Bravissimo

What was Needed

Christine-

Every time I blink an hour goes by, it's been too long. Perhaps it's been only a few minutes? I can not tell. My little girl, my Annabel Lee, is more than likely lost in those tunnels. The ones who comfort me, Carlotta and one of our dancers can not know what's wrong and it makes it more difficult. For how badly I wish to scream out for everyone to look for my baby. Everything is spinning, I feel nauseous, panicked, and angry, how could he allow her to go alone? How could Erik be so foolish to let her go, and now he may have let her go forever.

"What is going on here?" I hear Antoinette say with a look of fear on her face. "Annabel... she's gone..." I say and catch her eye. "Lost." I say making her understand. Antoinette puts her hand over her heart and shakes her head. 

"No." she says and takes a step back. "Merde cet endroit!" she whispers tears forming in her eyes. I would go help and I want to desperately, but risking myself, leaving Gustave motherless? I couldn't. The low rumble of everyone speaking turns to white noise as I hug Antoinette, and slowly I can hear nothing but my own breathing, my vision blurred through stinging tears. 

"She shall show up Christine, do not worry. She will be back." I slightly hear Carlotta say, but I want nothing to do with anyone, until she's safe in my arms again. Most of the dancers leave but a few stay including Carlotta, Durand, and Antoinette. All worried, but none more than I. We sit in silence as the gas lights are dimmed and the chandelier is shut off until the performance, refusing to move until she's found. The performance, what will become of it? What will be become of the Opera without my Annabel? I try so hard not to think such things but I can not stop.

The closing of a door makes me jump in the darkness and deafening silence. Tap Tap Tap. We all hear it getting closer and closer, louder and louder, the sound of desperate running. We all squint at the hallway in the darkness with only the dim gas lights at the front stage illuminating this awful eerie room. The frame of the walkway into the hallway glowing almost red as I can just make out a person. They cough as they run and I can tell it's not Erik. 

"It's Annabel!" Antoinette whispers and I step aside as Annabel is not slowing down. My heart feels like it has resumed it's beating as I confirm it is truly her. She reaches the stage coughing dryly and turns around as she frantically looks around and my relief is wiped away again. Her eyes quickly scanning the rafters as she breathes loudly and scared. I run to her and wrap my arms around her. 

She gasps loudly and I turn her around looking her in the eyes the red ominous glow showing me her fear. "You're safe." I say softly and bring her closer but she pushes me away and spins around, looking. I raise my eyebrows and watch her in terror. "Annabel, what have you done?" I ask and she whips her head to me, her dark blue eyes looking right through me. "I defied Father." she simply says rubbing a ring around her neck, and then dashes the other way to leave out the back door. She claims she's denied her father, but I know who she's truly running from.

I hear heavier, more sinister steps approaching, but all I can think about is why she was so scared. Why was she coughing? The steps come to a stop behind me and I turn around to meet Erik. "What-" "She's okay, I found her. However where she shouldn't have been." he says interrupting and begins to walk forward to follow her. I grab him by his wrist and stop him and he looks back at me over his shoulder. 

I just glare at him until he turns back around. "She was coughing." "It was dusty, and a lack of oxygen, she was also very frightened." he says with a deep voice and tries again to walk away but I hold him there. I close my eyes and take a very deep breath, "She was rubbing her neck....Erik." I say feeling my chest grow tight with anger. 

"You didn't-" Erik shakes his head. "Of course I didn't. I would never." he says ripping his hand away and walking off to find Annabel. Of course he wouldn't. However, he has not done something like this in a very long time, perhaps it would be best if I never know what happened within the last couple of hours. Both of them crossed a line that's for certain, the only way this will be resolved, is by the two of them.