The Fictionals: The Phantom of the Theatre (Villain and Axenia)

Started by Villain, June 18, 2011, 03:46:52 AM

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Axenia

Casey couldn't stop the smile from forming in the corner of her mouth, his entrance had been so perfect. As she looked at him she tried to see the physical resemblance to Sherlock Holmes. She could see it if she tried, the tall figure in the dark, ready to solve a new puzzle. The only thing he needed was a pipe, maybe that would come later, he was still to young to smoke.
   "Alistair, I prefer if you would call me Casey." She looked at the rubber gloves he wore, it was an odd thing to be wearing. She couldn't say she knew him, but she was certain of one thing. There was always a reason for what he did.
   "And you are wrong about one thing Mr. Craft, I think I'm starting to believe you. If I didn't I wouldn't have come here tonight." She liked that, telling this allknowing irritating boy that he was wrong about something. But eventhough he knew how to press her buttons, there was something else. She liked being around him, found him fascinating in so many ways. She had never met anyone who could do what he did, only read about one other person with that ability. it had been a story by Edgar Allan Poe called 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue'.
   She turned to Lulu again, remembering what the girl had said just before Alistair showed up.
   "What did you mean when you said that it would be dangerous?

Villain

Alistair was thrown as Casey corrected him. He stared at her with a dumbfoundered expression on his face, his hazel eyes wide with shock as he stared at her. He hadn't been expecting her to start believing him. He had thought that it would have taken hours to convince the girl that their powers had such a perculiar origin.
  'W-Well that's very good of you Miss Val-I mean Casey' He stammered before swallowing and nodding to himself.
  Lulu couldn't help but giggle at his reaction. She knew that Alistair was not usually wrong about things, but when he did get things wrong his reaction would always be priceless. She couldn't help but take a liking to Casey. It felt nice to have an odd friend, especially one who was a girl. Plus the way she made Alistair act was so much fun.
  Alistair had now opened his leather bag and fished out a torch and what looked like a small metal wire that was bent in all different directions. Lulu saw Casey gaze at the object and mouthed the words; lock pick.
  'This will be dangerous because tonight we are examining a crime scene' Alistair spoke, managing to regain his composure and go back to talking in his serious tone of voice.
  'The criminal may also be one of us and that brings new complications to the matter' He spoke as he inspected the tools he had taken out of his bag. He checked the batteries to the torch and checked the lock pick for any damage to the bumps and groves that would work at the lock. When he was sure that the torch was working and the lock pick was in perfect condition he pocketed them inside his coat.
  'So lets hope we don't encounter him, because if we do then we could either end up hanged or be tortured to death by listening to one of his bloody songs' He explained before motioning for them to follow him as he made his way up the stairs.

Axenia

Casey tried hard not to smile when she saw Alistair fumble for the right words, in a way he look so endearing, like the boy he still was. The torch, she thought, was unnecessary. If he wanted light she could have made him a small fire, she had done that lots of times.
   She mouthed a small thanks to Lulu for her help as to what the second thing was. She had never tried to pick a lock, or breaking into something. But there was a first time for everything, and it sounded like it would be exciting.
   "Alistair, isn't there something you have forgotton to tell us, or are we just going to have to guess what you have figured out?" She looked at him with her arms crossed. She had heard rumours about what had been written in the newspaper, but hadn't read it herself.
   "I really hate sounding dumb, but why on earth would any dangerous criminal start to sing?" She looked at Lulu to see if she was the only one who didn't get what Alistair was talking about. But she didn't get any help from the girl, who was staring at something propably only she could see.

Villain

'Because this criminal isn't like me and Lulu.' Alistair spoke as he looked back at Casey from the top of the stairs, 'If this criminal is who I think he is then he didn't get his power through a novel - even though his character did start off as a character from a novel - he got his power from the more popular stage adaptation that has proceeded to entertain and annoy a lot of people'
  'Alistairs not a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber' Lulu spoke. She was now staring at the ceiling, watching a spider crawl along it's surface before dangling off a light bulb.
  'His songs are too repetitive, he should be shot.' Alistair grunted before turning on the torch to see if it would work. For a moment his face was illuminated with light as the torch switched on.
  'I believe Casey that we are dealing with the Phantom of the Opera' Alistair spoke as he posed with the torch under his face. His features glowing eerily as the light from the torch outlined his face. He waited for Casey to start laughing again. If she had laughed at the idea of him being a fictional character from a book this would probably give her a laughter induced heart attack.

