I do not own anything
Christine
I have seen him.
I could burst with joy.
I have seen him and been held by him again.
Tonight was the opening night of Ill Muto and everything was set to go, there had still been no accidents of any nature be they suspicious or accidental.
Carlotta was dressed in her extravagant pink glittering costume with a wig on her head that added about another three feet to her already impressive hight. She paraded around the stage in her element for a good fifteen minutes into the beginning of the performance before suddenly a crazy laugh filled the auditorium, even managing to drown out the music coming from the orchestra.
Silence washed over the theatre as we all glanced around, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.
There was more than one.
I edged away from my position (mid stage standing next to Carlotta) towards Meg seeing that she was doing the same thing.
She leaned into me and whispered in my ear
"Do you recognise the voices?"
No I did not, I stood for a second trying to identify the laughter.
The hysterics died down and one of the voices began to speak.
"Listen to that screeching up there." exclaimed the voice, filling the theatre. We glanced to Carlotta whose face was beginning to turn a deep red colour.
I looked towards Meg and our eyes met.
"Joseph" we both mouthed as we continued to listen to the old stage hand's hoarse voice.
"One of these nights she is going to bring down the chandelier with her screaming." he finished by bursting out into another fit of laughter along with his audience – whoever they were.
Carlotta stamped her foot in anger as she looked up at the managers box and demanded everything but Joseph's head on a platter.
I want him brought here, I want him fired, I want an apology...
As the ghostly laughter died down we began again from where we had been stopped and a hunt began back stage for Joseph.
Then much to my horror and everybody else's amazement Carlotta's voice began to fail and she began to croak out her song.
No, no, no what was happening.
Joseph's voice once again filled the air (obviously he had not been found yet).
"Ha, listen to that she is croaking like a toad." he laughed dragging in breaths of air.
Wherever he was he thought that he was free of being heard and did not realize that the entire Opera House could hear him. He is known for his loose tongue when it comes to speaking of people behind their backs but never face to face.
Finally the audience broke down and nearly every row was laughing.
Carlotta let out a scream of frustration and ran from the stage.
No, where was she going?
The curtains fell sharply cutting us of from the audience and the managers appeared in a flurry of activity as they dived to the audience side of the curtain.
Meg came up beside me.
"Christine what is happening?" she asked confusion painted across her face.
Nothing like this has ever happened before at the Opera, the company prides itself on the level of performances that are given and yet this one had turned into a complete and utter shambles.
My arm was grabbed and I found myself being dragged to the other side of the curtain.
"The role of the countess will be played by Miss Christine Daae." announced one of the managers, the news being greeted by a round of applause.
What?
No, no, no. I was screaming inside my mind as I was whisked away to Carlotta's dressing room once again.
I did not want to sing.
What was the point when my angel no longer cared for me.
I stood motionless as Madame Giry helped me dress, tightening my corset and dressing me in Carlotta's elaborate costume, it was huge on me being far to long for my short frame, so pins were used to hold the fabric tighter and heels were put on my feet.
No, I do not want to do this, my mind cried angrily.
I stood staring at myself in the mirror, the very same mirror that my angel had appeared through. I stood willing him to come to me once again.
Nothing.
I wanted to cry with the despair that I was feeling, I felt as though a large weight was pressing down on my chest, like I would shatter into a million pieces with the pressure.
My mind danced with images from our last meeting. Our journey to and from his home, our singing, my waking up to his gentle organ playing.
I slumped onto the seat in front of the dressing table, waiting for someone to come and fetch me and let my head fall to my hands as I took in deep gulps of air trying not to break down into tears.
I will not cry, I will not cry. I repeated over and over.
The last time I had sat in this seat was when I was playing with the rose. His rose. For it had not been long after my return that I figured out just who the flower was from.
Suddenly a hand came down on my shoulder and I gasped spinning rapidly around on the seat.
It was Madame Giry.
She looked down at me and smiled, drawing one of her hands out from behind her back.
I froze as I tried to process what I was seeing before jumping from my seat and throwing my arms around her neck and hugging her tightly.
A rose.
It was a rose she was holding.
A rose with a black ribbon.
From my angel, the Phantom
He had not forgotten me.
Did this mean that he was no longer angry with me?
A genuine smile of joy spread across my face for the first time in days and I danced around the dressing room clutching the rose in my hands.
It was from him, it was from him, I sang to myself in my mind as I spun around happily, all thoughts of crying forgotten.
