Chapter Five-
Christine Daaé sighed in annoyance as she and the rest of the chorus girls waited in the flies for their cue from Carlotta. She tried not to wince in pain as Carlotta, who was way to old to be Prima Donna now, sang her note out of tune and held it for longer than she should have. Christine hated Carlotta, and she wasn't the only one, most people who worked and lived in this opera hated her. But they all pretended to like her because they were all afraid of her, only one person that Christine knew of was not afraid to show his distaste for her. And that person was her long time friend, mentor, and protector, Erik.
As she thought of him, Christine glanced up into the dark catwalks catching Erik's white mask where he knelt in the shadows of the catwalk over her. She smiled at him. Since his promise to always be with her the day of her father's funeral four years ago, he had never been far from her. His constant presents made her feel safe.
Christine was brought back to rehearsal when she heard their cue finally come up. "With feasting and dancing and song tonight in celebration we greet the victorious throng return to bring salvation." She sang along side the other female chorus as they preformed their dance. She made sure to hit her notes and her moves perfectly, all while hearing Erik's critigues. They had spent many nights in his home, running this over and over again so that she was perfect.
"Sad return to find the land we love threatened once more by Roma's far-reaching grasp..." Piangi sang, once again mispronouncing Rome. This happened every rehearsal.
"No, no, no, no!" Their producer and stage manager, Reyer, cried storming from the house and onto the stage with his copy of the play in his hand. Christine quickly got up from her bow, along with a few of the other chorus girls, to allow him to pass to get to Piangi easier. "Singor, if your please. 'Rome'. We say 'Rome', not 'Roma'." The tone of his voice alerted everyone that he was tired of Piangi mispronouncing this simple word.
"'Rome"? 'Rome' is very hard for me." Piangi complained and Christine rolled his eyes. If that one word is too hard for you and replacing it with an easier word would distroy the entire production, than Piangi should either suck it up and say the correct word, or step down and allow someone younger to play the part.
"Well, once again, if you please, signor, 'Sad to return...'." Reyer said, completely ignoring Piangi's complaints being to fed up and annoyed to care.
"It's very, very hard. I am from Italy." Piangi continued to complain, yet the producer still ignored him.
"Just get it right, please." He told Piangi before stepping off the stage and back into the house as Piangi practiced pronouncing 'Rome' correct. Christine, along with everyone else, got back into her spot and bowed again.
"Sad return to find the land we love threatened once more by Rome's far-reaching grasp tomorrow we shall break the chains of Rome. Tonight, rejoice. Your army has come home" Piangi sang, having trouble getting to his notes at the end. As him and Carlotta left stage left, Christine's friend, Meg, and her group of ballet rats preformed their ballet. Before long, Christine and her group of chorus girls, joined the ballet rats in the ballet, with Christine, a chorus girl, up front with the ballet rats while the rest of the chorus girls were hidden in the back, not being as good as the ballet rats. It was only thanks to Erik and their late night practices that Christine was as good, if not better, than the ballet rats.
At the end of the ballet, the chorus girls and ballet rat traded spots seamlessly so now it was the chorus girls up front and the ballet rats hidden in the back. "Bid welcome to Hannibal's guests, the elephants of Carthage. As guides on our conquering quests dido sends Hannibal's friends." They sang before Carlotta and Piangi took the stage again. And before long, the scene was finally done with Piangi unable to pull out his sword.
"Hey! Hey!" Reyer called coming back on stage. "We're doing that all again! Thank you very much." Christine heard everyone groan, this was the fifth time they had done this one scene, but Christine knew they needed the practice, this was the only scene that was causing them so much trouble. Christine looked over to her friend, Meg to see her laying flat on the stage, she smiled and stood up before walking over to Meg and held out her hands.
"No," Meg moaned, "just let me die."
"Madame Giry and the Opera Ghost would be very disappointed if you died right here on the stage." Christine told her taking her hands and helped her up. "If you are going to die, at least do it off stage." Meg gave here a moch annoyed look as the two of them began to slowly make their way off stage.
"Oh, gee, and here I thought you cared about me." Meg said with an obviously fake pout.
"Nope, not one bit." Christine joked causing both of them to burst into giggles when they heard Monsieur Lefevre calling to someone.
"This way, gentlemen, this way." Meg and Christine stopped and turned to see who their owner could be talking to, maybe it was a new patron.
"Girls!" Reyer snapped at them causing Meg and Christine to jolt back to the present and rush to their spots as Monsieur Lefevre lead two gentlemen up onto the stage.
