The
“Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found
enchanting. She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the
play that was her obsession. When her high school drama club chooses
“Phantom” as their annual production, Rebecca finds herself in
the middle of an unlikely love triangle and the target of a sadistic
stalker who uses the lines from the play as their calling card.
Rebecca
lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her
character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and
basketball star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely
appealing Goth who is more than realistic in the role of the tortured
artist.
Almost
immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and
off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt
in true phantom style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca
receives notes and phone calls that hint at something more sinister.
Is Justyn bringing to life the twisted character of the phantom? Or
in real life are the roles of the hero and the villain reversed?
Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows she’s running
out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only when
the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom
finally be revealed.
The orchestra tuned for its
virtuoso, and Justyn stood ready. But no one else was ready for the
magical performance he began. Beside her, Carmen was rambling on
about something mundane. Rebecca elbowed her to silence so she could
listen to the perfectly thrilling tenor. As she listened to the song
unfold, the world around her started to slip away. Gone was the high
school auditorium. Gone were the rowdy teenagers. The Gothic stranger
on the stage had become the embodiment of Erik, and Rebecca watched
him in all his dark glory, belting out his tormented love through the
words of his song. And she was as breathless with wonder as Christine
herself must have been when the masked stranger serenaded her in the
candlelit labyrinth of the opera house. In that moment, Justyn wasn’t
just portraying the phantom. Justyn was the phantom.
“Let the music touch your soul.
Let the darkness make you whole.
Do not fear what is unknown.
Your true path has now been shown.
Listen to the words I sing.
Embrace the peace that night will
bring.”
As he continued to sing in his
deep but somehow angelic voice, Rebecca found that she couldn’t
tear her eyes away from him. With every line, her heart began to beat
faster. She truly felt the arms of night wrapping her in a warm
embrace. She could almost feel the hands of the phantom glide along
her body as the words poured forth. The music caressed her. It
possessed her—mind, body and soul. Each word left her longing,
yearning for more.
She was gawking so obviously, it
was hardly surprising when Justyn felt her eyes on him and steadily
met her gaze. She realized her mouth was hanging open in stunned awe,
and she quickly snapped it shut. His lips moved into just a small
hint of a smile. He never took his eyes off her while he sang the
final verse, making her cheeks flush to the point that she felt
almost feverish. But it wasn’t embarrassment but excitement,
arousal even, which was sending her mind spinning in so many
directions.
When the song was over, and
Rebecca had recovered just a hint of her composure, she couldn’t
help but burst into a healthy round of applause. A few scattered
people joined in, including Debbie and Carmen after she nudged them
in the ribs. But only Miss King seemed to truly appreciate the
brilliance of his talent as much as Rebecca did.
“That was amazing, Justyn!”
the teacher gushed.
“Lord Justyn,” he corrected as
he stepped down from the stage.
A few others complimented him as
well, but he took in all in stride. In fact, his serious expression
never faltered as he stepped down from the stage. He seemed almost
bored, like it was all he could do to hold back a yawn, despite the
smiles and words of encouragement.
But not everyone in the crowd was
pleased as Justyn glided down the aisle, so ethereal in his dark
garments that he still resonated the spirit of the Opera Ghost. Miss
King might have been excited about the newest male addition to her
cast after being limited for many years, but Tom and his group of
boisterous companions glared at him as he passed them by. Jay
sneered and tossed a balled up piece of paper in Justyn’s
direction, but the Goth was quick, and caught it in his hand without
missing a beat.
“I think you dropped something,”
he said.
His speaking voice was no less
melodic than his singing voice, but something about his tone made
Rebecca shiver. He tossed the paper back at Jay, who was nowhere near
as coordinated as Justyn. He practically fell off his seat in his
efforts to catch it.
“Hey vampire,” Tom called when
Justyn went to walk away. “Are you sure you can handle the
competition?”
Justyn smiled, a cool, sarcastic
half-smile, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you?”
Miss King didn’t notice the
short confrontation, and Justyn vanished from the auditorium as
quickly and mysteriously as he had appeared. Only Rebecca had noticed
the very real tension between the two boys. She wondered if it was a
bad omen for them to start off the production with hard feelings and
envy. That could only lead to trouble. The kind of trouble that could
end with someone getting hurt. The kind of trouble that Rebecca
would do whatever it took to avoid.
Laura "Luna" DeLuca
lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four
children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps
her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the
sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an
active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying
Wicca for close to eight years. Her current works include Destiny,
Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, Morrigan, Player, and Demon.
Click above for schedule!!!
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