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The Glade

Chapter 3:

I soon realized that if I ever wanted to hear that voice again I would have to come alone to the glade and it seemed to prefer evening visits over the ones in the daytime. As I wondered the empty streets at night I gave no thought of my safety, all I wanted was to hear that voice again. It was like a drug I was addicted to and I couldn't get enough of.

Things have become awfully routine-like, I thought one day as I walked the empty halls of the school. I had just finished rehearsal for the school play, which I did finally try out for due to Meg's and Raoul's constant 'subtle' hints, which I had a small role in. Not only was it routine but it was so normal, if anything.

I knew that if it weren't for the voice that sang to me, I would've died of boredom. I had become so dependent on hearing the voice that I surprised even myself half the time.

"Christine!"

When I went to the glade, I never gave a thought towards my safety; I just had to get there. But now as I thought about it, what did I know of the voice beside it being so heavenly? Heavenly and yet mournfully so, I found I liked the odd combination.

"Christine!"

Jogged from my thoughts I looked to see Meg standing beside me, probably the dance team had finished practice, and I felt my face heat up.

"What is it?" I managed to spit out, my tongue was tied. Meg studied me before answering.

"You seem distracted. Is this because of where you go every night?" My jaw dropped but I quickly recovered. Head high I quickened my pace.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said but even I could hear the trembling in my voice.

"Yes you do, Christine!" A pause. "Fine, if you won't tell me I'll just get Raoul to help me get it out of you." And she turned on her heel and began to walk off. At the sound of Raoul's name I froze. She couldn't tell him! He wouldn't understand, no not at all!

Raoul was one of my best friends, and perhaps we both felt a bit more for each other but that didn't hide the fact that he was a very practical person. I remembered how he always laughed at my stories of lore, just thinking about how he'd react if I told him I heard a heavenly voice singing to me made my head spin.

Running to catch up with her, I felt my hand gently graze her arm and I took hold of it. Ignoring her outcry I gripped tightly at the arm I held. Looking at me she backed away slightly.

"Please Meg, I'll speak just don't tell Raoul please!" I begged, the grip I had on her arm tightening. Meg looked at her arm and then to me, I could see a mixture of fear and worry stirring in them.

"I won't tell Raoul, Christine, so can you please let go of me?" I did as was asked and dropped my head in shame. Where my hands had been was a red mark.

"I'm really worried Christine… I'd like to talk today if that's okay?" I nodded and Meg smiled brightly though I could see the smile was strained.

We headed out of the school and before I knew it we were seated at one of the many tables at Starbucks. Meg was slowly sipping her coffee but I had declined the drink, I was already jumpy enough as it was.

"Meg nothing is wrong with me," There, any conversation there was going to be between uswas out in the open now; it was in Meg's corner now.

"Then why have you been acting so distracted lately?" She asked and took another sip.

"Rehearsal?" I offered lamely, she didn't believe it. I sighed, wishing that I had gotten myself a drink; it would have been nice to have something in my hands. I opted to play with a strand of my hair instead. How could I explain this to her?

"I've been to the Glade a lot-"

"I know that Christine!" Meg interrupted; I glared at her albeit weakly.

"Shall I continue?" She nodded sheepishly.

"When I'm there Meg, it's like magic! I don't know how to explain it, does that sound weird."

Silence, I guessed that meant yes.

"It's all mine practically, I mean I've never seen any traces of other people having been there ever!" Meg watched me from under almost closed eyes. With much reluctance, I noticed, she placed the cup down.

"It's just a small clearing in a forest Christine," I rejected the hand she pressed across the table.

"No it isn't, Meg!" I grabbed my jacket roughly. "I knew you wouldn't understand!" Both of us were standing, Meg was reaching out to me and I stepped further away. I didn't care about the stares we were receiving at all.

"Remember you can't tell Raoul," With that I walked out of the building in a confused and mild rage. Not looking back I turned a corner and headed in a familiar direction.

As I neared the edge of the forest I suddenly felt something brush past me. It was like a cold northern wind, I wasn't used to such cold. Tugging my jacket closer I continued walking.

"Something's wrong," Raoul said as we waited for the last period of the day to come to an end. I didn't meet his eyes and instead concentrated more so on the work in front of me.

"Why do you say that?" I asked trying to hide the caution in my voice. Since that day atStarbucks, Meg and I hadn't spoken to one another and it felt so lonesome to go days without talking to her. The worse part of our argument was that she now avoided me like the plague when both of us were at the house, and we shared a room!

"I haven't seen Meg lately, that's all," His voice trailed off in disappointment that he didn't get a reaction out of me.

"We got into a fight." I stated bluntly and I could hear his chair scratching forward. I could just imagine that he had his head rested on his arms, staring at the back of my head with a blank expression.

"But you two never fight," He muttered, to himself or me I couldn't tell. I brushed back a loose strand of hair.

