It was 1990, in the middle of November, it was a normal night in New York. Some of the people just came home, some of them started with their night shift. Or as very possible, they went to theaters to see a movie or a show. Especially in the Majestic Theater, where "Phantom of the Opera" was going on, all the seats were full.
Inside there all the lines of seats were looking at the stage where the final part of the first act was coming to its concluding moment.
But on the higher box hidden from the eyes of the viewers, there sat a little girl in her white dress and with a white mask covering only her right side of her face, she was listening to those touching lyrics.
Yes, little Phantalmina was yet again present to watch the same musical of her family origin from her regular seat and close her eyes to dive in the sad melody of the song. But her musical-trance was quickly broken by a voice.
"Phantalmina."
That wasn't from the play. It came close, right next to her. She turned her head to see a brown rat and a small bat on the floor close to her looking at her.
"Justin? Dusk?" she recognized her little friends, but for what reason were they here? "What are you doing here? Is there something wrong?"
"Don't worry. Things are well at the theater. We just like to talk to you." Justin, the brown rat said to her reassuring her that she didn't need to get worried about their visit.
"Well, can it wait a little longer? This part will end soon." Phantalmina said to them and kept watching the play.
Justin and Dusk gave a quick look at each other and then got themselves up close to the little girl trying to watch together the last part of the act. The Phantom-actor final words filled the hall and left Phantalmina with a yearning feeling.
Soon later, when the break began, Phantalmina took her friends to the restroom to hear what they had to say, after checking they were alone there.
"Well? What are you two doing here? What's going on?" she asked them.
"Dusk figured out our old search parties. And now, he likes to talk things through with you."
"Not just that. How come you never let me in on this? I can fly, I could help you." Dusk let out. He surely sounded like he was more disappointed with a part that couldn't help her.
"Dusk, I said 'old' search parties. We haven't done this ever since we got the blood-bands." Justin tried to calm down his friend.
"No Justin. I..." Phantalmina hasn't told any of them yet and hoped that she never would need to. But, it didn't feel good to lie about it either, so she had to tell him. "I have been continuing the search on my own."
"What?" Justin's voice turned worried when he heard her answer. "Why are you doing it? It's been a year now. Ashley can't even leave you. So, why?"
"Why?! I can't just give up all because Ashley is sealed to stay. We don't even know where nor how her family is?"
"But searching information about them all alone? You shouldn't be doing this."
"Yeah! You should let me come along too." Dusk let out.
"Dusk. Not helping." Justin gritted his teeth.
"What? If she is still going for it, I might as well participate now." Dusk tried to give a reason to his answer.
Phantalmina knew this reaction was expected to come. But this time she needed to tell Justin that this had more to it then Ashley's family. Justin has been a good friend and a great help so far with this search.
"This isn't just finding the missing foxwings. Bats, rats, even mice have been taken and lost from the records. This search has proved to be more strange than we thought. I will find out who and where they are."
No. There was something more with that. "But..., to be honest. I also like to keep my word with Ashley. I want to keep my promise."
"Well then, why stop now? If you know where they were last seen, what stops you to go there to look again. Let me help you to find the answers."
Phantalmina looked at Dusk, making sure if he meant what he just said. So far the only clue to find answers could possibly be found from that mysterious laboratory that was located almost at the edge of the city. Was he really wanting to go look at that place?
"You could do that? You would help me get information about them?"
"Yes, I will do it." Dusk said with the spirit. "Just tell me where I start and I will go there. I fly in and get the information for you."
"What I want is inside a main-computer." she told him and took towel paper from the holder. "I can't get inside the room, cause I have no clue on the mirrors in there. But maybe you can."
After setting the paper properly straight she bit her finger top so that it bleed and wrote the name of that laboratory in it.
"Most leads have stopped right in this company. The building has these letters on it's top. If possible, try to sneak in and figure what happened after."
"Wait! You can't let him go to that place. It's so well protected. Even we had a hard time to get out of there." Justin wanted to protest this plan. One thing, he didn't like that place. The other reason, just because Dusk could fly in there it didn't mean it would be easier to him.
"But with Dusk's help, getting inside the main computer would be easier. This could be our chance." she tried convince him.
Justin knew she was determined with this search. Even if he said no to her she would do it anyway. Not to mention Dusk would do it too since he was so eager to help.
