~ White Lily, Blue Ribbon ~
Sebastian watched Box five for hours. He just needed some hint, some clue as to how the Phantom came and went. The plan that was in his mind that moment was ludicrous. He'd probably get himself killed. But if it provided him with a chance to show Evie how wrong she'd been... he'd take it with both hands.
However the hours came and went, with not even the slightest movement coming from box five. Sebastian was perplexed, and more than a little annoyed. Evie had usually appeared by now, in fact, she'd never missed a day that he'd been watching. So why now?
He'd followed her once after that first night, with Jerry. Just because he felt something odd was going on, and as it had turned out, there was. He'd watch as the black-clad man had appeared, as if out of nowhere, and taken Evie... somewhere. It was hard to tell from his vantage point on the other side of the theatre.
After a couple more minutes, fed up and deciding nothing was going to happen, Sebastian stormed into box five, determined to find the secret for himself. However, when another hour of snooping and searching provided him with no conclusive results, he felt it was time to give up. Seething in anger, he vented his frustration on one of the chairs, launching a kick at it.
As the armrest folded up, so did the chair, revealing a long, dark tunnel into the walls of the opera house.
Sebastian's mouth fell open.
The journey along the tunnel was impossibly dark, and Sebastian, clumsy at even the best of times, fell no less than twice. Eventually though, he reached the end, and upon discovering the pulley system, pulled himself up with shaking hands, until he reached the trap door.
The room that the trap door opened to reveal was sparse. There were a couple crates scattered around the place, filled with assortments of various things. Drawers and cabinets hung open, as if someone had unpacked them and left in a hurry. Intrigued, Sebastian pulled himself into the room, gazing around in wonder and curiosity. He appeared to be in a clock tower-
Suddenly something smashed him over the back of his head, sending him sprawling to the floor. He scrambled to his feet, his first instinct to get away from whatever it was that had attacked him. It didn't give him much time, though, for it quickly spun him around and grabbed the collar of his shirt, slamming him back into the floor and pressing the cold blade of a sword to his throat.
Sebastian's eyes met those cold grey ones that belonged to the man who now held him at sword-point. The man who's face was half obscured by a white mask.
"How did you find this place?" the man hissed.
"Ohgodalmightypleasedon'tkillme!" the boy spluttered, which earned him a sharp smack on the face.
"I said HOW DID YOU FIND THIS PLACE!" the man roared, and Sebastian cowered.
"It was an accident!" he whimpered, "Please, I don't want to die-"
"Liar." the man breathed, before growling; "The passageway to this place is impossible to find. Evie told you, didn't she!"
"Evie?" Sebastian looked genuinely surprised. Why would Evie have told him? Evie never told him anything. "No! No! Not Evie! I told you, it was an accident. I kicked the chair..." the man frowned, his hold on Sebastian loosening, the sword not pressed so hard against his neck.
"Moretti and the others didn't send you here?" Of course, it didn't make sense to send a boy. Were they going to send someone, like he'd expected, they would send police. Not a boy. His story could be true.
"What?" the boy looked incredibly perplexed, even in his state of terror. "No! No why would they- no!" His words all came out in a tumble. The Phantom frowned.
"Then... why did you come here?" the man's words were cold and ever so slightly threatening. Sebastian gulped, as the sword glinted in the light from the candles that were scattered across the room.
"I..." he took a deep breath to steady himself, looking at his boots. When he turned his eyes upwards once again, there was a steel in them. "I want to learn to sing."
The Phantom was silent a very long time, staring at the boy with a frown on his face, mind ticking over what he had said. Eventually, he spoke.
"Why?"
Sebastian had to think for a moment. He hadn't been prepared for that question.
"I suppose... it would make certain people very unhappy. If I became the new lead Tenor..." his eyes shone as he pictured it in his mind. "They would hate it." a little smile came to his lips as he imagined it. The boy definitely had ambition, but did he have the voice? It certainly wouldn't hurt to stay just a little while longer, to find out... And for the boy to go to these lengths out of sheer spite... the notion tickled the Phantom for some reason.
After a long moment of thought, the Phantom sheathed his sword. He held out a hand and helped the boy to his feet.
"I think... you and I will get along rather well." he said with a smirk.
xXx
Evie hadn't been in a very good mood lately. In fact, anyone who attempted to talk to her was either ignored or snapped at, so most people had given up trying, accepting that she had inherited her mother's tendency towards "moods".
Whenever she let her mind go it wandered back to the Phantom and the look on his face as he'd turned and struck her. Sometimes, when she was all alone, she'd cry. She still couldn't believe after so long, after she'd trusted and loved him so much, he'd ended up no better than Victoria.
Other times she'd seethe in silence, convinced that the whole time he'd wanted to use her and her voice to insinuate himself further into the theatre. Hadn't he said so, at some point? The thought was so crushing that she'd cry a little more.
And still, no matter how much she tried to forget him, forget all about him, she couldn't shake that song from her mind. It's cadences, its rhythm, it's slow haunting melody. Past, the point of no return... She sometimes caught herself humming it absently, and immediately returned to her state of seething hatred and self-disgust.
There was just something about it; she was in love with the song. It stirred something in her. Something exciting and tenuous that she wasn't old enough yet to understand or put a name to.
Still, no matter how angry Evie became over those couple of weeks with no lessons to go to, nothing could have prepared her for the sheer outrage she met with the sight that was presented to her one evening in the auditorium.
The new soprano on the stage was singing, and Evie could probably pick out every little thing that she was doing wrong, but next to her stood the new Tenor. And his voice was flawless. Once Evie had adjusted to the colossal shift in her universe that was Sebastian on the stage, it began to creep up on her;
The way he stood, the way he breathed, the way he never rolled his 'r's or used vibrato... She knew that technique- there was no mistaking it.
But Evie didn't cry.
No not this time, not when Sebastian was receiving every attention he could possibly receive, from the giggling dancers, the crew members, the Maestro. The attention that was supposed to be hers. No Evie didn't cry, not even betrayed by the two people she loved the most in the world. She knew exactly what she was going to do, as she stormed from the room, pushing roughly past a number of people on her way out.
"I hate to have to cut the fun short." she muttered to herself as she burst into her room and knelt at the chest which sat at the foot of her bed.. "But the joke's wearing thin." She reached inside "I'll just let myself in."
She pulled out her shiny blue ribbon.
A/N: If I named my chapters this one would probably be entitled: RETURN OF THE PLOT DEVICE. And it would be dedicated to this grilled cheese sandwich I am currently eating. Anywho. How y'all going? I know it was a short one this time, but aw hell, it's full of important little tidbits and my PERSONAL favourite thing ever; References! Yay! *skips*
As always, I hope you like the chapter. I sure as hell don't post these for myself. =P
Nevertheless, any feedback would be nice. *batts eyelashes*
Stay with us! There is only one chapter still to go!
PS: THANKYOU MAWREE FOR BETA-ING xXx
This is CANDY, signing off.