Disclaimer: I don't own Phantom, goshdarnit!
Chapter 24 – Phantom Issues
Kayla
I found Sam, Dominic and Maria occupying one of the tables and chatting about the evening.
"…dunno what would happen," Maria was saying.
"What would happen?" I asked. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling.
"That's just it, we don't know!" she cried.
I held up my hands. "Rewind and talk to me."
"Oh, brother," Sam heaved a sigh. "We're trying to convince Dominic that it would be bad for him to meet Erik, especially dressed as he is." She flicked his mask teasingly.
"Enough of that." He grabbed her hand. "Dance with me."
Suddenly Viggo came over the speakers: "Let's go, everybody! Enough slow songs for now, let's sliiiide!"
Sam burst out laughing as she and Maria got up. "Dominic, I have no idea how you're gonna do the Cha-Cha Slide dressed like that, either."
He shrugged. "I don't have the cape. If I had the cape, it would look worse."
I suppressed a laugh as I followed them out to the floor. Viggo came down from his DJ post, too. (Here's the real-life deal with Viggo: He's my cousin and he can ROCK this song. It's awesome.)
To the left!
Take it back now, y'all
One hop this time!
One hop this time!
Right foot, let's stomp
Left foot, let's stomp
Sam was right; it was one of the craziest things I've ever seen. See, to me it depends on the guy. Some are built for the waltz, some are built to cha-cha, and some… some just aren't built for dancing. (Dom's more a waltz-man.)
The Cha-Cha Slide got everyone hyped up, so Viggo went ahead with Lose Control, by Missy Elliot, and Pon de Replay (Rihanna, heard it back in Ch. 15).
Josie
Everyone was pretty wound up; that much I could see from my vantage point on the stage. I plugged in the amp to my Les Paul guitar and gave the strings a twang. Alan practiced a beat with the drums, and I glanced behind me to see that the rest of the band had shown up. Shayna was setting up her keyboard, and Eddie busied himself with the positioning of the mikes. This was gonna be one rockin' performance!
Kendall
I was really starting to panic. It was 11:30 and Hugo still hadn't shown up. I looked around at all the people dancing, almost hoping that I'd find him somewhere in the crowd.
"Tu cherche pour qui?" A man's hoarse French rattled my eardrums.
"You're in America, please speak English!" I implored him.
"Where is your Spanish friend?" Erik asked, switching tongues with ease.
"He's not Spanish, he's Puerto Rican, and I don't see him."
"Perhaps you're not looking in the right place," he suggested.
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" I asked in frustration. "Look, Monsieur Fantôme, we brought you here, we can definitely take you back! It's not my fault Hugo doesn't check his emails! And by the way, what's with the philosophical approach to everything tonight? I mean, haven't you ever just gone with the flow of things? For crying out loud…"
"Who is the boy waving over there?" Erik interrupted with a smirk. "He looks almost Puerto Rican…"
Speechless, I turned only to feel incredibly stupid, for there he was, walking toward me. I looked back at Erik, who for the first time was smiling. It suited him.
Hugo took me by the hand and we were off dancing and having a great time. At one point I thought I heard French whispered in my ear again, but I turned only to find a wall behind me. I never forgot the words:
L'amour est la vie, et la vie est l'amour.
Sam
The next song was a Spanish melody; strumming guitars and a horn or two. I didn't recognize it, but I knew Kayla. It was a Zorro piece. I saw Miranda swivel past, clicking a pair of castanets along with the music. Oooh, it felt sexy. Her costume was beautiful, and I made a mental note to ask her about it when an opportune moment arose. A full-length white skirt with a dark blue long-sleeve top; flowy sleeves, cropped to show off her belly button. Adorable. Plus she had tons of gold jewelry: a gold hoop in one ear, bracelets and armbands, an anklet and about five necklaces.
I caught Dominic watching her too. I don't really want to say it, but he was starting to get a little annoying. It had been really cool when Music of the Night started; everyone had cleared off because they all knew it was Erik's song. Wow, were he and Ralena good. Of course, Dominic had grumbled the entire time; I think the only guy who actually understood the concept was Aragorn. He'd sat watching calmly from the table next to us, with Sophie leaning on his shoulder.
"This is bull----," Dom turned to me. "Look at this! I dress up for the part, and I can't even have the best song." He followed this with a muttered string of expletives, which (thankfully) I barely heard.
He spun me around as the guitars strummed even more.
"Dominic, what's the matter with you?" I asked. "Are you still on about that Music of the Night thing?"
He dipped me savagely, and I had to snatch at his arms to keep from falling.
