Chapter 6
"Ugh." Sora groaned as she slowly sat up in bed. Her back cracked in about 4 different places and she felt slow, her head was pounding; it felt like it weighed 100 pounds, and her eyes burned when she blinked, this wasn't a good way to start any day, let alone the opening night of a new show. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and just sat still for a few minutes.
"You look like hell." Fool said from his perch on her dresser.
"Gee, thanks." Sora said, her voice a little hoarse. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. She was tossing and turning, her stomach was queasy and she thought she had a small fever.
"Sorry." He looked at his feet.
Sora slowly stood up, knowing that if she stood up too fast the consequences wouldn't be very fun. She plodded her way to the bathroom and caught sight of her face in the mirror.
"Ugh." She groaned again. She saw the dark bruise-like circles around her eyes, a result of lack of sleep.
"What?" Fool materialized sitting on the faucet.
"I look like a zombie!" She whined.
"And from the looks of it, you feel like one too, right?" Fool added, not helping the situation any.
Sora shot him a glare that she guessed was pretty effective considering he disappeared on the spot. She sighed and opened the cabinet over the sink and took out the cold medicine and some vitamin C.
The summer was always a great time for road trips, Annette thought as she made her way back from L.A. The open roads were perfect and she could actually relax as she drove, the radio turned to a classical music station. She drove with the window down in Leon's black Aston Martin GT. Annette loved sports cars, the speed, the power, the sleek look and aerodynamic feel of the sleek metal and soft leather upholstery. She felt the purr of the engine throughout her body as she shifted gears and raised her speed.
She grinned at the thought of Leon cringing at how she pushed his car.
Ken sat on the trapeze platform in one of the practice rooms, his legs hung over the side. The swing was hooked to a bar at the side of the platform. He stared at the swing across the open space. He closed his eyes and remembered.
The wind rushed through his hair, his heart pounded as adrenaline coursed through his veins; his body was weightless as he flew through the air. There was nothing, he thought, that could physically compare to the feeling of flying. The rushing air, the weightlessness, the freedom; he just flew through open space without the hindrance of wires or nets, just him and the air. He heard the roar of the crowd as they watched him fly. Their gasp as he pulled a perfect layout, and appeared to nearly miss the bar.
He felt the strength as his hands grasped the opposite swing, and his body turned to stand on the trapeze, ready to leap into flight once again.
His eyes opened slowly as he savored the memory of flight, of a time when he was still a star. A sigh escaped him as a heavy feeling swelled within his chest. If only he hadn't fallen ill. If only his heart had never gone bad. If only fear hadn't overruled his desire to fly. If only he hadn't been such a coward. If only…
"Wait." Ken said to no one.
He stood quickly, faltering in his haste but quickly regaining his composure. He pushed up onto the toes of his right foot and brought his left leg up straight behind him. He swung his leg in front of him fast enough to push himself off the platform and landed on his right hand, balancing for a minute.
Even if Ken had stopped performing, he never really could let himself get weak. He still ran every day, rain or shine, and lifted weights when he got the chance, not that his clothing really did much to show off his tightly corded arms and legs. He could still jump well over his own height and lift nearly twice his weight over his head.
The only thing really holding him back was his fear. The fear of falling, the fear that he would be ridiculed… the fear that he'd fail. He thought back to when Sora first arrived at the stage. How she missed the auditions but didn't let that stop her. She was beheld with disdain by the stage's prima donna but still had the nerve to challenge her to a move the prima invented, on a medium she never used. Sora challenged Layla to perform the Golden Phoenix on the trapeze, when she had never even used a swing of the type, and she succeeded. If Sora could do it without any previous knowledge of the swings, why couldn't he when he knew exactly what to do?
Ken returned to his feet and unhooked the swing, grasping the bar firmly in his hands as adrenaline began to pump through his veins in a very nostalgic manner. He tested his grip and swallowed loudly, his throat suddenly dry. His breathing grew shallow until it stopped. His concentration was solely on the opposite trapeze swing, his mind void of all else. His feet left the platform.
The halls of the Kaleido Stage were bustling that morning in a way that could only mean a new show was starting. The stage hands took an inventory of the props needed; Jean and his men did a few last minute inspections and adjustments with his daughter Marion and a now full grown Jonathan in tow.
Marion was now 15 and a part time performer on the Kaleido Stage. She still performed on the children's stage along with her pet seal Jonathan. Along with going to high school, Marion performs as a trampoline artist in the shows featured on the stage, becoming more like her mother all the time. Marion was playing a dancer in the day's production of The Phantom of the Opera and she was having a few pre-show jitters, but not in a bad way.
