Phantom's POV
Today is December 31, the new years Masqurade is tonight. I sat up on my perch of the Pegusus statue, I could see all of Paris from here. Below I heard a squeak of hinges and out walked Sorrell and Squirt they walked into the back feild and she mounted as she closed the gait she loped the mare in circles. I looked at her she had gotten paler and her brown streaked black hair had turned into a sheet of long straight midnight colored hair. She talked to the small mare and she walked around laying on her neck and rudding her. I could not decifer what she said but i could here the soft murrmers as she walked back into the barn. Taking one of my passages down the the stable. Looking around to check we were alone before I spoke.
"Are you not going to the Ball?" I asked.
Sorrell turrned around pulling her saddle off and setting it on a rack. Before turrning to face where my voice ha come from.
"And look who decided to show himself tonight." She gave a small chuckle before spraying down her horse.
"Course I'm goin'." She said her accent seemed to be the only thing that has yet to be affected.
She pulled off her jacket and through the lose mans shirt she wore I saw the mucles she had when she arrived here in the summer had been shrunk.
"So..." She said leading the horse to her stall.
"So?" I asked ominously.
"I'm thinkin' 'bout goin' back this summer if I can scrounge up the money." I thought she had never complained about her money situation before...Yes she did to Raoul.
"How much did your Father invest into my Opera House?" I asked her.
She stood still for a moment and thought.
"40 thousand franks, all we had."
"I'll give you the money to go back." I said.
Her mouth dropped open. She tried to form word, I could see this much.
"Y-You mean it?" She asked quietly.
"Every word. But as for now I have some nes to deliver to you." I saw her ears twitch toward my voice as she perked up.
Sorrell's POV
"What is that Phantom?" I asked intranced.
"We can't be friends anymore."
"WHAT!" I yelled.
"Sorrell I have things to tend to. Personal buissness to tend I don't expect you to understand." I heard him say a little edgy.
"O I understan' perfectly!" I screamed causing most of the horses to prick up or run to the back of there stalls.
"O an what is it you understan'?" I said mockingly in her accent.
"Is that girl. Christine."
Phantom's POV
She let Christine's honey sweet name roll off her toung like poisoin.
"How dare you!" I said snapping at her.
"How dare I what." I said not as a question but as mockery.
I lost it jumping from the rafters infront of her. I grabbed at her throat but she side steped grabbing something from her pants pocket. It silver glinted as a blade came out of a bone handle. I looked at the small switchblade knife confused for a moment.
"Ha!" I laughed.
"Do you really think that can protect you from the King of Stranglers." She gave a small cocky smile.
"Try me." She said through her smirk.
I lunged at her taking the challenge. Grabbing Sorrell's neck she made no sound as I gripped her neck. I felt a burrning in my arm looking down at blood driping from my arm threw my chloes.
Sorrell's POV
I gave him the bait and he took it. As he gripped my neck in his large gloved hands and as I felt the contact My arm made one swift move cutting deep into his arm with my newly sharpened blade. I felt his grip losen around me as he looked at his arm with shock. I ducked and stepped back out of his grip. I moved into a fighting stance to see what he would do, holding my knife infront of me. His blood dripped from the edge of the blade as he looked up at me surpries still eched on his masked face. He straightened holding a hand over his wound and bowed.
"You are a good fighter." He bowed.
"I'm just getting warmed up." I said cockly seeing if he would take the bait again.
"Madmoseille." He bowed.
"Sir." I half curtisied half bowed as he turned I cleaned my blade, closing it and putting it back in my pocket.
Phantom's POV
She is a good fighter. I can see that that is street fighting not trained though years of work but self taught. I looked at my arm as I changed for the Masqurade into my Red Death costume. I took a clean peice of cloth and wiped the dried blood away it was a deep wound I could see bits of meat. I wraped my arm and finished changing.
Sorrell's POV
I dressed into my blue bar-b-q dress and took out a mask I had found in the props room. I looked at my dresser and on it was my bone handle Case knife. I put it in my dress pocket.
"Well I do love to dance." I said going out the door.
