My hand glided over the nightstand, searching for my phone. I could hear it vibrating but I didn't open my eyes to find it, or to check what the time was. It slid into my hand, and I flipped it open, pulling it closer to my ear.

"Morning, sunshine! Practice was just rescheduled. We start in an hour. See you there?"

I smiled. "Gods be good, André, you're the first caller I've had this morning! See you in an hour. Tell him I'm sorry."

André laughed in response. "He hasn't shown up yet. I think Rosaline is getting around to calling him, but I'll have to see. Anyways – try not to wake your dad up, on the way over here. That's the last thing any of us need today."

"See you in a bit!"

The phone was dropped on the bed. I yawned, daring to open my eyes and check the time; a small clock told me it was nine in the morning. I jumped out of bed, quickly awake, and started to pull off my nightclothes. Father would be up soon, giving me just a short amount of time to get out of the house before he found out I was still there.

It was never a good idea to be caught by him, at any point of the day. Least of all when he woke up. After mother had left us alone – in the middle of nowhere, far from the edge of town – whatever form of a heart she had left him was gone.

I found a grey summer dress hanging over a chair, and pulled it on. The mirror told me that I looked fine, but as I twirled in a circle, I reminded myself that my hair was in due need of brushing. The ivory comb sitting beside my foot fit nicely in the palm of my hand; it also pulled through my snarled red hair with surprising speed.

Within fifteen minutes, I had changed my clothes, pulled my hair back, grabbed my bag, and I was ready to leave. I grabbed a pale grey shawl as I was heading out of my bedroom, which had my car keys in the left pocket, and quietly paused.

Audible snoring echoed from down the hallway. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and turned around, realizing that I'd forgotten my phone. It was hidden beneath a purple furred blanket, and as I grabbed it, it reminded me that I'd missed a call.

I frowned, and flipped it open, pressing a few buttons to call the person back.

"Hello?" I whispered, trying to sneak quietly down the stairs.

"You outside yet?"

I rolled my eyes, smiling. I didn't know that he had called me, but now that he had, there was something he had to say. I chose to wait for just long enough to be outside before I did respond, closing the door behind me. André said something from the other side of the call, and Rosaline laughed.

"I'm outside now. Did everyone decide to start without me?" I reached into my pocket, pulling out the car keys. A standard black car was waiting patiently in the gravel drive-way, with the sunlight shining on it. Gross. Now it's going to be all hot inside there... Hopefully I didn't leave anything.

"Not yet. Just planning out today's rehearsal… Did André remind you that it's our final party?"

I swung the door open, and jumped into the front seat. Thankfully I'm still short, otherwise I'd hit my head every time I tried that. "Final results come in?"

"Yes. And I've heard it's very promising, though I can't tell you…"

The car started to purr softly as I turned the key in the ignition. "Really? André told you before me? I can't believe that he would do such a thing! I feel so betrayed. If he doesn't choose a good play, I think I might cry." I put the car into reverse, and turned my head to check behind. Nothing ever appeared this far out of town, but it was always worth the try.

"Whatever. See you in twenty?"

"Better be at the front door. I'm not sure if I have my own key."

He laughed, and hung up.

I swung the car to the right, and quickly put it back into drive. The road to the college was long, but empty as ever, and I was able to speed as fast as I wished. As expected, I arrived within twenty minutes, parking near the front door. While the engine started to die down, the door opened besides me, and a face popped into existence. I jumped to the side, staring at it, until I could see who it was.

"Bennie!" I reached over and hugged him, rubbing his hair. It was always the same chocolate brown, no matter what the lighting. It earned him a few 'special' spots in the play last year, although it was dyed blue. "Is this my welcoming party?" He patted my face, and then stepped back to let me jump out. Bennie closed the door behind me after I had grabbed my bag, and then offered his hand teasingly. I grabbed it, smiling.

"So, you know that the finals are in?"

"Yep. I hear that André's also been spreading the results without me." I frowned. "Did you hear? I want to know how much of André's head I need to take."

