A New Beginning (Never Again continued)

[dumbledorelover]

That's all I ask of you, Christine...
... That's all I ask of you...

... Miles above Erik's sobbing figure, Jaquilline Dupree awoke with a start.

Jaquilline, or Jaquie, as she preffered to be called, sat up suddenly on her straw mattress. Her olive green eyes scanned the cramped, stone room, lit by a flickering torch that hung in a far corner of the room. Twelve other beds were shoved into the room, the sheets upon them rising and falling to the rhythem of the sleeper within's slow, even breathing.

All of them were girls, around thriteen years of age- like Jaquié- and all of them hoped to hit it big time as actresses here at the Paris Opera House, even though they were only interns. Some had been plucked from the sides of abandoned roads, others rescued from the cruelty of Parisian orphanages. For some, the Opera House was a way of staying alive or avioding the prying eyes of law enforcement. For the rest, this was an answer to a prayer, a way of passion that they finally got the chance to live for.

And then there was Jaquié, who had wound up there at some awful twist of fate.

[dumbledorelover]

Someone please reply! I wanna know if I should keep going with this story, or just stick to dramatic stuff like Never Again.

LET ME KNOW!!!

[ih8clowns4]

keep going its gret! its definately got me hooked! keep up the good work!
.:*Cecilia*:.

[dumbledorelover]

Jaquié had had her fair share of tears shed in the past week, so much that she doubted whether she had a drop of sadness in her left to show. She refused to cry now- if there was one thing that she had realized by know, it was that tears couldn't bring anyone back.

No one was awake; not a sound could be heard from anywhere backstage, where she and the interns lived while the actors went home to savory dinners and warm beds. The director lived in a small apartment down the street. Most of the crew slept above, hanging in the rifts of the velvety curtains, unknown to anyone but Jaquié, who had caught sight of them the night before while taking a walk when she had trouble falling asleep. Just like tonight.

Jaquié stood up, her feet recoiling slightly as they met the freezing stone. She tiptoed across the room, careful not to bump into any of the sleeping girls, and opened the door on the other side of the room. She silently slipped through the doorway and closed the door softly behind her.

She was in the broad expanse of darkness that made up that unknown abyss that lay behind the stage curtain. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the prevailing blackness, but she managed to make her way through numerous props that had been used in yesturday's performance of 'Romeo and Juliet'. A wooden balcony leaned in one corner, a few swords with their tips painted bloody lay scattered on the floor, and the telltale poisoned goblet stood on a rickety old table in the center of the room.

Jaquié eventually arrived at the end of the curtain, and swept it aside, only to duck behind it once more. She took a deep breath, and, shaking, stole another glance.

Two men sat on the edge of the stage, locked in an intese argument exchanged in furious whispers. One was tall, with broad features, large, dark eyes, and soft brown hair that fell to his shoulders. He was well dressed; he donned a rich scarlet coat with matching trousers and a crisp white shirt that billowed in the front. His companion was ragged in comparison- an aging old man with thin, wispy white hair and a short beard and mustache to match, wearing a ripped shirt so dirty that it could have been any color and pants smeared with numerous oil stains. They leaned in close to each other, their faces red and their expressions serious.

"Luc, what in God's name are you thinking, to have me meet you here?" whispered the well-dressed man. "The Phantom could be anywhere! For all we know, he could be waiting behind that very curtain, swinging that cursed noose of his." Jaquié gulped, and leaned in closer.

"Raoul, the Phantom's gone," replied Luc, the old man, angrily. "I was among the group sent below in search of him- I can honestly say that his lair has been abandoned."

The man named Raoul's face grew a dangerous shade of scarlet. "I know the Phantom- he has nowhere to go, no one to turn to. Where else could he possibly be?"

Luc said nothing. A silence prevailed for a few moments; Jaquié hardly dared to breathe.

"And how the hell is this place still standing?" demanded Raoul. "I saw it burn down with my own eyes! And the chandilier- it's still hanging as though it never fell in the first place! How is this place still intact?"

Luc laughed, a hoarse, raspy sound. "Now that is a story worth telling, even to a spoiled little prince like you."

[dumbledorelover]

"This is a legend only a few know, my dear lad," whispered Luc, his greasy voice working its magic, beckoning Jaquié into the story that he longed to tell. "For those who've heard it seldom speak of it again, and those who do feel the wrath of the Phantoms murderous noose."

"And I suppose that you are an exception to these dramatic ends, no doubt by means of heroism and an abundant amount of nobility?" said Raoul coldly, doubt prominent on his face.

