Ugh. Sorry for not writing sooner, but between work, surgeries, and festivals, I haven't been as creative as I would have liked lately. Plus, you may have noticed the summary is different. I changed it because the current storyline was too plodding, so I needed to speed it up a bit.
Here's a bit of a longer chapter this time... I think. Plus, there's a flashback in here... ducks behind a desk Please don't hurt me! It's only one! And it's a little one!
Anyway, here's another action packed chapter. Another twist! Another peek into Kristen's tumultuous past! And Michael is a bit more romantic here. And, as usual, review replies at the end of the chappie. I never leave anyone out; so if you review my story, I will reply and acknowledge you, even if it's a flame!
Chapter Four
It was a day and a half later that Kristen finally awoke. The sun was shining brightly through the window of the stark-white hospital room she was staying in. Mhegan and her mother were overjoyed to see her finally awake. Suzanne called for the doctor, and after he examined her, he pronounced her out of danger.
"Still," he said, "We'll keep her hear a little longer just to make sure. You're very lucky, Kristen. Had the paramedics not gotten that medicine into you when they did, you might not have made it. What was so important that made you forget to take your next dose?"
"Tryouts for a musical," Suzanne told the doctor. "She was so excited about it the other morning she nearly forgot her morning dose. I had to remind her before she left for college that day."
During their mother's explanation, Mhegan and Kristen exchanged confused glances. Softly, Kristen spoke up.
"But Mom, I didn't forget my afternoon dose. Mheg was right there when I took it at the water fountain outside the Choral classroom." Mheg nodded her head in affirmation.
At this revelation, the doctor's brow furrowed. "Hmm. That's not good."
Suzanne looked up at him worriedly. "What do you mean?"
The doctor sighed. "This means that we'll have to increase the dosage again." He sighed. "I had hoped that we wouldn't have needed to for at least another year or so." And with those uncomfortable words, the doctor retreated from the room.
A little later in the day, Kristen was visited by her choral teacher, Charles Debbiene. He had brought her a bouquet of bright yellow roses. He made small talk for a while, but there was only one thing Kristen wanted to know.
"Professor? What about the try-outs? How did they turn out?"
Prof. Debbiene hesitated imperceptibly. "Well, Roger Chandler got the part of Raoul, and Michael will be perfect for the part of Erik. Your sister will do well as 'Meg'..." His voice trailed.
"And 'Christine'? Who got the part of 'Christine'?" Kristen asked, impatiently.
"Kristen, your voice is that of an angel's. I know you've practiced and trained hard to cultivate your voice and bring out its fullest potential." Kristen beamed at these words of praise. "But..." he hesitated once more.
That single word brought Kristen's world crashing down around her. Still, she knew she had to hear it out. "But...?" she prompted.
"But I'm afraid I had to cast Caroline Giovanni as 'Christine'."
Kristen's face was deadpan. She showed no emotion on her face whatsoever as a single thought played itself over in her mind. 'I lost it,' she thought. 'I lost it all to Caroline. How could it be? It's not fair! It's just not fair!'
The professor seemed to read her mind, and gently took her hand. "I know how much you wanted to play 'Christine', my dear, but I have my reasons for casting it this way. You shall play 'Carlotta'. I have heard you sing before, Kristen, and I know the range of your voice. Carlotta's parts extend much farther up the scale than Christine's. Caroline is the only other soprano I can think of who might be able to do that part justice, but I don't think her voice could stand the strain. You do understand this, correct?" Kristen forced herself to nod. He patted her hand. "Good. I know you are disappointed dear, but I truly feel that it's for the best. Now, there are a few people here who are waiting to see you." He stood and opened the door to her hospital room, and many of her fellow classmates filed into the room.
Kristen was overjoyed to see Michael with them, though her joy was shadowed by the appearance of Roger. But the most surprising face was that of Caroline's. Kristen had not expected to see her there with the others, but the look of concern on Caroline's face was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Caroline stepped forward and handed her a small velvet box. Kristen took it from her and gently opened the lid. Inside was a stunning pin in the shape of a crimson red rosebud.
Kristen was speechless. Up until that point, the two girls had never been very close; but Caroline's gift was heartfelt and Kristen didn't quite know what to say.
"Thank you," she whispered. Caroline shuffled a little where she stood.
"You do like it, right? Just a little bit?" she asked, shyly.
Kristen had never heard her sound so unsure before. "Yes, I do, Caroline. It's lovely." She heard Caroline give a small sigh.
At that moment, Roger stepped forward and sat next to her bed, gently taking her hand. "Kristen, I want you to know that I'm here for you..."
Kristen violently jerked her hand away. "I'm sure you are!" she spat, venomously. "Just like you were there for me last time!"
"But Kristen...!" he sputtered.
"Get out!" she screamed. "Get out! I don't want you here! I don't want you to hurt me again! GET OUT!"
At such a violent outburst, Roger nearly tumbled out of his chair, scrambling out the door; as did many others as well. Michael sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around Kristen, gently restraining her, while trying to comfort her at the same time. Kristen pushed against him, trying to escape, but he only held her tighter and gently started to sing.
Softly, deftly, music shall surround you
Feel it, hear it, closing in around you
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight
The darkness of the music of the night.
Let your mind start a journey through a strange new world
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before
Let your soul take you where you long to be
Only then can you belong to me.
Floating, falling, sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write
The power of the music of the night
He felt her finally relax and he stopped singing, but he couldn't bear to release her. Apparently, during his aria, Prof. Debbiene had taken Kristen's mother, Suzanne out of the room. Looking around, the room's only other occupant was Mhegan, who stared at him, transfixed.
"Wow!" she whispered. "Now I can understand why the Professor gave you the part of the Phantom. You're perfect for it."
