by Joy Elbel
Once in the alley, I waited momentarily by the door until I was certain he wasn’t following me. When the door didn’t open, I walked briskly toward the van. Snow was falling from the sky in large wet flakes and the wind howled hauntingly through the narrow alley. According to the weather report, a snow storm was supposed to hit after midnight—long after we would all be safe in our beds. But the forecast was incorrect. That storm was swiftly approaching.
I picked up the pace, wrapping my scarf tightly around my neck to keep out the chill. A stinging sensation in the palm of my hand reminded me that I was still clutching Jonas’s keys in a death grip. I unfolded my fingers and found a curious indentation in my skin. It was the image of a mask—a mask like the one I’d seen in my dreams so many times. It was the mask of the Phantom.
Zach or Lucas—which one fit that role best? In some ways, Zach felt like the character of Roarke but in some ways so did Lucas. Roarke was the comfortable, safe choice for Kira, someone she’d known her whole life. Sure, I’d just met Lucas but he looked exactly like Lee—my best friend for so many years. But Zach and I grew so close so quickly that mere months felt like years, too. On the flip side, they both had dangerous streaks, streaks of unpredictability. If I could only figure out which role they each played in my life, then maybe I would know which one should be my leading man.
I rubbed at my palm until the impression faded then inspected his keychain to see what made the indentation in my skin. It was a small charm in the shape of a mask, fashioned from silver and red enamel. Jonas probably bought it in New York City as a souvenir from the Broadway production. If I hadn’t blown off that trip to the Big Apple to spend a day alone with Zach, I would have totally brought one of those home for myself. At least Jonas had good taste.
Cracking open the back of the van, I found the costumes and an empty rack to hang them on. I lifted out the rack and placed it on the snowy ground and then slung the costumes over the bar. Once I secured the back of the van, I headed toward the theater amazed to see that the falling flakes had already erased my earlier footsteps. The storm, it seemed, was upon us.
I burst back in the door covered in snow and shaking from the cold. Jackson was still standing in the spot where I last saw him, waiting eagerly to show me to the back. He cracked a lecherous smile, revealing that half of his teeth were missing and the other half were yellowed and rotting. He didn’t speak to me—he just pointed to a doorway and disappeared inside. I tossed Jonas his keys and followed Jackson’s lead.
The hallway was dim and gloomy, lit only by sconces that cast no more light than candles. The wheels of the rack squeaked along the floor as I followed him past multiple doorways until he came to a stop at the far end. He pointed to the door on the right and waited for me to step inside. As I passed his outstretched arm, I caught sight of his finger nails, ragged and black like he’d dug a grave by hand. A foul odor hovered around him, too—a strange combination of ammonia and motor oil.
Once I was in the room, I heard the sound of his footsteps trudging back out to the stage but I closed the door behind me anyway. There was no way I would let that man sneak up behind me. If he decided to return, at least I would have the sound of the opening door as a warning. I surveyed the room I was in and realized it was a dressing room. It was small and empty except for a small table with a large, badly streaked mirror behind it.
I dragged the rack to an empty spot against the wall and began to separate the costumes and hang them neatly one by one. With my back to the door, I started to get the sensation that someone was watching me. Swiftly, I swung my head around expecting to catch Jackson staring back from the doorway. But the door was still closed and I was still alone. Allison should have been my first suspect but for some reason I knew that it wasn’t her. The invisible eyes on me belonged to the living, not to the dead.
There weren’t any windows and the door was tightly closed. There wasn’t anywhere in the room to hide. Even the walls were bare so the old “moving eyes behind a painting trick” wasn’t a possibility. If there was a video camera hidden somewhere, would it give me that same sensation of being watched? It was a discomforting thought but it wouldn’t be the first time some perv filmed someone undressing. I knew that all too well. Misty would pay one day for what she did to me—I just didn’t quite know how. Yet.
