mirror, as her voice sounded embarrassingly terrible. She knew she wasn't cut out to be in the chorus, so after looking through some of the Opera House's jobs, she saw that they were in need of a costume maker and sewer. Desperately, she asked Monsieur Levefre for a job, and the manager accepted her application. Now, she was a costume dog, and thankfully, she was away from the chorus, away from the stage, and away from any prying eyes.

   She was glad to work alone, and she had a small room to sew in, and even though she managed to make a few friends (Dixie and Slyvie), she seemed to want to be by herself for her first few weeks at the Opera Canine, which seemed understandable. She wasn't shy, she just wanted her privacy. Yet, her two friends definitely felt like something was wrong with her, almost like she was all down in the dumps.

   Despite everyone's claims on the husky, the main thing that puzzled them all was her voice. Where on God's good Earth had that come from? Had she been keeping it from them, and waited until it was the right time to show it off? Had someone been teaching her?

   No one knows for sure, and that part remains a mystery.

   Jenna lay their on the couch, as she tried to get some much needed rest. She was reminiscing over what just occurred. The entire ordeal was so…strange. Her own voice terrified her, almost like it didn't even sound like it was coming from her.

   It was almost like she didn't know herself when she sang. Had she really under estimated herself too much?

   No, He was right. All I had to do was believe in myself, and when I could feel the spirit of music within my soul, I would be able to sing like an Angel. A smile came over her face, I'm so happy; I almost thought I was going to die on the spot!

   Suddenly, a knock came to her door. She groaned, thinking it might be an employee. She got up from the couch and said, "Yes, who is it?"

   "Is this where Jennifer Daae works?" The voice replied in a muffled tone, almost like this person was talking with something in his mouth.

   "Yes, and this is her," She answered back. "Who is this?"

   "You should know who this is." The voice said confidently. "I'll give you a hint. It starts with an S!"

   Jenna thought for a moment, and didn't exactly feel like answering, but replied, "Sir, could you please come back later? I'm trying to rest."

   "Come on, Jenna, open up. I have something for you." The husky noticed that the dog said Jenna instead of Jennifer. The only dogs that called her Jenna were her two friends. Everyone else was mostly obliged to call her Jennifer or Mademoiselle Daae. However, there was one dog she once knew that called her Jenna, but she couldn't think of it now.

   "Very well, you may come in." As the husky opened the door, she saw a nicely built malamute husky carrying a small bouquet of flowers in his mouth. As Jenna looked at his face, she suddenly noticed something rather odd about this husky. She noted that unlike most huskies and malamutes she had seen, who were had very large bodies and unpleasant faces, this particular dog had a rather "handsome" look to his face, almost like it could attract any female that gazed into his blue eyes.

   She had a strange feeling, almost like this dog was familiar to her.

   "Oh, Monsieur Vicomte," She gasped, as she bowed"I didn't know it was you, please forgive me if I was so rude before." The husky had known of the Chagny family, and she knew for a fact the Steele de Chagny was one of the most attractive dogs and most famous dogs in all of Paris. So to see the malamute at her door was quite the shock.

   "It's quite fine, my dear," He replied, "I'm actually glad that you're here Jenna. These are for you." He grinned, as Jenna took the flowers in her paws.

   "Oh, thank you Monsieur." She answered, she then walked into her room "Please, come sit down," The malamute went inside the room, and sat down on the couch, as Jenna placed the flowers inside a small vase on her desk.

   "Is there anything else you need, Monsieur de Chagny?" She asked.

   "I was wondering if you would like to come with me to dinner tonight. Thankfully, my brother is at the party, so it will just be the two of us."

   Jenna was surprised. The great Steele de Chagny had asked her to come to dinner with him! Every female in the city would give up the very fur on their back just to go out with the famous malamute of Paris; there was no way she could pass this up. She was about to agree, when she remembered something important.

   "I would love to, Monsieur, but I can't tonight. My music teacher is expecting me here." The malamute suddenly got up from his seat.

   "Oh, I'm sure he won't mind if you took a day off," He said, in a somewhat subtle and disrespectful tone towards her teacher, as if he didn't exist.

   "But, Monsieur, I must practice with him. I can't miss any days with him. He's very strict with me." She replied urgently, but the malamute ignored her plea.

   "Oh, you won't be out too long, I promise. Now come, I'll get a carriage," He then quickly walked out the door, but Jenna stopped him.

   "Please, Monsieur, I can't leave tonight, surely you'll understand." She pleaded, "Perhaps tomorrow?"

   Steele was rather taken aback by this comment, but didn't show it. No one had ever rejected any of his offers. Most of the females he had gone out with would almost faint from excitement, but not this one. She seemed…so… so different.

   "Alright, tomorrow's fine," He answered, doing his best to hide away his disappointment (and anger), "See you then, my dear." The husky bit his lip, doing everything he could to not slam the door as he walked out. No one had ever turned him down, especially someone as pretty as Jenna, who did not seem interested in him.

   Don't worry about it, Steele, he thought, eventually, she'll be running back to you. They always do. He chuckled, as he walked out of the costume door. He groaned as he remembered that he was to meet his brother at the retirement party, and immediately left the place before anyone saw him.

Chapter 2

   As soon as the Gala had come to a close, Monsieur Belmont proceeded to lead everyone to the massive hall that was the Grand Foyer. The hall was designed to host parties and special events, which could seat approximately 700 guests. The entire Foyer was covered in gold, with chandeliers hanging low on the sides, next to the various pillars on the right, and the windows on the next, which were draped with equally gilded curtains. The ceiling, which was similar to that of Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel, was adorned with portrayals of different themes based upon the history of music, painted by Paul Baudry. In the middle of the Foyer lies a bust of the Charles Canine, created by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux.

   For the event that evening, the hall was filled with numerous round tables at one end, and three, long; rectangular tables at the other end, with a long table of food at the back, at the other end of the hall, next to the bust of the creator sat a few musicians, playing a few classical songs.

   Philippe slowly tapped his hind paw underneath the table, as he impatiently waited for his malamute brother to join him in the Grand Foyer. He had been waiting for the past 10 minutes, and he, for a dog of his status, wasn't exactly on par with "waiting"..

   This isn't the first time he's done this, he thought, as he took another sip of his champagne, that brother of mine is always running off to chase some girl. Poor guy, he never seems to have much luck in the "romance" department, though, no matter how many females are around him. Still, there was that one time…

   As the last of the guests entered the hall, the malamute brother was amongst them, and after finding his brother amongst the many white, tablecloths, he sat down next to him.

   "And where have you been?" Philippe asked, "The party is about to start, and please fix your bowtie." The husky next to him rolled his eyes, but still fixed his black tie anyway.

   "What's it to you?" Steele sneered, "I'm old enough to be on my own, brother."

   Not with that attitude you're not, Philippe thought.

   At that moment, everyone started clapping, as the retiring manager finally came into the hall, alongside three other well-dressed dogs, ones that Steele hadn't seen before. The one in the middle was a golden-furred Alaskan Chinook, who seemed to have some sort of confident look on his face, as he smiled at everyone; the one on the right was a rather large, brown husky with small ears, who had a bulky sort of look to him; and the dog on the left was a much leaner husky, whose fur color seemed to be a strange mix of purple and grey.

   After shaking a few paws, the 4 dogs sat down at the table next to the Chagny table, who also greeted them with a friendly pawshake. Monsieur Levefre then stood up, and clanged his glass with a spoon.

   "Ladies