Are you related to the ballet mistress?" The Vicomte asked.

"Yes, she is my mother, Monsieur Le Vicomte."

"No need for formalities. You may call me Raoul."

"Ok, Mons…Raoul. You may call me Meg."

"That's a beautiful name, Meg." He lightly took her hand and kissed it.

"Thank you." Meg blushed.

"Will you be performing tonight?" Raoul asked.

"Yes, I will be."

"Good. I'm looking forward to seeing you perform."

Meg smiled at his kindness. She didn't recognize the feelings her heart was making, along with the butterflies in her stomach. She felt very nervous and strangely alert and alive. But then she remembered Christine telling her that they were childhood sweethearts.

'Christine likes Raoul; I cannot show any interest in him for her sake.' Meg thought.

"Monsieur, if you'll excuse me." Meg said abruptly.

"Oh, am I keeping you from something?" Raoul asked.

"Yes. I am to be ready for the play in an hour." Meg lied. She knew she had more than two hours to be ready.

"I'm sorry for that. Good luck tonight Meg." Raoul said.

Meg flashed a brief smile and walked away. She was stopped by Raoul calling for her again. She turned around to face him.

"Will I see you again?" Raoul asked.

Meg paused. She just couldn't say no. But yet she couldn't go any further with him.

"Maybe." She replied.

'Maybe? Is that the best I can come up with?' Her mind laughed at her.

Raoul look satisfied with her reply. He smiled and wished her luck once again before leaving. Meg smiled lightly and turned around to head back to the dormitories.

She saw a shadow from across the room and became nervous. 'Who is that figure?'

Her mind thought it might be the ghost, but yet she refused to believe it. The shadow was getting closer to her until the person came into full view…

"What a hypocrite!" Cecile laughed.

Meg sighed with relief. "What do you mean?"

"That lecture you gave me before…and now you're seeing the Vicomte."

"No I'm not."

"Then what was all that about?" Cecile asked.

"We were just talking!"

"Sure you were."

Meg rolled her eyes and walked passed Cecile determined to make it to the dormitories without being stopped. She hoped that she could also see Christine before the big show.