"Tala, get over here and help me. Me old bones aren't what they used to be, and Toby's busy," Buquet was a foul, disgusting man, who spent most of his life drunk and the rest of his life ordering me and my friend Toby around. Toby was my best and closest friend, and I had known him for years. He was tall, but not overly so. He had hazelnut brown hair, and was muscular and strong, which was no surprise since he had been first trained in the field of blacksmithery. Most people said we were a matched pair, as I also had similar hair colour, although mine was much longer. I was stronger that most girls of my age, because my family bred horses, and I was tall for my age. Buquet, on the other hand, could be tall, but for the hunched back that no doubt stemmed from his line of work – the same line of work that myself and Toby were now employed in. He hobbled around the rafters of the Opera Populaire and tended to anything that needed to fly, mainly props or people. He also controlled the curtains and the large torches that provided spotlights. He spent whatever time he wasn't working in the ladies' changing room, frightening them with stories about a man who was so hideous he had to wear a mask, so repulsive he lived in the dungeons, so terrifying that he had come from a freak show.
On the other hand, me and Toby were both eighteen and worked alongside Buquet, fetching and carrying, and doing tasks his physique didn't permit him to. The wage was good and the work was never too difficult. Since Buquet had started his line of work in the workhouse, labouring long, hard hours over dangerous machines, he had never been particularly fit. I and Toby each had our own back-stories, and both came from different families, although we looked so alike that no-one would have guessed. We had gotten work together by passing off as brother and sister, and even though only a few days after hiring us the truth got out, the kindly manager – a Monsieur Lefèrve – had allowed us to stay. We had been told not to limit our talents to rafter-work – unlike Buquet, we were perfectly fit and quite strong. Toby stemmed from a long line of blacksmiths, and had grown up with hammers and heavy metal, and had been training in that field when he met me. My family kept horses for carriage-pulling – we took them in, trained them up, and ran a carriage-hire company on the side with the best trained horses in Paris. I had been mostly in charge of caring for the horses, because I loved them. Part of this involved me taking trips to the blacksmiths to get them new shoes, and that was where I met Toby. I had jogged up – I may be the only girl in Paris who wears trousers instead of skirts, because I was so used to wearing jodhpurs – and while he worked, I watched him. We met regularly, because we kept enough horses that they needed a lot of shoes.
It was while we were talking one day that his father came out of the house. He noticed Toby leaning on a wall in his apron talking to me, and then saw me wearing trousers, and had had enough. To this day I don't see what shame there is in wearing trousers, or talking to boys you know. He dragged me home kicking and screaming, told my parents I had been shaming my family by meeting a boy I didn't know and demanded to know why I was wearing men's clothes. He didn't notice my mother wearing her jodhpurs, he was too angry to care. My own father was so angry when he found out I had been meeting Toby outside of getting shoes, as he was a firm believer that girls should not choose their husbands. Having been brought up outside the rules of society, I fought back, told him I should marry who I wanted, someone I loved. He sent me upstairs and told me not to return until told to, or he would take his belt to me. I lay on my bed and sobbed, knowing I would never see Toby again. We had never kissed, or even held hands – we were just very good friends. A while later, there were five taps on my window in quick succession. Being on the second floor of my house, it could only be rocks. I crossed to my window and heaved it up. I saw Toby standing underneath with a small bunch of flowers. He motioned me to come down, and since my father had long since gone to bed, I crept down the stairs and eased the door open .I slipped out without my shoes and ran over to him. He hugged me closely, and then held me at arm's length. We had a long discussion, and when he went home I ran up to my room. I threw my most practical clothes into a bag and hid them in my wardrobe. I dressed in my jodhpurs and a shirt, and then waited for Toby to come back. At dawn, more rocks hit my window. I heard my father getting up, and bolted out of the house. Toby and I each took one of my parents' horses and rode them quickly through the city centre. We didn't know where to go, until we overheard someone saying the Opera Populaire was looking for someone to help their props man out. We go there quickly and managed to start work as brother and sister. A few days later, we were just known as Tala and Toby the Terrible Twosome, which was just a ribbing of how much time we spent together. Our lives just seemed to get better.
Anyway, back to Buquet.
"Tala? You've to go to Carlotta's changing room, orders of the boss," Buquet told me. I nodded and put down the ropes I had been untangling. Toby raised an eyebrow at me as I left, and I shrugged. I found Carlotta in a state, shouting at everyone for everything they did. I walked in and just before I shut the door, maid ran out wailing.
"Ah, Tala," Monsieur Lefèrve approached me and took me out of the room, because it was just so loud. "We've asked you to come help us because Ms Dana – the one who just ran out... um... crying, has resigned unexpectedly. We need you to help get Carlotta prepare for her next performance this evening. Sorry it's such short notice," I was dumbfounded – I was amazed that I'd be working with the opera-singers, the stars, although my emotions were slightly reserved toward working for such a demanding woman. Still, I couldn't say no, so I started work for Carlotta. It mainly involved getting her dressed for her performance that night, and for all performances during the week, and when I wasn't doing that, I was caring for her dogs. Even the dogs were snooty, as they looked down on me. Still, it was better being stared at by snooty dogs than being shouted at by stroppy divas.
At the end of the week, I finally got back to Toby. We shared a room, but by the time I got back during the week he was already asleep. I collapsed onto my bed, as he laughed.
"I'm never working for such a diva. Ever. Again," I said into my pillow. Toby laughed, and swigged from a bottle.
