Christopher made it to the backstage without bumping into anyone. All the performers and musicians were busy chatting with other people and the stagehands were flirting with dancers and chorus girls. He was close to the door to the manager's office, but before he could open it, he was stopped when he heard a familiar voice. "Christopher Daaé, is that you?"
He turned around and had a huge smile on his face. "Madame Giry! I can't believe it's you," he said as he gave the older woman a hug. "How have you been? I haven't seen you for years!"
"I'm doing very well now that you are here! How are you," Madame Giry said with a slightly uncomfortable tone.
"I'm doing fine, but what are you doing here?"
"Don't you remember? My daughter and I got a job here after the Opera Populaire . . . incident. I've been working here for maybe seven years now and dear Meg has been working here too and another location sometimes when Mister Y needs her, but enough about us. What brings you here?"
"Well, I received a letter from Fantôme saying that she would like to see one of her shows and maybe even hire me for future ones. Is there any chance I could see her now," he asked with a smile.
Madame Giry gave him a troubled look and said, "I'm afraid she is very busy right now and cannot be disturbed, but you said you received a letter from Fantôme?"
"Yes, here it is," he said as he reached for his pocket and handed her the letter.
She quickly scanned the letter and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid she didn't send this. I don't know who did, but it wasn't her."
She handed him back the note and he asked her, "Well, if it wasn't her, then who could have sent it?" Madame Giry pondered at the question and couldn't think of anyone, except for maybe . . .
"Have you met a man named Nadir Khan?"
"Yes. Rachel and I are going to have dinner with him and Annabel Lee," he said with a curious face.
Her eyebrows slanted at that woman's name. "Annabel Lee? I suggest you stay away from her. Fantôme hates her with all her soul for multiple reasons, but the main one being that she runs a shady business."
"What do you mean?"
"We have noticed that some of her customers who enter her shop don't come out. I'm not sure if she's a prostitute or something worse, but I don't want you to be involved in that woman's business."
"Well, I'm only having dinner with her and Nadir. I promise that after this, I won't remain in contact with her."
"Thank you. She would appreciate that." After a while, a little girl walked by them, but she stopped as she saw the strange man speaking with Madame Giry. In a way, he was fascinated by him since he seemed so familiar to her, but she didn't know why. Who was this man? "Diana! What are you doing here?"
"I'm trying to find mother, but she's not in her office. I can't go home since I can't reach the button on the mir-," Diana tried to say, but Madame Giry shushed her.
"I'll try to get you home," she said, clearly hiding something.
Christopher stared at the little girl with uncertainty. She reminded him of someone, but couldn't figure out whom exactly. The only clues she gave him were her blue and green eyes and the long scar on her face, but he assumed she suffered an accident that gave her such a scar. "So, Diana, how did you enjoy the show," he asked finally.
She was shy at first, but said in a quiet voice, "I always love the shows mother creates."
His eyes widened as he asked, "Your mother created the show?" Diana nodded. "Wow, she must be really talented!"
"Yes she is," Madame Giry said with a sad smile.
After a while, Darius walked up to Christopher and said, "My master asked me to tell you that we will leave soon. I'm afraid you can't meet Fantôme right now."
"Oh, that's too bad," Christopher said with a disappointed tone. "Well, I guess I should be off. It was very nice talking to you and maybe we will see each other again soon."
"I hope so," she said with a smile.
He turned to follow Darius, but he remembered to say, "Could you please tell Fantôme that I am looking for a job. Even if she didn't send the letter, I bet she'll be interested in hiring me, even if it's just to sing one song."
"I'll see what I can do. Goodbye, Christopher," she said as she gave him one more hug.
"Goodbye, Madame Giry," he said as he returned the hug. He then looked at Diana and said, "Goodbye, Diana."
"G-Goodbye, monsieur," she said. Christopher didn't realize she was French until she said addressed him with a French title. Regardless, he left their side while she took Diana into Fantôme's office. When they arrived, they noticed the door was locked and Madame Giry knocked.
"Fantôme, can we come in," she asked. She didn't get a response, but they did hear something move through the room and footsteps followed. They heard the door unlock and Erika peeked out the door, but not revealing too much of herself.
