Kaleido Star Fan Fiction ❯ Setting Her Soul Aflame ❯ Op. I, No. 4: Madness at the Masquerade Ball ( Chapter 4 )

Important Notes:

- Kudos to those who have seen/read “The Phantom of the Opera”. It's not required, but it makes the chapter all the more enjoyable.

~lyrics~ text between two tilde indicates Sarah singing.

*lyrics* text between two asterisk indicates Emilio singing.

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Op. I, No. 4: Madness at the Masquerade Ball

 

Sora's mind was drowned in turmoil as she eagerly waited for Layla's response. She could not understand what was happening. Who were the people introduced? Why did they come? Why did she have to leave? Why did everyone else have to leave, especially when she was finally able to befriend them? The first person that came to mind when she started panicking was Layla. She did not know what possessed her to break into the glass bulletin board and coerced Anna into driving her to the airport, but she had to let the concertmistress to know. Events like this happen all the time in the musical industry, right? Layla must have experienced a similar situation before and would surely know what to do, right? Noticing that the blonde was staring at her with a grim face, she placed her thoughts on hold and was handed back the bulletin she had swiped on impulse.

“What do you expect me to do about this?”

“Eh?”

“My plane will be leaving soon. The audition in Vienna is held tomorrow and the debut concert will commence the day after. Even if I could do something about this, there's no way I'd have time. Besides, my father is managing my schedule right now and I intend to strictly abide by it.”

She was speechless. An apathetic response was not what she was expecting to hear, but then again, just what was she hoping for? What did she want to have happen? What was she counting on Layla to do? She lowered her head feeling defeated, unmotivated to continue her plea.

“Look up Sora.” She reluctantly raised her head, despite not being prepared to face her senior.

“It seems you still don't understand how difficult it is to solve anything if you keep on feeling helpless or depend on others.”

“Last call for flight number 7884. Remaining passengers please board the Austrian Airlines. We will be departing shortly.”

“Listen, I only do my best in the situation I'm in right now, so you should do the same. Well then, good day.” A brief flash of hesitation swept Layla's face before the former concertmistress proceeded to present her ticket to the flight attendant and then disappeared through the gate.

She stood there at a loss, feeling left behind.

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A week passed since Sora was discharged from Kaleido Philharmonic. Deciding that sitting around waiting for something to happen would do her no good, she called over Mia and Anna to brainstorm about what they could do, since they were now jobless. Staring at the ceiling, she tried to smile and feel upbeat, but found it rather difficult when she knew that both friends, who were sprawled out on either side of her, were just as depressed as she was about the sudden turn of events. She turned to Mia, who appeared to be zoning out.

“Hey Mia. What exactly… happened?” She asked. Mia draped an arm over her eyes.

“Too be honest, I'm not too sure myself. There were a lot of rumors about `why' this happened, but the bottom line is, the board of directors fired Maestro and hired a new conductor, who in turned terminated our contracts.” Mia sighed. Anna shot up in response.

“Wasn't everything going smoothly? They never complained about Maestro before? Did he do something wrong?” Anna desperately asked. Mia propped up her head on her arm.

“I'm sure none of us saw this coming, but I'm guessing it has something to do with that new guy on the board. He probably persuaded the other directors.” Mia deduced. She resumed staring at the ceiling again.

“What do we do now?” She asked. Mia sat up and sighed.

“If we don't find a job soon, we won't be able to pay for our rent.” Mia stated. Just then, there was a short knock before the door burst opened letting in what appeared to be an energetic diva.

“Hey you guys, quit sulking and cheer up! Now is the time to unite our powers and rise up from the depths of hell!” She was blown away by the sheer amount of energy that Sarah seemed to have emitted.

“Easier said then done.” Mia replied. Sarah grinned before whipping out a flyer and waving it around.

“I thought you'd say that. That's why I have this! Take a look!” She was handed the flyer while Mia and Anna crowded around her to read.

Musicians Wanted!

Marine Park is seeking a group who can perform Christmas carols inside the central building to promote the holiday spirit for one day. Preference will be given to those who play classical instruments. A contract may be offered based on the results of the performance. Please contact the Marine Park Service Desk if interested.

