Prologue

Scarlett took a deep breath as the music gave her the cue. This was her night; her night to triumph. Tonight she sang for him alone…

Chapter One

Scarlett's blaring alarm rang, telling her that another day was starting. Groggily, she rolled over and hit the 'Snooze' button. The alarm shut off and Scarlett lay there lethargically for a moment.

If she didn't get up now, her father would come in. Then she would have an alarm that unfortunately, had no snooze button. Muttering under her breath she crawled out of bed and stumbled into her bathroom.

Half-an-hour later, Scarlett sat down at the table with her usual bowl of Lucky Charms. Her father, Gerard Richards, joined her a few minutes later, rubbing the sleep from his eyes blearily. Scarlett smiled fondly over at him.

"Late night last night Dad?" she asked teasingly.

"Yes, actually. I was…composing."

Scarlett's spoon clattered noisily in her bowl as she dropped it, but she ignored it. She stared in surprise at Gerard. Her father used to compose music for operas that premiered on Broadway. He hadn't down any composing since Scarlett's mother, Katherine, had died several years beforehand.

"Dad, that's great!" Scarlett exclaimed, regaining her voice.

Gerard smiled in gratitude at his daughter, stroking her cheek as he stood. Checking his watch, he put Scarlett's now empty bowl in the sink.

"You had better get a move on, honey. You'll be late."

Scarlett kissed Gerard's cheek, grabbed her bag, and headed for the elevator. The yellow 'Penthouse' button lit up almost immediately after she had pressed it. She stepped inside and the doors slid shut. One floor down, the doors opened to admit Professor Evelyn, a family friend.

"Good morning, Scarlett," Evelyn said, smiling warmly at the teenager.

"Hello, Evelyn."

They rode in companionable silence for a moment. Evelyn opened her mouth to speak at the same time Scarlett did.

"Go ahead, Scarlett."

"My father is composing again, Evelyn."

Evelyn grinned. She had known Gerard and Katherine since they were all children. She was Scarlett's godmother and had mourned alongside Gerard and Scarlett when Katherine had passed away.

"That's excellent. It means he may be finally starting to recover."

Scarlett nodded and fell silent, pondering.

"Oh, what were you going to say?" she asked a moment later, remembering Evelyn had wanted to say something too.

"Oh, nothing important. I was simply wondering if you would share a taxi with me."

"Well, alright. If you're sure…"

Evelyn nodded fervently, berating herself for chickening out. The elevator dinged as they arrived at the lobby. The doorman hailed a taxi for them, and a few minutes later both were on their way to the high school.

Evelyn knew she would never forgive herself if she let this opportunity pass by. She took a deep breath and Scarlett turned from the window expectantly.

"Scarlett, you know I think of you as daughter," Evelyn began.

Scarlett nodded, wondering where this was leading to.

"You know that I think you have an outstanding voice."

Scarlett's features contracted with pain. Unwillingly, she remembered singing with her mother. Katherine had been a famous Broadway singer, lending her voice to many different musicals. Scarlett's voice had been as good as her mother's, if not better.

But Scarlett hadn't sung since Katherine died.

"Professor, I don't sing anymore. You know that." Scarlett whispered, turning back to the window.

"Yes, I know! But Scarlett, you have a beautiful voice! You are so talented, and I hate that that talent is going to waste."

"What's your point, Professor?" Scarlett asked coldly.

Evelyn flinched from the cool note in Scarlett's voice, but refused to give up so easily. Leaning closer to Scarlett, she took the younger girl's hand.

"The university is doing a musical production this year. We're inviting seniors from your school to participate if they so choose."

Evelyn worked as the drama professor for the state university. They were located close to the high school, but this was their first joint production.

"Tryouts are this afternoon at four o'clock in the university theater. I really think you should come out and sing for us," Evelyn continued.

Scarlett deliberated. She really did love to sing. Maybe she could go back to musical roots with her father. He was obviously ready to take up the threads of a long forgotten past, so why was she still holding tight?

"What musical is it?" she asked, chewing her lip.

Evelyn hesitated before she spoke. This would be the most difficult part of her plan to sell to Scarlett.

"It's the Phantom of the Opera."

