Chapter One

There is a room in the Opera Populaire where there are candles for people to light for the souls of the dead and pray for them. The room seemed simple enough. No one would ever expect that the painting in between the two rows of candles was really a secret lookout. Really no one but Erik the Phantom of the Opera knew about it. He was the one that made it that way after all. All one had to do was look threw the eyes of the angel from behind the wall on which was painted. Simple enough if you were Erik who lived under the opera house.

The reason Erik had installed the secret lookout was so that he could teach Christine Daae. Ah yes Christine. She had been his lovely protégée who he taught to sing like as beautifully as angel by telling her that he was the Angel of Music sent by her father. He had gradually fallen in love with her and hoped that she would return his feelings even though he was deformed. But his chances were ruined by the return of Christine's childhood sweetheart the vicomte Raoul de Changy who stole her heart from him and made her even betray him.

Now Erik found himself once again in the room where he use to teach his angel. He sighed trying not remember her but it was impossible. She and that fop had gotten married so that she was now Countess de Changy. They were living a happy life as far as the newspapers and gossip informed him.

Suddenly however he was snapped from his thoughts at the sound of feet running down the stairs into the room. He brought his eyes to the peepholes just in time to see a young girl come running down the steps and fall on the floor on her knees before him her head falling into her hands. He watched shocked as the woman's shoulders shook with sobs. She couldn't be more then fourteen years old. Why was she crying? A chocked whisper suddenly sounded from the woman. "I am broken," She whispered between sobs.

Erik was stunned. She was broken? He was broken. Perhaps… Before he could stop himself he said, "And why are you broken mademoiselle?" The girl's head snapped up and Erik found himself looking into two beautiful dark brown eyes. He took her moment of being stunned and looking around the room for the voice that had spoken to examine her better.

She had thick light brown hair that fell in soft waves and curls to her shoulders. Her lips were a full cupid's bow that now opened to speak. "Who's there?" The girl said. Erik knew that he could just walk away now and not answer her question but for some reason he found that he didn't want to.

"I would rather not say mademoiselle," He said. "But you have not answered my question. Please tell me why you are broken." The girl down at her lap no doubt trying to figure out if she should tell him or not. "Please mademoiselle," Erik said, "for I am just as broken and I will tell you why if you tell me." After the words had escaped his mouth he cursed softly. Why had he said that?! The girl looked back up at him again.

"Alright," She said. "I'll tell you. I'm originally from Cambridge, New York in America. It's a really small town you've probably never heard of but anyway. Then one day at my school they announced that the mangers of the Opera Populaire were looking for new people to come to the opera house. Those who auditioned had to be between fourteen and eighteen. I had heard of the opera house and always wanted to go there. So even though I was nervous I decided to go the auditions."

"And how did you do?" Erik asked. The girl smiled.

"Madame Giry the ballet teacher was there," She said, "and she showed everyone there how we needed to sing and dance. As we were practicing it she smiled at me and said, 'This girl knows the steps perfectly. Why don't you come up and show the others how to do it?' So I went up and danced the steps and sang alone. Then after I had finished everyone joined me. But after auditions Madame Giry stopped me and said, 'You did very well my dear.'

"We all had to wait for a week for the results of the auditions to come back but when they were passed out during my homeroom class my name was printed right at the top. I was so happy but there was one thing that suddenly made my heart fall. I hadn't told any of my family that I was auditioning. I knew that they probably wouldn't let me leave school to go to the Opera Populaire.

"The mangers Andre and Firmin and Madame Giry met with me to talk about my concerns. They promised me that those who still needed to be taught an education would be taught it at the opera house. They even promised to help me convince my parents to allow me to go. So I said that I would come to the opera house and I would tell my family that night."

"How did the react?" Erik asked. The girl's face fell.

"Not well," She said. "They couldn't believe that I was leaving school to become a singer! Some of them couldn't even believe I was able to get in at all. They were proud of me of course but they wanted me to go to finish school and go threw college before going to work at the opera house. But I told them that I had to go. 'But what about college?' My parents protested. I told them that I could go there and still work at the Opera Populaire as well.

"'They have some of the best colleges in Paris!' I said, 'and once I start going to college they've promised to start paying me to help me pay for tuition!' And so my mom said, 'Well if it's your dream then you can go…' So I packed everything I would need and left on the plane to Paris the next week."

"But if they let you go then why are you so said?" Erik asked curiously.

"Because I just got two letters," The girl said, "one from my mom and one from my dad. They told me that when I finished my education and was ready to go to college that they would take me out of the Opera Populaire. And I don't want to leave! I love it here! So I called to tell them but they wouldn't listen to me." Erik found himself hating these parents. Couldn't they understand the dream of their child?

"I'm sorry," Erik said. "Now as I promised I'll tell you why I am broken. I was in love with a beautiful young woman. She worked here at the opera house and I taught her how to sing so that her voice became like an angel's. I hoped that she would love me as well but then her old sweetheart stole her away from me. But I was determined to win her heart and I still tried to make her love me but it was impossible. She betrayed me to the world and left me all alone." He watched as the girl's eyes filled with sympathy.