Her body felt light, and she was feeling anxious and excited at the same time. Her palms were sweating a little and she could hear her heart beating in her ears but she felt good. The butterflies made her feel like she could do anything. She smiled at the thought of flying along with the rest of the performers, of soaring through the air and feeling the magic that can only be experienced on the stage. She looked around to see that everyone was beginning to warm up; keeping loose for the show, for some people, stretching was a way to curb the anxiety of doing a show, to calm the butterflies.
"Daddy I need to go." She called to Jean as he and his men made some adjustments to the swings and platforms.
"Alright," He called back from his perch, "Have fun!"
Marion made her way backstage to dawn her new costume.
The walk from the dorms wasn't too far, that Leon was thankful for as he made his way to the stage. He'd have had an interesting time trying to actually be on time if he'd lived farther, considering he slept in a little later than usual and Annette had his car.
"At least the weather is nice." Leon said aloud to no one. He had pulled his hair back into a loose braid and wore a pair of black slacks and charcoal grey shirt. The summer heat did nothing to deter him from his style. I mean sure, he may be thinking better about wearing dark colors in the sun, but it didn't matter much to him. Leon wasn't one to wear shorts, or sandals, he barely even owned a pair of jeans, let alone light colored t-shirts.
The light of the sun seemed to glare from every surface, making Leon thankful for the sunglasses he was wearing. The beautiful weather was one of the reasons he liked living in Cape Mary, California. But the weather wasn't the only thing that was beautiful. He let his thoughts wander as he walked, and found himself anxious… anxious to be near her.
The medicine helped a bit. Sora's head felt clear and less like it was about to explode and the queasiness subsided a bit, which was a plus considering the amount of movement and spinning she would need to do. Her face was still a little flushed when she looked in her dressing room mirror, but at least that way she wouldn't need to wear blush, and the less makeup the better; Sora didn't like feeling like she was wearing a pliable mask like some people who put on so much make up that their faces could actually peel off if exposed to enough stage light, or maybe just crack in half.
Sora may have still had a slight fever but she wasn't going to let that bring her down. She set to work, applying her make up where it was needed and decided to only put on her costume right before going out; pure white was known to stain easily.
She worked on accenting her eyes a little, just to make them stand out a bit more, lining them with a light lavender and a tint of glitter, she knew from past shows that the glitter and metallics popped amazingly in the stage lights. She pulled her hair up into a loose up do with some curls falling free from the pins. The pins were secure, but the effect of loose looking hair was great.
She stood back from the mirror, admiring her handy work and decided she looked great, if she did say so herself. She was ready, well, about as ready as she could be before putting on her costume. She used her time to stretch, hoping to calm the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. They were fluttering for more reasons than one.
"Where is he?" May said aloud to no one in particular. She wore a bright red corseted dress accented with gold ribbons and embroidery, fluttery short sleeves and a very low neckline. The dress wasn't unlike the skater's costumes she was used to from her figure skating days. The hem of the skirt seemed to barely cover the tops of her thighs, but May wasn't that modest. Her hair wasn't pulled into an elaborate up do as one might expect, but rather curled and left loose, her lips accented with red lipstick to match her dress; she fully looked the part of the diva.
There was still about an hour before the show and May was looking for her boyfriend. Ken Robbins wasn't one to disappear before the show, he was always the one making last minute checks of anything and everything and never seemed to be able to sit still, but now he seemed to have just disappeared.
"What the hell!" May said a little too loudly, earning a few awkward stares from passersby and stage hands. She ignored them and continued on her way. She had a few pre-show jitters herself and felt that maybe seeing Ken may ease them a bit, but it wouldn't work unless Ken was actually there, which was kind of the point.
"Have you seen Ken?" She asked one of the girls from the costume department, she was carrying a swath of glittering cloth to make last minute adjustments to a costume.
"I think he went that way," the girl answered, indicating the practice rooms. She seemed to be in a rush.
"Thanks." May said and continued on her way, not wanting to delay the girl. Everyone was so on edge at that moment, with the show being only an hour away. Everybody was doing their last minute checks and adjustments, why they waited till the last minute, May will probably never know. She saw Charlotte and Julie hurrying by with boxes in their arms, whispering to each other as they walked. Those girls seemed to be constantly gossiping, I mean they knew what you were doing tomorrow before even you did. May thought she heard them mention Leon's name but decided not to pursue it; they were probably ranting about why they weren't chosen to play his lover in the play, that they were the best choice, blah, blah, blah; the usual stuff. Even though they were now on friendly terms with Sora didn't stop the envy.
