Bunny, don’t die please. Damn you physics final…
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
Garina = Gary Oak = Meg Giry in the book/musical
Chapter 2
She woke up feeling refreshed – she’d had a wonderful dream, a beautiful meadow with flowers and butterflies and the Angel there with her, his large white wings wrapped around her comfortingly. She hadn’t been able to see his face of course but he’d had eyes as blue as the sky, she was sure, and golden hair – didn’t all angels have that?
She eased herself off the couch, belted on another dressing gown – it was cold, and how late was it? It had to be four or five in the afternoon? Oh no, she’d missed ballet rehearsal!
She gave a startled gasp as she heard a polite cough. “Oh. Eh, hi Garina?”
The ballet girl nodded. Her older sister Karen was the leader of the ballet corps, and she was the prima ballerina and also Ashline’s first friend. “Someone told mom – er, I mean Karen that you wouldn’t be here for ballet rehearsal since you were sick, so I brought you some tea and toast. Light stuff. Hopefully it won’t hurt your stomach?”
Ashline suddenly realized that she was truthfully, quite ravenous and nodded. “Thank you, Garina. This means a lot to me…”
But I didn’t do this for you, Garina thought sadly. He did…
The Opera Ghost had taken an interest in Ashline. She should know, being as Karen was his confidante…
Oh, she knew of the Opera Ghost – everyone did, but she was one of the two who knew he wasn’t really a ghost, at least not in the normal sense of the word. After all, real ghosts didn’t touch or move or feel…
But the illusions were pretty damn convincing at times.
Ashline quietly munched on toast and drank her tea like a good girl and Garina left after a few minutes. She really shouldn’t worry about Ashline. After all, that cute new patron Richie was worth her eye much more…
She went home soon afterwards, as she did not want to risk her health further.
The next day, feeling much better, her lessons continued… for almost six months she sang and practiced, while outwardly, she endured the taunts of the leading lady and the other chorus and ballet girls. But one day, she would sing, would fly…
He was proud of her.
“Her voice is finally perfect….”
Are you happy now?
He laughed. “I can never be fully happy but it’s enough…”
It was not a good day for the managers.
Carlotta de Paine was their leading lady, and she’d gotten sick as a dog, was retching up her insides while the Opera doctor frantically tried to do something to help, and they had a full house tonight!
What were they going to do?
There was an innocent little note on their desk, in red ink. Giovanni twitched. Chuck groaned. They picked it up.
“It says that Ashline Ketchum knows all of Carlotta’s parts…”
“Oh well, the curtain’s going up in an hour and we don’t want to refund the full house! We’ll just hope she can mouth it well enough for us to get at least half pay…”
Ah, those managers. Money, not talent, ruled their lives. It was no matter. He had delivered their missive. If they chose to ignore it, why, then it was their fault if there were any refunds tonight...
He slipped back down to Ashline’s room, only took a few moments, really, and positioned himself behind the mirror. She was brushing her hair. Charming.
“Ashline….”
She started “Angel?” Why was he speaking to her now? There were other people around – it must be important!
“Tonight, tonight… be brave, child…” He couldn’t say more, it might be too obvious if he revealed it, so…
And his voice fell silent.
Ashline blinked in confusion, went back to her hair, sighing. She still hadn’t seen him – but sometimes, it didn’t matter. His voice was enough…
He was wonderful. He always knew how to cheer her up – and she wondered, briefly, if he was the one who sent her roses, a red so deep it was almost black, and the occasional bits of candy. No, it couldn’t be. Angels didn’t court mortals, did they?
But who else could have…?
The Opera Ghost! Oh, he existed all right, the ballet corps saw him often, and there were the missives in red ink, the rule that Box 5 could never be sold, and of course, the twenty thousand francs a month. Money doesn’t just disappear, so there had to be an opera ghost!
Beneath the mask there hid a death’s-head, it was whispered, and of course, the Punjab lasso… all feared the Punjab lasso, after Joseph Buquet’s death… suicide? Hardly. How could a man hanging from a rope suddenly fall to the ground followed by the rope vanishing? Preposterous…
Giovanni and Chuck now knew why the previous manager, Bruno, had been so eager to leave…
“Ashline Ketchum!”
“Yes, Madame Karen?”
“The managers want you in the office now.”
“What? Why? Are they canceling my contract?”
“I doubt it, just go!”
Ashline immediately hurried off to the office…
Karen watched as the mirror swung soundlessly open after Ashline had gone and Lance appeared.
“Thank you…”
“The poor girl needs some success, and if you tutored her, I daresay she can sing… and after what you did for Garina, making her prima ballerina, well, I don’t want to owe you…”
“Garina’s your younger sister… I always thought…”
“I know that I’m old enough to be her mother. No need to be reminded of that! Do you think she’s ready? Can she really sing now?”
“No doubt of it,” He touched a white-gloved hand to his hat-brim. “I’d best be leaving now…”
Karen waved as she watched him vanish again, and sighed. At least Carlotta wasn’t here, and who knew? This might just be the break Ashline needed to become a star…that she deserved to be.
End Chapter
Completed 7/27/05
Lance: Book and musical-verse are pretty close, at least beginning-wise…
Phantomness: I want to keep the scorpion and the grasshopper
Ash: Eh…?
Phantomness: *Evil, evil grin…