Michael blushed, slightly. He wasn't used to praise. "How is she?" he asked her.
"She's asleep now. You know, Mike, I think she likes you."
Michael blushed even deeper, but Mhegan's words gave him an unexpected thrill. "It's true." she continued. "The past couple of days since the Professor's announcement, she's been kind of dreamy-eyed. And it's not because of the excitement about the trip. I know my sister, and I've seen that look in her eyes before." Mhegan paused, and she frowned slightly.
"Roger?" Michael questioned.
Mhegan nodded. "He and Kristen had something going a while back. I don't think Kristen ever quite got over it."
"What do you mean?"
"Perhaps I should start at the beginning. It started about four years ago. Kristen was 16; Roger was 17. They had been going steady for a while, and everyone thought they were the perfect couple. So did Kristen. But then, it happened. Kristen had had another one of her attacks during school, and was rushed to the hospital. At the time, Kristen was afraid to tell anyone about her problem. She was afraid Roger would hate her, and she'd be all alone. Mother kept urging her to tell Roger about it, but Kristen kept putting it off, saying she would when she thought the time was right."
Mhegan paused and took a shaky breath. Michael began to guess what had happened, but allowed her continue.
"The night after Kristen came home from the hospital, Roger paid her a visit. Mother went upstairs to get ready for bed, but I stayed in the kitchen, eavesdropping on the conversation in the living room. I remember the incident all too well..."
---:---
Kristen sat down on the couch next to Roger, and tucked her legs up under her. Both were silent for a moment, before Kristen finally spoke.
"Roger, I'm sorry. I..."
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her, accusingly.
"I'm sorry; I meant to tell you but..."
"But what? It just 'slipped your mind'?! Something like that doesn't just slip your mind, Kristen! All this time, I thought everything was perfect between us, but it wasn't!" He stood up and began to pace around the room, angrily clenching his fists, and continuing his tirade.
"You led me to believe that everything was fine with you, but it's not! Look at you, the slightest bit of physical strain sends you straight to the hospital room! You're constantly taking pills like you're a freak or something!"
---:---
Mhegan wiped the tears from her eyes, and continued. "At that moment, Mother practically leaped down the steps and flew at him. She pushed him away from Kristen, and nearly sent him sliding across the dining room table. She yelled at him to get out of her house."
"'Get out of my house before I throw you out headfirst!'" Mhegan said, accurately mimicking her mother's ferocity.
Michael was shocked. He was also assaulted with a fresh wave of guilt. 'No wonder she reacted that way she did when I attacked her about Roger.' Roger. At that moment, Michael wanted to stalk the guy and strangle him for hurting Kristen like that. He knew it would do no good, but... 'But I care for her." He rested his cheek on the top of her head, closed his eyes, and whispered a silent prayer for her safety. Mhegan rose, said something about leaving Kristen's backpack full of her favorite stuff by her bedside, and silently left.
He didn't know how long he stayed like that, but when a nurse finally came in and said visiting hours were over, Michael's arms were stiff and cramped. He gently laid Kristen back down on the bed and, ignoring the sly look from the nurse, headed towards the door. But at the last moment, he turned around, walked over and picked up Kristen's backpack. Pulling out his well-worn, dog-eared copy of Susan Kay's "Phantom" out of his back pocket, he slipped it into her pack and headed out the door.
Slipping into the driver's seat of the car he borrowed from his brother, Michael sat for a moment and turned on the radio. Suddenly, the song "All I Ask of You" emanated from the speakers. He listened, transfixed by the words he now saw in a new light, thanks to the relation of Kristen's past. A subconscious decision caused him to sing the male's part, and he put his soul into it.
Let me be your shelter,
Let me be your light.
You're safe:
No-one will find you.
Your fears are far behind you . . .
Michael trailed off at that time, his thoughts turbulent. But one thing was quite clear to him. 'I will always be there for you, Kristen. I will be there to dry your tears. I will be a shoulder for you to cry on, and I will never let anyone hurt you again. As long as there is breath in my lungs, no one will ever hurt you again.' His thoughts drifted to Roger, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. 'Never again. I swear it.'
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Authoress' notes: Once again, my deepest thanks to all of you who review my stories. I am in your debt, and you are an encouragement to me to continue. As promised, review replies!
Nicole: See, she's awake now! Err... well, she was... Anyway, Robert wasn't there because he was... well, a jerk that's why. You're right, he should have been there for her if he cared, but does he really?
erikorlando'sgirl: Yay Tigers! Yay Erik! Yay Michael! Sorry, I just like to share in the enthusiasm. Yep, she's got a ticker problem, and it will factor in later in the story. I updated, but sorry it wasn't as quickly as it should have been. You've been one of the few who have reviewed nearly every chapter I've written, and I'm honored. Thank you so much!
BalletRat: You too have been one of the few who have reviwed nearly every chappie. A big thank you goes to you as well. And sorry about the whole Erik/Michael thing. I had the parallel of the two on my mind, and Erik somehow slipped in there. It was purely a typo.
jtbwriter: Yep, it's twist alright. And there's more to come by way of twists. As for what happens next, well, in the next chappie, Kristen may finally go back in time... but I make no promises.
Shero: Thanks for the review, and I'll bring on more chappies as soon as I can write them.
AuronLives: I know, it's horrible. I squeak it too, and my Mom laughs at me. Not mean or anything, I just sound funny. Like a sick canary or something. I can reach the notes right before the last one, but I can't quite hit that top note. I keep aiming for it, though. One day, by God's grace, I'll reach it. Just have to keep practicing.
And last but not least...
Healing Hands: Wow! Three times! Glad you like it so much! And guess what... I updated!