Bennie laughed. "I don't know, actually, besides the fact that we're going to be very proud. I hear all the judges really liked Meg, you know…"

I pulled my braid over my shoulder, feeling a slight blush in my cheeks. "Well, I just did what I was supposed to… I think our Hercules did the better job." I tugged on the braid lightly, a nervous tick that I couldn't get rid of.

He shook his head. "That's not true. And you know it! We can show you the tapes, after we've opened the box and started our new season. Besides that, you can hear yourself singing."

"Not that I want to." I looked up to see the front doors. "You got a key?"

"I think Ryan's in there. He should be waiting…" Bennie peered through the windows, and knocked softly. The door swung open a moment later, and I was pulled in by my arm. Bennie slid in behind me, and let the door fall closed.

I smiled, letting myself be pulled against Ryan's chest as I stumbled over the soft carpet. "Morning! You got food?"

He snorted. "There's some food in the theatre. André brought some, for the small board of directors. We can go get you some." He pulled on my braid, smiling. "Let's go! If you ask André nicely, he might tell you our score."

Bennie had already left, finding his way to the theatre by the door in the front. I was the first to be in the long stretch of a hallway; I paused for a moment, to see a small group of ballet dancers in the common room. One took a leap that reminded me of the Swan Lake chorus line, and I turned away, feeling the emotions of that season begin to unfold. I followed Ryan towards the theatre instead of lurking on my past.

"I wish we had good dancers. I think we lost our good chorus line when those three graduated last year." I shrugged. The college was rough; in the theatre department, good singers brushed through for at the most a few years. Excellent singers stayed for their time, but even though it was a world-renowned stage they put on, most people avoided their group.

I could only imagine it was either a reputation we put up for being world-class weird, the long rehearsals, or that we worked ourselves past the point of ruining a voice. No one ever did, but the rumors had started a few years ago, when Ellie had lost her voice on the evening of finals.

"Well, there's still a few – they may not dance the best, yes, but they sing well enough."

"That's what we used to win, with a good show last year, but it's all depending on this year's show. I guess we can always give a few lessons."

The theatre was dark, but the stage was shining brightly, as large as ever. André was sitting on the front of the stage, holding a packet in his hands. He didn't look up when we entered, but Rosaline did, and waved from the back of the stage. "Abella, do you want to open the box later?" she called.

"Sure as hell!" I clapped my hands excitedly. I had yet to open it, and now it was my turn! Fate may have had devil horns, but the muse had spread her wings.

A world-renowned theatre group that left their play to fate – that's what we were. A group that made their home wherever they went, finding no one place to be their house. The fun was everywhere; but one of the greatest honors was to open 'the box.' It was a golden box that had been chosen in the first season of the theatre group... it was at least a hundred years old; even André didn't know. But what tradition said was that they used it every time, and could never say no to whatever play it was. Some of the most interesting productions had happened that way; Cendrillon could've been worse, had less than three people been able to speak French.

A person was chosen to open the box once a season was done. The person chose a play from the ones inside – picking a slip of paper to set up the new season. A piece of paper which set up a play from what it had on it. Last year's had been chosen by Ryan, and this year was my shot.

"What do you think it'll be?" I asked, to no one in particular. It was more or less a question we asked to have it be said; it would be near impossible to guess what they would have, and find it. Neither Roasline nor André wasn't sure how many plays there were left inside, or even which ones were inside.

"What do you think of Phantom? Our last play… That would be really nice. Taking 'Music of the Night' to finals would be so amazing." Ryan smiled.

"If only!" I turned my head to the stage, away from the row of seats. "Hey, André, could we do Phantom? Pretty please, with like, five cherries on top?" I smiled, holding my hands in front of me as I made a heart-shaped gesture.

"If you pick it, sure."

I stuck my tongue out, and made a noise. Ryan laughed, and started to trot towards the stage. I was stuck, and wandered behind him, my dress brushing behind myself as I picked my way across the stairs. We descended slowly, and then ascended quickly to the polished stage.

Rosaline smiled. She and André were up in the orchestra room, hanging over the railing; Andre was singing a soft song in the same fashion a mad-man would. She darted past him, and down the stairs, smiling. "Phantom would grace these halls like nothing we have ever seen before. We have the perfect set up, too, with the theatre boxes up there." She paused for a moment, and her smile got wider. "Even better! We don't need all the crazy scene changes, with our beautiful board…" Her sentence trailed off slowly. "I don't remember what it's called. I never did learn. All I can truly say is that it makes this much easier, when we don't have actual scenery, but a curtain made of lights."

