DISCLAIMER: I own NOTHING but the plot. K? Although, I wish I owned Erik…Also, there will be some French in this story, which I will translate at the end of the chapter. And don't feel unloved if you review and I don't acknowledge you, I simply don't have enough time to fine every one's username. Don't be alarmed that the Christine looks different; she's still the same character. Anyway, enjoy…(p.s. o.O page break)

o.O

"Good Morning, folks, it is 6:14 a.m., and boy, is it beautiful! Currently at 70 degrees, we will reach a high of 76 degrees the day progresses, coming back down to 65 in the late afternoon, with maybe a few gusts of wind. And now to Sandy with the traffic report…"

I reached out from the comforts of my warm bed to smack the snooze button on my alarm clock. Sadly, I was already awake. A faint glimmer of sunlight streamed in through my window as I sat up and stretched, yawning slightly. I stepped lightly onto the ground and began walking toward my bathroom. I turned on the lights dragged my feet over to the shower. Turning the handle to "warm" I left it to warm up and grabbed two towel, dropping them by the bathtub, which was a few feet away from the shower. Why two towels? When your hair reached past your shoulder blades, you need one towel to dry off and one towel to wrap your hair in. Or so I do.

I walked back over to the shower where I stuck my hand in to see if it was warm enough. Thankfully, it was. I shed my red and black plaid boxer shorts and my red tank top and stepped in, sighing happily as the steam from the hot water engulfed me. I hummed softly as I washed my hair and opened up my new peppermint-vanilla body wash. I scrubbed all over and then put conditioner in my hair. By the time I was done showering, it was about 6:33.

I wrapped my hair up in one of the towels, turban style, and wrapped the other towel around me since the cold air in my bathroom was a bit of a contrast to the was steam of the shower. Being careful not to step in a puddle of water and fall not-so-gracefully into the bathtub like I had the other day, I walked back into my bedroom and turned on the lights. My iPod was still on its charger from the night before, as was my cell phone. I plugged it into the speakers and searched around until I found what song I was looking for. When it began to play, I turned away to find something to wear. I opened and closed my drawers and closets, trying to find something to wear, as the lyrics from BarlowGirl's 'Never Alone' filled my room. As I trotted around in my towel picking out clothes, I sang along, my voice blending perfectly with hers.

I waited for you today, but you didn't show, no, no, no

I needed you today, so where did you go?

You told me to call, said you be there

And though I haven't seen you, are you still there?

I cried out with no reply and I can't feel you by my side,

So I'll hold tight to what I know, you're here…and I'm never alone…

I pretended to play an imaginary drum set as the soft, sad piano gave way to a louder guitar and drums ensemble. I took the towel from around my head and began to braid my long black hair into a French braid.

And though I cannot see you, and I can't explain why

Such a deep, deep reassurance you've placed in my life, ooh

We cannot separate, 'cause you're part of me

And though you're invisible I'll trust the unseen,

I cried out with no reply and I can't feel you by my side,

So I'll hold tight to what I know, you're here, and I'm never alone…

Now done with the braid, I dropped my towel from around my body and began to dress, pulling on my bra and underwear, and then my clothes. I had chosen a pair of light blue hip-hugger flare jeans and one of my favorite t-shirts. It was a dark, blood red with flames bordering all around the bottom and the sleeves. On the chest it bore the words "what raging fire shall flood the soul?" in black cursive writing and on the back, between my shoulder blades, was a white half-mask. I pulled on my faded black NSSs with blood red ribbon-like shoelaces and strode into the bathroom to put on my make-up, still singing along to my iPod.

We cannot separate, 'cause you're part of me

And though you're invisible I'll trust the unseen…

I cried out with no reply and I can't feel you by my side,

So I'll hold tight to what I know, you're here, and I'm never alone…

The song finished right as I finished taking out all my makeup. I brushed some black mascara over my lashes and picked up my sparkly beige eye shadow. I dusted some over my eyelids and then accented it by taking a Q-Tip, rubbing it around in some dark brown shadow, and brushing it in the crease of my eyelid in both eyes. I then lined my greenish gold eyes with black eyeliner, causing then to look even more cat-eye-ish. Grabbing my neutral lip-gloss I dabbed some on and then put everything away and turned out the lights. I didn't know why, but I felt the need to look good today.

I grabbed my iPod and cell phone from their chargers and stuffed them into my purse. After making sure my car/house keys were in there too, I slung it over my shoulder and picked up my backpack and my dark red zip-up hoodie.

On my way out I grabbed a packet of s'mores pop-tarts and fed my cat, Aeysha. I wrote a quick note that read, " I woke up early and went to starbucks to catch up w/ Raoul and Meg. See you when I get home. –Christine" and stuck it on the counter so my family would know that I had left a little early. I locked the door behind me and opened up the garage door. I slid into my little black Mazda and closed the door. As soon as I stared the ignition, the CD I had been listening to started up, and I backed into the driveway. When I was completely pulled out I pressed the button to close the garage door, and started my drive to school.

