Greetings all. Another update...the aftermarth of Jeremy's outburst. How will Ali react?
One thing from you guys. I've planned how the next three chapters will go but I have a severe case of writers block so if anybody has any suggestions, let me know in a review. Any characters that you want to see do anything in particular... inkeeping with the rest of the story of course. Would be much appreciated.
Tribloomer: I'm glad that you like it. Thanks for your suggestion. I've planned the next few chapters but I'll try to include some other characters in later. It's just that I don't want this to get too crowded.
Christy Day: I'm so glad that you like it. Here is your new chapter. Enjoy
Madamoiselle P: He He. Sam's reaction is quite funny. I will do my best for the sketchbook to play an important role. I didn't really think a facial disfigurement would work here. Keep on reviewing and I'll keep on writing
Kerrie-A: I'm very happy that you like this :) I hope this one is OK
Karmabelle: I read your profile...I love Orlando Bloom too (faints...recovers a few hours later). And LOTR, and Star Wars and POTC. And obviously POTO.
Enjoy
Your obedient servant
Maska (M.G)...I'm obsessed
Yet again I have to remind you that I do not own POTO. I didn't write any of the music... heck, I can't play any of the music. I sing along to the CD completly out of tune... doesn't Michael Crawford have such a haunting voice?
5. Scared of him
At the next rehearsal, Ali looked around for Jeremy but he was no-where to be seen. She spoke to Sam and Debbie for a while but she did not concentrate much on the conversation. Debbie didn't seem to notice as she told her friends about a film that she had watched the night before. They hung around for a while before the conversation was interrupted by Mr. Conclair who wanted Ali to practise the unmasking of the Phantom. When Ali saw Jeremy sitting onstage, she bowed her head and took her place, flushing bright red. Jeremy did not seem to notice her.
Ali approached Jeremy who was playing an imaginary organ. As she pretended to lift off his mask he swung round and grabbed her wrist, jumping to his feet. Ali could see the same expression on his face as when she had angered him by looking at his book.
At the end of the scene, Jeremy offered his hand to help Ali from the floor.
'Jeremy, about yesterday,' Ali began faltering slightly under his piercing gaze. 'I'm sorry.'
'I know,' he replied simply
'So are we friends again? You don't still hate me?'
'Ali, my dear. I never hated you. I was hurt that you betrayed my trust.'
With those words he turned and left the stage. Ali felt incredibly guilty. Jeremy hadn't truly forgiven her. There was no emotion in his voice, No smile, not even a smirk. Ali sighed sadly and left the stage. Sam ran up to her and asked in a concerned voice if she was all right. Ali nodded and sat with her friends saying very little.
The time soon came for Ali to sing another solo. Mr. Conclair wanted to practise 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again'. Ali wandered about the stage pretending that she was singing to a gravestone. However she was very distracted but Jenna's loud comments about how certain notes were out of tune and the song should be much more passionate.
Jeremy was also unimpressed by Jenna's singing and loud remarks. He glared at her frequently, furious that she was taking the attention away from Ali. Suddenly he came up with a plan to stop the racquet that she was making. Smirking he walked up to Jenna with his water bottle. As he approached, she fell silent, surprised that he had come to talk to her. She had not quite forgiven him for ignoring her on the first rehearsal.
'What do you want?' she demanded throwing him a dirty look.
Her little crowd of followers did the same.
'Your dedication to music is remarkable,' Jeremy said smoothly. 'However, you'll ruin your soprano voice if you do not rest it from time to time. Here have a drink,' he said offering her his water bottle.
Jenna was obviously flattered and accepted the water, satisfying herself in the thought that Jeremy wanted to become part of her following. However she got a nasty surprise when she sipped the liquid from the bottle.
'Urgh! Saltwater! You little, you, urgh!'
Mr. Lamport stopped the piano and everybody turned to look at Jenna hurling a string of insults at Jeremy. Jeremy was standing, taking then all, with a smirk on his face and a chuckle of satisfaction which turned into a maniacal laugh.
'I need some water, fresh water now!' Jenna cried running out of the rehearsal room to find the water dispenser.
Jeremy continued to laugh oblivious to the fact that everybody was staring at him. When he controlled himself he turned back to Ali and said:
'Continue with your song Miss. Connia. There is no-one here to steal your limelight.'
Ali stared at him, her mouth hanging open in shock. She didn't like Jenna but she felt awful that Jeremy would play a trick on her to keep her quiet. This wasn't the Jeremy that she first knew. She was almost scared of him.
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Thank goodness that he had make that awful Jenna girl leave so that Ali could sing her song. True, he had build up a great deal of resentment against him from the other cast members but that didn't matter. He did not have any friends anyway. The only person that he wanted to make happy was Ali and she would be grateful to him for helping her sing uninterrupted. Of course she would.
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It was early evening and the cast had been rehersing all day apart from their hour long lunch break. Mrs. Sinell had turned up in the afternoon and Ali and Debbie had a fresh set of bruises to show off. Just as they were finishing their opening routine for the 'Hannibal rehearsal' there was a loud thump from outside. Everybody stopped and went into the foyer to see what had happened. Many people got the shock of their lives when they saw Paul, the boy who played Joseph Buquet lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. It looked like he had fallen. He was unconscious and Mr. Conclair told everybody to take a break while he tried to bring the boy round.