Luc scowled. "Scoff if you will, Monsiour, but I have my reasons for standing here this day, most of which would curl even your greasy hair."

Raoul's lip curled into a harsh smile. "I daresay that I can relate to that. By all means, continue."

Luc laughed softly. "It was the day after the fire, which did happen, lad, it did happen. The rain brought by the night before had drowned out the worst of the flames, so the surviving crew members, myself amongst them, were sent out to inspect the damage, and retrieve what remained. But we arrived, and to find what? The whole building intact, not a speck of ash to be found anywhere, inside or out. Oh, you don't believe me, eh?" He said to Raoul's raised eyebrows. "Then look around you, and see for yourself. See any scorch marks, boy? Any broken seats, seared cloth? Hm?"

Raoul said nothing.

"So a search party was called up, again including me," continued Luc. "We waltz inside, expecting heaps of broken crystal from that chandilier, but it was still hanging. Not a single crystal was cracked; it still shone in the light cast from candles that someone had put along the wall, but not one of us admitted to it."

"Then who, pray tell, rebuilt the Opera House, eliminated all traces of a fire, put out candles in the audience, and rehung the chandilier in one night?!" whispered Raoul impatiantly.

Luc frowned. "I'm getting to that..."

[dumbledorelover]

So? What do you think? Do you like the way that I'm going with the story?

[MaskedRose]

Oh my god. You are such a good writer!! I can feel the tension. I think that its wonderful, and I really want you to continue it. Please, Please, Please.

[ih8clowns4]

i like it alot!! keep going your doing great!
cecilia

[dumbledorelover]

All thoughts of returning to bed fled from Jaquié's mind as she sat down on the cold stage, leaning in against the curtain, waiting with baited breath for Luc's tale to continue.

"We were divided into search parties, to scrounge out what was in the building, you know?" breathed Luc. "My group was sent into the audience, so we spreaded out. I walked around the chandilier, staring at all its twinkliness and such, when something fell from within the crystals. It landed right at my feet, so I leaned in to see what it was, right?"

"And?" said Raoul impatiently.

"And," jeered Luc, "it was a note. Tied to a rose, and sealed with a skull in bloodred wax. Sound familiar, Monsiour?"

"Frightneningly so," whispered Raoul, his eyes glazed as if his mind was elsewhere. Jaquié's heartbeat quickened, and she eagerly leaned in closer, straining to hear the old man's reply.

Luc smirked. "I thought so. Written in the thrice-acursed hand of the Phantom was this-" Here he cleared his throat with a gagging sound. Jaquié made a face.

"The fires of passion shall only devour what the heart refuses to take
So hear the symphonies following in the Opera's wake
The Daaé curse sets free a heartache
And my once cracked soul shall refuse to break
A new voice must sing where Daaé left off
A lost soul like mine that many scoff
The House of Parisian rats shall stand again
When seconds chances are given, then and only then
Shall the Angel of Music be set free
Thou shan't forget the Phantom's creed."

[dumbledorelover]

The words echoed eerily in Jaquié's head. They seemed... familiar to her somehow... as if they had been whispered to her once upon a dream... once upon a distant memory...

A firm hand gripped her shoulder. She gasped, but another hand wrapped itself around her mouth. Jaquié spun around frantically...

...And found herself staring into the angelic face of Meg Giry.

[dumbledorelover]

Okay, everyone, that was part one! What do you think? I'm going to post Part II on a new thread to mix things up a bit. And because I've got nothing else to do. Oh, well... :D

[MaskedRose]

POST PART 2!!!!!!!!! NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW. NO PRESSURE OF COURSE.

[getzell]

OMG This is amazing I'm with MaskedRose post more post part two this is greate asume supper well done The story is really good you should write for a carear

[dumbledorelover]

Why, thank you. *bows* I'll post as soon as I can

[queen]

i think you write beautifully,dumbledoreslover,very imaginative.keep it up,dearie!i especially love all the end suprises,a very good thing in a writer!

[MystMoonstruck]

I concur about it being an interesting story and would like to see more. For some reason, I missed seeing this thread and began reading it because I was awaiting posts in RPing.

Teehee! I recognize the "curl your greasy hair" bit from the HP film--"Goblet of Fire". But, I don't think Raoul would have greasy hair unless he had been in some circumstance where that might happen. I don't care for Raoul-trashing, but maybe the old man objected to a young gentleman for some reason.

I'd like to read more and hope you will post it someday soon. But, it should be in this same thread, shouldn't it, not a new thread? That confused me when I read that you said it would be in a different thread, but I will keep watching for the continuation.