Chapter 2: The Gala
"Monsieur Lavefre, I am rehearsing!" the maestro exclaimed as said man walked into the stage.
They were rehearsing Hannibal for that night's gala when Monsieur Lavefre, the House's manager, along with two other men made their appearance.
"Monsieur Reyer," he raised his hands, "Madame Giry, ladies and gentlemen, please. If I can have your attention," he requested, since everyone had started to gather to see what was going on. "Thank you. As you know, for some weeks there have been rumors of my imminent retirement," he started. "I can now tell you these are all true," everyone started muttering things like 'I told you' or 'So it was true'.
Julliette was with her friend Charlotte.
"Meg was right," Charlotte whispered to her.
Julliette nodded.
"And," he continued, "it is my pleasure to introduce you to the two gentlemen who now own the Opera Populaire," he pointed at the two men next to him. "Monsieur Richard Firmin and Monsieur Gilles Andre," Monsieur Richard bowed respectfully at the crowd while his partner Monsieur Gilles waved cheerfully.
There was a round of applause.
Julliette spotted Dominique, Charlotte's sister, and her friend-retinue Meredith posing and smiling suggestively at the two men while muttering "He must be rich". Charlotte just face palmed.
Monsieur Richard spoke up.
"And we are deeply honored to introduce our new patron," he said.
"The Viscount de Chagny," Monsieur Gilles said smiling.
From behind the stage came out a tall blond man. He was dressed very simply, for a viscount. He wore a white dressing shirt under a brown vest and a blue coat.
All around her Julliette heard the voices of the girls who sighed dreamily and commented on how handsome the man was. Indeed, he was good looking, she had to admit, but she couldn't help but laugh at them.
"My parents and I are honored to support all the arts," he started saying, "specially the well renowned Opera Populaire." Everybody clapped and the diva approached to him.
"Oh gentlemen, Signora Carlotta Guidicelli, our leading soprano for five seasons now," Monsieur Lavefre introduced her as she took the viscount's hand and bowed at him.
"Bravo, bravo!" her servants shouted. The tenor made a squeaking sound and they all turned to him.
"Signor Ubaldo Piangi," Monsieur Lavefre said as well. There was more applause.
"An honor Signor," the viscount said. "I believe I'm keeping you from your rehearsal. I will be here this evening to share your great triumph," he said to the crowd. "My apologies Monsieur," he told the maestro before walking away.
"Thank you Monsieur le viscount," the maestro said. "Once more if you please Signor," he tried to continue with the rehearsal.
Charlotte and Julliette positioned themselves on their respective places, since their number was about to start. The orchestra started to play their song and the first lines made their entrance on stage.
As she danced, Julliette spotted Madame Giry talking with the new managers and showing them the number. They were pointing at some ballerinas and, apparently, asking about them, with a suggestive smile on their faces. She noticed that they had been precisely Meg and Christine.
She almost smiled. If he could see them…
The time to make the circle was close. Julliette looked around at the other dancers. She saw Charlotte, and her expression told Julliette that she was thinking the same. A few hours before, Madame Giry had changed the choreography, saying that it would be easier to remember a less complicated sequence and it would also fit better with the song. But know, with all the staging, all the other dancers and cast, if they made a mistake it would be disastrous.
Sighing, she just prayed everything would be alright and positioned herself next to Meg.
The time came. They surrounded the diva, her singing reaching the highest point. Then they all started to make the new steps at the same time. For Julliette's surprise, no one got anything wrong. They twirled in time and knelt on their final pose just in time, when the music ended.
Smiling, they all raised.
"We got it!" Meg said happily holding Julliette's hands.
"I know!" she answered.
"We did it!" Christine joined them. Julliette went with Charlotte and they were talking excitedly when they heard the diva's loud voice.
"…I will not be singing!" she said. "Andiamo tutti…." She kept mumbling things as she walked away.
Julliette shook her head, as the other cast members just sighed. Carlotta was such a diva.
Monsieur Richard and Monsieur Andre were soon after her, flattering her beauty and telling her to be the goddess of the song. It seemed Monsieur Lavefre had already taught them the first rule to deal with the diva: grovel behind her.
Julliette didn't make out much of their conversation, something weird due to Carlotta's loud complaints. The best she and Charlotte could figure was that she was mad because the managers admired the dancers instead of her and something about her costume for act three.
At the end, Monsieur Richard asked her to make a performance just for them, so they could get delighted with her 'blessed voice'. Carlotta quickly recovered her spirits and started commanding for everyone to stay quiet as she walked to the middle of the stage.
