Chapter 1: Far Too Late
A lone girl sits in her room. In her hands is a small doll with blonde yarn hair and button blue eyes. Little Lotte, as the girl would call the doll, wore a frock that was colored by the sea. The girl continued to sit on the bed and play with Little Lotte as the rain started to fall outside of her window. The pellets of water made small tapping noises against the glass, as if asking to be let in. The child took no notice of this. She simply kept playing with her companion.
She was trapped in her own little world.
To anyone else witnessing this scene, they might find it to be a picture of normalcy, but a feeling of unease might pervade their mind. Perhaps it was the sheer hollowness in the girl's eyes that is unnerving. Maybe it was how the room was trapped in utter darkness as sounds of a thunderstorm slithered in that was unsettling. But the most probable reason might come from the subconscious.
Although the room was grande and adorned with many beautiful ornaments, it still had the atmosphere of a cage. It was a gilded prison of sorts.
Cold iron bars could be found clinging to the windows. The doors themselves seemed to be covered in numerous locks.
If one could see through objects, they might find that the walls had hidden weapons inside. Perhaps he or she could even come to the knowledge that some of the stuffed toys scattered throughout the room contained some rather hard materials. Such as a hidden camera or a targeting device.
It was an elaborate chamber created by a madman.
Suddenly, a sound other than the beatings of the rain could be heard.
A loud wailing siren.
The startled child dropped her precious companion on the bed. She covered her ears with her hands and started to rock back and forth.
Pounding came right outside the window. A moment later, a small explosion occurred. Glass and debris flew everywhere. Rain entered the room.
Through the opening from which the window used to reside, a handsome man with blonde hair came through carrying a handgun. His blue eyes were frantically searching for something until they landed on the frightened girl. They softened and he walked towards her.
"Christine! We have come here to sa-" the man was almost finished with his sentence when a bullet abruptly pierced him. The weapons were activated.
The young boy clutched at his left arm as the blood started to spread on his white shirt. More bullets came and the boy crouched down before anymore could hit him. An older man with dark skin swiftly entered, shot at the devices, and quickly dragged both people out. The girl was in a dazed state.
Outside, the Persian started cursing.
"Damn it! You fucking fool! I told you not to go in!" the Persian continued to give the young man a variety of colorful names as he tried his best to bandaged the wound. The young ballerina next to him hugged the shattered woman.
"Oh, Christine! I thought I would never see you again!" Tears started falling from the blonde woman's eyes. The brunette continued to stare blankly at the ballerina.
"Who are you?" the shattered girl asked in a dull voice. The young ballerina stiffened and stepped back. Horror slowly etched into her face.
"It's me! Meg Giry! Your..." the blonde woman said with increasing hopelessness as she saw no trace of recognition in Christine's eyes. Meg looked back at the Persian. "She doesn't seem to recognize us..." she drifted off as she felt her heart rip. All that planning. All that they have sacrificed to save her. And now they have finally found her. Only to find her soul was still missing.
A grim expression appeared on the man's face. "It appears that Erik has erased her memories. He might have brainwashed her."
The young man heard the conversation and became even more distressed.
"What?! The shit bag did what?!" the man yelled. The shouting seemed to have snapped the fragile girl from her daze. She looked around frantically.
"Oh no! No, no, no, no! I can't be out here! The Angel of Music said there are bad things outside!" the brunette sobbed. All three stared at her. Meg grabbed her arm.
"Christine! That man is not the Angel of Music. Erik deceived you!" fury seeped into her voice as she thought of how horribly this phantom manipulated her dearest friend.
The brunette simply shook her head.
"No, the Angel is the only one I can trust! I disobeyed him once before an-and ev-everything went wrong." her voice broke as the terrible memories resurfaced. "I have to stay with with him."
The three looked at each other in horror as they contemplated what Erik might have done to make Christine cling to him so tightly. Then the Persian sighed. Looking at this poor woman now, he wondered how he could have ever thought that saving the phantom would be the right thing to do. Whatever happens next, he must make up for what he has done. Even if it means his life.
"What should we do now?" Raoul asked. Nadir simply gave him a glance.
"We have to go quickly now. The alarms have been set off. Erik's guards will be coming after us soon."
Meg clutched Christine's hand at the news of more trouble. The girl took no notice and glanced around in confusion. Still unable to fully comprehend the situation at hand. Raoul looked at his childhood sweetheart with compassion and sorrow.
"Christine, don't worry. Everything is going to be fine now. That man will never get near you again." he said in an earnest voice. Although he meant to comfort her, he did the opposite instead.
