I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, sorry to disappoint you.
Erik ran down the steps to the lake and rowed across as quickly as he could, which was unusual for him. Today he had with him two important things for Christine and the Girys. He found himself panting when he opened the door.
"Where were you?" Christine asked, eyeing the item tucked under his arm. There was something strange about seeing Erik like this; this was the first time that she saw him tired. He seemed excited about something, as though he didn't realized how worn-out he was.
"I was upstairs…I heard an important…conversation…the opera's repairs are finished…it opens again in one week," he said, dismayed at how exhausted he sounded.
"How fast did you come down here?" she asked without taking her eyes of what he was carrying.
"I ran."
Erik sat down on the settee next to her and moved the unwieldy object onto his lap.
"This is the opera that their going to be performing next," he said smoothly not that he caught his breath.
The cover of the score read The Magic Flute, and it was an opera Christine was familiar with.
Christine breathed something like a sigh of relief; it was more a release than anything. "I've been waiting to find out what they'd choose. I thought that they'd run Faust because most of the performers already know it."
"I'm shocked that they didn't pick Don Juan Triumphant," Erik remarked dryly.
"I'm sure that the composer is upset, especially because that opera was such a success. Do you know who's going to play The Queen of Night?" Christine fully expected the answer to be Carlotta, but there was still the chance that the management had come to their senses and gotten a new prima donna.
"You, if they know what's good for them," Erik said, "Carlotta will make a mess of any production of that opera."
"Erik, they know you're the ghost now. You won't have the influence that you had before. You can't interfere with casting."
"I'll find a way." He sounded confident, and Christine could tell that he had something up his sleeve. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know what it was or not.
"Do you know what my role will be?"
"The Queen o-"
"What is it actually?"
"I don't know yet."
"But I'm going to learn The Queen of Night anyway."
"Christine, you're going to get that part." There was a determined look in his eyes that scared Christine a little bit, but excited her in a strange way at the same time.
Meg walked in at that moment, saving Christine from replying.
"What part?" she asked, joining in the conversation casually. She was feeling better now, and she wasn't bedridden anymore
"The opera's opening up in a week," Christine explained, "We're going to perform The Magic Flute."
"Are all of the repairs finished, then?" Meg asked.
"Yes," Erik said, "I was just up there."
"I want to go see," Meg said to Christine, "Will you come with me?"
Christine nodded and rose.
"I think that most of the people left, but there might be one or two left. Be careful," Erik warned them.
"You sound like my mother," Meg replied.
Christine wasn't used to hearing Meg speak to Erik so informally, but she supposed that sickness was the only thing that kept Meg quiet for so long.
The two girls went upstairs, trying to stay in the shadows to be careful. Christine tried to find something that was different, but the only thing that she had seen before was on the roof. The new builder used a different colored stone to repair some patches of the roof. She remembered because Erik had gotten very angry over that. Other than that detail, it was a surreal experience, like stepping back in time. Corridors that were always bustling were empty, making them feel somewhat like ghosts. They're only going to be this quiet for another week, Christine reminded herself.
When they were sure that there was no one around, Meg and Christine crept out of the shadows. Meg went directly to the stage, running down the aisle with a leap. Christine clapped, and she bowed.
"I thought that they'd never be done fixing this place," Meg said, sitting on the edge of the stage.
"It's strange," Christine answered, "It's like there's something missing."
"Could it be the ghost?"
"Don't start that again."
"Fine," Meg sighed, "But let's go to Box 5 and see if it meets the Opera Ghost's standards."
"Erik is not a ghost, Meg," Christine said in a serious tone.
"I know that," Meg said, rolling her eyes. She wanted to keep the mood light, but Christine could see through her smile.
"Sometimes I don't think you do."
"Christine…"
"When everyone comes back here, they're going to know this place isn't really haunted. You know that it was Erik the whole time."
"We just meant it in fun."
"I know. I just don't think you understand that nothing's the same anymore; it all changed when this place burned."
Meg was quiet for a moment, staring down into her lap. A thought struck her and she looked up suddenly.
"That doesn't mean we can't leave a surprise for Mother in one of the practice rooms," she said with an impish smile.
"She'll probably skin you alive," Christine answered, "But that doesn't mean I won't come with." She was smiling too, and Meg was glad to see that it reached her eyes.
When they were done with making their "arrangements" for the next week, Christine and Meg went through the mirror in Christine's dressing room. Going through the room was even more dreamlike because white sheets were thrown over the furniture. The room was empty except for the eerie white shapes. The knowledge that someone had been in the room gave Christine a vague sense of intrusion.
I'll be back there in a week, Christine thought in the passageway, That's an incredibly short amount of time.