"Where'd you get that? Not from Buquet I hope," he shrugged and took another swig. I grabbed the bottle. "I have a headache," I mumbled, and took a long drink. The alcohol burned going down, and I shuddered. "I'm sure that helped in some way," I muttered, before collapsing again. Toby laughed, and I uttered a humourless chuckle.
"At least I have a day off tomorrow. Lefèrve knows my pain – he was trying to stop her complaining when I arrived. I'm spending tomorrow watching the dress rehearsal of Hannibal. Have fun working the ropes," Toby stuck his tongue out at me, and I laughed again. The next day, Toby awoke at the same time as me, although while he was dressing and sorting through ropes I was sitting on my bed, sketching images of the Phantom, the one Buquet so often told terrifying tales of to the dancers.
"What's that?" Toby asked, walking over. I snapped my sketchbook shut and looked up at him.
"Nothing. It's... nothing," He raised an eyebrow perfectly, and I hit him with the book. "Buquet not on your case yet?" He shook his head – that was odd, normally Buquet chased us day and night to get to work quickly. He had never believed children should get a wage equal to his for the same work, and so had us moving from dawn until dusk. Today, though, I took it easy. I collected my breakfast and sat with Toby and some of Carlotta's servants. Opposite me, a girl about my age called Reinette was quietly eating, not saying a word to any of the chatty girls that occupied the rest of the table. She had long blonde hair, falling to her elbows, and was tall and slender.
"Hey, Reinette, right? I'm Tala, Tala Creeks. This is my boyf-... my friend Toby. You seem kinda lonely," I extended a hand over the table which she shook gently.
"I'm Reinette Amore, I'm actually a dancer. But the dancer's table was full so I sat here. Is that OK?" She seemed genuinely ready to move for us. I laughed and Toby gave her a warm smile.
"Don't worry – so long as you don't cross us, you're a friend. So you're a dancer? Are you in Hannibal?" Toby asked. She nodded and gestured to the older dancers.
"I'm a slave-girl, ridiculous costume and all,." I felt genuinely sorry for her.
"What about you two? Are you... you know, together?" I blushed and Toby just laughed it off.
"No, I haven't managed to capture her heart yet," He spoke with a cheeky glint in his eye.
"We're just close friends. We've known each other for a long time," For the first time I wanted to change my answer to that question to 'yes'. I shook my head to clear it.
"Shouldn't you be up in the rafters? Get to work, slacker. I'll go to the wings with Reinette here. If that's OK?" She nodded quickly and Toby got up. As he departed, Reinette and I looked at each other and laughed.
"So what do you do Tala? You and Toby?" She asked, clearly figuring out we worked together.
"Well, we basically work under the instruction of Buquet, but I was working under Carlotta last week and so Lefèrve gave me today off. So I'll come and watch the rehearsal from the wings, or maybe from a seat in the audience. I assume you're dancing all day?" She nodded again – she seemed to like nodding – and we left the cafeteria.
Carlotta's voice rang clearly through the echoing music hall, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the cleaners sticking cotton in their ears. Wishing I had thought of it, I turned back to the stage. Monsieur Lefèrve was leading two men around, and stopped at the stage.
"As you can see, gentlemen, rehearsals are underway for our latest production of Hannibal,." Monsieur Reyer – the conductor – tapped his conductor's wand on the music stand in front of him and looked distressed.
"Monsieur Lefèrve! I am rehearsing!" He called. Our manager and the two men apologized, and then Lefèrve spoke again.
"As you probably know, for some weeks there have been rumours of my imminent retirement. I can now tell you these are all true, and I would like to introduce the two men who now own the Opera Populaire. Mr Richard Firmin, and Mr Giles Andre." Carlotta and Piangi exchanged glances, Carlotta's face glowing with triumph, Piangi's with disgust. Clearly a bet had been won and lost. Everyone applauded the men who were now in charge, who bowed and smiled and looked ridiculous. Then rehearsals began again, and everyone was praising and singing. The elephant rolled round – a fake elephant run by several stage-hands – and Piangi attempted to climb atop it. I sniggered at his efforts behind my hands, although Carlotta was less than impressed. As soon as the song finished, she started shouting. The elephant continued to circle the stage, and when the hollow side was visible to the audience, it took all of my strength to keep from doubling over in laughter. Every stage-hand was drunk and one started singing, mocking Carlotta's high pitch. She started to cry, and even though her tears were clearly fake, the two new managers grovelled as she threatened to leave. Around ten minutes later they returned with a happy Carlotta in tow. She took centre stage and bluntly told everyone to 'be very quiet!'. She began to sing an aria from act 3, and was getting into her stride, when some scenery fell, landing on top of her. Shocked, I leapt to my feet and quickly joined the mass of people fighting to free her. She got up unharmed, and stormed out. The conductor, the managers and most of all Carlotta's husband Piangi, were distraught. Piangi blamed the managers, who had no idea what they were doing.
"Reinette Amore could sing it, sir," Madame Giry, the ballet coach, spoke up. She pulled her long plait in front of her and twisted it round her finger.
"She has been taking lessons from a great teacher," Reinette looked uncomfortable with such attention. The managers discussed something, and asked her to step forward. The two men continued furiously whispering, until she started singing. She had the voice of an angel, and everyone fell into awed silence. Almost instantly she was given the role previously played by Carlotta.