Axenia

This time Casey did not laugh, she hated to admit it, but she could see the logic in what he was saying. If she, Alistair and Lulu all had the abilities of a fictive character, the surely this person haunting the stage could be the Phantom. She was looking at Alistair, the little smile on her lips did not come from what he had said, but rather at how he looked. The way the torchlight hit his face reminded her of a child out camping with his friends, telling scary stories. She almost expected a lightning to illuminate the night skies.
   "Alistair, I can see that what you say make some kind of sense, but why on earth would the Phantom haunt the stage of this school? And then she send him at teasing little smile.
   "If it is him, I really hope he will sing 'Music of the night'." She winked at him. In her left hand she formed a light of her own, shaped like Christine, the lead female character from 'Phantom of the opera'. She liked teasing Alistair, trying to figure out how to push his buttons like he had pushed hers.
   "You know Alistair, it could have been worse. It could have been a character from the musical 'Cats'. I would rather listen to the Phantom singing, than see a grown man in tights." She turned her eyes from him, carefully studying their surroundings. She had overlook Lulu standing in the dark outside the library, she wouldn't want to be caught of guard by the Phantom.

Villain

Alistair dropped the torch from his face. He seemed to be in deep thought for a moment as he mulled over what was worse; a swinging homicidal phantom or a singing man in a leotard who believed he was a cat.
  'You have a good point.' He spoke before pocketing the torch. It was clear the only reason he had brought it was the sake of making his face glow ominously in the dark.
  'For the last few weeks the school theatre has been the target of random acts of vandalism' He began to explain as he turned to walk up the stairs and make his way towards the school theatre. 'They are currently putting on a play of romeo and juliet and keep on finding their props and set smashed to pieces'
  'The other night a security guard stumbled upon a dark figure swinging from the rafters. He demanded that the play be canceled otherwise the consequences would be most dire. The staff have tried to keep this a secret, but I have my ways of finding these things out.'
  'He hides in the staff room during lunch time and listens to all their conversations' Lulu announced cheerfuly causing Alistair to let out a frustrated sigh.
  'Thank you Lulu. I was trying to create an air of mystery about my methods but whatever' He mumbled bitterly before proceeding down the corridor.

Axenia

Casey laughed at Lulus comment, but at the same time she felt a bit sorry for Alistair. She softly laid her hand on his arm, looking up into his eyes.
   "My dear Sherlock, you are wrapped up in mystery, that one of your methods has been revealed doesn't change that." She gave him an encouraging smile. But she quickly turned her face away from him, she didn't want him to read her. While she had been looking up into his eyes she had realised something, even though she hadn't known him very long, she was beginning to fall for him. It had something to do with the mysterious person he was, but she also liked that he irritated her and the way he could look at her, or anyone else for that matter. She let go of his arm and began to move a bit closer to Lulu.
   "So what are we going to do if we find the phantom?" She collected herself so that she was able to meet his gaze again.

Villain

Alistair felt frozen to the spot as Casey laid a hand on his arm. Something stirred inside of him that felt alien and strange. It sort of felt like something was telling him that he should be very very happy that that had just happened but yet at the same time was warnng him that that was one of the most dangerous things he had ever had happen to him. It was a peculiar feeling to have and it unerved him a little, but he managed to shake the feeling off for a moment as he realised she was expecting an answer.
  'When we find him we give him an ultimateum; join us or we hand you over to the authorities' He replied before coming to a halt outside two sets of large wooden double doors. Above the doors was a large sign that read; school theatre. On either side of the doors were posters that advertised the upcoming play, but the date on them had been altered several times with a black felt pen.
  'This figure hasn't hurt anyone so far, so we don't have to deal with the issue of bringing him to justice. Hopefully he'll comply and take a liking to the idea that there are other people like him who are willing to understand him.' Alistair spoke as he fished out the lock pick from his pocket and began to work at the locked door, 'Perhaps when we find him you should try singing 'Music of the night'. He may take a liking to idea that there's a pretty girl who is a fan of his songs'.
  Lulu couldn't help but grin mischeviously and nudge Casey with her elbow as Alistair finished talking. She held back a chuckled as she watched her new friends reaction and mouthed the words 'he thinks you're pretty' at her.

