An English Rose

Beneath the Opera House

A/N: Quick note. This chapter contains the lyrics of 'Till I Hear You Sing from the musical Love Never Dies. I do not own this.

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As the trio walked up to the entranceway of the Opera Populaire, Katherine finished retelling Christine de Changy's story. "Wow," Jane spoke up first as they entered the building. "That has got to be one of the saddest stories I have ever heard. I hate to say this, but I'm glad the Phantom is dead. He caused a lot of trouble."

Just think," Michaela said, spinning around in the middle of the foyer. She spread her arms out as the dust swirled around her. "All those times our fathers brought us here to enjoy the music, there was a murderer beneath our feet and we didn't know a thing about it."

"Anyway, you both can stop accusing me of being crazy and seeing things," Katherine told them with a smile. "I did see a man on a service walk. I was right."

"If we really wanted to be precise about this, Michaela was also right," Jane responded, tilting her head. " She said you must have seen the Phantom of the Opera, remember? And according to Christine de Chagny, the Phantom was a man."

"That's fine," Katherine said with a slight laugh. "I know I do not have the monopoly on being right."

"I cannot believe this is all that has been accomplished in the past four years," Michaela commented, changing the subject. She frowned down at the dust. "Papa is not going to be happy when he sees this. He put so much money into fixing this thing with your father. What was the longest time those workers stayed with the job, anyway?

"Oh, I think it was about four weeks. And that was right after the fire happened," Katherine answered. A grin appeared on her face and mischief danced in her eyes. "I have an idea. Let's go backstage." Her friends looked at her skeptically. "Come on. Have you ever been backstage of an opera house before? It will be interesting."

"First of all, this is a former opera house," Jane pointed out. "And second, I hardly think a half destroyed building is interesting. And third, didn't you say some parts of this place aren't safe?"

Shrugging, Michaela stepped forward. "We won't know until we go," she said. "I'm in."

With the reluctant Jane in tow, Katherine and Michaela made their way to the backstage. Along the way, they saw the evidence of looters having gone through. The fabric on the once gorgeous seats were gone and in some places statues were obviously missing. Once they reached backstage, however, they saw the true damage of the fire.

"You can tell the fire started onstage," Michaela remarked. "Look at those scorch marks."

Looking up at the tangle of ropes and old backdrops, Katherine shook her head. "I wonder this all looked like before the fire," she said. "Maybe I should ask Carlotta." She shuddered. "But every time I mention opera, though, she goes into a fit. Actually, it would be funny if I didn't have to listen to her." She sighed. "I guess I will simply have to use my imagination."

"You could always ask Christine de Chagny," Jane suggested, eyeing the floor uneasily.

Katherine shook her head. "I think her husband will never let me near her again," she answered. "And I would feel bad if I brought up more bad memories for her. She is trying so hard to put the past behind her."

"We should find the dressing rooms!" Michaela proposed with a grin. "Maybe something interesting was left behind."

Grinning with excitement, Katherine jumped in front of a hallway. "I will go this way!" she declared, getting into the spirit of the idea. "The first one back to the stage with something interesting wins!"