Blonde Angel
Part 4

Weeks went by once more. They were rehearsing for a new play, and there was a lot to do. Meg barely had time to sit alone and think about what happened between her and the Phantom last time. Christine mentioned that her Angel of Music still came to visit her, but Meg still hadn't been visited by any Angel of Music, whom she assumed to be the same as the Phantom of the Opera. After all, Christine said he sang to her in her private dressing room. And Meg knew that the mirror was false, that you could see through it as a window from the other side. Should she tell Christine about that? She almost wanted to, but on the other hand, she still feared the Phantom might kill her if she exposed him somehow. Apparently he wanted Christine to think he was an angel and not for real.

"Meg, are you all right?" Christine asked her once more, one day while they walked off the stage together after another rehearsal. Meg looked at Christine with a cheerful smile.

"Why shouldn't I be?" She asked, at this moment her mind was full of the music they just danced to and how she tried to remember each step and went over it in her head, wanting to make her mother proud with her dancing of course. Madame Giry almost spent more time with Christine now, than with Meg, who was her daughter. Honestly Meg sometimes felt a little left out.

"I don't know. I'm sorry; we don't talk so much anymore. I've been so busy lately." Christine said, and they went into her dressing room to change into their own other clothes. Meg looked at the door as Christine closed it.

"You've been kept busy by your Angel of Music, haven't you?" Meg asked her, perhaps a bit harsher that she meant for it to sound. But it was too late now, wasn't it? Christine looked at her with this half-hurt look on her face.

"It's not because I don't want to spend time with you Meg. But he's very strict." Christine explained to her friend, and Meg looked down, feeling sorry that she said it the way she said it.

"Don't you think… sometimes he's too strict?" She asked, and secretly glanced towards the mirror, then back again, "Shouldn't you be allowed more free time? It's important to have friends." Meg told her friend. Christine sighed but said nothing, began to undress herself. Meg watched her. They changed clothes together often, so it wasn't new. But now they talked about the Phantom, Meg was reminded of how he had touched her, and how she'd wondered if he had touched Christine too.

"I know, Meg." Christine finally said, "And you're a good friend too. We should do something together soon, shouldn't we?" She asked and gave Meg a smile, while reaching for her corset, undid the laces a bit so she could close it and then turned her back to Meg for her to tie it. And Meg did take a hold of the laces to do them.

"We really should. Perhaps outside… we could ask mother if she's got anything to spare, and maybe buy cheap lunch somewhere." Meg suggested to Christine, who nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea. And with how well I'm doing with the singing, maybe she will give us some time off." Christine said with a smile in her voice, but then let out a gasp as Meg maybe pulled a bit too hard on the corset. She muttered 'sorry' under her breath and made sure to be a bit gentler with it.

"We'll ask her about it then." Meg said, and tied a knot and let go of Christine and the laces for the corset. They helped each other getting dressed in silence, before they went out to find Madame Giry and ask her about time off. Though Meg had a strange feeling that they were watched. Did he watch them when they changed clothes, too? When they were sometimes entirely naked? The thought made her blush and it's not like she could find out unless she went to see him. Which she shouldn't, he didn't want her to. Madame Giry arched a brow at their question, but then said that after training the next day, they could go out. The young girls hugged each other when they were left alone again, and then went to the dormitory to spend the rest of the day with the other ballet girls.

The next day's training went too slowly, but finally they got it done and were allowed to go out. Christine wore a very sweet pale brown dress, while Meg had found a light yellow one that seemed to match her hair and skin tone very well. They found a café where they got a croissant each, and sat down by a table outside. They got many looks though, and Meg could not help but wonder again, did he follow Christine outside the opera house? And at one point, Meg did think she looked to the side and saw someone hurry around the corner and heard the swishing of a cape… but Christine was talking and she could not go and check it out. Meg wondered if she was becoming paranoid, and then thought herself to be stupid and thought no more of it.

Or, she did not think about it not until later, when they came home and Christine wanted to pray. Meg left her to it, but when she was alone in the corridor on the way to the dormitory, she got that sting in her back again. "If you're watching, why don't you just let me know?" She asked out loud, but the silence was almost loud too. After a short pause and a shiver down her back, Meg hurried the rest of the way back to the dormitory she shared with the other ballet girls.