This one be mine. See how this works, now?

*Note: A small part of the bickering of Firmin and Andre was helped along by aloserinthebackofthemathclass.

Chapter 3

Cossette

"What do you mean the phantom?" Cossette questioned the frightened girls. She glanced at Raine for support.

"What happened?" Raine asked slightly agitated.

"Well…he…he…" the blonde's voice trailed off and she clung to the redhead's arm and looked as though she would break out in tears at any moment.

"Well?" Raine pushed again.

Arabella stepped forward and glared at Raine. "Can't you see that she is upset?" she spat.

Raine shot her a you-better-get-out-of-my-face-before-I-smack-you look and Arabella stepped back. "Now what happened?" Raine asked slightly calmer although she was visibly tense.

"I'm not--not going back out there," the blonde girl mumbled.

Raine rolled her eyes and sighed. "I see we won't be getting any answers from these three," she muttered in annoyance. She glanced at Cossette who still stood by the door then back at the girls again. "C'mon, Coss," she said walking toward the door.

"Where are--" Cossette started.

"…To see what the infamous phantom did that was oh, so horrible," Raine interrupted as she grabbed Cossette's arm and pulled her along.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Cossette asked as she was dragged at Raine's heels.

"I didn't say it was," Raine teased as they walked down the corridor.

"But what if--" Cossette started and was silenced as she ran into Raine's back as the began to round the corner.

Raine shot her an annoyed look and pulled her back behind the safety of the corner. "Shhh…somebody's talking," Raine whispered.

Cossette nodded and strained her ears.

"Dear God, I believe we have yet another mystery on our hands," exclaimed a man sounding mockingly calm.

"I say! Is that our patron?" a second man asked in alarm.

"Non, dear Andre! That was our leading soprano," the first man answered sarcastically.

"My God, our prima donna really let herself go…" The second man, Cossette assumed was Andre.

There was silence for a moment and then a small thud and a quiet whimper. "Of course it is the Comte, you idiot," the first man nearly shouted.

"Keep your voice down, Firmin. The last thing we need is the whole opera running about in panic and don't you dare strike me again," Andre retorted in a hushed tone.

"And what is that pinned to his shirt?" Firmin asked.

"What are you talking--oh, no! Not a blasted note," Andre said.

"It seems our beloved phantom has decided to remind us that this is his theater and on the first day back," Firmin said grimly.

"This is damnable! I'm going back to the office to call the doctor so he can look at him," Andre said. He paused. "But we can't just leave him here."

"Well, do you propose that I should carry him on my back?" Firmin mocked.

"Very well," Andre said sounding defeated. "Come on, Firmin."

"I'm coming, idiot," Firmin muttered.

"What?"

"Oh…nothing, nothing, dear Andre," Firmin answered.

Cossette waited until Firmin and Andre's footsteps faded away down the hall before she let out a small giggle. "Who are those two?" Cossette asked Raine.

"I don't know, but they are rather odd," Raine answered. "I want to see what they were talking about," Raine said eagerly as she pulled Cossette around the corner.

Cossette gasped and stared. "What happened to him?" A man was slumped against the wall with a Punjab lasso around his neck and a rather disturbing mask pulled over his face crudely with his feet and hands bound.

"I told you things happen around here," Raine said grimly as she knelt down next to the man.

"Who did this?" Cossette asked as she observed him.

"Didn't you hear what those two men said?" Raine asked in annoyance at Cossette's naivety.

"You mean about the phantom doing this?"

Raine nodded. "He's breathing…just knocked out is all. I guess this is a warning."

"I see…" Cossette's voice trailed off as they heard hurried footsteps coming down the hall from the opposite direction.

"I think we should go," Raine said. The two girls hurried back to the safety of their dormitory. Cossette walked in and sat on her bed as Raine flopped down on hers. The three girls from earlier weren't to be found.

"You don't really believe that the phantom did that, do you?" Cossette asked Raine as she fidgeted with the hem of her dress.

Sincerest apologizes on my part for this being so short. Thanks for reading and reviews! Reccie is next!