Brace yourself, reader. You're venturing into unknown territory. You thought you knew Erik, Christine, Raoul, their hearts, minds, but do you really? Have you ever experienced life like theirs?

In reality, you know you haven't. But you don't like reality. Frankly, neither do I. Reality is cold, cruel, unfair, the works. But we have to face reality in order to see past its roadblocks to imagination and dreams, don't we?

My name is Paige Mallory. I'm a Phantom of the Opera fanatic, much like you. Yes, I know you're a fanatic. Otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this, would you?

If you dislike abuse, cruelty, hatred towards others, and such things like it, I beg you not to read further. I don't want to read any hateful reviews. And, if you don't believe that a normal girl like me can be transported into an alternate reality, then, reader, please do go away. Don't leave rude, unkind reviews. Why don't you save me the trouble of explaining a laptop in the 1870's and not review at all?

This is the story of how I got tangled up in the Phantom of the Opera, movie version, of course. My favorite, and I happened to be watching it at the time. On You Tube, of course, since I hadn't acquired it on DVD yet.

At first, when I realized that I had been thrown into the story, I thanked my rarely lucky stars that I could finally meet my hero, Erik.

Then I realized that not only Christine was here, but she had been receiving lessons from the supposed "Angel of Music", and Hannibal was to be performed in three days. Everybody was under the impression that I was a ballet dancer, new to the company, and would join in performances during Il Muto.

It was then that I realized that no information obtained by obsession with the movie would prepare me for what was about to take place.

My own personal rendition of Phantom of the Opera, you might say.

But would it end well? Would it have a happy ending?

I had yet to find out that happy endings don't come easily.