Hybrid of the Opera: Chapter 5

Chapter 5


    Nikki and Star’s plan came into motion during rehearsals of the 3rd Act of Gonoud’s Faust, and they managed to sneak down to Box Five in order to find out if the ghost might be present. They weren’t able to do so the day they planned since they were with Kaltag for the most of their time, so they had to wait until that Saturday to hatch their scheme.

     One of them, however, seemed unsure that this plan would pull through.

     “Are you sure about this, Nikki?” Star asked, a bit nervously, “This doesn’t really sound polite.”

     “Come on; don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts about this.” The brown husky replied.

      “I’m not, it’s just,” he gulped, “what if he sees us poking around? Maybe we shouldn’t do this, and go back to the office.” Star was just about to turn back around, when he was caught by the scruff of his neck.

      “Oh no, you’re not chickening out on this, Andre.” Nikki remarked, “Remember, it was your idea.”

       He was right, after all. This was the purple husky’s idea to begin with. Star didn’t really have much of a choice at the moment, so he sighed, and agreed to stay.

       On one condition.

       “Could you go first please?” Star asked.

       “Why don’t you go first?” Nikki replied, taken aback by the statement, “This was your plan, afterall!”

       “No, I think you should look, you’re taller.”

       “What? We’re practically the same size!” Nikki exclaimed. The two sat there arguing for a few moments, as they stared at the Box, wondering who would sum up the courage to look through the small, round window.

       “I’ll go first,” The two managers turned as Kaltag walked up to them.

       “Oh, Kal…um…how long have you been standing there?” Star inquired, shuffling his paws.

       “I was just, you know, taking a little walk before lunch, and a thought came into my mind. It said ‘I wonder what those two dogs are up to?’ And lord and behold, here you are.”
       “You probably want to know why we’re here, right?” Nikki asked.

       “Oh, I think I know exactly what’s going on!” Kaltag exclaimed suddenly, “You’re here because you want to see if the ghost is real and not just a myth is that right, messieurs?”

        The two huskies gulped, “Um…yes?” They responded in unison.

        “Well, since you’re so certain that he’s real; I think it would be appropriate if I be the one to check inside first.” The Chinook had actually known where his friends had run off to. He wasn’t dumb; he knew that they had wanted to know about the ghost ever since the first day. You could say that he was a tad embarrassed, to have such close friends actually believe in silly rumors.

         I’ll show these two that the ghost does not exist! He thought, as he walked up to the door to Box Five, got up on his back legs, and using the windowsill for support, he peered inside the Box. It was dark as usual, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was no figure inside, there wasn’t anyone sitting in the 6 seats. Nothing was there, absolutely nothing. All that could be seen was the cobwebs on the walls and dust that had clung to window’s glass frame.

          “Do you see anything, Kal?” The purple husky asked nervously.

          “Nope, nothing whatsoever,” He responded confidently, “absolutely, positively, most assuredly nothing, nothing at all.” He got down from the window, “Now that that is all done, can we please, please stop with this ghost nonsense? It’s making me go crazy!”

          The two nodded in agreement, and the Nikki and Kaltag walked back to the office. All expect for Star, who was following his friends, but couldn’t help but let his curiosity get the better of him Star hadn’t exactly agreed with Kaltag’s statement, and ran back to the Box hallway as soon as his friends had walked into their office for their afternoon lunch.

         Star slowly walked up to Box Five, the little voice in the back of his head telling him “Go back, you idiot!” but of course, he just had to see, he had to prove to his friends that he was right.

        I’ll show Kal that I’m right! He thought, as he placed his paws on the windowsill, and peered inside the darkness covered Box. At first, he didn’t see anything, and after looking for a few minutes, he still hadn’t detected any kind of figure present inside the Box.

       He sighed, realizing that he had been wrong about the ghost, and he was about to hop down from the window, when his eyes went wide as he gasped when he saw a pair of large ears stick out from a head that was attached to an unidentifiable figure that had placed himself on one of the seats.

       Oh my God! It’s him! Star was completely ecstatic as the figure of what he assumed was the opera ghost was listening to the rehearsal on stage.

       I have to get Kal and Ni…He was about to hop down from the window when he noticed that the figure had moved.

       “Hmm?” Star was a bit confused as he wondered why the ghost was leaving, and got his answer when a low, growling voice came from behind the door.

        LEAVE…LEAVE NOW!

