Within the Darkness
By: Mercy-chan
A/N: This is a fantasy twist to our beloved tale. Sorry for such the long delay but this story is too good to leave alone! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own POTO who obviously belong to ALW and Leroux
Christine sighed softly as she fiddled with the hem of her translucent ballet skirt. The loud rapping of Madame Giry's cane against the wood floor of the stage sounded distant to her ears. For months Christine had been in a daze since the passing of her father. Madame Giry had come to take her to Paris two days after her father had died. It was eerie the way the woman had shown up at her door; an intimidating figure dressed in black and a knowing look in her dark eyes.
"Christine Daae! I will not tell you again! One more mistake and you will be not have supper!" Madame Giry shouted as Christine was broken from her musings. She glanced towards the stage and saw the other girls halfway through the ballet act in Scene II. She quickly ran to her spot and looked to Meg Giry in front of her. The blond was finishing a perfect pirouette and Christine stumbled into the next move with some difficulty. Christine knew she wasn't meant for the ballet but she had little choice now that she had no one left except Meg and Madame. Singing to her father's portrait in the small chapel would sustain her in the years to come. Singing upon the stage had been a dream that both Christine and her father had shared for her future. Without her father, Christine felt that dream slipping between her fingers day by day. At the tender age of 13, Christine had lost her dreams and the only person she believed could make them soar. What was left for a young girl with no dreams?
3 months ago
Christine sobbed loudly as she buried her small face into the unmoving shoulder of her father. She had discovered him only moments ago and he hadn't turned to her with that warm, welcoming smile she was used to every morning. The house was dark and only a few dying embers remained alight in the hollow fireplace. Eventually Christine calmed down and moved away to look at her father in the dim morning light coming from the window. He looked so peaceful and calm; better than he had in years past. Christine almost felt relief for a brief moment seeing him at peace but that feeling quickly passed. How could he leave her alone? She had no one else in this world! Christine began to tug earnestly on her father's arm as selfish need drove her to awaken him from his peaceful rest. Panic consumed the small girl and she began to feel she shadows darkening. They felt like they were reaching for her and a sudden chill brushed the back of her neck as if someone was standing directly behind her.
"Christine!" a voice shrieked in her ear. Christine spun around and wildly looked around her. Flickering light was eerily creeping into the room from the hallway. A beautiful humming began to fill her ears and she felt her feet moving towards the heavenly sound. It was a song she knew well; her mother had sung that song to her many nights as a baby. The closer she got to the hallway the flickering candle light grew dimmer and the humming grew fainter. Christine's heart beat wildly against her chest and her breath misted upon exiting her mouth. Her footsteps creaked against the floorboards and she padded slowly into the hallway warily.
"Mama? Papa?" Christine barely whispered. Her throat felt tight and parched as she came to face the mirror from the night before. The humming was now completely silent and the dim candle was flickering inside the mirror. There was no candle sitting atop the mantle in front of the mirror and Christine stared in wonder and fright at the magical sight. She instantly remembered the eyes from the night before and immediately flattened herself against the side of the opposite wall. The reflection that met her stare was a pale, frightened girl. Her curls hung limply about her shoulders and her bony limbs shook with exhaustion. The numbing silence in the hall began to echo around her and she began to hum the lullaby that the heavenly voice had summoned her with. Her senses came back to her swiftly when she saw the candle in the mirror flare dangerously. Someone had to have walked past the candle to cause it to flicker.
Christine pushed off the wall and took one step forward. She saw the outline of a dark figure slowly materializing in the mirror right next to her. She immediately snapped her neck to look left but nothing was next to her except shadows. She turned her attention back to the mirror only to realize that the showy figure appeared larger; as if it was moving closer towards the mirrors surface. Christine couldn't swallow past the lump in her throat as she took a few more steps closer. The black shadow in the mirror seemed to lean closer as Christine approached cautiously. Her hand came up slowly and began to move closer to the mirror. Her breath ceased in her chest and her eyes were fixated on the black shadow drawing closer to the surface in front of her. One, two, three…the beats of her heart thudded painfully as her anxiety increased. She drew closer and touched the edge of the mirror where the shadow seemed to be lingering. The surface burned her hand and she pulled away with a gasp. The surface of the mirror rippled like water and the shadow lurched forward towards Christine. She screamed in fright as a black face emerged as if by magic. A black mask shaped like a human face pressed against the mirror and golden eyes burned through the eye sockets like fire. Christine screamed again and grabbed the nearest object to hurl at the mirror. She threw it with all her might and watched as the horrifying image shattered into a million pieces. The hallway instantly went dark and a whisper followed Christine as she ran from the house.
"Christine."
