Welcome to thee second installment of this here collaborative fic of DOOM! This here chapter was written by Reccie. READ!

Chapter 2

Raine

"Silly brats aren't they?" Raine whispered in Cossette's ear.

Cossette jumped and turned around, her dark chestnut locks flying.

Raine laughed, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She sat down on the bed next to the one Cossette had claimed. The three girls who where also in the room stared at Raine with bemused looks. Raine pursed her lips and shot them all a haughty glare.

"I'm Arabella," introduced the youngest of the three other girls. She was petit with black hair and dark eyes. She seemed friendly enough.

"I'm Raine Désirée," Raine said absentmindedly and placed her clothes into the dresser next to Cossette's clothes. She quietly shifted a few things around. She heard Cossette introduce herself to the other girls, two of which had still not given names.

"The de Chagny?" gaped one of the girls, emphasizing the "the" with a particular aghast tone.

Cossette nodded.

"And I'm "the" Désirée," mocked Raine.

Cossette shot her a look which Raine shrugged off.

"You, above all else should know the story of the Opera Ghost," said the blonde girl to Cossette, ignoring Raine.

Raine glanced over at Cossette whose brow was furrowed in confusion. Raine glanced back at the girl with a strange look on her face, basically a shut-up-before-I-hurt-you glare. The girl stumbled over her words.

"I honestly don't know what you mean by that," Cossette said throwing a helpless look to Raine.

"I thought it was the Phantom of the Opera," Raine pointed out suspiciously.

The redheaded girl piped up. "It is, but he prefers Opera Ghost," she said with authority.

"Oh, and I would assume you know this… Phantom personally? If you know what he prefers." The redhead's smile faded and was replaced by a pout. This amused Raine a great deal, toying with the younger ballet rats and want to be singers was always a favorite pass time of the young woman.

"She means that's how he used to sign his notes," Arabella said calmly realizing that this was quickly escalating into a full blown argument.

Cossette remained quiet, still pondering what the blonde girl meant about her relationship to the story.

Arabella grabbed the other two girls by their arms and dragged them out of the room, throwing an apologetic look at Raine and Cossette. Raine smiled and Cossette nodded her head absentmindedly.

When they were gone Raine plopped down on her bed and turned towards Cossette. "I wonder what they meant…when they said…hm…" Cossette mused quietly to herself.

"They were probably just being ridiculous. They seem the air-headed type," Raine reassured her.

Cossettenodded and turned towards the dresser tracing a misshapen eye of wood with her finger.

"So…" Raine started, Cossette looked up, "how did your audition go?"

"Well, Madame Girysaid something about needing to improve to progress. I have no idea what that means." Cossette laughed worriedly.

Raine shook her head and sighed, glancing around the room for a minute. There where two full length mirrors on the opposite walls, Raine's bed was up against the wall next to one of these mirrors. The wall opposite the door was filled with large windows covered by thick red and gold drapes.

Raine pursed her lips and got off her bed and ambled over, closing two of the curtains, so that it wasn't quite so light and happy. She stood back before nodding her head in approval of them. She turned to find Cossette looking at her expectantly. Before answering Raine took a moment to size up the soprano.

She had a sleek elegant figure, looked about the same height as Raine. Her deep brown eyes contrasted well with Raine's hazel ones. She had petit, fragile looking features, so much like her mother. She even had her mother's beautiful curly hair. Raine twiddled a piece of her own dusty brown, a little past shoulder length hair enviously. She sighed and flipped the piece of hair over her shoulder. Cossette had sat down on her bed, her white frock flowing prettily around her.

Raine glanced down at her own light purple dress, where the hems where dirty and frayed. Unlike Cossette's silken dress, Raine's was cotton, hot, and itchy. She pulled at the sleeve absently. Finally she remembered what she was going to say to Cossette before she was taken by the contrast in their styles and features.

"That's just Madame Giry talk for you havepotential," Raine laughed at the look on Cossette's face. She had her brows furrowed but her eyes where wide as she tried to understand what Raine meant. How could someone be so mean but complimentary? "Don't seem so scared, you'll get used to her. She frightens everyone the first few weeks, but believe me: she's a softie." Raine winked a hazel eye and smiled her most dazzling smile, for some reason attempting to out do Cossette, she glanced in the mirror…ha! She did look pretty when she smiled. She went and sat her bed again, tripping a little over the corner of her oversized hand-me-down dress. Cossette laughed and crushed any hope of Raine ever besting her. That laugh…

"You seem to know a lot about the opera," Cossette observed.

Raine shrugged and leaned up against the wall, smitten with envy.

"I came here as often as possible as a child. My parents died when I was young and I've lived in an orphanage until this year when I turned twenty and they had to relieve me. I thought I would come here and try my feet at the corps de ballet. I guess Madame Giry liked what she saw, she's seen me before and offered me a spot but I was too young." Oh great Raine, are you really stooping as low as to play the pity card? She snarled to herself. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and then noticed Cossette's wide-eyed look of awe, Raine perked up a bit and felt superior to Cossette for a moment.

"Well, why did you have to audition then?" Cossette questioned.

"Madame Giry is very particular but I'm not quite sure why either. I think she has someone else giving orders and I don't mean the managers…" Raine said and glanced towards the open door with a look of worry.

"Well then who?" Cossette said lowering her voice to match Raine's and following her gaze. Cossette glanced between the door and Raine; who seemed lost in thought. Suddenly:

"The Phantom of the Opera!" Raine cried loudly making Cossette jump back, for she had been leaning forward to catch what ever Raine was going to say. Raine laughed and after a moment so did Cossette.

When things settled down Cossette pursed her lips. "So do you believe the stories?" Cossette asked skeptically.

"Of course, Coss, don't be silly, everyone does!"

"They can't be true!" exclaimed Cossette, raising an eyebrow at her new friend. "Can they?" she asked much quieter.

"Yes. Trust me. Some of the things that happen here are indeed very…strange," her eyes flickered towards the closed door.

They sat in compatible silence for a moment when a scream echoed down the corridor. Cossette and Raine jumped to their feet just as Arabella and her blonde and redhead companions burst into the room. The door banged against the wall next to Cossette's bed.

The two girls looked around alarmed.

"What's going on?" Raine shouted over the flurry of the three other girls voices. They didn't answer but continued to huddle on the opposite corner of the room and whisper quietly. Cossette casually closed the door, though her hand trembled. Raine glanced toward Cossette than back at the girls.

"Some one say something!" snarled Raine with irritated authority. The blonde, even paler than before, spoke up:

"The ph-phan-phantom," her bottom lip quivered and she looked on the verge of tears.

So, whadda ya think? She ain't bad is she? That ladies and gentlemen is Reccie! If you like her writing style search for her via "Reccie", her pen name. And thanks for reading and don't forget those reviews!