Of Phantoms and Angels

VI. One-way Glass

     Lilienne lay in her bed, maintaining a shallow breath as not to disturb the absolute stillness that had settled in the room.  She looked about in the dark, through all the familiar shadows, making out objects and re-imagining them the way one can only do in the dark. 

     All the girls- excluding Camille, who was likely paying a visit to one of her numerous gentlemen callers- snuffed out their lamps and pulled their blankets snugly around themselves, whispering through the dark until sleep finally claimed them.  But, sleep did not come for Lilienne.  She laid awake in her bed, reaching a hand up to finger the sleeve of the dress where she'd hidden her rose.  She thought of the mysterious figure whom she had nearly walked into, wondering what kind of man would lurk in the corridors of the Opéra Populaire.  Could it be that she, little Lilienne LaClaire, had mistakenly met the Phantom of the Opera?  She couldn't think it possible, but she knew it had to be him- no other man could be as ghostly as he.

     With a determined restlessness, Lilienne carefully pulled herself out from under her covers.  The wooden floorboards were cold on her feet, causing her toesto curl.  She slipped a robe around her shoulders and took hold of an oil lamp before quietly easing open the door.  she walked en pointe down the dark corridor, as to silence her steps.

     When she passed out of the dormitories, she lit her lamp and was suddenly surrounded by a warm glow that only made the distant darkness seem denser.  As she slowly maneuvered the opera house, she couldn't quite peg what had so prompted this midnight endeavor- that was, until she reached Christine's dressing room.

     She pushed open the door, the light from her lamp illuminating the space as she entered.  There were numerous lavish gowns and jewels, a long mirror trimmed with gold that hung on the far wall, and stage powders and rouges cluttering the vanity; as her little light reflected off the vanity's mirror, something caught her attention under it.

     She drifted over and put her lamp down amidst the stage makeup.  Then, slowly, she gently ran a finger down the velvet petals of a deep red rose- and tied around its stem was a ribbon of black silk.  Lilienne's heart lept up into her throat- so, the dream of a man who encouraged her song on the stage was no dream after all.  And, if that was no dream, then what such man would haunt the opera house?

     Suddenly, a chill pricked at her ankles, and a cold breeze blew her lamp out in a thin stream of smoke, leaving her in the darkness.  Hesitantly, Lilienne took slow steps through the room, trying to follow the breeze to its source- she only came to stand in front of her obscure reflection in the tall mirror.  But, still she felt the mysterious wind, strong enough here to blow the loose strands of her honey-coloured hair.  She placed her hands on the cold glass.

     Slowly, she slid the mirror away, her gasp echoing through the long corridor that lay beyond it.  This wasn't another corridor of the Pairs Opera- this was a secret passage, laden with spider webs and thick dust, the air which flowed from it stale and damp and cold.

     Lilienne couldn't help the steps she took forward; she hardly even noticed she was taking them.  Without so much as her lamp, Lilienne stepped forth into this secret hallway.  It was as if the ominous darkness was bidding her enter, like there was a presence waiting there to welcome her.  She kept her hand holding fast to the mirror.

     Then, she turned and fled, her heart racing.  She ran from the dressing room, hastily closing the door.  She wanted nothing more that to bury herself in her bed and pretend that she did not see any of it- there was only one man who could live down that corridor, and Lilienne wasn't prepared to pay him a visit.

     Her mind was racing even faster than her legs; if Christine was gifted the same rose, could it be that the mysterious musician who had come to Lilienne was the same man who taught Mlle Daaé?  But, if Christine's elusive teacher had come to her through that corridor, that would mean her teacher, and the man who had accompanied Lilienne, was none other than...

<><><>