"Rehearsals, as you see, are underway for a new production of Chalumeau's Hannibal." He told the gentlemen as everyone burst into excited gossip wondering who these two gentlemen were. Christine peered around the curtain from her spot in the flies. From the looks of the two gentlemen, they didn't seem to be patrons. Sure they looked wealthy, but not wealthy enough to become patrons to the Opera Populaire.
"Ladies and gentlemen..." Monsieur Lefevre called a few times trying to gain the attention of the rowdy cast and crew, it wasn't until Madame Giry silenced them all with one look and a tap of her cane on the stage. "May I have your attention, please? As you know, for some weeks there have been rumors about my imminent retirement. I can now tell you, these were all true, and it is now my pleasure to introduce you to the two gentlemen who now own the Opera Populaire. Monsieur Richard Firmin and Monsieur Giles André." This got everyone to begin to gossip again as Christine felt Lefevre's retirement would lead to disaster.
Christine looked up to the catwalk and noticed Erik looking towards Monsieur Lefevre, Monsieur Firmin, and Monsieur André with a dark look. It would seem Erit had the same feeling as she. Christine's attention was drawn back to Monsieur Lefevre and the new owners when Monsieur Lefevre introduced Carlotta. It would seem she was going to be 'impressing' the new owners with a song.
"Will two bars be sufficient introduction?" Reyer asked rushing over to the orchestra as everyone hurried to get out of Carlotta's way, pushing and shoving each other, even the innocent bystanders not on stage, such as Christine. As she stumbled, Christine felt Erik's strong arms steady her.
"Be ready, this is your moment." Erik whispered to her as Carlotta started singing off key. Christine turned to ask what he meant, only to find him gone. She quickly searched the catwalks to see him running along them to the backdrop. What was Erik planning? She got her answer moments later when he cut the rope holding up the backdrop, causing it to fall onto Carlotta. Christine gasped in awed shock as all the ballet rats and crew members screamed.
"He's here! The Phantom of the Opera!" Meg yelled running along the stage trying to catch a view of Erik who had fled from the catwalk to the safety of the shadows. "He's there! The Phantom of the Opera!" Meg cried running to her mother, Madame Giry who did not look surprised or shocked. It would seem she had known Erik would make his appearance as the Opera Ghost in front of the new managers.
"Good heavens, will you show a little courtesy!" One of the new managers called through the panic as Meg tried to make her way back to Christine, but was blocked by the other manager and forced to run and hide in her group of ballet rats.
"Buquet! Where's Buquet! Get that man down here!" Monsieur Lefevre ordered and a crew member ran to find Buquet who was most likely drunk and sleeping somewhere backstage. When Monsieur Lefevre turned to the new managers to explain Buquets role in the Opera Populaire, Meg found an opening and ran to Christine and pulled her into a calming hug.
"It's okay, Meg, everything will be fine. We just have to listen to the Opera Ghost, and everything will be as it should." Christine whispered to her friend who was shaking and paler than Christine had ever seen her. But, she did not blame her friend for being scared of the Opera Ghost, it was only Christine who was ever safe from his rath, everyone else, especially the ballet rats that Erik hated, were not so lucky.
Buquet rushed past her, cut rope in hand, and out onto the stage. "Buquet! For God's sake, man, what's going on up there?" Monsieur Lefevre demanded.
"Don't look at me, Monsieur Lefevre, as God's my witness, I was not at my post." Buquet admitted, obviously not wanting to be blamed for messing up Carlotta's singing. "No one was there! And if there was, then it must have been a ghost!" The ballet rats screamed in fear as a few of them dared to look up at the catwalk to try and catch a glimpse of Erik, who Christine could see was now in his box. Buquet, being escorted by Monseiur Lefevre, rushed past Christine and Meg while Monseiur Lefevre reprimanded him for speaking about the Opera Ghost.
"Good heavens! I've never known such insolence." Monseiur André said in deep annoyance glaring at them all.
"Signora, please." Monseiur Firmin said helping Carlotta off the ground. "These things do happen." He scoffed causing Carlotta to glare at him.
"'These thing do happen?'" She asked, having heard that line a number of times from Monsieur Lefevre when she complained about how the Opera Ghost kept harassing her. Christine hid a smile with her long, curly hair. Erik would have continued to harass Carlotta if she would have just done as he had ordered and left the Opera Populaire so a younger Prima Donna could rise.
