Beneath the Opera House: Awakening
Phantom of the Opera fanfiction
immo - immo@hamena.org
"No! Let me go!" She struggled within their grasps, but couldn't escape.
"Élise...! Let her go!" Danielle struggled valiantly, but a punch in the gut doubled her over.
"Danielle!" Élise was dragged away unceremoniously. Struggling only got her more beatings, but she struggled
anyways. "Why are you doing this?!"
Kristin, the leader of the group, looked at her with digust, and spat on the girl. The sheer malevolence in
her eyes made Élise shrink back. Yanking Élise up to her feet so they were eye level, the blonde sneered at her.
"Because I hate you."
A sudden, sharp pain exploded at the back of Élise's head, and all she could remember before she plunged
into the darkness was someone mentioning something about leaving her in the catacombs...
~~~
She was suffocating! Now she kicked at the rough cloth that surrounded her, clawed at it, afraid for
Danielle, afraid they might have hurt her friend.
"Help!" Her voice was hoarse, and she couldn't help sobbing out her fear. "Help, God, anyone! Please!"
Finally, her hand caught a hole in the sack, and she ripped at it, tearing through the material, until she
was out in the open, gulping in cold, damp air.
She panicked again, when she couldn't see anything, but then calmed her heart down when she realized she
could see, she hadn't been blinded: the lights were just out. A dizzying pain hit her, made her nauseous. Clamping a
hand over her mouth, she crawled away, got up to her knees and emptied out her stomach on the floor.
Where was she?
The steady drip-dripping of water could be heard...
"Hello?"
All the answer she got was the sound of small, tiny claws scratching against the stone floor. Rats. She
*hated* rats. She tried to get up to her feet, but collapsed back on the floor when the simple act of trying set her
whole right leg on fire with pain.
"Is anybody here?!" Élise called out into the darkness again, hopelessly. The realization of where she was
slowly sunk in, just as her eyes slowly got accustomed to the darkness. She recognized these walls, slick with
moisture. They had taken her down here before, thrown her down here. Except that passageway they took her to, she
remembered, and it had light.
She was deeper now, she could tell by how cold it was.
The catacombs below the Paris Opera House.
She sniffled. Wiping her nose on her sleeve, she could see that the light fabric came away stained with
something dark. Her nose was bleeding.
Bringing her hand up to her nose, she wiped at the blood, and made a noise at the pain the action caused.
The bleeding will stop soon, but she had to find her way out of this labyrinth.
Shaking her hand free of the dark liquid, the blood splattered on the ground and the walls, and the area
seemed to freeze for one second. The drip-dripping of water stopped. Silence reigned in the passageway, until a
sudden wind, like a sigh, rushed through, and proper time resumed.
...Christine...
The hairs on the back of Élise's neck stood up, and she shivered. She could swear she had just heard
something...
There.
The distant sound of shoes, making a staccato rythym on the stone-cobbled ground.
And it was coming closer.
"Hello?"
A light. Dim. But growing steadily brighter. Bringing up her hand to shield her eyes from the light, she
waited patiently for whoever it was coming towards her. The steps came closer, and the light blinded her. Élise
could make out the figure of a man, but that was it.
"Monsieur?" Élise blinked rapidly. "I'm sorry, the latern--"
The light swung away from her face, and the man turned around, walking away.
"Hey!" Élise struggled to her feet, using the wall as a support. The light turned a corner, and was fast
fading. "Please! Don't leave!"
Limping along, she ignored the pain. Whoever it was, would lead her out of here.
"Please..." Tears made their way out of the corners of her eyes, and she bit onto her lower lip, until she
drew blood. She would get out of here...
Her foot caught on some uneven pavings, and she fell to the ground, the air knocked out of her, setting her
whole chest afire with pain.
"Please... monsieur, wait for me..." She pushed herself off the ground, and could hear the sound of steps,
approaching again.
"Levez-vous."
The voice was soft, but it held something in it, something that made her obey, ignore the pain. More like,
the pain was not part of her anymore... she was aware... but was not, as the voice started humming a slow tune...
~~~
"Élise... Élise, wake up."
She opened her eyes slowly, blinking away the drowsiness. Awoke to Danielle's face hovering over hers
worriedly.
"Danielle," Élise's face broke into a smile, and she winced right away at the pain. Reaching up, she stroked
the side of her friend's face, felt the turmoil subside as the dark-eyed brunette caught her hand and planted a kiss
on the palm of it.