The young girl's eyes widened at Chagny's words and she shouted.
"No! No, I can't leave! The Angel will get mad! And, and he'll-he'll-" the last of her words were covered up by her sobs. She suddenly turned and fled. Running as if the devil himself was chasing her. The three were stunned by her actions and froze as time preciously ticked away. Nadir was the first one to recollect himself and chased after her. He managed to swiftly catch up and grabbed Christine. She struggled wildly against him as he held her arms. After a couple minutes, she stopped due to exhaustion. Her eyes were dull as she stared at the ground. He frowned as he contemplated on his next actions. The Persian heard footsteps behind him and turned his head to see Raoul leaning on Meg. Both watched Christine with pain. Neither seemed to know what to do to snap her out of this state.
Fortunately, Nadir had a plan.
"Miss Daaé, you have no need to worry. The Angel of Music sent us." he spoke carefully.
She looked up at him with suspicious eyes.
"You were trying to deny his existence earlier."
The Persian gave her a gentle smile.
"We did not deny his existence, we merely said that Erik is not him."
"But Erik is the An-"
He abruptly interrupted her. "No! the real Angel of Music has sent us to warn and protect you from the fake! Erik is a demon who is trying to destroy you." his resolute voice then turned soft. Warm and gentle. Almost fatherly. "Think about it. He has gotten angry, hateful, and jealous before, has he not?"
Christine clenched her hands and looked away. Nadir got his answer and continued.
"So, he has. Surely that is not the emotions an angel would have? And that face. You have seen Erik's face, correct? Only those who have committed terrible crimes against God would look like that." Nadir smoothly explained.
Christine froze at the mention of his appearance. A multitude of expressions flitted across her face. Horror. Despair. Guilt. The Persian paused for a moment before he played his final card.
"He is a very dangerous demon, Miss Daaé. If you stay here, he will eventually kill you. The true angel does not want that. He wants you to be safe and happy. This is why he sent us. But, we cannot protect you from Erik if you do not cooperate. Please, do not make your angel sad. Will you come with us?"
The young woman glanced down and then resignedly nodded. Meg watched her with concern. Nadir cleared his throat.
"Now then, let's leave."
The four quickly moved as rain pounded upon them without mercy. The wailing sirens continued as they made way through the elaborate metal maze that the madman created for his palace. As they reached another tunnel, the guards started to close in...
"Shit!" the Persian rasped as people in black uniforms appeared around them. Each one wore a golden symbol of a magpie in flight on their sleeves. Meg kept a tight grip on Christine. All of them had their guns out, but none of them were shooting. It was most likely in fear of damaging their Master's little princess.
Nadir looked at the terrified girl and the determined ballerina. A decision had to be made. He stood close to Meg and put a pistol into her purse. The Persian whispered in to her ear.
"You continue on. Raoul and I will distract them." Meg saw his grim expression and nodded. She ran into the tunnel, dragging Christine behind her.
Raoul and Nadir glanced at each other for a moment before taking out their guns. They started shooting.
I won't fail you this time.
Meg continued to tug Christine with her through the darkness of the tunnels. She only slowed down when she heard the girl whimpering. Meg turned around and grabbed Christine's shoulders.
"What is wrong?" Although Meg could not see Christine clearly in the shadows, she could tell that something was bothering her.
The brunette spoke in a small, childish voice.
"I-I'm so afraid. I don't know if I am doing the right thing! Ang- Erik might do something..." Christine drifted off and shivered.
Meg observed the frail creature before her and felt her heart clench.
Oh, what has that phantom done to you?
The human standing before her was nothing more than a shell. Images of how this pitiful girl used to be bright, cheerful, and strong flickered before her eyes.
Meg Giry never thought of herself as a violent person, but in that moment, there was nothing she would rather do other than strangle that bastard with her own Punjab lasso.
She looked at the small woman with fierce protectiveness.
"Don't be scared. I will protect you no matter-" Meg abruptly stopped.
Someone was in the tunnel with them.
Her eyes widened as she heard the extra footsteps and quickly yanked Christine with her.
The echoing footsteps continued to follow them as they made way through the tunnel. As they reached towards the end, however, shock and fear encased Meg's heart.
This wasn't in the blueprints!
Before the two girls were ten different pathways. The footsteps were nearing their location.
The ballerina, in a fit of panic, simply choose the one closest to them.
It was the wrong choice.
Meg silently cursed as they met with a dead end. This place must have been a storage area. There were tents, sofas, chairs, and desks scattered everywhere. Now they will have to go back and-
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The being had followed them into the pathway. There was no escape.
