Vara was too prideful to admit it. She refused to even think of admitting it. But as she came to another dead end she couldn't help but growl out of frustration. She was lost.

After her... interesting talk with her new roommate, Vara made her way away from the stage and meet with some of the tech crew. They all seemed nice, but they were already working on their cues for lighting and the music so Vara just left them alone. So after some time trying to find her way back to her room, and many dead end later, Vara found herself backtracking again hoping to find a staircase at least.

A lot of the Theatre was being remodeled but it seemed this particular wing wasn't even touched. Everything was covered in a thick cover of dust and cobwebs. The floors creaked with every step the women took making Vara a little paranoid about falling through rotted floorboards. Vara almost missed a flight of stairs leading downwards while watching where she was stepping. The steps were cobblestone as were the walls, so instead of creaking boards, her foot steps echoed, making it sound as if there were a battalion marching out of synch after her. Vara sped up, even though she knew no one was behind her.

Upon reaching the end Vara found more cob webs and dust but also there was a stained glass window depicting an angel. The dust covered the glass but the sun shone through enough to light up the room softly. Vara saw what looked to be a candle holder with old candles in them. Patting herself down she looked for her lighter of matches. She always had some on her. She didn't smoke she just liked to play with fire. Watching a flame flicker always calmed her down, but in times it came in handy to have a lighter. She found her small matchbook and struck one to life. Lighting each of the candles the room gave off an eerie glow. Along the walls Vara could vaguely make out pictures of more angels along the wall. 'It's a chapel!' Vara thought to herself as she trailed her fingers along the walls, collecting dust on them.

The blonde smiled softly. She loved the way the room seemed to set her mind in a creative gear. She didn't have her small sketch pad but she did have her fingers. Vara stood in front of a "clean" wall of dust and used her fingers to draw a simple rose, just starting to bloom. The wall coloured the rose itself, an angels robe severed as the blooms off white colour.

Vara's smiled lowered as she remember why she came down here. She was still lost. Vara took one of the candles and made her way back up the stone steps. The candle made it a bit easier to see whee she was going, and soon the path became less dusty, and faint voices were heard talking. Vara Finally began to recognize her surroundings when out of no where a set of arms hugged her from the side.

"Ah! Your alive! No one could find you and me and Ida were looking for everywhere and-" Sang-mi took a deep breath and squeezed Vara even harder. "I THOUGHT THE PHANTOM TOOK YOU!"

Ida scoffed as her petite friend wailed in Vara's ear.

"'Mi, you know that's just an old legend." Ida said as she walked up to a whimpering Sang-mi and a terribly confused and awkward Vara.

"But every legend has a grain of truth right? There must have been someone who was the phantom!" Sang-mi let go and looked up at Ida, with a Dreamy look.

"Umm, guys," Vara finely got over her awkwardness and got the two girls attention. "What are you guys talking about? I Was just having a look around and got lost." Sang-Mi gave a shocked look while Ida just raised her eyebrow.

"You mean you don't know?" Ida asked. "Come on. I'll show you the way to our room." Ida started to walk away, Sang-Mi skipping after her and Vara making sure she paid attention to the route taken.

Vara sat on the floor of her shared room. Ida was on her bed across from Vara lying on her stomach. Sang-Mi was bouncing slightly on the edge of Vara's bed.

"So you really don't know the legend?" Ida finally asked, not even looking at Vara.

"If I did I wouldn't of asked." Vara mumbled flatly. Ida smirked and looked towards Vara.

"You mean you've never heard of the Phantom of the Opera?" Sang-Mi sighed dreamily as she fell on her back in Vara's bed. Vara raised her eyebrow.

"Of course I have. Andrew Lloyd Weber wrote the musical for it, based off the book written by Gaston Leroux. Anyone whose a theatre buff knows that." Vara said not getting why Sang-Mi asked that.

"This is supposedly the Opera House he built. Most of the women who come here are hoping they may find some evidence of him." Ida gestured towards Sang-Mi. "It's just an old legend. If he did exist he'd be dead now. That was over a hundred years ago." Sang-Mi sat up quickly and gave Ida a sly smile.

"Then he would truly be a Phantom!" Sang-mi Sat up and walked towards the door. "Curfew is coming so I better get to my room. Bye!" Sang-Mi stepped out of the room and silently closed the door.

"Curfew?" Vara asked. Ida sighed and flipped onto her back.

"Yeah, they set it up... because of all the guests I have. Worried they may loose some people to pregnancy." Ida frowned a bit. "But they don't enforce it much. As long as your not caught getting dry humped or going on the sites that are being reconstructed they don't care."

"Why not the construction sites?" Vara asked.

"Something about rotted wood," The hairs on Vara's neck stood up as she remember the abandoned hallway. "Code hazards and stuff like that."

"Ida, the hall I was in, it looked like it had been abandoned for years." Ida shrugged.

