Awakened in Death

Chapter 1

"Pick Erik! Please pick Erik!" the girls chanted, huddled around the television screen. Pajama-clad and hopelessly disappointed at the end of the movie, they all leaned back with a sigh as the screen went black and the credits rolled across.

"Such a shame..." one girl mumbled through handfuls of popcorn. "Misha, you are so lucky to actually go there, be there in Paris. Ohmigosh what if you met him, or you know, the real version of him? I'd just totally die. You are so lucky!"

The other girls chimed in their agreement

Misha stood up wobbily, straightening out the wrinkled legs of her pants and smiled shyly at her friends, "I'm going to miss you guys during the year though... that's such a long time."

A gray-haired woman peered into the room, "Misha, your mother's here to take you home." The girls groaned their disappointment but helped their friend walk to the door.
"I promise I'll send you all postcards," Misha said quietly, hugging each of them before stepping into the night towards the parked car outside.


*****************************************

"Excuse me, miss? Are you Misha Barris?" Misha took off her headphones and looked up at the petite stewardess standing in front of her.

"Yes?"

"Your mother called us, and said you might need some help getting on to the plane." Misha looked over at the wheelchair waiting in the aisle and smiled sadly, shaking her head.

"My mother worries a lot, but I think I'll be fine. Thank you, though."

The stewardess nodded, allowing her eyes to flicker towards Misha's leg, which was tucked neatly behind her carry-on bag. "Well sweetie, if you need any help, I'll be standing over there," she said pointing at the terminal station. "My name's Christine."

Misha cocked her head at the coincidence but smiled and said thanks before putting her headphones back on. She winced slightly as she leaned back, stretching out her leg slowly back, bending it back and forth, then sighed thinking about the trip that was ahead of her.

The beginning of an odyssey of sorts. The anniversary celebration of the Phantom of the Opera musical was looking for a new cast and had opened auditions across the United States.
Misha had made call-backs and three month ago, she had found herself standing in front of the panel, hands shaking from nervousness, hoping that the quiver in her hands would not find itself in her voice. She didn't even remember what the panel looked like, it was just a blur of faces and voices

"Hello, my-my name is Misha Barris. I'm 21 years old, recent graduate from state university."

"Miss Misha Barris? Is this correct that you're auditioning for the part of the phantom?"

She nodded. "I know it's-it's.." she swallowed and started again. "I know it's unusual, but the range for the part of the phantom is most comfortable for my voice. I'm a tenor-mezzo."

"A tenor-mezzo?"

"That's how it was described to me. I sing tenor, but vocally can sing into mezzo range as well."

There was the sound of scribbling on notepads and then a low murmur between the judges.

"Very well Ms. Barris. Please show us what you can do."

Misha sang the beginning of "Music of the Night," the notes flowing effortlessly from her voice, and as she sang, her tone deepened, became rounder, fuller, vibrating from the center of her body and soaring outwards to echo in the air around her.
As she sang the last notes, she blinked, seeming to have forgotten where she was, and surprised to see the judges in front of her.

"Ms. Barris, how long have you been singing?"

"My entire life...just by myself really, sometimes in a church choir. I didn't get a teacher until maybe last year."

"Your voice is incredible." Misha blushed fiercely and mumbled thank you.

"It's an amazing thing to have a voice that makes whoever's listening forget that you're a woman."

"Yes, but the part of the phantom has always gone to a man. His character is masculinity. No matter what her voice, when she's not singing, she still appears on the stage as a woman."

Misha said, "Yes, but Mary Martin played Peter Pan -"

"Yes but Peter Pan is a young boy, so a woman is suitable."

Misha nodded and then remained silent as the judges spoke amongst themselves.

"No one else we've heard has the voice she has. No man, no woman. And I'm sure no one else we'll hear later will either. We can't just let her go. "

"But she can't play the part of the phantom. No one would be able to follow the story the same way. It'll just be a spectacle."

"But you said so yourself. You complete forget that she's a woman when she sings. Her voice is that powerful. You forget that she's a woman. Your forget that she's human. She is the voice."

A twinge of pain shot through her leg from having stood so long. The judges became silent when Misha shifted in pain.

"Ms Barris, are you alright?"

Misha cursed herself silently for having moved, but sighed and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Sometimes my leg..."

"What's wrong with your leg?"

"It hurts sometimes. I can handle it." She lifted her pantleg to show the gnarled skin of her leg, scarred and stiff.

"Oh my goodness. How did that happen? If you don't mind me asking."

"It was an accident when I was little."

"Well, Ms. Barris, I'm sorry about that. Your voice is incredible, but as you know, the role of the phantom is very physical, and I'm not sure that you would be able to accomplish what is required of that role, at least physically. But thank you so much for coming. I am very excited to have heard you sing. You'll most definitely get far with your voice."

Misha had mumbled thank you and left.

But that night she had received a phone call. Although they were unable to put her on as the phantom, would she still be willing to be his understudy? Her voice was amazing, and the show needed a voice like hers.
She had agreed of course, ecstatic for even getting the chance to travel with the production whether or not she would get a chance to perform.
So here she was, now sitting on the plane headed towards the first rehearsal camp and then off to one stage production after another, fulfilling at least a portion of her dream to sing on stage.