Phantom
Laura DeLuca
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.
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Excerpt:
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.
About
the Author:
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 and Player.
Garden of stones - Sophie Littlefield.