"You have been here five minute! What do you know!" Carlotta roared having gotten into her Diva mode. "Si, these things do happen, all the time! For the past three years, these things do happen!" Monsueir Fefevre pasted Christine once again, this time alone, and into Carlotta's sight. "And did you stop them happening? No!" She charged at him and he only lifted a hand up to her, stopping her. "And you..." She turned her sights back on to Monsieur Firmin once more. "You're as bad as him! 'These things do happen.'" Carlotta looked around at everyone, anger boiling in her eyes, she was obviously hating what she going to do but felt it needed to be done to achieve her demand. "Well, until you stop these things happening, this thing does not happen!" And with that she stormed out with her husband Piangi following her.
Everyone in the Opera Populaire was silent as they registered what had just happened. They had just lost their Leading Lady, and on opening night! Christine knew she could sing and preform Carlotta's role, she knew it by heart thanks to Erik. But she didn't know if she had the courage to step up and finally take the role of Prima Donna as she had always dreamed of doing.
"La Carlotta will be back." Monseiur Firmin said confidently.
"Are you sure, Monseiur?" Madame Giry said stepping up to the new managers. "I have a message, from the Opera Ghost."
"Oh, God in heaven, you're all obsessed!" Monseirur André complained glaring at Madame Giry who shrugged him off and continued with her message that Erik had most likely given her before rehearsal that day.
"He merely welcomes you to his opera house." Christine smiled at that, this truly was Erik's opera house now. "Commands that you continue to leave Box Five empty for his use, and reminds you that his salary is due." At that the managers laughed.
"His salary?" Monseiur André asked in disbelief.
"Monsieur Lefevre paid him 20,000 francs a month." Madame Giry informed them, causing them to stop laughing and looked at her in shocked horror. "Perhaps you could afford more, with Vicomte de Chagny as your patron." Christine gasped and looked towards Box Five. Relief flooded through her when she saw Erik was still there. The last time she had seen any Chagny, Erik had left her. She did not want a repeat of that.
"Madame, I had hoped to have made that announcement myself." Monsieur Firmin told her Madame Giry angrily, a slight wonderment in his eyes. It seemed that who the managers had gotten as their patron had been a tight lipped secret. Which meant that the only way that Madame Giry could have known about it was through Erik. Christine and Erik locked eyes, Erik had known before hand that a de Chagny was coming here.
"Will the Vicomte be at the performance this evening, monsieur?" Madame Giry asked, her tone alerted Christine that, that question was not for her sake, but Erik's. Erik wanted to know if a de Chagny would be within his domain.
"In our box." Monsieur André informed her.
"Madame, who is the understudy for the role?" Monsieur Firmin asked.
"There is no understudy! The production is new!" Monseiur Reyer told them, panic clear in his voice. They had not had to cancel a production in many years, ever since Erik had taken on his role of Opera Ghost.
She felt Meg tug on her arm and found herself being drug to the middle of the stage. "Christine Daaé could sing it, sir." Meg announced and Christine looked at her in shock, no one but Erik knew that! Did this mean that he had gotten Madam Giry and Meg to go along with his plan!
"A ballet girl?" Monsieur André asked.
"Chorus." Christine corrected him, he didn't seem any more pleased.
"She's been taking lessons from a great teacher." Meg informed everyone.
"Oh, from whom?" Monsieur Firmin asked and Christine glanced up at Box Five.
"I don't know, sir." Christine lied nervously.
"Can you believe it. A full house, and we have to cancel!" Monsieur André said in annoyance as Meg rushed over to Christine and whispered soothing words to her.
"Daaé?" Monsieur Firmin said waving Christine closer to him. Christine straighted her back, and held her head high, as Erik had taught her, as she made her way to him. "That's a curious name. Any relation to the violinist?" He asked causing a wave of sadness to crash into her heart. Christine glanced at Box Five once more, wishing she could run into Erik's arms.
"My father, sir." Christine informed him.
"Let her sing for you, monsieur. She had been well taught." Madame Giry said, nodding to her, that nod was almost like a hug from Erik, it erased all of her worry and doubt. She heard Monsieur Reyer tell her to start at the beginning of the aria before taking the scarf from Meg. She was ready. If she wasn't then Erik would not have let this happen. At that thought, she stood up even straighter, took a deep breath, let the music take hold of her soul, and began singing the song with strong and powerful notes that were on key. She was not singing for herself or the cast and crew, she was singing for Erik.