watrfairie- I figured you didn't mean you didn't like it before, as you were reading it and all, but thanks for clarifying. Good story line? I don't even know where it's going yet, so I hope it stays good :P

Notes: Sorry guys that my updates are taking so long. I've been busy and am having trouble figuring out what I want to do, so we will see.

Chapter 7: The Visit

Marissa stepped out into the corridor and looked around, there had been someone out there, she was sure of it, but who? She looked around both ways down the hall and saw no one. It didn't surprise her that no one was simply walking the halls at the time, because people were downstairs celebrating the opening of the opera house. It did surprise her to see no one, cause she had heard someone, or something. Now, however, the hall was silent, almost eerie.

She closed the door and went back in her room to sit and talk to Dorine. "Who was there?"

"No one." Marissa said softly.

"How could there be no one? We both heard something... didn't we?" Dorine asked, confused.

"We did, but now there's no one, nothing." Marissa was just as confused as Dorine was, how could they have heard something, then see nothing?

They sat in Marissa's room talking to one another for quite some time trying to figure out who made the noise and if it wasn't made by a person, what was the sound, and why could they not find what made it.

Marissa began even more to believe the possibility of a ghost, but at the same time, believing this went against everything she stood for. Could it possibly be that the one thing she swore her entire life did not, could not exist, did, in fact, exist?

After auditions for the next opera, Marissa finally found time to contact Bianca to see if she was ready for visitors. She was. So Bianca left later that afternoon to visit her.

On the way there, Marissa had a little more time to think. She still had the same troubles and worries on her mind and was hoping to finally put them to rest. She didn't know what she could find out from Bianca, but it couldn't hurt to try. Even a little more info is better than none.

Lucinda was being a bitch as usual. She pranced around like she was the queen of the castle and gave orders and made demands like nothing else. At auditions, she actually had the nerve to demand the lead role!

The managers were calling names one at a time, randomly to audition. When the auditionees were called, they were to go on the stage, state their name and the part they were trying out for.

"Lucinda!" M Ramon called.

Lucinda got up from her seat and pranced to the stage in her usual 'I am better than you' manner. When she got up there, she centered herself and said. "I am Lucinda and you will cast me as Coraline."

Marissa saw this from her seat and gaped at the nerve of Lucinda. For her only being in one lead role, she had been to a lot of auditions and one never behaved in that manor. She watched the audition and wondered how someone who lacked as much talent as she did could ever afford to make such demands.

On top of Lucinda and her demands, there was her obvious attitude toward Marissa. She was even more rude to her and pranced more haughtily when she knew Marissa was present. One wouldn't have known she could. As time wore on, it became more and more apparent that She disliked Marissa and it was very hard to pinpoint the exact reason.

After Lucinda took her seat, they called Marissa's name. Marissa stood and walked confidently up to the stage. As she walked she heard a snicker somewhere behind her. She didn't even look, but had a guess that it was Lucinda.

When she got on stage, she, too, centered herself and then said "I am Marissa, and I am reading for the part of Coraline." At that, she heard an obvious laugh from the audience. From the stage, with the stage lights on, she couldn't see anything except, barely, the first row of seats. She again guessed to herself, Lucinda, and went back to her audition.

As she went down to take her seat, as she passed the fourth row of seats, she heard a voice "Pathetic! Like she could ever get the part of Coraline, I have played it before, you know, and she doesn't even carry herself the way Coraline does." This time she looked down the row after she got to row five and saw that it was, in fact, Lucinda.

Lucinda didn't make any more snide remarks as the auditions went on. Why was everything directed against Marissa? Nothing fit together, nothing made any sense.

Her mind also harbored thoughts of Erik and the like. She took a lot of time thinking about that. She thought about the possibility of coincidences. She wondered if something could have actually happened. To her that was so similar to that of what happened to Christine, but not have been provoked in any way? She always believed something happened for a reason and that everything has its cause and can be explained thoroughly. Yet, what if this couldn't? Would she be willing to admit it?

She also considered the possibility of an Erik beyond the grave. She also did some math to figure the likelihood of him actually being alive. It was very unlikely, but very remotely possible. He would be very old though. Would an elderly Erik try to enslave another singer? She was beginning to think anything was possible. If he wasn't alive, but he was back from the dead, would he be able to harm her? Would a ghostly Erik be more dangerous than a human one?

Another possibility she considered was if there was a new Erik. He probably wouldn't be named Erik. He would be just another person in the Opera House doing Erik's work. She imagined this person being an admirer of Erik. He would probably have a copy of Don Juan near his organ. He might have paintings of the Phantom. He might have the letters, signed OG, sealed with the skull.