"Signora," Monsieur Reyer said, back in front of his stand and with his baton in hand.
"Maestro," she answered. He gave the command for the pianist to start playing. It was the song for act three, Think of me. He had made Julliette learn to play it on violin, piano and flute, and had also made her sing it. It was one of his most beautiful compositions.
"'Think of me'," Carlotta sung, with her ear drilling voice, "'Think of me fondly when we've said goooooooooooooooodbye'," Julliette closed her eyes to keep from complaining. Carlotta was a good singer, an opera singer, and her voice, while it was amazingly strong, it could be also amazingly irritating. And that particular song deserved something better.
She kept singing, obviously pleased for having the managers' attention now. She seemed very enthusiastic while she made her voice fluctuate on the high notes when, above them, something started to crack. On the blink of an eye one of the panels that had already been lifted was rushing down and fell over a screaming Carlotta.
Everybody backed away and the maestro, the managers and the tenor approached to her.
"It's here, the phantom of the Opera," Julliette heard Meg say. Now, she didn't believe on Christine's teacher but she did believe in the phantom.
"Though they are the same," she thought. She looked up, as many others did, but they were looking for Joseph Buquet, the chief stagehand. She tried to look even further up from where Joseph was and she vaguely made out a black figure. It was him.
Monsieur Lavefre called Joseph to know what was going on while they helped Carlotta to her feet.
"Please Monsieur don't look at me," Joseph answered, lifting the panel from above. "God's my judge that was not my post," he said.
Monsieur Lavefre glared at him.
"Please Monsieur there's no one there," he said again, then he adopted his typical smirk. "Or if there is, well, then it must be a ghost," he laughed. Everyone gasped.
Julliette saw Madame Giry picking something from the floor.
"Signora," Monsieur Gilles tried to calm her down, "these things do happen."
"For the past years these things do happen, and did you stop them from happening… No!" she said to Monsieur Lavefre. Then she pointed at the new managers, shouting that they were just as inept and useless. She ended saying that they should stop those things from happening and she left the place, with her crowd behind her.
The managers were astonished, just as everyone else. Carlotta had a big mouth. She always threatened with leaving the production if something didn't please her, and at the end it was always fixed so she would stay. But now, she had actually walked away from the stage and hadn't looked back.
"Gentlemen, good luck," Monsieur Lavefre told the managers, "if you need me I shall be in Australia," he said and left as well.
With that, the managers were even more astonished.
"S-Signora…" Monsieur Gilles stammered "….Guidicelli….she will b-be coming back won't she?"
"Don't think so Monsieur," Madame Giry broke in, holding what seemed a letter and its envelope. "I have a message sir, from the Opera Ghost."
"Oh God in heaven you're all obsessed!" Monsieur Richard complained. Madame Giry ignored him.
"He welcomes you to his Opera House…" she continued.
"His Opera House," Monsieur Richard again interrupted.
"…and commands that you continue to leave box five," she pointed at the box with her walking stick, "empty for his use. And reminds you that his salary is due," she gave Monsieur Gilles the letter.
"His salary?" Monsieur Richard exclaimed.
"Monsieur Lavefre used to give him 20,000 francs a month," Madame Giry replied, as a matter of fact.
"20,000 francs!" he took the letter from Monsieur Gilles's hands.
"Perhaps you can afford more," Madame Giry suggested, "with the viscount as your patron."
"Madame," Monsieur Richard said. "I had hoped to make that annoucement public tonight when the viscount was to join us for the gala. But obviously," he started tearing up the letter, "we shall now have to cancel, as it appears that we have lost our star," he said.
Everyone stared wide eyed at him. Cancel the gala at the last minute? Julliette looked up, to where she'd seen him disappear. What did he pretend with this?
"Sho-sho-should it must be a-an understudy…" Monsieur Gilles said.
"Understudy?! There is no understudy for La Carlotta!" Monsieur Reyer said.
"A full house Andre," Monsieur Richard continued his loud venting. "We shall have to refund a full house!"
"Christine Daae could sing it sir," Madame Giry said and everybody looked at her. Julliette smiled. Of course.
"The chorus girl? Don't be silly," Monsieur Gilles shook his head.
"She has been taking lessons from a great teacher," Madame Giry insisted.
"Who?" he asked.
"I-I don't know his name Monsieur," Christine said in a small voice.
"Let her sing for your Monsieur," Madame Giry put a hand on her shoulder. "She has been well taught."
