Hello everyone!

Hey thanks for taking a look at my story! If you're reading this I just want to pre-warn you of a couple things. First off, if you don't know the whole storyline of the Phantom of the Opera and are not familiar with it at all, you might get a little confused. Basically the more you know the better. Second, this is only the first chapter of many to come just wanted to start it! Lastly, I'm not a very good writer so please read a comment, sorry if it's short. Please comment on anything I could possibly do better! Thanks so much and I hope you like it!

TheTrinityJ

P.S. Yes I don't know what to say but The Phantom of the Opera is not mine; I just put an interesting twist on it. This is based off of the famous play by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the film by Joel Schumacher for I do not own anything related to the Phantom of the Opera except this story.


Five years ago, the Phantom of the Opera haunted the famous opera house and caused great chaos for his opera was not being run as he pleased. He killed many, tortured the same, and haunted a girl by the name of Christine Daae. Now Christine Daae is happily married to Raoul de Chagny and is enjoying the many years she has had without the Phantom haunting her. But now we are endearing that fatal night; the reunion of that night when Christine handed the Phantom the ring, crushed his soul, and when he vanished supposedly forever.

Raoul, now running around frantic, is yelling and searching, looking for Christine who he just can't seem to find. Christine and Meg are in Christine's dressing room having an engaging conversation until being interrupted by Raoul.

"Christine! Christine! Where are you?"

"Raoul, I'm in the back room with Meg," Christine shouts.

"Well come now for we are going to be late if you don't hurry up."

"Oh I'm coming," she snaps. She takes the mask and places it in Meg Giry's hand. "Here Meg, bring it back and put it in the chest and make sure you do not by any means misplace it this time." Meg nodded and retreated through the opening in the mirror going through the most mysterious labyrinth the entranced Christine did some 5 years ago. Meg has gone back to the famous Phantom's lair many times now and each time she goes more uneasy. As she gets off the boat in the water, she goes up to the mirror the Phantom broke many years ago and places it next to his monkey with the clashing cymbals and then got back on the boat, traveled through the labyrinth, and back out to the opening in Christine's dressing room.

Cut to: A few hours later, Christine and Raoul about to make the entrance in the annual Masquerade, until their entrance is cut short by an ecstatic Meg.

"Christine, Christine, I must talk to you now!"

"Oh come now Meg this must wait for I do not want this entrance to be ruined and I Raoul will not be made a fool! No, not on this night," Raoul hissed.

"Come now darling this will only take a minute," Christine stated calmly. Meg takes Christine back into Christine's dressing room where she spills the most urgent news. Meg takes a deep breath and explains,

"I took the mask back as you said and put it right next to the broken mirror and his ancient monkey with the clashing cymbals and about 10 minutes ago I figured I would go back and check on it to make sure it was still there before the Masquerade began." Meg paused a minute while she caught her breath. "Madame, the labyrinth's candles were lit, the boat moved on its own, and the mask…it was gone."

Christine gives off a very uneasy stare at Meg and looked very frightened as the famous Phantom of the Opera music played in the back round. Just before the chorus would start, it gets interrupted by Raoul's shouting voice calling for Christine to come.

"Christine let's go now!" He grabs her arm as she is dragged out to the Masquerade and they make their long awaited entrance. Raoul is all smiles as he tries to redeem himself to the crowd for being late. Christine keeps the same frightened, stone look of astonishment as she believes the Phantom could in fact as promised, returned.

The Masquerade goes on for about an hour before Christine is introduced to an actor who is more mysterious than anyone would have ever believed.

Christine breaks away from Raoul as he is busy in a business conversation with fellow men. She was trying to make her way through the crowds of people when a drunken man stumbles upon her. "Well hello pretty lady how may I help you?" the drunken man said. She tried to push him off, but he wouldn't budge and came extremely close to kissing her when he was shoved away by a mysterious man.

"Hello…err…gentleman, but I believe the lady is not interested in you so unless you want extreme pain inflicted upon you I suggest you leave." The drunken man looked confused and rather upset.

"I don't believe the lady said such a thing now did she? Why don't you just leave us alone here boy!" The drunken man was now getting extremely angry.

"Well I'm sorry sir but I just don't believe I can do that," and with a violent shove, the drunken man was pushed into the crowd of people and flung to the ground where he got stepped on by all the frantically dancing people in masks.

Well thank you sir, that was very kind of you," the enlightened Christine says. The mysterious man turns around revealing his face that was covered in a mask that brought back extremely frightful, and at the same time regretful, memories.

The mysterious man takes her hand and pecks it, introducing himself. "Constantine Hampton, Madame. It is a pleasure to meet you, Christine Daae."

Startled she responds, "Ah, so you know my name? Yet I have never met you before?"

"Let's just say I remember you from your past works as the pageboy I believe? When Miss Carlotta robbed you of your glory." His voice escaladed as he said his last words and then regained his voice tone back.

Startled by the mask she asks, "Where did you come upon that mask? It looks oh so familiar." It looked exactly like the Phantom's mask that had been stolen earlier only painted a shady tint of maroon.

"Ah this old thing. It is simply a mask I carry with me just in case I come upon...err...well a part that needs...a...mask," Constantine responds with in a very uneasy voice.

"I was wondering if I could see it for a minute, if it wouldn't be so much trouble" Christine asks, interrupting him.

There is a brief pause and an uneasy look in Constantine's eyes. Finally he says, "Well miss if this were any other occasion then a Masquerade, I would indeed let you, but in front of all these people it would be rude to reveal my mask at a Masquerade now wouldn't it? I do hope you understand." Christine nodded with a disappointed nod. I'll bet you are excited about the upcoming play? It's a shame how great talent was robbed from you just because you were young that long time ago."

Accepting the compliment and extremely amazed at how much he knew about her she couldn't help but ask, "So you know a lot about me do you?"

"Not enough for you to be frightened by me."

"Why would I be frightened by you?"

"Well I don't know I just…"

"Perhaps there is more about me that you do know?" Their escalading conversation was brought to a halt as Raoul interrupted.

"Darling, who is this?" A depressed Constantine glances down and then back up as he smiles a very uneasy smile at Raoul.

"This is Constantine Hampton. We've just met. He is a…."

"….Actor. I am an actor here and I have come to see if I could get a role in an upcoming play. I've heard you're doing a famous play here written by a once famous Phantom of the Opera." Christine jumped at the sound of the name and looked at Constantine with a confused glance.

"The Phantom of the Opera is not a famous anything! He is but a filthy, no-good, evil, confused man who loved torturing people!"

"Oh Raoul please; stop it now! He didn't know alright?"

"And it is none of his goddamn business either and…."

"Raoul go please and calm down for you're making this bigger than it is." Raoul walks away, not happily, and Christine apologizes for Raoul.

"Boyfriend?"

"Husband actually although he has been extremely strange lately; for we are nearing the 5 year anniversary of the Phantom of the Opera's disappearance. Raoul gets very sensitive when talking about the Phantom of the Opera because of what he did to me five long years ago." Before she could continue, Constantine broke in.

"Yes, I've heard the tale." He glances down with a very sad look on his face. "He killed and tortured, but he did it all for you. You do realize that don't you?"

"The key words are 'killed and tortured'. Raoul loves me, but didn't kill anyone! The Phantom was evil and I am glad he is gone! I hope he never comes back and I know of about one thousand other people who agree with me completely. He was nothing but a murderer who deserved everything he got!" She was just spurting out feelings now.

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Are you truly glad he is gone? Are you being downright honest? Or are you just fooling yourself, like you did five long years ago, when you went back to the Phantom right after you completely demoralized him and placed in his hand the ring. You didn't give him his ring back; you gave him Raoul's ring didn't you? And that ring you have on your hand now, it's the one the Phantom gave you isn't it? I don't understand how Raoul can't see it's not the one he gave you, but then again I don't really care." Constantine's voice escaladed up and got angrier as he continued. "Then when you promised him you would never go back down to the Phantom's lair, you and little Meg Giry take the famous Phantom's mask back down to the Phantom's lair and place it next to the broken mirror and the monkey with the clashing cymbals!" Then with a great giant pause, he stops. Constantine and Christine are left staring at each other for long moment until finally one speaks.

"How did you know all that?" Christine asks with a very uneasy voice.

In a nice calm voice he said, "I know more than you know Madame. Rather, Madame Giry knows more then you think she does. When I first came here she was the one who greeted me and thought I should be aware of the tale of the Phantom of the Opera. I was interested and she told me more. I am truly sorry if I offended you in any way miss. I'm sorry but I must go; good day…Christine." Before she could speak a word, Constantine vanishes in a quick second and then gets lost among the crowd, leaving a still startled Christine.

The music of the Masquerade continues, the people dance happily and eat merrily, and the clock ticks closer to the fatal reunion of the disappearance and humiliation of the Phantom of the Opera. For now the fatal reunion day is only fourteen days away which is ironically on the same day as opening night of the new musical starring Christine Daae in the lead role.


End of Chapter 1...Chapter 2 Coming Soon!