It was late noon, when a large carriage arrived in front of the opera Garnier. A young woman was gazing out of the small window in awe, while a man got out of the carriage to help the carter with the baggage. Shortly after him, his wife, a tall woman in a white dress with a lot of frills and a hat, got out as well. Her curly hair was honey-blonde and well pinned up. Her dark blue eyes scanned the area. ,,Amazing Vincent" she aspirated ,,just as you said. It's exactly as I remember it. ,,Yes, I know honey" her husband answered as he pulled one of the backs from the top. Now the blonde woman turned to the window ,,Sophie, darling, won't you come out"? Her daughter blinked in surprise of her mother who caught her off guard. She had let her mind wander again as she had looked at the huge opera. There were to many thoughts in her mind. Sure she was overjoyed to see her aunt and cousin again, but she knew what her father was aiming for and she didn't like it at all. ,,Sophie"? That was her father calling. Actually, he was a very good man and a good father. He did everything for his family, but this time, he just wouldn't listen to his daughter. She loved to sing, the problem was, she couldn't do it in public.

,,I am coming" she answered after a while and got out at least. ,,Is everyone ready"? Vincent asked. His wife nodded. His daughter gave him a small smile and then they went off.

The closer they came, the more Sophie's heart began to race. All she was thinking about was the case of the mysterious incident of the phantom of the opera. The rumor of the "opera ghost" as they called it, went viral in Paris after the fire. Sophie's father, Vincent, didn't believe in it though. He laughed it off. He said, that it was just a horror story to scare off bad behaving children. ,,If you're bad, the phantom will come and take you away". Sophie on the other hand, was curious about knowing if it was true or not.

Walking into the opera lobby was a strange feeling. It was beyond beautiful. If you didn't know about the fire, you would never guess that anything ever happened. Still it was kinda scary for Sophie. From the moment she walked in, she felt as if she was being watched.

,,Amazing isn't it" Vincent put his hands on his hips as he and his wife walked over to their daughter. ,,It is" his wife admitted. ,,Wait until you see the rest" Vincent grinned.

,,Vincent"! A sudden voice called and all the heads turned. It was Madame Giry together with her own daughter Meg. The blonde girl was beaming in joy of the sight of her cousin. ,,Antoinette. Dear Sister" Vincent walked over to her with his arms open wide. They hugged. ,,Hello brother" she replied. ,,It's been too long". ,,Yes, yes" her brother said. ,,Hello Ann" his wife greeted as she walked up to them. ,,Hello Eve" Madame Giry smiled. Meg instantly ran up to her cousin. ,,Sophie" she called out in joy. ,,Meg" Sophie smiled at her widely. The girls hugged each other tightly. ,,Oh my, I've missed you so much" Meg looked at her cousin emotionally. ,,I missed you too" Sophie said. ,,Look at you" Meg started ,,you're beautiful". Sophie blushed slightly and gave it a chuckle. ,,Thank you Meg. You're beautiful too". ,,Hello Sophie" Madame Girly tilted her head a bit to the side, so she could see her niece. ,,Aunt Ann" Sophie grinned and followed Meg back to her parents and to her aunt. ,,Come here" Madame Giry pulled her niece into a soft hug. ,,Let me take a look at you child". She examined her niece from head to toe. She had grown into a stunning, pretty, young woman. Her warm brown hair, fell down to her rips in light curls. Not as curly as Christine's and darker. She had the top pinned back. Her eyes had a light brown. They glowed like amber. By the type, she had similarities to Christine but was still completely different. Madame Giry smiled again to not make her niece feel uncomfortable. ,,It's good to see you again" she continued ,,You've grown well". Sophie smiled shyly.