- Marine Park Manager

“Central building? Is that the one with the indoor pool and retractable roof?” She asked.

“Yeah, but they convert it into an ice rink and close the ceiling during winter.” Anna added.

“People! Look at the bigger picture! This is a job offering!” Mia exclaimed.

“I just happened to find this while roaming around town. So, I went to Marine Park, thinking I had nothing to lose, and was able to sign you guys up for tomorrow. What do you gals think?”

“Of course we'll do it. Right?” She turned to look at Anna.

“Yeah! We have no reasons to reject it. Right?” Anna turned to look at Mia.

“If we could get a good reputation, they may offer us that contract.” Mia gleamed.

“Thank you so much Sarah!”

“Oh stop, no need to be so formal, but I'm glad you guys like it.”

“Hey, I wonder if we could ask the others to perform with us, the ones who also left the concert hall?” She suggested.

“Oh, good idea! Most of them live around here too! Anna, go round them up.” Mia commanded.

“Roger!” Anna bolted out the door.

“So, what are we going to perform?” She asked.

“If it's tomorrow, we don't have enough time to create an official program, so let's just keep it simple and play a list of popular Christmas carols that everyone is comfortable with.” Mia suggested.

So, they officially began their brainstorming. She was in charge of compiling the list as Sarah started naming off songs while receiving input from Mia. Just then, the door busted open again, making her wonder if the hinges will come off soon.

“I was able snatch four people, Elena, Jeanne, Claire, and Emilio! Oh and look who I caught loitering around the place.” Anna dragged in what appeared to be a bewildered Ken along with the rest of the group.

“Ken! Good to see you again!” She smiled.

“Eheheh. Hi Sora.” He scratched his neck looking a bit flustered.

The rest of the evening consisted of a pumped-up planning session with a mini rehearsal towards the end. Everyone was able to contribute fun ideas and song recommendations while mingling with one another. Surprisingly for her, she had discovered that the group possessed a wide range of musical skills when she watched them alternate between multiple instruments to see which one would fit a particular song. She also learned that Emilio was an alto/tenor vocalist, which got Sarah making quite a fuss about it. Even if their job could end after one day, she would make it the best performance with everyone.

She became motivated. Things were finally looking better.

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Cheerful screams could be heard as a roller coaster zoomed on tracks that twisted and turned throughout the skies of the entire park. Various carousels and gaming booths plagued the grounds as little children dragged their parents from one ride to another. The amusement park was tremendously vast, but a bit deserted which Sora guessed was due to the typical cold weather of December. Desire was secretly creeping over her and for a moment, she was very tempted to abandon her job and just have a ball with the Santa clowns and sugar-packed children.

“Sora! Hurry up!” Anna waved from a distance.

“Ah! Sorry!”

Carrying both her violin and erhu cases while securing the clip-on headphones around her ears, she jogged to catch up with the group. Ken was gracious enough to have lent her an MP3 player filled with various Christmas carols because a few of the chosen songs from yesterday were vaguely familiar to her.

Entering the central building, a gasp escaped her mouth at the majestic sight before her. Waist-high walls outlined the smooth expanse of ice, enclosing the arena into a large, oval ring with people of all ages merrily skating around the ice rink. The interior also contained a second floor ledge that protruded along the perimeter of the facility, which she guessed was designated for dining when she spotted people sitting at tables, munching on goods while watching the ice skaters below.

“WOW!” She began to run towards the rink, but was abruptly stopped when someone grabbed her coat collar.

“Sora, we know you want to join them, but this isn't the time. You can play during our break.” Mia released her while giving her a scolding face. She pouted, but obeyed and followed along.

After Sarah had introduced the group to the manager, they were escorted to the area where they would perform and began setting up their instruments. She decided to use her erhu, considering it has been quite a while since she last played it in an actual performance. Sarah and Emilio were in charge of signing while the rest stuck to traditional string and woodwind instruments. Settling into a foldable chair, she positioned her erhu on her thigh and held her bow.

“Alright everyone, play until you puke blood!” She sweat dropped at Sarah's morbid pep talk.