       The purple husky shrieked in terror, and fell off the windowsill on his back. He immediately got up and ran as fast as his skinny legs could carry him to tell his friends.

       He alerted the two managers when he opened the door and slammed it behind him, covering it with his body, shaking like a leaf.

       “Star, where were you?” Kaltag asked, “We thought you had gotten lost.”

       “I…I…I…” He stammered. Nikki ran up to the husky and took hold of his shoulders.

       “Calm down, Star. Tell what happened.” Nikki assured his friend.

       “I…I…s-saw…h-h-him-m-m….” Star stuttered.

       “Who? What did you see?” Kaltag asked, who had also ran up to the husky. “Come on Star, snap out of it!”

       “I…saw…him…the opera ghost!” Star began, “H-he was…sitting on the chairs…and he told me to leave!”

       The Chinook rolled his eyes, “Oh, come now, Star, don’t be so silly.”

      “B-but, Kal, I did see him, I really did! I’m telling you the truth!”

      “You were probably seeing things. See, this is what I was worried about!” Kaltag exclaimed, “You two have been letting this opera ghost get into your heads. I don’t understand why you two agree with all these silly rumors!”

      “But, Kal, we don’t know if he’s real or not,” Nikki replied, “And besides, lots of dogs have said they’ve seen him.”

      “Yeah, I mean…what if…” Star gulped, “…what if their all true?”
      “Just because someone has seen something doesn’t mean they have actually seen him, and can prove that he’s real!” Kaltag snapped, “I can’t believe you two! You two are acting like idiots, fools, and dolts! Why can’t you just agree with me on this? Don’t you see this is all a joke?”

      The Chinook fell on his back, breathing heavily, “I’m sorry, guys,” He sighed with fatigue, “I think this House is getting to me. We’ve only been here for one week, and we’re already going crazy! This isn’t an Opera House, it’s a madhouse.”

      “Yeah, well no one said that this would be a walk in the park,” Nikki added, “I mean, we’ve never done something like this before.”

      “Besides that, we don’t have any training in the music business, or in the theater business, unlike those other dogs that were here for employment.”

      “Maybe…maybe we should quit?” Star inquired.

      The Chinook immediately stood back up. “No, quitting is not an option!” He exclaimed, “We took this job because we wanted to get out of our slump, out of our boring, normal lives. This is an opportunity for us to finally become famous, to become something important, and to have our names in the papers! We all agreed on this, remember?”

      “Yeah, I remember.” Nikki said, “We said ‘Dogs who fail can’t win.’”

      “’And dogs that win never fail.’” Star added, “Maybe you’re right, Kal. Maybe we need to get our act together….but what about this ghost?”

      “This ghost is just rumor, Star, nothing more. This is all probably some elaborate plan to make us look like idiots. Well, I for one am not going to look like a fool in front of this entire establishment, in front of this entire city! We’ll show this Opera House (and that ghost) whose boss!” He then placed his paw out, “Are you with me, guys?”

      “Yeah, we sure are!” Star cried, placing his paw on top of Kaltag’s.

      “Definitely,” Nikki said, placing his paw on top of Star’s.

      “Vive le trois gestionnaires!” They all shouted at once, lifting their paws up.

      The three then fell silent after that, as they didn’t really have much to say to each other. Despite their little motivational gesture, it was clear that Kaltag wasn’t all too happy about being ordered around by something as silly as a ghost. That damn Opera Ghost  he thought, this is his fault. I don’t understand why everyone believe this myth. I mean, is it out of fear, or is their something else that we don’t understand. Perhaps I can message the Inspector about this, but first…

      “Guys, I’ve got an idea.” Kaltag’s ears perked up, as a little plan formed in his head.

      “What is it, Kal?” Star asked.

     “Star, when’s the first performance of Faust?” The purple dog thought for a moment, and answered by stating it was next Monday, which was only two days away.

     “OK, here’s what I plan on doing.” Kaltag began, “If we want to show this Opera Ghost what’s up, we have to disobey his orders.”

     “Wait, what---” Star exclaimed.

     “Just, here me out on this Star,” Kaltag assured the husky, “We’re going to break his 2nd rule, the one where he has Box Five as his private Box. Well, my plan is: We are going to have Box Five open for patrons for the first performance.”

      “But, Kal, we’d be going against his rules,” Nikki replied.

      “And I don’t think the Box-Keeper would like this idea,” Star added, “She kind of scares me.” He then gulped at the thought of the collie getting angry at him, hitting him upside the head.