"Is he gone," she quietly asked.
"Yes and I brought Diana with me," Madame Giry said. Erika then opened the door wider and let the two of them in. As soon as they entered, Erika quickly shut the door and locked it. She noticed that the black cloth that covered the mirror was off, which meant only one thing.
"He was here! I heard it from Monte! Why was he here? How did he find me," Erika started asking frantically.
"I talked with him and he said he received a letter from you inviting him to one of your shows."
"But . . . I didn't send him a letter," she said with confusion.
"I know you didn't, but I looked at the letter myself and the handwriting isn't yours, but it was familiar."
"Whose handwriting was it?"
"Nadir's."
Her face gave off a confused look as she said, "Nadir? Why would he do that? Wouldn't bringing him here hinder his plan of winning my heart?"
"I thought the same thing. Christopher even said he and Rachel were going to meet Nadir after-,"
"She's here," Erika said with a sad tone. Madame Giry placed her arm around her shoulders as she saw that she was about to cry.
"He wanted to see you, even though you didn't send him the letter. He's looking for a job and I can't think of any excuses for you."
"We cannot meet under any circumstances! It's already stressful enough that he was here, but if he sees me, I don't know how we would react," she said impulsively and with uncertainty.
"Mother, what's wrong," Diana asked.
Erika looked at her daughter and said, "Nothing's wrong, darling. I'm just not feeling well right now." She then turned Madame Giry and said, "I think Diana and I should go home now. It's getting late."
"Of course. I'll see you in the morning," she said as she left the room. Once the door was closed, Erika directed her daughter to the mirror and then pushed the button in a high area, away from easy reach. In no time, the mirror automatically slid from right to left, revealing a secret room unknown to everyone except for them and the Girys. They entered and the mirror soon closed behind them. There was only a single candle that lit the room, but it was sufficient enough to see the two beds.
They changed into their nightgowns and headed for bed, but not before Diana asked, "Who is Christopher?"
Erika tucked her daughter into bed, but was hesitant to answer that question. "He's an old flame from my past. It's nothing for you to worry about."
"But you seem to be worried about him a lot. What happened to you two?"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you someday, but right now, you need to go to bed. You've got a long day tomorrow. I hear Bianca will teach you how to sing that song you love."
"Really? That would be great," she said as she put her head on her pillow. Erika was about to get up from the little bed, but she heard her say, "Can you sing me a lullaby?"
"Aren't you a little too old for lullabies?"
"I'm never too old for them as long as you sing them. Please, mother," she begged. Erika smiled and began to sing:
Say you will love me forever and ever
Say you will love me through all my endeavors
My heart will only beat for you and it will never cease
For you are the only one who sees the human being in me
Once she knew her daughter was asleep, she placed a kiss on her forehead and headed to bed. As she placed her head on the pillow, a thousand thoughts filled her head, but three questions kept her up for a couple of hours. Why was Christopher here? Why would Nadir write to him? Does he still love her? She tried to calm herself so she could sleep, but it took a while before she could even close her eyes and listen to the quietness of the room. The only thing that was making noise was her daughter's breathing and her own beating heart. Diana was always her pride and joy, more than this theater would ever be. She was her daughter. She was Christopher's daughter. "I hope he never finds out," she whispered to herself before she finally fell asleep.
Christopher, Rachel, Nadir, and Darius rode in a carriage and headed for the French bistro close to the Fantôme Theater, where they planned to meet Annabel. Christopher had a million thoughts flooding his mind, but most of them concerned the little girl that he met. Diana; that was her name. She seemed so familiar to him, but this was the first time they met. Why was that?
After a while, they reached the bistro and Nadir escorted them out the carriage. Once the four of them were all out, they saw Annabel at the front of the restaurant with a huge smile on her face. She was wearing a green dress with long slightly darker green gloves. She had a small black purse hanging from her shoulder that seemed to only fit money inside. "How was the show," she asked.
"It was great! I haven't seen a show like that in my life," Rachel said.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Nadir, did you see Fantôme tonight?"