Axenia

Casey felt like her heart had stopped for just a single moment, pretty, he really thought she was pretty. No one had ever called her that before. She looked at Lulu and felt her cheeks burn red, she shook her head a bit mouthing 'Just being nice'.
   "I really don't think you want me to sing, i couldn't carry a tune to save my life." She hadn't noticed the smile on her face, this was the first time she had ever been that happy. She waited for him to pick the lock, noticing how his hands moved, the look of concentration on his face. The figure in her hand burned with a bit more intensity to give him more light. She was nervous not knowing what was behind the door. She hoped they could reason with the phantom, otherwise she would have nothing to protect her but the fire. And she was afraid of using it, not because of her she was immune to the flames, but her two new friends were not.

Villain

'A pity, I'm sure you have a lovely voice' He spoke before stepping back as the doors swung open revealing a huge dark room behind them. Alistair stepped forward and cauciously thumbled around in the dark for a light switch. The stage would probably require them to use the spotlights but there should be a switch to switch on the lights above the audience.
  'Let there be light' Alistair spoke softly as he located the switch next to the door frame and the room became filled with light.
  'Oooo pretty' Lulu said with wonder as she gazed over the room. There were rows of seats sat before a grand wooden stage with deep blue curtains crossing over the front of it. The seats were blue to match the curtains and the walls and floor were old and wooden, giving it a old fashioned but very professional appearance.
  'So far so good. We're not dead yet so I dare suggest that we may be alone tonight' Alistair spoke before motioning for Lulu to follow him.
  'Do you want me to go and open the curtains? I think I remember how to do it.' Lulu asked before turning to Casey and pointing to herself, 'I was the stage hand on their last production of Wind in the Willows. They said I was excellent, but apparently the curtains weren't supposed to shut half way through the first scene'.
  'No we need to make our way backstage. I need to see the crime scene exactly how it was when the security guard found it' Alistair spoke before motioning for them to follow him as he walked down the aisle and climbed onto the stage before disappearing behind the curtains.

Axenia

"No, I think you're supposed to wait until the scene is done Lulu". Casey said smiling at the strange girl. She went down the row of seats, looking for any sign of the phantom. She couldn't help it, she started humming 'Angel of music', another song from the musical. Her voice was soft, clear and melodious. She went down to the front of the stage and waited for Lulu to draw the curtains, looking up at the metal bridge. When the curtains swung back and revealed the stage Casey stepped onto it.
   Her eyes searched the theatre from the stage. She was reminded from when she was eight, standing on the stage trying to remember my lines at a school play.

Villain

'Here we are' Alistair spoke as he pushed back a large piece of scenery; a large fake stone wall with torches and an arch way. Behind the wall was a large pile of objects covered by a great big white sheet. On top of the sheet was a large piece of paper tha read; 'Anyone caught damaging theatre property will be dealt with in the harshest of manners. Signed, Ms. Vander'.
  'You know I've always wanted to sing on stage' Lulu spoke as she wandered around the stage whilst admiring various bits of the stage.
  'My mum and dad used to send me to singing lessons every tuesday evening' She said with a content smile on her face as she recalled her singing teacher Mr Blake. He had been a wonderful teacher. He was tubby spanish man that loved to make jokes and would always burst into applause everytime she finished a song. He never put her down and was always patient when she had difficulty understanding the more challenging points of a song.
  'Mum and Dad stopped my lessons after two months. They said they were afraid I would damage my voice' She spoke gloomily before turning to Alistair as he tore off the white sheet and threw it over his shoulder.
  'Oh now that's odd.' Alistair spoke immediately, his eyes gazing over the scene with interest. Before him was a pile of broken props and set pieces. They had all been smashed to pieces and in some cases had been sprayed with black paint. On some of the bits of the set were the words; 'Cease this show or face my terrible wrath'.
  'That's very odd indeed.' Alistair spoke before pushing large bits of vandalised scenery to one side and making his way through the destruction.

