Chapter 3
"Miss Daae has returned." Mme Giry announced to the group of people in the manager's office. Meg and Ashley were right beside the ballet mistress as she declared herself.
"I trust her midnight oil is well and truly burned." Firmin stated sounding annoyed.
"Where precisely is she now?" Andre asked sounding a bit more concerned.
"I thought it best she was alone." She continued.
"She needed rest." Meg finished. Ashley looked around at the people in the room. She looked to the managers first, then to Carlotta and Piangi, then to Raoul. This was actually the first time she actually saw him since before, when he was there the other day, she wasn't really paying attention.
"May I see her?" He asked.
"No Monsieur, she will see no one." Mme Giry said.
"Will she sing? Will she sing?" Carlotta and Piangi said in unison.
"Here, I have a note."
"Let me see it!" Everyone said at once trying to grab the note but Madame Giry held it over her head.
"Please." Firmin reached out and took the envelope from the ballet mistress. He broke the seal and pulled the note out.
"Gentlemen, I have now sent you several notes of the most amiable nature detailing how my theater is to be run." He began. "You have not followed my instructions. I shall give you one last chance…" At that point, Ashley knew what the note was to say and could already hear the Phantom's voice in her head repeating the contents of his note.
"…Christine Daae has returned to you and I am anxious her career should progress. In the new production of Il Muto, you will therefore cast Carlotta as the pageboy and put Miss Daae in the role of Countess. The role which Miss Daae plays calls for charm and appeal. The role of the pageboy is silent which makes my casting in a word, ideal. I shall watch the performance from my normal seat in Box Five, which will be kept empty for me. Should these commands be ignored, a disaster beyond your imagination will occur…"
"…I remain, gentlemen, your obedient servant, O.G." She heard Firmin finish the note.
"Christine!" Carlotta shouted.
"Whatever next?" Andre said.
"It's all a ploy to help Christine!" Carlotta continued. "I know who sent this! The Vicomte, her lover!"
"Oh, indeed. Can you believe this?" Raoul retorted. Carlotta stormed off with the managers following close behind her.
"This is going to be a VERY bad day." Ashley finally said after a moment of silence.
"I'm afraid I must agree." Mme Giry said. "If those two don't learn to take heed of his warnings, we can only expect the worst is bound to come." After a moment, Raoul approached the tree women.
"What do you know about Christine's 'Angel of Music'?" He began. Ashley started rubbing the back of her neck and stared off to the side.
"I'm afraid it is not our place to speak." Mme Giry explained. "But I can tell you this: He will not hesitate to kill who gets in his way." Raoul sighed a bit then turned to Ashley. He looked at her face and a flash of recognition passed through his eyes.
"Mademoiselle, what is your name?" Ashley turned to the man and slightly stumbled with her words.
"A-Ashley monsieur." He moved a little closer still examining her face.
"You seem… vaguely familiar." He said. "Have you ever been here before?" Ashley looked at him feeling confused.
"No. I only just started here a few weeks ago. Other than that…"
"We found Ashley about two weeks ago. She was all alone so we decided to get her some work here." Meg explained. After letting her words sink in, Raoul backed away from the twenty year old.
"Must be my imagination." He said defeated. "Maybe it will come to me later." Ashley felt even more confused now.
"Well, where do you think you've seen me from?"
"I'm not exactly sure. But your face seems to stick out in my mind somehow." Ashley shrugged.
"Let me know when it comes to you." Raoul nodded and turned back to the two Giry's.
"So, what can be done about this 'Angel'?" The mother and daughter just looked at each other then back to him.
"I'm afraid there isn't much that can be done." The ballet mistress said. "He is a very mysterious entity. He is everywhere, watching us and waiting. All we can do is wait and see what he has in store."
Later that evening, Ashley went back to the roof to watch as the last of the suns light disappeared and the stars began poking from behind the light curtain of color in the sky.
"Man, there's just something about early evenings that are so mystical." She said to herself. "The temperature is just right, the stars are starting to show, and the moon is supposed to be full tonight." As much as she would love to stay out tonight watching the stars, she promised Meg and Christine she would be at the opera tonight to support them. She picked herself off the ground and made for the door. She could already hear everyone still singing 'Prima Dona' downstairs and just wanted to cover her ears. When the song came to a close, she heard the familiar sounds of Il Muto.
Show time. She thought. She found her way backstage and found Mme Giry standing just behind the curtain watching the show.
"Sorry I'm late." Ashley whispered.
"You haven't missed very much." She whispered a reply. As the show went on, Ashley would keep alternating her gaze between the stage and towards the ceiling. She knew the Phantom would show up very soon, but the damn chandelier was in the way.
