"Have you seen the Viscount?" I asked every single soul I met in the corridors. No one seemed to know what I was talking about. The whole Opera was a mess, the people scurrying around like ants. I couldn't believe Christine could have planned this, to let everyone believe she would perform, only to find out at the last moment that she had vanished. It didn't seem like her. One would expect her to have informed managers of her departure, so they could at least contract an understudy!
Naturally La Carlotta had been obstinate, refusing to take Christine's place, interrupting the opera before the second act. Perhaps she had been so obsessed with the idea of returning to Erik that the Opera matters had escaped her completely. I sighed at the thought...
It seemed as though the only ones who knew that Christine wouldn't be there were Raoul and myself. And while her absence had caused quite a sensation, Raoul's presence had been totally ignored. Even the ballet girls, who rarely lost sight of him, couldn't tell me whether the Viscount had been there or not. They only knew he hadn't been in his box during the performance, to their sorry disappointment.
In the middle of that huge confusion, I spotted Claude, my ever clever friend, who taking advantage of the lost of organization, observed and took notes intermittently. I heard he was working for a second class newspaper, and I figured he was having his moment of glory, catching the Parisian nobility off guard. I would have laughed, if I hadn't been so blinded by fear and exasperation.
"God, please don't let it be too late..." I whispered to myself, mixing with a crowd that was overexcited by the idea that something more entertaining than an Opera performance was taking place at the Theater.
"Wait!" I told myself. "Raoul doesn't know the way down to the cellars!" I started to laugh at my desperate and insensible attitude. He was probably wandering around the Opera, or better, he had gone home and cried himself to sleep. Besides, what chance would a boy like Raoul, even brave, as he seemed to be, against Erik? Especially in Erik's own domain?
Relieved, and proud of my brilliant conclusion, I started to walk slowly towards Christine's room. Perhaps there I could find a way of getting to Erik's house by the lake, and reporting the disturbance that took place above them, in case the managers or the Viscount decided to contact the police, blaming on Erik the singer's absence. The truth was that I couldn't take out of my mind the idea of confronting Christine, but I wouldn't admit it to myself.
As I opened the door, which was not locked, I was so badly startled that I let a cry announce my arrival. Inside the neatly tidy room, I met three men, two of them holding pistols in their hands, their expressions tense and sinister.
Raoul, the Viscount de Chagny, placed a finger on his lips, urging me to silence.
"Meg, don't you worry, we will rescue Christine!" Raoul said boldly, and held my paralyzed body up by my fore arms.
I couldn't believe in my eyes. The Persian looked at Raoul with pity, realizing the poor Viscount had no idea of my involvement with the Phantom. It was clear that the former was aware of Christine's letter and destiny.
"Mademoiselle, allow me to give you a good advice." The Persian looked intensely at me, threatening me silently, in such a way that Raoul couldn't tell what he meant, "You will catch a cold with these clothes, and you look reasonably tired. I think it would be better for you to go rest, and forget about this deal."
The Persian's companion, a dark skinned man who just like him, wore an astrakhan hat, loaded one of the guns, making a sharp sound. For one moment everything was blurred in front of me, and I thought I was going to faint. Raoul noticed it, and helped me to sit at Christine's armchair. Raoul was no real threat, but the Persian knew that place quite well. And they had weapons! And if Christine was with Erik, he wouldn't be spying or lurking, he would be totally oblivious to the danger that awaited him! I urged my mind to work properly and realized what I should do.
"Raoul" I said, pretending to be weaker than I was. "I need to tell you something - Christine wrote me a note, and there is very important information there."
"What is it?" He asked me desperately.
"She begged me not to say..." I lied, avoiding his look.
"Meg, for Christ's sake, it's for her well being, what is it?"
"Would you go with me to my room? I need to tell you in private." I whispered.
Raoul was silent for a second, and finally said, pleadingly, to the Persian. "Sir? I need to take this young lady to her bedroom. Could you please wait for me here? It will only take a minute! "
He sighed. "The later we are, the smaller are our chances of finding her before he does."
"I know that, Monsieur." I replied, as we closed the door behind us. I just hoped he hadn't seen my grin.
We headed to my room.
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