The Beauty Underneath ● The Phantom of the Opera

Chapter 3

◌The Shadow◌

I had run until my lungs felt like ash in my chest. Until all I felt was numb. It was a cold night and I was only dressed in my robe, though I knew that wasn't why I was numb. A group of drunken men whistled over to me, trying to get me to follow them. I ignored them and continued on. Where was I going? I had no idea. All I knew was I had to leave this place. I had to get as far away from him as I could.

So minutes flew by. Then hours. And soon the sun was rising over the horizon. Exhaustion weighed heavily on me as I slunk into an alleyway, trying to avoid the people in the streets whose day was just starting.

I stuck to the shadows as I looked down the street. A street I did not recognize. How far had I gone? There was no way I had left Coney Island. A door in the alleyway burst open and out came a man carrying a bag of trash. He wore worn-out clothes that didn't look to fit him. Quickly, before he could spot me, I hid in the shadows. He tossed the trash out without a second glance my way. I wonder what was in that building?

As soon as the man was back in the building, I rushed in behind him. He must have sensed me there because he turned around. Thankfully, I had the right of mind to hide in the shadows again, and the man brushed it off, going about his day. 

The enchanting sound of a woman singing echoed throughout the backroom I was in. Making sure no one else was around, I made my way towards a metal set of stairs and rushed up them before I could be spotted. The singing became louder and louder as I moved along the narrow strip of walkway. The ground below me opened up and I found I was standing above a stage full of colorfully dressed men and women dancing and singing around. 

Great. I was in a theater. The one thing I despised more than Phantasma. I watched for a bit longer before I decided it was time to go. Where? I had no idea. I could sell my necklace for a night's stay at an expensive hotel. Or I could keep building hopping until I smuggled my way into a place to stay.

All these thoughts left my mind when I turned to go back down the stairs. An older man, carrying ropes over his shoulder, stood before me. We both stood there, frozen, not knowing what to do next. "You can't be up here, lass." I took a small step backward. He didn't seem threatening. He probably just thought I was one of the actors. But the mask had to be a dead give away that I didn't belong here. Another man came up behind the older one. This one did not look kind.

"Hey! Get over here." He snapped, shoving the older man away as he made his way over to me. I turned on my heel and ran. "Hey!" What was I doing? I should have just left! The suspended walkway shook from the force of both the man and me running over it. But this wasn't even as bad as some of the acts I did with Maurice back when we were kids. I didn't even bat an eye at it. The walkway ended and I was back on stable, wooded ground. I collided hard with someone sending us falling over.

I pushed myself up and found a young, dirt-smudged yet handsome man lying beneath me. My face heated at the situation. His blue eyes widened in fear as he stared at me, and that's when I felt the air caressing the normally masked side of my face. The side of me that was too much like my father. "Grab her, Julian!" The man had made it off the walkway, but all Julian could do was gawk up at my face in horror. Tears pricked at my eyes, but I forced them back. I wasn't weak. I wasn't weak!

I pulled myself to my feet and quickly did a scan for my mask. It was nowhere to be seen. "By God--" The man had seen my face too. I had to get out of here. So, forgetting all about my mask, I rushed down the hall, the sounds of pursuing nowhere to be heard.

Turning another corner, I somehow managed to knock a brass candle sconce sideways. I gritted my teeth in irritation and pain. But before I could continue on, a part of the wall slid away, showing off a dark passageway. A mixture of curiosity and the sounds of shouting men sent me rushing into the dark space.

Another candle sconce stood there, and I pulled it. The wall slid back and the candles, or lights I guess, lit up, showing off the long hallway that lay there. "Where'd she go?" The chatter of men could be heard from behind the wall. Ignoring them, I turned my attention to the dimly lit hallway. Well, I guess I had found my place to stay.