ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀꜱᴋ: ᴄʜᴀᴇɴɴɪᴇ

Sequel - Chapter 1

Paris, 1898

RAOUL

I had no trouble to get a ticket to box 5 for tonight's perfomance. No one was scared, no fuss and no running to the managers to ask for advice. It had been 17 years since I left Paris and the employees who had worked back then had died or retired. No one remembers The Phantom of the Opera more than a forgotten legend, and no one remembers me. I was 37 but I proably looked 10 years older. The sadness had mentally aged me that no one in Paris would recognize me. I don't care though, I had not gone to the Opera tonight to be recognized, I came here to remember...

It was just 10 minutes left til Carmen was going to start. It doesn't seem like Marguerite will arrive in time. Our carriage had ran over a homeless dog! Marguerite was out the next second and picked up the dog. She forced our coachman to take her to the vet.

"Father don't worry... Go eat at the restaurant without me! I'll be there before the performance starts, I promise."

"Marguerite, I don't like this. Your mother wouldn't be happy that I'm letting you walk around alone on the streets of Paris." I agrued.

Her smile! I cannot resist it. I couldn't say no to her.

"Dad, I'm 16 years old and I'm fluent in French. I promised mom to look after you. Now go eat."

You can't argue with Marguerite. Ever since Roseanne died she had been guiding me in life. She had forced me to attend activates. It was her idea that we should visit the Paris Opera, she wanted to see where her mother used to triumph those many years ago.

But it was my idea to book box 5. I still didn't understand why I booked box 5. This was Jennie's private box 17 years ago, her private domain. Nothing different with this box then any other. The same chairs and the red satin but this box had a special atmosphere, it was filled with old memories. I wanted to talk out loud so that she could hear me.

It is weird... Ever since Roseanne died I had wanted to talk with Jennie. I feel that she deserved to know what happened after everything

I felt a hand tap my shoulder.

"Hi dad, I made it!" She said, it kills me to look at this girl who doesn't resemble me nor Roseanne in any way. I cannot lie to myself any longer. For every year that passes she starts to resemble the woman in the photo that I had locked in on my office. Not even Roseanne knew about it- we kept our secrets to ourselves until the end...

Marguritte sits down in the chair besides me and gives me a smile.

The light in the theatre shuts down and everybody has their attention on the stage. Within a few minutes Marguerite will be lost in the music, she'll forget about her dead mother and everything else.

I glance at the Opera that's playing but I'm not interesed, instead I lean back into my chair and close my eyes. Before my eyes plays an Opera where I am the main charcter. It was 17 years ago, deep beneath the Opera house...

Paris, 1881

The Persian man had showed me down to the underground through the mirror in Roseanne's room.

It was hot in the tortue chamber, I threw off my jacket. The Persian was staring into one of the mirrors.

I heard how Roseanne cried and Jennie yelled at her, "Not a word more! Or she'll kill you!" I wanted to tell Roseanne. I heard something being thrown across the room and Roseanne asking Jennie what she wants and then it went quiet. I could only think the worse, Jennie had strangled her.

If Roseanne lay dead on the other side I had no idea what I would do.

Suddenly the wall panel opened, the first thing I saw was Roseanne, she was staring at Jennie like a lost child. There was no emotion in her eyes.