Thank you to Agnes1014, Hot4Gerry, Phantom's Ange, pastheart, and GuardianOfTheMorningStar. You guys all rock!!
Dedication- To the inspiration for Orry.
Disclaimer- I own nothing, cause I do not want to be sued, and I also don't want Erik descending with a Punjab lasso aimed at me.
Katrina stared off into space. She sighed, wondering when the stupid lecture would end. This French lesson was taking FOREVER!! The stupid teacher would not stop talking. She knew that the material would be on the Final Exam, but she couldn't bring herself to care. The Opera Populaire would have a job for her when she graduated anyway, why waste her time here? Her gaze went to the ceiling and she started to daydream...
Suddenly, a folded piece of paper landed on her desk. 'Yes! Sweet distraction!' she thought, grabbing it. It was so plainly folded, not as intricate as Erik could fold. She opened it.
Want to rehearse after school? was written in JT's blocky handwriting. She glanced over when the teacher's back was turned. He grinned at her. She smiled back.
Heck yes! And I got an idea for a song! "You want to turn the Phantom of the Opera into a rock song?" asked Orry, looking at her with his eyebrows shooting into his hairline. Katrina struck a cord on her electric guitar with an attitude. Orry shook his head.
"Are you sure?" he asked, giving his bass a stroke. Notes swirled in the air, fading with time.
"I think it's a great idea!" said Liana, twirling her drum sticks. She sat behind her drum kit, long hair back in a braid. JT stood behind his keyboard, trying out the keys. It had been more than a week since they had all practiced together.
"Ditto!" said JT, making the keyboard emit sharp spiky notes that went with Liana's drum-beats. Orry sighed with a smile.
"Looks like I'm out-voted." he laughed. "Let's play 'Lost and Found' to warm up." He struck the opening cords, and Liana quickly changed her drum beat, making it faster and adding a few symbols in. JT let his fingers fly over his keyboard. Kat slammed on her guitar. She let the music wash over her, and she lost herself in the cords and beats of one of her favorite rock songs. Orry sang the lyrics, Liana and Kat providing the chorus.
They were in one of the many sound-proof rehearsal rooms in the Music building. They used to meet at least twice a week, before "Into the Woods" and the Exams loomed around the corner. They even had a small fan club in the school. They called themselves 'The Phantoms'. They were always asked to play at school functions, (along with the other resident bands) and once a year they had a Battle of the Bands as a fundraiser for the school. Phantoms came in second place last year, and this year they were determined to do as well if not better!
As the last cords of "Lost and Found" faded away, Kat turned to Orry. "My idea could win Battle for us. Think. It's romantic, scary and if we put to rock music, we could rock it awesomely!!"
"Gasp! What if we wore masks to the Battle?!" exclaimed Liana. "With giant black capes! It'd be so awesome!"
"JT, do you think that you translate the original piece into rock?" asked Orry, turning to the keyboardist. JT let rip a stream of obviously Phantom notes, but they had a beat and a rhythm that was definitely rock.
"Way ahead of ya, Orry." he said, smiling like it was Christmas.
Late that afternoon, Katrina and her friends finally made their way back to the Opera House, after an exhausting rehearsal session. They had switched most of the original song into rock, and now they were deciding what lyrics to do. They had managed to record the song on a CD before the band director kicked them out.
Katrina had completely fallen in love with the song, and she couldn't stop it playing in her head. Suddenly, there was another song in her head besides Erik's. She wasn't sure if she liked it, but the rock music was drowning out the classical. She walked into her room, humming the tune.
She set her bag down, took out the CD, put it in her stereo and turned up the volume. The rock flooded out and she began to sway to the beat. Without even knowing what she was doing, she began to dance. She let the music take her over and she began to dance. With her arms over her head, she moved her hips to the beat, swinging her hair all over the place.
What is she doing? What is that horrid sound that she's moving to? What is going on? That dance...it stirs something within...the way she moves is astonishing. How can someone shake their head like that and not get a headache? Katrina...you are so different than the girl I knew once. In a way, better. In another way, not. But right now, you are all mine. I have to distract you before that dance drives me insane...!
Her cell phone lit up on the desk, obviously ringing, but she couldn't hear it. He growled slightly, he didn't like the way that she was dancing (actually he did, not that he'd ever admit it). It was too provocative. The song suddenly ended. He quickly called her again.
"Allo?" she answered in French.
"Bonjour, mademoiselle." he said continuing in the pattern. "Ca va?"
"Ca va tres bien. Et toi?"
"What was that song?" he asked, choosing not to answer the question.
"The Phantom of the Opera, rockified! Didn't it rule?!" she exclaimed, eyes shining. He smiled at her through the gaps in the ball gowns. He couldn't stand it, she was always so happy. How did she do it?
"It was...interesting." he said, successfully keeping his voice from sounding disgusted.
"We're trying to decide what lyrics to do." she continued, flopping down on her bed, taking off her shoes. "Definitely the first and second stanzas, but what after that?"
"Which ones?"
