Author's Note- Hello again people…Jen speaking. Yes, Erik will come into play soon…much grinning But, until then, here is the next chapter!
Chapter 3
Lost Keys and Plans
A dark figure made it's way down one of the unlight corridors of the Opera House. It crept silently from door to door, with nothing to illuminate it's path but a tiny candle. Nothing else stirred. Suddenly, the figure stumbled and fell, landing with a yelp and a thud. "Damn floorboards…" Jen muttered, picking herself up. She got the candle, which had been blown out in the fall, and sighed. She leaned against the wall for a few seconds, listening for the angelic music that she knew was being sung down below. In the vaults. She needed to find a door in, needed to find Erik. Preferably by herself, of course. Tomorrow was a free day for her, however, and she would have plenty of time to search the Opera house. Then, they were to start rehearsing the next production, Il Muto. It would be interesting, she concluded, thinking of what was to occur. Carlotta's croaking, the mass panic. She hoped she could get out of the Orchestra pit and help comfort Erik. She hoped she could meet him before Il Muto occurred. With a sigh, the girl decided to restart her search, heading from the Orchestra dormitories to the Ballet rat's quarters. It was going to be a long night.
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On the other side of the Opera House, Gabby was half awake, searching desperately for a lever or switch to open the mirror in the room she shared with Jen. She glanced at the candelabra and sighed, thinking that it would be easier to just smash the glassy object. No, then they would have to pay for it, and Erik may not like it if they destroyed his secret doors and opened a passage for anyone to enter. She knew it had to contain a secret passage though, after what Jen had said about the night before, and the man in the mask. With a final look and a sigh, she decided to leave it for later, and dressed for bed. Hopefully when Jen returned she wouldn't make too much racket when she returned from her search. She also hoped her friend had been more successful. Gabby blew the candle out, and closed her eyes, and fell into a light sleep.
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Jen was muttering something to herself as she made her way back to her room. She pounded on the door, but there wasn't an answer, so she searched her pocked for her key. She couldn't find it, so she searched her other pocket. Still nothing. "Great…perfect timing for me to loose my key…" she said, mentally kicking herself for her stupidity. She groaned and bashed her head against the door, and there was still no reply. She glared at the door. "It's all your fault." She hissed, giving it a final kick before leaving, deciding she would rather search the Opera house again than stand there all night. As she was making her way to the theater entrance, she entered, deciding he might have a trap door in the infamous box five. She found it, and searched, and sighed with disappointment. OG was too good at hiding things. "Well, might as well get some sleep…" she told herself, sitting in one of the chairs and closing her eyes.
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"Mademoiselle." Someone was saying, shaking Jen. The percussionist opened her eyes and glanced up. "Wha?" she asked sleepily. "I believe you should be awake. I am sorry to disturb you, but, it is nine in the morning." A cleaning maid said. The plump woman smiled at her and Jen stood, cracking her knuckles in the process, followed by a moan and a stretch. "Thank you." She said, and nodded in the woman's direction before heading back to the dorms. She pounded on the door and a sleepy Gabby answered. "Oi, what?" her friend asked, still adjusting her vision. When she realized it was Jen, she smiled. "Where were you all night? Did you find him?" she asked quickly. "Exploring, then locked out of the room. And no, I didn't."
"Awwww…." Gabby said, frowning. "We will find him today!" Jen grinned. "Yes we will! Let's get started!" with that she walked into the room and changed into more suitable clothing. Pants still seemed somewhat odd here, but she didn't care. She WAS odd. Gabby glared once again at her, having nothing but dresses. "So, let's collaborate." Jen said, taking a seat on her bed. "About what?" The percussionist rolled her eyes. "About how we will go about finding our dear phantom and what we will do If we succeed. Duuuurrr…."
"Ooooh, that…ok. I think we should uh….I don't know….we could…er….uh…" Jen's face changed into one of confusion, then a frown. She smacked the cellist. "How about MY idea." She said, smirking as she watched her friend glare. "And that would be?"
"Alright. We split up, and look for trap do-"
"Didn't you do that all last night?" Gabby interrupted. "Yes, and, like I was saying…we look for where we KNOW there are doors. Then , we try to get in. If we fall in, we er…hope the other finds her way in. Sound good?"
"I guess…" Gabby muttered. "Good! Let's get started!" Jen said cheerfully, smiling triumphantly and grabbing her jacket. She opened the door and bowed to Gabby. "After you my lady." Her friend grinned. "Why, thanketh you." Once she was in the hall, Jen followed. "Alright, I will go to where the 'Notes' act is taking place, and you go towards the ballet dorms, ok?"
"I guess." Gabby replied, and began walking in that direction. Jen grinned, and made her way to the main entrance to the Opera House. She saw Andre, Firmin, Carlotta, and Raoul, the Fop, she thought, and laughed softly. The two managers looked like they were about to have a pair of cows, and she laughed harder. OG was making his wishes known. La Carlotta was none to pleased either. Raoul was just…confused. 'As always' she thought again, and once again a giggle escaped. Afterwards, Jen thought how strange the giggle sounded. She wasn't that kind of person. With a shrug she made her way into the large gilded room and into the hallway beyond.
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Gabby's search was going little better. She had passed every trap she knew of and was now heading into the main theater, hoping to find something on the empty stage. Not likely that Erik would leave one of his precious doors opened, but he could be more careless that they thought. She ignored the strange looks from the maids cleaning- she and Jen were used to strange looks. So what if a Hispanic looking cello player was randomly wandering around the stage? Made no difference to her if she were on the stage or in a shopping mall. She bent down to search for patterns in the way the wood was cut, looking for clues to a trap door. She suddenly remembered the scene in the movie when the Phantom was changing the levers for something and wondered where he had been. A secretive grin spread across her face, and she started her new quest
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Jen sighed and retraced her steps, looking for anything strange in the flooring of the hallway. There had to be something somewhere. She took another step, tapping the ground with her heel to see if it sounded like an empty space was beneath it. Nothing different about it she concluded after a few minutes, then moved down the hall a few feet. A serving man walked past and glanced at her strangely, but she paid no heed. She sighed and took a few more steps, repeating the process of step, tap, ponder, then repeat. Nothing. This was getting frustrating. She glanced up slightly to look out a small window, and blinked when her eyes found the soft bluish light of the afternoon. She walked forward, without thinking, and felt the floor give way beneath her. With a yelp, the percussionist found herself falling down, down into the unfathomable darkness. She caught a quick, fleeting, last glimpse of daylight, then saw the door close itself. Jen continued plummeting downwards, looking for something to grab hold of. Finding nothing, she yelped, then groaned when her body hit bottom. Darkness surrounded her, and she lost consciousness.