Disclaimer: I do not own the Phantom, Christine, Raoul, Danny, Sam, Tucker, Jaz, or any characters that came from something that YOU don't own.
"What was that? Who was that?" Sam asked Jaz. The group had actually run so fast they ended up out in the main entry hall with some other people. An usher walked up the sweeping staircase and spoke into a large, tan megaphone. "I'll tell you later after this guy gives his lame speech," Jaz replied.
"Attention, theater-goers!" the usher announced. "Due to unfortunate incidents beyond our control, we cannot show tonight's presentation of "Romeo and Juliet". The after party is still open and everyone here is of course welcome to join us there. It will be located here later tonight. Until then, please go to the waiting area. If you must leave, please do so through the front door now." As soon as the usher said 'Now', about half of the crowd went to the front door. Jaz didn't.
"Jaz, they can't show the play," Danny said, trying to push her toward the door. "Come on, let's go home, I think we've had enough excitement for one night." "Are you kidding?" she answered. "There's going to be a dance! Don't you want to eat snacks, dance, and have fun?" The only thing I want, Danny thought to himself, is out of this place before whoever owns the creepy voice we heard earlier finds us. Danny tried to say them, but they stuck in his throat. Instead he said "Yeah".
"Of course you do, now come on, let's go explore this place!" Jaz exclaimed. "Maybe we could bust whoever scared us in the auditorium. Danny secretly hoped they didn't, but wished they could. "Uh, hey, Jaz", he suggested, noticing that most of the people had already left the room. The foursome began to walk out of the area and into the hall, closing the doors as they did. They didn't want anyone, and they meant anyone to sneak up on them from behind. "Why don't you tell us more about this theater? I'm sure it's very fascinating." Jaz, delighted that her young brother had taken a liking to this theater (or so she thought), told Danny, Sam, and Tucker a story. A legend that would be retold over the centuries.
"This is the legend of the Phantom," Jaz began dramatically. "They say that one night, in this very theater, an actor was supposed to make his debut on stage in "Romeo and Juliet", the very same play that was supposed to be shown tonight." Danny, Sam and Tucker were silent, completely under the story's spell. Jaz continued. "During one of the acts, however, a terrible fire broke out on stage. Only a few actors survived." She paused, letting it sink in; seeing the terrified looks on the freshmen's faces. "They say that after the theater was rebuilt, they tried to do "Romeo and Juliet" again, only to have the lights black out during it." She once again paused. "What happened to the actor?" Sam asked. "Unfortunately, he did not survive," Jaz answered. "So, now, he haunts the theater, causing things to fall, or props and costumes to go missing. Occasionally, he chooses a target or group of targets to go after for at least one night. Usually, the target has something to do with ghosts or performing in front of people, but sometimes they are just normal people. No one knows exactly why he does this, but everyone knows that if you somehow become his next target, you will not be able to escape the theater until morning." The fourteen-year-olds' faces were pale with shock and fear. "The end," Jaz concluded.
"Um, yeah, that was interesting," Tucker said, glancing at the doors they had just ran through. "Why don't we go to the party?" Sam suggested. "Yeah, 'cause I feel like dancin'!" Danny exclaimed. He completed this announcement by doing a goofy disco dance. Everyone, including Jaz, laughed. Danny stopped his awkward disco dancing and threw open the doors. The four looked around in awe.
The place looked like a rave on a gigantic scale. Disco lights were suspended from the ceiling (How they got there was anyone's guess.), and they were spinning and projecting lights all over. Loud music was filling the room with its carefully syncopated beat, and people were dancing and enjoying snacks and punch. There was even a setup where you had a jacket with a bungee cord attached to it by a clip. You strapped on the jacket and jumped off the balcony overlooking the whole room. It was like bungee jumping. There were many other setups like it, including one where you put on a jacket suspended by a strong rope and people pushed you back and forth, and one where you jumped off and swung like a pendulum. But best of all, the crystal chandelier was glowing with a rainbow of colors. In the dark room, it looked like a large, multicolored lightning bug.
