A/N: Every time I write, I somehow miss My Little Rose just a tiny bit. I guess I can't quite forget my first proper written piece of work! Anyway, in this chapter, we have more Erik-Christine interaction, and I hope you guys like it!

Bonpetitedoodles: Thank you! Gosh, I know, I'm so used to writing concise work for essays and reports that it's just so liberating to let the words and descriptive phrases flow.

Masked Man 2: Thank you! The test went horribly, but everyone found it difficult, so I guess I can only cross my fingers. Accounting's always been such a scourge, haha. I feel like it's so difficult to keep the musical, and the actual people separate, sigh. Perhaps I shouldn't have had them act out POTO for their production, but it seemed like a viable idea when I first started writing. Hopefully it works out!

Tsuray: Thank you for your encouragement! (: I'm glad you like it so far, and don't worry, I intend to keep writing for as long as I am able to.

emeraldphan: Well, I wouldn't say that Madeleine Bellerose was exactly a 'loving parent', but she was present, at the very least! I'm glad you like the story so far, please stay around for updates! (:

grandma paula: Thank you very much, hopefully the following chapters will not disappoint.

Thank you to new followers/favourites/reviewers (:

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Chapter 3

Christine flipped through her script nervously as she sat next to Meg, nodding distractedly at whatever Meg was saying. Apparently, Meg had taken a great interest in their new mentor, and had spent the night searching him up on the Internet.

There had been little information to be found, it seemed. According to Meg, the man rarely appeared at events held within the music industry, and even if he did, there were usually few photos of him posing before the photo wall or red carpet, despite the fact that he was rapidly achieving the status of a well-known celebrity composer. Meg was excitedly reciting to Christine a list of stars that Erik Chanteur had worked with before.

"And look at this!" Meg whispered, waving her phone in front of Christine's face. "His mother is Madeleine Bellerose!"

Christine took the phone exasperatedly and looked at the screen, where Meg had pulled up a photo of two people posing as they walked down the red carpet. The headline below the photo proclaimed that Erik Chanteur had escorted his mother to the premiere of a musical where Madeleine Bellerose was to perform a special piece to celebrate the debut of the musical. The two of them could not have looked any less similar. Where Madeleine Bellerose was petite and small, resembling a pixie with a lustrous mane of blonde curls, Erik Chanteur stood tall and intimidating, with his jet black hair combed back neatly. The only similarities were the piercing green eyes and aquiline nose.

"Wow, I never knew Madeleine Bellerose had a son," Christine commented.

Meg frowned. "It was kept very quiet. There are very few articles about the Chanteur family online, and she hardly ever talked about her family in interviews. I wonder why?"

Her musings were cut off by the creak of the door to the theatre as it swung open, and the man in question strode in, followed by Mr Gilford.

"Settle down, settle down," Mr Gilford roared over the hubbub. "Auditions will begin shortly!"

Erik Chanteur and Mr Gilford took their seats in front of a table that had been set up for them, arranging scores, paper, and pencils neatly on the surface. Then Erik clapped his hands sharply, causing the noise in the theatre to die down instantly.

"When your name is called," he said, his voice loud in the suddenly silent room, "kindly proceed to the stage and begin your audition. I must inform all of you beforehand that I will be observing your auditions very strictly, and I hope you have all been serious in your practices. After all, I require nothing but the best performance from all of you, and I trust that you will not disappoint me."

He said all these without a smile, the words emotionless and distant. Christine briefly wondered how a man with such a beautiful voice could speak thusly.

"He sure doesn't mince words," Meg grimaced. "Great, because now he's got me all nervous."

"Relax, Meg, you've been practising all week," Christine said, patting her friend on the arm. "You've nothing to be worried about. Besides, all the other people who signed up for Meg aren't half as good as you are. It's me who's got something to be worried about."

Meg sighed. "I've told you so many times, if only you would go onto that stage and sing like you once did, you would outshine Charlotte by so many times!"

"I wish I could, too," said Christine sadly. "I just can't seem to do it anymore. Not since papa…"

Meg hushed her, for Erik had called out the first name, signalling the start of auditions.

When it was Meg's turn, she bounded up onto the stage energetically, giving a graceful curtsey to Mr Gilford and Erik Chanteur. Mr Gilford laughed and applauded, but Erik merely raised his eyebrows and gestured for her to start. The music began, and Meg took a deep breath before starting her ballet routine. She sang the few lines of Meg Giry's perfectly, if a little shaky at the start, but overall she shone brightly as usual. Christine grinned as she watched Meg's performance; she did not doubt that the role would go to her.

