(A/N: ((rubs hands together)) I've wanted to write this chapter for a while now…)

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Accident

Carlotta was in Christine's dressing room, searching for the catch on the mirror. There had to be one—she had spied on Daae one night, and saw her go through it.

However hard she searched, though, she couldn't get it.

In rage, she grabbed Christine's heavy metal hairbrush from the dresser and flung it with all her might at the mirror.

There came the loud, earth-shattering sound of breaking glass, then an eerie silence.

Carlotta looked up to see, through a ragged glass frame, a dark passageway.

Suddenly, she was nervous. She looked at the revolver she had in her hand, then gained courage. 'He's just a man…and all men can die.'

Besides, he had threatened her role of Prima Donna! No one threatened her career!

She ducked through the broken glass and into the passageway.

xxxxx

Apparently, everyone had gotten over the Phantom's sudden appearance and disappearance, for now they were all dancing and laughing again.

Meg and Christine sat and talked for a while, but their conversation was interrupted abruptly as Madame Giry burst into the room, eyes searching around until she found Christine.

Silently she beckoned to her, and Christine fearfully approached her, wondering what was wrong. Meg followed after her.

Madame Giry gave Meg's dress a scathing look, then waved it away as unimportant. "Follow me, both of you."

The three walked quickly through the shadowy halls of the Opera House, and Madame Giry began to explain.

"I noticed Carlotta sneaking out of the room after the Phantom disappeared, so I followed her. She went into the managers' office, where she apparently knew a revolver was. After that, she left with the revolver and went to your dressing room, Miss Daae.

"I don't know what made her do it. I didn't think she had the spirit to find the Phantom herself. She may have been just too angry…" She paused, a thoughtful look on her face, "But, more than likely, she was just too drunk."

Christine frowned. They had reached her room, and Madame Giry opened the door.

Both girls gasped.

The floor was littered with broken glass, and the place where the mirror had been now revealed a jagged, gaping hole in the wall.

Christine dashed across the room, ignoring the glass.

"Christine! Wait!" Meg cried, "She has a gun! What if she shoots you?"

But Christine's ears were deaf to her friend's cries as she sped down the dark passageway.

Madame Giry hesitated for a moment, then began to follow her.

"Maman!" Meg cried, then after a moment, "I'm coming with you!"

"No, Meg, you stay."

"But—"

"No buts. And change out of that dress immediately."

Then Madame Giry ducked into the passageway after Christine.

xxxxx

Carlotta had only gone a little way into the passage before she had lost her nerve. If the officers hadn't been able to kill this creature, then how could she?

Frightened and disturbed, she turned to go back, and found she didn't know which way to go.

Which way was back, for that matter?

Carlotta turned in circles, looking for any hint of light.

She found none.

Frantic, she picked a direction and ran.

After what seemed like hours, she saw a hint of light ahead. Feeling relieved, she made towards it, only to find that it wasn't the way out after all.

The light revealed a boat, tied on the shore of what looked like an underground lake.

The source of the light was a small lantern hung on the bow of the boat, its light flickering weakly. It was clearly almost distinguished.

How the boat had come to be there, she never found out.

Most likely, Erik had used it to cross to get to the masquerade, and then had taken a different way home, forgetting to extinguish the lantern.

Whatever had happened, Carlotta didn't care. She viewed this as pure luck, and was ready to take advantage of it.

The darkness had all but driven her insane, and since she couldn't get back, she only had one thought in her mind—to kill the Phantom of the Opera.

"There ees no Phantom of the Opera…" she reminded herself quietly as she stepped into the boat, "'E ees a man, and notheeng more…" She grasped the pole and shakily pushed off from the shore.

Just a few feet from the shore, she began to curse. This was harder than she thought it would be!

She dug the pole into the ground and pushed with all of her strength, which only moved the boat another couple feet.

Cursing louder than before, she tried again, but had no more success than before.

"Zhen I'll keep going, leetle by leetle." she said aloud, "Zis 'ghost' must die!" With renewed determination, she pushed a little harder, though she still didn't go much further than two feet.

She moved the pole forward to push again, but found that it was stuck. Oddly, it felt as though someone was holding it back…

xxxxx

Madame Giry caught up with Christine and stopped her with a hand.

Christine looked questioningly at her, and she explained. "You're going the wrong way, child."

Christine sighed and shook her head angrily, "I'm sorry—I've only been down here once before, and I must have found my way to the lake by sheer luck. I have no idea where I'm going."

Madame Giry nodded, then turned her around. "This way. Follow me."

xxxxx

Carlotta yanked on the pole with all of her might, and was horrified to find that there was someone clinging to the end with a scaly arm.

She screamed and dropped the pole into the water, where it sank to the bottom.

She quickly found that this was a stupid move, however, for she was now stranded in the middle of the lake with no way to go further.

She let out a string of angry, frightened curses.

Suddenly, she broke off with another shrill shriek. The creature that had been holding the pole was now slowly tipping the boat over…

Carlotta fell partway into the water, and then grabbed the boat to stop from falling all of the way in.

A cold, clammy hand fastened around her ankle, and she cried out, kicking at it.

The creature was stronger than she had expected though, and she couldn't stop it from pulling her down…

Carlotta let out one last cry, then was submerged in the cold water.

No one ever saw her again.

xxxxx

Erik had just finished changing out of his Red Death costume when he heard the shrieks. Thinking that it was Christine, he rushed out to look at the lake.

The screams had stopped by the time he had reached the door, however, and now the lake was still…

(A/N: Okay, I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday. I've been scheming ways to kill Carlotta for a while now, and I was having trouble how. Then I remembered the Siren… Gotta love the Siren!!!!! Lol, I thought of several ways, but decided that I wanted her to be killed by her own stupidity…

Anyway, tell me what you think! I don't know how everyone will take this chapter. I highly doubt that any of you are going to be depressed at Carlotta's death... but you never know...)