Chapter Fourteen

Leah woke from her fretful doze, one of her feet had crashed into the pillar painfully. Her head felt dizzy and light and Leah had a hard time focusing. She pushed herself away from the ledge and almost sank. Clumsily, she kicked her useless legs and moved her arms, trying to stay afloat.

Leah slowly moved from pillar to pillar. She could not swim very well anymore, but if she pulled herself along one pillar, then pushed off towards the next one, she was able to keep moving.

Eventually, she reached a wall and slid alongside it. She had no sense of direction and had no idea where she was going. But if she had to, she would follow every wall she found until it brought her somewhere.

Leah kept an ear open for the Phantom, but never heard anything other than her own breathing and the continuous drip of water.

It felt like days later, her sense of time was also off, but it had only been another hour or two. She reached another wall connecting with the one she had been following. Leah sighed weakly and changed her course, pursuing the new wall.

The wall went on forever, with nothing but cold, slimy brick under her hands to guide her way. She had one hand sliding along the slippery bricks and the other was keeping her almost afloat.

At some point that morning, Leah's hand slipped from the brick, into an empty space in the wall. Leah looked up with tired eyes and saw a small gape in the damp wall. She could not see into it, it was too dark.

The opening was just wide enough for her to clumsily pull herself up into it. She sat on the ledge with her legs in the water, resting. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, dozing off again.


Leah opened her heavy, reluctant eyelids, and turned her dizzy head, looking up into the passage. She still could not see anything, but rolled over onto her stomach anyways. She crawled on her hands and knees, rough stone beneath her. The passage did not end, and it pointed upwards, but it failed to raise her hopes. Leah was too cold and tired to feel anything.

The opening grew smaller and narrower and Leah could not stand even if she wanted to. She crawled for a long time, stopping often to rest. Her hands and knees were cut by the rough brick, but they were minor wounds that she ignored, along with the rest of them.

Finally she reached what felt like the end of the tunnel. There was something blocking the end and Leah leaned against it, sighing. After a few moments of rest, she started to push on the blockage, it felt like wood, not stone and she thought she might be able to move it.

Pushing on it sent waves of dizziness rushing over her mind and Leah gave one last push. The wooden panel swung open and Leah fell through it, landing on the ground. She heard the panel click shut above her and felt wood beneath her. She decided that she was safe enough for the moment and willingly let the world grow black again.


Jim, with the permission of the managers, gathered a group of stagehands and sent them out to search the building. They were the ones that knew it best and were the best ones to find Leah. He sent some up to the attics and some to the basements and only a few to patrol the main floor. Most of the people in the Opera stayed on the main floors and Leah would be found easily if she were there.

Jim had asked some of the maids to clean up Leah's room, he did not want her to see it the way it was. It had taken quite some time, but everything was now straightened up, mirrors and vases were replaced, new blankets and sheets were brought in, the old ones sent to the mending room. New tables and chairs were brought in and blood was washed off of everything. The maids even brought in candles and incense to rid the room of the coppery smell of spilled blood.

Jim stood in the doorway and watched as the maids finished up. One of them walked up to Jim and nervously held out something to him.

"I found this while I was cleaning sir," she said nervously. "I thought you might want to see it."

Jim straightened it out and made out the spiky writing.

'That, my pet, was just a warning. I am coming for you soon.'

He crumpled it in his fist, unknowingly mimicking Leah the night before. He narrowed his eyes and strode angrily from the room.


Five stagehands were sent into the basements, all three levels of it. Two stayed on the first level, two went down to the second, and the last stagehand went down alone to the third and lowest level. This stagehand walked along the dim hallways, not sure exactly of what he was supposed to be doing. A dancer was lost, was that it? Now what would she be doing in the basement?

He wandered around, shuffling his feet and wishing he had brought something to drink. He could feel his throat drying up as he walked. Well, he would just finish going down this one hallway and leave. Surely she would not be wandering around the lowest level of the basement.

The stagehand sighed. The end of the hallway was in sight and there was no sign of-

Wait.

He peered through the candlelight, seeing a pale shape on the floor ahead of him. The stagehand rushed forward and knelt on the ground. He reached out and brushed a wet lock of hair away and saw that it was indeed the dancer they were looking for. She was so still, so cold. He gathered her in his arms and rushed her away. She was so light.


He carried her up to the main floors, shouting all the way. Jim heard the cries and came running up to them, taking her into his arms.

"Oh my God," he said, looking at her face. The paleness of it enhanced the bruises that were everywhere. One eye was blackened and swollen shut, and her bottom lip was split. Dark purple bruises spread everywhere he could see skin, along with numerous gashes and cuts. She had a lump forming on the back of her head and her forehead was cut open, though clean of blood. Her nightgown was damp and clung to her form. The coldness of her body seeped through Jim's clothing and chilled his own skin. He took off at a run, calling for somebody to fill her tub with hot water.

He raced upstairs, running faster when Leah's breathing stopped for a heart-pounding moment. Jim burst through Leah's door and into the bathing chamber and was relieved to see steam rising from the large tub. He sent the servants away and practically jumped into the tub, still holding Leah in his arms.

Jim seated Leah on the tub's stool, leaning her against the frame. He began rubbing her cold limbs, trying to massage life back into her. Jim found a soft cloth among the towels next to the tub and soaked it in the hot water. He smoothed the cloth over her brow and cheeks and down her neck, rubbing it over her arms and hands as well.

