Chapter 11: The Point of No Return
The opera was starting. Justine had taken a side roll in the play, to monitor and make sure her plan went smoothly. They had put in James as the poor boy from the street who La Don Juanita takes advantage of. Don Juanita was to be played by no one important. Justine knew that both Phantoms would come, for her insurance policy was having the Viscount and his wife sit in a private box for the duration of the performance. She had a sly tongue and was easily able to convince them to attend.
The opera commenced. The performers take stage and begin to act out a somewhat offensive scene of sixteenth century servants preparing the room for La Don Juanita's plan. Don Juanita came out from behind the curtain in the centre that led to her 'room' with a man on either side of her. She was wearing a white top with sleeved that fell from her shoulders to her arms and a flowing black skirt with a large slit up the side of her right leg. Those who were sitting in the front rows could see a garter on that leg with a roll of money shoved in it. She also wore a black mask lined in white that covered most of her face. The men threw her each a bag of money as they left.
Chorus: "Here the sire may serve the dam;
here the master takes his meat!
Here the sacrificial lamb
utters one despairing bleat!"
Ju: "Poor young maiden! For the thrill
on your tongue of stolen sweets
you will have to pay the bill -
tangled in the winding sheets!
Ju: Serve the meal and serve the maid!
Chrs: Serve the meal and serve the maid! Serve the master so that, when
All: tables, plans and maids are laid,
Don Juanita strikes again!
Christine watched the scene played out, and knew what it was. Don Juan Triumphant had burned in the fire at the opera house so many years ago, and this was clearly the same opera. Few people had made it out of the theatre alive who had actually attended the opera, and Raoul never paid attention. Only she knew that this was the reenactment of that same opera. She was pulled back into the past even more so by Justine, who had a shrill voice reminding her of Carlotta. She was so involved in her thoughts she did not notice the shadow that passed into the box. The opera continued.
Don Juanita turned to her right hand woman.
DJ: "Passarina, faithful friend,
once again recite the plan.
Pa: "Your young guest believes I'm you -
I, the master, you, the man.
DJ: When you met you wore my cloak,
with my scarf you hid your face.
He believes he dines with me,
in his master's borrowed place!
Furtively, we'll scoff and quaff,
stealing what, in truth, is mine.
When it's late and modesty
starts to mellow, with the wine
Pa: You come home! I use your voice -
slam the door like crack of doom!
DJ: I shall say: 'come - hide with me!
Where, oh, where? Of course - my room!'
Pa: Poor man hasn't got a chance!"
DJ: Here's my hat, my cloak and sword.
Conquest is assured,
if I do not forget myself and laugh!"
Don Juanita disappeared behind the curtain. She was an aging actress, who drank herself silly every Friday night. And she often found her eyes wandering into the audience when she was performing. Tonight as she slipped behind the curtain, she thought she saw something stir in box 4, but wasn't sure. She didn't have time to think about it however, for she felt a stabbing pain in her back and then went unconscious.
Onstage, James took his cue and entered stage left, dressed in peasant clothes that were not too street like but not to elegant with just the right amount of sexy.
Ja: "No thoughts
within his head
but thoughts of joy!
No dreams
within his heart
but dreams of love!"
Don Juanita re-entered through the curtain.
Pa: "Mistress?"
DJ: Passarina; go away
For the trap is set and waits for its prey."
Christine felt chills. She had been a singer long enough to distinguish voices, and that was not the voice of the girl who was cast as Don Juanita. She heard movement from behind her, but it was probably just Raoul shifting. He never was comfortable at the opera anymore.
DJ: "You have come here
in pursuit of
your deepest urge,
in pursuit of
that wish,
which till now
has been silent,
silent."
It was then that James realized that this was not the women who had been cast for Don Juanita. It had taken him a while, but he now realized who it was that was behind the mask. He turned around, and stared at Erika wide eyed.
E: "I have brought you,
that our passions
may fuse and merge -
in your mind
you've already
succumbed to me
dropped all defenses
completely succumbed to me -
now you are here with me:
no second thoughts,
you've decided,
decided."
