The Beauty Underneath

Part One: Two Angels in Hell

Part One: Two Angels in Hell

Beneath the Opera Populaire, across the lake, in a world of unending night, there lived a pitiful creature that lurked in the shadows, despised by the world, and most terrible of all, unloved by her. Some said he was a magician, some a ghost, others a spirit of the opera. Most called him "The Phantom of the Opera." This 'Phantom' dug his nails into his skin and let out a wail, falling to the ground in agony. Most people saw him as a horrible monster, but he was nothing but a man. A man whose heart was breaking into a million pieces. Strange, he thought. For a moment, when she had kissed him, she had seemed to understand his pain. But then he had released Raoul, and she had fallen into her lover's arms, turning her back on him once again. He felt tears burning in his eyes, knowing she was gone from his life forever. He closed his eyes and put his distorted face into his hands. Then he heard the music, coming from that music box on the mantle. "Masquerade... paper faces on parade... Masquerade. Hide your face so the world... will never find you." He had hidden his face from the world for years, but it had not been enough to spare him this pain. His body tensed, and he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He could sense the presence of someone else in the room. He turned, and for a brief moment, his heart began to soar. There she stood, in all her splendor, looking like an angel. He allowed himself to feel a fleeting sense of hope. Maybe she had come back to stay. But, no, the look in her tearful eyes told him that it was not so. She held out a trembling hand, and he saw that she was offering him back his ring, the ring he had given her. His heart ached, but he accepted the ring. "Christine..." he said weakly, "I love you." Tears poured down her face, and he could see the anguish in her eyes. At least she cares, he thought. He gave her a small nod, trying to convey to her without words that it was okay, he understood that she could not stay. She slowly turned around and began ascending the staircase, out of his life. He watched her helplessly, his heart shattering into pieces. Suddenly she stopped, frozen in place. Her beautiful voice filled the air once more, filling his spirit with joy.

"Say you love me every waking moment." He turned to her, unable to believe his ears. But no, there was Raoul, holding out his hand to her. "Say the word and I will follow you," he sang. She took his hand and continued ascending the staircase. "Share each day with me, each night, each morning..."

And then something inside of him broke. He felt all his hope drain away as Christine was torn away from him. "You alone can make my song take flight. It's over now, the music of the night!" And with a flick of his long black cloak, he fled the opera house, never to return. He did not know where he was going. All he knew was that he needed to get as far away from this wretched place as possible. He was tired of being the Angel in Hell.

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In the slums Paris, not a soul was awake. Not even an insect buzzed. No one stirred, except for one girl. Some said she was a thief, some a criminal, others a dirty liar. To most people, she was known as "The Jondrette Girl." Most people saw her as a worthless street gamine, but she was only a girl. A girl whose heart was breaking into a million pieces. She was barefoot and in rags. Her hair was a tangled mess and she was so skinny that her bones jutted out. Bruises and cuts covered her skin, and she had a tough, hardened look on her face, a look that was not common among girls her age. She had obviously lived through some tough times, but for her, this was the most trying time of all. Tears formed in her eyes.

"And now I'm all alone again, no where to turn no one to go to." Alone. It was a word that described her perfectly. No one cared about her. Not her parents, not her friends (what friends?), and especially not him. He would never love her. It was a fact that she would just have to face. He had Cosette, and compared to Cosette, she was nothing. She walked slowly through the empty streets as cool rain poured onto her skin. Marius and Cosette's words echoed in her head, tormenting her. "A heart full of light. - A night bright as day. - And you must never go away, Cosette, Cosette! - This is a chain we'll never break." She shivered slightly as she remembered how Marius had gently touched Cosette's cheek and brought his lips to meet hers. In that moment, Eponine had known her fate was sealed. She was destined to be on her own.

She stared up into the dark night sky. At least he can't ignore me in my dreams, she thought. "On my own, pretending he's beside me," she sang softly. "All alone, I walk with him till morning. Without him, I feel his arms around me, and when I lose my way I close my eyes and he has found me." Eponine closed her eyes and wrapped her own arms around her thin, shivering body, trying to imagine that Marius was there with her, sheltering her from the storm. A single tear slipped slowly down her cheek. "In the rain, the pavement shines like silver," she sang, trying to convince herself to be optimistic. "All the lights are misty in the river. In the darkness the trees are full of starlight, and all I see is him and me forever and forever." She smiled to herself, imagining what a life at Marius' side would be like. But it was not to be, she knew that. It was only a fantasy in her mind. He would never love her. Never. She walked up to a tall building and slid down the wall in despair, letting her tears mix into the rain and fall onto her lap. She was alone. No one would ever love her. Marius and Cosette were like two phantoms in the shadows of the moon, two angels that meet as in a trance then pass again, but Eponine... She was like a devil, cast aside, unloved. She was an angel in Hell.

(Author's Note: Hello everyone! This is an idea I've had for a very long time, and I've just started writing it down. This will be a fairly short story, but hopefully it'll be good! :-)