"Probably has been. Some of the construction workers refuse to go in parts of the Theatre. Even though The Phantom may have not even existed, they're very superstitions. Won't even step foot in there." Ida Sighed and rolled over on her bed curling up in a slight feeble position. "Hey, shut off the lights. I'm tired." Vara hummed slightly and flicked the switch near her bed.

"Goodnight." Vara said as she lied herself down on her back. She heard a muffled sound come from Ida. Most likely a reply.

Vara fell into a fitful sleep, filled with dreams of long dusty hallways, and falling through floorboard after rotted floorboard.

Vara walked along the catwalk high above the stage were a dress rehearsal was going on. The blonde stifled a loud yawn as she tried to remember her cue to slowly release the rope that held cut up blue streamers that would pose as rain. It had been a month since she first arrived the the theatre, and she hadn't had one decent nights sleep. Every night she had weird dreams of tunnels and dust and mirrors that terrified her. To make matters worse. Ida had made good on her promise about locking her out if she didn't get there first.

On those nights when Ida had a 'guest', Vara would walk along the old Theatre (making sure she knew the way back of course). Vara couldn't believe how big it really was. Vara would get lost from time to time, but there was always something interesting she found. On the first night she came across an old prop closet. A lot of the stuff looked like it had been burned but that just made it all the more interesting. But every night she'd go down to the chapel and sleep next to the stained glass window.

That was until a few nights ago. Mr. Adler announced that the hallway where Vara's chapel was was finally going to be fixed up. Which meant more free rooms for those who had to share. Meaning Vara would being moving out of Ida's room. Vara nearly cried for joy.

Vara yawned again and almost missed her que. Vara slowly slid the rope between her hands, making it 'Rain.' The singing started to come to an end. Mr. Adler walked behind some of the women dancing and moved some back and a few to the front. Telling them to sing from the chorus. He glanced towards Vara and gave a devilish smile. Vara felt her skin crawl. Every chance he got he'd give her odd looks, or drop not so subtle hints about him wanting to bed Vara. Sang-Mi told he it was normal. That he'd loose interest in a week or so. But it's been a month and none of his advances stopped. But thankfully they didn't get worse.

Adler seemed happy with his adjustments and told everyone to take the rest of the day off while he spoke with the leading roles. Vara made her way down the catwalk silently. This was one of her favorite jobs. Being up high was always fun for her. It was almost as fun as doing stage make up. Though Vara never wore make up on herself, save for when it was Halloween, she loved making someone into someone or something else. Vara took the stairs to the ground floor two at a time. She was going out to eat with Sang-Mi, or as the small girl preferred to be called Mimi, and Ida, and she didn't want to be late. Ida had a habit of just leaving if someone was late.

Vara almost made it away from the stage when a voice called out to her.

"Ms. Kingston, please come here a moment." Vara felt her jaw clench and turned to Mr. Adler, who was standing with the plays leading actress, Amanda Swetin, but that of course was her stage name. She never told anyone her real name, something about fans following her and stuff. She was a beautiful women with smooth dark mocha skin and short cropped hair. She was beautiful alright, but the inside didn't math up to the outside. She was a very prideful, and well... bitchy.

She had been with the troupe from the beginning, she had talent. She could preform dances from Footloose and sing on key with little effort. She became an instant Broadway star, and that success went to her head. In the years following her fame she began to smoke cigarettes (for endorsement money) and her voice slowly took a turn for the worse. She could still sing soprano, but her voice would become shrill and screechy. She would miss rehearsals, saying she was too good to go through all that work fr something she could do easily. Not to mention she was the true definition of a diva. Anything that didn't go her way, shes whine and cry. A ghastly sight.

Even with all the things shes done, Mr. Adler kept her in the troupe for two reason and two reasons only. She was known worldwide, so people would pay t o see her preform. And she was easy.

"Ms. Kingston, you did wonderful today, you didn't miss a beat. But Amanda here does have something to say to you." Vara looked to Amanda who gave her a slight glare and scowl.

"You were to heavy with the rain! The people will be paying too much attention to the rain instead of me!" Vara resisted the urge to slap the women in front of her, but merely nodded and said she would try her best to improve the rain. Adler put his hand on the ranting diva's hip and looked back to Vara, giving her a suggestive wink. Vara turned and scowled as she ran to meet up with her friends.

Vara made it to the entrance just as Ida touched the door handle.

"Ida! Mimi!" Sang-Mi turned and squealed as broke away from Ida and ran to give Vara a hug.

"V! You did great today!" Mimi said as she squeezed the girls waist tightly. "We almost left without you! You should of ran!" Mimi giggled as she led Vara by the hand out of the theatre and into the French sun. People littered the streets as the trio of girls made their way to a small cafe down the street from the theatre.

"I would have been here sooner," Vara started, as she turned her body to avoid a bicyclist, "But Adler and Amanda wanted to have a world with me, apparently all the rain way taking her spotlight." Ida scoffed a bit.