She smiled and moved slowly closer stepping precisely on the down beats.
E: "Past the point
of no return -
no backward glances:
our games of make believe
are at an end.
Past all thought
of "if" or "when" -
no use resisting:
abandon thought,
and let the dream
descend.
She ran the extra distance stopping mere inches from him and running her hands from his shoulders to his hands. He froze.
E: "What raging fire
shall flood the soul?
What rich desire
unlocks its door?
She gripped his hands and turned around under them so that her back was now to him. She put his hands on her stomach and pulled them across her.
E: "What sweet seduction
lies before
us?"
She moved away from him, sliding backwards on her feet like a snake.
E: "Past the point
of no return,
the final threshold -
what warm,
unspoken secrets
will we learn?
Beyond the point
of no return."
She stopped halfway across the stage, gazing at him with her azure blue eyes from under the mask. James turned away.
Ja: "You have brought me
to that moment
where words run dry,
to that moment
where speech
disappears
into silence,
silence."
He turned back to her.
Ja: "I have come here,
hardly knowing
the reason why.
In my mind,
I've already
imagined our
bodies entwining
defenseless and silent -
and now I am
here with you:
no second thoughts,
I've decided,
decided."
He nodded to her, and she believed what he was singing now was coming from the heart. They took their cues, moving backstage slowly with every beat.
Ja: "Past the point
of no return -
no going back now:
our passion-play
has now, at last,
begun.
Past all thought
of right or wrong -
one final question:
how long should we
two wait, before
we're one?
When will the blood
begin to race
the sleeping bud
burst into bloom?
When will the flames,
at last, consume
us?"
They were now back-centre stage. They came closer together as they sang.
B: "Past the point
of no return
the final threshold -
the bridge
is crossed, so stand
and watch it burn.
We've passed the point
of no return."
They were now mere centimeters from each other. James took Erika's hands and spun her so that her back was to him once more. She was facing off stage right; the audience's left. He ran his hands over her and he could feel her warmth.
E: "Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime.
Lit me, save me from my solitude.
Say you'll share with me each night, each morning."
She turned to face him.
E: "Anywhere you go let me go too
Love me, that's all I ask of-"
"No!" Justine rushed onstage, having realized that James was truly falling for Erika and her perfect plan was falling apart. "That is not the actress! This is an impostor!"
"Foolish girl!" Erika spat back. "What do you think you're doing? Will you not end this futile struggle for his love? He does not want you!"
Before the catfight could commence, a shriek was heard from in the audience. The dead body of the original Don Juanita had fallen out from behind the curtain, stabbed through the back with a knife. Before anyone had time to even react, another scream followed the first. A woman sitting in the box in front of the viscount and his wife had looked back to tell Raoul to stop shifting, and had found the Phantom trying to strangle him with one of his infamous nooses. He stopped when he heard her scream. Erika looked up and frowned. The plan had almost worked. Just then, Justine's swift hand flew up and snatched the mask from her face.
Justine could not have possibly known what lay behind the mask until the deed was done. She could not even scream in horror at the grotesque deformation. Erika's flesh was stretched this across her left cheek bone which protruded out a few inches further then her normal side. The bone was misshapen and lumpy in some areas, smooth and twisted in others. The skin was so tight in places that she could see the outline of Erika's teeth. There were scars along her jaw where the thin skin had torn from the stress of covering her face and had healed back together, leaving her red and swollen.
Erika turned to Justine. "Insolent girl!" She screamed. "Now you shall suffer the wrath of the Angels in Hell!"
There was a flash of light, as if the sun had been brought into the room. It was impossible to see. When the light dimmed back to normal, panic ensued. The crowd stumbled over each other, trying to escape from this nightmare lest they be taken next. No one was concerned with anyone but themselves. Except James. He stood on the stage a moment, staring directly at the spot where the two had just been. Raoul was doing the same in box 4 at Christine's empty chair. The two ghosts had vanished with their victims.