It didn’t take long for me to determine that there weren’t any cameras in the room, either. The theater was creepy and gave me the willies—maybe that was all the explanation I needed. Returning to the rack of costumes, I went back to work still plagued by uneasiness. Then, I heard the noises.
They were soft and barely audible at first but grew louder each time I heard them. Squish. Slide. Squish. Slide. Crick, crick, crick. The sounds repeated in that order over and over and they were coming from the hallway. If Jackson thought he was sneaking up on me, he was dumber than he looked and it was time to let him know that.
Tiptoeing to the door, I pressed my ear against the wooden panel and listened quietly. Squish. Slide. Squish. Slide. Crick, crick, crick. The sound was definitely growing closer but for once I had the element of surprise on my side. I gripped the door knob in my left hand and waited until the sound seemed to be just outside the room. Then with a dramatic flair, I swung the door open to confront him. Only it wasn’t Jackson and the element of surprise undoubtedly belonged to the figure in the hallway.
Allison lay there with her stomach on the floor, dragging herself forward with the palms of her hands and leaving a trail of blood behind her. With each movement, it gushed out of her by the pint until there was a crimson stain in every crack of the wooden floor. Crick, crick, crick. That was the sound of vertebrae popping as her head moved in a slow swivel until she was staring at the ceiling as she crawled.
Forget about the costumes, I’m out of here! Her cold, porcelain-white hand grabbed for my ankle as I ran past her down the hallway. EEEEAAAHHH! Her piercing wail sliced through the air and I was thrown into darkness. The lights in the hallway extinguished simultaneously and the glow of the chandelier in the auditorium disappeared as well. Squish. Slide. Squish. Slide. Crick, crick, crick. This time a new sound followed. It was the sound of furious scampering. It was behind me, beside me—above me. She was moving around me in an erratic pattern. When I thought I knew where she was, she was on the move again.
Something dropped down from the ceiling and brushed against my face. I released a scream from somewhere deep inside, somewhere dark and primal. I stumbled blindly down the narrow hallway until I heard my name being called from the shadows.
“Ru!” Lucas cried out to me. “We’re coming to get you!” I followed the sound of his voice, lurching down the hallway with Allison taunting me at every step. A frenzied mix of voices in the auditorium blended together so that I couldn’t tell what was being said. But I definitely heard the word “flashlight” and then a beam of white cut through the gloom.
Rachel and Lucas became visible only a few feet ahead of me and the unearthly noises ceased. Allison was gone and I was safe. Safe with Lucas.
Rachel raced toward me with her arms primed for an embrace. But she wasn’t the one I wanted to comfort me. Instead, I launched myself at Lucas, knocking the flashlight out of his hand.
“Ru, you’re shaking! What happened?” Lucas asked as he wrapped his arms around me. “Someone was watching me! Then, the noises and the lights! She didn’t want to let me go!” I buried my head in the crook of his neck and began to sob.
“Who was watching you, Ru? Who wouldn’t let you go?” Lucas stroked my hair comfortingly as I cried. A blast of light hit me square in the eyes. “Yeah, Ruby. You have some explaining to do.” Rachel said coldly, keeping the flashlight trained on my face.
She wasn’t talking about my experience in the hallway because she knew perfectly well what I was talking about. She was referring to me and Lucas—arms wrapped tightly around each other in what probably looked like more than a friendly embrace. And it was more but even I didn’t know wh
at it was exactly. How could I explain that?
20. Whiteout
Begrudgingly, I pulled away from Lucas who was just as reluctant to let go. Rachel glared at me as I stood there frightened and confused. What did she expect? What I had to tell her couldn’t be said until we were alone. And what she had to say to me shouldn’t be said in front of Lucas. What was wrong with me lately? I had the most wonderful boyfriend in the history of dating but I couldn’t seem to stay away from Lucas. Zach was gorgeous and he treated me like a princess. He was smart and funny and he respected me like no one else I’d ever met. He was always there when I needed him. He risked his life to save mine more than once—he even swore that he would take a bullet for me! I was wearing the promise ring he gave me and we had plans for our future together. There wasn’t a single reason why I should ever doubt my feelings for him.
