Another update, I've got noting much to say except…

THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS ROCK MY SOCKS OFF!

And continuing on with the story…

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It was with great personal satisfaction that I looked in the wide floor-length mirror in the dormitories.

I was decked out in my costume which had been completed only hours before, and looked (I hate to sound full of myself, but hey, what can you do) amazing.

I just hoped that Raoul would take notice.

Christine was wearing her gown of silver and gold satin with a plain black mask and Meg had just pulled on her snow white dress trimmed with the faux pink roses Madame Giry had sewn on a little bit ago with the ugly full face white mask, and they didn't look half as good, and neither did the rest of the girls.

Boy did I feel special.

I had also 'borrowed' some pretty black embroidered slippers from Carlotta's huge shoe closet. When I was sneaking away from her closet carrying them I had a few prangs of guilt, but banished them quickly upon realizing that Carlotta had so many shoes she would never miss these, and now they fit perfectly on my feet, and were a beautiful addition to my costume.

My date would meet me in the foyer by the big vase that was nearly as tall as me, and although I was glad to have someone to go with, I was afraid of whom he would be. Would he be hott, er, handsome? Was he really as nice as Meg proclaimed he was? Was he a pervert? All of these questions sprang up in my mind when I would think of him.

But I wouldn't think of that now, it was almost time to go down. And I wouldn't have to see him until later on tonight. I had to perform the so called 'ballet' which would be a little while, and then I would have to be nervous about seeing him.

I smiled again at my reflection, and did a little turn. The dress was absolutely perfect for dancing. Although it wasn't meant for arabesques or a fouetté, it was great for the ballroom dancing we would be doing after the brief dance that wasn't really a dance.

It was mostly a type of 'fan dance', only with the little fans, not the huge ostrich feathers usually seen, and was pretty cool, seeing as I already knew most of the steps to it.

"Let's go ladies!" Madame Giry opened the door and called to the masked girls around me.

The girls gave nervous giggles, and we piled out of the room after Madame Giry.

The foyer was a beautiful splash of gold, silver, black and white. There were fake pearls dripping from the archways alongside bolts of gauzy fabrics. The chandelier in the middle of the ceiling was hung with more of the iridescent gauze, but only the black and silver. Little Venetian masks like mine were hung on the walls as decoration, and were attached to the twin sculptures on the newel posts on the staircases.

Even the orchestra, who were warming up in the balcony area, was dressed up. I looked to the low brass section with envy. Back home I was in the orchestra for my school, and I played the Euphonium, the greatest instrument ever in my opinion.

"Wow…" I said along with all of the costumed girls, whose outfit colors matched the room perfectly.

"Come along! Come along!" Madame Giry said, ushering us onto the stairs where our partners were. We didn't know exactly who we were dancing with, seeing as we switched between partners so much, but it didn't really matter anyhow.

We would do the fan dance on the stairs, travel down to the floor, have a nice combination of a reel and a waltz, and then make our way back to the stairs, do the fan dance again, only cooler, end, and then were allowed to dance with our beaux, or in my case, arranged partner, and it was nearly time to start.

We went through the routine once, to make sure it was still perfect, and that we could do it in the costumes without ruining them (We hadn't actually had a dress rehearsal. We just used things that were similar to our costumes to practice) and were let out on a short break before the party started.

"Won't this be so much fun?" Christine asked, her cheeks a deeper pink than the rouge she carefully dabbed on earlier. Against my earlier suspicion she wasn't going to be in the show, I was wrong.

"Oh, I can't wait!" Meg said, grinning as she thought of her beau, Paul-Henri.

I only smiled; my eyes itching to give them the meanest evil eye I could come up with.

"It's eight!" Madame Giry announced, and she ushered the group of dancers up the steps to our positions.

We were 'frozen' in second position, (our starting position) and once the mass of the invited guests who were invited (many of the latter were important people for France, such as the governor and so on…) were off to the sides and the balconies on the second and third floor above, the orchestra started, and we began the dance.

We had a bit where it was just a little fan dance, and then where we swept onto the polished marble floors, and got with our dancing partners and sang as we did the waltz-reel. It was one of my favorite parts, and when we started I was all exited.

"Masquerade!
Paper faces on parade ...
Masquerade!
Hide your face,
so the world will
never find you!

Masquerade!
Every face a different shade ...
Masquerade!
Look around -
there's another
mask behind you!