"No and neither did Christopher. She must have been busy tonight," he said.
"Well, that's too bad, but you'll see her another day. After all, she could never say no to you," she said with a pat on his back.
"I'm not so sure, especially after my last fiasco," he said with a doubtful tone. After a moment of silence, they headed into the bistro and sat at a table close to the front window. They started with drinks, but Christopher advised that Rachel should drink only tea to avoid any public scenes that would embarrass them.
"So, you couldn't find Fantôme? I thought she invited us and would like to meet you personally," Rachel asked.
"Apparently, she didn't write that letter," Christopher answered. Annabel, Nadir, and Darius kept their heads down to avoid suspicious stares.
"What do you mean she didn't write it? How do you know that?"
"I saw Madame Giry on my way to Fantôme's office," he said, but was soon interrupted.
"Oh, I haven't seen her since she moved from Paris. How is she," she asked with excitement.
"She and Meg are doing well and they work at the theater, but Madame Giry told me she didn't write the letter. However, she did mention you name, Nadir," he said as he faced the Persian man.
"She did? What did she say?"
"She didn't say much since I mentioned Annabel's name. You must have really pissed her off, Ms. Lee."
"What could you have done to make her hate you," Rachel asked as she drank her husband's glass of wine. She was sick of tea and wanted something bubbly, even if it made Christopher shake his head.
"I don't know, to be honest with you. The first time I met her, she was wearing a mask-," she said, but stop to discontinue her sentence. Christopher's eyes widened, but didn't say anything. "I believe she thinks I'm a prostitute since my customers don't leave the shop after getting a shave, but they just like to admire the fact that I'm a female barber to the point that they don't want to leave."
"Well, it's just all one big misunderstanding. I'm sure that if you talk to her, you can resolve your problems," Rachel said.
"I would, but she doesn't even want to be near me and I don't want to aggravate her even more, but enough about my issues. I want to know more about this angelic singer."
"Well, there's not much to say. I've been traveling around the European continent performing shows that pay well. However, I haven't performed any operas in a long time since the fiasco at the Palais Garnier," he said before pausing.
"Fiasco? What happened," Darius asked.
The couple looked at each other and Rachel explained, "There was this . . . woman . . . who was in love with my dear, Christopher, and she burned down the Palais Garnier. I'm just happy that we made it out alive."
"You had an obsessive fan," Nadir teased, but Christopher was not amused by his question.
"She wasn't a fan nor was she crazy. She was hurt soul who deserved love and I couldn't provide that for her," he said with a somber tone. Rachel held his hand, slightly hurt by the statement.
The three of them looked at each other with confused looks. "So she did love you, but you didn't love her," Annabel asked.
"No, I did, but . . . it's complicated. It's a long story and I don't think now is a good time to talk about it."
"Oh, then we don't need to talk about it," Nadir said.
After they finished their dinner, Rachel announced, "Well, I'm going to use the bathroom. I'll be right back." She pushed her chair out and headed for the lady's room, leaving Christopher alone with the trio.
After an awkward moment of silence, Annabel said, "She isn't the one, is she?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"She's not the one. There is no spark between you two."
"What are you talking about? I love my wife," he said, insulted.
"Well, I've been in love before and I can tell you from experience that once a person meets their true love, all that spark goes to them and no one else. Every relationship after that is . . . empty."
"Well, I've been in love before, but she wanted me to be happy, so I married Rachel."
"So you admit it!"
"Well, that's not what I meant. I love Rachel with all my heart, but if I had the choice all those years ago, I probably would have been with Erika."
"So, that's her name," Nadir said with a somber tone.
"Yes and she is unlike any woman I have ever met. Despite how poorly life treated her, she has found compassion for others and didn't damn the world. Heck, she fell in love, something she thought she would never experience, and she was loved back."
"But what happened to her," Darius asked.
"Well, nothing bad happened to her, but she thought that it would be best for me to marry Rachel by going somewhere far away from me. I haven't seen her since."
"What would you do if you did find her," Nadir asked with anger boiling inside him.
