Phantom by Laura DeLuca Page B

lair and back to the main opera house was challenging because there were so many pieces involved. Dozens of people were running around behind the curtain, bumping into each other in the dim lighting, knocking things over, and cursing under their breath as they banged their shins and elbows. The whole fiasco was a maze of confusion. Things were finally getting under control and Wendy was ironically waving a phony note in Tom’s face as her character, Carlotta, accused Raoul of trying get rid of her so Christine could take her place.
     
    She watched as Tom made his adamant denials and stalked off the stage, leaving Wendy alone to sing her solo with the two freshmen who played the managers of the opera house. She didn’t see where Tom went. Carmen and Debbie were also missing in action, and Rebecca found herself standing alone as she waited. Across the stage, she caught a brief glimpse of Justyn’s metal-toed boots. Soon, even they had vanished behind the curtain.
     
     Rebecca had the distinct feeling of being utterly alone, even though she was surrounded by dozens of people. The feeling was followed by an eerie sense of premonition that something horrible was about to happen. Her heart started racing for reasons she couldn’t explain. And her eyes darted nervously from one end of the auditorium to the other, finally resting disturbingly on Mr. Russ, who was lurking in the doorway just outside the hall. His one cataract plagued eye was oblique and almost glowing, even from the distance. Rebecca found herself stepping further back behind the curtains in the hopes that he wouldn’t see her. He had never really bothered her before, but lately there was something about Mr. Russ that she found extremely disturbing. And it was more than just his shady, disheveled appearance.
     
    Back on the stage, the opera house managers were trying to console their star. Wendy was certainly dramatic enough. The role called for a bit of overacting and that was definitely her specialty. She stalked around the stage, flailing her arms like any self-respecting diva, as the managers begged and pleaded with her to perform. But as Wendy was heading toward her newly supplied dressing room table to feign preparations for that night’s gala, Rebecca noticed something thin and shiny along the floor of the stage. It was a long, thin line that sparkled under the spotlights. It would have been next to impossible to see almost anywhere else, but from Rebecca’s vantage point, it was clearly visible. She strained her eyes in an attempt to figure out what it was, and why it was there.
     
    It all seemed harmless enough; probably just the binding from one of the prop boxes that someone had dropped. That explanation seemed unlikely when Rebecca realized that the line lead all the way back behind the curtains of the stage. And even more unlikely when, just as Wendy walked towards her dressing table, completely immersed in her song, the sparkling thread was jerked up and lifted several inches from the ground.
     
    It all happened so quickly, there wasn’t any time for Rebecca to call out a warning. The glittering cord came up in the exact second that Wendy was walking by it. Her ankle caught around it, and she started to fall. There was nothing for her to grab hold of. The two freshmen saw her going down and both of them reached out to catch her, but it was too late. She stumbled forward, her chest slamming hard against the dressing table, knocking the breath out of her.
     
    It seemed like that was going to be the worst of it. Rebecca heaved a sigh of relief, thinking it was all over, that the disaster had passed. She didn’t notice the dresser mirror tremble and give way until it was already falling. She didn’t notice it come tumbling down until the instant that Wendy lifted her head. The mirror crashed down and shattered into pieces right on top of Wendy.
     
    She wasn’t the only one who screamed as shards of glass tore into her beautiful face, and