"You know, in sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came. That one. Then sing once again with me, our strange duet. That one too. Orry's trying to decide the others."
"Orry's in your band?" he asked, making his voice light, not angry.
"Yes, he and I founded it! We're The Phantoms!" she said, eyes shining.
"That sounds great." he said, before switching the subject.
Late that night, a boy's laptop went missing, along with his wall plug-in. Erik sat in the attic, laptop plugged in, Internet up and sites whizzing past like lightning. He was researching rock music. He listened to so much that he thought his head would explode. He researched the beginning, the rock stars, the songs, the instruments, the cords and melodies. He wanted to know everything that was rock.
He still didn't like it at the end of five hours.
He snuck to Orry's dorm, and looked about for an instrument that Orry would play. He couldn't find anything from his position behind Orry's bed in the wall. He had to exit and snoop about in person. He found the guitar case under Orry's bed. He discovered the make and model of the bass, the colors and everything.
That same night, Katrina's copy of the Phantom rockified disappeared as well, as well as a spare CD stereo. Erik was learning the song.
A Week Later...
This time, they decided to rehearse in the Opera House. There was an unused music room near the dorms that Monsieur Hedgecliff had reluctantly agreed to let them use. They set up and Erik was right there, listening...watching.
Liana beat out the time, and they dove into the song, ripping out cords and notes. Kat was the lead singer for this song.
"In sleep he sang to me
In dreams he came
That voice that calls to me
And speaks my name!
And do I dream again
For now I find
The Phantom of the Opera is there
Inside my mind!" Erik was blown away. Who was this girl that sang from Kat's body? The voice was husky, sexy and commanding. He hadn't ever heard this side of Katrina before. It was almost better than her classical voice. She was astounding. This was completely amazing she-
"Sing once again with me
Our strange duet
My power over you
Grows stronger yet!
And though you turn from me
To glance behind
The Phantom of the Opera is there
Inside your mind!" Da-- that boy! He had been distracted by that boy's horrid singing. If you could call it that. He distracted him from Katrina and her amazing voice. He looked back to her, and saw that she was enjoying that singing! Shaking her head, moving her body, rocking her guitar. Orry caused her happiness. Well, he'd have to fix that!
The music stopped and they all laughed and smiled.
"We did good!" shouted JT, obviously in thrills about the music that they had created.
"Yeah!" said Katrina, looking at Orry. "Great job, Orry! That ruled!"
"Hey, you did great too. We all did!" he said, strumming his bass, letting cords loose.
Orry...whispered a voice inside his head. He shook it off. Orry. Slowly he felt his mind give way a bit. You do not feel well. Put down the bass, and walk out.
"I don't feel well." he echoed, setting down his bass and walking out of the rehearsal room. Katrina followed him, shouting for him to wait up. Don't stop, keep walking. He didn't stop.
"Orry! Stop, goddammit!!" shouted Kat, running after him. Liana and JT peered out of the music room, worried. "Fine! Go off and sulk!! See if I give a #&#&$!!" she stomped back to the rehearsal room, without Orry.
"What was that?" asked Liana, looking incredulous. Kat growled, grabbed her guitar and stormed to her room. She threw her guitar on her bed, quickly apologizing for her rough handling. With a groan, she grabbed her wallet and shoved it in her pocket. She almost ran back to the music room.
"Does anyone want to go to a café?" she asked, poking her head into the room, where Liana and JT were still standing. They shook their heads, bent over their instruments. She snarled, not at them, and walked off.
"I'm going to a café." she told Madame Yowling as she passed, and Madame couldn't stop her. Katrina marched down the aisles, down the stairs, out the doors and into the streets of Paris. As she walked along, she slowly edged out of her mood and was filled with the happiness that only Paris could bring. She loved the old buildings on every street. She loved the smiles of the people. She waved to others from her school. She entered one of the older cafés, loving the comfy setting with stuffed chairs and a fireplace in the backround.
She sat at one of the single tables and a waiter came up almost instantly.
"Qu'est-ce qui vous aimer, mademoiselle?" he asked, whipping out his pad and pencil.
"Je voudrais un café et un croissant de chocolat, s'il vous plaît." she replied. He nodded and walked off. She leaned back and inhaled the smell of coffee and freshly baked pastries. She smelled apples and caramel, chocolate and whipped cream. Steam and smoke drifted near the roof and she cupped her cup of coffee, adding sugar but no cream. She needed something a little stronger than as her friends said "a cup of Josephine." (A cup of Joe, girled up with lots of cream and sugar.)
She slowly drank and ate, letting the stress leave her body. She watched the people come and go. A bunch of tourists came in at one point, all talking in Spanish and English. There was a translator with them, and they were having a blast, taking pictures of the café, messing up the French orders, laughing. She smiled, she and her friends would do that on purpose.
A while later, she finally stood up (two cups of coffee and at one more chocolate croissant) and walked with her check to the counter. The cashier rang it up.