Axenia

Casey turned around to see what Alistair was doing.
   "Please be careful Alistair." She hadn't intended on saying it out loud, but the words just slipped her mouth. She didn't want him to know that she had started having feelings for him, this was all so new to her. Sure, she had sometimes looked at a boy and thought he was handsome, but this was different. Everytime she looked in his eyes she wished he would put an arm around her, kiss her. She shook her head to rid it of the image, took a deep breath.
   "Maybe he just doesn't like that play. Romeo and Juliet is a love story, maybe it reminds him of the play in which he was created." She didn't believe Alistair would listen to her ideas, she could never be as great as he was, and maybe that was in some way a blessing. She followed him through the destroyed scenery, accidentally bumping into him once in a while, when she didn't noticed that he'd stopped.

Villain

'No no no. Look around you two. What do you see?' Alistair asked as he moved a large fake tree that had been broken in two. Lulu looked over the objects curiously. There were a lot of props; swords, torches, fake food, masks, costumes, canes, bottles and vials all of which had been sprayed black or smashed into pieces.
  'Mindless destruction?' She asked before shrugging and picking up a masquerade mask. She examined it before putting it on and checking her reflection in the pieces of a shattered mirror.
  'No Lulu. This is calculated destruction. The phantom destroyed these things because he wanted to everyone to think he had no agenda other than canceling the play' Alistair spoke before nodding to the two of them, 'Check again. What is the only thing that stands out amongst all these things? What took the most time and effort to make out of all of these things?'
  Lulu looked over the props again. Now that he had said that she felt something nudge at her curiously. She felt as if she had missed something that had been staring her in the face. She looked over the bits of set that lay amongst the props. There were large fake walls that would be dragged onto the stag to show scene changes. On some of the walls hung large pictures that contained paintings of young men and women dressed in old tudor clothing.
  'Wait...hang on a minute.' Lulu mumbled as she looked at the portraits. There was something familiar about the people in the pictures.
  'Wait these are paintings of the cast members.' She spoke softly. She recognised the face of Mina Harp, the talented girl who had played Mr Toad from last years production of Wind in the Willows. She had been painted in a beautiful blue dress, but now there was an ugly black spray paint mark all over the lower half of her body.
  'Someone took the time to paint each cast member indiviudally. Probably from copying a photo given the lighting and tone of the paintings. This took a long time to do and was very thoughtful gesture, but unfortunately the artist has made an enemy by doing it' Alistair spoke before shoving a fake wall violently to one side. He knew that he was close. He could feel the excitement bubbling inside of him.
  'There are twenty characters in Romeo and Juliet and the artist painted them all for the sake of them being used in the set. How many can you see there?' He asked turning back to Lulu.
  'Nineteen.' Lulu replied after quickly counting the portraits.
  'Exactly. Which raises the question. Why is Romeo's picture hidden all the way back here?' He asked before pointing to a large portrait that stood behind him. The frame of the picture was a glorious gold, but the man in the picture seemed to outshine the beautiful frame.
  The young man in the picture was not handsome, he was beautiful. A well built gentlemen dressed in a fine red tudor outfit. His face was striking, his cheek bones were perfect, his blue eyes were perfect, his blond hair was perfect and his smile was even more perfect than the rest of his perfect features. The only thing that wasn't perfect was the ugly black spray paint mark which criss crossed over his chest.
  'What do you think Casey?' Alistair asked as he looked back at her 'What do you think is wrong with this picture?'
  The portrait seemed to join Al and Lulu in staring at Casey. Although she may not be able to see what Alistair saw, she would notice immediately that something was strange about the picture. It's surface seemed to shine with a glossy look, unlike the other paintings which had been rough from the canvas and paint which had been used to capture the cast members.

