Fondest greetings to you all. Here I have another update... (sorry... )
Angel of the Opera: I'm very happy that you're enjoying it. Your phic, 'The Return' is also great...as if you can't tell by the list of reviews in my name...(blushes)
AMLisdabomb: (Your penname is hard to spell) Honestly I value your opinion...one person is very important y'know. I'm glad to like Sam... but Jeremy's cool...
Madamoiselle P: Ah well, it's true that Jeremy's getting desperate but he has been obssesed with Ali for AGES. Adam's mean it's true, but we can't have everybody being nice to Ali can we? Thank you again for your ideas, be sure to see them appearing soon...
Kerrie-A: Don't worry, I have no social life either. I like smug looks... where do you think Jeremy gets them from...ahem. I don't think anybody likes Adam but the question is, will he be successful?
MagickAlianne: New reviewer:) I'm very happy that you like this. I am updating as instructed. I'm looking forward to your update...
Yes anyway... This chapter is not going to feature Adam, but he'll be cropping up again very soon...
Ali is trying very hard to not fall under Jeremy's spell but can she succeed? That temper of Jeremy's hasn't disappeared you know...
Enjoy
Maska (M.K)
I don't own POTO. Are you happy ALW? Are you? Can't you just give me POTO and be happy with the ten million other musicals your company owns? Fine don't then.
(Goes off to sulk...listens to Micheal Crawford...becomes instantly relaxed and sits down at computer again)
10. Two sides of Jeremy
Sam had not spoken to his brother since the incident the night before and had stormed off in the morning to the theatre in a temper. He snapped at Debbie aggressively as she greeted him and stalked off to his dressing room. Debbie was very much taken aback by her friend's outburst and sat in the corner on her own trying to work out what was wrong with him. When Ali arrived she saw her friend sitting alone, fiddling with the cords on her costume, went over to her concerned.
'Debbie what's up? Nervous about tomorrow?'
'The play's tomorrow! Why did you have to remind me?' Debbie groaned putting her head in her hands. 'What's wrong with Sam?' she added.
Ali looked surprised
'What is wrong with Sam? I haven't seen him yet.'
'He just came in here in a really bad temper, snapped at me and I think that he went to his dressing room.'
Ali's thoughts snapped immediately to Jeremy. Where was he? Had they had another fight?
'I'm going to see if he's OK,' Ali muttered as she ran off towards the dressing rooms.
Ali went to the dressing rooms quickly and in her hurry to get to Sam, didn't look where she was going properly. When she came to the door, she only gave a quick knock before flinging the door open. The person before her was not Sam, it was Jeremy, standing before his mirror, his shirt hanging on a coat hanger and completely topless. Ali gasped and froze on the spot, half embarrassed, half admiring. Jeremy, also quite surprised, cocked his eyebrow at her.
'Ali,' he said simply.
Ali kept staring at him until she came to her senses.
'I- I'm so sorry. I thought that this was-'
Her words trailed off under Jeremy's piercing stare
'Sorry,' she whispered again turning to leave.
Jeremy reached the door as she did, pushing it shut as her fingers brushed the door handle.
'Don't be so sorry,' he whispered gently brushing her hair out of her face.
Ali diverted her eyes from Jeremy's face to the floor.
'Excuse me,' she choked
Jeremy viewed her with a slight smirk on his lips.
'Going so soon?' he murmured seductively into her ear.
'No,' Ali whispered back. 'Yes,' she added quickly afterwards. 'I am going.'
'You don't have to.'
'I have to get changed,' Ali replied trying to sound sure of herself.
Jeremy stood smirking at her. Suddenly Ali pulled at the door handle but Jeremy pushed it shut again.
'Let me out!' Ali said loudly.
Jeremy suddenly moved and pushed her against the wall, pinning her wrists either side of her head. Ali could not retaliate as Jeremy's strength far exceeded her own.
'What if I refused,' Jeremy whispered, his face close to hers.
'I would scream,' Ali said, trying to sound assertive but conscience that her voice was wobbling.
'Would you?'
'Let me out Jeremy!'
'Don't you like feeling trapped?' he said smoothly, increasing the pressure on her wrists.
'Please get off me!' Ali cried, aware of how pathetic she sounded.
Jeremy smiled, released her wrists and opened the door. Ali walked out quickly, her should brushing gently across Jeremy's smooth chest, telling herself that she could not afford to be alone with Jeremy again or she may do something that she would regret. After leaning against the wall outside Jeremy's dressing room for a moment to catch her breath, she went straight to Sam's dressing room where he had slightly cooled off.
'Ali!' he said. 'Why aren't you changed?'
Ali said nothing but flung her arms around Sam, burying her face into his jacket.
'What's wrong?'
Ali thought about telling him about her brush with Jeremy but decided against it.
'Nothing,' she lied. 'I wanted a hug.'
Sam's strong arms held her firmly and she looked up and smiled.
'Five minutes!' Mrs. Sinell's voice rang from outside.
