Ice & Fire (Erik x OC)

Chapter 6

Another day came and brought along with it, rehearsals. Or they would have come if the Prima Donna hadn't lost her ability to sing. It started normally and after a few more notes, her voice started to break.

A few more tries and it disappeared, leaving her with no voice to speak or worse, sing. A doctor had quickly come and inspected her while everyone was gathered on the stage; all worried about her future or better say their future.

If there was no Prima Donna, there would be no show and if there was no show, then no money. That would lead to the bankruptcy of the Opera and everyone would find themselves jobless.

Their whispers were hushed as the two managers and Giry walked towards the formed crowd.

"How is my Carlotta?" Piangi, the main Soprano and her husband asked.

"Mrs Gutticelli is alright. However, her voice is not. Apparently, her amygdalas are swollen and she won't be able to talk for around 3 weeks and sing for around a month" Giry explained, repeating everything the doctor had said.

Immediately, Mr Reye, the maestro placed a towel above his forehead and almost fainted back if it weren't for some orchestra members to hold him. Piangi took off his wig and tossed it on the floor, not like the idea of his wife not singing for a month.

Worry spread among everyone, including the ballerinas as they wondered what would happen next.

"Perhaps an understudy monsieurs?" Marie suggested and buffered her eyelashes on them.

"There is no understudy for La Carlotta!" the maestro exclaimed as he tried to get a grip on his old self.

"A choir girl perhaps? I am sure, we could help by taking her place and even prove better for the role"

"Yes, the ballerina is right," Firmin said as he tried to calm himself and not think of the numbers tickets that were being sold by each day

"Which choir girl though?" Andre asked and silently hoped, for the first time, both managers hoped for the mysterious Phantom to help them by sending one of his famous letters but no such thing.

"Juliette could take her place," Giry said out of the blue and everyone looked at the older woman and then at the albino girl.

"Oh yes, indeed. She has just the right voice" Firmin agreed and looked at Andre.

"Agree fully. Congratulation Madame Juliette, you are now the Prima Donna for the upcoming show"

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After the sudden news, Juliette's life only had an increase in her misery and darkness.

Carlotta had first cornered her into the wall and threatened her silently along with Piangi about taking her place. Despite not having a voice, her glare and motions of her being choked, killed, stabbed, having her neck sliced and many more, which were very convincing.

Marie didn't help either, as she only increased the bullying and more choir girls seemed to have joined this time. They were jealous she got the role, as in their eyes she was nothing but a street rat with a good voice.

Some members of the cast, stagehands and even the orchestra bullied her as well. They stuck notes on her back, tripped her, tried to make her lose concentration when practising, scaring her, mocking her.

And throughout all this, Meg stood by her side but Juliette didn't even dare to show the true her behind the poker mask. She kept it there like it was permanent and held her head high. When she had the chance, she would isolate herself and practice on her Aria nonstop.