A/N: Sorry to have taken so long in updating this story! Hopefully I haven't lost anyone from my long absence!


Chapter Two - Into Darkness

Ariana remained in bed for a good 30 minutes before she was sure everyone had fallen asleep. Then, she crawled out of her bunk, grabbed a match and the small oil lamp next to the door, and snuck out into the hallway. She knew the halls of the opera house so well, she could find her way with no light easily.

When she finally arrived at the tapestry of the angel in the cemetery, she pushed it aside to reveal the door hidden behind it. She struck the match on the stone wall and then lit the oil lamp. That's when she saw the keyhole on the door.

"Oh please don't be locked..." Ariana whispered to herself. She hadn't expected a locked door. Taking a deep breath, she reached out, grabbed the knob, and turned it. The door was locked.

"Dammit," Ariana breathed, letting out a breath she had been holding. "It would be locked..." Glaring at the door, she thought about what to do next. As she thought, she wandered around the opera house until she found herself on the stage. The set from Don Juan still stood on the stage, right where it had been when everything had turned to chaos just hours before. And that's when Ariana remembered. Hadn't the Phantom been standing in the tower when he and Christine had vanished? It had looked as if they had fallen through the tower floor. Slowly, she made her way to the focal point of the elaborate set, the tower with the spiral staircase. Taking a deep breath, Ariana stepped onto the first stair and made her way to the top. The platform at the top of the stairs was just big enough for two people to stand on. Looking down at her feet, Ariana searched for any sign that there was a trap door, but the floor looked very solid. Not letting that stop her, she turned around slowly, looking for a rope or a button or...

"A lever!" Ariana whispered excitedly upon discovering the lever behind one of the black curtains draped at the edge of the platform. She reached out and put her hand on the wooden lever. She had know idea where she'd end up when she pulled the lever, but nothing was going to stop her from finding out where the trap door led. Taking a deep breath, Ariana tightened her grip on the lever and pulled back toward herself. Instantly, the floor beneath her dropped away and Ariana found herself plummeting downward into darkness.

Fortunately, the fall wasn't a long one and Ariana managed to land on her feet when she stopped falling. And even more fortunately, her lantern hadn't gone out during her descent. Holding the lantern up, Ariana found herself in some sort of stone chamber. In the distance, she saw a faint glow. Gathering her nerves, Ariana started off down the long hall towards the glow.