The Phantom of the Opera: Chapter 6
Disclaimer: DC Comics owns "Teen Titans." Gaston Leroux owns the original story of "The Phantom of the Opera." Andrew Lloyd Webber owns the musical version. I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.
A/N: If some original characters in this story confuse you, please refer to my story "Book of Demons" for more information about them.
"DAMN YOU!" Raven leapt away from the bench, away from Starfire. She stood with her back turned, panting for breath. Her shoulders began to shake, her hands tightening to fists. "DAMN YOU!"
Starfire could not move, hands frozen before her chest after letting go of the mask. She could not breathe or blink. The world pressed in on her, suffocating her. She did not know if what she had seen was real. Her eyes began to burn. It did not matter what caused her tears. Despair or horror, they poured down her face all the same. Abruptly, the breath that she had been trying to draw rushed into her throat in a strangled gasp.
The sound was loud enough to reach past Raven's ragged breathing. She began to turn, and Starfire's eyes grew wide. She was torn, not wanting to see Raven's face but still yearning for something.
"This is what you wanted to see." There was no gentleness in Raven's voice. It was bitter and sharp and horrible. "This is what you wanted—now glut your damn curiosity on it!" Fast as a viper she moved, grabbing Starfire's upper arms and leaning close to her. There was no escaping from the sight of her face.
As a child, Starfire had heard many stories. Some were fairytales with happy endings. Others were ghost stories that were told as cautionary tales to small children. Within the walls of the Opera House and under the care of Chaos, she had come to hear stories of demons. The stories fascinated her as much as they terrified her, but she had believed for years that they were nothing more than that—mere stories. Now she knew how real the tales were, standing in the presence of a demon.
Four eyes glared at her, narrow with rage. They were red from lid to lid, glowing like bright embers in the dark. A sneer pulled lips far back enough for her to see sharp teeth. A dark crimson gem lay on a pale forehead, and written on the skin beneath that gem was a symbol that shone the same brilliant red as the eyes. It was a broken S, a mark denoted by the Church to stand for Scath: the demon Trigon.
Shadows given life whipped out from beneath the indigo cloak, knocking the piano bench into the wall hard enough to shatter it. More tendrils of the darkness snapped out and snuffed three of the four candles in the candelabra on the piano. The black surrounded them, the flicker of the candle's light matching Starfire's fast, fluttering pulse. There was rage written in every line on Raven's skeletally thin face, and Starfire could only stare.
"You weren't to touch my mask!" Raven's grip tightened. "You weren't to take it from me! You swore you would leave it alone! You—little—lying—Delilah!" With every word she shook Starfire, but every shake was weaker than the one before it. Abruptly, she took Starfire's hands and laid them on her cheeks, forcing her to feel the sharp angles of the bones beneath her pale and cool skin.
"This is all I am beneath that mask!" Her voice was still rough, but the rage was tinged with something Starfire could not make out. "All that I am is a monster! And now you can never be free!" She closed her eyes tight, clenching her teeth together. Starfire suddenly realized that she was holding back another cry of grief. "I would have let you go—you would have returned to me on your own. Oh, Starfire…Starfire."
The young woman felt heat falling onto her thumbs—tears. She blinked, clearing her eyes of the tears that had gathered but not fallen. The high set of eyes on Raven's face had become nothing more than the eyebrows of the lower set. Darkness surrounded these eyes, and Starfire could sense how deeply set they were when she gently put the tips of her fingers over them.
"Raven." The name escaped her lips in a whisper, but Raven jerked away from her as if it burned hotter than a flame. She turned away, pressing her hands over her face. An instant later, her hands fell limply to her sides and she looked to the ceiling.
"For one moment," Raven murmured softly, "I thought I could have heaven. You dared to think of me as more. I believed that you could have—that you did love me as I love you." Her head fell with a sigh. "But I can only be your Angel of Music—a demon masquerading as an angel." She lifted her hand, reaching out behind her. Shadows took hold of the mask that lay on the floor and brought it to her hand. Her back still to Starfire, she wiped away the tears and put the mask on her face. When she turned around, the only sign that anything had happened were the tears yet unshed in both women's eyes.
"You must return," Raven said, her voice falsely calm. "The fools who run my theater will be missing you."
----------
Chaos rarely slept, taking a number of different excuses whenever someone inquired of it. That night, she and Kali both remained awake. Kali was too furious to sleep, tossing and turning in their bed for an hour before giving up and sitting in Chaos's lap as the taller woman lounged in the chair. Had they been sleeping, they would not have heard the near-silent knock at the door.