The group started off with a few upbeat tunes when they noticed that the rink was infested with wild children, but alternated to a more soft setting when the majority of the audience consisted of loving couples. Other than Anna being scolded for jumping on the rink wall and hammering her acoustic guitar to “Jingle Bell Rock,” their performance seemed to have hit it off quite well. She was happy to be experiencing such a warm and relaxing atmosphere, very different when compared with the stressful air of restriction found at the concert hall.

Just as the group was wrapping up a song, the pulsating sounds of a violin completely silenced them while taking a considerable amount of attention from crowd. She turned around to look up and spotted a lean man sitting on a rail over the ledge, drawing out a slow and gentle melody from his instrument. Peering closer, she described his entirely black outfit as being a puff tie tucked into a vest which was cloaked by a swallow tailcoat that flowed down the back of trousers tucked in flat knee-high boots, completing the authentic Victorian suit. What distracted her most was the pure white Venetian mask that outlined both eyes and veiled three-fourths of the man's face, which contrasted brilliantly with his slicked-back, raven hair that flowed down to the back of his neck. His slender hands, protected by fingerless gloves, were seemingly ravishing the violin with tremulous and tender motions, enticing her mind into the nocturne piece while inducing her in a state of awe as her surroundings became blurred.

The alluring man's solo eventually came to a soft and deftly end, carefully pulling her out of a pensive trance. He lowered his instrument while grabbing onto the rail and gracefully bowed to the audience who broke out into a frenzy applause. Rising from his bow, he extracted a red object from his coat and pressed it to his masked lips before letting it fall over the ledge. Instinctively, she held out her hand and caught what appeared to be a crimson rose tied with an obsidian silk bow. Looking back up, the masked man had vanished while the others crowded around her to examine her gift.

“Since when were you dating the Phantom of the Opera?” Anna winked and nudged her with an elbow.

“Eh? Phantom of the Opera?” She asked.

“Who else would it be? That's his signature rose! Besides the mask, his whole getup was almost identical to the one in the movie.” Mia seemed to have stared off into space with her hands pressed together.

“Aw! How come only Sora got a rose? I want one too! Do you know him Sora?” Sarah asked.

“No… I don't think so…”

There was no way she could clearly identify anyone from that distance, let alone someone wearing a mask. However, she could not help but feel that his musical artistry was extremely familiar.

Where had she felt that passionate aura before?

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That night, Sora found herself lying on her stomach while watching “The Phantom of the Opera” alone in her room. When Mia, Anna, and Sarah had discovered that she had not seen the musical nor the movie adaptation, the trio immediately went out to rent the film and demanded that she watch it before going to sleep. The story became quite appealing to her after viewing the scene where the phantom led the heroine into his lair.

“So that's where this song came from.”

“It's called, the Music of the Night.”

Raising an eyebrow, she noticed that Fool was floating beside her, twirling the rose she had received earlier that evening. Then, an interesting thought occurred to her.

“Hey Fool, how come you're called the Spirit of the Stage and not the Phantom of the Opera? You hang around the concert hall, your mask hides the same area, and you're a spirit, which is sort of the same as a phantom, isn't it?”

“How rude! Don't compare me with that tyrannical, bitter old man. I never threaten women. Hmph! Besides, my face is not deformed like his.”

The annoyed doll removed his mask to reveal the right portion of his face, which was exactly symmetrical to the other side. She gaped at his action, wondering why he would even bother wearing such an obstructive accessory, but decided to shake off the thought and rolled her eyes instead. Turning back to the movie, she dropped in on the scene where the phantom carries away the heroine, who had apparently fainted. The way the opera phantom delicately handled the woman with such fragility reminded her of the way the phantom violinist had handled his violin earlier that evening.

“I wonder who he really is.”

“It is not wise to be associated with him.”

For a moment, she was anticipating another round of 'bad mouthing' the phantom from Fool, but the seriousness on his face suggested that he now spoke of a different topic. The spirit was enshrouded by a rosy glow before producing a deck of cards, dealing them out by twirling around twice. Among the many golden cards, he summoned one into his hand and glanced at it before flipping it over for her to see.

“The Upright Moon, indicating deception, danger, disillusionment, and disgrace. You will encounter such elements if you continue to dance. Be cautioned.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means what it says. My advice is, just be careful around your new friend.” Seeing that she would not get anymore information out of him, she once again placed her attention back on the film, but the uneasiness of his reading still lingered around.