"I'm so sorry," She said. "Your reason to be broken is so much worse then mine."

"Not really mademoiselle," Erik said. "You're also going to lose something you love." The girl nodded sadly.

"That's true," She said. Erik suddenly felt a desperate wish to make her sadness go away.

"But let's not speak of that now," He said. "You said that you work here at the opera house now. I take it your one of the new chorus girls?"

"Yes," The girl said, "but Madame Giry said that I could become one of the leading singers if I practiced my voice enough." All of a sudden a startling thought struck Erik.

"Will you sing for me?" He asked.

"No I'm sorry," The girl said. "I don't think you'll like it very much."

"Please," Erik said. "I promise not to make fun of you."

"Alright," The girl said. "Dancing bears," She sang. "Painted wings

Things I almost remember

And a song someone sings

Once upon a December

Someone holds me safe and warm

Horses prance through a silver storm

Figures dancing gracefully across my memory…

Someone holds me safe and warm

Horses prance through a silver storm

Figures dancing gracefully across my memory…

Far away, long ago

Glowing dim as an ember

Things my heart

Used to know

Things it yearns to remember…

And a song

Someone sings

Once upon a December." Erik stood there stunned as the song ended. And this child said that she couldn't sing? Who had ever told her that? Her voice was beautiful although as Madame Giry said it needed practice. "I know it wasn't any good," The girl said. "Sorry."

"No," Erik said. "Tell me whoever told you that your voice wasn't good?" The girl's face looked stunned.

"My friends told me that in Chorus they told me that they couldn't hear my voice with the others," The girl said, "and that I needed to put more emotion into my singing." Erik frowned.

"That maybe true," He said, "but that's only because like Madame Giry said your voice needs practice. To say that your voice is horrible is an ugly dirty lie."

"But my voice isn't very good," The girl said, "I know that."

"No," Erik said. "Please believe me. You have an astonishing voice. Exquisite in tone and shape in fact in almost every single detail. Expect but forgive me it is obviously untrained. Have you ever had a teacher?" (A/N: Second to last line that Erik says from 1990 Kopit version.)

"No," The girl said.

"Well therein lays the root of your problem," Erik said. "Your voice will go to waste if not taught."

"I know," The girl said, "but there's no one who can teach me." Erik was struck by an insane thought. He could teach her. He instantly pushed it away. No he couldn't each anyone! Not after Christine… He would not take on another pupil and fall in love with them only to have them break and betray him again. This girl was young and innocent there was still time for her yet.

Or maybe there wasn't. She only had four years left to learn how to sing. What if she couldn't find a good teacher in that time? He knew that there were plenty of singing teachers smattered across Paris but not a lot of them were good and most of the truly excellent ones already had too many pupils for them to handle and would refuse to take on anymore.

"Excuse me?" The girl said drawing Erik out of his thoughts. "But do you know a teacher I could go to? One of the chorus girls said that I should go to a man named Charles Burr."

"Do not go to him," Erik said. "He is a man who thinks that he sing wonderfully when he truly sounds like a toad. Also he's half drunk all the time."

"Then there's nowhere else for me to go," The girl said. "I've tried everywhere and the teachers Madame Giry says I should have won't take me on. She said that there is one man who might be able to teach me but that he has refused to take on any pupils because the only one he ever had betrayed him. When I ask for his name though she tells me no one knows his name." Erik couldn't believe it. Had Madame Giry really been recommending him to this girl?

"I am that man," Erik said softly. The girl looked at him surprised.

"So you're a singing teacher?" She asked.

"I'm truly a musician in a way," Erik said.

"Please sir," The girl said, "would you teach me then? I know that your first pupil betrayed you but I promise you that I will not."

"Do you swear it?" Erik found himself asking. The girl nodded. "Then swear it upon your life," Erik said.

"I swear upon my life I will not betray you," The girl said.

"I will hold you to it mademoiselle," Erik said, "should you become my pupil."

"Please let me sir," The girl said.

"Only if you can agree to this condition," Erik said. "I have never taken on another student for until this night I never wanted to and if others hear I am giving lessons will they will want them too. Therefore I must insist that if I teach you that I remain anonymous." (A/N: Once again these lines although slightly edited are taken from the 1990 Kopit version.)

"I understand," The girl said.

"Then I shall teach you," Erik said. "Our lessons will begin here tomorrow night at exactly nine. But now go to bed its very late and you no doubt need the rest."

"Alright," The girl said standing up. "Goodnight," She said with a smile at him before turning and going to the stairs.

"Wait," Erik said. The girl turned around to look at him. "What is your name?" He asked. The girl smiled.

"I'll tell you my name when you tell me yours," She said.

"Fair enough," Erik smiled. "Goodnight and sleep well."

"You too," The girl said. Then she went up the stairs leaving Erik wondering why he had agreed to teach her.

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