On the evening of her first public performance, Toby and I sat on the rafters above the music hall, legs dangling, listening to her sing. We were out of sight, but could see everything, so to us it was the best seat in the house. We sat down after the first act and listened to 'Think of Me'. She sang it beautifully, and during it I caught Toby's eye. He smiled a warm smile, and we turned back to the stage. During the performance, Toby's hand somehow crept on top of mine without my noticing. I looked at him, but he was pretending to be deeply engrossed in the opera. I smiled to myself, and left his hand there. We slowly edged together, and by the end of the opera some hours later we were sat right next to each other. His legs and mine twined together, our fingers laced together. I rested my head on his shoulder, and he stroked my hair soothingly. At the end, we went down to the wings and found Reinette. She was crowded by admirers, and I fought through to her.
"Reinette, did you want me to escort you back to your room? I'm sure talking to the press all night isn't what you had in mind," I asked. She nodded, all speech drowned out by over-enthusiastic reporters. I stood in front of her and took her hand. I instantly became a figure of importance. I must have said 'No comment' about a thousand times by the time we reached her room. I went in with her and locked the door.
"Are you OK?" I asked her.
"Yes. A little overwhelmed, but OK. Don't worry about me, Tala. But... I have tomorrow as a day of rest. Would you mind terribly if I spent it with you and your boyfriend?" She laughed as I threw a cushion at her. "Sorry, your friend."
"I wouldn't mind, you might have to ask my other half. How I miss him..." I walked around her room, pretending to be in a dreamy trance. She laughed and clapped, and I took a bow.
"Course not. Come find us whenever – we'll probably be somewhere near the roof. Anyway, I had better go. If you need me, give me a shout." She looked nervous.
"Tala, I'm scared about that press. What if they try and get in here tonight? Will you sleep in here, just for tonight?" I hugged her – in the short while we'd known each other, we had fast become close friends.
"Absolutely. I'll just go to my room and tell Toby and grab my nightwear. I'll lock the door, and I'll be back in a minute." I left the room, and fought the crowd to get to my room. I grabbed my stuff and found Toby washing his face.
"Toby, I'm spending the night with Reinette, she's worried about the press getting into her room. The room will be locked, so if you want to come say hi, do... three sharp knocks?" He agreed and hugged me. I then left and made my way back to Reinette's room, noting the press had all but dispersed. I opened the door, and the room was dark. I walked in and called softly 'Reinette?' to no response. I then noticed her mirror – there was a gap between it and the frame. I knew it was a long shot, but even so I tried it. I slid the rest of the mirror back and crept through. I found myself in a corridor lit by torches held by stone arms. I'd forgotten to lock the door, but this room was enthralling. I heard sweet tones drifting back to me in the echoing darkness. The floor was slimy, and the walls weren't much better. I walked quickly, wanting to know what lay at the end of this tunnel. Reaching the end, I saw a lake of dirty water and a horse. There was a mooring ring and the horse seemed restless, so they had probably come here on the horse, gotten into the boat and left the horse here. I waded into the water and checked the bottom was smooth, and not too deep. It came up to a little below my chest, so the horse would have no trouble. I led it into the water and it seemed to be glad of the cool lap of the water. I climbed atop it and kicked it gently. Walking on, I listened intently for sounds of Reinette. I dared not call her name out – until recently this had been Carlotta's room, and a girl so timid as Reinette wasn't one to explore dark caverns alone. Reaching a corner, I got off the horse and stood her to the side, a few paces back from said corner, so she wouldn't reveal me. I stuck close to the wall as I edged around the corner. I saw first, the number of candles lighting the gloom. Secondly, Reinette falling into the arms of a man in a mask.
"The Phantom..." I breathed. He carried her to a bed, and let the curtain fall between them. At this point, I needed to know what was happening. I splashed through the water, watching the Phantom turn to face me.
"Who are you? How did you get down here?" The Phantom was clearly annoyed at me, and I played it up. I stuck my chin out and puffed up my chest.
"I'm a friend of Reinette. And I have a few questions for you, since you've kidnapped her and... and why did she collapse?" I was shaking a little, such was the strain of false bravado. He shook his head, bowing it ashamedly. He walked away, and I stared after him in utter disgust.
"Is that it? You're just going to ignore me? Well, Andre and Firmin will, I'm sure, be delighted to know the whereabouts of the elusive Phantom of the Opera." He whirled to face me. I folded my arms triumphantly across my chest, and smirked.
"Ah, child. You're so innocent. You work for Joseph Buquet, yes? I thought so. Well, I'm sure you've heard his tales relating my... magical... lasso!" With this he reached for my neck, throwing me into the grip of a long wind of rope. He tightened it to the point I could barely breathe. I gasped and choked, coughed and spluttered. In the background, Reinette had awoken. She squealed, a high-pitch squeal, and the Phantom released me. I fell back into the water, wheezing and coughing. Reinette wore an expression of utter contempt. She drew her eyes from those of the Phantom and rushed over to help me up. I choked up water, and she patted my back.
"You monster. How could you?" She whispered. He was lost for words. I spat filthy lake-water and glared at him. I kept it up as he led me and Reinette back to her room, where I slept fitfully all night.
In the morning, the first thing I did when I met up with Toby on the rafters was throw myself at him for a hug.
"Well, hello Tala. Good night?" He laughed. I hugged his chest tighter, and he gently removed my arms. Holding me in his arms, he stroked my hair softly.
"That was the strangest night. Ever." I buried my face in his shirt, which was shaking with laughter.
"Oi! You two aren't paid to stand around all lovey-dovey. Get to work!" Buquet slapped Toby round the back of the head, and we both stumbled. We got to work organizing the props for the latest performance while I told him about my night. He knew I wouldn't lie to him, and so was wide-eyed by the time I finished. It wasn't until about midday that Reinette rushed up to me.
