A/N: As I have only just begun to read Leroux's novel, much of this fic will probably be movie/play based. This is my first Phantom fic. I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Property of Leroux, not me.
Chapter One
Mme Giry was a very busy woman, so it is no surprise that her five year old daughter, Meg, often got away from her during the chaos of rehearsals. Meg had been taking ballet lessons for half a year and was showing as much promise as a five year old can. One day she would be allowed to take part in the opera rehearsals and perhaps find her own limelight. But for the time being, Mme Giry found it best to keep Meg as far away from stage as possible. It wasn't her fault, she was an over enthusiastic girl who wanted to be a ballerina. She would often prance about into the chorus lines, messing up whatever scene was being rehearsed. So, her mother usually assigned one of the wardrobe mistresses to watch over Meg while she was busy.
Meg, being an adventurous and sometimes mischievous young girl was not easily watched over, and on this particular afternoon her guardian was quite distracted and Meg found it easy to slip away. Kate, a young wardrobe assistant, was in the middle of a rather heated meeting with a young man when Meg decided she would go exploring. Though she had lived in the opera house her whole life, she had not seen much of it because of the protectiveness of her mother. Meg, of course, had heard stories of the Opera Ghost, and guessed that this was why her mother would not let her go to many parts of the building...still, she was curious and, she liked to think, fearless. And so, Meg skipped away from Kate and her boy.
After navigating a labyrinth of corridors and checking out many dull looking rooms, Meg found one that seemed promising. The room was dark, and the hulking figures of furniture covered in dusty sheets seemed to haunt the room. This room had been vacant for sometime, but Meg thought it was the perfect place to play haunted house. Meg ran about the room peaking under the sheets only to squeal and run away in terror lest some monster be hidden underneath. As she ran past a tall, ornate mirror Meg felt a sudden draft upon her ankles. She froze in mid-run and turned slowly toward the mirror. Stepping forward prudently, Meg felt the draft again. She got down on her hands and knees and peered at the bottom edge of the mirror, there seemed to be something hidden behind there. She stood determinedly and placed her hands on the glass, after a few awkward attempts Meg managed to slide the mirror aside and reveal a dank, dark passage.
At this moment she had a choice. She could flee back to Kate and her lover boy, or she could be brave and enter into the tunnel. It didn't seem like much of a choice to Meg of course. She could not flee before the prospect of a great adventure! So, she stepped over the threshold and began her descent into the catacombs beneath the Opera Populaire. At first she felt swollen with bravado, but as she began to walk deeper into the tunnel, and further from the meager light behind her, that bravery ran away and Meg became frightened.
Once the opening through which she had come was out of sight Meg became truly panicked, and almost as if on cue she heard footsteps echoing from somewhere in front of her. She strained her eyes against the darkness to see anything, but it was useless. She didn't know what to do, they sounded too close for her to be able to run back to that dusty room, and yet there was no where else to go. At last they sounded as if they were just beyond a bend in the tunnel a few feet away. Meg was so scared that all she could do was press herself against the wall of the passage and shrink down into a ball on the floor in some meager attempt to fade into shadow. She could sense the footsteps turning around the corner and the attention of their owner falling onto her form. Still she would not look up and kept herself in a tight package. She began to sob when she heard the footfalls continue after their brief hesitance upon discovering her. They stopped right in front of her and she knew that if she looked up she would see the Opera Ghost standing before her. So, she continued to cry and buried her face deeper into her arms. When she felt the weight of a hand fall upon her shoulder it was too much for her and she fainted on the spot.
When she woke up she did not immediately remember what had happened and so at first there was only confusion in her mind. But as the memories flooded back she became fearful again, slowly she lifted her eyelids and peaked out at her surroundings. She was laying on a huge, soft bed and there were hundreds of candles all around. For some reason the lighting comforted her and she felt brave enough to sit up. She could hear from beyond the door of the room an organ being played. After sitting still on the bed for what seemed like an eternity, little Meg puffed herself up and walked toward the door. She turned the knob and opened the door slowly. She poked her head out of the door and looked around. What she saw was a huge, cavernous chamber filled with candles and ornate decoration. There were sheets of music and sketches blanketing parts of the floor. After a moment her eyes were drawn to a raised area where a man sat playing the organ. She gasped, that small sound reached the man's ears and he abruptly ceased his playing.
"Come out, Little Giry," the man spoke in a loud, yet unthreatening voice. Despite this Meg still shivered with fear. Slowly she entered the chamber, she took only a few steps toward him and then stopped. She could not see his face, as his back was turned to her. "Come here."
She made her way slowly up to him and as she came closer she saw that the right side of his face was covered in an alabaster mask. His hair was midnight black and the part of his face that was free of his mask seemed quite handsome. She stood a few feet to his right.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked.
"Y-yes, I do," Meg's voice seemed small to her ears.
"Who am I, then?" the man asked with a very serious look on his face, this made Meg nervous.
"Well..."
"Yes?" he inquired expectantly.
Meg spoke softly and hesitantly,"You're the Phantom of the Opera...the Opera Ghost?"
"Are you afraid of me?" he asked observing her shaking form. Meg did not reply, but bit her lip."Do you want me to take you back?"
Meg nodded furiously.
"Well then...I must make sure that you will not tell anyone that you saw me. But you see...I'm troubled. Because I cannot think of how I can be sure that you will not tell."
Meg screwed her face up in contemplation for a moment,"Well...I can promise you."
"Oh, my little ballet rat, how can I be sure that you will keep your promise?"
"Well...I...I don't know..."
"There, you see? I shall have to keep you down here forever."
Meg did not seem to catch the hint of amusement in his voice for she broke out in desperation."No! Please don't keep me down here! I promise I won't tell. I won't!"
"Calm down, child. I think I've thought of a way to keep you from telling anyone."
"How?"
"Well you shall have to give me something of yours that you care about, and if you do not tell then you will get it back."
"But...but I don't have anything with me," Meg replied looking sullenly at her empty hands
"Oh, that matters not. I shall bring you back to your room and we will pick out something there."
With that they began their journey back up to the opera house. Somehow the Phantom managed to remain unseen as they crept through the hallways to Meg's room. During the journey Meg had considerably relaxed and when they reached her door she opened it and invited him inside politely. The phantom stalked about the room seriously.
"What shall you take?" Meg asked.
"Well I'm not quite sure yet," the Phantom replied. As he walked back and forth something caught his eye from Meg's bed. Tucked beneath a quilt was a small stuffed elephant. It looked worn but well taken care of. By its separation from the rest of Meg's toys the Phantom guessed that this one was special. He reached his hand out and plucked it from her bed.
"Oh no! Not Willy!"
The Phantom smiled slightly, "Oh yes, I'm afraid Willy is coming with me."
"Please M. Phantom you can take anything else, but not Willy!"
"Don't you see? Now I can ensure that you will hold your tongue, and if you do you can have Willy back. And my name is Erik."
Little Meg was becoming tearful,"B-but I can't sleep without him. How long will you keep him?"
"For as long as I need to. Until I can be sure that you will keep silent."
"But I won't tell anyone, I swear!"
"Oh, young Giry. I know you talk of me to your little ballet friends. I know that the temptation to tell them of my passage way would be too great for you. So, when you feel tempted to tell them, just remember Willy."
She sorrowfully nodded her head.
That night, as Meg attempted to fall asleep in the absence of her long time companion, Willy the elephant, she succumbed to the day's stress and cried. She cried out of loss, sadness, fear and confusion. Her cries went on for sometime before they began to subside, and just before she fell into slumber, Meg felt a hand caressing her head and a heard a voice soothing her to sleep.
End Note: Please review!