"Did I not instruct that box five was to be kept empty?" His booming voice echoing throughout the room. This was the first time she heard the Phantom speak in this world. She believed it would have been Gerard's Phantom, but it wasn't. It was a Phantom she never heard before. She tried getting a look at him but the Chandelier was blocking her view.
"He's here," Meg Whispered to the others, "the Phantom of the Opera."
"It's him." Christine said softly.
"Your part is silent little toad!" Carlotta jeered.
"A toad Madame? Perhaps it is YOU who are the toad!" He definitely didn't whisper that line. Ashley had the worst feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Please don't let the chandelier fall. Please don't let the chandelier fall. She repeated her little prayer over and over until she heard Carlotta start to croak. She listened carefully. He wasn't laughing, but everyone else was. As Carlotta tried continuing her song she croaked again and again causing the entire room to fill with laughter. Luckily, Ashley didn't hear the Phantom anywhere and sighed with relief. No bringing down the chandelier tonight. The curtain fell over the stage and Andre and Firmin stepped out to address the audience.
"The performance will continue in ten minutes time-" Firmin reached in and grabbed Christine "-when the role of the countess will be played by Miss Daae." Everyone began applauding and Christine was sent to get changed with Mme Giry following close behind. Ashley ran up to Meg.
"It's starting, get ready for anything." She whispered before running to the other side. Meg was about to respond but she had just left so quickly.
"She certainly a strange one." She said to herself.
Ashley knew going into the rafters wasn't a good idea, so she decided to just watch from below. As she kept her eyes fixed on what was above her, she didn't watch where she was going and felt her foot fall through something. She reacted swiftly and caught herself before falling through a trap door.
"Holy…" She pulled herself from the hole and examined the door. The lock on it was rusted and broke when she stepped on it. "There's your problem." She said laughing. "Damn that scared me." She released the door and went on her way, this time looking where she's going. After a few minutes, she managed to spot Joseph Buquet in the rafters. She saw him running then saw a dark shadow chasing him.
It's him! She thought and went on pursuing them. And, not after very long, Buquet fell over and the Phantom had a lasso around his neck.
"This is gonna be gruesome!" She said to herself and covered her eyes. She hadn't witnessed a real death yet in her life and she didn't want to start here. After a moment she started hearing screams. She looked again and saw Buquet hanging from the noose. "I'm gonna be sick." She thought and covered her mouth. All the chorus girls were running around trying to get away from the body by now. Meg came and found Ashley and pulled her along with her.
"We have to find mother!" She shouted over the screams.
"You know where she is?" Ashley questioned.
"I might!" And after a while they did find her. As they did, Ashley saw Christine and Raoul running up the stairs.
To the roof. She thought. Can this night get any worse? She heard as the managers told the audience to remain calm off in the distance, but she was very sure that something like THIS wouldn't make them calm for a while.
"I'm going to check something out." Ashley said and broke away from her friend.
"Ashley, wait!" But before Meg could follow, her mother grabbed her arm.
Ashley wondered back to the stage. She curtain had been closed once more and Buquet's body had already been taken. She felt her heart begin to speed up as she walked out. She peaked out from behind the curtain and saw the entire crowd still in a slight panic. She tried taking a few deep breaths but she couldn't calm herself. So, she pulled her iPod from her pocket and stuck the ear buds in her ears. Going through her different playlists, she settled for the Healing Incantation from the movie Tangled.
Flower gleam and glow. She began in her mind. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse.
"Bring back what once was mine." She didn't realize that she just sang the words out loud at this point and still didn't notice as the song played.
Everyone in the audience was still very much disheveled after Joseph Buquet was murdered. Firmin had gone off to survey the damage while Andre had been trying to help calm not just the audience but the cast as well.
"Oh, this just can't get any worse, can it?" He sighed and leaned against one of the support beams.
"Bring back what once was mine." Andre's head shot up when he heard those words.
Is someone singing? He wondered. He began following the sound.
"Heal what has been hurt. Change the Fates' design." He could hear the voice getting a little louder the closer he got to the stage. He dodged frantic chorus girls and hysterical stage hands in pursuit of this anonymous voice. "Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine." And then… he found her.
"What once was mine." Ashley began feeling better after singing. Music always had a strange effect on her, especially in these kinds of situations. As she finished the sing, her mind felt a little more soothed. She went back to her iPod and pressed the replay button. Andre just stood and watched her for a moment when an idea came to mind. He went over to one of the stage hands.
"Open the curtain." He told him.
"What? Why?" He asked.
"Just do it. Don't open too much though, only a small sliver." The stagehand did as he was told and the curtain opened just a little.
Ashley was completely unaware of what was going on. Her eyes were closed and she was too encased in her music to know.
The audience continued their chatter until they heard a very small sound.