Tears sprang to Scarlett's eyes. The famous musical had been Katherine's last project before she had passed. It was also Scarlett's favorite musical. She remembered begging her parents to take her to the musical several times and singing the lyrics with her mother around the flat while her father accompanied… She shook her head, brushing the tears away.

"Scarlett, your father is beginning to move on. I think you should start as well. Your mother would be so happy."

Scarlett looked at the professor, tears still shining in her eyes. Evelyn gently squeezed her goddaughter's hand. The taxi pulled into the school parking lot and Scarlett hastily wiped at her eyes again.

"Will you please think about it?" Evelyn asked gently.

Scarlett was silent for a full minute. She sighed and opened the door.

"I'll think about it," she said as she began getting out of the taxi.

Evelyn smiled in relief. Scarlett was always true to her word, and she knew that Scarlett would give the matter serious thought.

"Thank you," she said as Scarlett reached to close the door.

Scarlett nodded once, then turned and disappeared into the growing crowd of high school students. Evelyn directed the taxi driver to take her to the university. She smiled, looking forward to the tryouts later that afternoon.

Scarlett was lost in thought, staring into space, not even touching her food. Her friend Krissy dropped onto the bench next to her.

"Stupid Physics teacher," she snapped, picking up her fork. "She always lets us out late."

After a moment she realized that Scarlett was out of it. Krissy waved her hand in front of Scarlett's face.

"Hey, Scarlett. Anything going on in there?"

Scarlett blinked and shook her head a little, her blond curls bouncing.

"Sorry, Krissy. What were you saying?"

Krissy laughed and resumed eating her lunch.

"Nothing important. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Krissy, who had been friends with Scarlett since elementary school, sighed. She wondered when Scarlett would open up with her again. She had been slightly withdrawn since Katherine's death.

"Sure. If you don't want to talk about it-"

"I might go to an audition later, Krissy," Scarlett blurted, cutting her friend off.

Krissy dropped her fork in ecstatic surprise. Scarlett had used to participate in school choir alongside Krissy. They had dominated their classmates, Scarlett as a soprano and Krissy as an alto. However, that was back in middle school, and the two friends hadn't sung together since.

"That's wonderful, Scarlett! Is it that new senior and University combined project? They were doing Phantom of the Opera, right?" Krissy ran on without waiting for an answer. "That is such an amazing musical to perform, and you would kill the tryouts for Christine. You really should seriously consider trying out."

Scarlett shrugged nonchalantly, a small amused smile on her face. She was used to Krissy's bubbly personality.

"I told Evelyn I would think about it."

"What is there to think about, Scarlett? You have an amazing voice and I think you're pretty much guaranteed the part of Christine."

The bell rang as Krissy ended her little tirade. Scarlett got to her feet and threw her mostly full plate away. Krissy tagged along with Scarlett, walking her friend to her next class.

"I just don't know, Krissy," Scarlett said, going into the Drama classroom.

"Well I do," Krissy muttered as she headed for her own class. "And I think you deserve more credit than you're giving yourself."

Evelyn paced the stage, shooting anxious glances at the theater doors every few seconds. It was fifteen minutes past four o'clock, and then auditioners were all raring to begin. Scarlett should have been here by now, if she was even coming at all. Evelyn sighed and turned the face the hopefuls in the audience. The judges were glancing impatiently at their watches, which only irritated Evelyn further.

"Right, everyone! Can I have your attention please?"

At once everyone was silent. Evelyn could feel all eyes on her.

"We're ready to begin now. Would everyone-"

Evelyn was cut off by the sound of a door quietly closing. She looked back to the theater doors and saw Scarlett quietly slipping inside. Scarlett gave her a small wave as she sat in the second row, and Evelyn smiled slightly at her.

"Now, would everyone trying out for the part of Meg Giry please stand over here?" she asked, indicating a section of the stage.

A small crowd stood up and made their way to the section Evelyn had pointed out. All of the girls looked nervous except for one. She had pale, ivory skin, long ebony hair pulled back with a bow, and large pretty black eyes. She had ballet slippers on her feet and looked ready for anything.

"All trying out for the part of Madame Giry over here; Raoul de Chagny over there," Evelyn commanded, gesturing to each location in turn.

"Carlotta audtioners come center stage. Those auditions will be first."

