Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
Author's Note: Hmmm. There seems to be a lot of guessing as to what is going on with Pierre. There are a lot of correct guesses, and some semi-correct guesses. But I'm afraid there are some surprises ahead that go way beyond what my readers are thinking. That's all I'll say for now, but by all means, go ahead keep guessing. I find it intriguing. And before anyone says it, I know I need to update quicker. My stupid life keeps intruding on my true passion.
Mistakes
"So what is your plan, Mother?" Meg asked as they entered La Fenice. "I know you have one, even though you didn't mention it to Eric."
"Eric is not himself. He would not approve of what I wish to do, even though it might be our only hope." Antoinette insisted.
"And what is that?" Meg asked following her mother down a hallway that she was told would take them to the manager's office.
"I, my child, am going to charm the managers into giving you an audition for the corps de ballet, a few days hence from now." Antoinette answered.
"An audition. Am I seeking employment?" Meg asked out of mischief.
"No, but it will give us an excuse to mill around the backstage area after the performance. We should ask questions of the other performers to know whether you should become employed here, shouldn't we?" Antoinette said in mock innocence.
"Yes, I suppose we should." Meg agreed.
Unfortunately Madam Giry and her daughter, had to use their true names and divulge the fact that the Opera Populaire in Paris employed them, to gain the favor of the managers and an audition for Meg. But still after the performance they were allowed to roam freely backstage. Antoinette spoke to the actors while Meg chose to question the ballet performers. "What ever you do, avoid the one they call Anna." Antoinette warned.
"Yes, Mama." Meg answered spying the first girl she would talk to, and making her way over casually.
Anna watched, as the blonde newcomer seemed to be trying to talk to all of the other ballet rats, except her. She wondered who the girl was. "Suzette, who is she?" She asked one of the girls who she had seen talking to the blonde.
"She's from Paris. She is thinking about moving here. Her mother is around somewhere. They are asking questions. Trying to decide whether she would fit in at La Fenice." Suzette answered.
"Is she now?" Anna said staring at Meg with a thoughtful look across her face. She ignored the strange look that Suzette gave her. "We'll see about this." She whispered to herself.
"What did you learn?" Antoinette asked Meg as the left La Fenice later that night.
"Not much. I got a few of the girls to gossip about Philippe and Anna, but none of them knew of any other person who was close to her." Meg answered. "And you, anything?"
"No, quite the same as you." Antoinette answered.
There were a few carriages for hire lined along the street waiting to take some of the performers home. Antoinette stepped up into the nearest, and Meg followed her. But both women were surprised to see a man open the opposite door and climb in. "Sir, what is the meaning of this?" Antoinette said in outrage. At that moment another man entered the other side of the carriage behind Meg. She began to call out to the driver, but was silenced as she saw a sharp knife flash in the moonlight, and then pressed close to her throat.
"Shhhhh. Now ladies, I'm afraid our employer wishes to meet you, alive and in the flesh. I really don't want to take you to her damaged, but I will if I have to." The man holding the knife said with an evil grin as he pulled the shades down on the carriage windows, so they could not see where they went.
The ride was not long, and they were let out in front of a run down warehouse, on a deserted street. The men forced the women into the building. They could see many doors leading into smaller rooms, but there was a large open work area in the center. There stood Anna, with her hands upon her hips waiting for them. "Was there any trouble?"
"No, Mam. None at all." The man that held a knife to Meg's throat answered pushing her in front of Anna.
"What is the meaning of this?" Antoinette asked in her haughtiest tone.
"Don't play coy with me, Mamma Giry." Anna said smirking. "Yes, I know exactly who you two are. What I don't know, is why that fool bothered to have you two come all the way to Venice."
Antoinette dropped the façade of innocence as she glanced at the man holding a knife to her daughter's throat. "Where is Lily?"
"You will see her soon enough." Anna crooned in delight at having more people to manipulate. "What did you think you would accomplish by asking all of those questions at the opera house? They are all imbeciles there. None of them know what I do, or who I really am. Did you imagine that maybe one of them was helping me?"
Antoinette did not answer her, but instead asked a question of her own. "So who exactly are you?"
Anna walked forward grasping Antoinette's chin roughly. "I am nothing more than smoke and wind. But I promise you, I am your worst nightmare."
Antoinette reached out to strike the hand from her face, but for just a moment the lights dimmed, and when they came back up the woman was gone. She heard a voice float through the air from nowhere. "Lock them in the room with our other guests."
Antoinette spun around in all directions, but the woman was gone. The men roughly pushed the two women to a door.
"I hear something." Lily said with her ear against the door. "Someone's coming."
"Get back. Let me handle this." Pierre said pushing her to the side and waiting for the door to open, but when it did he froze.
He could see a large man with a knife held at the neck of a pretty blond girl. "Get back scum." The larger man growled.
"Meg." Lily gasped. "Don't hurt her, please."
