When they were back home, Erik still recalled all that had happend when they wanted to ask Melody to join them to see an opera. He remembered the smile on his daughters face when she introduced Phillipe to them. Although Erik was happy to see Melody smile, he couldn't shake off the feeling that Phillipe seemed somewhat familiar. This time, he had a better view of the boy's face and he somehow recognized some features. Christine had the same feeling. But unlike him, she asked the boy if she had ever seen him before.
"I don't think so Madame, I think I would have remembered such a lovely lady," Phillipe had said to her. Erik had rolled his eyes at that compliment, just like Melody. On Christine it had the proper effect: a small blush had crept on her cheeks and she smiled. Erik had noticed how Phillipe had glanced at him and the mask on several occasions. As he recalled that, Erik wondered if he had recognized him or at least made the association.
Now at home, Christine had scowled at him for his rudeness. She said that at least he could have been more polite. "And why should I've been more polite to a complete stranger?" he had countered. "Because it matters for Melody if you approved of him even a little bit" Not knowing what to say, Erik retreaded to his organ and started to play off his frustration. Not knowing from where he knows Phillipe only added to his frustration.
Melody was doing the dishes. She thought about her parents meeting Phillipe and how they reacted to each other. With her mother and Phillipe, she didn't foresee any problems: they seemed to get along . The only thing she feared was that Phillipe somehow recognized her father, he did glanced at him every chance he had Melody made a mental note to ask him why he was looking at her father
The next morning, as Melody walked to school, she wondered what Phillipe would do if he had recognized her father. Would he tell anybody about him, or would he ask her some things about him? Could it be that he even would talk to the police?
Still occupied by her own thoughts, Melody didn't noticed she walked past Katerina. Katerina was bewildered by her friend's actions. "Melody, where you're going?" she called out to her friend. "Hmm, what," Melody said whilst stopping in her tracks. She turned around and noticed Katerina walking towards her.
"Oh sorry Katerina, didn't see you," Melody explained to her friend. "Geez Melody, what were you thinking about?" Katerina asked. "Oh, nothing really. I'm really sorry I didn't saw you" Katerina grinned. "Oh, it's nothing." Suddenly Melody noticed that Jean-Jacques wasn't around. Normally, everywhere Katerina was, he was there too. But now, it was only Katerina. "Hey, where's Jean-Jacques?" Melody asked
"Oh, I don't know. It's weird though, normally I see him when I walk to school. But this morning he wasn't around. I wonder where he is". Right on that moment, Phillipe and Jean-Jacques arrived. The girls looked with an astonished face at the two. "Since when do you walk with him?" Katerina asked Jean-Jacques, with slight more anger then necessary. "Since I felt like catching up with him," he answered.
Melody feared that the two of them were discussing the events that had occurred this week. That increased her feelings of Phillipe recognizing her father. "What was so important to both of you that you needed to catch up?" Melody asked without trying to make it look she was hiding something.
"And since when do you pry into my business and not the other way around?" Phillipe asked. Melody just gave him a glare and motioned Katerina to enter the building. She followed her, but only after a while she asked why they didn't wait for the boys.
Melody grinned at her. "Feeling awkward without Jean-Jacques constant in your surroundings?" she asked. "No, of course not" Katerina answered a bit too quickly.
"Sure," Melody said "You like him don't you?"
"As a friend, I do"
"oh come on, stop lying to yourself. The past few days, I could easily see in your eyes that you care for him more than just a friend"
"That's so not true."
Melody just looked at her friend. "Okay, maybe I like to be in his presence, but that's it."
"Keep telling yourself that," was the only thing Melody said.
"By the way, you're the perfect person to say that, isn't it"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Telling me that I have to be honest about my feelings for Jean, while it's obvious you are falling for Phillipe!"
"I'm not falling for Phillipe, I just …"
"Yeah right! I can believe you actually fell for that jerk. I mean, don't you remember what he did the first day you were here?"
"I do remember and I'm not falling for him. I'm merely starting to just be nice to him."
"And eventually his charm will get you around, I've seen this before."
"What do you mean? Did Phillipe did the same to another girl before I was here?"
"No, I didn't meant that. At a previous school I've seen it happen. The guy's a jerk and falls for a girl. After a while they date. As soon as she falls in love with the guy, he goes after another girl and the same thing happens again. I just don't want to see you get hurt."
"Believe me, the last thing I'm going to do, is getting myself hurt over some boy"
The two girls were oblivious of the two boys who were walking behind them. Jean-Jacques had a smile upon his face. "She cares for me," he said happily. Phillipe grinned at him. He was happy that his cousin found his happiness. Now it was time he worked a little about his own happiness. But he couldn't try anything now, otherwise he would prove Katerina's point. No he should have to wait just a little longer. On his way to the classroom, he was thinking that he should do something for Jean-Jacques and Katerina. Then an idea hit him. Walking in the room, he knew exactly what to do.