No one moved. Scarlett almost laughed, but the look on Evelyn's face stopped her. The director was staring down at a girl sitting in the center of the front row. The girl had a condescending smirk on her lovely face and she was surrounded by people on either side. She shook her head at Evelyn, causing her long wavy red hair to ripple down her back.

"Alright then. On to our stars. Would all who are auditioning for the parts of the Phantom and Christine Daae stand together over here? Those parts will try out together."

Scarlett got to her feet, along with the red-haired girl and two other guys. They all stood towards the right center stage. Scarlett turned to see the red-haired girl scowling at her.

"This is my drama department and this is my part," she hissed. "Don't get in my way."

The girl pushed past Scarlett and went to stand by one of the guys audition for the part of the Phantom. Scarlett rolled her eyes and turned her back on the girl.

Prima Donna in the making…

Scarlett's gaze fell on the other guy auditioning for the role of the Phantom. He definitely looked the part, with his dark hair and intense blue-grey eyes. He glared at her with irritation, like he was bothered by her looking at him. Evelyn divided up the other parts and came over to Scarlett's group.

"You lot may want to take a seat. We want to save your parts for last."

Scarlett immediately turned for the stairs. She took a seat in the audience away from the other people in her group and proceeded to watch the auditions. The confident girl with the ballet slippers was a superb singer and an excellent dancer. The judges gave her the role of Meg Giry and assigned the other girls to backup dancers.

The girl who had won the part walked happily over to where Scarlett was sitting.

"Hi, I'm Natalia. You're Scarlett Richards?" she said in a thick Southern accent.

Scarlett nodded, shocked by Natalia's overall bubbliness.

"That's cool," Natalia said, understanding that Scarlett didn't want to talk.

Scarlett resumed watching the auditions. The role of Madame Giry was filled, but they were unable to find a Raoul. Finally, Evelyn called Scarlett's group up to audition.

"First we are going to split you up, one Phantom with Christine, the other Phantom with the other Christine."

Evelyn hurried to hover over the judge's table. They handed her a slip of paper and Evelyn walked to stand in front of the stage.

"Now, these are picked randomly, so there is no need to switch. Kate, you are singing with Keith. Scarlett, you are with David."

Kate moved to stand next to the tall boy she had been standing with before. Scarlett's heart sank as she realized she was singing with the angry boy. He came forward to stand with her.

"Professor Stewarts, Keith and I are ready, so can we go first?" Kate asked, already taking center stage, hand on her hip.

"Sure Kate, since you have already taken the honor of taking the center stage."

The audience members that weren't friends with Kate chuckled. It was rare that a teacher rebuked Kate. Kate took it in stride though and stood taller, preparing to sing.

"What song have you chosen?" one of the judges asked.

"The Phantom of the Opera," Keith replied.

The judges nodded and scribbled down the song title. After a moment Evelyn nodded at Kate to begin.

"In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came," Kate began the famous song.

Scarlett raised her eyebrows; Kate was really good. But there was something wrong with the way she sang Christine's part. Kate had a good voice for opera, but it was a little over-the-top. David elbowed Scarlett gently in the arm, jarring her back to the stage.

"Come with me. This is going to get seriously annoying pretty soon," he muttered.

"Can we leave?" she asked anxiously.

"Yeah, its fine."

David walked towards the right stage exit, holding up a finger to Evelyn. Evelyn nodded at them and returned her attention to Kate and Keith. David led Scarlett outside into a hallway, propping the door open a little so they could get back inside when they were done. He stepped away from the door so they couldn't be overheard.

"What song are we going to sing?" he asked.

"It's doesn't matter to me."

"Fine. We're singing "The Point of No Return", then."

David turned to go back inside, but Scarlett moved in his way. He looked at her, his eyes incredulous and questioning.

"David, are you serious about this audition?"

David straightened, making him even taller than he had been before. He looked down at her with cold eyes.

"You had better bet I'm serious. The Arts are my life."

Scarlett blushed at the hostility in his voice. He moved past her and listened at the doors for a second.

"Good, the toad is done singing. Come on."

Scarlett followed him back into the auditorium. Kate had apparently just finished singing "Think of Me". She was standing of to the side and shot a contemptuous look at Scarlett as she walked with David back over to the opposite corner of the stage. Scarlett ignored as Keith sang "Down Once More".