"Everyone fights sometimes Raoul. I bet even we will at some point or another," Why wouldn't he just stop asking so many questions?

"Well, forgive each other soon, it's freaking me out." I laughed, how common of Raoul to think of himself. Thankfully before I could respond to that the bell finally rang and I let out a sigh of relief. Blindly grabbing my books and stuffing them into my bag I got up from my seat, Raoul's voice caught me as I was walking out the door.

"Christine, you ready for that date yet?" I froze in the middle of the doorframe. People around us began to whisper and I knew the news would be known throughout the entire school by the time I got to my locker.

I glanced at him from over my shoulder. Ever since he had originally asked me that same question we had made a sort of game out of it. He would always ask me if I were ready yet and I would always say the same thing in reply.

"Maybe Raoul," And we left it at that. Bag sitting on my shoulder I took the left hallway while he took the right, a small secretive smile was on my lips.

I had been to my locker and as I guessed everywhere people around me were whispering and looking at me. Not that it really bothered me, I was used to it and one had to if they wanted to be Raoul Chagny's friend in the first place.

Rounding the corner I began to walk in the direction of the south exit when something caught my attention. Voices, two rather familiar voices at that as well. Walking as quietly as I could I neared the next corner and leaned against the lockers. I knew now that one of the voices was Raoul's but I hadn't heard the other one yet.

"She says you had a fight?" My pulse quickened, just by hearing the question I knew who he was talking to, Meg.

"We did," Meg's voice was low and I could barely hear her or the Meg that I had known for so long.

"What of?" Raoul pushed, his stubbornness showing its true colors.

"She's been acting weird lately, really you must have noticed it Raoul. I was worried about her so I asked if we could talk andwe did." Her voice faded for a moment and I had this weird sensation that I wouldn't like what she had to say next. "She was talking like it was heaven or something, that it was all hers, Raoul she's scaring me." It felt like something was clamping onto my heart as I heard those words. Guilt and shame had just become my new best friends and I wondered through my obsession with the voice did I really ignore how it was affecting my closest friend?

"What are you talking about Meg? It sounds like riddles or something. What's wrong with Christine?" So many questions, why did Raoul always ask so many questions! I could feel Meg's resolve crumble even before she said those words.

"That glade, I wish I had never taken her to it!" I knew she was going to say that even before she did but I didn't expect it to hurt as much as it did. The one thing I had asked her not to do! My head began to spin and everything became dizzy. All I could hear was those words repeated in my head over and over and over.

I took a step away from the locker I was leaning on and one toward them, just enough so that I was in Meg's line of view. Our eyes met and she gasped, shaking her blonde head.

"Christine, I'm sorry," And she really broke down, tears that had been sustained till then leaked. "I'm so, so sorry."

Raoul turned to me with a concerned expression, his green eyes that I'd never fully looked at before seemed so clear now despite my dizziness and his boyishly blonde hair blinded me. He reached out a hand to me but I recoiled away as if his touch burned.

His eyes gave away his hurt but I was lost to myself. All that ran through my head was the knowledge that he didn't understand. Those clear green eyes had looked at me as if I were some small animal that needed to be rescued but I didn't need rescuing! He had never heard it, didn't know of what the power of that voice could do to a person.

The voice, it surely would comfort me in this time of need! I stepped away from them, in the far corner of my mind I heard Meg's sobs and Raoul's soft whisper of my name but that didn't matter.

I ran. I ran faster then I had ever run in my entire time of living. Even when dad had died had I never felt the need to run away from everything but now I did.

Soon after my race against everything began, I heard footfalls behind me and I knew it was Raoul. Running blindly I ran off school grounds, across deserted streets. Eventually I ducked into an alley thinking it would make Raoul lose trace of me.

I soon was brushing past branches and bushes. The thick foliage scratched at the material of my jeans. I fell down to the ground that was so familiar that it was comforting, as if welcoming back an old friend.

I cried. For how long I don't know, I just needed to cry. How could she do that? The one thing I had asked her not to do, the one place I believed was just for me, the one place that I heard the voice from and she had gone and told Raoul of all people!

Lost in my tears I almost missed the soft lilting melody of the voice I had become so addicted to. Raising my tear stained face I smiled lightly. I could always depend on the voice of the angel that watched over my glade.

As I listened to the song I felt myself slowly fall to the ground again. It was so hypnotizing that I couldn't help but gently close my eyes. I smiled against the grass and fell into unconsciousness.

The last thing I remember were strong arms that felt cold to the touch wrapping themselves around me and Raoul's distant desperate calls of my name.

"Christine!"

I tossed and turned, mumbling slightly before waking to find myself in a room I didn't recognize, in a bed I had never slept in before. Fear overtook me as I tried to think of what the last thing I could remember was.