Except there was. Lucas was a living, breathing replica of someone I loved with all my heart for more than half my life. My relationship with Lee wasn’t based on chemistry—it was based on emotion. But the fire we never had, I found in Lucas. They were two halves of one whole. And those two halves were what was tearing me apart.
Rachel lit the way back to the auditorium and Lucas and I followed her. Nearly two feet of space separated us as we walked but the emotional gap had closed significantly. Things were rapidly changing between us. I couldn’t deny it anymore. I was in love with both of them. What was I going to do?
The rest of the group was already seated and whispering wildly amongst themselves. What had everyone so excited? Surely, my scream alone wouldn’t have set off this kind of flurry. Straining to hear even a snippet of conversation, I noticed one word being uttered repeatedly. Phantom.
Jonas emerged from the darkness with a flashlight of his own. “Listen up,” he announced sternly. “I can assure you this has nothing to do with the mythical phantom. That old legend was borne out of pure ignorance—nothing more. The snowstorm is bearing down on us and I am certain that is where our blackout originated. Regardless of how it occurred, the blackout has definitely ended our rehearsal for tonight. If we get as much snow as they’re predicting, we may not be meeting tomorrow, either. I will post cancellations on the theater’s website so be sure to check it. I’ll see you next time—whenever that may be.”
Jonas led the way to the main exit and we followed in single file. What phantom was everyone talking about? As far as I could tell, Allison was the only ghost haunting the Bantam. Her death occurred five years ago while the theater was closed. What kind of old legend could have arisen from that? No, the legend of the phantom seemed to go back further than that. I would have to ask Dad if he knew anything about it.
The blowing snow assaulted us as we made our way to our cars. As bad as the stinging flakes felt against my cheeks, it would be nothing compared to the verbal battering Rachel undoubtedly had in store for me. After she was done with me, I would probably be wishing I’d just let Allison drag me down into the grave with her. And when she told Zach— which I was sure she would—I would take another wave of bashing from him. Was it too late to turn around and take my chances with Allison instead?
Lucas issued a brief statement before getting into his car, Rachel’s burning gaze prevented him from saying more. “Be careful driving home.”
I smiled and nodded. “You, too.” Then a funny thing struck me—the street lights were all aglow. Looks like the storm wasn’t responsible for the blackout after all. I wasn’t surprised.
Once inside Rachel’s car, I waited nervously for her to chastise me for running to Lucas for comfort. How could I explain it to her in a way that she would understand? If she weren’t Zach’s sister, I would tell her everything. But how could I tell her that I loved her brother and Lucas both at the same time? Why did my life have to be so complicated?
“Tell me what happened in the hallway—the Allison part first, please,” she instructed. I relayed what I heard and saw before the lights went out and she listened intently. The roads were blanketed in white so the drive was much slower than it should have been. Just my luck—the one time I wanted to get away from her fast, I was stuck in the car with her indefinitely. To make matters worse, we ended up behind the slowest moving snow plow in the entire state of Pennsylvania. Again, FML.
“Do you know anything about the phantom they were all whispering about? Jonas seemed pretty jacked that they brought it up.” Maybe if we talked about the theater long enough, she would forget all about me and Lucas.
“No,” she said brusquely, “I’ll ask Mom and Dad if they’ve ever heard of it. Right now, though, I want you to tell me what’s going on between you and Lucas. You two looked awfully cozy there in the dark.”
“Rachel, I was just scared—nothing more! If Zach had been there, I would have run to him instead—I swear!”
“Are you sure about that?” she said accusingly.
“Positive!” And I was positive. “You have feelings for Lucas. Don’t even try to pretend you don’t—it’s obvious. But I can tell you still love my brother, too. You can talk to me about this, you know.”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Rachel. And please, don’t say anything to Zach! He already hates Lucas enough as it is. If he hears this, he might do something stupid like he did with Ryan.”