"Ce sera vingt euros, s'il vous plaît." she said. Katrina quickly pulled out her wallet and paid. The tourists had just left, tipping the cashier at least twenty euros too much. Kat shook her head and left a four euro tip, like always. She walked out into the balmy night air, calm at last. She set out, back to the Opera Populaire. The tourists were ahead of her, all chatting in their language.
Kat barely had time to blink when about ten teenage boys leaped out from an alley, surrounding the tourists. Knifes glittered in their hands, and one had a hand in his coat. Kat stopped dead. She recognized these gang members. They called themselves the Patriots. They dyed their hair red, blue and white. They only spoke in French and only attacked tourists.
"Donnez-nous votre argent maintenant!" shouted one of the punks, his knife flashing in the moonlight. The tourists turned to their translator.
"He wants you to give them your money." her voice quavered, obviously frightened. One of the tourists spoke in rapid Spanish. The translator turned the the youths.
"Il a dit-"
"MAINTENANT!" shouted most of the youths, knifes suddenly in faces. Wallets hit the pavement, couples clung to each other. Whispered prayers in foreign languages. Kat was terrified. But she couldn't just let this happen. Those tourists hadn't done anything!
Gathering up her courage, she picked up a brick and heaved it at them. It hit one of the closest ones square in the back. He fell to the ground, crying in pain. He was such a baby, he really couldn't stand pain. One of his friends turned about, saw her and started running towards her.
"Oh God!" she screamed, turning about and starting to run.
"Chienne anglaise!" he shouted, trying to catch up to her.
"Ce n'était pas très agréable!" she shouted back, trying to make him leave her alone. He continued after her, eyes narrowed into slits of anger. The others quickly scattered, wallets in hand. One of the tourists, a tall brunette man, turned about and dashed back, apparently to help her. One of the gang members quickly blocked his path, knocked him down and ran to help his buddy.
Kat turned a corner, and ducked into the shop there, never mind that it was a liquor store. She hid behind the counter, shaking in fright. "Deux membres de gang sont après moi. Permettez-moi s'il vous plaît de vous cacher!" she said to the clerk. He nodded watching the windows. The two gang members ran by. A few seconds and there were many screams. The clerk and Kat looked at each other, neither daring to go out into the street to see what was going on.
How dare he?! Erik thought, watching the two boys chase Katrina. He reached into his coat, grabbed his constant companion, and leapt down from the rooftops, looped the Punjab around the first youth's throat. He pulled it and pulled it until there was nothing left to pull and the youth toppled into the streets. He whipped about, grabbing his other tool. He whipped the hook through the air, slicing the second boy across the stomach.
The boy squealed like a stuck pig. Erik swung the hook again, this time catching the boy across the throat. Blood poured to the sidewalk as the boy crumpled like a sack of flour. Erik stood there for a few seconds to make sure that neither would ever get up again. The tourist suddenly sat up. Erik went into defensive mode, quickly moving to the shadows.
"Who are you?" asked the tourist in a fine baritone. He knew almost no French but wanted to learn. Erik looked at him and said what amused him.
"The Angel of Death."
"You came to save me?" asked the tourist happily, getting up and dusting off his jeans. He looked up and the mask wasn't even two inches from his face.
"No." Erik said, sliding into the shadows and vanishing. Soon cars with sirens blocked the road, reporters came and snapped pictures, the bodies were taken away, Kat lead to a vehicle where she was given hot chocolate (although she asked for coffee) and nobody noticed the shadow on the roof, watching all.
Late that night, Katrina was finally allowed to go back to her room, after a major reaming from Monsieur Hedgecliff and Madame Yowling. She crept along the corridor, hopeful that she wouldn't meet others from the dorms. She didn't want to talk about why she was so late. It was just...gah! She had getten caught up in gang warfare, two of the gang were dead, and now she and that other tourist were the only witnesses. Now it was going to be in all the newspapers, and everyone would read it in the morning. Then, she'd be bombarded with questions! She would get no peace!! Maybe she wouldn't get up tomorrow...jsut sleep in till noon. That'd be good.
She entered her room and tossed her wallet on the desk. She couldn't wait to go to sleep. She was so tired. She yawned, and collasped on her bed. As she closed her eyes, Erik's voice began to sing to her. It was a new song...more passion filled. It almost made her think about being in love...
Thank you to those who have read this far...Now review. Please!! Please, please, please, please, PLEASE!!!!!
And for those of you who do not speak French...(Basic Translations)
Qu'est-ce qui vous aimer, mademoiselle? = What would you like, miss?
Je voudrais un café et un croissant de chocolat, s'il vous plaît. = I would like a coffee and a chocolate crossiant, please.
Ce sera vingt euros, s'il vous plaît. = It will be twenty euros, please.
Donnez-nous votre argent maintenant! = Give us your wallets, now!
MAINTENANT!! = NOW!!
Chienne anglaise! = English bitch!
Ce n'était pas très agréable! = That's not very nice!
Deux membres de gang sont après moi. Permettez-moi s'il vous plaît de vous cacher! = Two gang members are after me. Please let me hide here!