The mess hall was filled with the chatter of the corps ballet and the other Opera workers as supper was served. The quietest section of the hall was the younger ballet girls as they whispered quietly to one another. Christine sat near the end of the table and played idly with her food as she got lost in her head. The voice and the burning eyes still haunted her dreams even though she hadn't looked into a mirror since that day.
"Christine…Christine. Christine!" a small voice yelled from beside her. Meg Giry was smiling at her and shaking her shoulder roughly. "Come back to Earth and tell me where you went!" the blond headed girl said with a laugh. Christine smiled at her and began to talk quietly about that days rehearsal. Meg was a year younger than Christine and one of the few dancers who spoke with her. Christine mostly kept to herself and spent most of her time in the chapel with her father's portrait. Meg had told Christine of her own father's passing when she was young and the girls had bonded.
"Time to run along to bed!" a stern voice yelled at the end of the table. The imposing figure of Madame Antoinette Giry stood there with cane looking expectantly at the young dancers at the table. The ballet rats instantly jumped at her command and began to file out of the doors towards the dorms. Meg instantly went to stand beside her mother and they set off after the other dancers as Christine joined them at the door. Young voices filled with once empty halls and Christine was thankful for the noise. She could no longer stand the silence for it left her feeling frightened and alone.
"Christine" a voice slithered past her ear and she stopped suddenly. She recognized that voice all too well and her heart sped up. That angelic voice made her love it and hate it at the same time. The voice soothed her but she instantly remembered the black mask and the burning eyes. The voices of the ballet girls grew fainter and Christine frantically stepped in the direction to catch up with them. Safety lay with the other girls and Antoinette Giry down the brightly lit hallway. Christine was halfway in the middle of bursting into a run when she suddenly heard the strings of a violin beginning to play. She immediately stopped and felt her hand fly to her mouth as tears filled her eyes. That was her father's violin playing; it had to be. No one could play like her beloved Papa.
"Papa!" she shouted as she immediately plunged into a dark passageway further down the hall. The violin sounds grew fainter as she came upon a door leading into a fancy dressing room. The room had recently been remodeled for a new diva taking the stage in just a few weeks' time. She nervously opened the door and peered into the room. A full length mirror stood against the far wall and Christine saw the same flickering candle just like the other mirror in her small cottage home. Fear flared through her mind as she saw the same shadowed figure emerge from beside the candle. Golden eyes flared to life and it extended its arm towards her in a welcoming gesture. Christine cautiously stepped into the room and immediately an angelic voice filled the room. Her eyes widened and she rushed forward without a second thought. Gone was her fear and anxiety towards this frightening enigma in the mirror. This must be the Angel of Music her father had sent to her from heaven! Even though this angel was frightening; no earthly being could possess a voice such as this!
"Come to me child" the voice coaxed gently. Christine stepped forward timidly and exhaled a shaky breath before placing her hand against the mirrors surface. It hummed and rippled under her touch and for a moment a warm feeling filled her. Wonder overtook her and for a moment those golden eyes held her captivated. Her dreamlike trance ended abruptly as a skeletal hand burst through the mirror and grasped her wrist. Christine let out a cry of fright and grasped desperately at the bony hand to free herself. She shivered as she touched the cold, pale skin of the hand pulling her forcefully towards the mirror. The stench of rotting flesh filled her senses and her tears poured down her face as her arm was yanked halfway through the mirrors surface. Her free hand grasped the edge of the golden framed mirror and she grit her teeth as her frail strength began to fail miserably. Her shoulder descended into the warm surface of the mirror. Christine forced herself to look into the burning eyes of the phantom and icy terror filled her. Mad obsession filled those haunting depths as the unnatural strength continued to pull her forward.
"Help!" she managed to cry as her fingers slowly began to peel away from the edge. Her pitiful sobbing increased as the last of her strength began to fail her. A sudden gust of wind caught her off guard and she heard the phantom in the mirror give an angered cry before she was forcefully pushed back onto the ground. The mirror swung open with great force and hit the wall beside it with a deafening bang. Christine immediately scrambled backwards on her back as she looked to the place where the mirror had once been. Candles glowed eerily from a cavernous hallway and the mirror creaked as it swayed slowly back and forth from the forceful opening. A tall figure stood quietly in the entrance and Christine continued to scoot back until her back hit the wall. The candles behind the figure lit one side of his impressive figure and she saw a white mask contoured to the hard places of his face. Other features were obscured but she could see the hard emerald of his eye burning within the mask. A sob escaped her throat as the silence engulfed her and the figure straightened even taller as he leaned forward, hunching over like a grotesque gargoyle.
"Boo" sounded right in Christine's ear. She flinched backward and hit her head hard against the door behind her. She scrambled onto her feet in record speed and thrust herself through the door without a second thought.
"Poor little Christine Daae" a silky voice hummed with amusement and pity. The cloaked figure moved gracefully towards the mirror and closed it silently behind him.