I heard a cough and the spell was broken.
Madame Giry – who I had forgotten about after hugging her and taking my rose from her – was standing were I had left her with one of her rarely seen smiles on her face.
"It is time for you to go on now child." she told me firmly her smile quickly disappearing and being replaced my a frown. But nothing could shake my new found happiness and I skipped up to her kissed her on the cheek and ran from the room, tucking the rose into the waist band of my dress – I did not care if the flower stood out from my costume I was not leaving it in the dressing room.
So the opera began once more.
I went onto the stage full of happiness and the desire to do well, for now my angel was back in my life.
I flowed through the songs, the flirtatious lyrics coming out lightly from my lips as I flitted across the stage my heart light in the knowledge that my angel was watching me.
Everything went fine, I noticed a slight bustle to the side of me when Joseph was tracked down, he was obviously drunk and being very loud in his views of everything as he was escorted to the managers office.
Clapping and cheering erupted as the final notes were played by the orchestra.
We all bowed deeply as the curtains dropped, cutting us of from the audience.
This time no one made the fuss that was made for Hannibal, Meg came up to me and told me once again that she was proud of me and I gave her a hug telling her that I wished I could dance like she does. Which I do. Ever since we were young Meg has possessed a natural grace while me, I just trip over everything and have to work hard just to stay upright – though the ballet training through the years has helped with that, a little.
The cast did nothing but gossip about Carlotta's disappearance and where Joseph could have been talking from to be heard by the entire theatre throughout the after-show part.
I made my escape as soon as I could, not wanting to attract any attention after my disappearance the opening night of Hannibal.
Just as the others began to make their way to bed I began to move away from the group only to find myself being grasped by the waist from behind and spun around. I tensed up as I was pulled roughly against a chest and lips came near my ear.
"You were wonderful." whispered a male voice.
Raoul.
I turned in his grasp, remembering the last time I was in such a position – in the arms of my angel.
I looked up at his smiling face. The face of a boy.
"Thank you Raoul." I mumbled glancing down at my feet.
His hand came up and soft fingers gripped my chin, tipping my head up.
Another memory surfaced. But it was not the soft touch of skin against skin but the leather of gloves...
"Christine?" he questioned me softly. "Are you alright?"
Ever since my 'disappearance' he has been very careful of me and so far whenever questioned about where I had been I have managed to avoid answering.
"I am fine Raoul, really." I answered softly just wanting to get away suddenly. I wanted to be outside. I needed fresh air. I would go to the chapel after I could breath properly.
"I am just tired Raoul so if you do not mind..." I trailed of, feeling terrible for the way I was treating him but I felt as though I was suffocating it seemed like he was always there, I never had any time to myself. He was always just behind me or looking for me. His finger slackened on my waist but did not release me.
He sighed heavily and shook his head finally releasing my waist. I allowed myself to breath a little deeper.
"Very well Christine." he reached for my hand now and brought it to his lips kissing it softly.
"Go to bed and I will see you tomorrow." he said quietly dropping my hand.
Feeling awful for the way I was acting I wrapped my arms around him giving him a brief hug.
"Goodnight Raoul."
I walked away as fast as I could without making it obvious that I was in a hurry only turning around to see if Raoul had left and he had.
I ran now, making my way to the twirling staircase that leads to the roof of the Opera House.
I could not get there fast enough, nearly sending myself sprawling onto the floor more than once in my haste to breath fresh air.
Finally.
I opened the door to the roof wide and ran out onto the roof taking in as much air as I could as I looked out over Paris, the lights making the city look like a sparkling jewel in the darkness.
I raised my face to the sky and spun around, feeling free and happy, dancing as I had in Carlotta's dressing room.
The fresh air took away the horrible feeling of suffocation that has attacked me when with Raoul.
I needed to speak with my angel now, so I turned to make my way back to the door, back into the Opera House when a figure caught my eye.
I watched, wide eyed, as the figure approached me, moving out of the shadows and into the moonlight.
It was him.
Here.
Standing only feet away from me.
I could not hold myself back.
I broke into a run, throwing myself at him and burying my face in his chest as I felt his arms close around me.
AHH!
I have been working on this for the best part of a week, had a major blockage of some kind.
I hope you like the little turn on events I have with Joseph. I never really like the idea of the Phantom going around killing people.
Please let me know what you think.
Erik's thoughts are next .