"Please Leah," He said while he worked. "Wake up, please. Oh Leah, this is my fault." Jim felt grief welling up to replace his anger and fear. "I should not have abandoned you, you needed me and I turned my back to you. I swear Leah," he said intensely. "I will do whatever I can to make this up to you. You just have to wake up."

Ever so slowly, colour returned to her skin and her breathing sped up to a normal pace. Her eyes fluttered and she groaned softly. Leah's skin began to warm and Jim quickly drained some of the water and added more hot.

Leah rolled her head around, dropping it onto Jim's chest.

"Leah?" Jim asked. "Leah? Please wake up?"

"Mm," Leah mumbled, her voice thick and scratchy.

"Leah," Jim pushed her back, wanting to look into her eyes.

Leah opened her bloodshot eyes to see the owner of the voice she had been wanting to see for the longest time. One eye was swelled shut and she could not see out of it. Jim swam in and out of focus and Leah's head pounded to the beat of her heart. She closed her eyes again, wanting to block out the pain.

"You have to stay awake for a time," Jim said gently. "We have to get you healed up."

Leah shook her head and immediately regretted it. She groaned again and leaned forward, wanting to feel the stagehand's strong arms around her once more. He obeyed and his warm hands wrapped around her tightly. Leah's head spun and she rested it on his shoulder, content for the first time in a while, despite the pain she was in.

Madame Giry came into the room at that moment, and Jim glared at her when he finally noticed. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

Madame Giry said nothing, but stepped further into the room. Jim kept his arms around Leah, holding her tight and shielding her from view. She knelt beside the tub and Jim was shocked to see tears in her eyes.

Jim sat back, letting Leah rest against the tub once more. Madame Giry gasped when she saw Leah's face, and the rest of her under the water. The dancer kept her eyes closed, not wanting to look into the face that had started all this.

"Leah," the ballet mistress said, pain and regret evident in her voice.

Leah did not open her eyes but turned her face slightly towards the older woman's voice.

Madame Giry took Leah's hand and held it between her own. "Leah you cannot know how sorry I am. I did not think things would get this far."

The dancer frowned at her words.

"The Phantom threatened me, my dear. He told me," and now her voice shook like her hands did. "He told me that he would kill you in front of my eyes had I not arranged a meeting between the two of you." She began to cry, Leah could hear the tears in her voice. "He said he would cut you all over your body until you bled to death on the floor in front of me. I could not bear to see that, Leah! You are like a daughter to me, you have been since I helped bring you into this world. I could not let him harm you."

Leah raised her hand and gently placed it upon the ballet mistress' face, feeling the tears under her fingers. She smiled softly and whispered hoarsely; "Do not worry, Madame, I am well. I am not harmed."

Leah choked on her last word and fell back, lost to the darkness once more.


Jim could not rouse Leah this time, she stubbornly remained unconscious. He sent Madame Giry for the doctor and climbed out of the tub. After drying himself off as best he could, he lifted Leah from the water. He rubbed her down with a soft length of cloth and wrapped a thick robe around her. Once she as covered up, he took hold of her nightgown by the hem and tugged. It ripped easily and Jim pulled it off of her, keeping her modestly covered at the same time.

Jim carried her too-light body into her room and set her gently on the bed. Her new blankets were warm and Jim pulled them up to her chin, while he waited for the ballet mistress returned with the Opera doctor.

Leah unwillingly woke to strong smelling salts a short time later. Moaning deep in her throat, Leah tried to move away from the smell. The doctor took his hand away and Leah breathed deep the fresher air. She felt cold hands poking and prodding her, examining her battered body.

"Leah, dear," the doctor said gently. "Can you remember how long you were in the cold water?"

Leah opened her mouth and tried to clear her throat. "No," she said thickly. "It felt like days."

She heard somebody walk up to the bed, on the other side of the doctor. Jim took her hand and stroked it gently. "Leah honey, what time did he show up in your room last night?"

"Maybe around eleven," she said, her words slurring. "I was going to sleep."

"And then what?" He coaxed.

"I hit him with a bat."

"Hit who?" The doctor asked and Jim held up his hand, hushing him.

"And after that?" Jim asked.

"I don't remember."

"What do you remember?"

"The boat. I woke up in a boat and went into the water. I was in the water for a long time."

"When was she found?" The doctor asked quietly to Jim.

"Just now, a few minutes ago," Jim told him.

The doctor did some quick adding. "Then she would have been down there for maybe seven hours? My God," he added. He put his wrist to her forehead and felt her pulse. He looked over to Jim. "She is going to get very sick and very fast," he said to him.

"Is she going to be okay?" Jim asked quietly so that Leah would not hear him.

"I cannot say one way or the other at the moment," he said at the same level. He turned to Leah. "I need you to drink something for me, dear and then you can go back to sleep." He lifted her head with one hand and held a cup to her lips. Leah obediently swallowed the bitter medicinal tea and made a face.

"Come now, no awful faces," the doctor chided kindly. Leah's face smoothed and she fell asleep quickly. The doctor pulled her blankets up to cover her and turned to Jim. "Somebody will need to stay with her for most of the time," he said. "At least for the first few days. After that, either she will be better, or," he shrugged. "She will not need to be helped."