To Outwit an Angel

15. She's His Accomplice!

Loretta's POV:

I would never forgive Sharlene. She had knowingly baited Raoul into visiting the opera more often. I couldn't refuse to see him, not when he was one of our few allies, aside from Piangi, in this ordeal.

 So, every time he came, Sharlene ordered me to be nice and shoved us into every awkward situation she could finagle, smothering laughter in her hand all the while. Once Raoul left, she taunted me mercilessly, but I could always jab back over her crush on Piangi. That was better than nothing, though Sharlene owned the Piangi thing too much for my teasing to be worthwhile.

 For the next few days, this was our system. Piangi visited frequently, and around him, Sharlene and I could talk about the situation freely. Raoul visited occasionally, and around him, we had to be more vigilant about revealing everything. He still thought I was crazy, and I hated to give him the same impression of Sharlene.

 Then, one day, our routine met an odd juncture. Raoul and Piangi came to the opera at the same time.

 Piangi had been with Sharlene and I for a while. Then, doors shutting echoed through the empty opera. I perked my head up to listen, though Piangi and Sharlene didn't hear. They were too busy bantering because, already, Sharlene had devolved into her teasing ways. Apparently, Piangi had a playful side of his own.

 "Christine?"

 Raoul's voice resonated through the spacious opera house, and the sound finally alerted Sharlene and Piangi to our visitor.

 "Ooooh, it's your boyfriend!" Sharlene cooed, jostling her elbow into my side.

 "You're brutal, Sharlene." I said, still unable to hide my grin.

 She did this all the time, so by now, the most graceful route was laughter.

 "But you love me for it?" She asked.

 My smile widened, as our eyes met.

 "Without a doubt."

 Giggling, Sharlene pulled me up from my sitting position in the rafters.

 "Well, let's see him then. Piangi, are you coming as well?"

 Sharlene raised an eyebrow in her lover's direction.

 "Why not?" Piangi said, shrugging,

 So the three of us climbed down from the rafters and met Raoul on the stage itself. He stopped abruptly at all of us being here.

 "I... Am I interrupting anything?" He asked, the hint of a smile tracing his face.

 "No! Of course not! How about we head to the rafters for some cozy talking?" Sharlene said.

 She always put everyone at ease. Her dexterity with words and her uncanny ability to make everybody relaxed and included was enviable. When would I develop those skills? Probably never, but at least Sharlene made up for my deficiencies.

 Quickly, everyone ascended to the rafters once more and sat amongst mine and Sharlene's pillow fort.

 "This is cozy, isn't it?" Sharlene asked, gesturing to each of us in turn. "Boy, girl. Girl, boy."

 Once again, everyone was hoodwinked by her sociable magic. Conversation got on easily after that, and soon, the topic changed to one of our typical ones: opera house drama and rumors.

 "Do you all want to know something interesting?" I said, grinning. Everyone nodded and leaned closer. By now, Sharlene had wrapped me into her vivacious spirit, and I channeled some of her energy. "Well, I heard tell that Madame Giry is actually the Phantom's accomplice."