Axenia

Casey walked closer to the painting, looking intensely at it. What did the others see that she didn't, what was it about this painting of the beautiful boy. he was beautiful, almost too beautiful. She lightly touched the picture, so smooth with its glossy surface.
   "I have never seen anyone looking like him around school, he's to perfect, no one is that perfect." A story came to her, one she had read a couple of years ago. The story was that of Dorian Gray. But while in the novel the picture had changed, this one still was as beautiful as it propably always had been.
   "I'm sorry Alistair, I just don't see it." She felt like she was letting him down, like she didn't belong. How could she be so blind to something that was obvious to the rest of them. Had she just been kidding herself when she had thought that she finally had belonged somewhere, that having friends wasn't that impossible. She took another look at the painting, It looked more like a picture than a painting to her, something done in photoshop. She turned form the picture to look at Alistair and Lulu, feeling like she had disappointed them. She looked into the hazel eyes belonging to Alistair.

Villain

'Casey this isn't a painting. This is a scanned image that was printed out using a high detail laser jet printer.' Alistair spoke as he walked up to the portrait and examined the frame.
  'Look at the frame more closely' He spoke before grabbing the portrait and lifting it off the stand in which it sat on. With some effort he managed to turn the portrait around and show Casey and Lulu the back of the frame. There were clear signs that some of the bolts which held the back in place had been tampered with.
  'Someone broke into the frame and stole the original painted canvas. Then they scanned it and printed it out onto a piece of photo paper the same size as the canvas.' He spoke before placing the picture on the ground and staring over it with interest. He placed his hand on his chin and scratched at it as he thought over what he had just found.
  'They vandalised the rest of the stage so that that way no one would notice the picture had been swapped...but why steal the canvas? What was so terrible about having Romeo's picture painted?' He asked himself before turning to the two of them.
  'Who is he Lulu?' Alistair asked, watching her with interest as Lulu stared wonderously at the portrait.
  'That's Ryan Black' She replied and sat down on the stage floor before reaching into her bag and fishing out a rolled up poster.
  'I've always held on to this poster. It had my name mentioned in the credits. Ryan played Badger in Wind in the Willows. Here's his photo.' Lulu spoke before unraveling the poster. On the front of it was a picture of every member of the cast, all boys and girls in their teens, dressed up in fantastic animal costumes.
  Standing in the center of the picture was the same young man in the painting, except this time his face had been covered with black and white face paint and tufts of black and white fur to make up the costume. He was clearly still an attractive young man, but the costume seemed to mask over his natural good looks.
  'Is he popular with the ladies here?' Alistair asked as he walked up to Lulu and gazed over the photo with interest.
  'Not really. He's never been known to date anyone from this school....but then again I have heard rumours that he dates girls from other schools...but those are just silly rumours' Lulu spoke before shaking her head, 'He's a nice guy, he gave me flowers for helping with the play. He's not the type to play around with girls hearts.'
  'Then why has he tried so hard to make sure you believe that?' Alistair asked and frowned, 'This boy's kept himself out of the social line of fire so that he doesn't attract the attention of girls - but on stage he's playing a whole different game. A clever game...and that's why this bugs me. He's not clever.'
  'Alistair that's mean!' Lulu snapped defensively. For the first time she seemed to actually look angry. Her eyes weren't peaceful and happy, they were narrowed and fierce.

Axenia

Casey looked at Lulu, choked that she could look that angry. Stepped between Alistair and the angry girl and look at her.
   "Lulu, can I please talk to you for a moment". She smiled at her, then dragged the girl aside. When Casey was sure Alistair couldn't hear them she made the girl sit, and sat down beside her.
   "What's the matter, I have never seen you this angry with Al." She talked in a calm voice. You know Al is right when he says something is wrong about him." She removed a lock of Lulus blond hair and looked her in the eyes
   "Do you like him, or do you know something about him that Al doesn't" She didn't know if the girl would answer, but she knew that the anger Lulu felt had to come from somewhere.

