Phantom of the Opera

Time

The night I returned back to Phantasma, I fell asleep listening to Angel compose. In the morning, I get up from his small couch silently, not catching his eye. I see beads of sweat run Angel's face in this cold room. He worked himself too hard looking for me, so now he's sick. I feel very guilty. I slowly walk over to My Angel.

"Angel," I get his attention. A smile peaks on his face, "Again, I'm so sorry!" I hug him lovingly, "I missed you so much. I will never leave you again!" he returns the hug with the same amount of care.

"It's alright. Just stay here with me, let's work on some music. Your style can really bring something to Phantasma." He says this and I smile happily.

"I'll be more than happy to..." I start playing some of the pieces that Angel has picked out from my collection. Most are full orchestrations, so I play simple parts.

We play for what seems like minutes, but with my mind getting foggy I can assume it's been longer. "I'm getting quite tired...." I close my eyes and sleep, but I still feel my hands playing the music.

————

Next thing I remember I'm laying on the couch again. I have no idea how long I've been asleep. I get up and I'm completely alone in the dark music room, the eerie silence seeming quite loud. Something compels me within seconds to lay back down, and I listen. My eyelids get dreadfully heavy before I succumb to the exhaustion.

I wake again, unaware once more of how much time has passed. This time I am able leave the room and attempt to find anyone who might be around. My body aches as I go up the stairs.

"Madame Giry..." I find the woman in black cleaning the dance studio and quickly go to her. "Where is everyone?" I ask, noticing that she is by herself.

"Everyone just went home. You were here only a few minutes ago when they left." Madame Giry says this seeming annoyed at my question. Within seconds I'm guided into to a corner to not be seen. I look in the mirror and realize that don't have my mask on, understanding why I need to be hidden. We don't need people thinking they're seeing my mother. "Are you feeling alright? You look like you need some rest..."

"I just woke up, Madame Giry...I never left the music room." I'm taken aback by what she had explained to me. "I just woke up." I repeat myself, worried she doesn't believe me. Madame Giry stays silent and just stares at me. "Please answer me..."

"I...I will have to speak with Mr. Y." Giry takes my shaking hands in her warm ones. "I believe I may have an idea of what is happening." Wrapping her arms around me, I embrace the hug realizing I needed it.

I miss my mother.

"Go back down and put on your mask. I will meet you back here once I retrieve the master." We both leave and I dredge down the stairs, not wanting to hide myself. This feeling is odd since I was wearing it without any issue only what I believe was two days ago. Alas, I put it on and meet to Madame Giry. I wait for quite a while before she returns with Angel. A sudden wave of frustration washes over me, feeling my face burn as it does.

"When did I come home from Derrick's?" I pry, wanting to know how long it's been. My Angel won't even look at me so I look to Madame Giry, hoping she will give me an answer. Taking a deep breath, she goes to respond but not before Angel's dark brown eyes dart to her.

"Almost 8 months ago." Giry takes my hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. "Breathe.." Before I do, she realizes I've been holding my breath.

"I haven't been awake for almost a year..." I reiterate what she has said, trying to understand it. "But I have been awake...I just don't remember..." I look at Angel, having a feeling that he had something to do with it. He won't even look at me, affirming what I believe. "Why won't you even look at me? Did I do something wrong?" I don't want to lose the only family that I have. "I don't remember anything.." he doesn't acknowledge my existence at whatsoever.

"Okay...Mr. Y.." I give up on trying to talk to him. "I'll find someone to tell me what's going on." I brush past him with a sigh.

"Fantine. Where are you going?" When my back is to Mr. Y, he finally speaks to me. His words fog my brain but I ignore it and keep walking.

"Don't leave." I hear his voice again but I turn around and seeing I'm by myself. Walking faster, I go and find Midnight and Isabelle. I barely recognize what is around me, so much has changed since the last time I had seen it.

"Midnight?" I call for them near their room. "Isabelle?" They come out and I hug them tightly. I feel so lost, I thought it was it was a lie at first but it's definitely not one anymore.

"What's wrong? We haven't gotten a hug in ages..." Midnight says this and I try to keep my composure. She takes my masked face in her hands and looks into my eyes. "Your eyes have been glossy for a while, I was afraid something may have happened that you wouldn't tell us about..."

"I don't remember anything since I came back from Carlotta's after the days I-I ran away." I say this and the girls nod. Was it obvious that I was different? What did I do?

"You barely talked to us. You seemed to be somewhere else." Isabelle seems to read my mind. "The master kept you down in the music room and working with the chorus." She hugs me tightly. "I knew something was up."

"We're glad that you're back." Midnight rubs my back and it calms me down. "We'll make sure this doesn't happen again." The girls take me into their room and give me a large shirt to put on. I hadn't even realized that I was wearing different clothes.

"Is Phantasma open?" I'm in some kind of costume. I get nods from my friends. "I've been performing...Mr. Y is in my head, he's been doing all of this." I'm connecting the dots out loud, trying to understand it all. "Am I nothing to him?" I put on the shirt and take the costume off underneath, leaving me in a bodysuit and tights under the shirt.

"I think you're everything to him. He never stops talking about you, even if he's...controlling you—which we will figure out how—he does really care about you." Midnight takes my hair down from its updo as she speaks.

"I do find it quite odd that he refers to you as Christine though, mostly on accident. Although he never slips up in front of Meg." Isabelle takes my mask and sets it on her vanity. "The master is infatuated with your mother...that's probably why he is obsessed with you." We go and sit down on their couch.

"Come back. Please."

"Did you hear that?" I look to see if Mr. Y is in the room but it's only us. "There's no one here.." I sigh and lay my head in Midnight's lap.