"Oh, praise the lord you haven't gone to Andre and Firmin. He said to keep an eye out, said you might tell them. I said you wouldn't, but he didn't listen..." I finished hauling the rope in my arm and faced her.
"You're acting like what I saw last night was in the slightest normal. There is a masked man running around under the opera house – that isn't normal. Christ, you don't look the slightest worried that there's some guy who has access to your bedroom while you sleep lurking in corridors beneath the notice of everyone else in this place! He could kill you in your sleep and get away with it," I dumped the rope on a pile of others and moved to help Toby shove a large chest to Piangi's dressing room. She approached cautiously and whispered in my ear 'Does he know?', to which I nodded sharply.
"Tala, if you'd just listen! He's not a bad guy – he taught me to sing. He's been around my whole life since my father died. He was only protecting himself when he, urm, strangled you." At this, Toby whipped around.
"He did what?" He demanded, standing right in front of Reinette. She looked up at him with fear in her eyes, and I got between them, shoving Toby back. "Tala, why didn't you tell me?" He pleaded. I hung my head and went back to the chest. He took both my hands and held them to his chest. I mumbled some gibberish and tried to walk away, but he took me by the shoulders, rooting me to the spot.
"I didn't want you to worry. Besides, this Phantom guy seems to be a good friend of Reinette's, I don't think she'd appreciate you laying into him. Don't worry, Toby, I'm fine." Gentle as a caress, he tilted my head to see my neck. I stood perfectly still and watched his face contort with anger.
"Le bâtard! Who does he think he is, leaving rope burns on you?" I ignored his cursing and took his hands from my neck.
"Toby, honestly, it's OK. I can look after myself, don't take that away from me. You have to trust me, as you know I trust you," he cupped my face in his hands and drew me closer. Our lips were mere centimetres away when Buquet shouted again.
"Kiss on your own time, slackers! Get to work!" He spat on the floor and that somehow ruined the mood. I stood back a little and held his hands for a while. He kissed my forehead sweetly and I smiled. Then we started dragging the chest into Piangi's dressing room. That done, we were on a lunch break, but we skipped the cafeteria. We went into our room and Toby slouched on his bed. I joined him, sitting bolt upright and very formally, until he took me in his arms and I melted. He kissed me, not too short or too long, but just right, and very sweet. I kissed him back, until once more Buquet called us. We toiled the rest of the day in good spirits, chatting contentedly at regular intervals, pretending Buquet didn't exist.
For a while it seemed things were going back to normal. Reinette was given the role once belonging to Carlotta. Me and Toby slaved every day under the instruction of our manager, and Andre and Firmin were finding their feet. There was no more speak of the Phantom, since the managers, the patron and Carlotta received threatening notes from him. Three months on, and the managers told us we were all invited to a masquerade ball in honour of the new year. Because everyone had a date – Reinette was going with the patron of the opera house, the Vicomte de Chagny – Toby had asked me to go. Since dresses weren't my thing, I had no idea what I was going to wear. So, while preparations for the ball consumed Buquet, me and Reinette slipped off for the day and went into the heart of Paris. Hours later, I had settled for a dark blue dress with minimal train and the flattest cage we could get. Also, it was done up with Velcro so it was easy to get on and off.
Reinette's dress on the other hand, was puffy and gorgeous, but not practical in the slightest. The cage was about three times the width of her, and the corset was laced to within an inch of her life. Still, when it was finally on her, it was amazing. She was a vision, and I knew that every woman in the room would be jealous of her looks, or angry that she'd taken their men's attention off them. I tucked a single loose curl behind her ear as she walked to the mirror. She gazed at herself.
"Oh! It's beautiful. It's really, just... beautiful," I smiled at her and she turned, getting different views on the dress. Eventually we bought them and, having use of the Vicomte's horse-drawn carriage, transported them back to the opera house.
The night of the ball rolled around, and with it high spirits. Me, Toby, Reinette and Julien – the Vicomte - all walked through the door, breezing through the press and security. The music was cheery and upbeat, and very soon almost everyone was dancing. Toby offered me his hand, and together we took to the floor. He twirled me around, and we laughed and danced for some time. Then the music slowed, and we stood closely together, his hand on my waist, mine on his shoulder, both our spare hands clutched together mid-air. We were making it up as we went along, having neither of us had any previous experience of dancing, but managed not to step on each other's feet. He leaned his head closer, so his mouth was a hair's breadth from my ear.
"Tala, I think now I can say this safely, with no interruptions. I want you to know, I-" He was sharply cut off by the music taking a dramatic turn. All eyes focused on a man, standing in a suit and mask, casually twirling a sword. He began to talk, his voice soft and mesmerizing. He threw, at the feet of Andre and Firmin, an opera. Don Juan Triumphant. He explained the sopranos' roles, and then disappeared as quickly as he'd come. Looking around, I noticed Reinette was gone. Toby had noticed too, and added that Julien was gone too. We both knew the rafters well, spending most of our time in them. Once I'd gotten rid of the cumbersome skirt and was left in trousers and a shirt, we made our way to the highest point in the building below the roof. We could see almost everything – except Reinette. Then Buquet came and found us. He didn't believe we'd been looking for our missing friend – all he saw were a girl and a boy hiding what they were doing from the public, and the rest of the opera house. He refused to listen to us and he carted us back to our room and shut the door. We knew better than to disobey him when he wasn't drunk, because his punishments could be severe. I slumped onto my bed and Toby sat next to me, slipping his arm over my shoulders. I rested my head on his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall with every breath.