You see, my father died in 2001 of a brain aneurysm and left my little sister, Sarah, and I fatherless. My mother was devastated but within a year she started dating again. His name was Kenneth, and we were a lot alike. In fact, too much alike. We fought all the time and most of the time my mother got involved, and ended up in tears. Needless to say, I felt like slapping Kenneth, but resisted. My little sister is also affected by him, but just because she's a softie. Kenneth has never had kids so he doesn't know that if you tell them to shut up, they don't take it well. I'm guessing he's a slow learner though, 'cause he keeps on doin' it.

My main source of relief is from my friend Meg Giles, and my boyfriend, Raoul DuCharme. Meg may as well live with me too, since she always barges in uninvited. Even if she's a little obnoxious, she keeps me sane. Raoul and I have been dating for about 2 months, but we've been friends much longer. I didn't really like going out with him, but I wasn't going to break up with him just yet. I needed a motivation.

I checked the clock to make sure I wasn't going to be late again, and was glad to see that I was right on time. First period started at 8:25, so I had about an hour to spare. As I parked in front of Starbucks I saw a familiar red convertible and alongside it, a beat up old mustang. Raoul and Meg. I spotted them almost immediately as I walked through the front door and I walked up behind Raoul. Meg saw me first however, and gave it away by shouting "Christine!"

I sat down across from her and next to Raoul, who draped and arm around me. I pouted at her.

"Why can't you ever just be quiet? I bet that the people across town heard that!"

She grinned. "Well, hey, what can I say? Being loud is my trademark."

"Along with being obnoxious, nosy, embarrassing, a shopaholic, and a ditz."

Raoul chuckled and Meg stuck her tongue out at me. I smiled back at her. "I love you, too."

Just as she was about to open her mouth and reply, the bell over the door rang and someone we had never seen before stepped in.

Raoul, Meg, and I knew pretty much everyone who had been coming to Starbucks (since we came here almost every day), so when someone walked in, we usually asked how their life was. When this man walked in however, we were lost for words.

I couldn't help staring as I watched him. He seemed perfectly ordinary from the left, even if he was a dressed a little more formally then one would normally on a Tuesday morning, even for work. He was wearing black dress pants and shoes, with a white button up shirt. He had dark, black hair that was slicked back, and went to below his ears in a way that was mysterious yet elegant. He looked a little older then me and from what I could see he had amazing blue-green eyes, and a tan, handsome face. I must have stared for a while, because Meg started waving her hand in front of me.

"Christine? Helloooo? Anybody home? Chris? Yo! Christine!" She barked.

"Huh? What?" I blinked and snapped to. She was grinning at me.

"You like the new customer?" She asked, completely ignoring the fact that Raoul was sitting next to me, although his arm was no longer draped around his shoulder due to the fact that a plate of pound cake and our coffees had been set in front of him.

I glared at her. "No. He just seems different from everyone else, I can't explain it. I don't know why."

She glanced up at him. "Not really. I'm gonna watch him for a second anyway to see if the other half of his face is as gorgeous as this one, though. You can too, as your boyfriend is too busy stuffing his face to notice."

I looked at Raoul and saw she was right. No harm in looking, I thought, as I looked back up at him. Right when I did, he turned around with his drink and a newspaper in hand, and I gasped softly. So did Meg.

Over the left side of his face he wore a pristine, white half-mask that covered his face from his hairline until right above his jaw, with a cut out for his eye, which was the same brilliant blue-green color. He looked over as he turned, and our eyes met.

It was the strangest feeling. He wasn't staring rudely, and he didn't seem angry. He was more curious. He held my gaze for a moment and during that time I felt as though I was under his control. I shivered and he looked away, heading for the table next to ours.

Meg watched me with fascination as I watched him stride over and sit down. I couldn't help but notice how tall he was, and the strange feeling came over me again. He must have felt me staring, because he looked over at us. At me. He caught my eye again and smiled ever so slightly before looking down at his paper.

I let out a deep breath and looked down at me hands, which were clasped on the tabletop. Meg was still looking at me.

Suddenly I looked up.

"Guys, we gotta go! Class starts in 15 minutes!" I grabbed my hot chocolate and walked with Meg and Raoul to the door, swearing that the man's gaze was on me the whole time.

When we got outside, Raoul plunked into his car after giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"See ya at lunch, bye!" He backed out slowly and drove off, leaving Meg and I standing there.

"So." Meg said, crossing her arms and looking me in the eye. "Just commenting, but from what I just saw, I think you should give Raoul the 'let's just be friends' talk."

I glared at her again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She gazed at me calmly. "Exactly what I said. That you should just be friends."