"Élise, my god, I thought you'd never wake up."
"Yeah, well, I'm not that easy to kill." Élise looked around the sparse room, recognizing it for the
manager's office. Suddenly, she remembered how she got into this predicament in the first place. And who had helped
her out.
"Danielle, there was this guy who lead me out of the basement... where is he?"
Danielle regarded Élise strangely, and smoothed down the few unruly curls on Élise's head. "Élise, what are
you talking about?"
"There was this guy, he helped me out of the catacombs." Élise looked around the room again. "Where is he?
And who is he? I would like to thank him."
"Élise, I think they hit you a little too hard." Danielle frowned. "We found you in a storage room."
The reminder of the injuries she had gotten made her remember them clearly, and now she lay back, groaning
at the pain. "What happened to Kristin?"
"Same thing as always," Danielle looked disgusted. "One of her lackeys took the blame, and Kristin's father
offered to help fund the next major production. Generous of him, n'est pas, mon cherie?"
"Oui. I wonder what caused this sudden generosity?" Élise sighed, knowing that the abuse wouldn't stop. The
managers' hands were easily greased with easy money. They ignored Kristin's antics, because her father, Signor
Giudicelli, was an avid opera-goer, and a great patron.
"We have to tell someone!" Danielle's hand clenched into a fist.
"Who'll listen to us, Danielle?" Élise was tired. She looked up at the clock, then wincing, pushed herself
up to a sitting position. "My sister will be here to pick me up soon. She's going to raise hell if I'm late."
"You mean she'll raise hell when she sees you like this."
Leaning heavily on Danielle, Élise drew from the taller girl's strength. "Did they hurt you?"
"No more than usual."
They turned off the light, and exited the room.
There was silence...
Then in the corner of the room, the darkness there seemed to unfurl, like a flower blossoming... and a man
stood there, looking around the room.
He had been so sure... so sure that he had FELT Christine's presence. He could sense it. He had been asleep
for a very long time, aware of all the changes to his opera house, but remaining passive. But not anymore. She had
come back.
And somehow, this girl was the key.
Golden eyes narrowed behind the white mask that covered his face.
Phantom of the Opera fanfiction
immo - immo@hamena.org
"No! Let me go!" She struggled within their grasps, but couldn't escape.
"Élise...! Let her go!" Danielle struggled valiantly, but a punch in the gut doubled her over.
"Danielle!" Élise was dragged away unceremoniously. Struggling only got her more beatings, but she struggled
anyways. "Why are you doing this?!"
Kristin, the leader of the group, looked at her with digust, and spat on the girl. The sheer malevolence in
her eyes made Élise shrink back. Yanking Élise up to her feet so they were eye level, the blonde sneered at her.
"Because I hate you."
A sudden, sharp pain exploded at the back of Élise's head, and all she could remember before she plunged
into the darkness was someone mentioning something about leaving her in the catacombs...
~~~
She was suffocating! Now she kicked at the rough cloth that surrounded her, clawed at it, afraid for
Danielle, afraid they might have hurt her friend.
"Help!" Her voice was hoarse, and she couldn't help sobbing out her fear. "Help, God, anyone! Please!"
Finally, her hand caught a hole in the sack, and she ripped at it, tearing through the material, until she
was out in the open, gulping in cold, damp air.
She panicked again, when she couldn't see anything, but then calmed her heart down when she realized she
could see, she hadn't been blinded: the lights were just out. A dizzying pain hit her, made her nauseous. Clamping a
hand over her mouth, she crawled away, got up to her knees and emptied out her stomach on the floor.
Where was she?
The steady drip-dripping of water could be heard...
"Hello?"
All the answer she got was the sound of small, tiny claws scratching against the stone floor. Rats. She
*hated* rats. She tried to get up to her feet, but collapsed back on the floor when the simple act of trying set her
whole right leg on fire with pain.
"Is anybody here?!" Élise called out into the darkness again, hopelessly. The realization of where she was
slowly sunk in, just as her eyes slowly got accustomed to the darkness. She recognized these walls, slick with
moisture. They had taken her down here before, thrown her down here. Except that passageway they took her to, she
remembered, and it had light.
She was deeper now, she could tell by how cold it was.
The catacombs below the Paris Opera House.
