Emma-J-Riddle- I'm promising anything.

Moonlit Black Rose- Yay! new reader! I love you! (You get kuddos)

The Angel's Maggie- I like silly people. I am a silly person, though I take my writting very serious, maybe a little too serious sometimes.

LoneWolf2005- Hey! GIve me my Jayden back!

Maska- Maybe Jayden will make his own weapon, maybe a punjab... dagger? Nah that's just stupid... Yes, go Josh and Annie!

Son Ange- Kidnap maybe a little hasty, but watch for other things.

Youko Elf Maiden- Yay! Another new reader! Love you too! (You get kuddos)

Angel of the Mask- Love your story too!

Phanfreak2000- I won't be stopping anytime soon! How about he does both! JK

Now that I am done with review replies, on to the great story... lol

Chapter 13- These Things Do Happen

Once again at 3:30, Annie entered the auditorium. She hurried down the isle and placed her bag in front of a chair, which she sat in. it was mow almost a week and a half into the rehearsals, and so most of the cast had their lines memorized. Annie had accomplished this a week ago, because she had seen the play and movie so many times, and because she had studied the words ruthlessly. Because of this, she no longer needed her script, but bent down to pull it out of her backpack, anyway.

Still bent over her bag, she saw two brown penny loafers step up to her and stand in front of her seat. She looked up at the owner of the shoes. It was Mr. Reyser. "Good afternoon, Christine." He said.

"Good afternoon, messier Reyser." She said. She had now become accustom to being called by her character's name. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh yes, everything is fine…" Mr. Reyser said, smiling. "I was just wondering if you had the graveyard scene down? Do you know all of the lines… and the song?"

Annie nodded. "I do." She answered, then with pride she added, "I even had an extra rehearsal, just for that song!"

"Good, then." He addressed everyone now. "I guess we shall start with the graveyard scene, today!"

Annie nodded again, and Mr. Reyser left for his seat in the audience. Annie stood and walked onto the stage. She left her script sitting on the chair, but felt naked without it, once she was standing center stage.

A few of the props were half finished and so there were about a dozen headstones and crosses scattered about the stage. One on the far right stage was larger than the rest, and Mr. Reyser told her that that one was her father's.

Annie stood far left down stage. "Little Lotte thought of everything and nothing…" Annie said, in her best 'Christine' voice. "Her father promised her that he would send her the Angel of Music... Her father promised her…"

The tape started up and Annie sang along with it. At the end she sat in front of the cross, her legs tucked underneath her. Jayden's shadow became outlined in the darkness behind the headstone. He sang beautifully. "Wandering child, so lost, so helpless. Yearning for my guidance."

"Angel...or father...friend...or Phantom...? Who is it there, staring...?" "Have you forgotten your Angel...?" "Angel...oh, speak…" She stood very slowly. "What endless longings echo in this whisper...!"

Annie heard Josh enter behind her. She knew she shouldn't turn, but she wanted to. The urge to look at Josh was almost unbearable, but subsided when Jayden began to sing again. "Too long you've wandered in winter…" Annie ignored Josh as he sang, his line mellowly, "Once again she is his…" He had no idea how true it was.
"Far from my far-reaching gaze…" Jayden finished.
"Once again she returns…" Josh informed no one, as both of them were ignoring him.
"Wildly my mind beats against you…" Annie sang "You resist…"

Annie and Jayden sang together, as the part called for, but Annie watched Jayden, transfixed and mesmerized by his deep, commanding voice. She took a few steps toward his shadow behind the cross. "Yet your/the soul obeys.
"To the arms of her angel…" Josh sang and while they continued he sang his part. "Angel or demon...still he calls her... luring her back, from the grave...angel or dark seducer...? Who are you, strange angel...?" Annie could feel Jayden's arms around her, as if they really were there. She felt the tension between them, and she enjoyed it. "Angel of Music! You/I denied me/you, turning from true beauty... Angel of Music! (Do not shun me) / (My protector)...Come to your/me strange Angel…" She was standing about four feet in front of Jayden, and she could see his eyes glittering in the shadows. She could feel his breath.

"I am your Angel of Music...Come to me: Angel of Music…" He sang. Her eyes fixed on him, she watched him moved to the left side of the cross.
"Angel of darkness! Cease this torment!" Yelled Josh, snapping Annie out of her hypnosis.

"I am your Angel of Music...Come to me: Angel of Music…" Jayden sang, reaching for her, his hand outstretched.
"Christine! Christine, listen to me! Whatever you may believe, this man...this thing... is not your father!" Annie acted as if she was still spellbound by Jayden, though she was now watching Josh with fascination. Josh yelled in Jayden's general direction. "Let her go! For God's sake, let her go!" Then he turned his eyes to Annie, yelling to her. "Christine!" As her character had just come out of her trance, Annie yelled in her best 'Christine' voice, "Raoul, no…" She ran to him, as the script had said to. He hugged her, holding her, protecting her.

Jayden was suppose to throw fireballs at Jayden, but as the special effects where not ready, he just emerged from his shadows and stood, looking at Josh with great distaste. He held up the half finished prop of a stick with a fake-looking skull atop.

He yelled, but somehow sang, "Bravo, monsieur! Such spirited words!" Thrusting the spear like he was throwing fireballs.

"More tricks, monsieur?" Josh asked Jayden, letting go of Annie. He took a step toward Jayden.
"Let's see, monsieur, how far you dare go!" Jayden said, gisting as if for another fireball to head for him.

"More deception? More violence?" Josh said, taking another step. A creaking above his head, and Annie looked up, yelling her line to the ceiling.
"Raoul, no…" She cried, seeing that a large screen, soon to backdrop was about to fall on Josh if he took two more steps before it fell, he would be crushed.

"That's right, that's right, monsieur - keep walking this way!" Jayden urged him, onward. Annie looked at him. His eyes had been drawn upward, too. He knew that Josh would be hurt, but Jayden wasn't warning him.

"You can't win her love by making her your prisoner." Josh yelled, taking another step, as the backdrop began to tumble.
"Oh my god!" Annie yelled, Josh turned toward her. "Josh move!"

Josh looked up, as Jayden yelled, "I'm here, I'm here, monsieur: the angel of death!" The backdrop fell scrapping Josh, slightly, but not catching him underneath it's crushing weight.

Annie ran to Josh. The front of his shirt was ripped, and trickles of blood where falling lightly down his somewhat exposed chest.

"Are you okay, Josh?" She asked, coming around to the front of him, where she saw his wounds. "Oh my god… oh my god…" she muttered, then turned to Mr. Reyser, yelling. "We need a paramedic!"

Mr. Reyser rushed out of the auditorium and began searching for an EMT, or someone with a cell phone.

Josh bowed over a little, clutching his stomach, which was covered in small scraps, seeping blood. Annie held him up, as several people started gathering around them. The crowd around them did nothing to help, but watched, as Annie and Josh sat down, center stage.

Annie lay Josh's head in her lap. He looked up at her, his eyes glazed over, and glassy. He watched her for a few minutes and then he went ridged, making Annie jump in fear. He stiffened, then relaxed, and passed out into her arms. She called his name, quietly, but to no avail.

Awwww... Poor Josh... Will he be okay! If you know, email me at