The Opera House
The Opera and Ballet house was a place of light and beauty. It was like a rose bathed in early morning dew. A simple rose is beautiful, until one goes looking under its mask of petals.
Those who reach too far into the beauty are pricked with the secrets of the mentioned rose. The thorns it was born and bred to wear upon its stem became a repellent to all that had sought it out.
Secrets always come out of the shadows eventually. Even when they are unprompted, which makes them so much harder to deal with.
In a month or two, the chambers and corridors of this Opera and Ballet house would open its doors. The said owner of this company could only pray that its thorns and secrets are not sought after.
He could only pray the countless corridors and abandoned attics were left to mystery and the imagination. Though the show would be on the stage, the real show happened behind its curtains.
Dancers, singers, musicians, and artists from all over the world had flocked to the stage to bring a piece to this gigantic mystery and puzzle. At least they would get a paycheck and a show to watch.
Then again, passion surpasses any money. A man can love his craft without ever getting a penny. And what a selfless case that was.
After a few months spent looking for new talents and riding around on trains, the final auditions in the Opera house were almost upon the large group of workers and performers.
The Opera house was a bit of a mess, it would be its first season back in a full year. A mysterious incident and death within the owner’s family had occurred and he had disappeared for a bit. However, he was back and ready to make it the best show yet.
Then again, there was a lot of work to do. That hard work would start with a deep clean of the Opera house.
The stage was lowly lit and had only a few bars of light shining through the rafters. A few particles of dust from the overhead curtains fluttered down towards the oak stage. Down below on the oak stage, many men and women held brooms and were sweeping the dust that was being shaken out of the curtains above.
Hanging along the grout of the ceilings were statues of angels and women who had been watching upon the opera house since it was built. The place is so old it was hard to distinguish how old it was and when it was built. The gold linings along the statues made a shimmer that looked like heaven when the sun would shine through and land upon the sculptures.
Above the center of the room, a large and glorious chandelier hung. It’s crystals and glittery lights bathed the Opera house in a warm and bright hue. It was a splendid sight that had been in the Opera house since it was built, it was one of the few things that remained from the beginning.
The weathered floorboards on the stage of the Opera House were being polished as two pairs of shoes were cleaning up the seats of the Opera and Ballet house. The pairs of shoes walked down the aisles where soon enough a roaring audience would be seated. The two made their way down each aisle, dusting and polishing the wood seats.
Roderich Edelstein had dreamed of this moment since he was a child. All the nights he would lay awake lazily dreaming of an adoring audience were so close to becoming a reality. After spending months sleeping on hardwood floors and praying for callbacks, he was nearly there.
He could see himself upon that stage, dancing on the tops of his pointe shoes, looking down the barrel of every audience member and filling them with amazement.
Feliks, a friend Roderich had made while traveling for auditions, had been trying to get Roderich’s attention for the past few minutes. However, Roderich was so lost in fantasy he could not hear his friend.
His fantasy felt like the home he never had. Roderich had his eyes flutter shut, and then, he fell deeper into his fantasies.
And a few rows back, Roderich would see a familiar face in his dreams. He would smirk, because the success would be enough to run that pompous Spanish bastard back to Barcelona. Back to the seas where Antonio vowed he left Roderich for-
A blond man approached Roderich, his stride lacking no confidence. The man tapped the dazed Roderich on the shoulder.
“Roddy? Do I need to get a medic?” The high and sweet voice called from beside him.
Roderich shook himself back to reality. Once his eyes opened once more, he was disappointed to see it was all a dream. However, the view of the Opera house’s stage was a much more settling sight than that of his bedroom ceiling.
Roderich sighed and looked at his friend with an irritated look. “You interrupted my daydream.”
“Did it involve someone attractive? I’ve been dying for some action. Even hearing you speak of something mildly interesting about your fantasy would be enough to-!”
Roderich slapped a hand over the Polish man’s face, Feliks immediately beginning to hysterically laugh.
“Joking, joking! I still would like to know though. You had that happy look in your eye that you only get when you’re daydreaming.” Feliks playfully said, turning back to cleaning a row of seats.
“I’m just so- relieved yet more anxious than I’ve ever been? It’s like I’m almost there.” Roderich folded his arms and nodded towards the stage.
“Ah! You’re nervous about the final auditions?” Feliks inquired. The blond man picked up his bucket of cleaner and moved to another row of seats.
“Yes. My daydream was a fantasy of the small chance this all works out. Like being on stage.” Roderich sighed dreamily yet exhaustedly.
“And running that pompous British guy back to Paris?” Feliks said confidently.
Roderich gave a small sigh. Feliks was on the right track, just wrong in every way. “First off, he’s Spanish. Second off, he left me for a boat and the open sea.”
“Ooo. That’s rough. I forgot how messed up that situation was. Seriously? A boat over a marriage?” Feliks groaned, “I’ll never understand masculine and macho men…”
“At least he left before we actually got married. We were only engaged when he announced he was leaving.” Roderich trailed off, lost in thought of what was.
