Masquerade Chapter Three
May Thursday
Day 4 0430
Mai shot up from the bed in a panic. All she could see was darkness. It was cold. Her hands shook with fear still. That was just horrible.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Mai was stopped from getting up from the bed when she saw movement by the doorway.
She drew in a breath to scream. And let it out.
The shadow moved fast after that. Out of the doorway, and out of sight.
Mai could hear feet pounding the floor as the door slammed open again.
"MAI!" Ayako yelled, coming from an adjoined room, to the girl to wrap her arms around her. "You are awake!"
Grabbing onto Ayako, Mai cried heavily into her friend's shoulder.
Bursting through the door where the shadow disappeared, all of the men of SPR came running.
"OH, Mai," Bou-san said, moving around the bed to sit behind the teen, rubbing her shoulders.
"what.. *hiccup* what happened.. *hiccup*" Mai said, her crying coming to a stop after a few minutes.
"We don't know," Bou-san replied, running his hand over Mai's head. "We heard you scream, and we came running."
"Mai," Naru said from behind everyone, stepping slightly towards the three on the bed, a cup of tea in his hands. Where he got it exactly, no one really knew. "Can you remember anything at all? Anything that could have started this?"
"NARU! SHE JUST WOKE UP! LET HER BE!?" Ayako yelled. "SHE WAS ASLEEP FOR A DAY, LET HER RECOVER!"
"A.. a day? I was out for a day?!" Mai exclaimed.. Her eyes went wide, and tears started to flow freely again. She started to shake, fear encasing her again.
"shh, shh. It's ok Mai." Ayako murmured, hugging the girl tighter, "nothing happened during the day, it's ok. You are safe now."
"No, no I'm not. I have seen it. I have seen him.." Mai cried out. "He couldn't help me escape, I had to get out by myself. Ge.. he was caught.." Tears came more steadily now. No one knew what to take what she was saying.
"Mai.." Naru said, now next to the bed. Kneeling down, he tried to look into the girl's face. "Mai,.. I need you to calm down. Can you do that?" Naru asked.
Small hiccups could be heard from the girl.
"Mai, I need you to calm down. And I need you to tell me exactly what you saw." His voice was demanding, but what the others couldn't see was the softness his eyes took on. He passed the tea to the still shaking girl, wrapping her fingers around the cup.
"..it began.. it began in a room, covered in floors, and candles, and a huge mirror. Then… all of the candles went out, it was pitch dark, and I heard someone calling out from behind the mirror. I.. I couldn't stop myself, I went to him.. he took my hand and wouldn't let me go. I, I could hear Bou-san chanting, and everyone calling out for me, but I couldn't leave. He wouldn't let me. He wouldn't let me go." Mai had turned her head away from Ayako's shoulder during this, and was now just sitting between her and Bou-san. She was still shaking a bit, but it was subsiding.
She took a sip of the tea.
"I remember a dark hall, very little lighting, like it was far away candles. Then I couldn't see anything. I couldn't feel anything. I think, maybe, as the spirit was, I was asleep at that time."
"Asleep inside a dream?" Bou-san asked, confused and concerned.
"I remember there was mist...Swirling mist upon a vast glassy lake. There were candles all around, and on the lake there was a boat. And in the boat there was a man.* I saw him at an organ, writing. Sheets of music were all around him. The area seemed like a cave, and it was foggy and the air felt thin. I walked up to the man, and started to touch some part of the shadow around him. Next thing I know, I was on the ground, and the Phantom was mad. Then someone else was there and I was out of the shadows. All I heard was someone yelling at me to run. To think of home and run. That's when I woke up. And I saw someone at the door."
Naru did not look away from her at this explanation, and when she said someone was at the door, he glanced over his shoulder. "Ms. Matsuzaki, where were you when she woke up?" Naru asked, glancing at a older woman who held the girl.
"I was in the restroom; the door was open, and I did hear her stir, and came out at once. I did not see anyone." Ayako replied.
Sighing, Naru looked back to the girl on the bed.
