The Phantom of the Opera: Disney Version Chapter 2, a phantom of the opera fanfic

*Chapter 2: Non-Harmonic Music*

The next morning in the opera house, everyone is doing their own work. Painting props, cleaning the seats in the theater, rehearsing music. Madame Giry watched the dancers rehearse behind the curtains. Meg gets herself distracted whenever she looked up in the shadows to look for the Opera Ghost, thinking he could be hiding and watching. Her mother cleared her throat at her daughter, gesturing her to practice.
Christine is carefully sewing the dress that Carlotta is planning on wearing for the opening night. It is very poofy gown with sleeves with red roses all over the gown. Christine is sewing the rose on the side of the dress until a cry of Carlotta was heard. The woman barged in the room with Andre and Firmin.

"Christine!" She yelled. Christine gasped and accidentally tore the fabric of the gown. She turned to the opera star who is giving her daggers. "Oh, you clumsy little fool! Look what you've done with my dress! It's ruined!" Carlotta yelled.

"Senora, what did that young lady do?" Firmin asked, coming in the room with Andre.

"Can't you see it? She tore my dress! It's for the opening night!" Carlotta says as she grabbed Christine by the arm. "You did this on purpose!"

"Carlotta, please! You frightened me! I never meant to-" Christine pleaded.

"Senora, please calm down. This is just an accident. Christine will fix it." Andre said, trying to reason with the opera diva. Christine rubbed her arm with a frown. "The opening night is in a few days. Now please, Carlotta, allow us to watch you rehearse." Carlotta got her handkerchief out from her dress pocket to wipe her upcoming tears. She took a deep breath before turning to the new managers.

"Very well."

"Do you wish to change into your costume?" Firmin asked.

"No need, monsieur. My voice needs rehearsing." Carlotta laughed at her joke. Andre laughed along with her. Carlotta turned to Christine. "As for you, Miss Daae! My dress must be fixed today! I'll fire you if I could!"

"I-I'll start right away!" Christine promised as she searched for some needle and thread. Before she could find them, someone grabbed the back of her hair and pulled her head back. She squirmed from the pain, but that only made the grip tighten. In her ear, she heard a whisper.

"You'd better, or I'll leave you to the mercy of the Opera Ghost. You little idiota." Carlotta hissed. Christine was then thrown forward, her head crashing against the wall. "Don't you dare get blood on it." With that, Carlotta turned on her heel and marched out of the room. Firmin helped Christine by giving her one of his handkerchiefs for her head.

"Miss Daae, the fault isn't yours. Accidents happen. Carlotta isn't in the very good mood this morning." He told her. "Take your time on her dress. It looks lovely. You did a good job."

"Thank you, monsieur." Christine said. Firmin gave her a small smile before leaving her alone. Christine winced as her head hurts. Neither of them knew, but someone had heard the incident and was not pleased.

In the rehearsal hall stagehands moved to get the scene ready. Props were carried into place while backdrops were raised. Instruments were fine-tuned and practiced getting them ready for rehearsal. As Carlotta appeared onstage, several stagehands moved to clear a path for her. One wasn't fast enough, and the diva made sure to step on his fingers. As everyone got into place, Firmin leaned over to Andre.

"Remind me, what are we doing again?" As much as he loved music, Firmin never truly understood opera. To him, this was just a good way to make money. Andre frowned at his business partner.

"What is…? We're rehearsing Faust. It's where a man reaches the end of his rope and, in desperation, makes a deal with the devil. It's a classic."

"Classic just means boring." Firmin said. With a groan, Andre turned from Firmin. He wanted to make sure that every potential flaw was worked out so that on opening night, everything would be perfect. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was imperfection. Was it too much to ask for everything to be just right?

"Maestro." Carlotta spoke to the man named Reyer who stood below her. As the music began to play, Carlotta looked at the empty theater with a smile. Maids by the seats are plugging their ears, thinking Carlotta's singing is too high.

A man is holding his fingers after Carlotta had stepped on them. He gave the diva a glare before taking a drink of his beer. Something blew in his ear, causing him to cry out and dropped his bottle. Carlotta stopped singing as she and the stagehands turned to him.

"Monsieur?" Andre asked. The man held his right ear, looking behind him with a fright.

"You idiot!" Carlotta snapped. A chuckle filled in the hall.

"It's...it was him!" The man said.

"The Opera Ghost!" One stagehand joined in.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! It was not the Opera Ghost! The man here is just a clumsy drunk!" Andre said, pointing at the man who was being scolded by Madame Giry and was told to clean up the mess around him. "Senora, please." Andre told the opera diva. Carlotta sighed. She gave Reyer a nod as the music starts again.

"Ah, I laugh to see myself so beautiful in this mirror.
Ah, I laugh to see myself so beautiful in this mirror.
Is it you, Marguerite, it is you?"

A sandbag fell next to one of the dancers, making her scream. Carlotta angrily turned to the dancers who are in panic. Another chuckle filled the hall.

"What is it now?!" Andre asked.

"He's here! The Opera Ghost!" Meg said to the managers.

"Meg!" Madame Giry hissed.

"The ghost isn't pleased." A male voice spoke. Everyone turned to the man in rags. Charles, the ratcatcher. Madame Giry gave him a glare as he walked past her. "The ghost is not pleased. You know, I have seen him with my own eyes!" Charles said with a grin.

"Ridicules! There is no Opera Ghost." Firmin spoke, rolling his eyes.

"I'm warning ya! The ghost will come for you all! I've seen him!" Charles said. Madame Giry dragged him out of the hall. She told him to leave the opera house before closing the door in his face. Carlotta cleared her throat and the music played once more.