"I'm sure no amount of rain could ever direct attention away from her dying-cat-in-a-blender of a voice." Vara and Mimi laughed at the comment.

"Well I think you did wonderful for making it rain!" Mimi said twirling slightly. Vara still had a hard time believing that the small girl was twenty-seven. Ida was twenty-two and Vara was twenty-two. Even though Sang-Mi was the eldest, she could act very childish. The three reached the cafe and took a small table outside for themselves. They order just a small platter of bread, cheese, and fruit. All began to eat to fill their growling stomachs when Mimi broke the silence.

"So... I know what were preforming after this show." Mimi said as she spread some Cancoillotte on a slice of bread. Ida raised an eyebrow as she ate a grape.

"Eavesdropping again?" Mimi giggled and stuffed the slice of bread in her mouth whole. She spoke with the food in her mouth.

"You know I cant help it!" Surprisingly she spoke very well with food in her mouth. Vara smiled as she sipped some water.

"What are we preforming?" Vara asked, watching the small girl shiver in what she thought was excitement.

"We're going to be playing Phantom of the Opera!" Mimi squealed and thrashed a bit in her seat. "I hope I get casted as Meg!"

"Wouldn't you want to be Christine?" Vara asked as she grinned at the girls antics.

"Of course I would! But theirs only one problem. I can't sing Soprano. Well, not like Christine does." Mimi's face fell slightly as she fiddles with a slice of apple that was on her plate. "Oh Vara I've been meaning to ask you. Where do you go when Ida locks you out?" Ida, who was staring a a very muscular man turned her head back to her friends, interested too, where her roommate goes at night.

Vara laughed lightly as she broke a piece of bread off and ate it plain.

"I just kinda wander around the place. You know the wing that's finally getting remodeled. Well theirs a flight of stairs that leads to an old chapel. I sleep down their at night. It actually very comfortable." Ida wrinkled her nose a bit.

"Isn't it really dirty down there?"

"A bit, but its mostly just cobwebs and dust. Nothing too bad. Actually with All the time I spend down their I cleaned it up a bit." Mimi sighed a bit.

"That's were the Phantom first showed himself to Christine. Well... sang to her anyway." Vara shook her head and switched the subject to lighter topics of weather and friends. It was getting dark so the three payed for their meal and walked together back to the theatre house. Mimi was singing an old Chinese song from her home and Ida was giving sultry looks at any man that caught her eye. Eventually one started to chat with her and she dragged him in the direction of the theatre. Vara sighed.

"Guess it's the chapel for me tonight." Vara mutter as she watched the blonde man grabbed Ida's rear end. Mimi smiled at her leaving friend and turned to Vara.

"It's not that bad. Id share my room with you but my room is a mess, you cant even see the floor. I can give you a blanket and pillow though!" Vara smiled.

"I would like that a lot."

Vara was beyond pissed. After returning to the theatre and getting the blanket from Mimi's room. She made her way to her chapel. First she had to hide from Adler, who was skulking around the theatre. The smell of Bourbon chasing after him. Then she nearly bumped into every piece of construction equipment that lined the walkway. And now, even though she was in the chapel lying in a comfortable position. She just couldn't get any sleep!

Sighing Vara finally gave up on sleeping and stood up. There was one place Very hadn't really looked around at and that was the ball room. Vary took two of the candle from the holder and lit one up. She grabbed the thin red blanket Mimi had given her and began walking up the steps, making sure she didn't trip over the bundles of timber.

Vara was getting accustomed to the the low light, with all her nights of exploring by candle light. By the time she made it to the grand staircase that led to dance floor, she had only gotten lost twice. There were large crates littering the ground filled with tools and supplies, but Vara used her imagination to see the Ball room in all it's splendor. Vara slowly made her way down the steps, and stood on the ground looking around the room in silent wonder.

Well it was silent until Vara yelped in pain. Hot wax had slipped over her fingers, burning them slightly. Vara dropped the candle to cradle her burnt hand, extinguishing her little source of light. Vara pulled the other candle from her pocket and began to look for her lighter. She became frustrated when she couldn't find it anywhere.

"Dammit!" Vara cried out as she stomped her foot on the ground hard. What Vara didn't know was that she just set off the mechanism to a centuries old trapdoor. The floor beneath her feet gave way. Vara yelled as as she reached upward. What little light that came form the moon shining through the ball rooms windows disappeared from sight as the old trapdoor closed. Vara hit the ground and was knocked out cold.

Ahh it's so nice to be back here =3. I know I haven't been writing a lot but I'm back! I'm sorry this isn't a long chapter. As I said before, I want to pace my self with this one (that and my muse is missing T_T). But later on the chapters will be back to their former 8 page glory! Please review. Feedback really does help to inspire me.

Your Eternal Servant,

Shikyokage742