"The man waltzes in like he owns the place—"
"I see what you're doing," I said, twirling in a circle. "Stop trying to turn me against Erik. He can be such a gentleman when he wants to. And tonight is no exception."
He drew me in and kissed me hard.
"Dominic, stop! Doing this won't prove anything!" I cried. I reached out to slap him, but he grabbed my wrist and came in again.
I pulled back as much as I could, and he stilled three inches from me. He released my hands and I backed away.
"Erik!"
He stood just behind Dominic, gripping him by the back of the neck with fire in his eyes. He let go and Dominic spun around.
"Leave her," Erik growled. "Now!"
"What's the problem?" Oh, Dominic, don't do this.
"The problem is, you think that if you impersonate me it gives you all my rights."
"So? That girl over there is dressed like you, go attack her." He gestured as Andrea wove past on her skates.
Erik glanced at the girl. "Don't take your anger out on someone who doesn't deserve it," he warned. "Especially Samantha."
Dominic glowered at him, and I could see that part of him wanted to at least try to attack Erik. After a moment, he shook his head and stalked away.
"Erik, thank you," I said quietly.
"Of course," he replied, looking about distractedly.
He drifted away as Maria appeared at my side. "What was that about?"
I shrugged. "Dominic was being a jerk, that's all. Where's Erik gone?"
Erik
I caught up to the girl wearing my own formal attire after settling the matter with Samantha and Dominic.
"Mademoiselle?"
She doubled back (her shoes had wheels underneath) and almost fell over in surprise.
"My name's Andrea. Do you," her eyes were hopeful, "want to dance?"
I bowed in response.
She stood on one foot to press the wheels into her shoe, then did the same with the other. I must admit, I liked what she had done with the costume. She had a knee-length cape, lined with maroon, and her shoes were almost like black boots.
"The girls told me you wore glasses," I said conversationally as we swayed.
"Oh… I got contacts," she said, smiling. "You can put them in your eyes so you don't have to wear glasses. Otherwise I would never have been able to wear the mask."
I nodded. "You look beautiful."
Kayla
I grinned in spite of myself when Erik told Dominic off. He totally deserved everything he got. I'd made my way to the punch table (Julia and Kennedy were back again) and found Alexandra and Ava. I nearly choked on a glass.
"Don't you two feel a little… I dunno… out of place?" I asked pointedly.
"Well, a little," Alexandra agreed. She was dressed from head to toe in crimson robes, and a little patch on her chest read KRUM.
"It looks good," I said approvingly. "But it's more of a princess/mythology/gypsy thing tonight. I think."
"We could go home and change," suggested Ava. She was dressed like an escaped convict; orange jumpsuit and a black-and-white hat. Cute, despite what it sounds like.
"Nah, by the time you got back it'd probably be over," I countered. "Besides, it's not like you guys don't look good or something."
Alex nodded and picked up a broomstick from the floor. I had to laugh; she had tied an enormous feather to the handle, like Harry had done to his Firebolt in Prisoner of Azkaban.
"You go, girl!" I said as she mounted. "I'll see y'all later."
I wandered over to a table where Faith was sitting with Sophie as Alex took off overhead. There were cries of delight from the crowd, and she even cheered herself on.
"S'how'sitgoin'?" Faith slurred as I sat down. I gave Sophie a sharp look.
"She got drunk somehow."
"Oh great," I groaned. "What'd you do, Faith?"
"Nothin'. Just a beer or two."
"Or five!" Sophie exclaimed.
"That's it, girlfriend." I dragged Faith up by her elbow. "Come on, you need help."
We stumbled through the crowd toward the stairs, and she collapsed against my shoulder. Thankfully, it seemed, Erik had followed us.
"What happened?"
"She got drunk. Can you carry her for me?" I indicated the stairs.
"Of course."
He picked her up and we proceeded up the steps. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"I'm not really sure, just away from here."
There was a muffled sound behind me, and I turned around to see that Faith had woken up. She was kissing him. Full on the lips, too.
Erik's eyes were narrowed in disgust at what I imagined as the aftertaste of beer in his mouth. I ran down and wrenched Faith away just as he deposited her on the floor. She staggered against me. "That was fun, let's do it some more!" she cried, launching herself at him. I couldn't hold her back, but Erik turned away.
Faith looked hurt. "Don't you like my costume?"
He pivoted slowly. I could see in his eyes that indeed he did, and I didn't blame him. The dress was a deep purple velvet, with a slit to show off her silver belly button ring. The skirt was cut halfway up her thigh on the right side, and her sleeves were of a thin sparkling fabric that clung to her arms and hung down at the wrists.
