Christine's Tutor (A Phantom of the Opera Prequel)

VII (Christine)

Christine sat on the cold, gritty stone floor, hands in her lap. Her eyes were cast to the fireplace in front of her. She stared at it blankly, consumed within her thoughts.

She never went one day without thinking of her father. She never went one day without praying to him; it was just a matter of when in the day she found time to do so. On some days, she'd have the time to pray to him in between scene rehearsals; on others, she'd have to stay late, after hours. This was the only place fit for prayer to her father; her own small, quaint one-room home wasn't ideal. There was something surreal about this room, as if it was separated from the rest of the world and closer to heaven. It must be the stained glass windows, patterned with an angel, a symbol her father had referred to often.

She wished to hear his voice again; sitting there, in front of the crackling fire, she had a deep, desperate hope that maybe, just maybe, her wish would come true soon, very soon. This false hope made her vulnerable and tender- if a voice were to speak to her right then and now, she would believe it to be her father, even for just a second. She had convinced herself that he was always with her, and that he was omnipresent now, but she had yet to hear him prove it to her. She wanted him to console her, to assure her that he was there, and to tell her that she can let him go.

She didn't realize that she had been singing all this time, not until she closed the last note of what she was singing. This brought her back to earth. She perked up and looked around. She acknowledged that the fire was burning out. It was just about time for her to leave, anyway. She gathered her dress and stood up, going out through the creaky wooden door.

She knew she'd be back tomorrow. She'd be back the day after that, the day after that, the day after that, and every day thereafter, every day until she could let him go and say goodbye.

~

Christine slipped on her remaining ballet shoe and tied the ribbons around her heel and ankle. Meg was beside her, doing the same, as were the other dancers. Madame Giry was hovering over them, impatient for them to be ready for rehearsal.

As she was waiting while some of the others were still putting on their ballet shoes, Meg decided to ask Christine, "You have another lesson with your new tutor today, correct?"

Christine looked up to her. "Yes, I do."

"You never told me how your first lesson went. Do tell- what was it like? What was he like?"

"I haven't? Ah, well. The lesson was agreeable, and so was he; he had summoned me to an abandoned theatre to have the lesson there. Strange, indeed it was, but it was secluded and private, so I didn't mind much. It helped me to concentrate, in fact."

"How old is he? Is he young?"

Meg's ridiculous question made Christine chuckle. "He seems to be in his mid-thirties."

"Is he handsome?"

"Meg!" She gave her friend a playful slap on the arm.

"Girls, enough with the chatter. We're waiting on you."

That was when the two girls realized that all of the dancers were ready for rehearsal and were waiting for them to stop talking. They both blushed.

"Sorry", Christine said with a smile.

~

Once again, after rehearsal, Madame Giry caught Christine and held her back to speak with her privately. Christine wondered what her motive was now.

This time, what the Madame asked of her was more unexpected than it had been before.

"I overheard you speaking with Meg about a lesson you are to have today. I would like to accompany you; I would like to meet your new tutor and speak with him."

Though she was uncomfortable with this request, Christine acquiesced to her superior and said, "Of course, Madame."

"Would you be so kind as so tell me the time and place of event?"

"The time is eight o'clock. I do not have the address memorized. But I can tell you this: the place is an abandoned theatre-"

"Yes, I heard you. Can you describe the place to me?"

"It's dome-shaped, not rectangular. It's an opalescent-white, and has large columns-"

"That is sufficient."

"You know where it is, Madame?"

"Yes, I do. Now, you are dismissed."

~