Vincent cleared his throat to get the attention back. ,,Well, I'll have a talk with the directors soon". Sophie looked away. Immediately Madame Giry noticed, that something wasn't quite right. ,,They will be amazed" Vincent grinned. ,,Once everything is set and done, I'll talk about your singing Sophie. Isn't that a huge chance? Imagine. You, my daughter, singing on stage". Sophie didn't respond, she just had a expression of discomfort. Eve, her mother, stroked her back lovingly. ,,Darling, don't rush her. We just arrived". Madame Giry kept her eyes on her niece. She too, was worrying. It didn't take her long to understand, that her brother wanted his daughter to sing on stage. But Sophie didn't want it. The past kept coming up into her mind. How Christine broke Erik's heart. She worried about him and she worried about the safety of her niece. Vincent who had caught attention of the worried faces, started to smirk. ,,What"? Madame Giry tilted her lips. ,,Are you alright"? Her brother asked. ,,Yes, yes I am fine" the madame answered firmly. For a moment her brother seemed skeptic and his sister sighed.

,,Sophie is a good singer" Eve started ,,She has a great talent". ,,I don't doubt that". Madame Giry replied. ,,Wait until she sings here" Vincent joined again. ,,If she sings" Madame Giry corrected. Meg smiled at her cousin to encourage her. She also saw, that Sophie seemed to feel uncomfortable.

,,Ann" Vincent gestured with his hands ,,Why this fuss? Sophie is absolutely perfect made for singing here". ,,I..." Madame Giry breathed in. Now her brother seemed to understand. ,,Oh..." he said ,,Oh come on Ann, don't tell me it's because of that, Phantom nonsense". Meg quickly looked over to her mother. Her expression, fearful. ,,That's hilarious" Vincent shook his head laughing ironically. ,,Darling.." Eve, his wife tried to stop her husband from getting into the topic again but it was too late. ,,There is no need to be afraid. There is NO PHANTOM of the opera" he said out lout. Everyone went silent. Sophie looked at her father in shock and back to her aunt. Meg also seemed startled. ,,Vincent" Eva suddenly hissed. Madame Giry swallowed and cleared her throat. ,,Well" she started rising her head ,,I'll go get the directors then". Vincent dropped his shoulders and sighed loudly ,,Ugh...This is getting on my nerves".

Meg gently wrapped her arm around her cousin and whispered a few encouraging things to comfort her.

As Madame Giry passed through the opera, her eyes scanned the area above for some signs but there weren't any. Her mind was racing. Her brother had hit the point. She knew that Erik was watching and she knew that he wouldn't be pleased with her brothers behaviour. She had a very bad feeling about it. She had to catch up with Erik later and try to calm him. After all, he had his ears and eyes everywhere.

Sophie played with her fingers nervously. ,,You'll be fine" Meg talked to her softly. ,,I am sure that Maman will let you join the ballet. We could dance together". ,,Now, was that necessary"? Eva snapped at her husband. ,,This is absolutely imbecile" Vincent turned to his wife ,,This story of that ,Opera Ghost, is complete fiddlesticks. A rumor. Accidents happen everywhere and kidnapping isn't something supernatural either. There is no such thing as a GHOST in this opera". Meg looked at her uncle with a frown. He kind off reminded her of Raoul. Raoul had also joked about Erik and it didn't went well. ,,Urgh, you're unbelievable sometimes" Eve barked at her husband rolling her eyes.

,,Monsieur Giry" a voice called, laughing. It was André. He and his partner Firmin walked down the stairs. Followed by a worried Madame Giry. ,,You are absolutely dead on time". ,,Hello Monsieur's" Vincent bowed slightly and started to shook their hands. ,,May I introduce to you, my wife" he gestured to Eve. André and Firmin smiled and bowed their heads. ,,And my only daughter, Sophie" he also gestured to her as she bowed down. ,,Monsieur's". The opera directors smiled at her. ,,Mademoiselle" André turned to Firmin to whisper to him. ,,Pretty girl, really pretty". Firmin cleared his throat. ,,Well. I see, you arrived without complications"? Vincent nodded. ,,Yes Monsieur, we had a safe journey". ,,Very well" André clapped his hands. ,,Shall we get to the business"? Vincent glanced over to his wife, who nodded. ,,Good" he answered. Madame Giry stepped beside her daughter and sophie ,,I will take care of her, she'll come with me and my daughter". Meg smiled at Sophie, happy about the decision of her mother. Eve also smiled at her daughter.