After the movie had ended, she tidied up the place and slipped into her pajamas before tucking herself in to get some sleep, but became unwillingly restless when her mind kept wandering around various topics, which surprisingly led to thoughts of the former concertmistress. Rolling over on her side, she glanced at the illuminated digital clock and noted that it was a little over midnight, which meant that it was around nine in the morning for most of Europe.

With that in mind, she threw her blankets aside to jump up and turn on the nearby lamp, grabbing her phone in the process while flipping through a pocket notebook containing various phone numbers. A while ago, Layla mentioned something about owning an international cell phone, but she did not know what that meant at the time and ended up brushing off the fact, until now. Maybe she could reach the blonde with the same number that was used locally. It was worth a shot. Punching in the numbers, she patiently waited while the phone dialed and rang within the receiver. She was somewhat expecting to hear the usual response from an operator about dialing the wrong number, but instead, heard a click and the sound of a familiar stern voice she could not help but miss.

“Layla speaking.” It actually worked.

“la-la-Layla! It's been a while.” She attempted to control her stuttering, but the excitement from hearing her senior again was overwhelming.

“Ah, Sora. What can I do for you?”

“Oh! Uh, I just wanted to chat for a little bit. Umm… are you busy right now?”

“No, but hold on for a moment while I put on my headset.” She could hear Layla rummaging around along with a constant rumbling noise in the background.

“Okay, go ahead.”

“Where are you now?”

“I'm in Berlin.”

“Berlin? I thought you were in Vienna?”

“That was last week. I'm in a different country every week for my tour.”

“That's amazing! How is that going for you by the way?”

“It's going as planned. Maestro Vieira seemed very pleased with my performance, so that's one orchestra off my checklist. I audition for Berlin Philharmonic tomorrow and the Royal Concertgebouw next week.”

“Oh wow! I wish for your very best and hope all goes well for you!”

“Thank you.” A bit of silence invaded the conversation before Layla began speaking again.

“How are things going on your side?”

“Oh! Ah, some of the people who left the concert hall, including me, were hired at Marine Park to perform for the holiday season. The manager was thrilled that we were able to stir up some excitement among the crowds, so he extended our contract.”

“I see. It seems you were able to get back up on your feet.”

“It seems that way. Oh, about that. Sorry I bothered you the other day at the airport.”

“Don't worry about it. It was an unfortunate day for both of us.” Another wave of silence intruded, but this time, she took the initiative to speak.”

“By any chance, were you back in Cape Mery today, or yesterday?” There was a slight pause before Layla answered.

“... No. I believe I was heading towards Berlin from Vienna during that time. The duration it takes to travel from here back to San Francisco is not worth taking for a one day visit… Why do you ask?”

“... Uh, it's nothing. I was just wondering.”

“I see. Well, I think I should let you go. Isn't it past midnight for you?” She glanced at her clock again.

“Oh, you're right. I guess I should go then. Thank you for your time. Have a good night, I mean, wonderful day!”

“Thank you for calling. I hope all goes well for you and your new job. Have a good night.”

After another brief pause, she heard a click before it was replaced by a humming tone, signaling the end of the call. Hanging up the phone, she turned off the lamp and decided that now was a good time to sleep. Once again, she tucked herself in and soon, unconsciousness took over as her last question for the night dissolved into the abyss of her mind.

Why did she feel that Layla resembled the phantom violinist?

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Days had flashed by and Christmas Eve was nearing. The phantom violinist had frequently appeared whenever the group performed, but his presence gradually decreased, which unforeseeably placed a rough image on Marine Park when customers began giving negative feedbacks about not being able to see the phantom perform. The manager was nice enough to bluntly state that if they were not able to attract enough customers to cover his cost, he would have to cut their contract short. Therefore, another planning session was triggered which invoked Sora's idea of skating on ice while playing instruments during Christmas Eve. Everyone thought it was a great idea, until Sarah suggested that they should wear costumes to complement their performance and took the liberty of renting 19th century evening gowns for the girls and uniform suits for Anna and Emilio.

“Do I really have to wear this?”