There were so many possibilities as she thought through them all. She was in the carriage on the way to Bianca's house and she wasn't even watching where it was going. She always liked watching when riding in a carriage. She liked watching the people walking down the street, in and out of the shops. Today, however, that wasn't on her mind. Turning these thoughts around and around in her mind, she considered each of them. There was not one she was willing to believe, but she couldn't think of any other explanation.

As the carriage pulled up in front of Bianca's home, she started gathering her things together. The carriage stopped and she got out and walked up to the front door. Her mother answered. "You must be Marissa, Bianca told me she was expecting a friend over."

"Hello, Madame." Marissa said. "Yes, I am Marissa de Chagny. I wanted to see how Bianca was doing."

"She's doing fine, I am glad she has such caring friends. Let me show you to her room."

She led Marissa to Bianca's room and kept going on about caring friends. Marissa half felt bad, half because she really did care, but she also had another motive for going to visit.

As she walked in Bianca's room, Bianca looked up and smiled. "Hey Marissa!"

"Hey, Bianca, how are you feeling?"

"Better," Bianca said. "It's good to have some company! Sit down, sit down."

She and Bianca small talked a little bit here and there. They talked about the opera house and how the performances went. Bianca was glad to hear Marissa had done so well in her place.

That is when she felt it was a good place to bring up her first problem.

"I was wondering if you knew much about your family history." Marissa asked her

"What specifically: Bianca asked her thinking about where their conversation stood now, it probably had to do with Carlotta. "About, say, my great-great aunt?"

"As a matter of face, partially yes," Marissa answered back. "The other part is how she might have affected descendants."

"Carlotta hated Christine, no question. Well she was married to someone who was just like her. He was rich, conceited and cared nothing about anyone else. Their kids were taught that the Vicomte and his wife were evil and that Christine had stolen her fame."

"Sounds to me that her kids didn't have a chance to like them."

"You're right, and they were raised up exactly as their parents were. Yet usually grudges eventually die."

"Has this one?"

"No, Riss," Bianca answered, knowing Marissa believe that to be true. "the grudge is as strong as it was before, even though before now the family had no contact with any de Chagnys since Carlotta."

"Hmmm…"

"It appears she's joining her family in dislike for your family."

"So why isn't your family the same?"

"We were raised different, Riss. We were raised to know the person and not base everything on what we hear." Bianca answered her. "And Riss, I know you and I like you."

"I don't know what there is to not like, and I realize Lucinda doesn't seem to like much of anyone… but she directs quite a bit toward me."

"It seems that way…" Bianca said thoughtfully.

"Yes, it does…"

"Well, I wouldn't let it bother you, to be honest, Lucinda isn't really a person that is very likable."

"She certainly doesn't seem to be."

"I'm her cousin and I'm saying this."

"I also wanted to know how you broke your leg."

"Oh, well, I'm not sure exactly what happened." I was on stage practicing and then one of the backdrops came down and broke my leg."

"How did it happen in the opera house, and I not hear?"

"Well, I promised not to sue the opera house, it's like my home now and I plan to go back when my health is restored, but we decided we wanted the cause to be kept secret. We didn't want rumors flying and whatnot. I trust you Marissa, which is why I decided to tell you."

"Okay, that makes sense…" Marissa was beginning to think that it may really have not been an accident. It is possible for the backdrops to fall, but they are secured tightly for safety, so it's rare. Accidents do happen though. On the other hand, accidents that weren't really accidents were known to happen in the opera house. She began to think again about how likely it was for it to really be an accident or not.

Bianca saw Marissa thinking and asked what about. Marissa answered her, "I'm wondering Bianca, about if maybe your accident wasn't an accident. I mean, not by the opera house, but by someone, or something else…"

Bianca laughed slightly. "Riss, we all know the story of the Opera Ghost. I know it was true, I also know he was human."

"Yes, he was… there is a small chance he could still be alive, very small, but it's there. I was also wondering if he possibly came back as a real ghost, or if he might have a follower who is now doing what he used to do."

"Wow, I never thought of any of that. I guess it's possible. Have you told anyone else what you think?"

"Dorine, but I'm careful of who I tell."

"What does she think?"

"She agrees with me that she doesn't really know what to think but that they could be possible."

"I think I agree there too. You never really know."

"Yeah, Dorine told me to tell her the outcome of this visit, but if you don't want me to, I won't."

"I think I can trust her as well, yeah go ahead. Let her know though that it's being kept secret."

"I will."

Marissa left Bianca's house still wondering things, but knowing that it happened in the opera house gave her another eerie feeling.

He saw her as she auditioned, he thought she was amazing and had talent, the same talent of another.

Notes: Hmmm… wonder what will happen next.