With that she got into her car, back out, and drove away after Raoul. I stared after her and then glanced into the shop once more, finding my eyes locking with his. I turned around and got into my car, thinking about how the rest of the day would go.

o.O

I pulled into the school parking lot at exactly 8: 18, giving me just enough time to park and get my books. Even after half a year of school, I still forgot what order my classes were in, so I checked my schedule so I would be able to grab what books I needed.

1st Period – Math

2nd Period – History

3rd Period – Science

4th Period – Literature

-LUNCH-

5th Period – French

6th Period – Choir

I locked my car and walked into school, turning off my phone on my way in. I walked down the hall to locker number 7167, and set my stuff down to fiddle with the lock. After a few tries, I finally got it open, with my combo of 3-8-29. I was so glad our school had full-length lockers. I pulled off my hoodie and hung on one of the hooks, then hung my backpack on the one opposite to it. I reached down to the selves and grabbed my Math and History books, since they were right next to each other. I figured I could come back and drop them off to get my Literature and Science books since those two classes were close to my locker. Then there was lunch, and after that, French and Choir. I couldn't wait until Choir. The teacher for that was Madame Giles, Meg's mom. She was kind of like a second mother to me, not to mention she had been my mother's best friend.

Choir was a little hard for me because my family was very musical and for a while after my father died, I couldn't sing at all. I could sing now, even though I wasn't very open about my father's death. I was a good singer, too, first soprano. Meg was in choir too, although she was an alto. As I reached to close my locker, I smiled at the pictures I had posted in there.

One of me and my father, taken not-so-long ago, one of Meg, Raoul, and I, and about five from my all-time-favorite musical-now-movie; The Phantom of the Opera. As I gazed at one of the pictures of The Phantom, or Erik, as we phanatics know him, I noticed that the man in Starbucks looked exactly like him. I closed my locker and began the walk toward Math, thoughts bouncing around in my head.

o.O

I walked into literature and plunked down into a seat right before the bell rang. Math, History, and Science had gone well, and now, in Literature, we were about to receive our next project. As I was settling in, our teacher, Mr. Reyer, walked in.

"Good morning, class." He said, as he set his things on his desk. "I'm sure you're all wondering what our next piece of literature that we'll be studying is. Well, I am about to answer that question, but first, I would like to compliment Miss Dekker for wearing that shirt, since it has to do with what we are about to study. Miss Dekker, would you please stand up?"

I stood up and turned around, so the rest of the class could see my shirt. I then turned again, so they could see the half-mask.

Mr. Reyer continued. "If you haven't figured it out, we will be studying 'The Phantom of the Opera'. We will start out by reading Gaston Leroux's version and then Susan Kay's, which is titled, 'Phantom: The Passionate story of the Man behind the Mask'. We will compare the two. We will then move on to compare the musical and the recent movie, which is based off of the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Any questions? Good, let's start."

I sat back down and sighed happily. Today was going great.

o.O

BRRRIIIINNNGGGGGG!

Mr. Reyer paused and looked up at the clock. He then went to the chalkboard and wrote down in neat script; HOMEWORK: PAGES 34 – 85 (CHAPTERS 3 – 6)

"Class Dismissed!" He announced.

I grabbed my copy of the book and scrambled for the door, so I would be able to drop it off at my locker before going to lunch. After I had it locked safely away, I headed toward the cafeteria. As soon as I got in I saw that Raoul was saving a table and that Meg was near the beginning of the line, waving toward me. I took a tray and slipped in front of her, grateful that their classes were right next to the cafeteria.

As we moved down the buffet line, I was pleased to discover that we were having one of my favorite lunches, as well as one of the more decent school meals. Lasagna. I held out my tray for a serving and then continued to get a side, a drink, and a desert. I chose a fruit cup, Dr. Pepper, and a small slice of chocolate cake. I was so glad that our school was wealthy enough to afford such good meal choices.

As I approached the table, I noticed a black leather notebook lying at the staff table, with a gold engraving on the cover that read, ""...Close i suoi occhi e ha lasciato la serie di musica lei libera..." - La Musica Della Notte". Since I was able to speak Italian, I quickly translated it in my head. …Close your eyes and let music set you free…- The Music of the Night. It was a line from my favorite song, from my favorite movie. The Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera. I set down my tray at the table and started eating. Meg sat down shortly after. Raoul looked at me funny and then asked, "What's up?"

I jerked up my head and replied, "I was just thinking about that guy in Starbucks. You know, the guy with the mask."

Raoul looked confused. "Who? I guess I didn't see him."

Meg laughed. "You were too busy stuffing your face with pound cake. You must have been deeply satisfied not to notice the way she was staring at him."

Raoul turned to look at me, looking slightly put out. I kicked Meg under the table and she winced.

"Don't worry Raoul, I was just curious about the mask. Meg's just being stupid. As usual."