It came to me slowly but in parts, like a slide show with the pictures out of order. I had been crying and had felt betrayed. Raoul was running after me and I heard the voice I had heard so often before.

I blinked and jumped to my feet, glad to find that I was still dressed in the same clothes I had been wearing before. Wandering the room that was decorated with finely detailed furniture and design, I felt my heart beat rapidly under the stress as I neared one of the windows.

Looking out I felt my face drain of color. I had no idea where I was whatsoever. Lost and confused I sat back down on the bed and brought my knees to my chest. I had to be dreaming, right? I would wake up any moment to find myself still in the glade with Raoul calling my name.

I froze as the door knob turned and watched in apprehension as it opened to reveal a man so tall and foreboding, that I felt that at any moment I would faint. I couldn't see his face since he kept his head down and I waited for something, anything to happen. I read the newspapers; I knew what happened to girls my age who were kidnapped.

But he didn't approach me, instead he moved to a chair nearby and I let my eyes follow him. We stayed in silence for a while and I could feel the sweat begin to form on my brow.

"Just get it over with already!" I yelled terror edging my voice. The man, my captor, finally looked up at me and I gasped in fear. His face was covered entirely with a mask of white porcelain and only his lips and eyes were exposed. I stared at those eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness of the room.

"Get what over with, pray tell?" My whole body shivered at the sound of his voice and I drew away from him. It wasn't that it was terrible to listen to, no his voice was beautiful and what frightened me even more was that it was familiar.

"You know," I muttered dumbly. If I could see his eyebrow I would've guessed it had risen at that comment.

"No, I'm sorry, my dear, but I have no idea what you are talking about." I gulped. I didn't like what he called me, it sounded so strange coming fromthose lips, that I noticed were slightly malformed,and caused the hairs on my skin to rise.

"Well," I felt stupid to have to explain this. "Don't most kidnappers rape-" I was cut off as he suddenly stood from his chair, knocking it back by the force, and I backed even farther away, my head hitting the headboard.

He was at my side in a second and those glowing eyes stared at me intently. Bringing a hand, engulfed by a black leather glove, close to my cheek he caressed the air just around it.

"Know this, I will never harm you," I felt myself tremble at the close proximity of him and nodded. I stared at the mask before my face and fainted dead away.

When I came to my kidnapper was gone, I took this time to investigate the room I was in. As I had already noticed the room was decorated in furniture to well made to ever be sold in stores and there were two doors. One I soon found out led to a bathroom and the other I guessed led to the rest of the building. That door was locked.

Walking around, I ran my fingers over the wood of the necessities needed in a bedroom. When I came to the vanity that seemed aged with time I took a seat and picked up the brush that lay there.

I took in my reflection; to say I looked horrible was an understatement. My ebony hair was littered with blades of grass from when I had fallen asleep in the glade and my skin was deathly pale. Bringing my fingers to the mirror I ran them over the reflection's eyes, closing the reality as I did so.

I felt the tears before they came and laid my head on the smooth surface of the table. The predicted tears did come and I let them fall.

What was going to happen to me? What did this masked man want from me? What about my friends? Why me?

That last question repeated itself so many times in my mind that I began to hate the two words. I don't know how long I stayed like that but eventually I heard the click of the lock and the strange masked man entered once more.

I left my head laid on the table's surface, I didn't have the strength to move, and I still wanted to believe this was all a wild dream. Seeing him again I realized that he looked the perfect gentleman, in a black suit and a white dress shirt. His hair was combed neatly back and it would seem absurd to see any hair out of place.

Whether he was ignoring my scrutiny or not, he didn't show it, instead he moved gracefully and almost cat-like to stand behind me, not making a sound. As he stood there I half expected him to place his hands on my shoulders but he did not.

"What is your name?" I finally spoke barely above a whisper but I knew my captor would hear me.

"That is of no consequence," He replied in his cold and indifferent manner that I guessed I should soon become accustom to.

"Then what should I call you? I mean I just can't keep going on calling you my captor in my head now can I?" I couldn't help my curiosity.

"I have been called many things over the years; the most popular seems to be 'ghost'." I shivered at the idea that he had been called 'many' things over the years, it made me wonder even more about this mysterious enigma before me.

"So you want me to call you Ghost is that it?" He shook his head and I could tell from his eyes that he was amused at this little game.

"No, that doesn't sound proper," I rolled my eyes. You always heard of kidnappings taking place but I wondered how many of those kidnappers had been proper gentlemen.

"Then what, the Phantom?" I could see his lips curl at the mention and I suddenly felt cold.

"Why not, it adds a new twist to the name the ghost doesn't it, my dear?" Again he used that endearment towards me, and again I felt myself restraining from flinching.

"I guess so," I mumbled and was rewarded with a laugh that seemed to me exactly how a real phantom would sound like. The room was silent again after that; surprisingly it was me who spoke again.

"What do you want from me Phantom?"