"Of course I do, mademoiselle Faith," he said carefully. "What I don't like is that you are past intoxicated."
He spun on his heel to go but she snatched at his cloak. "You wanna go somewhere?" she purred. "I can show you the meaning of intoxicated."
A smirk tugged at his lips. "I've no doubt about that, but there are still others requiring my presence here. Perhaps some other time."
He glanced at me as he left and I knew I'd never heard an emptier invitation. She'd forget about it anyway, though.
Kendall
Hugo could only stay till 12:30, but we'd enjoyed the night so much together. Before he left he gave me a rose, tucking it gently in my hair. I kissed him good-bye and went in search of Erik. I hadn't thanked him for spotting Hugo in the first place, and his words still gave me wonderful chills.
I saw him edging up behind Adi, who was looking around (probably for him). I decided to wait and watch them dance; Kayla had told me all about Adi and her seducing-not-glomping thing, so I figured it would be interesting, to say the least.
Erik
I swept behind the glamorous pirate queen with a feeling of eagerness. I knew she wouldn't have any reservations about how forward I could be. Without so much as a greeting, I spun her around and kissed her. She melded to me and time seemed to stop. I heard the music change again; it had been something from… Wicked, perhaps. Another of Kayla and Sam's obsessions. I felt a rush of adrenaline as I detected the quiet, seductive slide of a violin. How could she do this to me? I vowed to strangle Kayla next time I saw her; the little wench had probably been waiting all night to spring this on me. It was Point of No Return. Instrumental.
The queen's eyes glazed over in the same adrenaline rush. "Would you?" she asked.
"Of course, mademoiselle."
I'm sorry to say that there is no way to go into detail with that dance. It felt as if the very air was on fire around us. Her gold dragon earrings glinted, and I realized that even the lights in the hall had changed colors. Red was everywhere.
Josie
I watched Erik and Adi slip into what I can only describe as the world's sexiest tango/waltz. Kayla must be jealous right about now.
I grinned and sat back as Kayla herself rushed up to the stage.
"What's your problem?"
"There's no problem," she said. I thought otherwise; her face was flushed and she was panting like she'd run a mile.
"Then what is it? Girl, I understand that you only want him to dance like that with you, believe me, but you didn't object when he danced with Ralena."
She shook her head. "If you must know, I haven't really been paying 100 attention to what Erik does. I watch, sure, but it's something else."
"Well?"
"Um… well, seeing as how this place is a plot device/rental thing, the rent stops at two o'clock, and it's one now. We'd best make the most of the hour if you guys are going to play."
"Geez! Why didn't you tell me there was a limited amount of time?" I shrieked.
She rolled her eyes. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have waited until now."
"Point taken. Alright, we'll try."
Sam
Dominic came up to me as Erik and Adi swerved past.
"I want to apologize for what happened earlier," he said, pleading for me to listen.
I snorted. "Dominic, just admit you were jealous. Come on, we all know it."
He looked at the floor, and I could tell he was battling with his own pride. "Say it: I was jealous."
He muttered something inaudible.
"Not good enough," I coaxed.
"I was jealous!" he burst out. "He has girls all over him, who can't be jealous of that?"
I smiled and hugged him. "You're wonderful."
Viggo
Erik and Adi walked smoothly off the floor, and Josie came over to talk.
"We've got a problem. Only one hour left before we all have to get out of here."
I switched to the Rent soundtrack. "So what do you want to do?"
She glanced back to where their band was set up. "I was thinking Seasons of Love, then we could play one or two to close it out."
"Sounds good."
Kendall
I found David after Erik's insane 2-minute standing ovation. (It would've been longer, but he disappeared again.)
"How's it going so far?" I asked.
He tipped up the visor on his helmet. "What?"
I rolled my eyes. "Do you still have that plan to take over the world with sausages?"
He grinned evilly. "You bet."
The piano intro of Seasons of Love echoed from the speakers, and I looked at him.
"David… since Hugo left, do you want to dance?"
"Sure." He led me out to the floor, where everyone was finding partners and just sort of swaying together.
Kayla
As I speed-walked away from the stage where Josie & co. were setting up, I caught a glimpse of Clair in a beautiful yellow dress, making her way to the floor with (I assumed) Anakin Skywalker. Appropriate, seeing as how Queen Amedala kissed him. Her dark brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, accented by a yellow headband across her forehead. The upper portion of the dress looked like a poncho that fell from the shoulders, and there were sleeves underneath. Green and yellow ribbons encircled her wrists and hung down elegantly. (I've never seen Star Wars gasp, I know, but it was a really cool dress. :))
Erik appeared out of nowhere, bowing to me as the first line of Seasons of Love began. "Mademoiselle?"