Keith was really good too, but he lacked the emotion in his voice needed to bring out the Phantom's character. Scarlett thought it might have just been the song, which required passion, anger, and sorrow. The song was shorter without Christine and Raoul's voice parts, and Keith moved to stand with Kate as the judges wrote down their thoughts.

When the judges had finished, Evelyn motioned for David and Scarlett to take the stage. Feeling her stomach churning, Scarlett began her silent warm-up and breathing exercises.

"And your joint song will be?" Evelyn asked.

"The Point of No Return," David replied, calm and serene.

After a second Evelyn motioned for David and Scarlett to begin. David faced Scarlett and began the song. Scarlett stared at David as his face transformed, becoming the character of the Phantom of the Opera.

"You have come here, in pursuit of your deepest urge."

Scarlett's mouth fell open. David had an amazing voice! Just hearing him sing made Scarlett feel invincible; like she could take on any song as long as she was singing with him. As she watched him, David became the Phantom singing to his love, Christine. It was then that Scarlett knew what David meant when he had said that the Arts were his life.

"You have brought me to that moment when words dry!" Scarlett sang perfectly on cue.

Evelyn smiled as she watched Scarlett sing. She knew that Scarlett still had her amazing talent. If only Gerard were here. He would be so proud of Scarlett.

Meanwhile, on the stage, Scarlett had shed her own identity, becoming Christine Daae. She was focused entirely on how she was singing the words, concentrating on getting to the point where her audience could feel she knew what the song meant. There was no one else in the world but her and David at the moment.

Scarlett's solo was almost over. It was almost the time when she and David would sing together. Scarlett could feel her audience's astonishment, but she was too deeply immersed in her character to care.

Evelyn gasped when she heard David and Scarlett sing together. They brought their characters to life with their beautiful voices. Glancing at the judges, she could tell that they were completely won over as well.

Scarlett and David ended the song, perfect to the last note. Both were breathing heavily, and Scarlett saw a new expression on David's face when he looked at her. Then, as he fell out of character, his guard came back up and he turned away from her.

"Well done!" a judge said. "Now, Miss Richards, what will you be singing for your solo?"

Scarlett had known what she would sing since the moment she had considered auditioning.

"Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again."

Evelyn's eyes misted over as Scarlett began the mournful song. Scarlett closed her eyes so no one else could see her own tears. Her crying did not affect her voice, but she still made an effort to get her emotions under control.

Evelyn heard a choking noise from behind her and turned to see Gerard, his eyes focused on his daughter. She saw that he was worked up and went over to him, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. He nodded to her as a greeting, but he had eyes only for Scarlett.

"Try to forgive, teach me to live! Give me the strength to try!" Scarlett sang, her voice growing more captivating and louder with each note.

Gerard was shocked. Scarlett sounded like an angel; her voice even better than Katherine's had been. She even deserved this role, and that was something Gerard rarely said to anyone.

David watched Scarlett sing from the wings, his whole opinion of her changing. David had always known he was different, ever since he was little. His parents hadn't wanted a child, so they had dumped with his aunt and left, never looking back. His aunt had cared for him as much as possible, but she lacked a mother's warm and nurturing touch. As a result, he had mistrusted women- why should he when his own mother had never had the compassion to keep her only son?

As he looked at Scarlett, he realized that maybe all women weren't so bad, just some. He felt a desire to be Scarlett's friend and know her better.

"Help me say goodbye!" Scarlett's voice reverberated throughout the auditorium, leaving its occupants astonished.

Gerard and David were the first ones to recover from the spell of Scarlett's voice, clapping loudly. The rest of the audience joined them, some getting to their feet. David moved to take center stage, smiling broadly at Scarlett. Scarlett was slow to trust David after his rude treatment and gave him a fleeting smile.

David's smile fell from his face as he realized it was going to take a lot more than that to win Scarlett over. He informed the judges that he was singing "The Music of the Night" and began singing. Scarlett felt the power of David's voice and it touched something deep within her.

She heard and saw nothing but David and his voice. She found herself willing to do anything for him, as long as he would only sing for her. The rest of the audience was under a similar spell, so no one noticed the look of adoration on Scarlett's face. No one except David.

