“Shut up,” the adjudicator said, brushing him off.
Ruth tried to face her with as much courage as she could muster, but she was still woozy from her fall and felt weak and afraid.
“So you think you have a choice?” the adjudicator said. “I think you’ve been living in a world of fiction for too long. But why should you put yourself through this? Your little friend there was much more reasonable. Perhaps with a little incentive-”
“You think you can bribe me?” Ruth said in a small voice.
“Your friend was willing to help, after he was shown the benefits,” she said. “It didn't take much, not more than the hint of a threat and the promise of a patter part. Which role have you dreamed of playing? Phoebe? Phyllis? Patience?”
Ruth looked at her, her courage as low as her heart. “I’m not good enough,” she said. “And I know it. I know the parts I’d like to do, but I know as well that most amateurs are better than me, let alone professionals. I’d just be embarrassed and ashamed. I want to play great parts, but I know it’s not me. You can’t tempt me that way.”
The woman looked at her angrily. “Stupid girl,” she said. “If you won’t help me of your free will I’ll force you. This is your last chance to do yourself a favour.”
The fantom was beside Ruth now. She looked up into the holes that were its’ eyes, and knew she didn’t have the strength to resist. Whatever she might wish, she was not as brave as her story character. She couldn’t do it.
But she made a last attempt, tearing her eyes away from the glistening, stony creature.
“I can’t do it,” she said. “I...the two of us can’t sing all the parts, and even if we could, I can’t sight read well enough to sing them.”
“You can do enough of it for my purposes. And you don’t need to sight read,” the adjudicator said. “You know it.”
“Not every part,” Ruth protested. The fantom was almost touching her. “I never learnt all the soprano parts. And I can’t reach all the notes- I’m an alto.”
“You’re a mezzo-soprano,” the woman replied brusquely. “Don’t try any more excuses. You can do it and you will- or suffer inconcievable agonies.”
She nodded to the fantom. Its’ huge, hard hands reached down towards Ruth’s already injured leg. She cowered back and tried to move but felt the wall behind her. She heard her voice crying out “no, no!” as the fantom picked up her injured ankle.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt her! You promised!” Patrick shouted. The adjudicator smiled.
“I lied.” She raised the baton. “Time to twist,” she said.
“I’ll do it,” Ruth sobbed. “I’ll do it.”
“That’s more like it.” The adjudicator lowered the baton and strode over to Ruth. “You’ll do as I tell you? Sing for me?”
“Yes,” Ruth sobbed.
“Good.” She waved to the fantom to let go of Ruth’s foot. It did so suddenly, and Ruth cried out as it hit the floor. The woman laughed. “Be ready in an hour,” she said. “You’d better start warming up if you’re going to reach those high notes. I don’t want any cracks.” She swept out of the room, the fantom following obediently.
Ruth buried her head in her arms and wept. Not just from the pain, but the shame. The fantom had not actually hurt her very much. But the moment it’s strong, stony hands had touched her her imagination had gone into overdrive, picturing skin and muscles torn apart, bones grinding and cracking under the monster’s hands. That had been what had made her give in.
It had all been pretty pointless, really. If she was going to be forced into creating a new one, she hadn’t achieved anything by destroying the fantom in her fall from the castle. She had just got herself injured for nothing. Oh, her feint had allowed the others to escape and- she hoped- warn the authorities, but would anyone believe them? And if the adjudicator was bringing her plan forward as Patrick had said would there be time to stop her?
She wondered if there was any chance the others would be able to rescue her. Then she laughed bitterly at the thought. She was thinking like her story-characters again. No one was coming to rescue her. How could they even know where she was? She didn’t know herself. And even if they did, what could her friends do? It would be mad for them to try.
And what would happen when the adjudicator found out that Tom had lied to her? Ruth knew that if she was asked she would give away the real location of the TTC. She was ashamed of her weakness, but could not help it. There was nothing she could do now, except obey.
She sat up. Patrick came over as she tried to stand, and tried to help her. She tried to put weight on her injured ankle, and sat down quickly, stifling a cry of pain. There was no way she could walk.
Patrick sat down beside her and Ruth looked at him out of the corner
of her eye. That woman had lied to him. Now he must be thinking what
else she might have lied about. He would be afraid what might happen to
him, what other promises she might not keep. Perhaps he was thinking
that what he had done had also been all for nothing. Yet Ruth was glad
of his company, silent and melancholy though it was. She shivered.
Patrick reached out to take her hand, and looking down saw the bruises
and red marks on her wrists. “Is...is that from where I...”
“Yes,” she said. He let go her hand, and turned away, ashamed. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
She reached out and laid her hand on his. “It’s ok,” she said. She
could not yet forget that he had let her down, had not lived up to who
she had hoped he was. But she couldn’t blame him for being afraid. And
she desperately wanted not to be alone.The story continues...
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