At first, Allegra didn't want to tell her.
Nya seemed so lively and excited about where life may take her later; Allegra couldn't stop that.
As they lounged on chairs at a quiet Paris cafe, sipping on coffee like usual, Nya gushed about her plans. "Oh, goodness, it'll be so wonderful! After we join a bigger orchestra we'll travel across Europe, you and me! Imagine it. London, Madrid, Barcelona.. Maybe I'll meet a cute street performer, hm? What do you say?"
"Nya… Nya, I can't," Allegra responded, looking down at her cup.
She pouted. "And why not?"
"This isn't real. You're not.. I saw you die."
Nya stared at Allegra. "Oh… I suppose so.. Why did you let me die, Allegra?"
Allegra could barely breathe, having a mini panic attack as she looked at Nya.
"Where am I? .. Why did you let me die?" she repeated, a glazed look covering Nya's expression. She looked helpless and scared, like a child lost in a crowd. "Why did you let me die?"
"I-I, oh my God.." Allegra covered her mouth as half of Nya's face peeled away, turning into Erik's.
Nya frowned at her, repeating "Why did you let me die?" once more before tumbling backwards in her chair. Allegra instinctively stood up to help her, but as she saw the same bloody sight Allegra covered her face and started to scream instead.
"Wake up, Idiot, wake up!"
Allegra woke up, staring at Erik, who was shaking her shoulders.
She bit into her lip to stop it from trembling and rubbed her forehead with her hands to cover the tears that slipped down her face.
"Let me guess. Nya," Erik said, sitting down next to Allegra. His expression didn't appear compassionate, but Allegra could spot the concern in it. The missing smirk gave it away.
She nodded, then sighed. It was nice while it lasted, seeing Nya again. It felt so real for a moment.. Allegra wondered what it would be like to sleep for a week or so, dreaming of lost ones. Probably not that productive though.
"Come on. We're meeting Elizabeth at the library. Then you're going to practice."
"Practice? What do you mean? The director told me not to join until the doctor said I
could play."
Erik looked away, a small smirk appearing again. "Oh, I took care of that.."
"... What did you do, Phantom?"
"What phantoms do… I put a dead squirrel in his office with a note to put you back in. Or else."
"Great, Erik. Just great. Now he's going to assume I did it."
"Then why did this letter come?" Erik held up a creamy envelope with the orchestra's seal on it. Allegra snatched it from him and ripped it open. Sure enough, the director asked her to come back immediately. Nothing about squirrels, but the tone was urgent.
"Don't do something like that again, okay?"
"If we keep talking we're going to end up being late…"
"Gah, just leave!" Allegra pointed at the door.
Erik smiled, passing through it to the other side.
While she was still upset, at least she could play again. That might cheer her up. Or make her depressed, seeing another person take Nya's spot… Her arm still hurt, but she could fake it well enough. She needed music at the moment to drown everything else out. Until the sound waves bounced inside her brain enough to numb everything for a minute or two.
"So, why are you so white, and Nya so dark-skinned?" Erik asked, leaning back in his chair.
Elizabeth sighed. "Well, it starts with my mother's disappointment in me. You see, she wanted a child rise to fame, and I was her only child at the time. She tried, but I never quite picked up music that well. She got mad at me, and tossed me to the side like I was worthless. Suddenly she left the house one day, in search of an orphan and raise her to be a star. She found Nya, and experimented on her. The cello and her fit like a young couple. Perfect. She sent her off to a music school right after we really became sisters.." She paused for a moment and closing her eyes. A second before Allegra was going to ask if she was okay, Elizabeth resumed the story, opening her eyes.
"During that time my mother lost it. She was fed up on hate of the past. Usually Nya could calm her down, but obviously she wasn't around. One day she never came back home… Until a week later, when she started to possess the house. I was terrified of dying. When Nya came back she pretended to hate you. I think she wanted to be in control of killing you, so she could let you run off instead. I'm sorry things turned out this way, but at least you knew her for a while."
Allegra nodded. "Well, she told me that she had a sister that she missed, but never anything about parents."
"... Yeah, I really missed her too… Well, come on. We better look at some books to get rid of my mother. There has to be something about demons around here."
Allegra stood up from her chair. "Actually, you two are. I have to run to practice, and then go to Nya's memorial afterwards. If you come wear something nice, and no black."
They said goodbye and she walked out of the library, breathing in the fresh air deeply. It felt strange to be able to breathe, smell the fresh bread in the breeze, and enjoy life when someone else couldn't anymore.
"Oh, when will I stop thinking things like that?" she murmured to herself, walking along the street with her violin case in hand.
It didn't take long to get to the opera house, and everyone welcomed her with open arms. Well, besides Bethany. Her lead role was over, and she seemed overly bitter about relinquishing it.
Allegra took her seat with a spark of joy in her heart. The practice went well, even though she was cite reading all of her new songs. She lost herself in the music a couple times, leaving her thoughts behind. The director babied her though, not calling her out for small mistakes like usual. She'd have to talk to him later about that. Allegra didn't need, or want, any handouts.
"Okay, boys and girls. Go and get changed into your good clothes. We are celebrating the life of a gifted cellist tonight. I don't want to see one sad face though, you hear me? We all know how boisterous she was. I'm sure she would be upset by her death causing more people to act dead too. I'm not going to say have fun though. Be respectful."
The girls and guys split up into the old costume rooms, putting on their gowns and vests after putting their instruments away. Allegra wore a deep ocean blue dress, like the police boxes they had in Britain when she visited.
The memorial was held in the orchestra's extra practice room for the group. The old ballerinas used to practice in there, and their mirrors still adorned the walls. They reflected the mass of people coming in and constantly chatting about Nya.
If Allegra had to listen to one more person ask if she was alright, or tell her how they just knew Nya was at peace now, she was going to go absolutely insane.
To make matters worse, both Erik and Elizabeth had ditched her. Probably pouring over books in the library.
"I'm not feeling that well," Allegra told a third violinist. "I might go home early."
"Oh, okay Allegra. I'll let the director know you left," she replied. "Do you want me to call a taxi?"
"No, no. It's 's still light out, so I'll just walk instead."
"In your dress?"
"Yeah, why not?" she shrugged. "It's Paris after all."
The girl nodded, walking away into the blend of people.
It may be a city full of interesting people, but she didn't want to stick out. She changed into her normal clothes and grabbed her violin.
The walk was peaceful, tracing along the city's lights. Everyone seemed so relaxed, and the city gave off a nice vibe of romance and hope.
Maybe, just maybe, she could try living for Nya, like she was a camera on her shoulders, experiencing life alongside Allegra. The thought filled her with hope, and a new found confidence.
Allegra collapsed on her bed, exhausted. Glancing sideways, she noticed a piece of paper on her desk that wasn't there in the morning.
"I hope Erik and Elizabeth didn't spontaneously make up and go around Paris together... Though they would make a funny couple." Allegra smiled, pulling herself off the bed and over to the note.
Dear Allegra,
Turns out your pet phantom isn't as smart as he boasts. My ex-daughter and him came to the house and managed to stumble into my trap. Their little tricks were very cute, I admit. If you want to save them all I ask of you is to pay a visit to me. I'll be waiting.
Sincerely,
Carlotta
(Ello, guys! Sorry it took so long. This week has been crazy. I guess I'm the president of my new club, and I'm trying to become the vice president of national honor society in my high school. Crazy, but amazingly fun. :) I'll update soon, especially since I love what happens in the next chapter. 'Till next time.)