"It was helpful, definitely. I'm glad we decided to borrow what the Royal Albert Hall did... How many years has it been?" Ryan pondered this, but shrugged. Rosaline wouldn't answer him.

"You know, this would make a gorgeous moat. Gods help us when we figure out how to do this." I moved to kick off a shoe, but watched as nothing fell to the ground. I looked down and realized that I had left my shoes at home, and grinned. "I'm going to go to the back, then… I think I have shoes back there."

"Meeting's in five!" André called.

"Piss off!" I yelled back, knowing he wouldn't tell me the final score until the group was back. Ryan had decided to follow me, quietly shadowing my footsteps.

"Say you'll share with me-"

"-one night, one lifetime!" He had started a small song, which I joined in quickly. Ryan held my hands softly, watching me with jaded eyes.

"…Say you love me!"

"You know I do." He paused for just a moment, and then leaned in and kissed my cheek. "That's all I ask of you," he whispered softly, and I teasingly punched his cheek. "Leading me on like that! Well, I say, you can find your own way home."

I turned away, shaking my braid and pushing back to where we were headed. It was behind the two grand staircases that curled around the stage in order to hide the many doors we had. In the back of the stage, a few lockers were opened, and one of my friends was stretching before the row. Emalie was pushing her legs into a split position, stretching forward over one of her legs.

She didn't look up to see us enter, but asked of me, "I heard you're picking the play, then?"

"That's what it looks like." I pulled my locker open with my foot, but then thought better of it, and sat down next to Emalie. I pushed into a split position as well, gently stretching forward.

"Better make it good." Emalie switched which leg she was stretching over. She was always a quiet person, and I felt bad, disturbing her peace. Maybe she was in a social mood, maybe she wasn't – it was hard to say.

"I'll try. You'd make a good Carlotta, you know."

Emalie snorted. "Pleased to hear! If you choose Phantom, though, the entire cast will love you. I mean, more than they already do…"

Looks like she's not in a good mood, then. I pushed my legs together, and stood up. I wasn't planning to do any dancing, but it would seem Emalie was, and she always preferred to stretch alone. "See you later."

"Faire thee well." My friend was once more absorbed in her stretching, lost to the world again.

Ryan caught me as I was on the main stage again. In whatever time I had spent backstage – no more than two minutes, certainly – the theatre was filling up, with more than half of the group. I bowed mockingly to Rosaline, and then turned to face my boyfriend.

He was smiling still, looking at me with glimmering eyes. I smiled back, reaching up to lean my hand against his cheek, nodding my head softly. "I wonder if we won," I whispered.

"I can't tell you… But, you know, we did. Not that I told you or anything."

I screamed, and threw my arms around his neck. "Oh my gods! Did we really?" I was laughing merrily; I didn't think that we would actually have won. "Does that mean we're headed to the world finals?"

Ryan lifted me off the ground, spinning in a slow circle. André appeared besides him in a moment, pulling off his glasses in a rage. "Why did you tell her?" he hissed. Ryan shrugged, and the director turned away once more, throwing his hands up in the air. "Why do I bother, Rosaline?"

I ignored him, and kissed Ryan's cheek. "Congratulations, Hercules."

"And to you, Megurixa." He kissed me back, and she cherished the soft taste of cinnamon on his lips. Not that I don't mind him eating them, but he's got to stop with the cinnamon buns before rehearsal.

André cleared his throat, and Ryan decidedly picked me up in his arms, rushing off the stage to let the directors begin. He started with the same speech he usually gave; I knew it by heart, and mouthed the words softly.

And then he was done quicker than he had been other years.

"Congratulations to everyone here. What we did this year… was extraordinary, and you should all be very proud of yourselves." He started to pace a bit, pulling a small letter out of his pocket. "And the results are in! Coming in third place…"

I looked side-ways at Ryan. I knew who it wasn't, but who it was mattered a bit more.