"Thank you, Margaret," said Mr Gilford, when Meg finally ended, breathing heavily and beaming happily. "Well done."

Christine could see Erik nodding approvingly as he scribbled notes down onto his paper.

The rest of the auditions passed in a blur. Some people forgot their lines, and some burst into tears as they stood on the stage, unable to continue singing. Others did well, and skipped off the stage happily, high-fiving their friends in the audience. As Christine waited for her turn, she rubbed her clammy palms on her jeans. Erik Chanteur, she noticed, was not too big on his compliments; he rarely praised any of the people auditioning.

"Charlotte Redcliffe," Mr Gilford called.

Smiling serenely, Charlotte practically glided onto the stage, looking picture perfect in her white dress and ginger ringlets. She gestured to the pianist to begin, and launched into her rendition of "Think of Me".

Christine closed her eyes as she let Charlotte's voice flow over her. Charlotte had a good voice, albeit a little too nasal and screechy at times. Christine prayed fervently that she would be able to sing the way she sang alone in her own room, during her own audition. She looked around and noticed Erik Chanteur sit up a little straighter, observing Charlotte closely.

When the song ended, Charlotte bestowed the two judges with a brilliant smile that flashed perfect white teeth, and Mr Gilford clapped gustily for her. "Well done as always, Charlotte."

"That was a good rendition," Erik Chanteur said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. At his words, Charlotte smiled prettily and curtsied, thanking him.

"And lastly…" Mr Gilford looked at the list before him and frowned. "Christine? Christine Sangare?"

He had good reason to be frowning. For the past two auditions that he had presided over, Christine had marched onto stage bravely, only to be unable to produce as much as one well-sung line, much less a complete audition. Christine sighed, and stood up.

She made her way to the stage, passing by Charlotte, who gave her a triumphant grin. Christine rubbed her hands over her jeans again, and climbed up the stairs leading to the stage. She nodded to the pianist, who began the opening chords of her chosen song.

Christine looked down from where she was standing, straight into the green eyes of Erik Chanteur, who was watching her intensely. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and began to sing.

It started off well enough. She sang the first few lines of the song as she had intended to. But then she made the mistake of allowing her gaze to wander away, and her brain began to register that she was standing on stage before a room of people.

Her voice caught in her throat even as she willed it to continue, and she stared, aghast, at the theatre club members who were scattered around the seats in the theatre, looking at her curiously. She took a deep breath, and opened her mouth to try to continue, but nothing came out.

The pianist had stopped, wondering why Christine was no longer singing, and Christine could feel a flush creeping up her neck and face.

She could not continue.

She just… she did not want to continue. There was no point in trying again, for it would be the same as it had always been.

"I… I'm sorry, I… Sorry." She said, stumbling over her words, before she ran off the stage and back to her seat, feeling very much like a dog returning in disgrace, its tail between its legs.

There was a very deadly silence in the theatre. There was no need to clap, of course, for Christine had not even managed to sing a verse, but some people had their hands frozen in a gesture that suggested they had been ready to clap but had decided against it.

Christine half-ran to her seat, her fists clenched and her nails biting into her palms painfully. She collapsed into her seat, her hands covering her face, and the burn in her eyes threatening to spill tears.

"Oh, Christine," Meg said sympathetically, putting an arm around her shoulders. "It wasn't that bad."

"It was," Christine mumbled, leaning back in her seat. "It was as bad as it always was…"

"Right, that's the end of auditions," Mr Gilford announced, standing up and breaking the awkward silence. "Results of the auditions will be released soon. You can all leave now!"

Immediately, there was the buzz of excitement from all around the theatre now that someone had spoken. The chattering groups of students breezed out of the theatre, smiles on their faces now that they had completed their auditions. Christine sat still in her seat with Meg next to her, unable to get up and leave the place in her current state of embarrassment and horror.

"Told you she wouldn't be able to sing it," she heard Charlotte's triumphant voice from somewhere along the aisle, followed by a responding giggle from one of Charlotte's friends.

Christine groaned, closing her eyes. She wondered how she would be able to graduate and carry on with a singing career if she was unable to get over this problem of hers.

"Christine!" Meg suddenly hissed, hitting her on the arm.

"Meg, please let me wallow in my own self-pity for a few more minutes," Christine said. "I cannot believe…"

"As much as I would love to wait around for you to indulge in your pool of self-pity, I am in somewhat of a rush," said a male voice coolly. "Therefore, I would like to ask that you hear me out now."

Christine gave a small squeak, and jumped in her chair, sitting up straight. Erik Chanteur now stood in the aisle next to them, looking down at her emotionlessly.