Rachel remained quiet for a moment as she turned down the road to Rosewood. “Fine,” she finally said. “But you better get this whole thing straightened out fast. If you would rather be with Lucas, don’t string Zach along, okay? He loves you. Don’t keep hurting him like this.”
Hurting Zach was the last thing in the world I wanted to do. So why did I seem to keep doing it? I agreed to Rachel’s request and got out of the car. Wading through the heaps of snow, I made my way to the house even more torn than when I left it. She was right about one thing, though. This did need to end. But what I used to think was the obvious ending suddenly didn’t seem so definite anymore. What was I going to do?
The storm turned into a full out blizzard by morning, leaving me with no work and no rehearsal. I was left alone with my thoughts which were just as dangerous as the snow covered roads outside. Zach’s phone call that night convinced me that Rachel didn’t breathe a word of what happened between me and Lucas. I felt horrible that I asked his own sister to lie to him, but what else could I do? If he found out, he would kill Lucas. I had to take this time alone to dissect my heart and make a final decision.
I lay down in bed and stared at the ceiling for hours making a pros and cons list in my head to see who would come out on top. I kept track of the reasons to choose Lucas on my left hand and Zach on my right. When I ran out of fingers on my right hand, I knew the answer was clear. Zach. It always came back to Zach. So why was I still thinking about Lucas?
Simple. He represented all of the moments I never got to have with Lee. Like crossing that bridge safely for one and getting to live a normal life for another. He was my only connection to my past, a past not fraught with death and danger on a daily basis. If I were to tell him all of my dark secrets, maybe that bond would be broken. Once he was a part of my new hideous existence, that feeling of being free when I was with him would be gone. He wouldn’t reveal my secrets if I shared them with him. I knew he wouldn’t.
That was the solution. I had to tell Lucas everything. My phone was an arm’s reach away so I grabbed it and dialed his number before I could change my mind.
“Ru? You never call me. Is something wrong?” The concern in his voice only served as an impetus. This was the right decision, the only decision. “I have to tell you something about last night. It has something to do with your brother.”
Then I let it spill—every last bit of it. I even told him the one thing I didn’t tell Zach—the fact that Lee’s description of my one true love could fit either Lucas or Zach. Lucas remained quiet as I relayed my story but he didn’t laugh either so I figured that was a good sign. When I was finished, I felt like a sinner walking out of the confessional.
“Wow, Ru! I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you believe me.”
“I do believe you. What made you decide to tell me?” That was the million dollar question. “Because I want to fall out of love with you” was the trillion dollar answer. He couldn’t know that, though. That information had to remain restricted. I handed him a top secret exposé full of incriminating information with just the final line still slathered in Whiteout. He would have to be satisfied with what he got because he wasn’t getting any more.
Aside from the truth, what other reason would I have to tell him about my abilities? It wasn’t something I would ever dare share under normal circumstances. I had to think of something good, something he wouldn’t question. Fast.
“You were there when it happened and there’s a distinct possibility that you could be there the next time, too. I thought telling you made sense, you know, in case it happens again.” Did he buy it?
He did. “Okay, I’m glad you told me. I knew something horrible happened last night but I had no idea what it was. Is there anything I can do to help?”
How sweet! I tell him I’m a freak of nature and his first instinct is to offer me assistance. I knew this was supposed to make me fall out of love with him but it wasn’t working. The one time I fly without a backup plan and look what happens. Instead of putting a barrier between us, I succeeded in tearing one down. Why did nothing ever go the way I planned it to go?
“No, I have everything under control—at least for now. How about you? Have you made any progress in finding your birth parents?”
“I haven’t done anything since that day we went to Pittsburgh. I don’t want to do it alone. I’m afraid of what I’m going to find. I was waiting for you to come with me again. That’s if you’re still willing.”