The Angel of Music Sings for Me

Chapter 10: Twisted Every Way

Rachel's POV

It's utter chaos, I don't even have room to think. Christine and Raoul have eyes on me twenty four seven and it's so hard to do anything now. I haven't been able to talk with Erik, and whenever Christine brought up the mysterious man at the masquerade ball, I would always tell her we never gave each other's names. It's hard to lie, but if she knew who Erik was, she'd freak out.

I finally had a moment to myself and I was in the dressing room, twirling the rose with my fingers. What was Erik's plan? He seemed just fine until he appeared as Red Death. There was a change in his eyes. His eyes were cold...
No, Erik wasn't there anymore. What I saw was only a shell of who he was. He wasn't Erik, he was the Phantom.

A knock at the door startled me and I inwardly groaned, "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm fine."

I opened the door and saw Madame Giry, "Oh sorry Madame Giry," I instantly apologized.

"I've come because the managers request your presence in their office," the ballet mistress said.

"Oh," I dug through my memory of the musical. Oh this was Notes/Twisted Every Way, "okay."

I walked down the hall to the manager's office. I could hear shouting from fifty feet away.

"Ludicrous! Have you seen the score?" Andre almost throwing the score.

"Simply ludicrous!" Firmin nodded his head in agreement.

"It's the final straw!" Andre fumed.

"This is lunacy! Well, you know my views," Firmin said with a roll of his eyes.

"...Utter lunacy!" Andre continued.

"But we daren't refuse ..." Firmin said, looking around in worry.

"Not another chandelier," Andre groaned.

"Look, my friend, what we have here," Firmin said, holding up the oh so familiar skull waxed seal of an envelope of the phantom's many notes.

""Dear Andre,?
Re my orchestrations:
We need another first bassoon
Get a player with tone—
And that third trombone
Has to go!
The man could not be deafer
So please preferably one who plays in tune!"" Andre sang, reading his note.

""Dear Firmin,?
Vis a vis my opera:
Some chorus members must be sacked
If you could, find out which
Has a sense of pitch—
Wisely, though
I've managed to assign a
Rather minor role to those who cannot act!"" Firmin read his note before Carlotta stormed into the room, face red in anger.

"Outrage!" Carlotta screamed slamming the copy of the script and score on the desk.

"What is it now?" Firmin asked, clearly stressed.

"This whole affair is an outrage!" Carlotta said, jabbing her finger at the score.

"Signora, please," Firmin tried to appease her.

"Now what's the matter?" Andre asked, wanting a straight answer, no yelling.

"Have you seen the size of my part?" Carlotta said, exasperated.

"Signora, listen ..." Andre said, trying to come up with a way to calm her down.

"It's an insult!" Piangi yelled.

"Not you as well!" Firmin groaned.

"Just look at this—it's an insult!" Piangi continued, ignoring the manager's previous statement.

"Please understand," Firmin tried to have an explanation.

"Signor! Signora!" Andre shot them a look, telling them to pipe down, though they didn't listen.