A/N: Hello again! This is my first chapter for my new story based on my character, Marie, from my other story(which you should read in order for some things to make sense). This is my first attempt at writing a story for Phantom of the Opera, so any advice or ideas for the story would be greatly appreciated via a PM or a review. This will be an Erik/OC, and it will have its influence mostly from the 2004 movie, at least as far as appearances go. There might be some influence from the book (i.e. Erik playing the violin) as well as other sources. I will also be trying to do some bits in Marie's P.O.V. and others in Erik's. I will clearly state when the P.O.V. is switching so as to avoid any confusion. I hope that this will be a good beginning, and that you all will want to read more. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Phantom of the Opera. There, I said it. Happy? I'm not. :(
Thoughts Lyrics Handwriting
Marie
Ugh. My head. My headache was only getting worse from sleeping in the stiff seat of the train. My parents and I had been travelling for days to get to Paris. We had gone-by train-from London to Ashford, and then we had gotten on the boat that would take us to Calais, France. That had been a nightmare since they had confused our suitcases with another family's. We had thankfully switched them back, but it could have been prevented. After that, we got on the train that would then take us to Paris. With all of the stops and the lack of sleep, my head was pounding.
I looked across the compartment at my parents, fast asleep, and I couldn't help but smile. They were so lucky to have the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. I would be asleep, but I was too nervous about the months that lay ahead. I had become the first woman in the symphony orchestra in London, and, upon hearing of my success, and an attendance of one of our concerts, the new manager of the famous Paris Opera House was asking me to be a featured violinist in their pit orchestra for the upcoming season, in honor of their reopening. I, of course, was extremely honored and said yes right away. My parents had been excited too, and wanted to accompany me to the Opera Populaire to help me get settled. My mother had been nervous about letting me stay in Paris alone. She was very superstitious and had heard stories of the so-called "Opera Ghost" and had been afraid to let me go. I assured her that there was no such thing as the Opera Ghost and that it was just a rumor circulated by gossips.
I had heard of the Opera Ghost as well and laughed at my friends when they first brought up the idea of his existence. I thought that the notion was ridiculous! I had also heard about the fire that had damaged the Opera House almost beyond repair. My friends had blamed the Ghost for that as well. I had read that the cause of the fire was the falling of the almost brand-new chandelier, but there had been no explanation as to why it fell. I thought that the logical explanation would have to be faulty installing of the chandelier, as that would make the most sense. I eventually stopped listening to my friends and let them gossip. That had been two years ago, around the time that I had pulled my little stunt that landed me in the symphony orchestra. The new manager, Mr. Thomas, had just recently been hired when he heard of me three weeks ago. He was trying to find a way to get customers back after the scare of the "Opera Ghost." He found me and thought that I would be perfect. He said that in addition to playing during the shows, he would have me do occasional solos before the show began, as well as during intermissions and after the show, as people were leaving. I would be paid well for my services, and I would be provided a room in the Opera House, as well. It was an offer I couldn't refuse.
Suddenly, I realized that we had stopped moving. We had arrived. I turned to my parents and woke them. "Mother, Father, we're here." They opened their eyes and my mother smiled at me.
"Already? It seems as if we had just left the train station." My father agreed. I rolled my eyes and smiled back at them. We retrieved our luggage and made our way off the train and on to the platform. There we met Mr. Thomas.
"Ah, there she is! Hello again, Miss Johnson. We're so excited to have you here. We will be leaving in my coach shortly to go to the Opera House to get you settled and introduced. Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. Lovely to see you again. I promise that we will do our best to see that your daughter is safe and well while she is staying with us. Come now, we must leave." We walked to the coach and loaded our things on top. We got in and then we were off. The ride was mostly spent talking to Mr. Thomas about the people who worked in the Opera House. He told us of Madame Giry, the ballet instructor, who was a mother figure to all of the young ladies that she trained. I also heard of her daughter, Meg, who was to start this season as the lead ballerina. After our discussion dwindled, it became awkward. I proceeded to stare out the window at the sights of Paris while my father talked business with Mr. Thomas. We stopped in front of the Opera Populaire, and I could not believe my eyes. It was the most magnificent sight I had ever seen. I was in awe of it. As I looked upon its grandeur, I felt as if I was being watched. There was also a slight chill in the air, though the weather had been good so far. I shrugged the feeling off and turned to my parent and Mr. Thomas. We walked inside and I felt that this was the start of a great adventure.
A/N: There you have it. The next chapter will have some Erik in it, but it will most likely be brief, as he is still a little depressed right now. I will try to update as regularly as I can, so try to expect them once every week, if once every two weeks. Let me know what you think so far. Is it good? Bad? Should I add something or take something out? Is it too long or too short? You let me know. As I said before, you can put any ideas about the story in a review or a PM. I would love to hear your opinion! Now go on and click that little review button…you know you want to! Til next time!