With a last nod to everyone, the directors and Sophie's parents went away to discuss the matters of business.

,,Come now my dear" Madame Giry lead her niece on her shoulder to follow her and her daughter. ,,You'll be part of my ballet class. You can be together then" she glanced over to the girls. Sophie smiled happily. Madame Giry was still nervous. If anything, she had to make sure, nothing bad would happen this time. Madame Giry loved Erik and she didn't want him to get hurt again.

Above them, a shadow moved alongside. Unseen, unrecognized, well hidden. He was one with the darkness in the upper floor, that was usually only accessed by the stage workers. With a scrutinizing look on the face, Erik watched as the three went up to the bedrooms. He indeed was angry with the new visitors. It wasn't necessarily the young woman, it was her father who made him furious. How did he dare talk about him like he was a joke? The girl on the other hand, seemed to had caught his attention. But he wasn't really interested in her. If she wouldn't start to try and take away the place that he wanted Christine for he would stay calm on the topic. He knew she would never come back, but for as long as possible, he didn't want anybody to take her place on stage. If she was about to sing though, she would have to do more than just impress him. He would tolerate her sometime but never accept her.

Madame Giry was the only one he wanted to see. Meg was a exception from time to time. Though she knew he would never lay a finger on her, she was still a bit afraid of him. Eventually, her mother found it best for her to stay away until she would decide to give him a fresh start. Erik was more than thankful for Madame Giry. She was the only one who ever loved him unconditionally. She came back and helped him out of his lovesickness. During that time, he had barely eaten, barely slept and if his depression got bad he even played with the thoughts on killing himself. Though he never truly did it. It was a shame. The first time he fell in love had to be a rejection again. A extremely painful one. Sure, he knew he had scared Christine with his outbreak of rage but what did she even think on taking his mask off? His most vulnerable part. The part where all his pain came form. She didn't even asked first. It was similar to kicking somebody out of a wheelchair without giving it a second thought. Erik shook his head. Actually, he never wanted to think back on the past and on Christine but the memories still kept coming back from time to time. And now with that young girl down there, it kept getting harder. From what he could see, she had some similarities with Christine. It was impossible to ignore her abidance and he hated it. Erik clenched his teeth. Though he was annoyed he would have an eye on the situation. Just to be sure.

After a while, Madame Giry, Meg and Sophie had arrived in front of a door. ,,That's your new room" the madame explained. ,,Thank you aunt Ann" Sophie replied as they walked into the room. It wasn't that big, but it was still beautiful. ,,I will leave you rest now" Madame Giry said. ,,You'll have put your stuff out of the backs and take some rest for today. I will come tomorrow morning to take you with me". Sophie nodded at her aunt. ,,Do you want me to help you"? Meg offered. ,,No, I am fine" her cousin smiled ,,Thank you Meg, I'll come over to you later, when I am done". The blonde smiled also. ,,Ok, but if you need something, you can come and call me". Sophie stroked her cousins shoulder, thankful. Meg turned and left, leaving Sophie alone in the new room.

Sighing, Sophie looked around. It was unfamiliar quiet. It was smelling after wood and candle wax. After dried flowers and dust. ,,New home" she whispered. A while passed until the young brunette was finally done with putting her stuff into the right places. Exhausted, she let herself drop on the bed. It was creaking a bit and bouncing under her weight. She closed her eyes. For the first time that day, she was able to just wander in her mind. Suddenly she opened her eyes again. Phantom of the opera, rang in her head. Was it really just a scary story? A strange feeling crept up her body. It was almost eerie. And as sudden as the thought hit her she was turning her head to a weird, man tall, mirror in the middle of the room. It had something weirdly unsettling on it. ..It's just new to me" Sophie mumbled as she stood up to change her cloths.