Raoul looked better and went back to his food, but I was wondering if what I said was true. If I was only curious. Maybe I should break up with Raoul. No, I was being stupid. I didn't even know who this guy was. I should at least know who he is and how old he is and stuff if I was even going to consider him. I was being paranoid, I decided. If I met him again I might ask him who he was, but only if I bumped into him. Only.

o.O

BBRRRRIIIIIINNNGGGG! The bell signaling end of lunch rang and I threw away my lunch by the doors, I walked to my locker to get out my notebook and pencil bag, which was what I would need for French. I would be able to drop it off at my locker afterwards, then pick up my backpack and jacket to head to choir, which was by the parking lot. After I had my stuff, I walked to French, where I found Meg, who was already there and saving me a seat.

Meg was born in Texas, but her mother is French, so she was raised speaking French. That was why she was in AP French. I was in it because I spent so much time at her house that I picked it up, and now it was a second language. I set my stuff down by hers and looked up as the teacher walked in. She was petite, about 5' 4", with long dark blonde hair and green eyes. She was wearing khakis and a light blue top that day. Her name was Mademoiselle Nevou, but we just called her Madame.

"Tout le monde est-il ici? Bon, commençons. Aujourd'hui nous serons disscussing les similarités entre cette langue, français, et espagnol. Sortir votre cahier et vos crayons et élève s'il vous plaît votre main si vous parlez même un petit espagnol." She said.

I raised my hand. Meg just took out her supplies; she didn't know any Spanish.

Mme Nevou continued. "Nous apprendrons le consonants et les voyelles espagnoles, de même que quelques mots qui sont très similaire au mot français, comprendre ? Bon."

She turned to the board and wrote down a few words in Spanish, and then next to them, the word in French. When she turned around, Meg and I copied the list down in our notebooks, writing the English translation next to the Spanish and French.

ENGLISH:

Sun, World, Yes, No, Up, Down, Left, Right, Start, End

FRENCH:

Soleil, Monde, Oui, Non, En haut, En bas, Part, Droite, Commencer, Fin

SPANISH:

Sol, Mundo, Si, No, Arriba, Abajo, Izquierda, Derecha, Comienzo, Fin

"Tout le monde a-t-il que copié en bas ? Approuve, Maintenant qui peut me dire que ces deux langues ont émergé de ?" Mme asked.

A boy in front of us raised his hand and she called on him. As we learned the routes of French and Spanish, we found that pretty soon, it was time to go to Choir. The bell rang and Meg and I collected our things, pausing to listen as Mme. Gave us our homework.

"L'accord, les étudiants, ce soir j'aimerais pour vous étudier le latin et les routes grecques des mots je vous ai donné aujourd'hui. J'aimerais aussi qu'une liste de 10 mots que vous trouvez sur votre propre que semble près dans la comparaison. Avoir un soir agreeable, au revoir."

I got my backpack from my locker and shoved the notebook in it, not wanting to be late for Choir. Slinging my backpack over my shoulder and my jacket over my arm, I walked with Meg to the Choir room.

o.O

When we arrived, Mme. Giles was in her office and a group of girls was chatting on the risers. I put my bag on the bottom row, in the soprano one section, and went to go write on the black board. As I was writing, the door opened. I looked at it confused, because all of the students in Aria were already here, and Mme. Giles was in her office. I turned and continued writing, and when I was done I stepped back to see who it was and gasped.

The man from Starbucks was reading what I had written, nodding his head. He set his bag on the floor by the piano and took the black leather book I had seen earlier out of it.

"Lasciare il sogno inizia, ha lasciato il suo lato più scuro dà in, al potere della Musica della Notte." He read. He smiled at me. "Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in, to the power of the Music of the Night. Indeed." He offered his hand. " I am Erik DeVazier. I believe I saw you this morning? I am glad I will have met someone in this class. And you are?"

He seemed nice, and his hand was warm. I answered immediately.

"Christine Dekker. Strange coincidental name thing happening here. I mean, Christine, Erik, your mask." I winced. Oops, nice one Christine. Erik tensed a little, but smiled all the same. "The reason I am named Erik is because of the need for the mask. It was a pleasure to meet you, Christine, but I believe Mme. Giles would like for us to get started."

I whirled around and found that Madame Giles was clapping her hands trying to get everyone's attention. I smiled at Mr. DeVazier and went to take my seat, amazed at the luck I was having.

TRANSLATIONS:

Is everyone here? Good, lets start. Today we will be discussing the similarities between French and Spanish. Get out your notebooks and pencils and if you speak even a little bit of Spanish, please raise your hand.

We will learn some Spanish consonants and vowels, and also some Spanish words that are similar to French words. Understand? Good

For homework I would like you to find the Greek and Latin roots of the words I gave you as well as 10 of your own words that you choose. Have a good night, good bye.