Villain

'L-Like him?" Lulu stammered as Casey asked her the question. She had been glaring at Alistair as she had been dragged to one side of the stage. She had looked as if she was about to punch him, but when Casey asked the question the anger melted away and she blushed brightly.
  'N-No! I-I just think people make up a lot of bad stuff about him.' Lulu murmured nervously as she broke eye contact with Casey and started looking at her shoes.
  'People don't just say he dates girls from schools. They say he collects them like trophys. He makes sure to get the prettiest, richest and most popular girls and then once he's bored of them he dumps them' She explained timidly, a big frown on her innocent pale face.
  'But that isn't right Casey! He's nice! He was so friendly to everyone in the play. He couldn't do such terrible things!' She exclaimed, almost pleading with Casey to believe her.
  'Terrible things would make him look very ugly on the inside' Alistair spoke under his breath. He had now pulled the portrait open and was examining the paper closely. He had guessed right. There was no canvas under the frame, only photo paper.

Axenia

Casey felt sorry for her, she smiled as kindly as she knew how.
   "Sometimes people will surprise you, and It won't always be for the better. But I hope you're right Lulu, I really do." She felt sorry for Lulu, wished she could be more comforting.
   "Don't be Angry with Alistair, you know how he is. The day he starts talking nice about people, is the day we have to worry." She gave Lulu a hug, and walked over to Alistair.
   "I need to talk to you for a second." She turned him so he was forced to look at her. Her green eyes were glowing with a small fire, and although she didn't intended it, her hands were much warmer than a normal persons.
   "Do you have to insult everyone who is not as smart as you? If you just for a moment took the time to look at a person, look but not analyze the way that you do, you'll see that they care about each other. Lulu cares for that boy, so you will be nice when talking about him, no matter what you think he might have done. Remember, you may be right most of the time, but not all the time. You could be wrong about him." She looked in his eyes, trying to read him. It was hard for her to talk to him like this, a sudden feeling of fear struck her when she realised how much she wanted to kiss him right now.
   "Talk nice about him, or I will get really angry, and you wouldn't like that." She let go of him, the shirt had started to yellow a bit where she had held him. It hadn't been her intention.
   "Sorry about the shirt, I'll get you a new one tomorrow." She turned from him.

Villain

Alistair was at first perplexed as to why Casey was taking such a stern tone with him. It hadn't been his intention to upset Lulu, but unfortunately he couldn't help it. If his thoughts were right then the boy that was commiting this crime was not very smart. That thought was what worried him. The boy had clearly not thought through his plan for there was a gaping floor in the logic behind it all.
  As Casey let go he frowned at the yellow marks on his shirt and brushed himself off. He glanced from his shirt to Casey. Another perplexed feeling ran through him as he tried to consider what had made Casey loose control of her powers. Had she been that disapointed with him? Or had she lost control because of something else.
  A strange pang of guilt began to run through him as he considered the thought. He looked over her shoulder at Lulu who seemed to look glumly at the floor.
  'Lulu. Casey. I apologise, but this Ryan character is an idiot' He began and held up his hand as Lulu got to her feet to protest.
  'Please hear me out Lulu' He asked sincerely. Lulu stared at him for a moment as if she were considering whether to hit him or not. After a moment of silence she sat down.
  'Thank you' Alistair spoke before turning back to the painting 'He's not very smart because this plan of his has noticable flaws. You see he realises that someone is going to stumble upon the swapped painting at some point. More than likely the artist herself will examine the picture and realise what happened.'
  'Now a smart person would feign ignorance if they were questioned. A smart person would suggest that the thief was just very strange. There's nothing linking them to the crime other than the fact that it's their picture.'
  Alistair turned back to them and smiled broadly before pointing to the painting behind him forcefully.
  'But this young man; Ryan Black, has been driven stupid by fear. He's so afraid that someone will discover the painting that he puts on a costume and poses as the Phantom of the Opera. Why? To scare everyone away - and it'll work on the staff and the students if he keeps this up.'
  'Now he could just step down as Romeo and walk away from the play and hope that no one notices the painting's secret, but he doesn't want that. Stepping down may mean he won't get cast for the next play and that means everything to him because that's how he shows off to the unsuspecting girls from other schools that come to see his show. He shows how talented and perfect he is on stage and then they fall to his charms.' He smiled apologetically at Lulu. She was now squirming uncomfortably in her seat. It was clear she didn't like what Alistair was accusing Ryan of.
  'So there's only one option.' He spoke softly, 'Sabotage. The play gets canceled and he gets a thrill off being the phantom and getting away with his crime'
  He frowned for a moment as he considered everything he had said. He had enjoyed investigating this intriguingly bizarre crime, but now he was beginning to get to the part that worried him. The part that he would have to explain a little more in depth later on.
  'He's made a mistake that he could not hope to avoid.' He began, 'Because you see he doesn't realise that by doing this he's attracted the attention of others like him. He's not aware they exist and that have amazing abilities and that they'll try to bring him to justice. He doesn't know that their onto him and that they know a genuine Phantom of the Opera when they see one.'
  At that moment there was a thunderous crash as a large figure dressed in a black cloak landed behind Alistair. His face was covered with a white skeleton mask and he was wearing a black suit and gloves. He stared at Casey and Lulu with glowing red eyes before grabbing Alistair around the waist from behind.
  'And he doesn't look like that.' Alistair said casually and pointed back at the masked man before the two of them flew into the ceiling above.
  They hung from the solid metal frame of the rigging. One of the phantoms hands was around Alistairs waist while the other held on tight to the metal bars.
  'Leave now or I'll drop him and you'll watch him crack like an egg!' The figure hissed in a low voice. His red eyes flaring with rage. His voice didn't sound like that of an angel of music, it sounded like it belonged to a rat or a serpent.
  'Casey when I say the word hit him with everything you've got!' Alistair called out ignoring the villains threat. He remained as still as possible, holding his arms up to motion for the two of them to stay still until he gave the order.