Flash of mauve ...
Splash of puce ...
Fool and king ...
Ghoul and goose ...
Green and black ...
Queen and priest ...
Trace of rouge ...
Face of beast ...

Faces ...
Take your turn, take a ride
on the merry-go-round ...
in an inhuman race ...

Eye of gold ...
Thigh of blue ...
True is false ...
Who is who ...?
Curl of lip ...
Swirl of gown ...
Ace of hearts ...
Face of clown ...

Faces ...
Drink it in, drink it up,
till you've drowned
in the light ...
in the sound ...
But who can name the face ...?
Masquerade!
Grinning yellows,
spinning reds ...
Masquerade!
Take your fill -
let the spectacle
astound you!

Masquerade!
Burning glances,
turning heads ...
Masquerade!
Stop and stare
at the sea of smiles
around you!

Masquerade!
Seething shadows
breathing lies ...
Masquerade!
You can fool
any friend who
ever knew you!

Masquerade!
Leering satyrs,
peering eyes ...
Masquerade!
Run and hide -
but a face will
still pursue you!"

We broke off to the side of the stairs to let the guests pass down. As the last one trailed to the floor us dancers took up the middle of the stairs again, and I looked over just in time to see Christine and Raoul kiss from behind a pillar. My blood had momentarily turned freezing cold, but in a hurry heated back up and ran to my cheeks, turning them rosy red in my anger.

I took the arm of a new partner and started waltzing with him alongside several of the guests, and once or twice twirling around Raoul and Christine.

There were now only a few of the people dancing on the floor, as most of the guests had moved alongside to watch the remaining dancers, my same partner and I being one of the pairs. (The other dancers were against the wall only because their parts were over)

I had been so absorbed in my thinking of Raoul and Christine that I preformed only out of memory, and was startled out of remembering what to do next when my partner swept me up into his arms to spin me around like the other couples.

I brought myself swiftly back to awareness, remembered it was part of the plot, and swiftly called to mind what I did next.

It was my overall favorite part; when I was picked up, swung in a circle, put down, and then repeated throughout the room until the music slowed and went back to a pretty slow dance. I had put all my anger into performing and, needless to say, I did really well.

The music slowed and the groups of dancers waiting took the cue with us. We swirled up the stairs, pulled out the fans which were hidden behind a plant, and began the fan dance/chorus as the shiny gold and silver confetti fell and stuck itself in our hair like snow.

"Masquerade!
Paper faces on parade!
Masquerade!
Hide your face,
so the world will
never find you!

Masquerade!
Every face a different shade!
Masquerade!
Look around -
There's another
mask behind you!

Masquerade!
Burning glances,
turning heads ...
Masquerade!
Stop and stare
at the sea of smiles
around you!

Masquerade!
Grinning yellows,
spinning reds ...
Masquerade!
Take your fill -
let the spectacle
astound you!"

The music was halted to a stop by an ever so slight diversion.

The lights were suddenly dimmed and Erik appeared decked out in his (I hate to admit it) sexy Gerik version of 'Red Death.'

I, along with the other girls, gasped. But I, not out of fear, out of my shear stupidity. Why the heck couldn't I remember that he was supposed to appear right after the second chorus?

'Shoot…shoot…shoot…' I thought briefly before the masked partner which whom I had just been spun around by grabbed my hand and pulled me back towards the wall, and then moved in front of me, as if shielding me from Erik, gently holding my wrist. I peeked out from behind his tall shoulders and watched Erik swagger down the stairs in his oh-so-egoistical way. He scanned the room, as if looking down at us in distaste, and then began to sing.

"Why so silent good messieurs? Did you think that I had left you for good? Have you missed me good messieurs?" he started as he came down the stairs. 'Wait, missed you?' I thought, and then I realized that he had been out of sight to the other lucky members of the Opera house. I, unfortunately, seemed to be the only person he had spoken to in those six months since the rooftop bit.

"I have written you an opera! Here I bring the finished score, Don Juan Triumphant!" He continued, flinging the score onto the ground. 'Oh yes, throw your precious masterpiece onto the grubby floor. Well, actually not grubby, it's probably clean enough to eat on…' my thoughts were interrupted by Erik unsheathing his sword. The crowd gasped again as one. I only raised an eyebrow at them. 'Oh how very frightening.' I thought sarcastically, already bored with the situation at hand. Why wouldn't he just hurry up and leave, I had been having such a good time…

"I advise you to comply; my instructions should be clear… and remember there are worse things than a shattered chandelier!" He paused before continuing "A few instructions just before rehearsal starts… Carlotta must be taught to act, not her normal trick of strutting 'round the stage… Our Don Juan must loose some weight; it's not healthy, in a man of Pinagi's age…" I bit my lip, trying to suppress a giggle. Erik went on, now moving to Andre and Firmin. "And my managers must learn that their place is in an office, not the arts…" He now descended from the stairs to Christine. Raoul, I had just noticed, had left to get his sword.

