A/N: I know! It's been forever. But it's here, so it's fine. And, after all...
It's only forever, not long at all...
This chapter is dedicated to A'isha Ishtar: my only reviewer last chapter.
Chapter Two
The Girl
Shortly after the previous encounter, Jennifer Martin was cleaning one of the Radio City Music Hall's many bathrooms. She was an usher, but the management paid her to clean on the janitor's days off. Jennifer didn't mind. The bathrooms had wonderful echoes, and she loved singing while she worked. Today was her eighteenth birthday, and her godmother was flying up from California to celebrate. But Jennifer had other things coming her way.
Jennifer Martin was born to Emmaline and Frank Martin while they were on the way to Ireland (the pilot retired soon thereafter). They named Tia Shelley, Emmaline's childhood friend, as godmother.
Sadly, Jennifer's parents died in a car crash a little over a year after Jennifer was born, so Jennifer was raised by Tia, and lived in California until she turned seventeen. Then, in pursuit of a career on Broadway, she moved to New York right after graduating high school. Many people thought that Tia was mentally unsound to send her away so soon, but Tia only smiled and said, "Well, how else could it happen?" But she never gave a hint as to what 'it' was.
Jennifer finished cleaning the mirrors. She was almost ready to go home, but she had one thing left to do: change out the soaps. She was in high spirits, and couldn't wait to see her godmother. As usual, she was signing as she cleaned:
"You remind me of the babe.
What babe?
The babe with the power.
What power?
The power of Voodoo.
Who do?
You do!
Do what?"
"Remind me of the babe…"
Jennifer paused. She had stopped at "Do what?", so who was singing?
"Hello?" she called nervously. "Is someone there?"
"Just me…" The answer came, merely a whisper of a sigh. Jennifer looked around frantically.
"Who are you?" she called, edging towards the door. "And what do you want?" She was almost there.
"Stop!" the command rang throughout the bathroom. "I have a deal to make with you…"
Ideas of what sort of things a disembodied voice could ask for ran through Jennifer's head. "N-no thanks," she stuttered, once again trying to get to the door.
"If you leave now," the voice said conversationally, "you will always wonder what I was going to offer." Jennifer stopped. Of course, this was perfectly true. She was curious by nature, and now she had to hear what the voice was going to say!
"Fine." She sighed, frightened, but also a little impatient. "Just hurry up, okay? I have a lot to do."
Within the walls, Erik smiled.
"You want to sing on Broadway, yes?" Jennifer nodded, then it occurred to her a split second later that the speaker might not be able to see her, so she managed a small:
"Yes."
"Would playing Christine content you?" Jennifer nodded excitedly.
"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed. "Christine is my all-time favorite—"
"I did not ask!" Erik said, a little more forcefully than he had intended. Jennifer recoiled. Erik continued, making a considerable effort to return his voice to the previous tone: "Down the hall, in the main theatre room, the managers are in a dilemma. They cannot find a Christine. I think…you would make an adequate Christine." Jennifer's face lit up.
"Do you think so? Well, maybe I should…wait a minute." She glared at no-where in particular. "You aren't real and I can't try out for the main characters without a reference." Erik smiled again.
"What would you say if I could get you a reference?" Jennifer looked happy for a moment, then wilted.
"What would you want in return?" she asked suspiciously, hardly believing that she had really sunk so low as to speak to nonexistant things.
I have to be your reference." Jennifer exhaled.
"Is that all?" she asked. "Well, what's your name?"
"Tell them that the Phantom Ghost sent you." Jennifer snorted.
"'Phantom Ghost'?" she laughed. "Isn't that redundant?"
"Do you want this chance or not?!" Jennifer smiled and sighed.
"Of course I do," she said. "Then again, I've probably cracked, and you probably aren't real, and I'm going to make a fool of myself." She then shrugged, as if to say 'But who cares?' and left the bathroom.
On her way down the halls, she muttered to herself (a habit that she had picked up from her Godmother): "I'm crazy. I must be crazy. Believing figments of my imagination. Speaking of which; I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most imaginitive person in the world, but if I have to go crazy: can't I imagine up something better than a 'Phantom Ghost'? Puh-leeze. That's ridiculous."
Erik sighed; she was annoying. Phantom Ghost…it wasn't redundant.
…Was it?
A/N: Review? Yes? No?
BTW, cyber-cookies to anyone who can tell me what the name "Jennifer" means!
Also, cyber-cookies to anyone who can tell me what the song she sang is from!
Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera, nor do I own the song that Jennifer sang in this chapter, but I'm not saying who owns it!