Kali reluctantly stood up and went to the door, opening it only slightly. She and Chaos had encountered her replacement earlier in the day, and only a well-timed interjection from Chaos had saved the woman—Kitten—from a broken nose. Kitten had been annoyingly chipper, and seemed well aware that Kali was the one she spoke disparagingly of when she remarked on the uselessness of the box office manager that she replaced. Jinx had been worse, guiding Kitten about and laughing uproariously at her remarks. Both Chaos and Kali knew of Jinx's love of torment, and Kali fully expected the prima donna to be standing at the door despite the late hour.
She could not hold back a gasp of surprise when she found Starfire half-conscious behind the door. The young woman's eyes closed as Kali wrenched open the door, and Kali found herself too preoccupied with catching her as she fell forward to notice that she had been let go of. Chaos stood from the chair and strode to the door, her eyes locked with those that looked at her from the shadows. A pale hand—one of the two that had been holding Starfire's shoulders—held out a note. Chaos saw the faint tremble of the hand, the tenseness of the fingers clutching the note. She turned her gaze back to the dark blue eyes in the shadows. Without looking away, she took the note.
Their gazes lingered, but no words passed between them. The dark eyes closed, and a shadow within the shadows swept away. Chaos closed the door gently, locking it. The clack of the deadbolt sliding into place made Kali look up. She opened her mouth to speak, but saw the note in Chaos's hand. Closing her mouth a moment, she gently put her hand on Starfire's forehead.
"She's not hurt," she murmured. "Just unconscious." She looked back up at Chaos, who stood gazing at the two women. "Should we take her up to the dormitories?"
"No," Chaos replied. "I don't want to wake the other girls, and the last thing we need is for everyone to lose their minds when they find Starfire returned to her bed. She'll stay with us until she wakes up."
"You mean until you think it's the right time to wake her." Chaos smiled, extending her hand to Kali.
"You know me far too well, my dear."
----------
"This is insane!" Beast Boy moaned, clutching his head in his hands. Cyborg nodded from his place at the desk, barely noticing the other man as he paced back and forth. "It's the first day Kitten is on the job, and she's nearly overrun! She said that people were demanding to know what happened to Madame Kali and they kept asking about Mademoiselle Starfire! We've already sold the entire house for Il Muto!"
"To hell with Gluck and Handel—it's a scandal that'll pack them in the aisles."
"What?"
"Nothing." Cyborg sighed and sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin slowly. "Is everything ready for the performance? It's only a week away."
"More or less," Beast Boy replied. "We're reusing about two thirds of the backdrops and set pieces from last year's production."
"Why not all of it?" Cyborg asked. "It'll save time and money."
"They've been thrown out," Beast Boy said. "We just have to make or buy new ones. We're on schedule though." Cyborg nodded. He drummed his fingers on his desk, and his nervous gesture reminded him of the stack of letters under his hand. He picked the stack up and rifled through them, tossing them one by one back onto the desk. He subconsciously sorted them, bills in one pile and letters from patrons and subscribers in another. When he came to the bottom of the stack, he froze.
"Who delivered the mail?" he asked.
"I don't know," Beast Boy said shortly. "Why?" He turned to see the note Cyborg held in one hand. He recognized the telltale crimson wax seal and the black envelope. Cyborg opened the envelope as Beast Boy walked hesitantly to the desk, retrieving the black paper as slowly as the other man's stride. After clearing his throat unnecessarily, Cyborg began to read the note aloud.
"Messieurs Stone and Logan,
Though this is regrettably tardy, thank you for such an enjoyable evening. Starfire was exquisite. Like most patrons of my Opera House, I was hardly upset that Mademoiselle Jinx did not 'grace' us with her presence. You've allowed a great talent to take wing."
"Madame Dolan said the same thing," Beast Boy murmured. Cyborg glanced up at him, but turned his gaze quickly back to the rest of the note.
"I would like to remind you that my salary has not yet been paid. Monsieur Slade and I had a very pleasant relationship, and I would very much like to have a similar relationship with you. If you want to keep anarchy from the theater, you will not begin our partnership by angering me.
Kind regards,
O.G."
"Is she threatening us or isn't she?" Beast Boy asked. Cyborg scowled, gripping the note as if to tear it in half. His hands tensed, but he did nothing. After a moment, he let out a wavering sigh and put the note on the desk.
