Christine Daae loved her life. She had a wonderful job in the chorus of the Opera Garnier, she had quite a few friends from the ballerinas and chorus members there, and now… she had a very handsome suitor. The Vicomte de Chagny! But she would always know him as Raoul, the little boy who rescued her scarf. They had been seeing each other for a few months now, and while gossip swirled around them like sewer filth, she did not care. She had her wonderful Vicomte and they would be together no matter what anyone else had to say about it.

She was in his arms now as they rode in the back of Raoul's brand new motorcar through the countryside by Paris. She looked up at him, smiling as she stoked her fingers across his cheek. "I'm so glad to be here with you." She said softly. "Truly. You make me so happy."
He took her fingers and kissed them gently. "I could say the very same for you, Christine. Since we found each other once more, there has been a new joy in my life that I can't explain."
"I can explain it." She smiled, shifting closer to him. "But I'm afraid you'll have to persuade it out of me."

He chuckled at that. "Hmmmm…" He put his hands on her waist, drawing her ever closer as the motorcar continued on, the driver ignoring them in the back. "I think I can be very persuasive."

"Show me." She smiled. And with that, he kissed her soundly. Oh, how she loved to kiss him! She settled completely into his embrace, ignoring the rest of the world. It melted every single time they kissed.

However, the world was brought back into sharp focus when, with a sickening crunch, another motorcar going much too fast collided violently with theirs. Christine lost track of Raoul and the driver as she was thrown through the window, glass shards flying everywhere, cutting into her skin. She landed hard on the cobblestones, cracking her head. It made her very dizzy, but she saw fire… the driver wasn't moving… and she saw Raoul! He was laying on what used to be the hood of the car, resting on top of the twisted metal and broken glass. He was bleeding! She tried to get to him, but the dizziness got worse until darkness crowded the edges of her vision. She collapsed on the street and soon fell unconscious.

The first thing she smelled was bacon. Someone was cooking bacon. And, as Christine regained consciousness, the pain became apparent. Every muscle was sore. Surely it wouldn't hurt so much if she were dead… She opened her eyes and realized she was in a bedroom. It wasn't her own, and that confused her. She sat up painfully and examined herself, taking account of all the cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Most of all her head hurt, right at the back where it had struck the cobblestones.

The room itself was finely furnished. A grand bed, paintings on the walls, a nightstand, an armchair… yes, it was tastefully done. She had no idea where she was, she had never seen such a place before. She had to find Raoul! And the driver! She said a quick prayer for both of their lives and attempted to get to her feet, but with a jolt of fear she realized that her ankle was chained to the wall beside the bed. What was this?!

Christine panicked, pulling at the chain and trying to free herself, but it was bolted firmly. She tried to slip her foot through the manacle, but it was too big. She pulled and pulled, scraping at the skin, but then froze in a panic when she heard footsteps approaching. She backed into the corner of the bed, desperately searching for a weapon. There were none to be had.

"Ah good, you're awake!" The door opened to reveal a tall, extremely thin man wearing a mask, carrying a tray of food.

"Please…" Christine begged. "Please don't hurt me. Please let me go! I- I haven't much money but I'll give you whatever you want!"

The man chuckled and set the breakfast tray on the nightstand. "Calm down. I am not going to hurt you." He said. His voice was curious. Very rich, the kind of voice that could inspire and move people.

"Then- then why am I chained?!" She demanded. "Who are you?! Where am I?! Where is Raoul?!"

"Shhhh…" He sat down on the edge of her bed and she immediately scooted as far away from him as possible. "The chain was to keep you from panicking and hurting yourself. My name is Erik. You are in my home, safe and secure. And as for Raoul, I assume you mean the boy you were with? He is here as well, although he is asleep."

Raoul was here! "I want to see him!" She said firmly.

"I'm afraid that will not be possible just yet." He replied. "You need to rest after hitting your head like that! I'm so grateful I found the wreck only minutes after it happened! I'm sorry to say the two drivers died, but both you and the boy are alive. This is what we must be grateful for."

"Please…" She pleaded again. "We need a doctor. Let us go!"

"I am a doctor." He replied, taking up the tray and setting it in front of her. "Now, eat."

Christine just stared at it for a long moment. "Unchain me. Please."

"Do you promise you won't get up?" He asked.

"I- Um…" She stammered. But then she sighed. "Yes, I promise. I won't get up." At least not while he was in the room.

The man, Erik, nodded and took a key from his pocket. In a moment the shackle around her ankle was gone and she curled up to get away from him. "Now… eat." He said, pushing the tray towards her. "And be grateful for this food. No one has what we have now, I can guarantee that!"

"What do you mean by that?" She asked as she hesitantly poked at the food.

"No, all of that will be explained later. For now, just eat. Erik will take very good care of you, Christine."

She paused. "I never told you my name." She whispered fearfully.

He was silent for a moment before he smiled. "No, but the boy said it a few times in his sleep. I assumed it could be no one but you."

She looked at him, trying to understand the eyes behind the mask. That was plausible, she supposed. So she nodded and kept eating. It made her very uncomfortable how Erik just her eat without comment. He just… stared. She did not like it and it only strengthened her resolve to get away from him.

She kept her head down until she finished the meal and Erik took the tray away. "Now, rest. I'll return with another meal in a few hours."

"Please, let me see Raoul!" She asked once more.

"I said no!" He replied sharply. "Stay in bed or you'll make yourself worse!"

She recoiled at that and nodded. Apparently this man had a temper. In a moment, however, his anger disappeared and he seemed to smile behind the mask. "Rest well, Christine." He shut the door and to Christine's horror, she heard the click of a lock.

There were no windows. The only way out was through that door, and he'd just locked it. She was his prisoner now, and it terrified her. What was Raoul going through? Was he a prisoner too? Who was Erik, and what did he want with her?

One thing was certain, though. Christine Daae was not about to sit still and wait for something to happen. As she looked around the room, ideas began to form. She would break out of this room, find Raoul, and the two of them would escape from… whatever this place was.