Alison collapsed into her bed after working, deciding to skip dinner for the night to sleep instead. Her feet were tired from standing most of the day and her clothes were covered with paint, but even then she was happy that her first day was over. She loved the theater already, and enjoyed the few people she had met already, and loved the thought of staying in the theater for a long time to come. Even though she was frightened after almost being hit with a platform, she managed to continue working as if nothing had happened. Madame Petit scolded the stagehands, but was (admittedly) impressed to Alison's lack of reaction. Even the Phantom, who had watched the work happen, was taken aback by the fact that she had not screamed for her life at his actions.
She sighed and sat up on the bed, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were tired, her hair a mess, and makeup sweating down her face. She sighed before removing the makeup with a tissue next to the bed. Alison stood and walked to the wardrobe to pull out her pajamas for the night. When she opened the door, she noticed something . . . off . . . about it.
Her clothes were wrinkled and put in different places than they had been. She automatically wondered if one of the girls had ruffled through her things and she felt anger before remembering they had all been downstairs with her, always within sight, and had taken breaks with her. There was no way they could have gone through her things. It wasn't as if anything was gone, either - all of her clothes were still accounted for.
She looked further into the wardrobe, pushing clothes aside to see if there were any clues as to why her clothes looked different. If she had not looked closely enough, she wouldn't have noticed the small hatch at the bottom of the wardrobe that was otherwise hidden from sight.
Alison raised an eyebrow as she looked at it, then to the rest of the wardrobe. She placed her hand on the small latch, pulled, and watched the wood pulled away to reveal a tunnel behind her wardrobe.
She gasped audibly and moved back to look at it.
This is something straight from a horror movie, she thought as she shook her head. But . . . Phantom of the Opera . . . the story had secret passages . . . but it's fiction! There's no phantom!
. . . Then explain the incident today. No one was close to that platform.
She furrowed her eyebrows as she continued to stare at the tunnel, debating on whether or not to enter it. She went with her gut, closed the hatch, and slammed the wardrobe door shut. She had hoped to sleep well that night, but she couldn't help but feel frightened at the thought of sleeping there. She exited her room and went to Adele's before knocking on the door.
Adele answered shortly after and French music from within billowed into the hallway. She was currently eating a strange food Alison had never seen.
"Bonjour," Adele greeted, then held the door open wider. Alison would have taken the time to look at the walls covered in posters had it not been for the fact she was still scared.
"Adele, can I look in your wardrobe?" Alison asked, eyebrows raised and a serious look on her face. Adele tilted her head to the side.
"Um . . . okay . . . I do not understand why you - oh, wait!" Alison stopped mid-step to the wardrobe and turned around. "I keep forgetting, you have the Narnia room. Lion, witch, wardrobe, yeah?"
"What?"
"There are tunnels around everywhere, Ali. There is one behind the wardrobe."
"Wait, you knew?" Alison shook her head, looking at Adele in disbelief.
"Did you not? Did Madame Petit inform you?" Alison shook her head. "Oh . . . I apologize."
"Why is there a tunnel behind the wardrobe? Why is there one in my room?"
"It is the oldest room in this wing, of course. Part of the original building!" Adele's casual response made Alison blink at her a few times before shaking her head. "Do not worry. It has not been used for years. Treat it as . . . as . . . a special gift!"
" . . . Got it." Alison left the room and walked back to hers while eyeing the wardrobe wearily. She felt lonely all of a sudden as she looked at the handcrafted item, and wondered if what Adele had said was true. She was curious to see what the tunnel led to, of course, but she didn't want to find something she wouldn't like.
For the moment, she decided that she would leave the wardrobe alone and pretend it wasn't there.
I don't feel like dying today, she thought to herself. Alison laid down on the bed and stared at the tall ceiling before closing her eyes. She focused on her breathing until she slipped into a dream.
Adele slipped into her room as soon as she was sure Alison was asleep, and remained as quiet as she could. She tiptoed to the wardrobe and opened it, careful to keep noise to a minimum. She searched for the hatch Alison had found, and once her eyes landed on it, she froze with wide eyes.
She hadn't lied to Alison about the hatch - they had known it was there. For the few years she worked there, though, she had always been told it wasn't in use. Adele would have believed it, too, had she not seen the tunnel illuminated with candles. She simply sat there, staring in, before replacing the piece of wood and closing the wardrobe. Adele looked over at Alison once again and smiled softly.
There was something about the girl that she happened to like - maybe it was her kindness, or it was the strange aura she set off. Adele hadn't talked much to her, but she knew she was rather shy, but knew how to have conversations. There were things she would say, and some she wouldn't. Opposite to herself, but the same.
She smiled softly again in Alison's direction before leaving the room.