"What if something happened to her, Toby? I'd have to tell the managers about the Phantom... but I can't. I just can't," He sighed, and seemed lost for words. He couldn't say anything to help that wouldn't be a lie. He fully understood the depth of the situation. We sat for a while, caught in our embrace, waiting for Reinette to come home. Whatever Toby wanted to say earlier, he knows now isn't the time to say it. We sat perfectly still almost all night, time passing slowly, dragging.
The next morning I woke up shattered. I didn't remember falling asleep, but my head was resting on Toby's chest, and his strong, steady arms were wrapped around me. I closed my eyes and basked in our combined body heat, in his slow steady breaths. A loud knock on the door made me jump up, and Toby spilled to the ground, hitting it with a thump!. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he grinned past his hair at me. I shook my head, and answered the door. Buquet stood before me, swaying a little. I went to shut the door in his face – he has no control over us when we're in our private space – until he managed to get his foot between door and frame. I sighed and allowed the door to swing back open. He tried to grin, but belched. Putrid air wafted towards me and I recoiled.
"You.. you two need to get... to work," he got out. I turned to Toby, who was fighting his way into an over-sized pair of trousers.
"Toby? We're dealing with Buquet's job today. I don't think it's safe for him to," I told him. He nodded and fell over. I shook my head again and turned back to Buquet, who had gone. "Stinking drunk!" I shouted at the corridor, before realising he had collapsed just feet away from our door. Toby had to help me drag the unconscious Buquet back into his room. He regained a little consciousness to attempt to thank us. Unfortunately, the effort caused him to throw up all over himself. We rolled him onto his side and went to find a cleaner to help us. We then ran off to a day of freedom. "If we don't have him on our case, we should get down to the managers. If anyone knows where Reinette is, it'll be them." Toby agreed with me and we made our way to the grand hall. Firmin swept in, his coat billowing a little with his fast pace. We hid behind some statues, waiting for our moment to present ourselves. However, our plan quickly changed when he started telling the empty hall about the loss of his two lead sopranos. Andre soon joined him, seeming similarly distressed. They had both, it seemed, received notes during the night, from a mysterious OG. They figured out soon enough that it must mean 'Opera Ghost'. Toby and I exchanged a glance, then resumed listening in on the two. They read out the notes to each other, relating mainly works of how Reinette was to progress in her career, how bad Carlotta was at singing, the Phantom's pay and reminding them who the opera-house really belonged to. Suddenly, Julien burst into the room, demanding to know where Reinette was. He claimed to have also gotten a note, which Firmin read aloud. It stated 'Do not fear for Ms Amore. The angel of music has her under his wing. Make no attempt to see her again', which resulted in his vow to find her. Finally, Carlotta joined them, fussing over a note she herself had received, detailing how her career was all but over, and how Reinette should take over now. This combined, the managers weren't happy. They were struggling to calm her, when Madame Giry entered the room. She handed over her note, which said Ms Amore had been returned. She added that she wanted Reinette to be alone for a while, to rest in her quarters. Instantly, Toby and I took off running for her room. Behind us Carlotta had started screeching about being replaced. Reaching Reinette's room, we knocked three times sharply. She quickly answered, embracing us both warmly. She invited us in and the three of us talked for about an hour, before two of us were shooed away to leave Reinette in peace.
Rehearsals for Il Muto finished soon after, so the next time we saw Reinette, she was backstage getting ready. We shook her hands, we hugged her, and we wished her luck. After some deliberation, Carlotta had been given the role of Countess, and Reinette was the pageboy. We took up our places in the rafters, and got to work. In act three we had to send down a swing, and decorate the upper part of the stage with flowers. Until then, we got to sit and watch the show. We mainly shut out Carlotta, focusing instead on watching Reinette being forced to act silently. A small piece of paper, folded into an envelope shape, fluttered in front of us as we watched. I lifted it and read the note inside.
Tala Creek,
Your managers ignored my demands,
They shall suffer hell at my hands.
Leave the rafters, stand on the floor,
Or terror will meet you at your door.
OG
Not one to question the Phantom after he tried to kill me, I showed the note to Toby. We made our way downstairs, and stood in the wings. We talked to Madame Giry – she had a unique understanding of the Phantom, although none of us knew why. She stood us next to her as we watched the opera unfold. Suddenly, a booming voice demanded to know why Box 5 had not been left empty. I looked at Toby, and saw my fear reflected in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me, and I hugged him back with my head on his chest. The audience didn't seem too fazed by it though, and the performance continued as planned. Suddenly, Carlotta's voice started to croak. She sounded like a toad, and ran off-stage, screaming for her mother. The managers, by this point, had made their way to the stage. They assured the audience it was all just a mistake, and that the performance would soon be resumed with Reinette as the countess. They then instructed the maestro to play the ballet from act three, and Toby and I knew we had to make our way to the rafters, despite the phantom's warning. Madame Giry warned us to keep our hands at the level of our eyes, and we were careful to. We got up there and lowered the swing and draped flowers from every rafter. Then we double checked the ropes were secure, and leant on a wheel to watch the ballet. A cry, and steps pounding on wood. Toby and I turned instinctively, and saw Buquet, pursued by the phantom, fleeing over the rafters. I was frozen by the moment. We both wanted to know where this was heading, so we followed them stealthily at a safe distance. Buquet tripped, and the phantom pounced. I gasped, but quietly enough that I went unheard. Suddenly, Buquet was coughing, choking on something. A rope – a lasso. I rushed forward to help him, but Toby grabbed my shoulders to stop him. Shaking his head, he pointed at the phantom, who was intently tightening the rope. Toby's lips brushed my neck as he spoke.