      “Look, this is just a test, OK?” Kaltag stated, “If this works, then this will prove that this ghost is not real!”

      “But, Kal, don’t you remember what he said? If we don’t follow his rules, then something bad might happen!”

      “Star, there is nothing to worry about.” Kaltag assured him, “Like I said, this is just a test to see if this ghost myth is real. If he isn’t, then we can just put all of this behind us.”

     “And if he is?” Nikki asked suspiciously.

     Kaltag sighed, “Look, this ghost is not real, and these rules are not real. This is just a ruse to get us to be scared of something that doesn’t exist. With that in mind, just remember who’s in charge here? Is it the ghost, or is it us?”

    The two huskies looked at each other, and despite their doubts over whether this was a good idea or not, they responded, “We’re the managers.”

    “That’s right.” Kaltag smiled, “And don’t you worry, it will be fine.” He then went over to his desk, pulled out a cigar, and started smoking it, as he leaned back in his chair.  
     The other two, however, looked at each other just as they did the other day, as doubtful, nervous thoughts ran through their furry heads.

 


     Philippe and Steele de Chagny were sitting in their parlor, as their Saturday had been a rather lazy one. Philippe hadn’t any plans for the day, and neither did his brother, so the two were merely relaxing for the time being.

      Of course, the malamute had a few things on his mind, one of things being Jenna. He hadn’t gotten over that first date, and for the most part, he was a bit confused. He decided to ask what his brother thought about it, since he’d been in a relationship before.

      “I agree that it does sound strange,” Philippe replied, taking a sip of his coffee. “But I think you should respect that she wants to probably dedicate her entire time to the opera, which I think is a good strategic career choice.”

      “Well, why can’t she have a boyfriend?” Steele asked, “I mean, it’s not like I insulted her. I just said I just didn’t want think it was a good idea.” This was of course a lie, and Philippe knew from the start that his brother’s attitude probably caused some bad air between him and his childhood friend.

      “I think you should just put it aside, and wait a bit, before you do something drastic. Maybe she doesn’t want to be in a relationship at the moment.”

     Yeah, then why did it seem like she wanted to be? The malamute thought, a bit ticked off with the way Jenna had told him about their current relationship. He didn’t understand why she recognized him, but didn’t say anything about it afterwards, despite the fact that Steele hadn’t remembered until the night before. This was all making his head spin. Females, they really are a mystery, aren’t they?

     “Mail, for you, Messieurs,” A butler spoke from the doorway, holding a few letters on a tray, “And a letter for you, Monsieur Vicomte.” The butler handed over the letter to the malamute and the rest to Philippe before bowing and walking out.

     “Who is it from?” Philippe asked, chuckling “Another girl, I suppose?”

     “Yeah, right,” Steele replied sarcastically. Upon looking at the address, he froze when he recognized who it was from.

     “Brother, is something wrong?”

     “Um, it’s nothing, just junk mail. I’ll just…uh…throw this out.” Steele then walked outside the parlor to the hallway, and as soon as he got a good distance from the room, he ripped open the envelope, and read its contents:

     To Steele de Chagny,

     I apologize for walking out on our date, and I feel like I should explain myself, and probably start over. I would speak to you directly, but I can’t, since it is my Father’s birthday today, so I’ll be out of town for the weekend, to spend a few nights at Perros, were we met. Perhaps we can speak to each other once I’m back, over some tea or something.

   Sincerely,

   Jenna

    Steele didn’t expect that Jenna was going to write to him, nor did he expect her to want to speak to him ever again. This was his chance to finally try and get her back. Of course, Steele couldn’t exactly wait until Jenna came back from Perros, which was about an hour away from Paris via train. So, after telling (well, lying for that matter) his brother he was going out for the evening, he immediately bought a ticket to the train that would take him to Perros.

    Whilst the malamute sat down on his seat, he didn’t exactly think of what might happen when his brother found out that he was gone, but he didn’t care. He had to try and make amends with Jenna, seeing how she probably hated him.

     I just don’t understand why she doesn’t want to be with me, he thought, folding his arms, as he watched the sun begin to set as the city of Paris disappeared behind him. I mean, I’m rich, I’m handsome, and I’m everything a girl could want. So what’s the deal here? I don’t know, and I’ll probably never know why. Maybe I could ask her…no, that’s stupid. It’s too personal, and she’ll probably see it as an invasion of privacy..