“I still can’t believe I risked getting myself killed for him. Being a homosexual is not so easy… I guess it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been…” The brown haired man muttered quietly.
“Roddy. It still sucked regardless. It worked out right? You now have the chance to chase down your dreams with no one to hold you back.” The polish man smiled warmly and looked over to Roderich, “You are now in charge of your own fate.”
Feliks finished cleaning a seat while Roderich stared intently and pondered on the knowledge he was given.
“Let Anthony, Antonio or whatever his name is chase treasure on that boat. It’s not your problem anymore.” The blond man nodded before picking up his bucket.
Roderich and Feliks walked into the center of the aisle. The seats they had cleaned sparkled and glistened in the light of the main stage. So many seats. Roderich and Feliks gave an accomplished sigh of relief. They both stretched out their arms and looked up to the stage.
“How about lunch? I heard those two siblings that help with costumes are exploring the city. Maybe we could tag along?” Feliks motioned towards the main exit.
“Who? Basch and Lili? Yeah right. Basch would complain about the price of food and then refuse to buy it. And besides, I don’t think he’s a fan of me.” Roderich grumbled.
“I thought you two grew up together? Lived in the same town at least? When we met on the train you guys got on at the same stop.” Feliks recalled, he started to walk towards the main exit and Roderich started to follow beside him with his hands in his pockets.
“We grew up together. He doesn’t even acknowledge my existence. He’s off doing his own thing. Can’t blame him. I’m starting to think I’m cursed to be alone.” Roderich scoffed at his own misfortunes.
Feliks simply laughed and pulled the exit doors open and paraded out into the midday sun. The paved circle in front of the Opera and Ballet house was currently empty of carriages. Instead many of the workers, performers, and those who travel with the Opera were sprawled out and pinicing with their lunches.
Soaking up the sun was important, because in the following days the intense rehearsals would start. It was not going to be a great time. It would be worth it though. Or at least that is what everyone wanted to believe.
Roderich and Feliks waved at a few of their friends as they passed through the paved circle. Busy in conversation, the world seemed to disappear around the two. As different as they were, they had many good conversations and memories thus far.
As the two walked across a small road, a sudden whoosh of wind blew past them. A carriage that had two regal looking Clydesdale horses attached to it raced towards the Opera house. Mud had been splashed all over Feliks, luckily Roderich was standing away from the whole mess.
“How dare they?!” Feliks gasped and aggressively tried wiping off the mud. “This is a new shirt!”
Roderich chuckled softly to himself as Feliks started stomping his foot like an angry show-horse.
“I’m going to give those fuckers a piece of my mind!” Feliks yelled, starting to sprint towards the Opera’s paved circle.
“Wait for me.” Roderich scoffed, jogging lightly behind Feliks. He guessed that today was not the day to explore the city, maybe tomorrow would be better.
After a few moments of running back to the Opera house, Feliks was far ahead of Roderich, determined for the revenge of his new silk shirt. The darker haired man attempted to quicken his pace, his feet touched the ground with a greater force than before. In front of him, he could see the silhouette of the carriage come to a screeching halt in the Opera circle.
Roderich had the slight thought and hope that maybe the carriage took out a few competitors. . . He quickly nodded that off, he’d never wish that fate to anyone.
Finally, Feliks and Roderich made it to the Opera circle. Roderich huffed and puffed after the little escapade, it was show time. Feliks angrily ran up to the carriage door and punched his fist to knock. After a few moments, a face appeared in the open doorway.
He was an older man, most likely in his 50s. The man had chestnut-brown hair that had a slight curl to it. His eyes were a light gold color. The man was dressed nicely. Almost too nicely. . .
“Hey bastard! Watch where you’re going! You completely ruined my new silk shirt due to your reckless carriage ride! You could’ve killed me!” Feliks angrily screamed.
By now, the Opera house’s performers started to closely observe the whole scene in a humorous manner. They knew Feliks was a drama queen. And this was a classic story they could laugh about later. Yet, no one really knew who this stranger was. . .
The older man looked concerned then smiled and stared down to Feliks’ dirtied silk shirt.
“Who the hell are you anyway? You lost?” Feliks continued to angrily say to the man. Feliks felt like he was getting ignored by this old man!
Another person peaked their head from the carriage door, a younger man with similar features to the older man. The younger man’s hair was lighter and he had an empty look to him, yet his eyes were aglow from the sun. He had tiny and light freckles which were splattered across his face. It slightly resembled paint.
The two strangers had not said a word to the growing crowd of Opera house workers. Roderich was hoping he would at least get a name or reason for their presence. However, the angry and sassy look on Feliks’ face was almost satisfying enough.
The older man put a hand on the side of the carriage as if to balance himself, behind him the younger man put a hand on his shoulder and then with a nod from the younger man the older man started to speak.
“I’m Roma Antiqua. The rightful owner of this Opera house and company.” He said simply, sticking his head out farther to get a better look of the Opera house.
Feliks was completely agape with embarrassment and fear. Did he just lose a job he barely has?