They shuffled by and May just continued on her way to the practice rooms. She walked up to the first room and peeked her head in, it was pitch dark. She continued to the next one and walked in on a two stage hands in a very questionable position. She muttered a quick apology and ducked out before they really had a chance to notice. It wasn't the first time something like that happened; she'd walked in on people who were where they shouldn't have been on multiple occasions; it didn't really faze her anymore.
As a lesson learned from the last practice room, May knocked softly before entering the next one. She heard a muffled grunt and a creak from the other side of the door. Taking it as a sign of permission to enter, May walked in; at the sight she remained silent.
Where is she? Leon paced in his dressing room, his shoulders heavy with dread. The show wasn't even twenty minutes away, and Annette was nowhere to be found. She'd said she'd fix his costume, he'd trusted her, and now there he was; costume-less and less than a half an hour away from the opening of the new show.
Leon paused and looked at himself in the mirror; he'd finished his makeup minutes earlier. His stage makeup was one of the things he felt he should do himself. While some others would rather have their faces changed and covered beyond their control by someone else, Leon liked to be in control of his appearance. He went with his own depiction of the phantom. Along the right side of his face ran a web of what appeared to be raised and darkened skin, running from above his eyebrow down past the corner of his mouth, almost seeming to make him leer at all around him. Around his right eye was a dark, nearly black smudge, making it look like he had either a severe lack of sleep or got into a badly ending bar fight. The effect was great, Leon succeeded in making the side of his face look disfigured, almost like he'd been badly burned.
Leon only hoped that the scars weren't too frightening, he remembered how his performance as Dracula had scared the children in the audience. As shocking as it may be, Leon had gained a little compassion in his years of working on the Kaleido Stage, along with Sora; it seemed as though her kindness and compassion may have rubbed off on him.
He glanced back at the clock, only 15 minutes left.
"Where the hell is she?" He groaned to himself. He knew he could always count on Annette but this was cutting it too close.
"Who?" Came a voice from the door. Leon nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned from the mirror to see a young lady in a pink sundress with loose platinum curls and four inch white strappy sandals.
"Annette!" Leon cried in relief mixed with anger. Annette stood leaning in the doorway, a sly grin on her face and a garment bag tucked under one arm. "Ever heard of knocking?" Leon said exasperatedly as he brought his heart rate back to normal. "Where were you?"
"Hello Leon," she smiled, "I have returned. I had such wonderful time, sank you for asking. Yes I hear of knocking, and I have been, uh, visiting un ami." She reverted back to French at the end of the sentence. Leon had to admit, Annette was a fast learner and her English was getting better every day. "You look awful," she added, and grinned. "J'adore!" she clapped.
"My costume, sil vouz plait." Leon said impatiently, "The show is in less than 15 minutes!"
"Oui, oui!" she shoved the garment bag into Leon's arms. "Bonne chance!"she cried as she bolted out the door in a mass of platinum curls and pink silk.
Sora stood, fully outfitted before the mirror. 5 minutes until show time. Her costume felt a little tight; maybe she strung the corset tighter than usual. She applied a last minute layer of lip gloss and gave herself a onceover before turning out the door. Her heart was pounding, adrenaline coursed through her veins. Her hands shook slightly as she reached for the knob. She was excited.
"Break a leg!" someone called from down the hall as she made her way to the platform
"Thanks!" she called back cheerfully. People were still bustling about; making sure props were in the right places and whatnot. Sora spotted Annette, who smiled and waved, flashing her a thumbs up which Sora returned. Her chest felt heavy as she remembered what Cathy had said the day before. She shook her head and wiped the thought away; she had to do whatever it took to make the show a success and the best yet.
Sora made it to the ladder at stage right. The ladders and platforms were off to the sides of the stage where they were out of the audience's sight. They were very high up to achieve maximum velocity while swinging. The set was the Paris Opera House and the lights were down. Sora turned to look behind her, to see if there were any signs from Cathy. She saw a familiar head of red hair. Her heart leapt from the excitement of seeing an old friend. She smiled and began to climb, now even more determined to make this a great show.
From the platform, Leon saw all. He sat perched in the rafters above the stage, a swing hooked to his right, ready for the phantom to make his entrance. He was to swing down and land in the rafters built on set, where he was to watch the young dancers from the shadows, while his attention was focused on one particular girl. He sat and waited for his que, the half mask he wore sticking to the fake skin on his face. Annette had thought of everything.
Leon looked down and saw the Sora had made her entrance as Christine and immediately his breath was stolen away. The music began to change; it was time for the Phantom to appear.
