Ta Da! Here it is: the second chapter of Forgotten Phantoms! It sure took me long enough. I'm sorry about the long wait, I have been so busy and I haven't had a moment to sit down and write. But here it is now. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth or any characters or lines from it. I also don't own The Phantom of the Opera or anything from it, although I wish I did (Gerard Butler and his voice drool)
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Forgotten Phantoms
Chapter 1
Jareth's eyes snapped open and he sat up in his bed. He looked around the small bedroom of his apartment and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that everything was as it should be. It was that dream again. He didn't understand why it still freaked him out; he had been having that same dream almost every night for the last six years. His parents and little sister died in a car crash when he was nineteen and from then on, that dream just kept haunting him in his sleep.
Jareth sighed again and glanced at the clock. It was 9:30 in the morning. Jareth groaned and rolled out of bed. He had to be at rehearsal by 10:30, so if he wanted to be there on time, he'd better get a move on. The 25-year-old quickly showered and dressed, popping a piece of toast into his mouth as he glanced over his script. By 10:15 he was out the door of his small, one bedroom apartment and on the streets of New York City. He strolled down the street, letting everyone who saw him know that he was the shit and he knew it. He came to a small studio theatre, their rehearsal space for the moment. He opened the door and walked inside.
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Sarah Williams sat in one of the hard, plastic chairs provided for the actors, trying to appear confident, but nervously fidgeting whenever she thought no one was looking. She hated first rehearsals. The lack of alliances and the judgment of the bitter made her feel like a kitten, lost, alone, and afraid. Sarah glanced around the room, searching for a familiar or friendly face, but all she found where the sneers of the jealous, the stares of the curious, and the cold, confidant looks that she hoped others were seeing on her own face.
Sarah caught some movement towards the door and turned to look. There, she found herself staring at one of the most extraordinary men she had ever seen. He was tall, almost a head taller than her, with blonde hair that appeared almost white under the harsh florescent lights. His face was sharp and angular, completed with a pair of mismatched eyes- one grey and one blue. He was (despite the cliché) devastatingly handsome, but at the same time, he was surrounded by a dark, haunting beauty. Sarah was enthralled.
'Who is he?' she thought to herself, never taking her eyes from the man in front of her. 'Is he an actor? I wonder what part he's playing.'
Suddenly, the man turned his head and Sarah found herself staring into his pale eyes. For a brief second, she was filled with panic and tried to turn away, but before she could, a cold rush went through her body, leaving her feeling as if she had been hit by a truck filled with déjà vu. She stared at the blond man across the room, her eyes wide and shocked. His eyes were equally wide and his already pale skin was a shade paler.
'What the hell was that?' Sarah's mind screamed. She jumped up and was ready to run from the room when the director suddenly walked in, clapping his hands and calling for attention. The sudden noise caused Sarah to break the staring contest going on with the strange man and when she looked back, he had gathered his composure and was watching the director as if nothing had happened. Sarah stared at him for a few moments longer, blinking owlishly, very confused, before she turned back to the director to listen to what he was saying.
"Hello everyone," he began. "Welcome to the first rehearsal of the Broadway production of "The Phantom of the Opera." There was a moment of applause from the actors before he continued, "To begin with, I am Carl Stevens, your director. I am very excited to be directing "The Phantom of the Opera." It has been my favorite show for a very long time and I am looking forward to turning it into the masterpiece that I know it is. I am also looking forward to working with all of you. We have a wonderful cast with us; from our wonderful chorus members to our extraordinary leads, beginning with our Phantom, who is being played by Jareth Nissekonge." He made a sweeping hand motion towards the captivating blonde, who simply nodded. Hearing his name struck Sarah with another sense of déjà vu. She knew this man from somewhere, but she couldn't figure out where. She was busy trying to remember when she realized that her director was speaking again.
"Now for our lovely leading lady, Christine, we have the equally lovely Sarah Williams," he made another sweeping motion towards Sarah. She smiled softly as the rest of the group clapped politely. She risked another glance at the blond man, Jareth, only to find his mismatched eyes looking at her strangely.
'Oh shit,' Sarah thought to herself, 'he must think I'm some stalker-freak now. Great first impression Sarah.' The director continued to introduce to rest of the cast, oblivious to the energy between his two leads and the turmoil going on in Sarah's head. Sarah sat ramrod-straight in her chair, hairs still standing in remembrance of the first time her eyes met her new costar. She could see the new Phantom out of the corner of her eye. He sat calmly as if nothing had happened. Sarah began to wonder if she was the only one to feel it. A sudden flurry of motion caused her to come back to earth. Everyone in the room was suddenly standing and beginning to move around. After a moment of confusion, Sarah realized that the director had finished and rehearsal was beginning. She blushed slightly. 'Oops, I just spaced out on Carl's entire speech. What is with me today?'
Sarah stood and began mingling, meeting a few new faces, including her costar, Seth, who was playing Raoul. She was continuing to walk around the room when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to find Jareth standing in front of her.
He smiled a smug smile, looked her up and down, and said, "So, you must be the Sarah they chose for Christine."
'Ew,' Sarah thought. She did not like the smug attitude he was giving, as if her playing Christine was so preposterous that he had to come find out for himself. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Yes, and you must be the Jareth they chose for the Phantom."
He smiled and said, "Like what you see?" He spread his arms, as if to give her a good look. Sarah sneered slightly.
"Not really," she said. He dropped his arms, but didn't stop smiling.
"Oh really, those stares you were giving me from across the room say differently."
"That's because I've never seen someone so... what's the word... unusual-looking as you before."
His smile faltered a little, but stayed in place. Impressive. "That's not what they usually say," he grinned.
"Oh," Sarah shot back, "and who would 'they' be? Do you work with blind people?" That wiped the smile right off his face. Sarah allowed herself a tiny smile of triumph, until...
"Well, I thought Christine was supposed to be a sweet, naïve little girl, not a cold bitch." That got Sarah's already hot blood boiling.
"Well, the Phantom is supposed to be a crazy, controlling, egotistical ass, so I guess they cast that role perfectly," she spit. A crowd was beginning to gather so the director chose that moment to intervene.
"Okay ladies and gentlemen," he hurried, clapping his hands. "Enough chatting, it's time to start our first rehearsal." 'Oh boy,' he thought to himself as Sarah and Jareth stormed off in opposite directions, 'this is going to be a long six weeks.'
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Yay, it's done. Again, I am soooo sorry that I took so long getting this chapter out. I got super busy and lost interest in the story, partially because I had to change my whole story plan, because my original was just weird. I've actually had half of this chapter just sitting there forever, but yesterday morning I woke up with an intense urge to write more of this story. That feeling intensified when I watched the movie-version of Phantom, which I hadn't seen yet. That gave me the inspiration I needed. I finished my plan for the story, so I'm hoping to have a few new chapters out in the next few weeks. I love you all for reviewing and being so patient.