"As for our star… Miss Christine Daae… No doubt she'll do her best, it's true her voice is good, she knows, though should she wish to excel she has much still to learn, if pride will let her return to me, her teacher… her teacher…" The harshness in Erik's voice softened as he said the last words, and I looked from him to Madame Giry, who was looking quite torn, to Christine, whose expression was changing from fright to kindness as she slowly started walking to him.

I could almost hear 'Learn to be Lonely' swell sappily in the background.

Erik and Christine moved toward each other until they were almost close enough to kiss. The candles flickering on the newel post shone brightly and Erik's eyes were attracted to her chest by a glimmer of blue diamond on her necklace.

He yanked the necklace from her neck and yelled "Your chains are still mine, you belong to me!"

Erik ran up the stairs to the landing, and twirled his cloak. There was a loud bang and a load of smoke as my partner pulled me to his side. It felt weird in the arms of some random person whom I didn't know the name of, but I had to admit, this was much more frightening in person rather than watching it on the television and it was more comforting, and not so much weird.

Raoul emerged from the top of the stairs carrying a sword and ran down to the little landing to the hole that was left in the ground from where Erik had disappeared. He hesitated for the shortest of milliseconds and jumped down the opening right as it closed with another loud bang.

I wanted to smack Christine for starting to fall into Erik's enchantment or whatever, but I knew I couldn't. Not here, not anywhere. Especially since I was still in my masked partner's arms.

I hadn't realized it, but when the last bang had sounded I had moved from behind him and put my head on his chest, allowing him to envelope me with his arms. I don't know why I had done that, but I didn't want to be let go…

I lifted my head against my better judgment and craned my head back to where Christine was. She looked white as a… hmm, you guessed it; Sheet.

The room was dead silent as everyone stared at the floor where Erik and Raoul had vanished through. Everyone but me. I was busy watching in horror as Christine's face slowly drained of color, until her lips were as white as Meg's dress.

A memory from back home flickered. I had been in science class listening to a lecture about this surgery my teacher had done, him being an ex-surgeon, and I had been watching curiously as my best friend Clair had drained of color, exactly like Christine, and had slumped over in her chair, out cold. All this took place in just a second, and I mentally freaked.

I turned around quickly, startling my partner who was still holding onto me, and threw his arms off. I ran to her as fast as I could, nearly tripping on my petticoat, and caught her just as her knees gave way.

"Someone help me!" I cried out, trying to support her weight.

All at once people stopped looking at the floor in shock. They now turned to look at me, who was trying to hold Christine up by her arms.

All of a sudden two men came out of the crowd. "Here, we'll get her…" One of them said. The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it, not with the mask on… The man who spoke saw the apprehension on my face, nudged the other, and they pulled their masks off. It was only Fredrikk and Richard. I felt immediately relived. "Take her up to the dormitories…" I said. They nodded and picked her up.

I watched them carry her around the corner until I couldn't see them any longer. The massive crowd only stared in amazement. How could a night so fun and carefree turn into such a nightmare?

I ignored their curious stares and to Meg's tearful demands of what happened I responded with only an "I don't know, I only saw her before she fell." I didn't want to talk to anyone… I was disappointed about not seeing my date, and felt let down. What if I had liked him and things moved on from there, and you know… I fell in love? Sure it sounded pretty idiotic, but what if?

I thought of the stranger who held me and I felt goose bumps rise on my arms. It had felt so right in his arms… but how could this be? I mean, I only felt that way with Raoul… oh but… I couldn't feel like I did with Raoul… 'Oh gosh, I'm all confused.' I thought, shaking my head as I pulled open the heavy door to the freezing cold, snow covered courtyard.

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Wow, lovely sequence, no? And that whole 'hide behind my masked partner' thing was actually in the movie. When it shows Raoul & Christine, look to the right, and boom! It's Katey! Lol.

And yes, I actually do ply Euphonium for my school band.

And why does Katey feel this way?

I can offer only one explanation…

RAGING TEENAGE HORMONES!

Please review!