"Stay in this room, with Bou-san and Ms. Matsuzaki. Stay by their sides no matter what. And if anything happens, I am to be called at once. Understand?" he was looking at the two adults as he said this.
They nodded.
"Mai, see if you can get some real sleep, and do not force anything. We will need you tomorrow to be at base."
With the last word, the black clad boss, left the room.
Everyone but Bou-san and Ayako left after making sure that their friend was ok.
"He hasn't slept a wink. That Naru.. he has been up watching the cameras, and berating us to find anything, while you were asleep." Bou-san said, getting up to take the now empty cup, and to gather some fresh clothes for the teen girl.
"He doesn't want us to know, but we all saw it.. he was really worried. Mai, you never had a seizure while going into a vision before. It scared us all." Ayako hugged the small form in her arms. "But we are all glad you are ok, and we will not let that happen to you again."
Tears came to Mai's eyes. "I'm sorry everyone. I am so sorry.."
"shh, shh, it's ok." Ayako murmured, rubbing Mai's back. "Let's go get you into the bath, and relax, so maybe you can sleep without anything tonight."
Mai nodded.
:-:-:-:
Once her bath was over, the two girls laid in the full bed, and Ayako watched over Mai as she fell asleep.
"What is going on here, Takigawa?" Ayako asked, worry marring her face, "We had nothing while Mai was asleep, and normally that doesn't happen. Yasu barely got any information about this place, and we are still waiting for Madoka to get back to us."
From his bed across the room, the Monk looked at the woman and replied, "Honestly, I don't know. I would rather deal with the Urado case over this one right now. Mai is in more danger because of this past that we don't know anything about."
"And that worries me too. Do you think she might know something that we don't and that could save the case and the lives of the others here?"
"That's one thing we cannot guarantee, and when she wakes up in the morning, we should ask her. And the owners about it too. I have a feeling that they are hiding something." Leaning his head onto the small head board, Bou-san continued, "you get some sleep. I know you have been up just as long as Naru watching over her. I'll watch the room and wake you if anything happens."
Ayako nodded, turning towards Mai, and closing her eyes.
May Thursday
Day 3 1030
6 hours after the maybe slight shocking awakening of the youngest in the group, everyone was now back at base, reviewing tapes, and sounds, and blueprints. All trying to come up with a plan of attack.
"Mai, tea."
That was the most common phrase that could be heard through the room. And the normal rebuttal that would come after that was not heard. For the girl was no longer in a fighting move.
Although her life was not in physical danger at that exact moment, the group knew that the lingering thought loomed above them all. "there is nothing in these blueprints that could possible lead to a secret tunnel of any sorts. Even all of the rafters and floors back stage are all visibly connected on here. And I've look at the original drawings too. Nothing, nothing!" Bou-san cried out. He slammed his fist onto the table making everyone but Naru and Lin jump.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm just frustrated. We have no leads, no activity for the past day, and no amount of information that could lead us to what happened here. It's like all the history went up in smoke or just doesn't exist."
Looking up shocked, Mai exclaimed, "That's it! I cannot believe I forgot about this!"
Everyone looked at her. Slightly surprised at her outburst. It was the first time since early morning that she talked.
"Back in 1923, just a little after the Western style of theater spread like wildfire through Japan, there was a wildfire that went through this area. It destroyed many homes, and most information was lost. This theater, if I remember correctly, was in the process of being remodeled, and with the prints from 1923," Mai went over and dug through the pile of blueprints Monk was standing in front of. Murmuring to herself, she made a mess out of the maybe organized table.
"AH HA!" She found the blueprints from the year she said, flipping through the pages, she scanned each page carefully for something no one else knew.
"Here," she pointed to the stairs of the front entrance hall, "This was one of the last things they built. This is all in the western style, and could possibly hold some sort of information that we are looking for."
Everyone was staring at the girl, shock evident on their faces. Even Naru and Lin were shocked.
"Okay.. so when did Mai ever show us up in the research part of investigations?" Yasu joked. He thought back to the conversation that he and the girl had now two days ago.
