What Lies Behind the Mask (Phantom of the Opera x OC)

Chapter Eight: The Questions

"Katheryn, may I speak to you in private?" Madame Giry's voice cut through the air, causing Kat's head to snap up in shock. 

She slightly winced as the other girls turned to look over at her. As Kat walked over to the corner that Madame Giry stood in, the other ballet girls snickered behind their hands and began to murmur amongst themselves, trying to figure out why Kat had been called out. 

"Did you see me doing something wrong?" Kat asked as soon as she had stopped in front of the older woman. Madame Giry led her outside of the room, laying a steady hand against her shoulder. "Madame?" 

"Maria has been acting a tad bit... strange, according to her mother. I would suggest that you hurry off and give her some company," Madame Giry said as soon as she had closed the door behind the two of them. 

"But what about practice?" Kat worriedly replied as Madame Giry slit her eyes in thought. 

"I will have some time to tutor you tonight," Madame Giry finally answered as she turned on her heel, opening the door to reveal the gossiping ballet girls gathered around the door to eavesdrop on Madame Giry's and Kat's conversation. "Ladies, try to have a semblance of decorum!" 

A soft laugh left Kat's lips as the other ballet girls' cheeks darkened in embarrassment. In a violent motion, the ballet teacher rapped her cane against the floorboards. The ballet girls cringed and scurried back to their places, letting out soft apologies. Before closing the door, Madame Giry leaned out to say, "I appreciate the amount of work that you are willing to dedicate to the arts. At this rate, I might consider you for principal dancer if you choose to enter dancing when you are older." 

"Thank you, madame!" Kat softly replied before turning on her heel and heading to the office where Maria's mother worked. As she walked down the hallways, she noticed that the sound of tapping was filling the long hallway. Kat glanced behind her shoulder as she quickened her pace. Thankfully, the tapping soon subsided, and she was left alone in the stretching hallway. 

"Ah, Katheryn! It's lovely to see you!" Adina exclaimed as soon as Kat walked into the room. Maria, who was curled up in her chair, looked up from her book. "Maria, why don't you go and play with your new friend?" 

"I don't really want to," Maria answered in Irish, which took Kat a few extra seconds to decipher. 

"Do you like books? I know that there is a library on the next floor," Kat replied, hoping that her words were not too jumbled for Maria. Her worries were in vain since Maria's brows raised in vague interest. "We can go!" 

"As long as the two of you are back for lunch, I am completely fine with the two of you exploring the opera house." 

"Follow me!" Kat rushed forward and grabbed ahold of Maria's hand. Her smile quickly fell away when the younger girl slightly flinched at the sudden contact. "Ah, I'm sorry! Next time, I'll make sure to ask before I touch you!" 

"Thanks... Now, lead me to the library," Maria said as Kat's face lit up in a smile once again. 

The smaller girl spun on her heel and hurried through the hallways, occasionally turning back to make sure that Maria was following her. Kat stopped once the two of them had reached the stairs, moving to sit down on the bottom step. Her heavy breaths filled the air as Maria shifted from one foot to another, glancing around the empty corridor. 

"...Are you okay?" Maria awkwardly asked as Kat exhaustedly nodded. "Then, why did you stop? What in the world is wrong?" 

"My breathing..." 

"Do I need to get someone?" 

"No, they already know." 

A few more minutes passed before Kat stood up, brushing the wrinkles out of her dress. Without giving Maria any sort of explanation, Kat continued her journey to the library. Kat paused outside the door, holding a finger to her lips. 

"It's best to be quiet. You never know if someone is trying to read or study," Kat explained as she pressed her weight against the door. 

Originally, Maria had believed the library would be a rundown room that the occupants of the opera had piled high with books, all of which would surely have tattered pages. Instead, she was met with the sight of a grandiose library. 

Eye widening slightly, Maria padded over to one of the many bookshelves and pulled out a book. She carefully opened it up, pleased to find that the pages had been preserved well. Glancing up from the book, Maria discovered that Kat had drifted off to another section to rifle through the books. 

"Why does an opera house also have a library?" Maria asked, her words causing Kat's brow to crease in confusion. 

"Monsieur Dupont really wants to honor the fine arts. At least, that's what I heard my papa saying," Kat replied as her lips spread into a smile. "If we didn't have a library, I would be sad." 

"Why is that?" 

"When I am not practicing, I am reading. I would not have anything to do if these books were not here," Kat said as she stood on her tiptoes in order to grab a storybook. "I really like the love stories. They always make my insides warm and fuzzy." At the sound of Maria's scoff, Kat's cheeks warmed in embarrassment. "Well, what do you read?" 

"Do you know the story of Dagda's harp?" The short silence that followed Maria's query seemed to answer itself. Maria quickly explained the story to Kat, whose expression conveyed her interest in the story. Once Maria was finished, Kat brought her hands together in silent applause. "I really liked that story! Do you know any more?" 

"No, I do not know of any more stories." Maria's ears pinked in embarrassment as she shook her head. "My father only taught me how to read that story..."

"Oh, really? Can I meet him soon? I'm sure that he has a lot of good stories to tell!" Kat exclaimed as she smiled in delight. 

"No, I'm afraid that cannot happen," Maria replied, her words causing Kat to tilt her head in confusion. 

"Do you not have a papa? It's fine if you don't. A lot of the ballet girls don't have papas. Some of their papas left them when they were little."

"I do have a father," Maria defensively responded, her lips pulling into a straight line. "He did not leave us either." 

"Is he still back in Ireland?" Kat continued, not quite catching that Maria was growing uncomfortable with the relentless questioning. 

"Stop asking so many questions!" Maria cried out, turning on her heel and running out of the library. With that, she left a rather confused Kat in her wake.