During their singing lesson, Melody was singing at the same old level she always did. How she longed to sing like she used to sing with her father and mother. Suddenly, Madame Galure had an announcement. "Class, in dialogue with your acting teacher and the new mangers of the renovating Opera Populaire, we decided that the opening night of the Opera, this class will perform a work of choice. Now you can choose which performance you'll work on, but Monsieur Ofraie and I have to approve of your choice," and with that she sat down on her chair and watch how the class was busy discussing.
"Maybe we could do Faust, "one boy suggested
"No, we should do something that doesn't involve devils," a girl countered.
"Why not," Katerina asked.
"Maybe we could do an operetta, maybe that will suit us better. We're no famous singers you know," Gustave proposed.
"Or an Opéra comique?"
" Good idea, then we can do Carmen"
"Or… "
The class continued to discus until one strange idea came to one pupil's mind:
"Maybe we should tell the tale of how the Opera Populaire was destroyed. Maybe we could tell the tale of the Phantom of the Opera!"
The whole classroom went silent. Melody went pale, but luckily for her, nobody noticed it. Nobody except one, Phillipe. He wondered why this idea caused her to pale.
"Don't be ridiculous, we don't even have music scores for that, or costume or an actual idea of how things REALLY happened," Jean-Jacques said. "And what if we all worked on that, if we worked together to tell the story," the boy insisted. "Maybe I can help," Phillipe suddenly said. "My father used to go to the opera frequently the time before the accident. Maybe he knows something of the Phantom." As he said that, Melody paled even more if possible. She started to feel light-headed and sick. Katerina noticed. "Are you alright?" she asked her. Melody nodded and smiled faintly. "I'm alright, just a little tired. Maybe I should go to bed earlier"
"Maybe we all can ask our parents to tell a little of what they know of this Phantom-affair. That way we can put the stories together and see what frequently is in the story and use that information"
In the end, the class decided that if they all could get the necessary information, they would work together to tell the story of the Opera Ghost. And if not, they would settle for Carmen. Melody hoped that the all the parents couldn't recall too much.
The bell rang, and everybody got ready to go to their next lesson. Melody still looked extremely pale and Katerina suggested that she should go home and rest. Melody refused, but then Phillipe and Jean-Jacques came along and they said she should listen to Katerina. Melody gave in and went home, at least they thought. She went to the only place she could get the much needed comfort: the lair.
When Erik woke up that morning, he was still in a foul mood. He still was thinking where he know Philllipe from. And the fact that that boy was glancing at his mask when they had met made his mood even more foul. Christine had tried to lighten his mood, but she hadn't succeeded in her mission. When they were busy consuming their breakfast, Christine tried once more to have a conversation with him without his temper would rise.
"Why are acting like this? When Melody went to have dinner with him you didn't seemed this frustrated. What has changed?"
"When she told us about him, she was rather angry with him. So I didn't thought she would see him a lot after that dinner. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that somebody accepted her… as a friend. But you saw yourself how she reacted yesterday and how he looked at her. I'm afraid that she'll end up getting hurt by him."
Christine laughed a little bit. "And what's so funny about the potential hurt of our daughter?" Erik asked her, his temper rising a little bit.
"Nothing, dear. It's just… you act like every father would do when their little girl start to develop feelings for somebody"
"And how can you know, for all I know your father's buried a long time ago," he snapped at her angrily. But he regretted that the moment the words came out of his mouth, Christine was fuming and hurt at the same time.
"Unlike other people, I did had social contact with people and I did heard stories from the other ballet and chorus girls," she said while walking away as controlled as she could muster. Erik walked after her and before he could say anything, Christine turned around, said: "Don't! I don't want to hear anything coming out of your mouth for this moment" and she continued to walk out of the room.
Erik knew that he should go after her, comforting her. But he decided that he should give her some time with her sadness. Every time he mentioned her father's dead (and most of the time he mentioned it with respect, unlike he had done this time) Christine was sad for a moment. Now would be no exception and probably she would be even more upset by Erik's harsh words. After half an hour, Christine went to Erik's music room, where he was busy composing some song. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have run away like that," she began. From the moment he heard her voice, he stopped whatever it was he was doing and turned all his attention towards her. "You're sorry because you took off after I had hurt you? Really Christine, the only person who should be sorry is me. I shouldn't have said that and I'm really sorry."
"Maybe I shouldn't have laughed."
"But you had every right to do so. I thought of how I reacted and I admit it was laughable."
Christine smiled and when Erik saw he smile, he too started to smile. Then a noise was heard and Erik and Christine turned her attention to the entrance of the lair. To their amazement, what they saw was an unnatural pale Melody.
A/n: Although Carmen is a tragedy, it is most likely the most known opéra-comique.
If they would perform the Phantom of the Opera, it's similar to the stage version of Andrew Lloyd Webber (and with similar to, I mean exactly alike ^^)