"We're not paying her," he said simply. "She's nothing short of insane." As if to save them from the subject, someone knocked at the closed door. "Come in!" The door swung open and Robin strode into the office with a stern look on his face.
"Good afternoon, Vicomte!" Beast Boy said. "You're well, I hope?"
"Well enough," Robin said brusquely. "I've come to see what you've decided to do about Dolan and her behavior."
"Nothing." Robin's hands slowly clenched into fists, tightening and tightening until his knuckles cracked. He ground his teeth together and sucked a deep breath through his nose.
"I've given you an entire day to do what you will with that despicable woman," he snarled. "But I expect to see results, not the same ridiculous answer to stall for time. I do not care how much this woman appears to do—I demand a punishment for her inexcusable actions."
"After hearing Madame Dolan's side of the story, we have decided that she is…free of fault," Beast Boy murmured.
"Then who is the person at fault?" Robin asked in a whisper. Neither man would meet his narrow-eyed gaze. The only sign of the fury that threatened to emerge was the tautness of his neck and the stiffness of his spine. He opened his mouth to speak.
"Where is he?" The furious shriek rushed through the open door. Robin was nearly knocked from his feet as Jinx flew through the door, shoving him aside in her haste to get to the desk. She slammed her gloved fists down onto the desk, her eyes wild and her usually neat clothing askew. "Where is your precious patron?" Cyborg lifted his hand and pointed over Jinx's shoulder. The woman spun about, her pale face flushed as she stalked to the man who was barely as tall as she was.
"What is it now?" Robin demanded. Jinx lifted her arm and shook it in Robin's face, slapping the end of his nose repeatedly with the note crumpled in her fist.
"How dare you send me this letter?" she screeched. "How dare you say such things to me?"
"What in the world is going on?" Cyborg asked.
"Your patron has sent me a letter of an unforgivable sort!" Jinx replied.
"Did you send it?" Beast Boy asked. Robin scowled at him, though the manager was less affected by it than he would have liked.
"What in the hell would drive me to do such a thing?" he snarled. "I have no caring for her!"
"We know where your caring lies, you wretched, miserable man!" Jinx said in return. "It's the reason behind this letter!"
"I sent you no letter!"
"Don't lie to me! If you did not send me this letter, who did?" Robin grabbed the woman's wrist, weary of being struck in the nose. He plucked the note from her hand, letting go of Jinx's wrist and unfolding the crumpled paper. Still scowling darkly, he read the note aloud.
"You will surrender the role of the countess to its rightful owner—Mademoiselle Starfire. If you perform this coming Saturday, I promise you that a great misfortune will occur—a disaster beyond all your imagination." The man's scowl deepened as he tore the note to shreds. He lifted his hands and let the shreds flutter to the ground. The rage that had been building in him found a new target in the woman that stood before him, and he opened his mouth again to speak.
"Mademoiselle Starfire has returned." All attention snapped to the doorway, where Chaos stood with her arms crossed and a smile on her face. Her words made Cyborg sit up in his chair and Beast Boy take a step forward, eyes shining eagerly.
"She's all right?" Beast Boy asked. He balked at the furious glare Jinx sent his way. Loosening his tie, he cleared his throat and looked at Chaos with a forced look of irritation. "As far as we're concerned, of course."
"Where is she?" Robin demanded. Chaos turned to look at his eyes, the smile never changing.
"What makes you think I'd tell you?" There was a loud, almost ear-splitting crack as Robin reached out and struck Chaos's face with an open palm. The blow was so abrupt and forceful that even Jinx could only stare in shock. Chaos stood still for a moment, her head turned to the side by the slap. The smile had not moved from her lips, but the coldness that arced from her eyes as she looked back to Robin was palpable. He repressed the shudder than rushed up his spine, narrowing his eyes even further.
"Where is she?" he snarled
"She is very weary," Chaos replied. "She requested to be allowed to rest in relative solitude."
"Relative?" Cyborg asked. The ice in Chaos's gaze thawed and transformed to genuine warmth as she turned to smile at the man.
"My dancers are always welcome in my quarters," she said. "Starfire asked me to let her stay with Kali and I for a time before returning to the dormitories."
"Why aren't you there now?" Beast Boy asked curiously. He whimpered when he saw the note Chaos held up. Cyborg gestured for Chaos to read the note aloud, burying his face in his hands as she opened the letter and withdrew the familiar black paper.
"Messieurs,
So it is to be war between us?
