"What're you doing?!" I asked, "we need those!"
"No we don't," Erik said, walking off. "We can't be seen at the front or else people will figure out who I really am. Besides, we're already in the building, and Box five is calling out for us."
"You're right," I smiled.
As we climbed the stairs to the box, I had a thought. Raoul would go to see Chrsitine after the gala. We couldn't let that happen. I started thinking, but Erik interupted my thoughts.
"Now, there is only one seat," he said. "You'll have to sit on the floor."
"Yes, because the floor is VERY comfortable!" I said, sarcastically. Oh, quit your whining, I told myslef. The higher Erik sits, the more chance Chrisitne might see him.
As we watched the opera, I started to feel a little restless. The singing was beautiful, but I didn't understand a word of it! I was waiting until Act III rolled around to hear Chrisitne sining. After a while, her part came. She, of course, sang like an angel.
'Think of me, think of me fondly,
when we've said good bye.
Remeber me, once in a while,
Please promise me you'll try..."
Once the she was finished, the crowd cheered loudly, Erik and I joined them. The show was pretty much over. But the story wasn't.
"Erik, I said. "We've got a bit of a problem. Remember I showed you Raoul earlier? Well, he's goning to go to Chrisitne's dressing room to see her! We can't let that happen!"
"What do you propose we do?" He asked.
"Well..." I said, thinking quickly. "You go and fetch Chrisitne once she's in her dressing room alone, and I'll keep Raoul occupied."
Erik and I split up. I ran behind the stage. There was huge crowd of people, and I could not find Raoul at first, but then I saw him feverishly making his way over to Christine's dressing room. I ran infront of him.
"Monseiur Raoul!" I cried. "How are you? Do you remeber me?"
"Uh.. yes," Raoul said. "You're Antoinette Devoir. Uh... How did you get behind the scences?"
"Well," I said. "I was looking about the stage when I noticed this door, and I'm a very curious girl, so I went in, and I found you!"
"Uh... great!" Raoul said. "Look, Antoinette, I think you should go back to your papa now. I must see someone very important."
Yeah right, I thought. You're just a big fruit cake who wants to hit on Christine!
"But wait!" I said. "What was your favourite part of the opera?"
"Well..." Raoul said, thinking. "Probably the end of Act III when Miss Daae was singing. But now, I really have to go. Farewell, Madameoiselle Devoir." He started to walk towards the door of Christine's dressing room.
"Wait!" I cried again, dashing in front of him, my back against the door.
"What!?" Raoul asked, annoyed now.
"Um... Have... you... seen Joseph Bouquet any where?" I asked. It was a crumby lie, I know. But it was just to stall him.
"How would you know who Joseph Bouquet is?" Raoul asked, suspicous.
Uh oh, I thought.
"He's... my... third cousin, four times removed..." I said. I suddenly heard sining on the other side of the door. Erik was telling Chrsitine to come to him. I was done stalling, finally. I sighed, and said: "Oh, there's my papa! Goodbye M. Vicomte de Changey!" I shook his hand, and with that, I ran off to the back to the stage.
I swung the trap door open and hoped into the bedroom. I could hear Chrsitine vocalizing in the distance, and I didn't want to wreck the two's moment, so I hid behind a curtained mirror.
Once Erik and Chrsitine finally made their way to the house on the lake. I peaked behind the curtain to see what was happening. Erik was singing to Christine. She was sitting in the boat still. Well, what're you waiting for, Erik? I thought. Help her out!
I sat down and waited for a few minutes. Erik was still singing. I peeked behind the curtain again. Erik had Christine in his arms. I smiled and resumed my hiding place. I heard Erik sing:
"Let the dream begin,
Let you darker side give in to the power of the music that I write. The power of the Music of the Night!"
Uh-oh, I thought. He's gonna show her the wedding dress and she'll faint. But what was I supposed to do? I couldn't yell to Erik and tell him not to show her the wedding dress. And I couldn't stall them like I did for Raoul. Oh well, I thought. I looked out from behind the curtain. Erik had drawn back the curtain in which the dress was behind. Christine took one look at it and fainted. Erik caught her and carried her to the bedrom. He sung a little bit more, and came out of the room. I emerged from my hiding spot.
"You could have told me not to show her the dress before," Erik said, accusingly. "The she wouldn't have fainted!"
"Sorry, I forgot," I said. "But she'll wake up in a little while. Oh! And before I forget!" I added. "Once she wakes up, she'll want to take off your mask, so you can't let that happen."
"My mask?" Erik repeated, slightly hurt. "Why? And how?"
"Well, how, she'll kinda lure you into a trap," I explained. "She'll kind of caress your face for a bit, and when you least expect it, she'll tear your mask away from your face. And why? Well, walk a mile in her shoes for a minute. How would you feel if you were taken away to a secret underground lair, by a mysterious masked man, who, you figured out, was your Angel of Music, and suddenly tell's he loves you, and you don't even know his name or his real identidy?"
"Well, how do I steer clear of this?" Erik asked me.
"When she walks up to you, since you'll be playing at your organ, when you feel her hand sliding up to your mask, put your hand over her's and she'll stop... I'm sure."
"Fine," Erik said. I heard Christine get up. "Quick! Hide! She can't see you," Erik whispered. I ran behind the curtain, and Erik ran to the organ, pretending not to notice Christine. I saw Christine emerge from the bedroom. She sang about remembering the mist on the lake, the boat, and Erik. Then, she started to walk slowly to towards him.
"Who is that shape in the shadow? Whose is that face in mask?" With that, Christine caressed Erik's face. He seemed to be falling under her her spell.
"Don't be fooled by this siren, Erik!" I whispered urgently. Thankfully he heard me and remembered. As Chrsitine's hand slid up to his mask, he grabbed her hand, broke out of the spell Christine was casting over him, and turned to her. Her hand, I noticed, was still in his, making no attempt to free itself.
"Look, Christine," he said. "I knew what you were about to do. You can not see my face. The sight of it, I'm sure, you would not be able to bear."
"I just want to know who you are," Christine said, with a slight trace of guilt in her voice. "I didn't know you were so sensitive about your face..."
"I'm a very sensitive person, Christine," Erik said. "All I've known from people is hatred, and disgust. Some people didn't even know me, and they hate me. I just love you so much, I can't let you see my face. I don't want to loose you."
"Well... you say you love me," Christine said. "But I don't even know your name. All I know you by is: 'The Phantom of the Opera'."
"It's Erik," he sighed.
Christine sighed also. "I didn't mean to offend you. My natrual woman's curiousity over came me."
"I don't like curious women..." Erik said.
"You've probably met one too many," Christine said. "I'm really sorry."
"Well, I suppose you'd like to go back to the surface of the earth now..." Erik muttered, sadly.
"Yes," Christine addmited. "But I promise, I'll come to visit. You, Erik seem like quite an interesting man."
Erik looked at her and smiled. "Okay, well, follow me."
I crept along the shadows, following the couple through the labyrinth. I'm the phantom this time, I thought. I'm the one in the shadows, I'm the one following a couple in love. Well... in love to be...
Once the two came to Christine's dressing room, they bade each other goodbye, and Erik promised her he'd continue to give her singing lessons, angel or not. Christine thanked him, and entered her room. Erik closed the glass, and ran down the path a little bit.
"Well done, Erik!" I said. Erik turned to me. "She said I was an interesting man. Not a monster or something else from the depths of hell, but a living man!" he said, happily.
"I'm happy for you," I said. "But could I please go back to the free dormitory? I'm extremely tired."
Hope you liked that. Plz R&R now. Right below you. That little button. Yup...