The jingle of keys turning clattered in the car for only a moment before the roar of the engine drowned out its sound.
Andre pulled out a small folder from the back seat and started to flip through some CD's as the car began to heat up, the lights illuminating the dim night that had fallen while he had been asleep. "Les Mis, Once on this Island, Rent...um...well, might as well listen to it one more time for good luck." He mumbled in his sweet melodic voice, pulling "The Phantom the Opera" from its case and placing it in the CD player.
The garage was spacious enough to hold the enormous Humvee and a few cars besides that, but they never really needed more then one car anyway. He had always joked with his wife about exactly how much of a car the Humvee really was. He called it "A soccer mom's power trip." Of course they weren't parents yet, but they laughed about it anyway. That was the one thing they had always been good at; laughing at life. He took a moment to reflect on that as the CD player finally turned on. A beautiful home, a great car, great neighborhood...it was the American dream, right in his grasp, and by God, he wasn't going to let go for anything.
Say you'll share with me one life, one lifetime. Say one word, and I will follow you...
He arrived exactly an hour before he needed to be on stage as per was his custom. It was usually proper for a performer to be there hours before a show of this magnitude, but Andre Barton was a step above what one would call an actor. He was, to be said simply, the absolute best, and he carried himself as one he knew it. Patrons openly weeped and cried out in joy at his performances, not only for his incredible voice, but the way in which he opened himself up to the audience. When he sang, he bore his soul and heart to those who would witness it, and it was then that he could pull and tug at your heart strings in a chorus of emotions.
As he walked backstage with a chuckle though as he looked from dressing room to dressing room. However cocky he was, though, he knew when to be humble, and he did as such when he opened up the door."Honey? Are you in here?"
An olive-skinned woman stopped brushing her hair and turned to look at the brown-haired man with a grin. "Hey sweetie. What's up?"
Maria was her name. They had met back when they were children, both of their families trying to make ends meet in Hell's Kitchen. He still remembered the first time he had met her. He was being picked on by a gang of smaller boys, and in a strange reversal of events, it wound up that it was she that actually saved him from being bullied. Despite her small frame, she really was one of the most resilient and tough people he had ever met in his whole life. He relied on her as much as she relied on him.
"Wow. You look great tonight hon.You remind me of that night at Senior Prom." He walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her an affectionate squeeze while he set a bouquet of roses down on the table. She made a cooing noise and picked up the bouquet, then stopped and looked up at Andre with a knowing look. "Alright - what'd you do? You had to have done something wrong in order to buy me roses."
"Nothing! I did nothing. I just wanted to give them to you is all." He said, throwing up his hands defensively. "For good luck. We have quite a show to put on tonight."
They both laughed at the obvious lie he was saying. He didn't want to tell her, but he had accidently broken her favorite table. Again. It was really absurd, but he had always found a way to either snap off a leg, or put another scratch in the mahogony, or something else. They both knew it, but neither of them cared anymore. They were just happy to be with one another.
He pulled back from her and began to look through her dressing room as she continued to get ready, brushing her hair again. He paused to look at a poster in the room.
See Mr. Andre and Mrs. Maria Barton in the classic "The Phantom of the Opera" October 26th at Tassenberg Theatre!
"Hey, you know, I was thinking - why don't I convince some of the techies to loan us some of the costumes? We could take them home and have fun with them. You could pretend to be asleep, and then I could sneak in through a mirror and start talking about how I need my Angel of Music's sweet lovin', an-" He started to laugh as he got towards the end of it, but it was Maria's outburst of laughter that really stopped him. It was always great to hear her laugh; it reminded him of wind chimes for some reason. "You're not serious, are you?" He shrugged. "What? Come on, it'd be hot. I'd be there in my mask and you'd say 'Oh no Mr. Phantom! But if you must!'. It'd make millions online." She shook her head and began to brush her hair once again. "Last I checked I was not a pornstar, mister, and second, I don't need you to be anyone else. Andre is all I want."
Their conversation stopped as the door opened to reveal a techie. "Mr. and Mrs. Barton? We're going to be starting soon. I'll need you both to be dressed."
You alone can make my song take flight...
It was absolutely incredible, definetely the best performance he had ever done his whole life, or at least it was beginning that way. Every note he hit, every tone, every pitch was absolutely superb, and although he didn't mean to upstage his wife (who was no slouch herself mind you), he couldn't help it.
As soon as they began "The Music of the Night", it became apparent to everyone that this night's performance was going to be something special.
Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendour, grasp it, sense it - tremulous and tender; turn your face away from the garish light of day,turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light - and listen to the music of the night ...
This is what I live for, he thought as he stood there on center stage, his arms outstretched as he sucked in a deep, quick breath, preparing for the crescendo. Nearly everyone in the audience was in tears already; even his wife, Maria, his Christine, was openly weeping on stage as he sang.
Close your eyes, start a journey through a strange new world; leave all thoughts of the world you knew before...
His arms stretched out even further towards the audience as he prepared himself. This is why he was alive, he marveled, staring up at the glaring lights from above. This is what he lived for. He could feel tears begin to well up in his eyes as he felt such incredible elation at that moment. It were as though he could see God in those lights above.
Close your eyes and let music set you fr-
He never had a chance to finish his note, though, because it was at that exact moment that the roof caved in on the theatre. Green globs of energy propelled themselves through the roof, incinerating the audience as they screamed in terror. A large Rikti warship revealed itself through the holes in the ceiling. He paused in shock, but then turned around to his wife and began to run towards her. "Maria! Go!"
Whatever she was about to say, he never had a chance to hear it. A beam of the cursed green energy consumed her before she could even utter a phrase.
His eyes widened, and that was all he could remember before an explosion went off and knocked him into sweet unconciousness.
