They gave me my own frickin' dressing room. It was the dressing room I found myself in when I first saw Erik in person. I heard something tear a little in my costume and I said, "Oh, crap." I turned around and saw Erik standing right there. I jumped a little at the sight with him. "Erik, what are you doing here?"
"You're putting the top on the wrong way, Avril," he said. "I came to help you."
I was comfortable taking it off in front of him. I was wearing one of those two-piece bellydancer thingies like in the movie. I was wearing a bra under the top, which was spandex but impossible to put in. I put my head in first, which was wrong, the arms go first. Erik helped me in it and I said, "Thanks, Erik."
"You should get going."
I gave him a quick kiss goodbye and ran.

I played Christine in full costume pretty well. I saw Erik, peering out of Box Five. Pierre had to whisper during Think Of Me not to look at Box Five. I took one peek and saw Erik show me that it was fine. So I sang my heart out until Act One was over.

I found Erik in my dressing room, examining the dress I was to wear for the Masquerade scene. "Not bad at all," he said.
"And they expect a seventeen-year-old to lace up her own dress," I sighed. "Mind helping me?"
"Not at all."
As he laced it up for me, he said suspiciously, "The kiss you shared with the boy who plays Raoul, quite convincing."
"Erik, there is only one person in the entire world who I will ever love. He's in this room," I said. I felt him finish tie the lace and I turned to him. "Thanks."

For the next few weeks, I spent a few nights in the Fifth Cellar with the real Phantom of the Opera, singing for him if he'd sing for me when I was done. I'd be home just in time before Grandma woke up. Exactly two weeks before May First, Grandma and I were eating breakfast and all I could think of was the fun night with Erik I had the night before. She said when she put her cereal down, "So, I heard there will be a semi-formal cast party with Andrew Fucking Lloyd Webber and Joel Shmaucher there."
She got my attention at the f word. "Mouth, old lady," I said.
"Avril, you will be up close and personal with a respected composer and director of the greatest film ever. You have the opportunity to speak to them. And I'm not allowed to be there, if you can believe it."
"I can pull some strings," I said. "If you really wanna—"
"No. It is you who is more deserving to meet two gods. And you have to dress to impress. And I need something fancy to wear at the Opera House because you don't go in there wearing a Cosby sweater and jeans."
I chuckled and said, "So…what are you driving at?"
"An owner of a single yet popular and quite expensive store is a good friend of mine and owes me a favor. We're buying dresses."
"Oh, Grandma, it's fine, I might have brought something—"
"Something not good enough," Grandma said. "I insist."
I couldn't protest anymore. I smiled and said, "When?"
"Eleven. I'll take us out for lunch afterwards."

The dresses at the store were crazy gorgeous and insanely expensive. Grandma said not to worry. She found herself a long-sleeved slightly off-shoulder dark blue dress for fifteen hundred euro, with a set of pearls for two hundred fifty euro. The owner of the store lowered the price to eight hundred euro. I kept walking around, looking at all of the exquisite dresses on racks until I was the one, on a mannequin. It was a dark purple, kind of sparkly sheath dress with a sweetheart neckline down to the knees. Around the bodice were folds that led to swirls that looked kind of like roses. On the mannequin was also a crystal necklace with two silver chains leading to, what I realized was cubic zirconia, flowers. In the middle was a bigger flower with a silver chain leading to a purple pearl. On the mannequin's plastic head were earrings with matching cubic zirconia flower studs and purple pearls. On the manniquin's feet were sparkly purple ballet flats that matched the dress. I stared at in awe until the shopowner came up to me. "Ah, good choice, Avril. There are only five of these in the world."
I saw a price tag that said five thousand euro. I gasped and said, "I see why it's so expensive."
"Oh, it's been there for months. I can't seem to get rid of it. No charge. I'll even throw in the jewelry."
My mouth dropped at him. "A-are you sure?"
"Oh, well, it doesn't mean it fits you," she said. "Let's try it on."

The dress was…amazing. I could breathe, I could move and as I stared at myself in the mirror, it took me a few minutes to realize that the reflection was me. "Are you sure you'll just give it to us, Madeleine?" Grandma asked.
"Of course," she replied. "I owe you big after…um…that thing."
"What was it, anyway?" I asked.
"I'd…rather not talk about it," she said.
"Yeah, neither would I," Grandma replied. "We'll just take it, and thank you."