Mai blushed a little and looked down. "I remember my parents talk years ago, about fires that went throughout Japan, and how after that many larger buildings would make secret areas in plain sight that would be able to survive disasters."
That's not it, she is lying. Naru thought.
But he was pleasantly surprised at the sudden intelligence of his assistant.
"then let's go check this area out." Naru said, snapping his black book closed, and pushing himself off the table.
:-:-:-:-:
The group was now standing at the front hall. The Grand staircase climbed and weaved and all of the colors of gold and white sparkled from the stain glass doors behind the people.
"Where do we start, Mai?" Bou-san asked. "You thought of this, so you lead us. What do the blueprints tell you, that we can't see."
"hmm," Mai looked over the papers in her hands. Luckily she did think about bringing these with her, just for this possible reason.
"Most of the time, there are secret doorways in like obvious spaces, so let's first check between the columns and pillars. Next we might want to see if any of the stones on the steps themselves can be moved or something."
Leaning over Mai's shoulders, Yasu glared at the prints. What is she seeing? I know how to read these, I took classes, so why cannot I see what she does?
John, Bou-san, and Ayako started knocking on one side of the first floor, while Naru, Lin, and Yasu started on the other. Mai was still studying the prints.
Something isn't right. Mai thought. She shuffled the pages again.
"WHAT ARE THEY STILL DOING HERE?!"
Everyone stopped, looking up the stairs towards the three people at the top.
"Akira, please, you need to und-" Mrs. Dena started to say.
"NO! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING. THIS IS MY PARENTS THEATER, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS DECIDED TO SELL IT TO YOU IDIOTS!" The actress Moyoki Akira was screaming, hands waving in the air, "AND BECAUSE OF YOU, RUMORS OF A DAMNED PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, HAD BEEN CIRCLING AND IT'S COMPLETE RUBBISH!"
"Miss Moyoki, please, please you need to calm down!" Mr. Dena said.
"CALM DOWN!? I DO NOT NEED TO CALM DOWN!" Akira turned to the entrance of the theater, just now seeing all of the people below. Her cold eyes skimmed over the six on either side of the stairs, coming to rest on the teen girl off to the side.
"YOU!" Akira raised her finger, pointing straight at Mai. She practically glided down the two flights of stairs, like a princess, approaching her. At this point, Mai had pulled all the papers close to her chest, the wrinkles almost tearing the papers.
"You are the reason everything has been ruined! You and your family ruins everything! I know who you are! You whore!"
Everyone gasped. Shocked at the last exclamation.
But that wasn't what got all the men to move. It was the slap that the singer made against the girl. The echo in the open room sounded like almost like thunder. Mai's face was turned away by the force of it; her eyes downcast to hide the tears of pain.
Yasu reached Mai first, pulling her away from the pissed woman.
"DO NOT." He yelled, pushing his friend behind him. "Don't do that again!"
Akira raised her hand again, but it did not get past her shoulder. A cold slender hand grasped her wrist.
"If you would like to continue as a popular opera singer, I would highly suggest that you do not lay a hand on my employee again." Naru said, his voice so cold that it could probably freeze Pompeii if it erupted again.
Akira curled her fingers into a fist, turning a glare to the young man behind her.
"You will let go of me if you know what Is good for you. You can take your little precious Madelyna away from me. That loose girl will get what she will deserve in due time."
The crowd behind the four people in the doorway, couldn't say a word. This was too much.
Akira ripped her wrist from Naru's grasp, and stalked away. In the next few minutes, they could hear a door slam.
"I am so sorry." Mrs. Dena said, tears brimming, not yet falling. Her hands were clutched in front of her.
"if you wish to leave after all this…" the mister started to say.
"No," it was Mai that said it. "no, we are here to put an end to the ghost haunting the halls here. I won't let that woman get in my way. I honestly don't know what her problem with me, but I couldn't leave without actually helping you all." Mai had a hard look in her eye as she said this. She was set on helping this theater, and helping the Phantom pass on to wherever he may go.