"I'm not letting that happen to you." I followed the scene with my eyes a little longer, before directing them at Toby. My hand sought his out, and held on tight. Suddenly, Buquet was gone. Screams erupted from below, and ballet dancers sprinted away from centre-stage. Leaning over the rafters, we saw something we didn't want to. Buquet's body, still shaking, still alive, hung from a rope. It dropped, and collapsed at an abnormal angle, and Buquet was no more. My hand started to pull away from me, and I saw Toby was tugging me in the opposite direction. I followed him – if we were caught here, we could be blamed. We positioned ourselves on the opposite side of the large hall quickly, and caught our breath. Andre peered up at us, shaken by the hanging.
At that moment, Julien jumped up. I slashed at him, the blade catching his arm. Seething with fury, he ran at me. I dodged his angry fists easily, since anger and frustration made him clumsy. I pressed the tip of the blade against his chest, forcing him backwards. I kicked him and he fell into the snow. I twisted the blade slowly, just a little bit. Reinette ran over, throwing herself between us.
"No! Tala, you're better than this," she cried. Julien's hand clenched and unclenched, angry and powerless. I spat at him and stepped back. He tried to grab the blade out of my hand, but that only resulted in a cut across his hand. He wrapped strips of his shirt around it while I crossed to where the phantom stood. I poked him in the back with my sword, forcing him to stand before Reinette.
"You need to choose Reinette, before someone gets badly hurt," I said quietly.
"Just put the sword away, Tala, and no-one'll get hurt," she replied, clearly trying hard to keep her voice even and calm.
"I wasn't talking about physically, Reinette. Just think what pain you are causing right… this… minute," I said, still quietly firm. She opened her mouth to protest, but I had turned away. Taking Toby's hand, I mounted our horse with him. I kicked it sharply, and it reared majestically before making a mad sprint for the graveyard entrance. Drudging up everything my father taught me, I tossed the blade over my shoulder, looking careless, but really concentrating on getting it to perfectly hit the ground just in front of Reinette, the blade sticking in the ground.
Back at the opera house, I tore through the corridors and collapsed on my bed. In a fit of anger I upended the chest of drawers holding our few clothes, watching every last garment spill unceremoniously onto the floor. I kicked it a few times, and threw my pillow after it. I wrecked everything in the room that wasn't precious, that couldn't be easily replaced. Toby came in when the damage was done, and saw me sobbing in the corner, hugging my knees.
"It's killing her Toby. They… It's… She's torturing herself over this. And I made it worse. What the hell sort of friend am I?" I wept. Toby sat next to me and coaxed me out of the foetal position. I was soon lying on his chest, soaking his shirt in tears. It was only then that I noticed the cut across his chest. It wasn't deep, but it was bleeding and looked painful. I traced a finger very lightly over its surface, so it wouldn't hurt, and pulled myself together. I grabbed a shirt I never wore and tore it to shreds. I soaked two cloths in cold water, and pressed the over his wound, tying them at his back. I then placed the other strips on top of them, and made sure the knots were tight at his back. I made him lie in his bed, covers up to his neck, resting. It needed to stop bleeding, and so he just needed rest to keep his heart-rate slow. Or something. I was about to leave him, but he caught my sleeve. He pulled his duvet back just a little, and tapped the mattress.
"You're exactly the sort of person my mother always told me to steer clear of," I told him sternly.
"What? I just want a bit more heat – this bed is a bit chilly," he grinned.
"Not that type of person – the type that are so deeply engrained in my heart, I can't resist them," I changed into my nightclothes, and crawled under his duvet. I lay on my side, pressed up against him, his arms wrapped around my waist and stomach. He kissed the back of my neck softly. I rested my head down and placed my hands over his.
"Night Toby," I whispered in the dark.
"Night Tala," he replied. My troubles at least temporarily forgotten, I slept peacefully that night, and didn't even dream. Waking up to Toby lying next to me was like waking up on Christmas surrounded by presents. I shifted to face him and kissed him to wake him up. His eyes fluttered open, and his mouth curved in a soft smile.
"That is officially the best way to wake up, ever," he murmured. I laughed a little, and was tempted to pretend I didn't have to work today. Unfortunately Toby shifted and got up, his side of the bed lifting as his weight left it. I knew if I didn't get up now I might never get up, so I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching my arms into the air. Toby was almost instantly by my side, hugging my from behind with his face in my neck.
"I guess I kinda owe Reinette an apology. I took it a bit far," I sighed. Toby kissed my cheek and tipped my chin up with his hand.
"Don't tell her, but that was all true. Every word. She just wasn't ready to hear it then." I took solace from his words, and set out to find her. She was in her room, still asleep. Outside the door, I bumped into Julien. I went to apologize, noticed who it was and didn't bother. I reached for the door handle, but his hand grabbed my arm. Resisting the instinct to hit him and walk away, I turned slowly to face him. His features were calm, confident, relaxed, but his eyes showed it was a mask for the fear and panic in his mind.
"We need to talk about yesterday. And I don't think that one is a conversation Reinette needs to hear right now," he said. I looked pointedly at his arm, which was bound in clean cotton bandages. Thinking of my horrible makeshift bandage on Toby's chest made me feel bad, so I didn't think about it.
"There's nothing to say, Vicomte. Or do you want to make sure no-one finds out that the great and powerful patron of the opera-house got beaten by a girl? A worker, no less," I retorted. He seethed with anger, his cheeks flushing scarlet. I simpered a little, and reached for the door again. He grabbed my shoulder, turning me to face him.
