Hi, TheTricksterPrincess here, otherwise known as Emma. Just want to let you guys know, this is what I think would happen if The Phantom hadn't killed Bouquet, or Piangi or tried to kill Raoul. He did kidnap Christine but that was only because he didn't want her to run away with Raoul. Anyways, Christine's daughter is born deformed and so as to save her from ridicule her whole life, she send her to live with the phantom and she becomes The Phantom's Apprentice, and Piangi and Carlotta's son, Ubaldo II, Meg's daughter, Lillian, Firmin's nephew, Alexander, and The Phantom's Apprentice, Erika, are now all going through the drama of living in a haunted Opera House. Enjoy!
Alex slowly took in the scene before him as he walked through the doors of the Opera Populaire. At five years of age, he'd never seen anything quite like it. He had been orphaned when his parents fell prey to a robbery gone wrong, and he'd been sent to live with his uncle, Richard Firmin. Now he stood in the lobby of his new home, looking around with wide eyes. "Run along now, Alex, but be careful. We don't want a run in with the Phantom of the Opera, now do we?" Firmin said. "Uncle, who is this Phantom of the Opera?" Alex asked. ""He's a man who sneaks around the Opera house, causing trouble. He seems to be working overtime lately. It's almost as if he's found an apprentice." M. Firmin explained, "Well run along and meet me back here before dinner." Alex nodded and ran to explore.
The first place he went was the stage, which was, surprisingly, empty. He climbed onto the stage, and gazed out across the auditorium. He imagined crowds of people there to see him, cheering and clapping. He'd always wanted to be just like the men who would go up on stage and sing their hearts out, and hoped that someday, he would be. His joyous daydream was interrupted by a soft "Oof!" coming from above. He quickly looked up and saw a small figure, clothed in all black, dangling from the rafters! He was silently panicking, trying to think of what to do if the figure fell, when a much larger figurer pulled the smaller one back up onto the walkway. "You must learn to be more careful, Erika!" a man's voice scolded. "Yes, father" Erika replied. "If you ever want to be a good Phantom, rafter-walking is essential." The man continued. Alex gasped. He had found an apprentice! "What was that?" the Phantom asked. "I'll go check, father" Erika offered quietly. The Phantom nodded. Erika grabbed onto one of the ropes and swung down onto the stage, landing in the shadows, as Alex desperately looked around for a place to hide. She was too fast for him though, and caught up with him quickly. His eyes grew wide when he saw her, but not for the reasons you'd think. Her hair was long, straight, and light brown, her skin lightly tanned, and her eyes a dark brown. Half of her face was covered by a black mask, leaving holes only for her eyes, nose and mouth. She couldn't have been more than four or five years old, and yet she moved with the grace of a full grown woman. "Who are you?" she asked. "My name is Alex Firmin. Who are you?" he asked in return. "I," she said raising her arms out beside her, "am Erika de Chagny, The Phantom's Apprentice." "You're Christine's daughter!" he shouted. She drew back, as if in pain, and darkly whispered, still looking down "My mother gave up all relations to me when she sent me away." Her head snapped up and she threatened "I suggest you leave, unless you'd like to face the wrath of the Phantoms." He slowly backed up to the front of the stage, stepping down carefully. As he was leaving, he looked back, only to see that she was gone.
He couldn't believe it. He'd only been there an hour and had already run into the Opera Populaire's most feared inhabitant and his daughter. And he couldn't help but think, 'My God! She was beautiful.'