Blonde Angel
Part 1

Meg Giry was too curious sometimes. There had already been that one time, where she ventured behind the mirror and down that disgusting corridor, before her mother had caught her and taken her back to the dormitory. Christine had still been missing though, and Meg wanted to know what was going on. The Phantom of the Opera did exist, and apparently he was Christine's teacher. But he could see her from behind that mirror, and Meg thought it was a little bit creepy – and perhaps also a little bit intriguing.

But how to get to the bottom of this mystery? And though she adored Christine, who was her best friend and almost like a sister, Meg wanted to find out more about this supposed great teacher. It was obvious that Christine did improve, and that she did have a beautiful voice… but what about Meg? Wasn't she good at singing too, or dancing, or something else? Did she not deserve a great teacher?

So one day, when her mother was busy with Christine and the fitting of a new costume some other place at the opera, Meg ventured into Christine's room too, and behind the mirror. She made sure to close it too, so no one would know. She'd put on pieces of cloth around her shoes, so they would not be ruined from the walk down the corridor. When she came to the end of it, there were stairs, many stairs. It took a long while, and Meg had to take a torch from the wall. She knew she was deep beneath the opera house now, and wondered if this was where Christine went too? Meg had no idea how long it took, but it had to be late in the day when she finally reached a lake deep down. She stood a bit still by that lake, staring at a boat there in the water. A boat? Meg crouched down by the edge of the water, and reached out to touch the boat…

"Leave it!" A demanding voice spoke behind her, and Meg gasped and rose to her feet, turning around at the same time. She stared at a man… a tall man, wearing very expensive and fine clothes and a mask on one half of his face. Her heart was beating so fast, was this him, was this the Phantom of the Opera? "You should return to your bed." The man said, and Meg paid attention to his voice, deep, beautiful, demanding still.

"I'm sorry." Meg said with a small voice, still looking at the man and apparently not moving out of the way. It had taken so long to get here. And all he wanted was for her to return. "I was just so curious."

"Sometimes curiosity kills. Your mother would not want you dead. She would not want you to be here." The Phantom said to Meg, who tilted her head just slightly in that curious yet innocent way. Her mother?

"You… you know my mother? Madame Giry?" She asked, and the man nodded and stepped closer to her. And it was like she felt he filled up the entire bank, his presence was so overwhelming. Meg cast her eyes down shyly, while he gently pushed her to the side and jumped down into the boat.

"I know everything that goes on here, Meg Giry. It is my opera house after all, isn't it?" The Phantom said to her, turning to her as he stood in the boat, "You found your way down here, and you can find your way up again. Don't come back. Forget you met me." And that was that. The Phantom of the Opera sailed away, though Meg did not move until he was out of sight. She moved a hand up above her heart; it was still beating so fast. She met him; she met the Phantom of the Opera. He was real! And he demanded that she found her way back again and forgot she met him. Though how could she forget? It was like she could still feel his presence. And the sound of his voice, she knew that sound didn't she? She'd heard him sing to Christine sometimes. Still, why Christine, why not Meg Giry, if he knew everything that went on? Meg sighed and turned around, and began the long journey back up to the opera house.