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.

"The things I have to do for my art!" Carlotta said.

"If you can call this sh-" *holds out swear jar* Piangi stops himself, "gibberish "art.""

At this point, I walked into the room.

"Ah! Here's our little flower!" Carlotta said, voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Ah Miss Daae, quite the lady of the hour!" Firmin greeted.

"You have secured the largest role in this "Don Juan,"" Andre announced. Well no duh Sherlock.

"Rachel Daae? She doesn't have the voice!" Carlotta said as if I wasn't in the room. I'm so ready for karma to smack her hard if I don't first.

"Signora, please!" Firmin warned.

"Then I take it you're agreeing," Raoul asked from his spot in the room. I didn't even know he was there, and Christine too? Okay, let the drama ensue.

"She's behind this..." the former Prima Donna seethes.

"It appears we have no choice," Andre says.

"She's the one behind this! Rachel Daae!" Carlotta rants.

"How dare you?" I about had enough of this. Someone's gotta tell this woman off.

"I'm not a fool!" Carlotta argued.

"You evil woman! How dare you?" I spat back.

"You think I'm blind?" Carlotta asks with venom dripping from her voice.

"This isn't my fault!" I yell back at them. Though he's different now, I don't want to kill Erik, "I don't want any part in this plot!"

"Miss Daae, surely..." Firmin tried to convince me otherwise.

"But why not?" Andre asked.

"What does she say?" Piangi asked.

"It's your decision, but why not?" Firmin asked me again.

"She's backing out!" Carlotta said in delight.

"You have a duty!" Andre stated.

"She cannot sing it, duty or not," Christine said firmly.

"Christine, Christine..." Raoul tries to calm down his fiancee then turns to me, "You don't have to...
They can't make you..."

"Please, monsieur—another note," Madame Giry walked into the room with another envelope. Everyone sighed in exhaustion as she opened and read the note.

"Fondest greetings to you all!
A few instructions just before rehearsal starts:"
Madame's voice faded into Erik's as she continued to read the note.

"Carlotta must be taught to act
Not her normal trick of strutting 'round the stage," Carlotta's face turned red in rage.

"Our Don Juan must lose some weight—
It's not healthy in a man of Piangi's age," Piangi gave a disgusted look.

"And my managers must learn
That their place is in an office, not the arts," the managers looked at each other warily.

"As for Miss Rachel Daae," Everyone turned to me, and I couldn't help but have my posture lower at all the uncomfortable eye contact.

"No doubt she'll do her best—
It's true her voice is good
She knows, though, should she wish to excel
She has much still to learn
If pride will let her return to me, her teacher
Her teacher..." Well, place my head on the chopping block.

"Your obedient friend..." Erik's voice came back to Madame Giry's.
"...and Angel."

"We have all been blind—" Raoul leapt to his feet with an idea, "And yet the answer is staring us in the face
This could be the chance to ensnare our clever friend."

"We're listening," Andre said, interested.

"Go on," Firmin beckoned for the Vicomte to continue.

"We shall play his game
Perform his work, but remember we hold the ace
For, if Miss Daae sings, he is certain to attend," Raoul said looking at me.

"We make certain the doors are barred," Andre nods his head firmly.

"We make certain our men are there," Firmin said, referring to the cops.

"We make certain they're armed," Raoul said, getting into it.

"The curtain falls, his reign will end!" The three sang.

"Madness!" Madame Giry seethed.

"I'm not so sure," Andre scoffed.

"Not if it works," Firmin pointed out.

"This is madness!" the ballet mistress repeated herself.

"The tide will turn!" Andre exclaimed.

"Monsieur, believe me—" Madame Giry begged, "There is no way of turning the tide!"

"You stick to ballet!" Firmin ordered her.

"Then help us!" Raoul told Madame Giry.

"Monsieur, I can't," the woman tried to explain.

"Instead of warning us," Raoul asked her yet again.

"Help us!" the three men begged.

"I wish I could," she said solemnly.

"Don't make excuses!" The men shouted.

"Or could it be that you're on his side?" Raoul asked, threatening to expose her secret.

"Monsieur, believe me
I intend no ill
But Messieurs, be careful—
We have seen him kill ..." Madame Giry sang another warning.

"We say he'll fall
And fall he will!" The managers shouted in unison.

"She's the one behind this!
Rachel! This is all a ploy!" Carlotta wouldn't let it go, or shut up for that matter.

"This is the truth! Rachel Daae!" Piangi chorused.

"This is his undoing!" Raoul seethed.

"If you succeed, you free us all—
This so-called "angel" has to fall!" The managers sang.

"Angel of music
Fear my fury," Raoul sang with a vengeance I've never seen in him before.

"Hear my warning!" Madame Giry sings.

"Rachel sings, we'll get our man," Andre nods in agreement to the plan.

"Fear his fury!" the ballet mistress attempted to warn them yet again.

"She is crazy!" Piangi exclaimed.

"What glory can she hope to gain?" Carlotta asked.

"She is raving!" Piangi said.

"If Rachel helps us in this plan," Firmin turns to look at me.

"Here is where you fall!" Raoul curses.

"Monsieur, I beg you," Madame Giry gave one last attempt to end all of this madness, but to no avail.

"If Rachel won't, then no one can," Andre said sending a glance my way.

"Say your prayers," Raoul warned the Phantom.

"It's clear to all
The girl's insane!" Carlotta raved.

"Please don't!" Christine said, coming to my side, as if she'd blink and I'd be gone.

"Do not do this..." Madame Giry gave one last attempt.

"This will seal his fate!" The managers shouted.

"Black, Angel of Death!" Raoul cursed.

"If you don't stop, I'll go mad!" Both Christine and I sang.

"Gran Dio! Che imbroglio," Carlotta and Piangi sing.

Christine yelled over the chaos, "Raoul, I'm frightened—
Don't make her do this," Raoul rushed to her side, "Raoul, it scares me—
Don't put her through this ordeal by fire
He'll take her, I know
We'll be parted forever
He won't let her go."

I helped guide Christine to a chair, feeling for the first time, scared.

"What I once used to dream, I now dread
If he finds me, it won't ever end
And he'll always be there, singing songs in my head
He'll always be there, singing songs in my head," I sang gripping her hand tight.

"They're both mad ..." Carlotta exclaimes.

"You said yourself—he was nothing but a man
Yet while he lives, he will haunt us 'til we're dead," Raoul looks at the both of us, and everyone turns to me for an answer. Like I would know what to do, I have to chose between someone else's life or sacrificing my own.

"Twisted every way, what answer can I give?" I sing making my way to a window looking out to the streets of Paris, "Am I to risk my life to win the chance to live?
Can I betray the man who once inspired my voice?
Do I become his prey? Do I have any choice?" At this point tears are welling up in my eyes. I know no matter what my choice is, I will lose something or someone I hold dear to my heart.

"He kills without a thought. He murders all that's good
I know I can't refuse, and yet, I wish I could
Oh God, if I agree, what horrors wait for me
In this, the Phantom's opera?"

"Please don't make her," Christine begged. Raoul squeezed her hand and met me by the window.

"Christine, Christine, don't think that I don't care," he sang to her before turning to me, "But every hope, and every prayer rests on you now."

Everyone then surrounded me, begging one over the other. I felt I could hardly breathe. I ran to the door and said hoarsely, "I can't," before fleeing, tears blinding my vision. How am I supposed to follow through with this? As I made my leave, I could hear Raoul yelling.

"So, it is to be war between us! But this time, clever friend, the disaster will be yours!"