The Many Faces of the Opera Ghost

Chapter Two

As her captor dragged her back to where it was black, Emmeline knew her life may have been saved, but now she may be in trouble all over again. Finally, the man who had her stopped walking. He had a vice - like grip on her, yet somehow he was holding her gently. As if she were made of glass. The two of them stood at the railing just so that Emmeline could see the stage. It was beautiful scene, but it also could have been a death scene.

Her death scene.

She was grateful to whoever caught her. She just wished he would talk some more. She wanted to hear that beautiful musical voice again.

(He must have heard her wish.)

"You have spine, Emmeline; to come to a place where the opera ghost is rumored to have been seen." The man with the green eye and the musical voice hissed.

Emmeline realized that like he said if she didn't struggle, he wouldn't hurt her. She could easily talk her way out of this. However, she was a bit confused to start with.

"Opera ghost?"she asked.

"Yes, he is known for his murderous tendencies." Erik said.

He was beginning to have fun with this.

"He?" She asked.

"Of course, what did you think I meant?" He snapped.

"I'm sorry you must be mistaken. Everyone knows that the opera ghost is a woman." She replied.

Suddenly, Emmeline felt the grip on her tighten even more. From behind her came a deep and powerful laugh. Then he spoke again.

"Where did you hear THAT!?" He said.

Emmeline was even more confused.

Was he making fun of her?

Was he calling her a liar?

She had no idea what to say, so she stayed silent.

"Answer me." Erik said.

"What?" She asked.

"Where did you hear that the opera ghost was a woman?" he said again.

Emmeline decided to tell him the truth.

"It was my own assumption, Sir. I thought it might a young operatic singer floating around in a white gown or something singing the High C, and breaking every mirror she passed." She explained.

Erik was astounded. This so called opera ghost of Emmeline's description reminded him very much of Christine Daae herself. However, he was more interested in this young woman's imagination even more. He knew her name, where she was staying, and why she was at the Opera Populaire. He didn't expect her to stay very long, though. Female painters weren't known to have any talent to be taken seriously. But Erik noticed that when he'd snatched her, the drawings in her bag of the ballet's Giselle had fallen out… and he had seen them.

He had to admit that he hadn't seen such different talent before. She had used brown tones to paint the tree's leaves and bushes during sunset. But in the graveyard scene, she'd used dark greens and blues for the grounds, stones, and trees, and even the gravestones themselves, instead of black and gray.

He was impressed.

"Um, Sir? Can I go now? I'm thankful for what you did, but I must get back to my painting." said Emmeline.

Erik realized that while he'd been thinking he'd been holding her all this time. He decided something.

"No, you're going to return to your quarters. Don't come back up here, or you will receive a punishment." He warned her.

Emmeline shivered, not with fear, but excitement. She was fascinated with her rescuer. She could tell right away that he was dangerous. But something in his voice told her that none of that danger would ever be directed towards her physically.

"Yes, Sir, I'll do as you say one condition." She said.

Erik frowned.

"And what might that be?" He asked.

"Would you mind introducing yourself? I'll go first. I'm Emmeline Gabrielle Rothschild. How do you do?" She said.

Erik sighed and watched her as she held out her hand waiting for it to be kissed as was customary in Europe.

Emmeline stood there for a moment and waited. He seemed hesitant, so she decided just to curtsy instead. As he watched, she could have sworn she saw a small grin on his –

Wait a minute.

Half of his face is cover—oh my.

He's wearing a mask, a white half mask. And the rest of him is black. His hands, his hair, his body,…but his eyes…

This time Emmeline saw his other eye. The other beautiful green eye. She was finally able to glue all together. He had grabbed her from behind with his black-clad arm. He covered her mouth with his black leather-clad hand. And she had felt his mask against her own face when she first saw his eye gleaming through it.

"Erik Benoit, Bonjour." He said bowing.

Before she could ask any questions, he quickly turned around and made for the back door beyond the last beam. Then he heard it.

"Pleased to meet you, Sir Opera Ghost." Emmeline said from across the way.

She then picked up her bag and made her way down the steps. As she reached the bottom, she looked back up at the rafters. Erik was standing there watching her. Quickly, she went into the stage wings, whipped out her sketchpad and pencil, and managed to trace the shadow of the opera ghost before he disappeared into the tunnels of the opera house.

One Week Later…

"So I'm dancing on stage, and the next thing I know, a dead body comes falling from above, hanging from a rope!" cried Meg.

Emmeline sat stock still in the chair as Meg told her the story of "Il Muto" and Joseph Buquet's death. First, Meg told her about the time he dropped a piece of the set on Carlotta's head during the rehearsal of "Hannibal." She thought that that was rather humorous, but after the Buquet incident, she had goose bumps.

If he was a murderer like everyone was saying, then why didn't he do anything to her?

There were a million things he could've done to her.

Rape…Torture…everything, but nothing.

Why?

"Why what?" Meg asked.

Emmeline didn't realize it, but she'd been thinking out loud and talking to herself, asking questions to herself. She looked at Meg. She was all wide – eyed. Emmeline decided to tell her. She didn't see Madame Giry come into the room behind her.

"Meg, I met him…in the rafters, the very place where Buquet was murdered. In fact, I almost died there."

"What!" Meg cried.

"Oh my dear, did he hurt you!" shouted Madame Giry as she put her hands on Emmeline's shoulders as if trying to shelter her from harm. She surprised Emmeline.

"No, he did not. Actually, it was quite the opposite. He saved me…saved my

life." replied Emmeline.

"Wait, I'm confused. What were you doing in the rafters in the first place?" Asked Meg.

"Excellent question." said Madame Giry.

Emmeline smiled and began her story. When she was finished telling them about how she was warned to stay away, Madame Giry and Meg looked at each other. When Emmeline wasn't watching, the two of them exchanged glances of worry. They watched Emmeline pick up her drawing bag and leave the room. Secretly, they knew where she was going.

Going up the stairs to the rafters, Emmeline looked down at the stage and clung to the rail. This time, she went to the place where he'd taken her, and hoped for the best.

Thinking about the past week, she remembered everything she'd heard about the famed opera ghost. She learned that he had stolen things, rigged sets and played pranks on the performers and even more about the Great Disaster that Meg told her about. She also learned more about Christine Daae.

The girl had come to the opera house as a child and received singing lessons from a special teacher. For a time, she was the star soprano of the opera house. He performed in the sexual opera with her where she took off his mask and revealed him to the world.

"The opera ghost is a monster!" people said.

"His face is that of a beast!" they also said.

All that the people in the opera house would say about what happened next was that Christine and the Count de Chagny were married two days later and the opera ghost was never seen again.

"But if you're not careful, you may just run into the opera ghost's ghost!" another person said.

Emmeline came to a conclusion. She had to get the truth, no matter what. She had to know what really happened that night…

For he was still alive.

Sitting there on the ground, she finished a little something she was sketching and stood up to stretch. As she held out her arms, something cold and wet was clamped over her nose and mouth. Emmeline was going to struggle, but she remembered.

"Do not struggle, Emmeline, and everything will be fine."

Relaxing, she inhaled the chloroform and fainted. Once more, the opera ghost slowly but gently picked her up and carried her back once more down the steps, and into the darkness.