The managers exchanged a look.
"Alright," Monsieur Gilles said. "Come one, don't be shy." Christine looked terrified as she walked to him "Come on, come along, just, just…"
"From the beginning of the aria then please Mademoiselle," the maestro said. Julliette looked at her. This was her time, it was the time to show what he had taught her, and it made sense that he had bothered in personally attacking Carlotta so Christine could get her chance.
The pianist started to play. The managers stood by her side, obviously not believing a ballerina and chorus girl could play the role of a diva.
"They'll see," Julliette thought.
Christine started singing. Her soft, sweet voice slowly filling the place made all the cast approach to listen. Julliette couldn't help smiling.
After so many years living with him she had learned to recognize a real 'blessed voice' when she heard one. And the way she reached the high notes, with such care and without going out of tune made Julliette's heart jump in delight.
Since the first note she sang, the managers' faces changed completely. They were staring at her, open mouthed and obviously surprised. When she ended the song they could just look at each other, not knowing exactly what to do.
Julliette took the initiative. She started clapping, and next to her, Charlotte did too. Soon, all the other dancers, singers and even the stagehands were clapping as well. The managers slowly got out of their trance and joined the applause.
The maestro's face was unreadable. His baton was still in the air but he wasn't paying it attention. After some seconds he burst out laughing.
"In the name of God!" he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "We are indeed lucky. Mademoiselle, if you could sing from the beginning of the Opera please," a man handed Christine the sheets with the lyrics. "Then we could continue with our rehearsal. Everybody back to your places!" he ordered.
Later that night on the gala, the managers announced the debut of a new singer, Miss Christine Daae.
The public seemed intrigued by that new singer and when the curtain opened it revealed a young lady, beautifully dressed with a wide white gown and precious crystal earrings and other ornaments on her hair. Behind her, the scene showed a starry night with a big moon on the top.
The sweet melody of the piano started to play.
"'Think of me'," the girl sang and everybody's attention turned to her, "'Think of me fondly when we've said goodbye. Remember me, once in a while please promise me you'll try. Then you'll find that once again you long to take your heart back and be free. If you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me…'"
The orchestra, playing with all their might, was the perfect and the only needed accompaniment for her sweet, charming voice. Everyone was already enchanted by her recently started performance.
Julliette smiled as she watched her friend winning them over with every note that escaped her lips. Just like at the rehearsal, all the cast was gathered as close as they could to listen. The stagehands let their heads be seen while leaning out over the railings.
She glanced at box one. Monsieur Gilles and Monsieur Richard were surely enjoying themselves, watching her sing and then looking at the public. She then glanced at box five, on the other side, expecting to see it empty. Thought it was never empty, actually.
But her eyes widened when, instead, she saw the viscount, sitting happily on it. And not only that. He was looking at Christine with such a smile…
"Uh, oh," she thought.
He suddenly stood up and disappeared from her view. She left the backstage and went to the stairs that leaded to the boxes. On the way she found Madame Giry.
"Julliette, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Ma-Madame did you…did you see him?" Julliette answered with another question. Madame Giry sighed.
"Yes, I saw him. And of course, those managers didn't say a word to him. But I'll watch him. You go back already child, it'll be strange that we both disappeared at the same time," she said and she had a point. Julliette nodded and went back with the others.
When Christine ended the song, with that magnificent note, the crowd exploded in applause. They clapped as well, never having enough of her beautiful voice. With that, the show ended and the people started to walk out of the room and of the theater. Meanwhile, the cast was having the usual celebration party, with drinks, dancing and chatting all around the room.
Dominique and Meredith had gotten what they wanted. The first thing Julliette saw were said girls talking lively with the managers. Dominique was even sharing a cigar with Monsieur Gilles. Charlotte shook her head.
"I'm ashamed of what she does," she said.
"On the bright side," Julliette pointed out, "soon you could be Gilles Andre's sister-in-law and afford to open your ballet school," she said, trying to cheer her.
Charlotte laughed at her friend's occurrence.
"The day my sister gets married I will go on my knees to Jerusalem," she said dramatically and they both laughed.
Behind them, Jean, a singer Charlotte had been dating for a while, started to call her.
"Guess you must go with your beloved," Julliette mused. Charlotte's cheeks turned slightly red, but then she smiled.
"And you can stay with yours," she said, walking away. Julliette didn't understand what she meant…until she heard a familiar voice.
"Hey Jullie!" it said. She turned around.
"Matt," she smiled. He smiled back at her.