Leon grabbed the swing firmly in his hands and leapt from the rafters. He felt the ropes grow taught as the swing caught his weight and sent him gliding to the next rafters, these ones in the audience's sight. He heard the "oohs" and cries of surprise from the audience as he pulled a twisted backwards layout and landed gracefully in a crouch on the lower rafters. He crept along, his attention solely on the one dancer that stole his breath; Leon was fully the Phantom now.
Christine looked like an angel, in pure white garb. Her eyes shone in the bright stage lights, lavender shadow making them sparkle like a thousand diamonds. Her smile rivaled the rising sun. She danced with passion; her lithe body moved with grace that would make a prima ballerina envious as she stole the eyes and hearts of all around her.
The phantom was completely under her spell, his heart was hers. He longed to pull Christine into his arms, to hide her away from the world. The Phantom watched and moved along the stage, out of the sight of the dancers, keeping to the shadows, but staying where he could see the keeper of his heart.
The dancers began to pull elaborate gymnastic routines. There were ten dancers on the floor. Six of the dancers formed two pyramids. Two dancers held one in the air, facing the other group. With a quick thrust from both parties, the two flyers were flipping and turning through the air, switching positions and landing in a handstand held up by the arms of the supporters from the pyramid, legs spread apart.
The four remaining dancers, Sora and May as Christine and Carlotta among them, took turns leaping from the trampolines and pulling elaborate stunts, such as twisted layouts, helicopters, dives, and others through the legs of the two flyers, landing with grace on the other side. The dancers then surrounded Christine as she leapt onto a trampoline, jumping higher and higher with each bounce.
Carlotta feeling upstaged, forced her way onto the trampoline alongside Christine. Her desperation showed in her moves. Carlotta gave Christine a violent shove, causing her to be thrust from the trampoline, eliciting gasps and screams from the audience. The dancers rushed and, all arms extended, caught the flying dancer. The Phantom, tired of these games, moved directly above Carlotta.
With a wicked grin on his face, the Phantom pulled a wire, there was a loud popping sound and then screams from both the audience and the dancer as the curtain fell, taking Carlotta down with it.
He watched with a kind of wicked satisfaction showing across his face as the stage hands (the ones in the show) attempted to move the heavy curtain and uncover the fallen diva.
The dancers began to leave the stage. It was time for Christine to meet the "Angel of Music" from her dreams.
It's almost time, Sora thought as she began to dance alone on the stage. She gracefully glided across the stage to a set of lower swings; they were attached to a set of heightened gymnastics bars. Sora leapt and stood on one of the swings, launching herself up directly above the trampoline. She pulled a ballet pose, wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was giving a hug, and fell. She landed sitting on the trampoline and was launched back into the air, simultaneously doing a backwards layout and straightening to a standing position. Sora looked up. There was a trapeze swing suspended directly above her. She reached her apex and began her descent again, this time she pulled a somersault on the way down, landing on her feet and using the force of the fall to vault herself back into the air as she reached for the swing.
She was almost to the swing when she felt the air shift around her, she was no longer moving up, so much as swinging sideways. There was an arm about her waist; the Phantom had made his appearance.
Sora's breath caught in her throat as she took in Leon's appearance. He wore black pants that looked like slacks, but Sora knew that they must have been made of a type of spandex; the fibers were soft as they brushed against her skin. he was clad in a deep purple dress shirt and black waistcoat with a silver chain hanging from a pocket. His domino cloak fluttered as they flew through the air. His beautiful face was half hidden by white mask that only covered the right side of his face that came down near the corner of his mouth. His hair was left free to flow through the air; they began their first dance.
This scene was where the Phantom took Christine down to his home beneath the opera house, a duet of sorts in play. They moved with elegance and grace, not a single fault or error, it was simply perfect. Sora and Leon flew together as the Phantom and Christine. The Phantom attempted to woo Christine with wonderful moves and graceful flight. The girl was completely awestruck as the Phantom convinced her to take her place as the Prima Donna of the Opera. They moved together, two souls finding each other. They stood precariously perched on a single swing, chest to chest, and moving closer, their faces only inches apart and closing. There was a sound from the stage, a clock tolled, Sora reluctantly pulled away, Leon held her hand as she pulled away, longing filled his eyes as he played his part, not wanting to separate from his love.
The masquerade ball was among the most important scenes in the show; Cathy knew this as she'd helped Mia write the script for it. It was a scene that depicted a love triangle in the act. One where Christine is caught between her feelings for her mentor, the Phantom, and her childhood friend, Raoul, who was played by a young man of the same age as Leon, 23, with sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. Christine danced as the two men vied for her attention. The Phantom had substituted his half mask, for a full domino mask that covered from his forehead to his nose.