Tucker ran for the snack table. Jaz noticed a cute guy over in the corner. "See ya, I'm going to go on a boy hunt," she said, walking off. A 'Boy Hunt' was her way of saying "Hey, I just saw a cute guy (Or a group of cute guys) and I'm going to strike up a conversation with them." Of course, the hidden message was, "I hope they think I'm cute, too!" Sam and Danny could care less about Jaz's 'Boy hunt'. They just wanted to dance. "Uh, Sam?" Danny asked, feeling a little awkward. "Yes, Danny?" Sam replied. "Un, would you... Do you want to... I mean, uh, may I... have this dance?" he asked, feeling stupid for even asking. She'll never dance with me now, he thought miserably. "Aww, Danny, I'd love to!" Sam replied. A slow dance came on. Taking his hand in hers, Sam stepped onto the dance floor.
"Danny?" Sam asked. Did she dare tell him how she felt about him? Did she dare mention her dreams of flying with him through the air as easily as a bat would swoop upon its prey from above?
"Yes, Sam?" Danny replied.
"Uh, um….. You've got some smoothie on your shirt. Here, let me get it."
Sam wiped the smoothie off with a napkin she snagged from a nearby table as the song ended.
Sam practically flew off the dance floor. She had only danced with Danny one other time before, but this time, it felt wonderful. Now she regretted that she couldn't tell Danny her true feelings about him. Why couldn't she just say those words? Why couldn't she just say "I love you"?
Danny felt amazing. Sam had actually danced with him! He'd danced with her before, at the school dance, but it seemed different this time. Was this just a crush, or full-fledged L-O-V-E? Did Sam feel the same way? Why couldn't he tell her that he loved her?
The two were suddenly snapped out of their daydreams when each saw Tucker about to fall off the balcony, "TUCKER!" They cried in unison, running over to save him. Too late. He fell, plummeting to the ground, faster and faster until... BOI-OI-OI-OING! He bounced up and down like a yo-yo. Danny was relieved. Sam was laughing hysterically, and Tucker was whooping and hollering. "Do it again!" he yelled up to the boys who pushed him. They hoisted him up as Danny and Sam ran up the staircase and each chose a 'ride'. Danny picked the 'Pendulum of Fear', one where you were suspended from a rope and swung back and forth. Sam chose the 'Flying Machine', a ride that had you strapped to a track that circled the entire room. Tucker continued on the 'Bungee Cord', the one that he rode earlier. Strapped into their rides, they were each pushed, as one by one, each began to scream. Danny almost got to the chandelier, close enough to almost touch it, and Sam was pushed around it on a motorized track. Tucker screamed for dear life. "Man, this is awesome!" Danny hollered. "So this is what flying feels like, Danny," Sam said, still zipping around the room on the track. "Am I alive, or am I dead?" Tucker exclaimed, now spinning on the end of the bungee cord. "I don't know anymore! Whoopee!" The friends were back where they started, on the balcony. They decided to go one more time.
"Hey, guys," Danny said. "Let's see if we can get Jaz's attention." He pointed to Jaz, now looking for Danny and his friends. "On the count of three, we yell "Hey, Jaz", Okay? One, two, three... HEY, JAZ!" The yell was loud enough to make everyone look up, including Jaz. They jumped. "Oh, god!" Jaz yelled, scared that they had fallen off. She then noticed the bungee cords. "Danny, you little..." She cut short.
There was something wrong with the bungee cords on the rides.
The three friends were having too much fun. They noticed Jaz waving madly at them. "Hey, guys, look!" Tucker announced. "Jaz is waving at us!" "Let's wave back!" Sam suggested. They waved. Jaz looked at them like they were idiots. Danny noticed she looked worried. "Guys," he said. "I think that Jaz is..." He cut short, and noticed why Jaz had been worried. The bungee cords on each of their rides were going to break any second. "We have to get off!" he shouted to his friends. "We have to..."
The ropes could no longer hold the teenagers. They broke, sending Danny and his friends plummeting towards the ground.
Guess what time it is? That's right, Cliffhanger time! See you in the next chapter!