Seal My Fate•Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction

Chapter 9: The Lines That Started It All

Well, hello there!

This chapter's dedication is split three ways:

1. MaggiePershyn for giving me this chapter idea as we recited the movie for the second time.

2. Social distancing, for giving us the time to do so.

3. TahiaHartman for writing the book (The O.G.) where this all went down (sorry?)

PotO ≠ mine

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The only thing worse than being helpless against a nightmare is choosing it because the alternative is worse.

The lines from the last short story I'd ever typed surfaced in my memory. I'd lied. There was something worse than choosing a nightmare because the alternative was worse; choosing a nightmare not knowing if the alternative is worse or not.

We were a few weeks into our rehearsals for Il Muto. My mind kept returning to the lines I'd said a few weeks ago, the lines that might have been what brought me into this mess in the first place: "he told me I'd be protected by an angel; an Angel of Music." It was a complete and total lie on my part. Christine's father may have said something along those lines once, but certainly never to me.

I'd caused Raoul to worry about my security, Meg to worry about my sanity, and Carlotta to attack me any moment she had. She'd taken a liking to referring to me as "the little toad," which changed my interpretation of the line in the movie—Erik's comeback was less of a witty remark and more of a well-thought-out (though relatively harmless) revenge plan.

And, for once, I was free. I had to keep my secret, granted, but other than that, there was no plot to adhere to. I was able to live again, the way I'd lived for years as Christine Daaé before the movie began. I was myself again. It was refreshing.

I hadn't gone back to Erik's lair—home, I corrected myself, however humble, it was a home—but I had continued my voice lessons the way I'd taken them before, and he still spoke to me as the "Angel of Music." The only difference was that Carlotta, who had hardly noticed me as an individual before, now hated my guts.

"Why?" she screamed again, "why you always looking at Christine?"

André and Firmin were hilarious in their desperate attempts to keep up with her.

"Signora," André pleaded, "we weren't looking at her, we were looking at your... beautiful costume!"

"You do look truly spectacular in it," Firmin agreed.

"No, I 'ate it! I 'ate my costume, and I 'ate you, and I 'ate your precious little-"

"Toad, yes, we know."

"Hmph!" Carlotta huffed.

"S-Signora," André stuttered, "could we please return to our rehearsal? We have much work to do and v-very little time." His wide, fake smile made him look like a fool, but it seemed to work on Carlotta.

"Fine, fine, continuiamo."

The orchestra began again and we continued the scene we were rehearsing, where the countess is finally caught.

My love, what have you done? Piangi roared in his thick accent.

Why, just having some fun! She responded, giggling. He glared at her and she sang at the top of her lungs: Guess who's finally won!