If you wish to let peace reign in my Opera House, you will follow the conditions in this ultimatum.
You will void le Vicomte de Wayne's purchase of my private box, and you will not sell it again.
Mademoiselle Starfire, who has been returned to you, will play the part of the countess in Il Muto this coming Saturday. Jinx will accept the part of the pageboy, as she will be sick and unable to sing.
You will reinstate Madame Kali to her rightful position as box-keeper, as I require her services. Furthermore, you will send word through Madame Kali that you accept these conditions. I also insist upon my salary, which is now late. Madame Kali will know what to do.
I advise you to comply. If you do not, you will perform Il Muto in a cursed house on Saturday.
Take my advance and be warned in time.
O.G."
"God, what next?" Beast Boy asked in a hoarse voice.
"I'm sick of this ghost," Cyborg groaned, pressing his forehead to the desk.
"Then all you have to do is be rid of le Vicomte," Jinx hissed. When attention was given to her, she forced the smile of pleasure from her face and instead took on a darkly knowing look. "These demands are for Starfire's benefit. Le Vicomte wants Starfire. He's only saying to take away Box Five to keep suspicion from him! This is all a ploy to help Starfire!"
"I would not stoop to such deluded levels!" Robin protested. His words, however, did nothing. There was a spark when Cyborg and Beast Boy looked to each other. Even though it seemed ridiculous—an idea worthy of its own opera—it could explain many things. Starfire's sudden disappearance could be equated with Robin spiriting her away to his bed for a few nights. His vehement protests and the most recent notes could be mere smoke and mirror tactics to hide the scandalous relationship. Even though there was damning evidence screaming in the face of this farfetched plot, Cyborg and Beast Boy were fully prepared to accept it. It was far more appealing than the idea of the Phantom of the Opera.
"We don't take orders from anyone," Beast Boy said. "Mademoiselle Starfire will be playing the part of the pageboy, and Mademoiselle Jinx will be the countess."
"I advise that you think before making such a decision," Chaos said in a low voice. "The Opera Ghost will not be pleased."
"Madame Dolan, please," Cyborg sighed. "I have had enough of this superstition stuff and nonsense. We have made our decision. Do you have anything else to say to us?" Chaos regarded the man for a moment, then shook her head. She bowed slightly and left. Jinx allowed a small, triumphant smile to spread on her lips. Beast Boy cleared his throat and turned to look at the woman with a massive, toothy smile.
"Mademoiselle, will you light up the stage?" he asked. "Please—sing prima donna, once more!"
----------
Starfire wondered, distantly, why she was still awake. There was a great weariness in her that made her all but immobile. The chair she sat in was soft, and large enough for her to draw her legs up and curl comfortable between the two arms. She held a cup of tea—an herbal brew, Kali had told her—in her hands, and the scent and warmth was soothing. A soft sleeping dress had been fetched for her, and she was wrapped in a large black cloak that was as soft and warm as Raven's had been.
With that single, dazed thought, Starfire knew why she was awake. Her mind was far too busy to allow her to sleep. Though she was hardly able to form coherent thoughts, her mind was firmly set upon Raven. The music she had played lingered in the back of Starfire's mind, and the sound of her voice made warmth appear in her chest.
The thought of the horrible face of a demon immediately destroyed any warmth. Starfire shuddered involuntarily, trying to push away the memory of the glowing red eyes. Despite her efforts, the memory could only give way to the mask she loathed as much as she was terrified of the demon's face. She had not seen Raven's face clearly when she had wept. Starfire's hands had covered most of her skin, and her eyes had been closed. The blending of the three images—one incomplete and haunting because of it—tormented her and kept sleep at arm's length from her.
"Are you all right?" Kali asked. Starfire turned her head slightly, looking at the gray-haired woman. She sat in the chair from the desk in the room, a loose red shirt on her torso and black breeches on her legs. Her long hair had been hurriedly tied back with a piece of black cloth, and she leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. When Starfire blinked, she felt tears stream down her face. With a wavering sigh, she tried to dab at her eyes, but threatened to upset her tea. Kali reached out and Starfire gratefully handed the mug to her. Sighing once more, she pressed her sleeves against her eyes.
"Is it possible to be tired of crying?" she asked. Kali smiled slightly, though Starfire could not see it.
