Phantom Shadows

VIII~ Someday we will.

"Celia! Celia!" I opened my eyes to find Gerry shaking me. I immediately sat up and looked around. I saw Blaise and Arthur in the room along with several maids. "What.....what happened?" I asked. "We heard someone's voice down the hall and one of the maids noticed that the door was left open." Gerry explained. I looked around on the ground and racked my brain for a memory. "Are you okay Madam Daae?" Arthur asked, kneeling down beside me. He felt my forehead and looked for any injuries. "No bumps, no bruises. We're good." Arthur said, taking a sigh of relief. "Wait, what am I doing here?" I asked. "Come, we must get you some care." Arthur helped me up and we walked down the hallway. We rounded a corner when suddenly I saw that same man. He looked both ways down the hall before taking out a key. It was a skeleton key and I saw him lock the door.

Suddenly, his eyes darted down the hall and I ducked behind the wall. I then took one last peek down the hall but he had vanished into thin air. I was confused. First a man kidnaps me and the next I wake up inside the dressing room of my mother. What was happening to me? Gerry walks up to me and waves his hand in front of my face. "Celia. Celia? Are you there? Earth to Celia." Gerry said. I snapped out of my daydream and looked at him. "Come on. We need to go. Besides, they'll probably send out a search party for us both." Gerry joked. Somehow that made me crack up. I giggled and that brought a smile to his face. "Well, let's go why don't we?" Gerry asked. He took my hand in his and we walked off down the hall.

Once we entered the grand ballroom, we saw maids and the managers there too. They turned and looked at us. "Madame Daae! There you are!" Blaise exclaimed. I walked over to them and Blaise introduced me to a little girl. "This Annabelle, one of our ballet girls. She truly admires you." Blaise said. I kneeled down and shook her hand. "Why hello there Annabelle. My name's Celia." I said. She had hair as brown as chocolate. She then hugged me and I was caught by surprise. "I can't believe that you're the actual daughter of Madam Daae! She's my favorite singer." Annabelle said. I could tell she was excited and so was I. "Come, I must show you something." Annabelle took my hand and led me down a hallway.

"So, whatever is it?" I asked her. She turned to look at me with a sudden frightful face. "There is a man dressed all in black. He lives inside the walls of this haunted house. He tells me of stories of someone who once loved him. But sadly left him." Annabelle whispered. That sent chills down my spine. "Annabelle, who is this man you speak of?" I asked her. "He has no name but he says he prefers Erik." She whispered. She was afraid of something. But what was it?

I felt my heart begin to beat a million miles an hour. I was afraid and I knew why. "Well, tell him I wish him the best of  luck." I said. She nodded and a smile came back onto her face. She hugged me and I hugged back. I thought it was odd for her to be afraid but suddenly the joy came back to her in an instant. "Well, I have to go now. Uh, bye." I said. But suddenly, she had grabbed my hand; begging me to stay. "You can't leave. This man will harm me! He'll hurt me." She pleaded. I looked at her with a look of fear on my face. I was shocked. "I have the scars! I have the scars!" She yelled. And just as she said it, I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I was greeted by a rush of panic. She kept repeating the words. "I have the scars! I have the scars! I have the scars!" Annabelle yelled. I looked down the hall and saw Madam Villanueva and the managers. They had heard Annabelle's screaming. "Annabelle, please let me go. Please." I said. But she kept screaming those words. I soon heard someone laugh.

But that laugh was so haunting.....so evil. "Annabelle!" Madam Villanueva's voice rang out. I immediately saw Madam Villanueva rush over to Annabelle. Annabelle immediately let go of my hand and collapsed into a big weeping mess. Madam Villanueva pulled her in close and comforted Annabelle. "What happened here?" Blaise asked me. Arthur and Blaise looked at me and I felt like a deer in headlights. I felt nervous and all that came out of my mouth were stutters. Madam Villanueva looked up at me like a concerned mother. "What did you say to her?!" The old woman yelled. She used her cane to help herself up. She leaned on it and looked me dead in the eyes. I gulped and felt my legs begin to shake. I was terrified by the attention. I felt like I was the center of attention in a room full of many people. Ones that I didn't know. My throat became dry.

"She......she told me of a man." When I said that Madam Villanueva's face went pale. "What man did she speak of?" She asked me. "A man dressed all in black." I answered. Arthur and Blaise looked at each other and then Madam Villanueva. "You mean Villanueva that she's been hearing voices too?" Arthur asked her. Madam Villanueva nodded. "But she likes to call them 'a man'." Madam Villanueva added.

"Oh the madness never ends!" Blaise responded. Annabelle just continued crying. All the attention was directed toward me. I felt my head start to spin. The whole world was starting to spin. I felt myself start to fall and soon my world went black.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a man dressed all in black. "Good morning my dear." He said. I started to scream but there was no sound coming out. I tried to move but my body was paralyzed. The man then walked over to another man who I immediately recognized. It was my father. "Now De Changy, she will finally be mine!" The man had a noose in his hand. "No. Not that damned lasso." My father said. With a tug of the noose, my father began to choke. "No!" My mother's voice cried out. I looked over and saw her in a wedding dress. The man began to chuckle and soon turned to face my mother. "Whatever is wrong Madame Daae? Cat got your tongue?" The man asked. Tears started to form from her eyes. The man soon started to laugh a horrible, wretched laugh.

To be continued....

Hiya fellow reader, I have another announcement to make! The italic is suppose to mean dreams/singing. Also look at 'Cat got your tongue'. It's suppose to be a reference to a little someone. Also, there's a Meg reference. Check out Annabelle's hair description.

~Ghostly_Gary_13.