   He sighed, as he remembered he was sort of invading her privacy by following her on this little journey to their childhood place. Well, it doesn’t matter; she’ll see that I’m the guy for her, no matter what.

    As the plains of northern France started to come into view, it brought a sort of peace to the malamute, as he remembered the days when he and Jenna used to play in them, rolling around in the tall grass blowing in the wind. They were the best times of his life, and now it was all gone. With this in mind, he definitely wanted them to happen again, no matter what the cost.

    At last, the train arrived at the station near Perros, and before he left, he asked the conductor if he had seen a red-furred husky come on board, and as soon as he said yes, he darted off to Perros. Thankfully, the malamute remembered most of the layout of the place, so he could find his way around, and it wasn’t long until he found a rather familiar inn in his sights.




      Jenna had been sitting by herself, in a small inn near the sea called Le Soleil Couchant, sipping on a small cup of coffee. Thankfully, the inn was empty for the most part, and she didn’t mind the privacy. Of course, this privacy didn’t last when she saw the door open to the inn, to find a rather familiar malamute walk in and speak with the owner.

       Steele? What’s he doing here? She thought. She hadn’t expected to see him here, even though she specifically told him that she would speak to him after she got back from Perros. Maybe he got the wrong idea, and she hoped that he couldn’t see her in the other room of the inn, but she wasn’t so lucky, as he darted over to her.

       “Steele, I wasn’t expecting you to be here,” Jenna said.

       “Well, I got your letter, and you wanted to speak to me.” The malamute replied, sitting down across from the husky, “So, here I am.”

        Jenna really wasn’t in the mood to talk, but it looked like she didn’t have much of a choice, since Steele was already here.

        “Well, I did, but I said I wanted to speak with you after I got back from here. Since this was sort of a private thing.”

        “Yeah, I know, but I just couldn’t wait. We should just talk about it right now, and get it over with, so what did you want to talk about?”

       “Well, it was mostly for that first date. I know we didn’t start off on the right paw, and I want to try and put that behind us.”

      “I agree, but, maybe we can try and be friends again, just like we used to.”

     Steele grinned, “I like the sound of that.”

     Or maybe boyfriend and girlfriend? Steele thought hopefully, that would be so much better…maybe now that the air has cleared, maybe I can ask her…hopefully she’ll understand…

    “Um, Jenna, is it OK if I ask you something?”

    “What is it?” Jenna answered.

    “Well, I was just wondering what that argument was all about, you know, the one right before you left me in the park.” He hoped that Jenna wouldn’t get upset over this, even though they agreed to not try and argue again, but thankfully, everything seemed fine between them, for now.

    “Well, I guess it was sort of my fault---,” The husky replied, but was cut off by Steele.

   “No, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you about why you didn’t recognize me. I, uh, apologize for that.”
   
   “Oh, ok,” Steele could tell that things were getting awkward again, so he had to change the subject quickly..

   “So, um, how are rehearsals going?” He asked, leaning his head in his paw.

   “They’re fine. La Carlotta just got back from her illness, and she’s took my place during rehearsals, so it was back to the costume room for me.”

    “Don’t you mind? I mean, I think you’d be great in any role.” The malamute complimented.

    “Oh, Steele,” Jenna replied with a slight blush, “No, it’s fine, it was fun while it lasted.”

     “I just have to know, Jenna, where did you get such a great voice?” One of the things that I’m sure everyone wanted to know at the Canine was how and where Jenna got such an incredible voice in such a short amount of time, and Steele had a front row seat to it.

     “Well, it’s mostly due to my teacher. He’s absolutely brilliant at what he does, and he’s taught me so much. It’s strange, since he said that I might take Carlotta’s place one day, and I did!”

     “Who is this teacher?”

     “Oh, um, well…” Steele noticed that Jenna wasn’t really all too interested in talking about who her teacher was, but he couldn’t help himself. It was truly fascinating.

     “You probably wouldn’t believe me,” Jenna said, scratching the back of her head with her paw.

     “No, it’s OK, you can tell me, Jen. I won’t laugh, I promise.” Steele grinned, and Jenna wasn’t sure if Steele could be trusted with this sort of information, but she decided it would be fine.

     “Well, I don’t really speak with him face-to-face inside the costume room, and he for the most part, I only hear his voice.” Steele was confused, since this sounded quite absurd. What kind of teacher doesn’t meet with his students directly?

