A Picturesque Score of Passing Fantasy

"Brendon I'm..." Serenia started to say, I stared at her with evident hurt in my eyes, "sorry." she whispered.
Sure I felt increadibly horrible that he passed.
But was he really one of my best friends?
He was there in the beginning.
The beginning of the Dark Masquerade-
But...

"Say no more... please." I struggled not to yell at her. I remembered that after she left I became bitter and selfish. Yes, I knew this...and through out these years I've been foolishly acting like a spoiled child. I couldn't show her my hard, nasty side that sent innocent people to the pet tent.
Pet tent...
Geez, it sounded like they were animals or something.

"Something is troubling you." she said.
No way! How did you know that? You have no idea how badly I wanted to say that to her. Sarcastically of course.
But she would either become increadibly sad or ultimately pissed off.

"Nothings bothering me." I lied. She knew I was, but dropped the subject and focused on the rats and the body infront of us.

"Yes, there is." she stated, "I want you to explain everything, but first can we please get out of here?"

I stayed silent.
It occured to me, something really important.
The man, or thing, that killed the person on the floor, was bound to go after someone else.
Most likely someone in The Dark Masquerade.
Most likely someone vital to the show.
Most likely someone that was special to me.
A friend?
A best friend?
Most likely Ryan...or even Clair.
Clair.

"Do you think that it's a possiblity that someone other than my father killed this man?" Serenia asked me.

"Only if that person is, or even more, cold hearted than the Phantom. Someone so foul that he would murder his own kind. Someone who killed Danny Gibson."
************
"Good luck heading back." Alexandria frowned. Concern caused the flawless skin on her forhead to crease.

"G'bye." Mirabelle said softly. She still had a little bit of carmel on her right cheek.

"Goodbye Mira." I said back. We both became very fond of eachother. I hoped that I would see her again soon.

"Let's go Clair." William interupted my thoughts. Gabe pulled my arm softly, Pete looked a little scared.
But what was he afraid of?
The Phantom probably couldn't see him, or any of the souls, but he could see me.
He was literally invincible.
And I had just found out that it was possible for a doll to die.
You can never kill what was never alive.
Stupid lie.
Stupid Phantom.

"Alright," Gabe hollered, "ready to go!"
We all started off on our little 'journey'.
I mean, Harlequin Theatre wasn't that far off from the Cyrk.
But the fact that we were walking towards the Phantom, and possibly towards one of his traps, made the journey longer.

"Are you sure this is Harlequin Theatre?" I asked. William looked at the map again, then double checked it.

"The map says on the corner of Freemont Street... Freemont Street is right there, and Tragedy Lane is on the opposite side. It should be right there." Will was confused.

"I know I haven't been here in a while but...this just looks like an abandoned building. And if tonight is the Last Masquerade, shouldn't there be people? Like loads of people lined up to see it?" Gabe did have a point. "The place looks like it's infested with rats."