(BEING REWRITTEN) An Opera Ghost- A Phantom of the Opera Fan Fiction

Chapter Six

"I want to see Meg," Christine said, much less enthusiastically, "And Madame Giry and the rest. The Phantom is no longer there, you said it yourself, Raoul." This statement made Raoul sigh. He knew he wouldn't be able to weasel himself out, and so he  gave in with a nod.

"When is it?" Raoul asked, having an awful and foreboding feeling.

"Tomorrow," Christine told her husband before fleeing the room.

~Opera Populaire~~~~~

"Today is the day, my child," Erik almost sang, waking his daughter from her nap. Erik had decided it was best she sleep the day so she would be awake for the opera. It was only an hour away now. Florence pushed back the blankets and stretched her arms out above her head. "Did you sleep well?" Erik asked, going to a dresser near the bed and beginning to search through Florence's many dresses. Finding the one he was looking for, he whipped it out. A black dress, fancy for a girl Florence's age, but very beautiful with a long, puffy skirt, a lace bodice, and long sleeves.

"Yes, Papa," Florence responded as her father handed her the dress she was to wear, "No nightmares." Erik smiled, before turning and leaving Florence to change. Going to his desk a room over, he began looking for the mask he had picked out for his daughter for the occasion and quickly spotted it beside his own. White porcelain, plain, but with simple loveliness. When Florence came into the room, she took the mask without argument and put it on as her father did the same with his. 

Erik then took his daughter's hand and led her to the boat on the ravine as the two were now ready to make their way to box five.

Elsewhere, however, things were not so calm. In fact, back stage, things were downright hectic. Meg Giry was being rushed around the opera, having had to be introduced to many patrons before going to get into costume. She had even seen Christine, someone she had not expected to show up even though Meg had invited her. Beside her had been Raoul, looking as if he were afraid, something that led Meg to believe he knew the Phantom of the Opera was still about.

Now, Meg was in her dressing room, twenty minutes until the opera began. Her hair was receiving last minute decoration, and before she knew it Meg was onstage awaiting the curtains to be peeled back from placement. Her heart was beating rapidly, but not because of the large crowd she knew awaited her. No, it was because of him. The Phantom. Meg just knew he would be there watching and she wanted to please him with her voice. And so when the curtains opened and she began singing, she looked straight to box five.

There he was. The Phantom and Florence, both smiling at her, their porcelain masks concealing their deformities. Throughout the whole first act, Meg's eyes remained fixed on box five and while most thought she was only nervous, a certain few had a different feeling. Madame Giry knew her daughter was watching Erik as she looked on from the sides of the stage, and looking to box five, she saw Erik was returning Meg's gaze.

Sadly, Madame Giry was not the only one. It took Christine awhile, but she did in fact realize that Meg's attention was elsewhere. It wasn't just a simple case of stage fright due to the abounding audience. No, she was watching something, and so during the final song, Christine followed her old friends gaze to the boxes. That was when her heart almost stopped. Standing there, in that box, was the one who haunted her nightmares. The Phantom. He was supposed to be dead, Christine thought. Yet there he was, mask and all... And what horrified her even more was what was beside him. It was a child, a small girl from the look at the long and curling hair. Her hair. Christine blinked, then found the Phantom was looking straight at her. From where she was, Christine saw him smile before his hand grasped onto the child's shoulder. The child looked to him as Christine whipped her head around.