Ali was shocked and turned away from the boy's body. She found herself practically in Sam's arms who looked at her with a concerned expression.
'Are you alright?' he asked her
'Just, just a little, well, shocked.'
'Come with me,' Sam said kindly taking her hand and leading her away from the crowd. 'He'll be fine, it was just an accident.'
Ali smiled at him.
'Thanks,' she said, grateful for his consoling words.
He paused to look at her for a second and then glanced out the window.
'Ali, there's something that I want to show you.'
'What?' she asked.
'It's a surprise,' he whispered standing behind her and putting his hands over her eyes.
'Sam!'
'Shhh. Just follow me.'
Ali felt him guide her across the room and lead her up a flight of steps.
'Where are you taking me Sam?' Ali demanded as she almost fell over a step.
'Almost there,' he said.
Ali felt him push a door open and led her outside.
'Now stand, right about, here,' Sam said moving her.
'Now can I open my eyes?'
'OK. Open them.'
Ali did as Sam told her and gasped. He had taken her to the roof of the theatre where the summer landscape painters would come to get a view of the town. It was a beautiful view, especially at this time where the sun setting lit up the sky in many shades of reds and oranges.
'I thought that you might appreciate the view,' Sam said, standing behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders.
'It's beautiful,' Ali murmured. 'Why did you go to all this effort?'
'It wasn't really a great effort,' Sam said grinning. 'You seemed kinda stressed today and I wanted to help you calm down.'
'Thank you,' Ali whispered walking towards the edge of the roof.
'Be careful!' Sam cried in a concerned voice.
Ali laughed at him.
'You were always looking out for me weren't you Sammy?' Ali teased. 'Always 'don't do that Ali', 'it's dangerous in there'.'
'Your father told me to look after you. It was more than my life's worth to let you get hurt.'
'And that time when I knocked over the harp, and you took the blame for me. I was so grateful to you for that.'
Sam chuckled recalling the moment.
'You should have been. I got into so much trouble for that. So what's up Ali? What's upset you?'
'I did something wrong. Yesterday, I looked at Jeremy's sketchbook.'
'That's not so bad,' Sam said gently.
'But he specifically asked me not to touch it. To him, it was kinda like I read his diary. I, I saw the things that were in his mind. I saw his demons. Its like something was eating him up inside. The Phantom is disfigured on the outside, but Jeremy, he's haunted in his dreams. He was so angry with me.'
'Did he hurt you!' Sam said his eyes flaring with concern
'No! No! Nothing like that! It's just that, well, I feel awful. I don't think that he's forgiven me even though he said that he did.'
'So there is something going on between you and Jeremy,' Sam said bitterly, biting his lip.
'No,' Ali said laughing. 'We're just friends.'
'Ali, it's OK. I saw you on stage when you did 'Music of the Night'. He was all over you.'
'I told you before, that was acting. It's just that, he's been so strange since then. Giving Jenna saltwater and then Paul, just now…' her voice trailed off.
'You don't think that Jeremy had anything to do with it?'
Ali began to walk towards her friend.
'I'm scared Sam. What is really going on in his mind? What if he pushed Paul? I haven't seen him arou-'
Suddenly Ali tripped and fell over. She wasn't far from Sam, who caught her before she hit the ground. She looked up into his worried eyes and smiled. She could feel his breath upon her face.
'Thank you,' she whispered standing back on her feet.
Sam did not let go of her.
'Shhh,' he murmured. 'Don't think about things like that.'
'But what if-'
Ali didn't have the chance to finish her sentence because Sam leaned towards her and kissed her. She stared at him stunned for a moment.
'I'm sorry,' he muttered. 'It just sort of-'
This time Ali was the one to do the silencing, pressing her lips to his. When she drew away, Sam smiled at her.
'Since I first saw you again,' he began. 'I wanted to, I was wondering if, would you like, come out with me sometime? Just us.'
'Like on a date?'
'Like on a date,' Sam said smiling.
'Of course.'
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He watched in horror from the shadows by the roof door as they kissed again and Sam spun her round. When Sam first kissed her, he was ready to run to her aid, but was halted when she kissed him back. She betrayed him! She had denied that there was anything between them but friendship. How could she say that? A little longer and she might just have fallen in love which him. If only that boy hadn't been there! He thought that she shared his passion for music, he thought that she was passionate about him. If only he hadn't shouted at her for looking at his sketchbook. He could have taken if away from her gently. She had seen inside his mind. She had seen the nightmares that haunted him. He could have shown his kind side, not the monster. It wouldn't have made any difference. Who could love someone who had these images flash through his mind? His heart swelled with anger. How dare she lead him on! How dare she reject him after everything he had done for her! She didn't like the fact that he had helped her in rehearsal by getting rid of Jenna. She was not grateful at all. Maybe pushing Paul down the stairs was unnecessary but the boy was trying to punish him for the trick that he played on Jenna. Well, it had been an unfortunate accident he could say. Paul had slipped and fallen. But would she believe him? Would it matter now? He couldn't watch any more. He turned away from the couple and left the roof.
...
Author's notes: Now don't all kill me... yes Sam and Ali. Dun Dun Dun. But you guys don't seriously think that Jeremy will take this news lying down do you?
