Jackie Deshawny, last of the American branch of the direct line from Christine Daaé's marriage to Raoul, le Comte de Chagny. In the early 1920's, her ancestors had come to America and changed their name to try to break away from the scandals surrounding and attached to the young couple's marriage and consequently, the proud de Chagny name. However, the pure bloodlines from Christine and Raoul's marriage are not as narrow as one might think. The second, purer branch never left for America. They had been living in England, however, and did eventually come back to France and retake their rightful properties fro the diluted blood of the relatives. But we are only concerned with Jackie Deshawny and her "adopted" son, Radian Deshawny, nee de Chagny. Yes, he was born to the de Chagny title and fortune, but through some shady dealings, involving kidnapping and murder, he ended up in the wicked person's household.

Anyways, Jackie was planning a garage sale, and Radian was having a tremendous argument with his so-called "mother" about a certain ring he has had in his possession for as long as he could remember. The point of the argument was that Jackie wanted him to sell the ring, calling it a "worthless piece of junk jewelry", a "piece of costume jewelry and only that", and that it was her right to decide what to do with it. And, she thought to herself, if I cannot have it nor sell it, I should wreck it! Then he will no doubt agree to sell it! Ha!

He knew she was wrong, as always, that she only wanted the money so she could spend it on things for her children, and that it was a link to his real past and his personal guardian angel who has helped him through many a night and crisis.

Slamming the door to his attic room, he collapses on his hard bed and weeps. Stifling back a sob, he removes his secret box that only opens for him and takes out the confiscated letters from his true mother and father. Soon, momma, soon. Soon I'll be coming home, mama et papa, hopefully within the week. I hope I can escape without this bitch's noticing, for if she does, she'll certainly prevent me. I already have the tickets, thanks to you, papa, he thinks to himself and smiles.

She will be gone for a week, for her "work", he was told at the end of last week, after the argument when he awoke and she was nowhere around. And timed perfectly. Thank you, mon Ange, Erik, he whispers to his ever-faithful guardian angel. He has already packed his meager belongings and sent them ahead to his real home, which he hasn't seen since he was four years old. They will be waiting for me at the Charles De Gaulle Airport for me. Goodbye, torturers, and may I never see you again. The angry thoughts come unbidden, well, not really unbidden, to his mind as he entered the taxi which would take him to the airport.

He has made sure that he has the ring as he leaves for France. But it doesn't feel right; it feels as if it was wrong somehow. Sure it fit, and looked correct down to the last detail. But wait, what is that? On closer inspection, there was something missing. Very tiny, and almost imperceptible, a gash was slashed through one of the tiny figures encircling the ring! Not good, is it. No, not good at all. Another thing was different about the precious and ancient band. It smelled, in fact, when it had never smelled before. Oh sure, occasionally, when times went wrong and he sought guidance, he would catch the smell of roses, incense, and old death; but this is different now. The smell, which caught his attention, now is that of burnt ashes, cemetery dust, and blood that was not freshly spilled. And something else… A very slight smell, but there nonetheless… A hint of vinegar and abrasive cleansers… She had cleaned it to try and hide her crime! She must have done this, a crime that was long forbidden by familial (and supposedly superstitious) traditions! If this is the truth, that would be the cause of the smell. The ancient connection is broken! What will he do now without his familiar guide and guardian angel?

It started during the flight over the Atlantic Ocean. The consequences would be terrible and the price high for Radian, who had never accepted his kidnappers' renaming him as Steven. It was slight at first, just a mildly annoying tingling sensation in his limbs and body, particularly in his hands and fingers. He felt that it was just because of the cramped space aboard the plane and the pain of not having moved from the same position for so long. It soon grew almost overwhelmingly painful. He had steadily been losing weight over the past two weeks for no reason he could think of, and now he wondered if this sensation was caused by the same "sickness" that was causing his weight loss.

For some strange reason, he noticed with acute and painful clarity, his hands were growing! Lengthening, thinning, and becoming quite bony, they, however, felt comfortable, completely and totally natural—as if that is how they were meant to be. And he himself was growing, bone structure changing, shifting, becoming somehow stronger yet at the same time, thinner, more delicate-seeming. And then, all these changes seemed to stop. Visibly, that is. The Change, as he would come to call it, was not over. Though thin and gaunt, and having a much smaller and flatter nose, he could still pass off as being a human being, which he is. And despite appearances, the changing hadn't stopped, but merely slowed down incredibly.

His real parents welcomed him and greeted him with joy. Noticing what had and was happening (for they understood even if he didn't), they hurried him through customs and back to the ancient de Chagny estate before it was complete and a disaster would be unavoidable.

By the time they got home, Radian (or as a voice that was steadily overwhelming his mind and identity said, "Erik") was now well over six feet tall, very near seven feet, missing only by about two or three inches. He was positively skeletal by then, and his eyes were set so far into his head that the newly golden orbs could not be seen, and his nose… Oh, his nose! There is so little of it left that it cannot be seen from the side, and where it once was is now nothing but a black cavity!