Christine danced along with Raoul, almost in a game of merriment. They would swing apart from each other, each pulling their own sets of layouts and somersaults, only to come back together, touching hands palm to palm and spinning together on a tightrope strung across the center of the stage among other couples dancing at the ball.
As Christine/Sora and Raoul began to pull closer together, she would be snatched away by the Phantom in a manner that can only be described as an aerial tango filled with passion and beauty. They spun together from one swing to the next, constantly remaining in physical contact, flush against each other in a way that may have made them seem like lovers. At the end of the ball, the Phantom must leave, Christine is left in longing as Raoul attempts to console her in her longing, he could not even fathom what she was longing for.
The chase begins. The Phantom had kidnapped Raoul in attempt to lure Christine to him. Raoul was held aloft by a single rope, seemingly unconscious. Christine seemed afraid, but not exactly afraid of the Phantom himself, but more for the life of her childhood friend. She attempted to distract the Phantom. Hoping she could convince him to free her friend.
She leapt over him, through the wires suspending the trapeze; Leon gazed up at her, determination evident in his expression, the mask unable to hide his emotions. She caught the next swing, twisting her body to land standing on the swing, she used her legs to force the trapeze to accelerate, bringing her higher as she leapt away from the Phantom as he gave chase. He followed her every move, perfectly mimicking them although he was always one swing behind her. She could feel his patience wearing thin as he gained on her.
Leon had forgotten when he stopped thinking of Sora as Christine, was it the masquerade ball, or perhaps their duet, but he felt that the act was becoming less of an act. He was losing himself in his role. His hands ached to hold her, his body was cold without her and his mind was focused only on her. He picked up his pace, this chase needed to come to an end. He vaulted himself in her direction as she leapt into the air.
Sora saw him coming and was ready for the impact. His arms wrapped around her and their direction changed. He carried her princess style through the air as they flew to the tightrope. Sora pulled her eyes from his, albeit reluctantly, as her character was supposed to do and gazed up to Raoul, tears in her eyes.
The Phantom could see her love for her friend, and it broke his heart because he knew it would take her from him. He wanted nothing more than to keep her with him for the rest of eternity, but couldn't live with himself if it made her hate him. With despair evident in his movements, Leon climbed the ropes holding the closest swing and launched himself to the rope holding Raoul; he lightly slapped his face as the Phantom was to do to arouse the man. Leon untied him and brought him down to the tightrope where he was reunited with Christine. Raoul tightly embraced her and made a gesture to say "We need to leave." The Phantom approached and Raoul hid Christine/Sora behind him, trying to protect her from the Phantom. Leon's face showed hurt, as the Phantom knew he no longer had the trust of the woman who owned his heart. He turned away, prepared to jump from the rope; the Phantom no longer had a reason to live.
Sora/Christine jumped over Raoul and put herself between him and the Phantom/Leon. She looked to Raoul in an almost apologetic manner and gestured for him to go. Raoul looked confused and made a move to say "Not without you."
She smiled at him and made the gesture again. Raoul, finally understanding, turned to leave with one last longing glance to his childhood friend and first love Christine as he left, the audience was silent as Sora and Leon were left alone on the wire, the Phantom and Christine left to put an end to the story. This is it, Sora thought, it's now or never.
She moved slowly and deliberately toward Leon, who played the part of the wounded Phantom perfectly. Her hand gently moved to his stooped shoulder, she pressed herself to his back, hugging him under his arms. He started and slowly began to turn. Sora pulled away slightly, giving him room to turn. There was a crash from the stage as Raoul stormed in holding a torch followed by a group of men. Raoul had returned with a mob, he was going to put an end to the Phantom once and for all and save his love.
Christine was afraid. She was afraid of what the men would do to the phantom, he'd destroyed part of the opera house, sabotaged Carlotta's performance and kidnapped Raoul and now was seemingly holding Christine hostage. The men had not yet seen Sora and Leon. Now what they had rehearsed was for Sora to take his mask, gaze longingly into his face and urge him to hide. She would take the mask down to the mob, and convince them that the Phantom had surrendered himself to his fate, that she'd killed him; she was to leave with them, leaving behind the phantom, leaving him to live, leaving him so they could meet again.
Sora looked directly into Leon's eyes as he held her to him, protecting her from the mob as well as from falling. Her hands moved to his face as her fingers gently caressed his features, his high cheekbones, strong brow, the silk of his full lips and the mask that covered his deformity. Sora gently removed the mask, exposing the burns he'd covered as the Phantom. The Phantom turned away in shame, afraid the scars would frighten his love. Sora, as Christine and herself, gently took his face in her hands and turned it so his eyes bet hers; her fingers grazed the fake scars.
She closed her eyes and moved forward, closing the distance between them as her lips brushed against his.