"Ah, I laugh to see myself so beautiful in this mirror.
Ah, I laugh to see myself so beautiful in this mirror.
Is it you, Marguerite, it is you?
Answer me, answer me,
Respond, respond, respond quickly!
No! No! It's no longer you!
No... no, it's no longer your face.
It's the daughter of a king!
It's the daughter of a king!
It's no longer you. It's no longer you.
One must bow to her as she passes!
Ah, if only he were here!
If he should see me thus!
Like a lady,
He would find me so beau-"

The backdrop began to fall towards Carlotta. The managers acted fast as they pulled her out of the way. Everyone started to scream and panic. Christine appeared in the rehearsing hall after hearing the commotion and noticed the backdrop.

"What is going on up there?!" Firmin asked anyone above the catwalk. But no one is at their post.

"It's the Opera Ghost!" Meg said.

"There is no ghost!" Andre roared at Meg. "This is sabotage. One of you is not happy with us and is seeking to undermine the opera. Which one of you is it? Come forward or–" A note then fell in front of the manager. With shaking hand, his partner grabbed it and pulled it up.

"It says, 'Each incident was for everything Senora Carlotta had done. If she does not change her ways she will soon not be allowed to perform.' It's signed, 'The Opera Ghost'." Firmin read.

"NO!" Andre thundered. "NO! I will not believe it. This is not the work of a ghost. This is the work of a saboteur. If you will not come forward, I will find you out. And I will throw you in the darkest cell I can find." One of the musicians then tripped over their drums, crashing headfirst into a tuba. As the fellow musicians worked to free their coworker, Andre noticed another note on the floor. Picking it up, he dared a look. His face turned red with rage at the audacity of the letter. It read:

Good luck with that.
- The Opera Ghost.

"These things happen." Reyer spoke after one coworker was free from the tuba.

"For 5 years...these things do happen!" Carlotta argued. "This...this ghost keeps pulling tricks around the opera house!"

"He never dared to pull something during performances?" Firmin asked.

"Hardly." One man said.

"This ghost really doesn't like La Carlotta." Another man said with a laugh. Carlotta stomped away from the hall, yelling her in language. Christine watched the managers trying to comfort her. Meg walked over to her.

"He's here..." Meg whispered. They both look up at the shadows, but there is no one around. Not a movement. Carlotta had been sabotaged by the Opera Ghost because of the way she has been treating others. Even to Christine. Is he defending her?

After a long stressful day, evening fell upon the opera house. Christine was about to go to her bedchamber until Meg quietly called her over to the hall. She is holding a candelabra. Christine walked over to her friend.

"What is it?"

"Let's find the ghost!" Meg said with a grin.

"What? No!" Christine gasped.

"His home is beneath this opera house. We must find the entrance somewhere!" Meg said, dragging Christine down the hall. "We have to be quiet. My mother might be anywhere." Christine tried to protest, but Meg is ignoring her. She really wanted to look for the Opera Ghost.
They are wandering around the corridors of the opera house, trying to listen for anything. Christine thought the ghost wouldn't be in the opera house at night. But he wouldn't want to be disturbed. She remembered the warning if anyone tried to look for him in his home, he will lock them up and never release them. Just like the missing violinist. Meg was touching the walls, looking for anything to trigger the secret door or anything. Christine had been watching her looking for clues to find the secret passageway. Only Madame Giry would know.

"Meg, we'll never find the secret path to the ghost." Christine told her. Before the young woman could deny, they hear a voice. They turned to see Charles.

"Looking for the ghost, eh ladies?" He asked. Christine and Meg held hands in fright. "I know where you can find him." Christine became interested.

"Where?"

"Follow me." With that, the ratcatcher turned and began to walk down the dark hallways. Before Christine could follow, Meg grabbed her hand.

"Wait. How do we know we can trust him? What if he has…other motives?" She asked.

"But Meg, I thought you wanted to find the Phantom." Christine said. "If Charles really has seen him, he knows where the entrance to the lair is." She went on to follow Charles down the dark hallway. Meg was hesitant at first before following her. She really can't trust Charles.

Charles moved the portrait over and there is a hidden door. The young women watched in surprise to see the door that was hidden behind one of the portraits. The ratcatcher smirked at them.

"Who's going first?" He asked. Christine approached the door. She turned the knob and pushed the door open. There is nothing but darkness inside. Christine took a step forward until something beneath her feet vanished. She let out a scream as she fell down the trapdoor. Charles and Meg listened in horror. Meg used the candelabra and saw the trapdoor closing. "Uh...oh dear. I did not expect that." Charles spoke. Meg turned around.

"You never warned us about the trapdoor! We have to go find Christine!" Meg said. But Charles pulled her out of the dark and closed the door. "What are you doing?!"

"Miss, I...I never knew about the trapdoor!" Charles told her. "I never even seen the Phantom himself or been to his lair!" Meg glared at him.

"You were lying to the opera house about it? You idiot! Now Christine is gonna be stuck down there! Who knows what the Phantom is going to do to her?" She said as she grabbed Charles by the shirt. A hand is placed on Meg's shoulder and there is Madame Giry. She gave both Meg and Charles is displeased look. "Mother!" Meg gasped.

"Both of you should not be here! Meg, back to bed! Charles, outside! And never return!" Madame Giry said.

"But mother, Christine is-"

"I'll look for Christine. Just go to your bedchamber at once!" Madame Giry said. Charles didn't waste time as he rushed out of the hall. Meg knew she can't argue with her mother. But she is worried about Christine's safety beneath the opera house. Madame Giry placed her hand on the portrait. She is trying to remember which this one leads to the labyrinth. And hoped that Erik won't be angry...