Axenia

Casey was frosen to the spot, how could Alistair be so calm dangling high in the air. The words he had just called to her echoed in her head, and fear filled her entire body. 'Hit him with all she got.' That would kill him, worst case scenario, she would loose control of the fire and kill them all. But she couldn't back down now, she nodded.
   "I hope you know what you ask of me Al." She looked up at him and started gathering all of her energy. She could feel it building up inside her, making her body tingle all over. Then she felt it, the point of no return. She wouldn't be able to stop it now, not even if she wanted to. Her eyes slowly started changing from green to a burning fire, flames started licking up her arms then covering her entire body. She kept looking up at the phantom and Alistair, waiting for him to give the signal.

Villain

'What the hell are you doing?!' The phantom asked, but this time his voice didn't sound fierce and monsterous, it sounded childish and scared. Alistair turned his head to look into the eyes of the masked man. He could see the fear in his red eyes. The contacts may have made him look like a demon, but he was still just a boy.
  'Oh? You don't know Ryan? We're monsters. Just like you' Alistair spoke before pointing out towards the audience, 'And she's the biggest one of all of us.'
  At that point the masked man let out a scream. Alistair wasn't pointing at Casey. He was pointing at Lulu, and she was now rapidly growing in size.
  Her fists were clenched together tight and her eyes screwed shut as she grew to the size of a car, then a bus and then eventually a house. In mere seconds she had grown so big that she almost filled the room.
  Her pale blue eyes opened and narrowed on the figure that was now screaming at the sight of the giant. She took a step forwards, crushing a row of seats. Her clothes had ripped and torn, but somehow had managed to stay in one piece. It was as if she had designed the clothes to be able to fit anyone, even if they did have a sudden violent growth spurt that made them the size of king kong.
  'Stay away from me!' The phantom yelped before dropping Alistair and lifting himself onto the rigging.
  Alistair didn't scream as he fell, for falling had been part of his plan. Lulu lashed out and caught Al before he could break every bone in his body.
  The moment he landed on her palm he sprang to his feet and pointed up at the phantom that now stared down at them from high above his head.
  'Casey fire!' Alistair shouted, looking down at his friend with a determined look in his eye as Lulu lifted him from the stage, leaving Casey enough room to do as much damage as she wanted, 'Trust me he won't die and neither will we!'