     “Why’s that?”

     Jenna gulped, “It’s because, and well…he’s the Angel of Music.”
     “Huh?” Steele cocked his head to one side, as this didn’t really make much sense. What was she talking about? “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.”

     “Remember that story my Father told us about? The one about the composer who’s wife passed away?”

     Steele tried to remember, but as hard as he could, he didn’t. “No, sorry, it’s been a while. Could you inform me again?”

     “The composer was one of the greatest composers in Paris and his wife died of an illness, and the once she did, the composer no longer had to will to make music again. He was depressed, as the only love in his life was no longer there with him, and she was his motivation for continuing his work. Then, one night, she sees a beautiful light come down in his room, and suddenly, an angel, draped in white robes, and holding a violin in his hands, had ascended from heaven. His voice was alluring to him, and upon asking who it was, the angel told him he was the Angel of Music. He said that he was sent there by his deceased wife, as he was in a terrible state of health. Upon witnessing the Angel, he then found the courage and will to write music again, and once he did, his music was soon known throughout the entire world.”

     After listening to the story, Steele could definitely remember a few details, but one of the things he didn’t understand was why Jenna started to see this Angel. It was just a story, it wasn’t real. Was she crazy or something?

     “So, you were visited by this Angel?” He asked.

     “Yes, I did, and even though I can’t see him, I know he’s there, and he’s always watching me. He’s been teaching me, and because of him, I feel far happier than I ever did. It’s scary, Steele, since I don’t know myself when I sing. It’s like a different dog has possessed me, making my voice sound almost divine. It’s frightening, but Steele, I’ve never been happier, since I know that my Father’s promise was---,”

     Jenna stopped speaking when she heard the sound of chuckling, and she looked at Steele, who was trying to keep himself from busting a gut by covering his mouth with his paws.

     “Steele,” Jenna said, almost insulted by his laughter, “why are you laughing?”

     “I’m sorry, Jen,” Steele replied, giggling a bit, “But, that’s one of most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard.” The malamute couldn’t really contain his laughter, despite the husky across from him was somewhat hurt by his response.

     “Steele, this isn’t a joke.” Jenna replied, “It’s true, he’s been teaching me. Don’t you believe me?”

    “Jenna, just because your teacher doesn’t want to be face-to-face with you, doesn’t mean that he’s an Angel, I mean, that’s sort of strange, isn’t it?”

    “Steele, I know it…I…” Jenna wasn’t sure what to say, since she didn’t expect Steele to actually burst out laughing at this. “I didn’t think you’d react like that.”

    “Well, I have to say, it is pretty silly to think that an Angel from your Dad’s stories came to life, no offense to him, but it’s completely ludicrous.”

    “Steele,” Jenna was starting to get upset, “I thought you’d understand, but I guess not. Maybe you really have changed from what we use to be.”

    Well, she’s half right, but what about her? She’s acting like I’d believe such stupid things. I mean, an Angel of Music from Heaven has been teaching her? What is going on here? Maybe she’s let her childhood get the best of her…

   Jenna then got up from her spot, and started to walk away. Steele saw that this was just going to be a repeat from their first date, and had to do something about this.

    “Jenna, wait, don’t go,” Steele said, getting up from his seat as well.

    “Please Steele, leave me alone,” She was stopped by Steele’s paw clutching hers.

    “Come on, Jen, was it something I said?” The malamute asked. Jenna turned, and stared at him like she was dealing with an idiot.

    “What do you mean? You laughed when I told you that my teacher is the Angel of Music. You didn’t have to laugh, you know.”

    “Sorry, but I couldn’t help myself. It just sounded so silly, and you acted like it was such a big deal.”

     Jenna then yanked her paw away from Steele’s, “In case you haven’t noticed, Steele,” She remarked sternly, “it’s a very big deal to me. Before my Father passed away, he promised he’d send the Angel to me, and he was right, he did send him to me, and he’s made me happy, and he’s given me back my will to sing again. I thought you, an old friend of mine, one that grew up with me would understand, of all dogs, but I guess I was wrong.” She then walked away, only this time, Steele didn’t follow her, since he knew he messed up badly, even more than when she left him at the park.

     Steele returned to his seat, and sighed, as he slumped down in his seat. You just had to laugh, you idiot! You just had to! Steele couldn’t contain his anger as he growled to himself, realizing that this was his fault. He’d never really thought that he might be the cause of this dysfunctional relationship that he was having with Jenna, but he was a proud dog, and it was clear that he wasn’t about to take responsibility for this, even though he knew this argument was partially his fault, including the previous one.