"Mr Chanteur! What… what can I do for you?" She clenched her fists, feeling the cold clamminess of her palms.

"I would like to hear you sing again," the man said simply. "Your voice has a lot of potential."

"I… I can't," Christine whispered. "Didn't you hear me just now during my audition?"

"Yes, but there were people in this theatre just now," he said impatiently. "There is nobody else here now, and I would like to hear you sing again."

"But there is no music, and no pianist and…"

"Are you always this obtuse, Miss Sangare?" Erik Chanteur snapped, turning and striding back to the stage. "It might have occurred to you that I am fairly capable of playing the music for your audition piece."

As he walked, he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves, before flexing his fingers. Christine gaped at him.

"Well?" He said irritably as he lifted the cover of the grand piano. "Are you going to sing again, or are you just going to sit there with Meg?"

Christine gulped, and slowly made her way over to the stage. She climbed back up, and stood centre stage again.

"Not there," Erik said, and gestured to a spot in front of the piano. "Right here so that I can hear you better."

She nodded, and moved, and almost instantly, he began to play the music for the song she had intended to sing during her audition. His green eyes never left hers, the piercing gaze urging her to sing.

Nervously, she took a deep breath and began to sing. "You were once my one companion…"

In that moment, Christine closed her eyes and felt like there was nobody else in the room. There was only her, and the music in the background, and her voice, which soared from her like a glorious songbird reaching out to the heavens. It felt as though her voice was coming from her effortlessly, as though it was an extension of her body. She sang like she had always sung.

When the song ended, she opened her eyes to see that Erik Chanteur was staring at her fiercely, a strange look in his eyes. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her pounding heart.

"Why did you not sing like this before?" He demanded. "What was that during the audition?"

"I… I…" Christine fumbled for words. "I couldn't sing during the audition. I… I have stage fright."

It was the best reason she could come up with to explain her condition, but Erik's eyes just narrowed at her, and she felt like crumbling under the intense pressure from the cold green eyes. She could not explain the situation any other way; it was just as startling to her that she had been able to sing in front of him.

"We're going to have call-back auditions," he said decisively, retrieving his phone from his pocket and typing out a quick message on it. "You're going to redo your audition."

"No," Christine protested. "The result will be the same!"

He pinned her with his unmoving gaze once more. "An audition with Mr Gilford and I, and Miss Redcliffe. I trust you will be able to perform to the best of your abilities then."

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and closed the grand piano gently. "I shall expect to see you here again tomorrow at three o'clock on the dot, Christine."

The door to the theatre creaked again as he pulled it open and strode out in the corridor. There was a deafening silence in the room after he left, as Meg and Christine stared at each other, dumbfounded.

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"You're late from leaving the auditions," Nadir observed as Erik entered the car.

"I was held back," Erik said as way of explanation, and Nadir nodded. He was used to Erik's cryptic and short answers to his queries.

"There was a student," Erik began, and Nadir's eyebrows shot upward, for it was unusual for Erik to elaborate more about his thoughts.

"What?" Erik scowled at him. "As I was saying, there was a student who auditioned, and failed terribly the first time. I made her sing again, when everyone had left, and… good god, Nadir, you should have heard her voice!"

"Was it good?" Nadir asked.

"Good? Good?" Erik repeated incredulously. "She sounded like a younger version of my mother—no, perhaps she has the potential to be even better than my mother at her prime. That's how good she sounded."

Nadir nodded thoughtfully. "So, what's the problem?"

"She cannot sing in front of an audience," Erik frowned, running a hand through his hair. "Her audition began quite well, I should say, until she let her gaze wander to the audience, and then she just… froze."

"It could have been stage fright," Nadir pointed out. "An affliction that strikes most performers, no matter how good they are."

"I thought that would be the case, and it was also what she claimed it to be, but I know from Mr Gilford that she had performed in the lead role in two productions a couple of years back. It befuddles me how a student who has such stage fright could play the lead in not one, but two productions." Erik said, the crease between his eyebrows deepening. "I intend to find out why."

"Might I ask why?" Nadir ventured cautiously. "Why this sudden interest?"

Erik shrugged, rolling his shoulders slightly to relieve some of the tension from his aching muscles. "If she is as good as I think she is, she would make a good student."

Nadir choked slightly on his own words. "Would that be a good idea, Erik? After all…"

"Enough of your worries, Nadir," Erik snapped. "Do not bring up Mirelle before me again. I do not intend to repeat that incident. I merely want to help a student bring her voice to the heights that it deserves."

Sighing, Nadir dropped the topic, and, quite wisely, drove Erik back home in silence.

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A/N: Please do follow/favourite/leave a review to let me know what you think! (: