Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, even though I wish I did. I also do not know what the Paris Opera House looks like inside, so I am just imagining all of this that I'm writing.

Author's note: Okay, so I am back to writing again. I haven't written since...last year? Yeah, I think last year. It's been a while anyway. lol! I'm kind of rusty, I must admit. Anyway, I just thought of this idea one day and thought it might be a neat story. And if anyone is wondering, this story is set right now in 2006. So, I hope you like it!

The New Girl

I stood gazing up at the most enormous building that I had ever seen. It was a beautiful site. And this is where I'm going to be for the next couple of years, hopefully. The thought made me so excited. Even months after I had graduated college, I still could not believe that I was going to sing at the Paris Opera House! It all seemed a grand dream that I would never wake up from, but yet could not imagine not waking up from, for it was all too much to take in. I had come from a small town that did not have fancy buildings. Heck, we didn't even have a mall or Wal-Mart! The nearest one was about 15 miles away. And to be in Paris, well, my mind was overflowing with thoughts.

Okay, so, you're probably wondering how I came to be here, right? You're probably thinking, how can a simple girl from a small town be asked to sing in Paris? Well, I had always loved to sing when I was young. Every song that would come on the radio, whether I liked it or not, I would sing along with it. Everyone told me I had a beautiful voice, but I always thought that they were just saying that to be nice. Well, as I got older, I started performing in musicals and plays at my high school. Then more and more people would tell me I had such a beautiful voice and should put it to better use other than my high school performances. After that, I started to believe that I did have a gift. When it came for me to decide what I wanted to major in for college, I decided I wanted to sing. Of course, all of my friends and family supported my decision. To make a long story short, a person from the Paris Opera House was at a performance my college was doing in Europe. I was the lead role, so you couldn't help but notice me. Well, I think you know where the story goes from there. If not, well, get someone to help you figure it out.

I thought that I should probably go inside instead of just staring at all the building's wonder. Okay, it's now or never, Serafina. You can do this. This is what you've worked for. Face it, this is not a dream. This is really happening! I thought all of this as I walked up the many steps which led to the large doors that separated me from my future and dreams. I hesitantly put my hand on the door knob and slowly opened the door. I peeked inside and gasped at the beauty of it all. It was like walking into a palace. This is way better than the small, dirty floors and wooden walls in my town. The place was as if it were cut out of a fantasy and placed into my life.

I took a couple more steps forward until I was just inside the doorway. I must have been so intent on looking at my surroundings that I didn't notice the footsteps or hear the clearing of a man's throat. Once I did, though, I jumped and blinked several times to clear my clouded mind. Standing in front of me was a man dressed very finely. He had on a navy blue suit, a white shirt neatly pressed underneath, and a bright red tie. I stood staring dumbly. He smiled gently and held out his hand. Serafina, put your hand into his and shake it. My mind was not functioning at all. I took his hand and gave it a shake, though.

"Welcome, Miss, uh...what was your last name? All I can remember was Serafina."

"Oh, my last name is Walson. Serafina Walson. And you are?" Good, complete sentences. Kind of.

"I am Tim Carter. I am over the Paris Opera House. I saw you perform, I do recall. Am I correct?"

"Yes, you did. I must tell you that I am very grateful to be here and am very excited for this experience!" Stop babbling. You sound like an idiot.

He just smiled and directed me over to a hallway. "Well, we are glad to have you. You have an extraordinary voice, my dear, and what better place to use it than here? Now, I will show you to your room. It is down this hall, which will lead to a separate hall over here on the left. Your room is the second on the right. Ah, here we are. Now, I have your key right here. Once you get settled in, then I would like for you to come to my office. Just come the same way you came to get to your room and then you will see a large door across from this hall. That is my office. Knock first, though, before you enter. Does that all make sense?"

I stood there just looking at him, but then quickly nodded. He smiled and then left me alone to my room. It was rather small, but I didn't mind at all. My room in my house had been much smaller. I would sometimes say I slept in a closet, because that was what it seemed more like.

I picked up my three suitcases (Yes, I packed a lot, but I will be staying here for a while) and laid them out onto my bed. I started as quickly as I could to unpack. I didn't want to keep Mr. Carter waiting any longer than necessary. I looked around and noticed that I had many drawers and one closet. Well, at least everything will fit in a place.

After I had finished packing, I brought the directions of how to get to his office back up into my mind. Okay, so, go back to the lobby area and then look across from this hall to see a large door. Hmmm...oh, there it is. How could anybody not notice such a large door! I walked over to it and remembered that he had told me to knock before going in. I knocked twice until I heard his voice through the door usher me in. I walked into his office, which was enormous! No wonder the door was that large.

"I see you found my office without any trouble. Of course, I didn't think you would have trouble. Anyway, please take a seat." He waved his hand towards a leather chair sitting in front of his desk. I walked over and gracefully placed myself down into it. I crossed my hands in my lap and gazed at him, waiting.

"Now, you came here to sing. And you will no doubt probably be many leads in the upcoming operas. You will need to know the schedules of rehearsals and where they are held. You will also need to know when the operas will be. Sometimes the dates change due to emergencies that have suddenly sprung up, but we usually do not change the dates. Since people have already purchased tickets, it is just a mess to give money back or announce to everyone that the date has changed. Does that make sense?"

"Oh, yes, it does." What more could I say?

"Good. Now, here is your schedule" I took it from his hands and glanced over it. The next opera was coming up soon.

"It is a good thing you came when you did or you might not have been able to try out for a part. That takes place today after lunch. You will, of course, want to be on time for that. The next opera is in about 2 months. We start rehearsing rather early, just to make sure everything runs in tip top shape. Now, I will show you where the stage is. That is also where the tryouts are and rehearsals. Follow me." We walked out of his office and under the grand stare case in the middle of the lobby. There was a hallway under it which led past the kitchen and dining area. I found that this hallway had a very small case of stairs. They were narrow and went in a spiral shape. These, I found out, led backstage. There were already a couple of people there now.

"This is where you will be spending most of your time. Mrs. Walters is over rehearsals. She is not here at the moment, though. She's probably eating. Once lunch is over, you need to come here. Did you see where the kitchen and dining room are on our way up here?" I nodded and he looked at his watch.

"It looks as if lunch is about to be served. Why don't you go get in line now. It gets pretty packed in there if you wait too long. If you have any questions, you know where my office is. All I ask is you knock before entering. Do you have any questions, Miss Walson?"

"No, I don't believe I have any. Thank you, though. And thanks for showing me around."

"It was nothing. I shall see you around then. Goodbye." He then briskly walked away. My stomach started to growl, so I thought I would take his advice and go get in line. I walked back down the stairs and came to the kitchen door. I looked in and saw a long line already forming. Great. I just love standing in long lines. I walked over and claimed my place at the very end of the line.

I must have stood there for about ten minutes until I finally got my food. A turkey sandwich with an apple, some milk to drink, and a piece of coconut creme pie. I walked out of the kitchen and walked into the dining room. Oh goody, now I can sit by myself and really look like the new girl. I walked over to an empty table and sat down. The room was full of energy and excited voices. I looked down at my food and started eating. I jumped, startled, when I heard a trey land on my table. I looked up into the face of a smiling, red headed girl. She had many freckles and very bright green eyes. She sat down and smiled again.

"Hey, I'm Amber. You don't mind if I sit here, do you? My friends have kind of deserted me and I thought you looked kind of lonely, so I thought I would come over here and talk to you. I don't think I've ever seen you here before. Are you new? You must be. What's your name?" I just stared at her for a minute. Wow, and I thought I babbled! I don't even know half of what she asked me.

"Um, my name is Serafina. And yes, I am new here. It's nice to meet you, Amber."

"I thought you were new. So, what do you think of it here, so far? Did you just come today? Well, of course you did. I didn't see you here yesterday. So, what do you think of Mr. Carter? Pretty nice but odd. That's what everyone says."

"Well, I think that this place is amazing and I'm just so happy to be here. I think that Mr. Carter is pretty pleasant as well. Why does everyone think he is odd?"

"Well, he's very secretive and always wants people to knock on his door before entering his office. It's rather odd."

"Well, maybe he just wants some privacy," I said. Amber shook her head.

"Nope, it's more than that. The last time someone forgot to knock, he practically strangled them. He apologized greatly after that, but we've all looked upon him differently since then. We think it has something to do with The Phantom of the Opera." She smiled at mentioning this. Now, I am a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera, but I know that it is fiction and not real, even though I wish it were.

"Why would he be afraid of that? The phantom isn't even real. It's all just made up."

"Oh, well, explain that to him. Also, there have been some odd things going on around here. Actually, when I came here, about 5 months ago, many strange things were happening. Things like people being hurt while they rehearsed, strange letters being sent to Mr. Carter, one time I even thought I heard a voice whispering throughout the theater, but I must have just imagined it." Wow, these people must be nuts. Believing that the phantom is really alive and terrorizing people, it's just all a little freaky. Amber continued with her story.

"And also there is the rumor of a boy just disappearing a long time ago.I also heard about that story when I came here. People only speak about it when Mr. Carter is not around. One time, someone was talking about it, and he overheard, and he actually sent them away. He told them never to return."

"Why did the boy disappear?"

"No one really knows. He used to sing here, though, a while back. Maybe three years ago. Then he just disappeared. We heard there was some sort of accident that he was involved in before he vanished. We all think Mr. Carter is in on it somehow. That is why he acts all suspicious and secretive." She smiled as if she had just given away the winning lottery numbers to me. I didn't know what to say.

"Well, that is all very interesting, but what does this have to do with The Phantom of the Opera?" She looked at me and leaned forward. I had to lean in some more to hear her, she was speaking so low.

"We think the missing boy has become the phantom."

Author's note: Yes, that is the first chapter. If you don't like it, then tell me what you think should be changed. But if you do, then that is very wonderful! Please review! I do need it, since I haven't written in a while. Thanks a bunch!