The blonde haired woman looked around frantically for a place to hide.
Her eyes landed upon a pile of cushions. She shoved Christine under the pile and quickly followed her. The person was here.
Footsteps slowed as a beautiful voice echoed throughout the tunnel.
"Christine, my dear, where are you?" the man called out, his voice was infused with a hypnotic melody. The young brunette beside her stiffened.
"Please come back to me. Erik loves his darling Christine. He would never deny her anything, not like what the world has done." He slowly moved about, checking under the desks and behind the sofas. "Christine needs her Erik's protection."
Meg still could not comprehend how her mother ever thought working for this man would be a good idea. The man was clearly insane.
Meg felt Christine shift again. The ballerina looked at her. The girl's eyes were hazing over, going back into that little world the masked man created for her.
Giry held on to the brunette tightly. The man abruptly stopped near the pile of cushions. Meg could not breathe.
"My love, we both know you belong to me. You are mine, Christine. I will never let you go. And yet you still resist...or perhaps someone else is." the madman drifted off.
Meg frowned. For several minutes, there was only silence to keep the two company. No footsteps could be heard. Suddenly, she felt Christine get ripped from her grasp. The cushions scattered about. Her blue eyes met furious amber ones.
Erik circled his arms around Christine's waist, her back was to his chest.
"Ah, so little Meg Giry was the one trying to snatch my nightingale away." he spoke as arrogance dripped from his tone."Try as you might, not even you can break our bond."
Pure hatred suffocated her mind.
"She is not yours, you manipulative asshole! Don't you think for even a moment that you have claim over her." Meg started to walk towards him. She took a glance at Christine and the brunette gazed back with frightened eyes. The girl tried to wriggle her way out of Erik's grasp.
"Angel, please don't!"
"Shhh. Shhhh. Calm down my dear." Erik cooed as he hugged her. His mouth brushed her hair and then descended next to her ear.
Everything became still.
A divine, yet wordless melody came spilling from his lips. Christine felt her mind slowly go back to the sweet abyss and even Meg became enraptured by the music. She finally understood how Christine could be tricked by this monster now.
An angel's voice trapped in a demon's body.
"Rest for now, my Christine."
With the end of his song Meg was snapped out from the trance. Meg cursed herself. How could she let that happen?!
Erik picked up his love tenderly as she fell asleep in his arms. A warm smile graced his lips and he gazed at the sleeping angel. Adoration was apparent in his eyes.
Meg felt sick to her stomach as she saw the scene play out. If one didn't know any better, they would assume it was a picture of an affectionate couple.
No, she will not let him win.
"You don't love her." Meg whispered. The masked man looked up. "What you think is love is nothing more than an obsession. You only want her as a puppet that you can use to amuse yourself." Her voice grew stronger as she spoke.
Erik glowered at her. His amber eyes blazing brightly in the shadows.
"You should be more wary of who you are speaking to, little one. Do not simply assume that I will not do anything to you because of my connection to your mother."
Meg spat at his feet.
"Really? I'd like to see you try, you ugly bastard."
A strange electricity filled the air as Giry looked into Erik's hellish eyes.
Pure fury radiated from his being...and then flickered out like a candle.
Something was echoing in the distance, but the ballerina was too focused on the masked man to notice.
Erik turned his head to listen. After a moment, his chilling gold eyes slid back to the blonde girl and he smiled darkly. Tension filled the air.
He turned away with his beloved in his arms.
Confusion clouded Meg's mind, but she quickly made a decision. The ballerina whipped out her pistol.
"Freeze!"
She flinched as she saw eight of Erik's guards stealthily made their way towards her, giving a slight nod when they passed their master.
No! What happened to Raoul and Nadir?
The young woman narrowed her eyes as the countdown began. If this was her last stand, she will get the parting blow. Meg shot.
...And the bullet grazed his shoulder as four of the guards tackled her down. The other four kept their guns trained on her.
Fuck!
Meg was pinned to the ground with her cheek touching the frozen concrete floor. She watched as Erik seethed in pain, but continued to carry Christine away...
One of the guards put handcuffed her and forced her to stand up. Thoughts raced through her mind as the eight guards dragged her along.
Damn it! How could this all gone so wrong? Just a couple months ago she and Christine were simple college students. If only she knew back then...
But now it was far too late.
Like a video tape, her memories slowly began to rewind.
Nadir going over the blueprints.
Panicking with Raoul as Christine was taken by the night.
Her mother warning her of a terrifying man.
Comforting Christine as the darkness closed in on her.
One by one the slides continued to play until they reached the very beginning.
The first day of school.