A Reflection of the Past
Thanks goes to: PhantomInMyDreams, DarkSarcasm, lady kathrin, Countess Alana, Number 47, erik'sangel527, MadameAngel, Mr.Pooch
Chapter One
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Natalie's breath caught in her throat as the Opera House came into view.
It was a magnificent piece of architecture; she couldn't for the life of her think why she had never noticed it before.
Tall columns supported the elegant building, winding up into the shadows high above her head. Natalie entered the suspiciously empty grand foyer slowly. She looked around with awe at the place she had tried so hard as a child to imagine. She felt as though she were living a dream. Everything was exactly as she had believed. Every golden statue, every painting.
Natalie sucked in a deep breath, remembering her sole purpose of coming. Though she didn't know how she would do it, she had to find that dressing room.
An hour later, Natalie was still sneaking carefully through the Opera's many hallways. Not but five minutes ago she had seen an old sign with an arrow pointing to the dressing rooms. Natalie did not expect, though, that Christine's dressing room would still be used. She continued to walk down the door-lined hallway, unsure of whether to search the rooms or not. Natalie reached the far side only to meet with a wall. It was a dead end. She sighed. She had gotten absolutely nowhere.
A soft breeze began to blow through the hallway. Natalie shivered and wondered where it had come from. She jumped as she thought she heard a soft voice in her ear.
'It's that one!' The Voice hissed, Natalie turned her eyes immediately to the door in front of her. 'That's the one! Open it!'
Natalie felt herself, as though possessed, begin to reach towards the brass doorknob. Her pale fingertips pulled back just as they touched the shiny doorknob. It was cold as ice, and sent a strange sensation through her, as though something otherworldly was involved.
She reached for it again, gripping it with her thin fingers. She didn't pull back, and felt cold seep into her. It wasn't an unwelcoming feeling, though, it made her feel…strange. It was a mysterious sensation. Slowly, she turned the doorknob and pushed the door forward. It creaked loudly and Natalie flinched slightly. Carefully, she stepped into the room.
It was different from the rest of the Opera House, she knew. The air felt as though it were tangible. Somehow Natalie knew that she was in the right place.
Softly, she closed the door behind her and began to observe the room. A bit of light seeped through the dusty window, just enough to make the room look eerie. It was well furnished, but looked as though no one had been in it for years. Burgundy carpeting lay beneath her feet, sporting a layer of dust. Natalie felt as though she had stepped into the past.
She lifted her eyes and gasped at the sight before her. The ornate mirror covered most of the far wall. Natalie walked towards it slowly, her mouth gaping wide open. She raised her hand to let it rest on the mirror's cool surface. She had the same sensation as with the doorknob, only a hundred times stronger. 'This place is magical,' she thought.
She trailed her fingers slowly down the reflective glass. She shivered, though not from the cold.
Natalie lifted her hand to graze her fingertips along the mirror's magnificent frame. The gold perimeter was twined into braids and spiral designs that shone out in the small dressing room.
As Natalie's hand ran along the side of the frame, her fingers touched a spot that seemed different from the rest. She turned her head to examine it and brought her fingers to press against it softly.
Natalie's eyes widened as the mirror moved away to reveal a dark tunnel that went on farther than she could see. She could feel her heart beating mercilessly against her ribcage. After a slight period of hesitation, she took a deep breath and stepped into the dank passageway, carefully sliding the mirror closed behind her.
Without warning, the atmosphere in the tunnel changed, as though it was twisting itself into a different shape. A blinding white light flashed some hundred feet down the tunnel. Natalie felt her head begin to spin as she fell backwards, blacking out.
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A/N: Thank you to everyone who read and/or reviewed, it did not go unappreciated! I have most of this story planned out, but not written, and I don't know how the time in between updates will compare with my other story 'The Point of No Return', though I will try to get them out as often as possible. I am expecting this story to be longer as well. Please review; they make me tres, tres, tres happy!