Pierre stepped back as the two women were pushed into the room and the door slammed behind them.
Lily immediately embraced Meg. "Oh, Meg. How did you get into this mess?"
Antoinette stood back staring at the man before here, with an incredible look upon her face. Lily noticed and then realized that Antoinette was the only one of her friends that had seen Philippe LaChance up close. "Antoinette, this is Pierre LaChance. He is a prisoner of Anna's also."
Antoinette looked at Lily, and saw the bandaged cuts and bruises on her face. "Are you well, child?"
Lily simply nodded.
"I'm sorry, Madam, but by the look on your face, you must have known my brother, Philippe." Pierre said bowing slightly.
"I met him once." Antoinette said suspiciously at the man's show of good manners.
"Antoinette, Pierre is not like his brother. He has been helping me. He stopped Anna from seriously hurting me." Lily tried to explain away her doubts. "He is imprisoned here because he tried to help me."
"Very well." Antoinette said nodding her head. "Now, what of this Anna. Can you tell me how it is that she can be one place one moment, and then poof gone the next?"
"I told you she had powers." Pierre said looking to Lily.
Lily shook her head and then answered the older woman. "Pierre and all of La Fenice seem to think she is a witch of some sorts."
"A Gypsy Witch to be exact." Pierre answered. "Or at least that's what Philippe used to call her."
Antoinette's scowl grew. The only dealings she had ever had with the gypsies were when she helped Erik escape from them as a boy. She knew his experiences with them had not been good either. "Erik will not be pleased."
Lily's face lit up at the mention of his name. "Have you seen him? Is he all right? Did they hurt him, when they took me?" The questions came pouring forth.
Pierre stood back and listened as Lily spoke to them about her Erik.
"He was ill?" She asked fear creeping into her voice, after being told of his almost collapse in the hotel room.
"No, not ill. Just exhausted from trying to find you, and the lack of sleep worrying about you." Meg answered.
Lily stared at the floor as she imagined him sick with worry. Then a thought came unbidden to her mind. "She wants to kill him." She whispered.
Meg wrapped a comforting arm around her friends shoulder. "He will find a way out of this."
"She wants to kill him, and she wants me to watch as she does it. She wants me to feel the loss she feels over Philippe. She will be satisfied with nothing else." Her voice broke as fresh tears flowed down her cheeks. "If only we had stayed in Paris. If only I hadn't insisted upon visiting my father's grave." She said in self-accusation.
"It will do no good for you to blame yourself, Lily. I've told you, Anna would find you anywhere you went. It was only a matter of time." Pierre said standing on the other side of her from Meg. "Please, do not cry. All is not lost, yet. We are all still alive, and with life there is hope."
She looked up to him, and forced her tears back. "You are right. We will find a way."
Antoinette watched the looks that passed between the two and did not like the dependent look she saw in Lily's eyes. She knew Erik would not like it either.
Erik was not able to fall asleep. He continued to have visions of Lily. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see her being abused, violated, or killed. The face of her attacker was always the face he had seen at that Paris hotel but a few months before. It was the face of Philippe LaChance. He would force his eyes open to escape the horrific sights, but every time his eyes would slip shut it would be the same.
Time was growing late, and he began to worry about the Girys. They should have been back sooner. His worry over them began to frustrate him almost as much as the visions of Lily. He had begun to pace the room in his impatience.
Shortly after midnight he stopped his pacing as he heard a noise in the hallway. He slid behind the door expecting it to open, but instead an envelope was slipped under the door as hurried footsteps went away.
He looked at the envelope and it was addressed to The Phantom. His fingers began to tremble as he opened the letter.
What silly women they are. Trying to spy on me. Why, they were even easier to take than Lily was. What on earth did you think those silly nits would accomplish?
He read the first paragraph and then groaned thinking of the two women who had come to help him, and now were in grave danger themselves.
Anyway, they have joined me, and will now become part of the final act also. You knew it was coming soon. Can you imagine what your final performance will be like? To be making the greatest sacrifice of your life, for your one and only true love. How romantic it will be. Maybe once this is over I will create an opera about it. I think it would do well.
After the next performance, meet me in front of La Fenice.
A.
He crumpled the paper in outrage at the utter helplessness he felt. If he did, as she wanted he knew he might very well die, but if he did not… The vision entered his mind again and he struck out at the nearest object to him.
He felt a satisfying smash as his fist connected with the vanity mirror. Even though he knew it would only serve to cut his knuckles, it felt good to release some of the pent up anger. He pulled his hand away and wrapped a towel he found on the vanity around his bleeding knuckles. He stalked to the window and stared out at the cloudless black sky. He threw the shutter wide and listened to the utter silence, of the deepest part of night. He began to hear a haunting melody in his mind, reminding him of what was most important.
"Anything for you, Lily." He said and then began to hum the notes from Music of the Night. "Everything for you."
Author's Note: Next chapter we get to see some real action, and a nice little confrontation. Yeahhh.