"Sophie "A voice was drawing her out of unconsciousness
"Sophie" Maybe if I don't move it will go away. She thought as she kept her breathing at the same pace.
"SOPHIA MARIE GET YOUR BUTT UP NOW" Ok that's it. She thought. Still barely moving she got a better hold of her pillow and swung it viscously at the voice.
"Merde. What was that for?" Sophie groggily looked up at the voice that woke her and saw it was Meg. She was leaning upside down from the top of her mattress. Sophie childishly stuck her tongue out at her annoying blond friend. Her friend smiled evilly, like she had something up her sleeve.
"Meg." She said accusingly "What have you been up to" The little fairy like girl went red in the face and looked around sheepishly.
"Well I heard from Margot who heard from Rose who overheard Elisabeth and Genevieve discussing the upcoming performance. They say that instead of all of the usual singing they want to do a ballet. So I went to Monsieur Lefèvre and persuaded him to let you audition for Farfalla, the lead role." Meg looked very proud of herself for what she had done. Sophie was speechless. Meg had always been like a sister to her but was always loyal to Christine, and always tried to help the attention seeking, brown-haired, harlot.
"Thank you Meg but," She wiped the hair out of her face. "Why would you do something like that for me. What about Christine." She spat out the name like poison. Meg knew of her friends distaste for Christine, but never could understand why.
"Because dear Sophie, Christine is a singer not a dancer, and from what I've heard you would be perfectly fitted for the part. Farfalla needs to be light and graceful, like a butterfly." She was oddly excited about this for some reason. Sophie sighed in resignation. She just couldn't bring herself to say no to the happy little ballerina hanging above her.
"Alright, I'll do it, but don't get too excited about it. I highly doubt I'll make it." If one looked at Meg Giry they would think she just became the happiest girl in France. Her smile was as big as the moon. Meg hopped down off the bunk and hugged her friend tightly.
"Oh thank you thank you thank you. You won't regret this I promise. You will get the part, you'll see." The elated blonde looked at the clock behind their bed and her smile dimmed. "But if we don't get to the stage in ten minutes this will all be pointless." She said. She was suddenly throwing different parts of a tutu at Sophie and told her to 'get her sleepy but dressed'. Sophie took her night clothes off and began to put the terrible torture machine on, or as all of the other girls called it, the corset.
"Meg, Come tie this please" Sophie heard the shuffling of her little feet and suddenly felt as if all the air had gone from her lungs.
"Watch it Meg. Don't break me" She gasped.
"There," Meg said quickly "Now put this on." She commanded while tossing the bottom to Sophie. Once she was dressed Meg dragged her to the stage just as the auditions started.
"Monsieur Reyer, I have Sophie." Meg said to the older man. He looked at Sophie approvingly.
"Well you look right for the part, but the question remains. Can you dance?" he gestured to the orchestra to begin playing and the stage cleared of all the other young girls hoping to get the part.
Sophia closed her eyes and felt the music. It was very easy for someone to just jump, spin and skip to music, but to translate the music into dance was another thing completely. After a few minutes the music stopped and Sophie opened her eyes. She was the only one there with the exception of Monsieur Reyer and Meg. She stood catching her breath and waited for the decision.
"Very well, that will do for now. You may go to practice with Madame Giry and the other girls."
She was very confused. Did she get the part? Did she do something wrong? It was quite possible that was the most confusing moment of her life. Meg tapped her shoulder.
"Sophie I need to go talk to maman. I will tell her all about it. Oh I really do hope you get the part.'' The little blonde skipped off the stage, leaving Sophie all alone. She just stood there, confused, and mildly suspicious. Why didn't Meg try out? She had wanted to star in a production since she was a child. That was all she ever talked about. It was always 'When I'm the prima ballerina' this and 'when I'm the prima ballerina' that. It actually got a bit irritating. So when Meg was happy that she had a chance to get a major part in a ballet, well it was very unexpected.
Sophie began her walk down the cold marble halls of the Opera Populaire the memory of the night before playing in her mind. Why did he let her go? From what she had heard he never lets his victims go. Oh well stranger things had happened before, and it would not do any good to dwell on the past. Besides, it could have very well been a dream. Right?
She decided that a quick bath wouldn't hurt. She walked down the halls and into the bathroom. She turned to look in the mirror for no reason at all really, but what she saw was shocking. There was a large hand shaped bruise on her neck. She began to go over the events that she had previously just thought was a bad nightmare. The stairs, the lake, the wall, the chains, she looked down at her wrists. Sure enough there were angry red welts on them. She continued to try and remember. The mask, the man, the phantom. The Phantom. He was real, he existed. A smile grew on her face. He couldn't touch her up here. There were too many people and she had already escaped once, so she knew the way out if he kidnapped her again. She ran out if the washroom and desperately tried to find Meg. She was almost to Madame Giry's room when she ran face first into a body.
" Oh Sophie, I'm so sorry I didn't see you there." No, not that voice. She knew exactly who that voice belonged to and it was her least favorite person in the world.
"It's quite alright Christine," She said in a sickly sweet voice. "No harm done." Christine smiled in a way that made her stomach cave in on itself and try to push the remnants of yesterday's dinner back up.
"Great, well I'll see you later I need to go…do something." Christine walked off a little too quickly for Sophie not to be a little bit curious. She decided that it wouldn't kill her, so she followed her. What harm ever came from making sure one of your…well… acquaintances, were safe. Following Christine led her behind the stage, up a flight of spiral stairs, down a hallway and to a large door. Sophie stood with her ear pressed against the cold wood and strained to hear what was going on in there.
"Angel, Angel can you hear me?" Christine whispered. Angel, like a real angel, Sophie wondered.
"Yes, I am here." That voice, where had she heard that voice? No. it can't be. Christine was talking to the opera ghost. Christine was talking to the same man that had held her against a wall, rendered her unconscious, and chained her up, and calling him angel at that. Sophie was shocked into utter silence. She stepped away from the door and padded quietly down the path that she came from. She had to tell someone.