"I . . . I never really thought about it. I guess I would tell her that . . . I still love her."
Nadir suddenly pushed his chair and said in an obviously angry tone, "Excuse me, but Darius and I have to go. I just realized what time it was and we have to get up early in the morning for our spice shipment." Darius quickly got up from his seat and pulled out a wad of cash to pay for the dinner. "That should be enough for the five of us."
"Oh, you didn't need to pay for us," Rachel said, causing everyone to be startled by her sudden presence.
"It's the gentleman way of taking care of his friends. I'll see you all hopefully soon," Nadir said with a wave as he and Darius exited the bistro. Once they were outside, Nadir pounded his fist into a wall, almost breaking his hand.
"Master, what are you doing," Darius asked with worry.
"She was right! I made a foolish mistake! He is exactly what Erika described him! How am I supposed to compete with him?"
"We have to keep them separated. As long as they don't meet, you don't have to worry about him taking her way from you," Darius said as he grabbed a handkerchief to wipe off the blood from his knuckles.
"I suppose you're right. Lucky for us, she doesn't want to see Christopher and I bet she doesn't even know he's here."
"Let's hope so, but I'm sure that Madame Giry will tell her."
"Damn, you're right. Well, I just have to make sure that he doesn't get too close to her. If they ever do meet, then it's we lose."
"So, what were you guys talking about," Rachel asked as she sat back in her chair.
"Nothing important, but I did offer him a shave at my shop. What do you say, Christopher," Annabel asked. "You have a little stubble on your cheek."
Christopher put his hand in his chin and did feel stubble, but it wasn't too much that he needed to take care of it now. "No thank you, but maybe in the future. First, I need to meet Fantôme."
"But don't you want to look to impress her?"
"Yes, but I need to find her first. The only person I found was Diana."
"Wait, you met Diana?"
"Yes and she is adorable. She has these blue and green eyes that were unlike anything I have ever seen and her hair was dark brown, but the most prominent feature was a long scar along her face. I wonder what happened to her."
"Nadir told me she was born with it, but she embraces that scar because it makes her unique, just like her mother," Annabel said as the bill was given to her. "Huh, it was cheaper than I thought." She counted the money that Darius left on the table and saw that he gave them too much. She put the correct amount of money, including tip, with the bill while she kept the rest. "It's our little secret."
The three of them hopped into a carriage and dropped Annabel off at her home. They exchanged farewells and the coachman whipped his reigns to make the horses move. She had a smile on her face, but it soon faded when they were no longer in her sight. She reached into her purse, pulled out her silver razor, and raised it to the moonlight. "I could have made Nadir's mission a lot easier by killing the poor guy and maybe even his wife, but he has to learn that his plan to woo Fantôme is never going to work. His heart is in the wrong place and I can't show him the way no matter how hard I try." She slid the key into the lock and opened the door. When she closed the door, she heard a thumping noise from a room upstairs. She quickly changed into her barbershop outfit, walked to the room, and opened the door, revealing a man tied up in a chair while a rag surrounding his mouth so he couldn't cry for help. He was terrified to see her and started moving frantically, hoping for a way to escape. "Oh, I almost forgot you were here, but I'm glad you didn't leave. I've run out of fresh meat."
"Let me go. I won't tell anyone, I swear," he tried to say through the rag, but all she heard was muffled noise, but they got louder as she pulled out her razor and placed it around his neck.
"You men are all the same. You come in, hoping that I would sleep with a sleazy man like you and then leave without any consequences. Well, I'm sorry to say that I'm not that kind of girl. I bite back."
When she was finished, she exited the room, covered in red. She locked the door and made sure no one was around to see her latest sin. Even in the cover of darkness, no one could be too careful. She learned that when she was just a simple pie shop worker back in London. The memories started flooding back in her head, most very bitter, but when she remembered her barber lover, a smile appeared her face. "Despite everything that happened, I would have stayed with you," she said to herself, but in a way, to her past lover. "Too bad that you were murdered though. At least we killed that judge and you are reunited with your wife." She sighed as she looked at the red-stained razor, but then released an evil laugh. "There's no place like London, is there?"