She shyly glanced at the mirror, which reflected a girl wearing a long-sleeved, snowy white ball gown with free flowing pleats that extended to her mid calves, coupled by two fluttering bows, one tied to the back of her waist and other to the back of her head. Tugging on a translucent sleeve, her heart sank when she noticed that her top was rather low-cut, more than she would have liked.

“If it weren't for someone's boyfriend, you wouldn't have to, and why do `I' have to wear this?” Anna was tugging on the collar of a classic, Russian formal uniform.

“Boyfriend!? I don't even know who he is!” She defended.

“AH! Sora! You look ADORABLE! Just like a doll!” Sarah squeezed her in a tight bear hug while nuzzling her head.

“Um… Sarah? Don't you think this dress is a little, revealing? It's a bit chilly out there on ice.” She pleaded.

“Nonsense! The neck line goes right bellow your collar bone. That's not even considered cleavage you modest girl! You guys are performing pieces from the Nutcracker ballet, so you have to look the part!” The diva attested.

“Then why can't I be the Mouse King?” Anna argued.

“Oh hush now. It's not like we're sticking to the same theme the whole time. It'll look weird to have a mouse skating around when we play songs from the Phantom of the Opera.” Sarah countered.

“Can I be a jester then? There's one in both stories!”

“And leave grand duke Emilio alone? Surrounded by a bunch of cute girls? That would definitely send the wrong message.”

“Stop arguing you guys! We're burning daylight! People are already out there!” Mia interjected.

Leaving the employee locker room with everyone else, she followed them to the rental booth while carrying her violin and received a nice pair of stark white, laced ice skates. Walking towards the rink proved to be difficult because she had a hard time carrying her violin, bow, and skates all at once. Inevitably, she bumped into another person and dropped her items while she herself began falling forward, but before she could hit the ground, long arms caught her and steadied her balance.

“I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!” She apologized and bowed before scrambling to gather her fallen objects.

“You must be Sora.” She looked up and gasped at the unexpected person before her.

“You're Layla's friend from that one day. Yuri, right? Ah! Excuse my rudeness. Thanks for helping me out just now.” He chuckled before picking up her violin and handing it back to her.

“Not at all... Hm, going all out for work today?” He asked while examining her outfit from head to toe.

“Sort of… We're trying something new... Are you here on your free time?” She asked.

“You could say that.”

Her heart sank when his facial expression presented the most sinister looking grin she could ever recall seeing. Before she could further dwell on her thoughts, the sound of a familiar, low toned voice interrupted.

“I thought you'd be here, Yuri.”

Turning around, she was surprised to find Layla's father. Yuri's face had changed into a state of disbelief and shock.

“Mr. Hamilton?! What are you doing here? I thought you were in Amsterdam with Layla?” Yuri asked.

“I was, but she's auditioning for the London Symphony Orchestra today. It would be pointless for me to stay in Amsterdam, would it not? I have a business to run after all.”

“But… if you're here, then…” Yuri appeared to be quite disturbed.

“Yuri, I am well aware that you care deeply for my daughter's well being, but during the few hours I was able to spend with her, I realized, I need to acknowledge that she has already left the protection of my wing. Layla is already able to fly high and strong even without my help, so I have full faith that she can handle things on her own.”

“Sir, you don't understand! She's-”

“SORA! What are you doing!?”

Mia had grabbed her arm and dragged her off. Taking one last glimpse back, she spotted the two men head off to the second floor. She was curious to find out more about the conversation they were discussing, but opted to wait for later and personally ask Layla herself.

“Geeze Sora, what were you doing all that time?” Anna asked.

“Sorry, I was spacing out again. Eheheh.”

The group had already equipped their gear and was in the process of heading out when she arrived. She quickly slipped into her skates, tying up the laces and unclipping the blade guard as she picked up her violin and bow. Stepping out onto the ice, her balance faltered as she tried to hold up her violin while skating around the rink, not having been accustomed to doing both. Everyone also seemed to have struggled at first, but soon got the hang of it and began enjoying themselves quite a bit. Eventually they gained a decent amount of momentum to skate at a steady speed and began playing classics from Tchaikovsky's “The Nutcracker.”