"Flower gleam and glow…
Let your power shine…"
A few people turned and saw the girl on the stage. Then more people began turning and saw.
"Make the clock reverse…
Bring back what once was mine…"
All the ballet girls were all in a frenzy. Mme Giry banged her cane against the ground to silence them.
"Girls, please control yourselves!" She scolded.
"Mother." Meg called out. "Listen to that." She pricked up her ears and all the other girls followed suit.
"Heal what has been hurt…
Change the Fates' design…"
All the girls were now listening to the voice. Madame Giry listened and felt a sense of recognition in it. The song itself was very cryptic and strange, but the one singing it had a very sweet and innocent tone.
On the roof of the opera house, Christine and Raoul were on their way back inside when they heard the strange voice.
"Save what has been lost…
Bring back what once was mine…"
"Do you hear that?" Christine asked her sweetheart.
"I do." Raoul agreed. "Whose voice is that?"
And, of course, the Phantom, having been on the roof with the two lovers, also heard the voice.
"What once was mine."
Back on the stage, Ashley had finished her song yet again. She felt a little more at ease afterwards. She opened her eyes and saw a light was shining from in back of her, causing her to see her shadow. Her entire face turned red and was all too unwilling to turn and face what she absolutely feared. As she turned her head, she saw the curtain was open enough to show her. The entire audience was silent and was just staring at her. When it finally hit her, she ran off the stage.
Ashley was the last in the lineup. And as she listened to all the other contestants, she began feeling insecure. They were all so good that she believed that she couldn't compare to any of them.
What did I get myself into? She thought.
"Miss White, you're next." She heard the first judge call to her. She came out onto the stage and felt her throat begin to close. "You can sing any song of your choosing." She swallowed hard before thinking of a song.
"Um… I would like to sing-" But before she could finish her request, there was a scream from back stage. One of the girls ran out on stage crying.
"A GHOST! I saw a ghost!" She shouted.
"Oh, for the love of…" Soon, all the other girls were running out and Ashley ran off stage. She was terrified about singing on stage. She hid in a small corner behind some costumes and hugged her knees to her chest. She listened as the terrified shrieks of the girls continued and the boys tried being brave by comforting them.
"I must have lucked out there." She said to herself. "I'm so stupid to think I could compete with anyone with their voices." Her heart was pounding, about ready to spring from her chest. Since she knew no one could hear her, she decided to sing.
"Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost remember." She began. "And a song someone sings, once upon a December."
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory
Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart use to know
Once upon a December
"You're too nervous." Ashley shrieked when she heard the second voice. She jumped to her feet and turned to find…
"It's you." She exhaled shakily. For the second time, she was face to face with the Phantom. Her eyes were the size of dinner plates and her heart was beating ten times as fast.
I am SO dead! She thought. Then she thought about what he just said.
"Wait, did you just correct my singing?" It was a bit of a shock for her.
"What if I am?" He inquired.
"Nothing." She said quickly, her face turning bright red. "I'm just… why exactly did you…"
"Because, even over the shouts of those girls, I could hear the sound of your voice." Now her face was completely red at this statement. "You have more potential than those others."
"What? But they're voices are so much-"
"They are merely repeating what they hear." He said cutting her off.
"But we were all pulled from different music classes from various schools across the country."
"Perhaps. But are you sure of that?" Ashley thought for a moment but couldn't answer. "I can sense potential in you. But you are obviously untrained." Ashley shyly backed towards the wall hugged herself.
"Well, I do try." She said timidly.
"I know." He said. "But I can help you do more." Ashley couldn't believe her ears. Was he seriously offering to help her?
Ashley was positively mortified with what just transpired. She had just unknowingly sang in front of an entire audience of God knows how many people. She lay in her bed with the covers over her head.
"That was so embarrassing." She whispered to herself. She felt a bit of pressure on her head and heard Christine speak.
"Ashley, why didn't you tell us you could sing?" She asked. Ashley refused to remove the cover, but she did turn over in bed to somewhat face her friend.
"You never asked." She answered.
"Ashley, the entire house is talking about it. Everyone thought you couldn't speak let alone sing. You made quite the impression on them." Ashley finally moved the covers off her head to look up at her friend.
"They better not get use to it, because I'm not singing out there again." She already had a hard time singing for people already, but this was just too much for her. She just hoped she wouldn't get any trouble from the one person she feared, and loved, the most.
I didn't mean for it to happen, I swear!
The songs used in this chapter were The Healing Song from Disney's Tangled and Once Upon a December from Don Bluth's Anastasia.
So I decided to switch Hushabye Mountain with Once Upon a December. I thought it would be a nice fit. Other than the song change there isn't mch of a change in this chapter either. But I promise there are more changes in the later chapters.