"Listen up, woman. I am one hell of a lot more powerful, richer, smarter, and stronger than you. Don't challenge me to use that. Last night you had the advantage, the surprise. But here, we're equal adversaries." I laughed in his face.
"Equal adversaries? Are you kidding me? I could kill you on the spot if I so chose. Just be glad I'm not going to. You're pathetic," I spat. "I wouldn't dirty my hands."
"You'll regret that, you weak woman!" I raised one eyebrow, taking in what he said. Then I slapped him full across the face.
"You're a weak, self-centred, arrogant, annoying, disgusting pig of a man. I'm disgusted to even be the same species as you!" A red hand-mark was already flushing his face, and despite how angry he, was the pain I had caused both physically and mentally was harsh, maybe even irreparable. I snarled a little at him, and he raised a hand, as though to hit me. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of dodging, and prepared myself for the blow. Just as his hand started sweeping towards me, I closed my eyes. No pain was forthcoming, though, and I opened my eyes. Toby was sat atop Julien, punching him. Dancers had started to gather, to watch the drama unfold. I grabbed Toby's arms, stilling his fists. He touched my face softly, clearly checking for marks. When he saw none, and that I was obviously more upset for him than I was for myself, he stood up. He kicked Julien once more, and took my hand. I knew he would want to be alone, and I had to see Reinette, so I kissed his cheek and dropped his hand. He wandered off in the direction of the rafters, and I knocked on the door of Reinette's room, and walked in. She was laid on her bed, clearly still asleep. I was amazed she'd slept through the ruckus outside her door, but didn't want to wake her up. I decided to leave a note. My writing skills weren't amazing, but I was determined to try.
Reinette, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was speaking out of line. Feel free to come see me and Toby whenever you get a free moment.
Tala
I left it on her dresser, next to a slightly ominous looking black rose.
I went to join Toy on the rafters. He was gazing over the side, leaning precariously over the safety ropes. It was a trick we often used to get down from the lower rafters – we'd lower ourselves from the safety ropes to get as close as possible to the stage, and just drop. He was holding himself up, a couple of meters above the floor, and I joined him.
"You know, this really isn't comfortable," I told him. He glanced and me at gave me a weak smile, clearly upset. I dropped to the floor and reached up to tug on his shoe. He let go of the ropes and dropped neatly to the floor next to me.
"I just want to keep you safe, Tala," he muttered, "and I can't very well do that with Monsieur Poncy running around."
"Don't worry about me Toby, I can fight my own battles. But I wanted to thank you for helping me out back there – it was about to turn ugly, and the last thing the press needs is 'Vicomte Vexed by Teen Truant, or anything along those lines," I laughed. Toby laughed thinly, and we headed up to the top rafters.
"Hey, I know. Did you want to meet Erik- I mean, the Phantom?" I asked. Toby shot me a look, curiosity and slight fear overcoming his rage.
"Of course, Tala. I really want to knock his lights out for strangling you, but if I can't have that then I can at least meet him," Toby replied. I smiled a little, and led him to Reinette's door.
"You have to be quiet, if not silent, or she'll wake up," I murmured into his ear.
"Much as you may hate to admit it, I'm not a total idiot," he smirked. I pushed gently on the door – Reinette was squeaking a bit in her sleep, but didn't stir. I edged towards the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the centre of the room, which was endorsed thoroughly in pink… everything was some shade of the colour. Gesturing at Toby to stay at the door, I scanned the edge of the mirror-door for some sign of a handhold. As I was about to give up and walk away, two glints of light sparkled, causing me to whirl around. I grabbed them and pulled lightly. The door didn't budge, so I heaved it to the right. I checked Reinette was still asleep before giving Toby the go-ahead to join me. We slipped behind the door and shut it softly, leaving a small gap to get out through. I had very little recollection of the maze of tunnels we had followed to reach the phantom, but instinct guided me the whole way. I just knew I had to turn left at the gargoyle with the missing arm, I could tell I was supposed to follow the pointed finger of the shifty looking statue of a woman being burned at the stake. When we reached the corner that led to the main cave of his lair, we stopped. His black horse – Caesar, Reinette had called him – whinnied loudly, announcing our unexpected arrival.
"Ah, so nice of you to join me again, Ms Creek. And you brought your lover for moral support, I see?" he extended a hand, that Toby reluctantly shook, squeezing with unnecessary pressure. "You will have to forgive the nature of our first meeting – for many years I have had only Reinette and a certain Madame Giry for company – I am of a very suspicious mind, you see."
"As am I, Monsieur," Toby retorted, sarcasm dripping from the latter word, "but I find no need to strangle an innocent girl, who happened across you in a search for her friend." He stood in front of me defensively, and I put a hand on his shoulder, murmuring reassurances. His muscles were tense, taught. I stepped forward a little, and he relaxed slightly. He cupped my face in his hands, searching my eyes for… what, exactly? He didn't seem to find it, though, and dropped his hands, looking dejected. I traced one finger over his lips, and faced Erik.