      Rather sad, that is.

      I can’t believe this girl. First, she confuses me by not recognizing me, even though she knows who I am and was, and then she tells me that her ‘teacher’ is an Angel? What is going on? What’s her deal?

     Steele rubbed his head and groaned, as this was all too much for him. Yet, he still stayed in his spot, as he waited for Jenna to probably come back to him (even though it should have been the other way around, if you want to know the truth) but after waiting for about an hour, he fell asleep waiting. He was soon awoken by the innkeeper, who snapped at him for not renting a room.

     “Sorry about that, uh, here, take this,” He responded, and he took out a few gold pieces from his coat pocket. The owner gladly took it, and told him to take any room. Of course, Steele wasn’t about to stay in any room, and he continued to wait for Jenna to come out of hers’.

      After another hour, he noticed that it was rather late, and he was about to fall asleep again, when he saw a cloaked figure walk out the front door out of the corner of his eye.

      Jenna, Steele got up from his seat, and immediately raced out the front door, but came to a stop when he couldn’t tell where she was, as the night had finally fallen down on the little village. He then remembered that Jenna was heading off to leave some flowers for her Father at his grave. Thankfully, he remembered where the cemetery was, which was located next to the Church of Saint-Jacques, which wasn’t too far from the inn, and he quickly made his way down the road towards that church.

      The chapel was a very standard place of worship, a small one that was used for weddings, masses, and funerals. Despite this, the entire cemetery was quite an eerie one once the malamute had made his way to the entrance gate. The only thing illuminating the place was the moon above them, so he had to squint in order to adjust to the darkness surrounding the gravesite.

      He scanned the endless amount of statues and plagues and tombstones, and did his best to find the husky, and once he did he was about to go up to her, when he remembered that this was somewhat of a private moment for her, so he stayed back behind the gate.

      He could see her wearing a cloak, which was actually dark blue, and she was standing in front of a statue that looked like an Angel holding a violin in its hands, with a small pile of skulls laced with roses at the base of the statue. Jenna laid down some small lilac flowers in front of the statue, and he could see her muttering something underneath her breath. As she did, Steele’s ears perked as the sound of something soft drifted over the cemetery. It sounded like a violin was playing some sort of enchanting tune, one that wasn’t familiar to the malamute. Steele thought he was hearing things, but he noticed that Jenna had also heard it as well, as she was looking around her, almost like she was trying to find the source of the music.

      Steele ducked down underneath some bushes when Jenna looked his way, and he had to cover himself with the leaves in order to not be spotted. However, when the malamute knew the coast was clear, he went back to the gate, but found that Jenna was no longer standing in front of the grave. She was gone.

      Where did she go? Steele thought, as he didn’t think that Jenna would leave so fast, but he didn’t mind. After opening the rusty gate, he walked over to the statue where Jenna had laid the flowers at. The plague on the tomb read:




      Steele’s eyes then made its way to the name of the statue, since it called itself the Angel of Music.  It was truly a beautiful statue, possibly custom made, but the malamute didn’t have time to look over statues. He had to find Jenna.

      He made his way back to the chapel, and he knew it was far too late to look for her, and besides, he didn’t know if she left Perros or went back to the inn. He was about to make his way back to the train station in defeat, when he thought he saw a dark figure move in the darkness.

       Jenna! Steele immediately ran up to figure, which was walking up the steps of a church. The figure was wearing a cloak as well as a hood, which was the same one that Jenna was wearing. It had to be her. Steele ran up to the figure, who looked like he was about to go inside the chapel.

      “Jenna, I---,” Steele was cut off as soon as he grasped the figure’s shoulder, and strangely, it felt awfully cold, almost deathly cold. He soon found out why as the cloaked shade turned around to face the malamute.

      Steele’s eyes went wide with shock as this figured stared at him from underneath its hood. What freaked him out the most was the figure’s head, as it was nothing more than a white, dog’s skull, like he was wearing a macabre mask, with piercing yellow eyes glowing out of the hollow sockets.

      Steele was completely taken aback by the figure, and the next thing he knew, he had lost his balance, and he tumbled down the steps of the church. He soon lost consciousness as soon as his head banged against the cold, hard gravel, and the figure atop the steps vanished like a shadow in the night.