"How kind of you. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me."
"Jamais."
We swept onto the floor and began to revolve slowly with everyone else.
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife, in
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love
Seasons of love
Seasons of love
"Tonight is so amazing," I murmured, glancing around at everyone. I noticed Ralena sitting back at the little table sketching intensely. "Erik, that reminds me: how was dancing with her?"
"It was very… intriguing. I heard her saying she wanted a partner so she could dance, and I was bored, so I decided to ask her."
"Interesting."
I sighed contentedly into his shoulder as I heard Joanne's solo. "This is another movie you need to watch."
"Pardon?"
"This song's from a movie called Rent. It's about a bunch of friends living in New York City, and some of them are drug addicts, like your thing for morphine," he gave me a blazing glare, "and some of them have AIDS."
"Repetez?"
"It's a disease, and it kills you young, like, in your thirties or so. And so it's about them just going through a year in their lives. It's a musical, but you'd have to get over their… brash language."
"Interessant."
"Oui…" I heard Josie's voice over the speaker as Seasons of Love ended:
"Okay, you guys, only two songs left—"
A loud chorus of boos erupted from several couples.
"Why so soon?" called a wild-eyed Johnny Depp as he toasted some invisible being with his Mountain Dew can.
Josie gave him a withering look. "Because you're at least the second drunk person tonight, and the availability of this place evaporates at 2 AM."
Johnny didn't seem to hear; he swigged his Mountain Dew and wandered off, only to be dragged back by Charlie Quill.
"He's a little unmanageable sometimes," she grumbled in passing, and I muffled my giggles in Erik's cape.
Sam
Josie's songs and the atmosphere reminded me strongly of our school dances. The mood was subdued, and Josie had written two ballads: perfect sway-slowly-on-the-spot material. I let Maria have Dominic (since she had been looking a little lonely) and instead put my arms around Viggo's neck.
A little light,
Through the dark
A little walk,
In the park
Why wait for your life to start?
If you stop and turn around,
Time won't wait for you
To pick your feet up from the ground
You have to go on
Never look back
Time won't wait for you
A little time,
All alone
A little minute,
On your own
What, what,
What are you waiting for?
There will be times when time will cease,
There will be times when we make peace.
But we're still waiting!
If you stop and look around,
Time won't wait for you
To fly up into the sky,
You have to go, go, go, go
Fly!
"That song's actually really true," Viggo commented as the last chord died. "Every second that goes by, and time never stops."
"Are you trying to be profound again? Cuz it isn't working," I kidded.
"What? Oh, that's nice, geez," he rolled his eyes, but grinned.
"This next song is for all of us," said Josie. "To go out and accomplish something in life."
I mouthed 'Yeah, right' at Viggo and he almost burst out laughing. The instruments drowned him out (thank goodness).
Day after day
It's always the same
Just playin' the game we call life
Some people pass by
But different clouds in the sky
There's lots to do
But not a lot of time to think
It's just one relative circle
I need a change,
Another option
Need a new horizon
Cause I'm not lettin' go without a fight
Don't stop till the end
Don't give up just let it mend
Have faith that you can blend
An' be who you wanna be
Time after time
Walking the thin line
No other place to go
Yesterday is behind you
Nobody's quite like you
Opportunities
No matter if the odds are against me
I still have to try
And can't tell you
Why.
You only live once
Once, one time not enough
Your plan
This life never ends
I'm riding a new horizon…
Josie trailed off.
"Thank you, fanfiction!"
I laughed as we applauded. What do you say with people from all over the world? Not 'thank you Ohio' the way I'd first thought, that was for sure. I glanced over and saw Ralena and Clair each applauding on an arm of Anakin Skywalker.
We all started heading out a few minutes later, and Kendall, Josie, Erik and I ended up freezing as we waited for Kayla to come unlock the car.
"What took you so long?" Kendall demanded.
"Ralena was sketching, and she gave it to me." Kayla revealed the page with a flourish. "Thank heaven I got it from her before her and Clair's argument over Anakin…"
It was a rough sketch of Erik, magnificent in his costume.
"She did that?" said Josie. "Wow, look at the detail in the eyes and everything…"
"Take care of it back there," said Kayla sternly. "You bend it, you die."
Erik looked slightly smug as we backed out of the driveway.