"Alright, alright. He can try. Just make sure Paco or someone goes with him so he won't get lost."
"Thank you, Justin. I knew you could understand," she said smiling at him.
She moved to the small window and let Dusk be on his way to fly back to the theater and then go to take a look at that laboratory. Once he had left, Phantalmina turned back to look at Justin who had his arms crossed and he had that look on his face.
"You are mad at me, aren't you?" She guessed.
"No. I'm not mad. I'm worried." he said to her.
Phantalmina moved closer to ask him.
"Why? Because of that place?"
"Exactly. Animals are treated badly in places like that one. I wished you won't ever face people like that."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause more trouble to you. I just..."
"Hey, hey. Don't worry." He calmed her when he patted her hand. "I know you want to help Ashley. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I just hope you'd be careful."
She smiled at him. Soon she heard the notice-bell ringing.
"Oh. That's the call for the second part. Better return to the seat." she said and turned to go back to her seat.
"So, do you want some company? You won't get lonely there?"
"No need for that. I can handle on my own inside a theater. I see you back at ours." She smiled at him and left the restroom.
The second act was about to begin. But once she got to her seat and sat down, she could only recall all the things she had been through. The beginning of her life, living in another world with monsters, familiars of her father. The decades with him learning how to play music, the lonely days bullied by other monster-kids. And the day that changed her fate. The deal she wrote to go after her father. After that terrible shock of knowing that she wasn't able to go any further then this world, she had to work hard to create her own strong music to have a chance to break the deal. In time it was good to know that she was able to make new friends and discover more abilities with her music. All this has been new and exciting but there still was the one thing that still hurt her heart, longing for her own mother.
Meanwhile on the edge of the city, Dusk flew to the building that had the letters Phantalmina gave him. He was carrying Arthur, one of the rats who helped Phantalmina with her search, he guided him to land on a secure hidden place of the building.
"Okay, Dusk. Drop here." Arthur let out before Dusk was completely down.
"I can't still believe I wasn't called to help with the search, Arthur. Why is she hiding things from us? Does Ashley even know..? " Dusk wanted to let his frustration out before getting serious. He surely was worried about her, which is why her doing these things alone without him knowing was so unease to him.
"Look Dusk, she hid it because she is still a child. She worries too much. Especially of the reaction you are giving right now and how others might. That's why we hoped she was finished with this already."
Dusk didn't feel any better with Arthur's explanations. It was easy for them, they knew about this and still kept quiet about all of it.
"Now come. The entrance is this way." he walked inside. "The sooner we get this done, we can leave this place."
It took some time walking on the ventilation system but soon they came to the room where they needed to be.
"Okay then. This is the room."
Arthur opened the vent and they noticed a dark room with lockers and a few cages, but in the center-right in front of them, there was a control panel with computers and couple vials.
"We have to get down there. Right on the middle one." Arthur pointed out to Dusk.
Dusk helped him to get down in the middle panel. And right after that Arthur tried to open the machine and search the information they needed.
"This is where the main computer is? Seriously, you all are scared of getting here?" Dusk let out.
For him, Justin and others were making such a big fuss about this place, but seeing how easy it was for them to get in and to get to their place it all seemed too easy.
"Not now Dusk. Let me work, there should be a list here somewhere," he answered him and continued tapping the buttons.
Dusk was still disappointed for not having an answer, so he moved to the corner of the control panels and waited for Arthur to be ready. But then he heard...
"Psst"
Dusk looked up and saw bats inside a cage talking to him..
"How did you two got out there?"
"You should hide."
"Humans could get mad if they see you"
Seeing all those bats inside made Dusk feel little uncertainty for this mission.
"Umm... Arthur?" he tried to ask. "Why are there bats in the cages? What are they doing in this place?"
"Not any good ones. Now let me..." he said while he was about to get a file open. But then..."What? 'Documents can be opened from the next machine?' There is another?"
"Really? Where is that?"
"I don't understand. This is the main laboratory. This has to be the main computer." Arthur said and tried tapping again.
"So, there is another one. Where is it? You have been here already, is there another one in this room?"
"Stop pressuring me! I know what I'm doing. Besides this one, the other machine must be..."
Suddenly they both noticed that the light came on. And it didn't long when two huge figures surrounded them and grabbed them.