Her friends were only a little shocked. They knew that she was stubborn, but yet so kind hearted, she couldn't turn anyone down.
The tears that Mrs Dena held back, started down her face.
"We can at least help you with a little more.. we never actually thought that it would come to this, but we need to tell you the truth about some things." she said.
Mr Dena nodded. "please, let us follow you back and we will tell you everything."
Everyone could tell that Naru was not happy with any of this, but before he was able to walk away, Mai nodded and started to break from the group.
That's when he actually saw the red welt left on the left side of the girls face.
"Mai, you need ice." he said, bluntly.
She stopped, "I'll get some on the way back to base."
Mai walked up the Grand staircase and ignored the stare from her boss. Her face was throbbing, but she wasn't going to be a little baby about it. He was always watching, and Mai decided that she would not let Naru think she was any weaker than he already thought.
Waiting until the rest of the crew climbed the stairs, Mai took a deep breath and just tried not to let the situation get to her.
Not only was the damned ghost after her, (AGAIN WITH BEING THE DAMNED GHOST MAGNET!), but she was also disliked, or actually better word loathed, by the leading star of just about every production this theater showed. For some unknown reason. Just why? Why was it always her?!
:-:-:-:
"From the beginning." Naru said, sitting at the table with his black book out. Lin was also poised over his laptop. "And do not leave anything out. Because if you leave one detail out, that could possibly injure my team again, we are pulling out." His face was a emotionless as his voice just as flat. Everyone on his team knew that look, that tone, and everyone felt sorry for the clients.
"Okay," Mr. Dena said, "Well it did begin 10 years ago like I told you before. My wife and I bought this theater from the now deceased owner's, Moyoki Akira's parents, Moyoki Yo and Kira. They had owned this theater for about 50 years before us. We don't know about the owners before them. But story has it, about 20 years before the ownership of the Moyoki's, many years ago, there was a travelling fair in the city. Dancers, and other circus freaks of the likes. The rumor has it, one of those side shows was a child."
The women in the room gasped, most sharing the same thought.
"it was said that, that child had killed the man that was making money off of the deformation of the poor boys body. With that one of the ballerinas living in the old dormitories pulled the boy from the hands of the law. Here he lived, for close to 10 years before the ownership changed, and the Western style of theater, opera, started." Mr. Dena continued.
"He was hidden away from the world and it's cruelty*. He had nothing beyond the walls of this opera house. He's a genius, he's an architect and designer; He's a composer and a magician; a genius.*" Mrs. Dena said.
"This was all before Madelyna Stowe," for those who could read body language, and were paying attention to Mai at this time, would be able to see the slight change, the stiffening, and downcasted eyes, meaning that this meant something to her, "came to the theater. Now at this time, the dormitories were still in use, and obviously still standing. When the would be famous actress came here, her name meant nothing. She was just a chorus girl, a ballerina. A face no one paid attention to. Until one fateful encounter."
Naru looked at them, waiting for them to continue. Lin was typing furiously and everyone one else was a little shocked by the story.
"What had happened was the Prima Donna, One very much like Moyoki Akira, her name lost now. She was the star of every show,
our leading soprano for five seasons*. From rumors, of those who lived through those years, said that her voice could cut nails, and it wasn't very nice per the role. Unlike today's Prima Donna, who's voice is very good. Moyoki Akira is very talented."
"Now the previous Prima Donna, a word might I define, is actually Italian, for leading lady, was in the middle of the final dress rehersals of a preformance, and an accident happened. Very much like those that happen today. She quit the show after that, and Madelyna was picked as a quick understudy. From there she rose in fame."
Everyone was quiet. They were all absorbing the information.
It seemed like, as a quick note, the no name girl became someone because of someone. But who..
"There was times that late at night, you can hear an organ playing; just like what was heard last night. It is oddly enchanting in a unsafe kind of way." Mrs. Dena said, still in the storytelling mode.
Naru looked up sharply, "what do you mean? The organ played last night?"
The theater owners looked oddly at the young man.
"Yes it did." Mr. Dena said.
