| The Point of No Return | Young Justice | Dick Grayson

I

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Batman and Black Canary stood in front of the Young Justice team to give them their new mission. An image of old fashioned, elegant building appeared on the hologram screen making the team confused.

"This is the Rouge Opera house in Paris France. It's known for it's astounding performances, but there's been unusual activity going on there that we need you to investigate."

"What kind of unusual activity?" The Boy Wonder, Robin asked curiously.

"They claim that they apparently have a Phantom." Batman said making Kid Flash Burst into laughter.

"This isn't something to be laughing about, whether this Phantom is real or not, whoever this is, is ruthless." Black Canary said as she pulled up more images. The team fell quiet as they saw images of men and women hung by a noose in different locations of the Opera House.

"How do we know that someone is doing this? As sad as it is, couldn't they just be taking their own lives? Why does this need to be brought to our attention? Wouldn't a situation like this be handled by the local authorities?" Aqualad asked.

"We have analyzed the way that these people were hung, and they could not have done that by themselves. Plus, their deaths are spread out so they cannot be related suicides." Black Canary continued.

"There are also rumors that some of the performers have gone missing only to appear hours later with no recollection of the passed few hours. We think that this so called 'Phantom' has something to do with that too. So you are all going on a covert mission to collect more information so that the League can figure out if this Phantom is something for us to worry about. As of right now, if this Phantom does exist, we suspect his only ambition includes the opera house." Batman explained.

"Superboy and Miss Martian will be supplied with aliases and will attend the Rouge Opera House's show tonight. During the show you will examine your surrounding and the performers to see if you notice anything off. The rest of the team will be doing the same thing from but watching from different angles while keeping close tabs on you two. After the performance you will regroup with the team and covertly examine the opera house looking for anyone and anything suspicious." Black Canary continued.

"Do not engage in contact with anyone besides your team unless absolutely necessary, and at all costs do not engage the Phantom. We don't know the extent of his abilities yet, he could be anything."

~

"One two three, one two three." The instructor counted for the ballet dancer as she rehearsed her solo for the last time before her performance.

She glided across the stage with grace and elegance.

"Plus haute!" The instructor called out as she extended her leg in a battement position.

As she struck her ending pose she herd clapping from her instructor over her labored breaths.

"Formidable, well done. Go rest up and prepare for your performance tonight." The dancer bowed her head to her instructor in gratitude.

"Thank you for you're time." The dancer signed with her hands.

"You are very welcome."

The girl left the stage as the next group entered the stage for their rehearsal.

"Christine." The Ballet directer called out to the girl from backstage, "Good luck tonight."

The girl,Christine, nodded not showing any emotion before continuing her way to her dressing room. She passed by her fellow performers who were whispering to one another as she passed by. When she made it to her dressing room, she shut her door behind her, leaned against it and sighed. She walked over to her bed, knelt down to reach underneath and pulled a box out from under before placing it on her bed. Inside that box held all of her prized possessions.

Old photos of her and her father and her father and her mother, her mothers old pointe and ballet shoes, her mothers costume from when she performed in her last opera, and finally her father's journal of music sheets.

Christine delicately took the costume out of the box and placed it on her bed.

It was a burgundy sweetheart neckline leotard with embroidered black vines and creme ruffles that went off of the shoulders with a gold skirt that wend down to above the knees. Christine reached into the box one last time and pulled out a matching black vine mask.

She clutched the mask in her small palm, she would no longer be trapped here anymore after tonight. She would no longer be under the Phantoms control, she would no longer do his bidding. She would no longer have gaps in her memory from nights before. 

She will no longer consider him her angel of music, she hoped.

After placing the mask back down on her bed, the young girl placed her hands on the fabric of the costume and closed her eyes. Her hands started to tremble as the costumes fabric began to change. It became a stronger more durable fabric that wouldn't rip, and shrunk a little bit in size so that it could fit her.

How you may ask?

Because she manipulated it to be that way.

Feeling slightly drained of energy, she pulled her hands away. She brought her attention to the bag at the bottom of her bed and began packing everything that mattered to her into it, which wasn't much in the first place. As she placed the last of her things into her bag she heard a knock on her door that made her jump.

"Devine! You better have started to get ready, the show starts in two hours." The voice called out from the other side of the door before walking away knowing they wouldn't get an answer.

The girl closed her bag and got changed into her costume for tonight that was hanging on the back of her door. The blue and white costume had been tailored to fit her perfectly. She sat at her vanity and quickly applied her stage makeup before tying her pointe shoes on and leaving her room.

Once she reached backstage she began to prep herself for the show alone. The other dancers were going over the routines together, leaving Christine the odd one out.

One reason she was excluded was because she was a favorite. She also was slightly shorter then the rest of the ballet ensemble, which the Ballet director didn't like. So she was given solo's so her talent wasn't wasted. And another was the rumor that she was associated wit the Phantom of the Opera. Little did they know that the rumors were true but not of her free will.

As she finished up she warm-up exercises she looked towards the closed curtains. She heard the crowd of people start to enter the auditorium.

She hoped that since this would probably be her last performance here that she would execute her solo routine perfectly, or else it would be harder for her to get away from the Phantom tonight.

~

Please vote if you liked this chapter and want more :))

~Mags