As she was gleefully plucking along to “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” she noticed that someone was skating a little too close to her and glanced to quickly identify the person, but nearly dropped her bow when she realized that the phantom himself, who was loosely holding a violin to his side, was present. The masked man coasted in silence with her, never turning his face to meet hers, which made her feel extremely nervous, wondering what he was doing or what she was supposed to do.

The piece ended and she noticed that her comrades were evacuating the rink, leaving her alone with the phantom violinist, lost in a sea of curious onlookers. Becoming confused, she attempted to follow the others and ask what their plan was because lunchtime was not for another hour, but her attempt was foiled by a familiar, firm grip.

Turning to face her captor, her eyes widen when she was able to discern his exposed eyes within the close proximity of their faces. Where had she recalled seeing those azure eyes that shot shivers down her spine? When was it that she could remember trembling in fear because of an intensive atmosphere? Her questions were interrupted when she heard the prelude of string instruments and turned to spot Sarah and Emilio, who were sitting on the edge of the rink wall, giving her thumbs up before beginning their duet. Her jaw dropped when she realized that everyone was in on this except her.

*No more talk of darkness,
forget these wide-eyed fears.
I'm here, nothing can harm you,
my words will warm and calm you...*

The phantom had released his hold and positioned his violin, ushering her to do the same as he began performing. She obeyed and followed him around the rink while playing along, side by side.

~All I want is freedom,
a world with no more night,
and you, always beside me,
to hold me and to hide me…~

Performing with the phantom was like floating through a dream as they composed an improvised duet to accompany the vocals. Her heart fluttered at the musical poetry he seemed to have been reciting, rousing her to draw her bow with utmost care while caressing the strings in a melting slur as she endeavored to convey her developing emotions towards him. She was overwhelmed with the feelings of pleasurable excitement and deep admiration for him, an entirely different feeling from the ones she felt while performing with her friends.

~Say you love me every waking moment,
turn my head with talk of summertime...~

The phantom began picking up speed, gliding across the ice a little ahead, but then gracefully spun around to face her, glissading backwards while continuing to render his sweet music, luring her to come closer. Her eyes never left his for fear of breaking the ethereal bond she had just created with him. It was as if he was leading her in a waltz, a dance shared just between the two of them.

*Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime…*

Her face flushed with heat as it occurred to her that she had been imagining embarrassing fairy tales as well as experiencing unexpected emotions of joy while performing.

~*Anywhere you go let me go too.
Love me, that's all I ask of you…*~

The song neared its end as she continued to be lost within her haze, cruising along in comfortable peace with the phantom. Suddenly, she was brutally yanked to the side of the rink by her arm, which cringed in pain from the harsh death grip. Recovering from the shock, she was met with another when an enraged Yuri was glaring at her ruthlessly.

“You're working for Carlos aren't you?! It's all because of you that she keeps coming back! You're destroying her dream!”

As Yuri attempted to seize her instrument, she struggled in a tug of war to reclaim it back, but was failing miserably because of the large difference in bodily strength. She was totally baffled about why she was so violently accused and why he was doing this. What did she ever do to him? The sheer pressure from Yuri bending the bow had snapped it in half, scattering chips of slivers around with only the hair of the bow linking the two jagged pieces, which continued to be pulled on by the two. In a few seconds, the phantom collided into Yuri's back and ventured into prying off the offender.

“DON'T GET IN MY WAY!”

Abandoning her bow, she focused on at least saving her violin, but her action proved to be fatal as Yuri's arm recoiled from her release, elbowing the phantom in the face while thrusting the sharp end of the bow into the masked man's shoulder. Yuri ceased his flailing as the phantom fell with a sickening thud, mask rolling off and to her horror, a clump of raven hair coming off with it.

Copper eyes widen as it reflected long, golden locks of hair spill forth onto the blood-stained ice.

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Chapter Notes:

- I'm not good with dialogue transitions, especially when it involves a large group, so if you get confused about who's talking, let me know and I'll try to fix it.

- I'm not sure how well I described the phantom's mask, so if you're curious to see what I was looking at when trying, there's a link to the picture in my profile.

- Mask design was inspired by photographer vampynicole.

- “The Music of the Night” and “All I Ask of You” are songs written by composer Andrew Lloyd Weber.

- “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” is a piece written by composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

- Review or E-mail, please?

- 2/14/2009