"Lin!" Naru and the Chinese assistant went to the computers, both to review the footage and sound.
The team looked on.
"You all told me," Mai started, "You all told me that nothing happened last night while I was out. How could something happen like that and no one heard it? And what time did it happen?"
The adults in the room looked at each other.
Mr. Dena replied, "It was actually about 2 am, when the music started. It was more urgent than normal. Like it was an attack or something."
Mai paled. "I know what caused that." everyone looked at her, not the two men still looking at the fast forward screens, "It was me. It was when I got away."
Mai curled up into a ball on the couch. She pulled herself into her mind, trying to remember a little more of the dream she had the previous night. "He wants me."
The owners looked at each other.
"The rest of this might help." Mr. Dena said, "When Madelyna rose into fame, there was many suitors for her, but she had fallen for the visiting Samurai, Akiyama Kaito, and they had attempted to elope. But the Phantom caught them, and almost killed Akiyama. But Madelyna saved him by promising to stay with the Phantom. But also at the time, the 1923 fires were breaking out, and the kidnapping of Madelyna and Akiyama turned into a riot. The Opera house was almost burnt down because of that. This was also in the midst of construction, so as much as it was horrible, it also helped that the city helped pay for the damages of the fires, no matter if half of it was caused by the rioters."
Yasu looked at Mai after this. "Mai, did you not tell us about those fires, just before the incident with Moyoki?"
Ayoka, Bou-san, Masako and John looked a little shocked. They honestly did not connect the dots from the earlier conversation.
"So it seems that Mai was right about something for once." Naru commented from the desk. He had turned around at the mention of the fires. "But how? Mai, how did you know about the fires, and the construction? From what we have not been able to uncover, that does not seem to be very public information."
The young girl honestly hated being put on the spot, not matter the reason. Not like this for sure. Mai tensed her arms, still around her knees, and sighed, "I know it because of my family. Like I said, I remember my parents talking about the fires of that year."
"You are lying" was all that naru said. With his arms crossed, he looked at his assistant.
More shocked than she had been in the past, Mai just gaped at her boss.
"Tell us the truth, Mai."
"NARU!" Ayoka yelled, standing up from her seat on the couch, "Can't you just accept that she actually knows stuff?"
"Thanks, Ayoka, for that boost of confidence...:" Mai mumbled, then said louder, "He is right. That is only the partial truth."
Everyone looked at her now. Naru expectant, everyone else maybe more confused than ever.
"We are waiting Mai." Naru said, all possible pleasantries from the the last night gone.
Sighing, Mai pulled her legs away from her body. Sitting up straight, she started her own story.
"I am an orphan, like I told everyone during the Urado case. I was living with my teacher for a little bit, and I currently do live by myself, at the best of my ability. I know about the fires in this town, I know about the history of this theater, and I know more of the Phantom than he has shown. I know all of this because I was told about it from my parents before they passed away. But my full name is not Taniyama Mai.. My name is Taniyama-Stowe Madelyna; I was name after my great-great grandmother, Akiyama-Stowe Madelyna."
Author's Note:
I am using the 24 hour clock system here, seems more fitting for me honestly, so to figure out the time, if i have anything past 1200 (noon) just subtract but 12 and you will get the time. :)
1) *(Read more: Phantom Of The Opera - Notes Lyrics | MetroLyrics)*
2) /movie_
Yeaaaahh... so that might have taken me a little longer than I wanted, but I really really hope that it was wortrh it. I love seeing all the reveiews, and follows nad favorites, it makes me so giddy! Thank you so much for that, every single one of you! I really hope that this hold s up the expections as you thought... Just wait though, if this wasn't a surprise,... I hope that the next might be... I'll try my best to get more mystery into this story, but this is a huge and new genre that I am trying out!
Let me know how I am doing, please!
Word Count (Without Author Note): 4.170
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GHOST HUNT NOR THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, I AM JUST THE PERSON WHO DECIDED TO COMBINE THE TWO FOR AN INTERESTING TWIST OF FATE
XOXO, L0V3SICKF00L