My Dearest Saffron

Chapter One

My parents had suspected a ghost for quite some time now. I had become wary about the subject and I asked my mother and father if there had been any kind of sighting, but they shook their heads and hesitantly reasoned, "The people operating the backdrops and lights in the rafters will have to deal with it; Managers are in no place to attend to a ghost."

They own a theater. It's an ancient building. We had to move to Paris to be able to operate it. It had originally been an opera house, coated with gold and marble and everything ornate you could imagine. When we first arrived at the once glorious opera house, I felt a sense of dread arise within me. Some of my siblings felt that way too, besides the youngest. Her name is Esme, she is only six.

I sat at the vanity table, brushing my coffee-colored hair as I sang a silent melody. I was the theater's supposed star. My parents purposely assign me a lead role in every play or musical ever performed here. Tonight was the opening premier of our first production of Le Fantôme de l'Opéra. And, it was our first official performance in this theater. I was assigned to the role of Christine Daae. I looked very much like her portrayed depiction; Brunette curled hair, brown eyes, and pearl skin. Often, people compared my voice to an angel's, much like Christine.

Now, here I am. Living out my life-long dream of playing Christine Daae herself. I breathed in, taking in the smell of cinnamon and roses from my dressing room. I established the sounds around me. The man playing the Phantom was in the dressing room to the left of mine. He was singing, quite loudly. He must be warming up, I thought. The performance was in about forty-five minutes. I pulled my hair up into the correct hairstyle, sprayed my hair with probably too much hairspray, slipped on my costume, and started on my makeup. I smacked my lips together to make sure the lipstick stayed on my lips throughout the entire performance. I affirmed myself that tonight's performance would go swimmingly, but that wasn't enough. I opened my mouth to start warming up, but before I could get a single note in, someone knocked on the door.

"Saffron! Places in about five minutes!" It was Rosaria. She was the girl playing Meg Giry.

"Alright. Thank you, Rose!" I called. I started doing my warmups. My voice ranged from a G3, to the highest note I had to sing, an E6. I sang higher than that, of course. It was extra practice. Rosaria knocked on my door once again.

"Places, Saffron!" She said. I quickly put on my ballet slippers, and slowly ran to my place for the first scene. The overture was booming throughout the auditorium. As the overture faded away, the woman playing La Carlotta, walked on stage for the scene after the overture and the prologue. Our cue to walk on stage came, and we all majestically tip-toed onto the stage. The ballet came and went, then was my first solo. This was during the course of about thirty minutes. The piano music into Think of Me started, and I began to sing as Christine Daae for the first time.

~ 

The crowd erupted in applause; Rosaria and I had just finished Angel of Music. She had just been told off by the woman acting as Madame Giry, and she scurried off. During that scene, I was getting my white dressing gown on for the next few scenes. I grabbed the crown off of my head and placed it on the prop vanity. Time passed, and then the drums for the Angel of Music Reprise came into earshot. This is what I've been attempting to perfect ever since the first rehearsal. The man playing the Phantom began to sing the first part of the reprise. I stood up at my cue, and faced the prop mirror and sang to it.

He sang,

I am your Angel of Music... Come to the Angel of Music...

He repeated that line once more, and the mirror opened up. I could faintly hear the sound of the man playing Raoul saying, "Christine?" And then, the song started.

The organ and the drums pounded in my ears. Then the violins started playing. I had not even a single minute to get to my place. I felt a grasp on my hand, and then stared forth, seeing Alexander, leading me to the Phantom's lair. In this song he was the Phantom. I was Christine. Until I realized it wasn't Alexander pulling my hand.

It was someone completely different.

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