"I don't want any trouble – I just want to know. Why not live up above ground? The new managers won't rest without your head on a pike, so maybe you should leave her, create your masterpieces elsewhere. I'm not the smartest, but all that'll happen if you stay is more people will die, or be seriously injured. What if you were to mistake Reinette for just another interfering dancer, and hurt her? It's time to move on. There's nothing left for you here," I said, bluntly. There was no sugar-coating this now – too much blood had already been spilled at the hands of this madman. He paused; I could almost see him mulling it over, almost hear him weighing it out. I never got his reply though – as he opened his mouth to speak, the sound of sloshing water distracted us. I drew my blade, which I kept nearby most of the time since the graveyard incident. Erik drew his as well, and passed Toby a spare. Julien appeared, and for a moment stood taking in the scene before him. He stepped back, about to leave our little meeting, when more sploshing came from behind him. I took some small satisfaction that he squealed like a little girl and hid behind Toby, and even more so when Reinette appeared, dishevelled and tired, but alive. I forced myself to run through the water, which seemed as thick as wet mud, and embraced my friend. I took her hand and helped her make her way to join us. Toby and Erik had considerately moved to the dry land, where Erik provided a dress with less train for Reinette to wear. Julien was lying on the floor, clearly passed out. I took one look at him, and when I looked up, I saw Toby had been thinking the same as me. He had grabbed a jug from the side of the cave and filled it with lake water. I stood away from Julien, and he pitched the water over his sleeping form. I laughed as he gasped and leapt to his feet, waving his empty hand around as though he were wielding a blade.
"Who's there? Who… What?" he noticed us staring at him.
"You like ridiculous, Vicomte. Put your sword down, and get back to the grand hall. The managers will miss you before they will miss me, and they think Reinette is sleeping. Get going!" he jumped at my sharp command. I glared at him, and he reluctantly made his way past the gate. He took five steps, and ran back. He grabbed Toby's sword and swung at the phantom.
"You don't deserve Reinette, you hideous beast of horror!" he screamed. Erik deflected his clumsy blows with deft flicks of his wrist to aim his sword. This went on for several minutes, before Toby walked up behind him and hit him with the jug he had used to revive him, twice. Julien fell, with a confused look in his eye, before collapsing backwards. I dragged him behind a curtain, in a different 'room'. Erik was not happy with this, and strode past us. Not being a particular fan of Julien's, I watched the phantom drag him to the water. A heavy iron gate began to slowly descend on them. It stopped on hitting the lake bed. Julien stared at the phantom like he was going to eat him. Erik crept closer, eerily silent, and moved slowly. Suddenly, in a flash of movement, he threw a thick rope around Julien's neck. Though he struggled, Julien couldn't match the phantom's angry strength, and eventually succumbed. Erik was already fixing the ropes to the bars of the gate, holding a limp Julien in place. He secured one rope in an open knot around his throat, pulling it tight enough to make it difficult for him to breathe, but not to kill him. Reinette cried out and rushed forward, but didn't dare get anywhere near Julien with such an angry man between them. He pulled a little tighter on the rope, and Julien's lips turned a pale blue.
"Please, Erik, think about this. There's nothing to be gained from killing him," I tried. Reinette was crying, sobbing into Toby's shoulder. It was only his words that finally got through.
"Erik, look at her. You kill him and you break her heart. If you honestly love her, you'll let him go," he said.
"Reinette, I love you," Erik sang softly, his plaintive song as sad as that of a starving child. She walked over to him, touched his face, and clasped the mask. She pulled it off; let it land in the lake. I retrieved it – not everybody would be as kind to him as us, so he may need it. When I looked again, Reinette and Erik were entwined as one, lips pressed firmly together. I couldn't keep a smile from my lips, and Toby moved towards, me, catching my hand and kissing it softly. In the same soft manner he pulled me closer and kissed my lips, and when he finally pulled away I felt slightly dazed – I seemed to be totally lost without him.
"Tala? I pray to God there are no more interruptions, because, well, this is important. I… you… I think… um… I-think-I-love-you-Tala," he said, so fast I didn't catch the words. He calmed himself, and repeated it.
"I… I think I love you Tala," he muttered, bowing his head like an ashamed child. I smiled and tipped his chin up. He thought that was a bad sign and began to garble meaninglessly.
"I mean, it's absolutely fine if you don't, I mean maybe I'm being a bit forward, who knows, and I wanted to tell you before, but there wasn't a chance, I mean it certainly seemed Erik was dead set against me, but suppose he has spent pretty much his whole life-"
"Toby?" I broke in.
"Yes Tala?"
"I love you too," I smiled shyly. "oh, and one more thing."
"What?" I stood right up and kissed him deeply, wrapping my arms around his neck. I pulled back, smiling, my face just inches from his.
"Just that."
It took a fair few days to return the opera house to normal, and to clear Erik's name. We persuaded him to release Julien, and each told the police we thought Buquet's death might have been suicide. It wasn't pleasant, but with Reinette by his side, he could finally feel remorse for his actions. He even laid a small bouquet over his grave, and apologized quietly, with no-one around to hear him but the wind. Andre and Firmin left, scarred by their tries to fit in with the arts. Still, he didn't trust Julien, and forced him to leave the opera house, and warned him never to set foot in it again. The last anyone heard of him was that he was living with his parents.
A wedding was arranged for the summer, thanks to the new manageress, Madame Giry. It was arranged to be very grand, with the dancers entertaining the after-party, the orchestra playing the wedding march, and the best man being a chorus singer, Jerome, who had known Toby since childhood. I had never met him, but a week before he was telling me about how Toby was as a young lad, and it became apparent quickly that he had a knack for retelling funny stories and making you feel as though you had been there with him.
The night before the wedding, though, me, Toby, Reinette and Erik received a note in the style Erik had sent the notes to everyone before. None of them were signed, but we could guess who sent them. They each consisted of one word, scrawled across the paper.
Beware…