"You were great," he told her.
She blushed.
"You also were great," she replied, her cheeks burning. Charlotte was definitely laughing now.
Matt and Julliette had been friends since forever. When Julliette first arrived to the Opera House he was the first one she spoke with. The kid of those times was a small, scrawny violin apprentice, with black curly hair all messed up and a face full of freckles. The Matt of today was a tall, fit man. The first violin of the orchestra. His black hair elegantly combed to one side and his handsome face almost flawless. He had changed a lot.
And Julliette also had, in Matt's opinion. That shy little girl he'd met more than ten years ago, who was too afraid and insecure as to speak with anyone and who knew nothing about ballet but either way she loved it, was now, in his eyes, the best ballerina of the House. She was confident, talkative and she was friends with every nice cast or staff member. And, God damn it, she was gorgeous.
As a child she'd always been cute, with her thin, tall figure and her light brown princess curls framing her lovely face. But now, she was seriously beautiful.
She was even taller, though not taller than him, and her figure, instead of thin, was now slim and athletic, according to one of a dancer. Her brown curls were less defined, looking more like soft waves, and her face, still lovely, seemed to shine with those pretty black eyes that made him lose his balance and choke with his own saliva.
When they were young they did almost everything together, laughed at the most ridiculous things and in a word were inseparable. Now, Julliette noticed, it was on rare times that they weren't even a little bit awkward around each other, their cheeks tainting pink.
"I had no idea Christine could sing like that," he said, attempting to make conversation.
"I knew," Julliette smiled. "But she surprised me this time." Matt laughed.
"Well, she surprised all of us," he said.
Julliette nodded and there was silence…..an awkward silence. They stayed there, looking at each other and then looking around, and then at each other again, smiling nervously. Finally, Julliette just burst out laughing and Matt joined her. They spent the rest of the party talking about every possible thing that came to their minds, as they shifted places to avoid the helplessly drunk staff, stumbling and tripping over their own feet until they met the floor.
Everybody was enjoying. However, Julliette noticed Christine was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she was in her room already. He never let her stay up late on such things. And neither did he let Julliette, so she had to say goodbye to Matt and head upstairs. After taking a bath to wash her makeup and painting away, she went to her room and put on a simple dress. It was close to midnight. She could hear the party dying and heavy (surely drunken) footsteps pacing along the hallway.
When it was her time to go she didn't have major problems. Most of the drinkers were sprawled on the stairs, mainly stagehands. With some long quick steps she reached the statue and opened the passage. Once down she stepped into the island and spotted him sitting at his desk. She approached from behind.
"Hello Julliette," he said, not looking at her. She snorted.
"Sometimes I think you really are a ghost," she complained playfully. The hint of a smile formed on his lips.
"Maybe," he agreed. "How about you start with something soft on the violin?"
"Okay," she shrugged and went to get her violin. From one of the drawers she took some of his violin scores and started looking for a soft tune. She remembered seeing one he was finishing some weeks ago. She found the sheet at the end. It was untitled, but she studied it a bit and it looked good, so she took it and put the rest back in the drawer.
She spread it on the stand and started playing. It was like a lullaby, making her eyelids heavy as she hit the notes. But she kept playing. She played many different songs. He would just keep doing….whatever he was doing, only raising his head when she was finished to tell her she did well.
When she ran out of scores (at least of songs that she knew about) she got closer to him and looked over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Writing some brief notes to my managers," he said. Julliette gulped. Had he seen the viscount sitting at his box? He definitely had but, what was he going to do?
"Don't worry my child," he said, reading her thoughts. "I will not cause them any harm. Not as long…"
"As long as they obey your orders, which you've seen they don't," she completed. He stopped writing and sighed.
"We'll see about that," he sentenced and started moving his hand across the paper again. When he finished he signed the note and put it in an envelope. Julliette noticed another pair of envelopes in front of him. He stood from his chair and took the notes.
"I'm delivering these," he told her. "I'll be back soon. In the meantime, please watch her for me." Julliette's eyes widened.
"Her? Who?"
"You'll see," he smiled and walked to one of his secret passages, immediately disappearing from her sight. She sighed and sat on the chair. Watch her for me. Who did he have there? She glanced at his bed and saw the veil was down. Still with wide eyes she walked up to it and lifted the veil….to find Christine Daae sleeping soundly.
As you may notice, a good deal of this comes straight from the movie. Since I wrote those parts by ear I apologize for any mistakes :P
Please leave your opinion and thanks for reading :)