"Very possible," she replied. "And very easy." Starfire lowered her hands, putting her arms between her knees and letting her hands hang limp. Kali blinked, putting the mug carefully on the floor and leaning forward. She took Starfire's left hand gently and looked at its ring finger. "Starfire? Where on earth did you get that ring?" Starfire began to pull her hand away, and Kali let her move. She put her hand to her chest, twisting the ring on her finger. It was a small gold band—one that looked much like a wedding ring.
She could not tell Kali the truth. She could not explain what drove her to take the ring that Raven offered her. Whether it was out of pity, because Raven swore the ring would protect her from all harm, or because of the way her heart still pounded painfully at her ribs when she thought of the woman, she had taken the ring. She had taken it, and she would never let it leave her finger.
"You don't have to tell me now," Kali murmured. "But I would like an answer—as Kei and I would both like to know what happened to you." She picked up the mug of tea and returned it to Starfire, who took a sip. When she lowered the mug, clutching it in both hands, she stared into the dark liquid.
"Madame Kali?" she asked.
"Please, Starfire—just Kali," the older woman said. "There's no reason for anyone to call me 'Madame.' Especially if I have no job." Starfire glanced up at the good humor in Kali's voice. She turned her gaze back to the tea when she saw the bitterness in her eyes.
"I'm very sorry to hear that you've been—replaced," she said quietly. Kali sighed, shook her head, and ran her hand over her hair.
"It'll be fine," she said in return. "Wait and hope, as Kei always says." She chuckled suddenly, a smile pulling at her lips. "Kei hasn't turned me away, so I'm happy despite all this." Starfire licked her lips, gnawing at them gently.
"Kali?" she began again. "What…what are you and Madame Dolan to each other?" The silence that followed her question was deep enough for her to hear the fast, hard thunder of her heartbeat. She swallowed and gripped the mug tighter, the ring clicking against the ceramic. "I'm so sorry—that was terribly rude. You don't have to answer."
"We love each other." Starfire froze. "I love her more than anything in the world, and she loves me in return."
"But…you—you're both…"
"Women? Yes, we are." Starfire bit her lip harder, refusing to meet Kali's eyes.
"How?" she whispered.
"How what?"
"How can you live this way? You're…lying."
"You're the first person I've said anything to," Kali murmured. "No one has asked directly. Kei and I aren't lying."
"But you're hiding. How can you hide the way you feel?"
"We live in Paris, Starfire. Everyone is well versed in hiding how they actually feel. The face Kei and I put out to the world at large isn't what matters. We know how we feel, and we have a private life with each other. That's enough. For now."
"For now?"
"Until people learn that love isn't something to be shoved aside and deemed unworthy just because they have ridiculous reasons to hate." Starfire dared to glance at Kali, looking at her face. The older woman was smiling faintly, her eyes bright. Faced with the passion she saw and heard, Starfire turned slowly away. She let her grip on the mug loosen, lifting her left hand and looking at the golden ring on her finger.
She did not know what she had felt for Raven before so callously snatching away the mask. She knew that she longed to hear Raven's voice, see the dark form in the shadows or even that damnable mask. Raven's presence was comforting and—if Starfire admitted the truth—addictive. She ached when they were apart, always impatient to see or hear from Raven again. The mere thought of Raven was enough to drive away any unhappiness in her.
The only thing that had changed for Starfire was the fear she held of Raven's fury. Her rage, given a horrible physical form by her demon's blood, was what drove Starfire away. Starfire took another long drink of her tea. As she drank, she thought back to the moment where Raven had gripped her arms so tightly. There had been discomfort, but it was barely more than the sting of a half-hearted slap. Even the shakes had been gentler than most of the shoves and bumps she had gotten on the stage during rehearsals.
Raven had not harmed her, even in such a fury. The restraint and control the woman had shown had not been absolute or perfect, but Starfire knew the impossibility of completely locking away how one felt. She found herself growing impressed and relieved at the self-discipline Raven enforced. Thoughts again captivated by Raven—purer, happier images than before—Starfire drained the last of her tea.
Kali caught the empty mug as Starfire slipped away into sleep, the young woman's hands falling limp. She put the mug on the floor under the chair and sat for a moment longer, watching Starfire's face. She was utterly relaxed, strands of her long red hair fluttering with every few breaths. Kali smiled, shaking her head. She stood up and lifted Starfire from the chair with a strength that belied her woman's form. With a gentleness that only Chaos had seen before, she carried Starfire to the bed and laid her in it, pulling the blanket over the young woman.
She sat on the floor near the bed, closing her eyes. She did not sleep, and did not stir when Chaos entered the room minutes later.
—to be continued—