'I have to get changed,' Ali said, detaching herself from Sam and leaving his dressing room.
The rehearsal ran well. Few mistakes were made and 'Masquerade', although still not perfect to Mrs. Sinell's annoyance, was acceptable. After the morning run through had taken place. Mr. Conclair introduced a small man in his early 40's with a receding hairline.
'This is Fred Tresson, a photographer from the local paper. We're going to stage a few scenes for him so he can send the pictures to be published in the local paper. How would you like the cast Mr. Tresson?'
'Well if you can stage each of the scenes, I'll photograph each one.'
As the run through started, there was frantic changing backstage to get into the relevant costume. The photographer seemed like a bit of a perfectionist and liked to have everybody standing in fixed positions. When they got to the Phantom's underground layer scene, Mr. Tresson was very keen to shoot the Phantom and Christine from every possible angle. Ali tried hard not to look too uncomfortable as Jeremy wrapped his arm around her neck and caressed her cheek with his delicate sensuous touch. By the end of the scene photographs, Mr. Tresson wanted some publicity shots and called for Ali, Sam and Jeremy on stage once more.
'OK, Raoul and Christine, face each other and hold hands. Both hands. Perfect. Now Phantom, if you put your hands on Christine's shoulders. Brilliant. Now all of you turn your head to look at me. That's lovely. Raoul, Christine, let's have you a little more scared. Phantom, a little more smug. Brilliant. OK, that'll do.'
After Ali had changed out of her costume for lunch, she found Sam apologising to Debbie for snapping at her. Since none of them were in the mood for a large meal, they went to the theatre café for a drink and cake. Ali was surprised that Debbie did not opt for her favourite chocolate fudge cake but a small fruit salad.
'Are you dieting or something?' Ali asked.
'After the performance, I'm going to take up ballet. Mrs. Sinell said that I could be really good if I trained.'
Ali smiled as she remembered the moaning and the whining that she had put up with from Debbie about ballet and how she hated it. A gruelling few weeks with Sinell had suddenly seemed to make her enjoy the dance and praise from Sinell was very rare and certainly worth something.
After lunch the cast assembled once more in the theatre.
'As you know the performance is tomorrow!' Mr Conclair said. 'And I'm very impressed. You've all worked really hard but there are a couple of things that I want to brush over because they're not perfect yet. The letter scene for one. And Jeremy, Ali, where has that passion gone that you had in 'Point of No Return'? I think that what we're going to do first is I'll watch the letter scene, then we'll do 'Point of No Return'. Everybody in the letter scene on stage then.'
Sam winced as he left Ali reluctantly made his way slowly onto stage, glaring at Jeremy who was watching him passively. Ali smiled weakly at Sam, telling herself that Jeremy wouldn't try anything in front of the whole cast and she would be alright if she sat in the theatre. However, this was not to be. Mr, Conclair asked her to do the one thing that she was trying to avoid.
'Ali, go with Jeremy into the foyer and practise 'Point of No Return'. I'm afraid that you'll have to go without music.'
Ali could do nothing but nod and follow Jeremy out of the theatre and Sam could do nothing but stand onstage and watch helplessly as his enemy led his girlfriend out of his sight.
Outside the main theatre, Jeremy closed the door to block out Jenna's voice.
'Your performance wasn't very good today,' he said simply, turning to face her.
Ali was taken aback.
'Maybe that's because I'm terrified of what you're going to do when I'm alone with you,' Ali replied viciously.
The words were out before she knew it and she clapped her hand to her mouth in shock. Jeremy stared at her stunned for a moment before his eyes blazed. He walked up to her and grabbed her shoulders, shaking the girl as if she were a rag doll.
'I frighten you do I?' he snarled. 'You're scared to be alone with me are you? Well let's think why that might be Ali. You were never scared of me until you looked in my sketchbook. Something that I specifically asked you not to do! You weren't scared of me until that Fop of a boyfriend started pouring ideas into your head!'
'I'm scared of you because you beat up my boyfriend! I'm scared of you because everywhere I go, you're in my shadow! I'm scared of you because you can't control your temper!' Ali practically screamed back.
Jeremy released Ali and walked a few paces away from her.
'What do you expect Ali?' he said quietly. 'You've seen what goes on in my head. You've seen the images that haunt me when I sleep. Of course I have a short temper because I'm being eaten from the inside!'
Ali stared at Jeremy's back with an overwhelming pang of guilt in her heart.
'I'm sorry,' Ali whispered.
'I don't need your pity,' Jeremy snarled. 'I don't need anyone. Let's practise this song then.'
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The song had no passion in it. He could sense that there was too much tension for them to fool anybody that Don Juan was seducing Aminta. He watched her sadly as she walked away from him to go back into the theatre. His heart was crying for her to come back. He had been too harsh to her. Damn his cursed mind! She would like him if he could control his dreams. They were getting worse now, eating away at him. Ali was the only person who could save him from them. The time had come to force her to come to him.