"…Santa-Criss, from somewhere in New Mexico."

He snorted, and I elbowed him quickly. "Path of Daggers was excellent, be quiet."

"In second place…"

Bennie, somewhere behind us with Amelia, gasped.

"…Farscotch, from who-knows-where."

"They did such a good job with Music Within, though! Do you think we lost?" Amelia seemed fairly nervous. Ryan didn't tell her, which surprised me. The two seemed like they were good friends.

"And in first…"

Rosaline sneezed from the back of the stage – the only reason we could hear her was that we were all dead silent. Nobody was moving, breathing, or doing anything in the seconds that passed by while we waited for André.

I looked over at Ryan. Some people – who had waited their entire college life for this moment – wouldn't make it, and we'd probably be carting a few people to the nurse's ward for bruised heads, and all that fun with people passing out. It certainly wouldn't be the first year it had happened, throughout my history in this theatre I've seen Rosie and several other strong-headed people fall over.

"…Blue Stone, from Wisconsin."

Amelia passed out, Bennie's jaw would've hit the floor if it could go any further, and the rest were either shocked silent and passed out or screaming and kissing the nearest person. I chose the third option, kissing Ryan again, and I smiled happily.

"We did it. We really did. We're going to the real finals this year!" I leaned back with a pleased sigh, poking Ryan as he tried to push closer, and looked back to Andre. The rest of the group who were still sitting straight had turned quiet, leaving our attention to Andre. He had the final say if we would show up or not.

André smiled, bowing to the group. "From the bottom of my heart, I can't tell you how pleased I am with what you've done this year. And for those of you who haven't passed out yet, I give you a declaration of peace – and a proclamation of acceptance. For those of you who are leaving after this year, Rosaline and I will welcome you to our halls once more for a fabulous show next year. Because we're headed to the world finals, with whatever we decide to show."

"Please, nothing foreign! If we have to bring Mulan in Chinese, I think I might kill someone." The source was undeterminable, but it made André laugh.

I turned to look over my shoulder, hearing a small crash as Bennie fell over. His dream had always been the finals, and now he had it. Ryan was just as close to passing out as I was, and I grinned widely, excited to see what they could possibly bring on the stage.

"Abella?"

I stood slowly, finding that my pale feet were shaking on the cold marble floor. The large hall seemed to grow double, which was nearly impossible after remembering how big it truly was. The steps to the stage seemed to take an age to pass over, and the fifth age seemed to be worse than it actually was as I walked up to the stage.

Rosaline was holding the golden box, smiling. "Welcome to your hall, Abella."

"Child of the night, daughter of the Evenstar, walker of the darkness, and dancer of the lake." I quoted four characters I had done already – Clarissa, anonymous elf, Shadow-Thief, and Swan. My hand reached out slowly, shaking as badly as my foot was.

Rosaline nodded her head slowly, letting me pull back the lid of the box. "Oh gods, oh gods, o-… Oh gods!" I winced as I pulled out a piece of parchment. From the way it felt, it had been in the box since the tradition was first started, and probably the first play that actually went in.

"Look at it, silly!"

I didn't realize how long I had sat quietly, but I opened my eyes and looked at the paper. I gasped, and dropped the parchment as I looked up to stare at Rosaline. "Jesus Harold Christ!" I screeched, jumping up to hug her. "Holy fuck! I did it, I can't believe I chose it!"

Rosaline pushed me away, leaning over to pick up the paper. She had the precise reaction as I did, dropping the paper and jumping with me. "You actually did it!" she laughed.

André rolled his eyes, turning around to pick up the paper. He tried several times, having trying to dodge jumping feet, before he was able to successfully grab it. He almost dropped it, but stood up slowly, smiling.

"Congratulations, Abella. You've just made a happy theatre." He paused, and I was certain everyone's eyes flicked up to the piece of paper, trying to see what it read. "For those of you who have yet to pass out with excitement… We're performing the Phantom of the Opera."

I was able to stop jumping, hugging Rosaline, as we watched André. He seemed as happy as we were, and the rest of the group was shaking with excitement. I was still having troubles believing my luck; I would gladly stay with my dad for the year left, in order to perform this play.