After Sophie was changed into her nightgown, she quietly sneaked out of her room and went to Megs. She knocked on the door. ,,Yes"? Came the question. ,,It's me, Sophie" the brunette called. ,,Come in" Meg called and Sophie went into the room. Meg was sitting on her bed. Quietly Sophie closed the door and went up to sit next to her cousin. ,,Did you rest a bit"? Meg asked her. ,,A little.." Sophie lowered her gaze. ,,I was thinking on what had happened earlier". Meg tilted her lips. ,,You mean, what your father said"? Sophie nodded ,,Yes...I was wondering, is it true? The case of the phantom"? Megs face dropped and she went a bit pale. ,,Sophie.." she whimpered. ,,Please Meg" the brunette looked at her, pleading. ,,I want to know". Meg took a deep breath. ,,You know about it, don't you"? Sophie examined her cousins expression. ,,Yes..." the blonde whispered. ,,It's just...I am not meant to talk about it". ,,Why? Because your mother told you"? Sophie blinked. ,,Yes" Meg replied. ,,Please Meg, I need to know what's going on here". Meg sighed deeply. ,,Alright. But promise me not to tell". Sophie smiled at her cousin. ,,Promise". ,,Alright listen" the blonde began. ,, I don't know as much as my mother, but I know enough. The phantom got saved by my mother years ago. She helped him and she cared for him since I can remember. He owns the opera and runs it". ,,But I thought the opera directors do that" Sophie tilted her head in confusion. ,,Yes they do, but the phantom gives the instructions" Meg answered. ,,However. You remember Christine do you"? Sophie nodded ,,Yes, we were young back then". ,,Someday she started to tell me about an angel of music. I didn't know that it was in fact the phantom giving her singing lessons. He fell in love with Christine but she fell in love with her childhood-sweetheart Raoul. She rejected him and broke his heart. You know" Meg looked to the side as she remembered ,,He has a disfigured half of his face. He covers it with a mask. At the last opera piece, Christine had ripped it off. He, the phantom got angry and took her down to his secret home". ,,Secret home"? Sophie blinked. ,,Yes" Meg looked at her cousin again ,,He lives under the opera. He hides there. However. I don't know what happened down there. Mother doesn't like to speak about it. But he's running the opera again. Only he hides away more than he ever did. I don't see him that much. I only know that he had a bad past".

,,I am sorry to hear that" Sophie replied. ,,But he also did horrible things Sophie" Megs eyes glimmered. ,,He killed two people". Sophie opened her mouth. Lovesickness was always a bad thing and a disfigured half of a face must be horrible. She couldn't imagine how the phantom must have felt. ,,Please Sophie, he can be very dangerous, it's best you don't think about him that much and just keep your mind off of him". Meg looked at her cousin intensely. ,,I'll take care of myself Meg, don't worry" Sophie answered. Suddenly Megs expression changed again and she seemed scared. ,,Meg, what's wrong"? Sophie asked. Meg shook her head. ,,I shouldn't have told you this...he might be angry". ,,What"? Sophie tilted her head. ,,Why? Are you scared that he might kidnap me"? Meg pressed her lips together. Sophie hugged her cousin ,,Don't be scared, I wont give him any reason to do so". ,,He doesn't need a reason Sophie, he does what he wants". Meg swallowed. ,,I'll be fine Meg" Sophie insisted. Meg gave her a still worried look ,,Still...be careful". ,,I will be" Sophie smiled again ,,Nothing will happen". ,,I hope so" Meg replied. ,,I think I will head back to my room now" she rose. ,,Please, really Sophie, be careful". Meg followed her cousin with her eyes. ,,Yes Meg, don't worry. Good night" Sophie said and turned. ,,Good night" Meg called after her as her cousin left the room.