He turned to look at her, smiling at her. He knew exactly what his voice was doing to everyone. His aunt called him her little 'Angel of Music' because his voice had the same captivation that the Phantom's did. Scarlett was grinning back at him, so it was obvious that the idea to win her over using his voice was a good one.

Gerard was the only one other than David to notice his daughter's expression. He thought it was simply that Scarlett knew a good voice when she heard one. This boy had a spectacular voice range as well. A few minutes later and David ended his solo, turning back away from Scarlett. Everyone burst into applause. The judges joined the audience in the applause, then went through the door and into Evelyn's office.

"Thank you to everyone who auditioned tonight; you were all wonderful. If you would please wait a few minutes, we'll pretty much have the cast members selected."

Evelyn followed the judges and shut the door firmly behind them. The students all got up and mingled, releasing their nervous tension. David immediately whirled and caught Scarlett by the arm gently.

"Scarlett? Can I speak with you for a moment?" he asked, his voice low and passionate in her ear.

Scarlett, still recovering from the spell of David's voice, nodded. He pulled her into the darkness of the curtains.

"If you want, I can give you singing lessons. Your voice is amazing, and I can help you improve your form and become even better than you are now. No charge at all."

Scarlett looked up at David, wondering why he was offering. At the same time she thought how wonderful it would be to have lessons with him.

"Alright. When and at what time?"

"Excellent. What about my dorm at three o'clock every afternoon?"

An inner voice questioned the reasonability of David's offer, but a more powerful voice overcame it.

"Starting when?" she asked

"Tomorrow. I'll meet you here and then take you over to my dorm."

Scarlett nodded in agreement and David smiled, disappearing backstage. Scarlett stared after him, then turned and walked back onto the stage. Natalia was running towards her in a heartbeat.

"My goodness, you were superb! And when you and David sang together… it gave me goose bumps!"

Scarlett smiled, finding that she was beginning to like Natalia.

"Thanks."

"Wow, David has a voice on him!" Natalia exclaimed.

"I know, and he looks the part too," Scarlett said. "If his face were disfigured he'd be perfect!"

Natalia's face darkened.

"He does have a disfigurement. He is positively evil sometimes."

Scarlett stared at Natalia in amazement. Sure, at first David had been really rude to her, but once she talked to him he seemed pretty nice.

"He's been nice to me, though."

"Yeah, but you're the one who has the amazing voice, remember?"

Scarlett shivered, suddenly cold. What if Natalia was right and David only seemed interested in her because of her voice? Who was David, and why was he such a mystery to her? Her musing was interrupted as Gerard came over to her.

"You were excellent, honey! You have your mother's sweet gift of music."

Scarlett smiled, touched by the compliment.

"Do I really have Mom's voice?" she asked.

"All of it and more," Gerard reassured her, giving her a hug.

There was a sudden commotion as the door to Evelyn's voice opened. She was holding a stack of papers that had the cast members listed on them. Evelyn held up her hand and immediately everyone fell silent.

"Can I have my Christines and Phantoms come forward?"

Scarlett left Natalia and Gerard and made her way over to Evelyn's office door. Kate had shoved through the crowd and sneered at Scarlett. Thoroughly pissed off, Scarlett glared back until Kate broke eye contact. Keith made it through the crowd, and suddenly David was there too.

"All four of these singers did an amazing job tonight. But only two can play our stars, Christine Daae and the Phantom. Our Phantom will be David Harrison!" Evelyn paused as there was a smattering of applause for David. David took it in stride, doing nothing, his expression unchanged. "And our Christine Daae will be played by Scarlett Richards!"

Scarlett beamed as everyone applauded her. Kate looked positively furious, but Evelyn turned to her and Keith before she could say anything.

"You two have received the other major parts. Kate will be playing Carlotta and Keith will be playing the Viscount Raoul de Chagny!"

The crowd was generous and applauded these two as well. Scarlett looked down at her feet, embarrassed by all the attention. Feeling someone's eyes on her, she glanced up again. Her eyes locked with David's and neither could seem to break contact. Finally David nodded approvingly to her, got a cast list, and melted away into the crowd.

Scarlett did not see him again that night.