Axenia

Casey, who had been fighting to hold back the fire, now let it all out. An inferno soon consumed the theatre, she fought to hold it back from Lulu and Al, creating a safe circle around them. But she couldn't hold it forever, as soon as she felt about to loose control of it, she started extinguishing it. She could no longer see what happened to Lulu, Al or Ryan, the fire had used up her energy and she felt herself falling to the floor.
   "Al, Lulu are you guys okay?" She hit the stage and rolled onto her back. She wanted to close her eyes for just one second, but as soon as the closed she felt herself disappearing into darkness.
   Most of the fire had died out, but there were still small fires burning here and there. The Stage and sets were all gone, burned to ashes, so was the first seven rows of seats. It was hard to breath in there, the fire had eaten most of the oxygen

Villain

The phantom screamed as the blaze consumed him and the rigging. He tumbled from the metal bridge as it gave away and was sent swirling into the heart of the inferno. Strangely however he did not sound as if he was screaming in pain, only fear.
  'We're fine' Alistair called from in between Lulu's giant hands. He was now rummaging through Lulu's bag, the only thing that had no enlarged from her sudden change. He pulled out a small vial of clear blue liquid which had the words 'DRINK ME' on the side of it.
  'Here we go Lulu' He called up to her and uncorked the bottle before passing it to her. She took it between her giant fingers before gently lifting it to her mouth and pouring the vials contents into her mouth.
  'You may want to get off my hand Al' Lulu spoke as she wiped her mouth. He nodded and jumped down, landing on the floor bellow him.
  Lulu began to immediately shrink however this time she shrank in small bursts, unlike her explosive growth from earlier which had been rather smooth. She landed on the floor with a thud as she shrank back to her normal size before letting out a groan of discomfort.
  'Still haven't got the dosage right...' She whined and clutched her head in between her hands.
  'Nice work.' Alistair spoke to Casey but didn't relax. He ran to the stage and gave her a pat on the back before taking her by the wrist and pulling her through the rows of seats, making sure to grab Lulu by the wrist as well and pull her along too.
  'That won't stall him for long. It'll scare him but if he's who I think he is then he's going to be back soon and filled with murderous vengeance' Alistair spoke as he dragged them out of the theatre and into the corridor. The sprinklers had now gone off in the theatre and had soaked all three of them down to their skin, but this didn't seem to register to Alistair as they ran down the corridor.
  'We have to head for the library!' Alistair announced as they hurtled down the stairs.
  'Why?' Lulu groaned, trying her best to keep up with Al as she was dragged. She looked groggy and a little sick. Her head swung around her shoulders in a drunken manner.
  'I have one final bit of evidence to gather. Once we have it I'll know how to combat this guy.' He called back to them before turning the corner and coming to a halt before the two stone lions that stood before the library entrance.

Axenia

Casey had trouble following Alistair and Lulu. The sprinklers had woke her up, but she had used op a lot of her strength. She started being cold when they got out of the theatre, the green shirt clinging to her body. The fire had been intense, so why hadn't Ryan screamed in pain. Was her abilities not as strong as she had once believed?
   "Al, I need to rest, please, just for a moment." She leaned against one of the stone lions, taking of her soaked jacket. Her hair stuck to her face, her skin pale from exhaustion. She looked pleadingly at ham, then turned to Lulu.
   "Are you alright Lulu?" The concern in her voice was clear, she was really starting to like the girl. Casey took in a deep breath, then straightend up, they had no time to rest eventhough she really needed it. She went over to Alistair, removed a small lock of hair from his eyes.
   "Are you sure you're okay?" She looked him in the eyes, biting her lower lip as she always did when she was a bit nervous. She really couldn't say why she liked him. He was a know it all, never noticing if he had hurt someones feelings. But maybe that was it. It was safe having a crush on him, he would never repay her feelings. She knew that already, so he wouldn't hurt her later. And then there were the eyes, those hazel eyes. The way they saw through every lie and deceit. She smiled to herself, not caring if he did see it.