About the story:
Title: Searching for the Light (The Phantom of the Opera 2004 movie fanfiction)
Written by: M. Mint Shadow
Beta read by: S'Kenna Arbour Bond (the first version of the prologue), lks358 (the new version of the prologue, chapters 1–4 and the transition between chapter 4 and 5), librarylexicon (chapter 5 onwards)
Synopsis: What if the Phantom was met with a little more support and compassion during his life? Would he still succumb to the darkness surrounding him in his desperate search for something else? And what if a certain blonde-haired ballerina had something more to say in the whole story? In my alternative universe fanfiction the characters' changed past mixes with present, leading to a different outcome, for sometimes even the tiniest, almost unnoticeable, gestures of kindness held the greatest importance. But could they be enough to reach the happy ending?
The story's plot is based mostly on The Phantom of the Opera movie from 2004, but many scenes are also inspired by Leroux's book, Kopit's Phantom (musical and TV miniseries) or just my thoroughly overdramatic imagination. :)
Pairings: Erik/Meg, Christine/Raoul
Genre: hurt/comfort and romance (but also some angst, friendship and fluff)
Rating: Rated T (13+) due to the characters who not always act fully right, some mild mentions of violence and psychological struggles, minor coarse language (if "hell" and "curse" qualify as such), but also because of a lot of brooding and musings that would probably be boring for the youngest audiences. :)
Foreword:
English isn't my native language and what's more it's the first story I have written (not counting the one short tale I wrote for homework at the beginning of the primary school over two decades ago). Therefore, I'm a bit nervous publishing it online. I had a lot of fun imagining it, though, so I hope that despite its imperfections some of you will enjoy reading it too.
Anyway, before we start I would like to thank a few amazing people without whom this fanfiction would have never come to life:
1) firstly, my best friend and sister in one: sis, thank you for supporting me both in real life and in this crazy writing journey – you are the best sister one can have! :)
2) secondly, the wonderful writers who agreed to help me – in chronological order:
– S'Kenna Arbour Bond – my part-time beta reader for the first version of the prologue and the first part of chapter one;
– Laurel/lks358 – my beta reader for the new version of the prologue, chapters 1–4 and the transition between chapter 4 and 5;
– Lily/librarylexicon – my beta reader for chapter 5 and the further chapters;
Thank you for your hard work of correcting my foreigner's English, all your brilliant advice and kind words! Your proofreading and all your wonderful suggestions truly made this story much better. All left mistakes are only mine.
If anyone of you, the readers, notices any grammar (or other) errors, please, let me know. I will be grateful for your help. I'm using British English spelling.
P.S. I like footnotes in books and fanfiction, so I might have a tendency to add some information below the chapters about the things I've found interesting. If anyone of you consider that boring, please, feel free to ignore it. :)
Prologue: In Darkness
Paris, Palais Garnier, the end of September 1881
He stood in almost complete darkness, brightened only by a faint ray of light, listening to her angelic voice, carried from the stage above. During the rehearsal she had still been a little timid, but now she was showing her true potential, painting every velvet, perfect note with a delicate palette of emotions.
The man closed his eyes, allowing the music to carry him.
Love. Regret. Longing. Memories of happier times... And a shy, but unwavering hope as a promise for a happy ending...
All of these she was able to express in one song.
A true hidden jewel, indeed...
A few moments later, Christine finished her performance with a beautiful cadenza, just as he had taught her, and the audience erupted with thunderous applause, bringing a shadow of a satisfactory smile on his lips.
Good. It was high time they all finally noticed what he had known from the first day he had started teaching her: she was born to be a singer.
His chest filled with pride, but even the joy of her success didn't manage to chase away that dark, choking mixture of bitterness and anger swirling below.
He should have been there. On the stage, beside her. Receiving congratulations and enjoying this moment with her.
But instead of that he was forced to hide in gloom.
The Opera Ghost gritted his teeth, and his hand rose to touch the smooth surface of the moulded leather mask concealing the right part of his countenance.
He knew very well that he would never be able to live in the full light. There was no point fooling himself it could be otherwise. The daydreams like those were no more substantial than smoke, disappearing between his fingers as he reached for them. And yet, despite that, some tiny part of him wished for impossible to come true...
Lowering his palm, the man gazed back up towards the weak gleam seeping from above.
It might be true that he could never stand on the stage, but still he should have at least been given the opportunity to see the opera he had practically directed on his own. And tonight he was denied even that! Despite his request, those idiots pretending to be the new opera managers had claimed box number five for themselves, and he just couldn't risk that they would see him in his hideout through the cracks in the decorative wall.
His jaw clenched even harder, and the burning wrath inflamed inside him again.
Conceited fools...
What was more, as if to mock him even further, they had even invited that cursed, last-moment-arriving viscount to join them!
He had heard de Chagny name from Christine before and was aware that she had been still occasionally exchanging letters with a childhood aristocratic friend, but he would have never imagined that he would ever see the boy. Nor that all of a sudden he would be announced their new patron. What was he even doing in Paris?
His hands curled into tight fists at his sides, but save from anger filling him there was also a growing resolution.
The world might have sentenced him for a life in darkness from the day he had been born, but he already had enough of that. Enough of that miserable excuse of life. Enough of being merely a ghost among the living.
And enough of concealing himself even from her…
The Phantom swallowed and looked down again.
He had planned it for a long time and had already made the decision, so now there was no going back. All he had to do was just stick to the plan.
And starting from tonight everything will finally change…
Author's notes:
Cadenza – an ornamental passage (improvised or written-out) sung or played by a soloist, during which there is no accompaniment or it just sustains a note or a chord. I've learnt that thanks to S'Kenna (thanks, again!). An extra thanks to Laurel (lks358) for helping me improve this chapter after I've rewritten it. :)