Lilith Gallagher was obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera. She could recite most of the movie's dialogue from memory. She listened to the soundtrack as often as possible and knew all the songs by heart. She would have worn a white half-mask in public if she thought she could get away with it.
When she wasn't pirouetting around her room singing along to the Phantom soundtrack, Lilith spent her free time either reading or writing fanfiction. Her favorite stories were about OCs who healed Erik's broken heart and made him realize how much better they were than that shallow bitch Christine. Didn't she know how much she'd hurt Erik by leaving him? If Lilith had been in Christine's shoes, she would totally have chosen the dark, mysterious, sexy Phantom over that stupid fop any time.
Still, Lilith had to admit there was one good thing about Christine ending up with Raoul: it left her free to fantasize about the Phantom. He haunted most of her waking thoughts, and he had visited her in many a dream, some of which made her face feel hot when she remembered them. More than anything, Lilith wished she could magically travel into the world of the Phantom and meet him for real.
The day that wish was granted started out like any other. It was an ordinary boring school day. Lilith had tried to pay attention in class at first, but soon zoned out and started daydreaming about Gerard Butler. It was the one annoying part of her Phantom obsession. She didn't particularly care, but she knew her parents wouldn't be happy if her grades started slipping. It was all Gerard Butler's fault. Why did he have to be so hot?
When Lilith got home from school, she sat at her desk and turned on her computer to see what was new in the world of fanfiction, as usual. Several people had left reviews on the latest chapter of her current work-in-progress, including one nasty flamer calling her OC a Mary Sue. Lilith wrote a short but angry reply and was sitting back in her chair, fuming about the injustice of it all, when the lights went out.
Lilith stifled a yelp. Power outage. It had to be a power outage, right? But if this was a power outage, why was her computer still working?
Outside her window, the sky darkened, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled. Lilith usually liked thunderstorms, but not now. Her heart pounded in her ears and a wave of dizziness crashed over her. "Mom! Dad!" she screamed. No one answered.
The chair tipped abruptly to one side, and Lilith found herself on the floor. The computer screen went black, the room plunged into darkness, and she knew no more.