She sniffled. Wiping her nose on her sleeve, she could see that the light fabric came away stained with
something dark. Her nose was bleeding.
Bringing her hand up to her nose, she wiped at the blood, and made a noise at the pain the action caused.
The bleeding will stop soon, but she had to find her way out of this labyrinth.
Shaking her hand free of the dark liquid, the blood splattered on the ground and the walls, and the area
seemed to freeze for one second. The drip-dripping of water stopped. Silence reigned in the passageway, until a
sudden wind, like a sigh, rushed through, and proper time resumed.
...Christine...
The hairs on the back of Élise's neck stood up, and she shivered. She could swear she had just heard
something...
There.
The distant sound of shoes, making a staccato rythym on the stone-cobbled ground.
And it was coming closer.
"Hello?"
A light. Dim. But growing steadily brighter. Bringing up her hand to shield her eyes from the light, she
waited patiently for whoever it was coming towards her. The steps came closer, and the light blinded her. Élise
could make out the figure of a man, but that was it.
"Monsieur?" Élise blinked rapidly. "I'm sorry, the latern--"
The light swung away from her face, and the man turned around, walking away.
"Hey!" Élise struggled to her feet, using the wall as a support. The light turned a corner, and was fast
fading. "Please! Don't leave!"
Limping along, she ignored the pain. Whoever it was, would lead her out of here.
"Please..." Tears made their way out of the corners of her eyes, and she bit onto her lower lip, until she
drew blood. She would get out of here...
Her foot caught on some uneven pavings, and she fell to the ground, the air knocked out of her, setting her
whole chest afire with pain.
"Please... monsieur, wait for me..." She pushed herself off the ground, and could hear the sound of steps,
approaching again.
"Levez-vous."
The voice was soft, but it held something in it, something that made her obey, ignore the pain. More like,
the pain was not part of her anymore... she was aware... but was not, as the voice started humming a slow tune...
~~~
"Élise... Élise, wake up."
She opened her eyes slowly, blinking away the drowsiness. Awoke to Danielle's face hovering over hers
worriedly.
"Danielle," Élise's face broke into a smile, and she winced right away at the pain. Reaching up, she stroked
the side of her friend's face, felt the turmoil subside as the dark-eyed brunette caught her hand and planted a kiss
on the palm of it.
"Élise, my god, I thought you'd never wake up."
"Yeah, well, I'm not that easy to kill." Élise looked around the sparse room, recognizing it for the
manager's office. Suddenly, she remembered how she got into this predicament in the first place. And who had helped
her out.
"Danielle, there was this guy who lead me out of the basement... where is he?"
Danielle regarded Élise strangely, and smoothed down the few unruly curls on Élise's head. "Élise, what are
you talking about?"
"There was this guy, he helped me out of the catacombs." Élise looked around the room again. "Where is he?
And who is he? I would like to thank him."
"Élise, I think they hit you a little too hard." Danielle frowned. "We found you in a storage room."
The reminder of the injuries she had gotten made her remember them clearly, and now she lay back, groaning
at the pain. "What happened to Kristin?"
"Same thing as always," Danielle looked disgusted. "One of her lackeys took the blame, and Kristin's father
offered to help fund the next major production. Generous of him, n'est pas, mon cherie?"
"Oui. I wonder what caused this sudden generosity?" Élise sighed, knowing that the abuse wouldn't stop. The
managers' hands were easily greased with easy money. They ignored Kristin's antics, because her father, Signor
Giudicelli, was an avid opera-goer, and a great patron.
"We have to tell someone!" Danielle's hand clenched into a fist.
"Who'll listen to us, Danielle?" Élise was tired. She looked up at the clock, then wincing, pushed herself
up to a sitting position. "My sister will be here to pick me up soon. She's going to raise hell if I'm late."
"You mean she'll raise hell when she sees you like this."
Leaning heavily on Danielle, Élise drew from the taller girl's strength. "Did they hurt you?"
"No more than usual."
They turned off the light, and exited the room.
There was silence...
Then in the corner of the room, the darkness there seemed to unfurl, like a flower blossoming... and a man
stood there, looking around the room.
He had been so sure... so sure that he had FELT Christine's presence. He could sense it. He had been asleep
for a very long time, aware of all the changes to his opera house, but remaining passive. But not anymore. She had
come back.
And somehow, this girl was the key.
Golden eyes narrowed behind the white mask that covered his face.