A/N: Hello to all my readers, I have another update. Sorry for the long wait. I was unable to go anywhere near a computer for the past few months. However, I have a request. This authoress happens to have slight self-confidence issues, and may not continue the story if I receive no reviews. I just want to make sure that this story is being read, and that I'm updating for people out there. It doesn't matter if I'm updating for just two or three people, but I need to know if I even have that many. Enough with my rambling, on to the next chapter!

I remain your obedient servant,

Phantom of the Shadows

Chapter 2

Thoughts flashed through Anna's mind as she stared at the masked figure before her. At first she thought that this was some elaborate hoax. But, as she looked around at the buildings and streets she realized that everything was significantly different. There were no cars in the streets and the roads were made with cobblestones that looked less old. This meant that the figure in front of her was the true and bonafied Phantom of the Opera. Anna was not sure whether or not to be excited or scared. Looking down, her eyes found her unconscious friend. At once both reality and anger came crashing down upon her. Keeping her hand at the level of her eyes, she looked up angrily at the Phantom.

"Why did you do it?" she asked. "We weren't in your domain, nor were we harming you in any way, shape or form!"

The Phantom raised an eyebrow. Was she chastising him? He decided to throw his voice so that it whispered right into the woman's right ear. "Oh, but you are in my domain. And the Opera Ghost can do what he pleases here."

Anna's eyes narrowed. "Monsieur, your ventriloquism does not frighten me, and I also know that you are ni ange, ni fantôme. You are Eri... a man." She cursed herself for almost calling him by his name.

"What did you just call me?"

"A man. A human being."

The Phantom stared at the woman. "How do you know me?"

Anna shrugged. "You hear quite a bit of rumor running around the members of the corps de ballet in the Opera House. Since I never believed in specters and since you called yourself the Opera Ghost, I put two and two together. However most people who hear the story believe it to be fiction."

The sun was beginning to rise and the Phantom was faced with a dilemma. He could not kill the woman in front of him since one hand was at the level of her eyes while the other held a knife, so he decided to return to his lair.

As he began to melt back into the shadows, Anna panicked. "Monsieur, wait! Please, I need help..."

"I do not care Mademoiselle, it is not my problem. Nor will I ever care about someone who looks and dresses like a hermaphrodite." And with that he disappeared.

Anna was incredibly upset. The dawn came and Anna faced her most difficult situation yet: To take care of her unconscious friend and to buy new clothes so that they could fit into the society. Then she would have to deal with finding living quarters and a job.

Anna got down on her knees to see if her friend was still unconscious and to assess if there was any more injuries that he had sustained during his fall. As she checked his pupils, Nick gave a small groan and rolled over onto his side before opening his eyes. He looked around before turning back to Anna.

"What happened?" he asked. "Ugh, my head's killing me. It feels like it's been kicked y a horse." Nick slowly stood up on unsteady feet. "Last I remember is you yelling at me to get my hand up and a rope fell over my head." He took a step forward and began to sway. Anna was instantly at Nick's side helping him down the stairs of the Opera Populaire.

"Take it easy Nick, you hit your head hard just now... Stupid Phantom..." Anna mumbled.

"Phantom? Ana, are you sure you didn't hit your head? It's a story and even if he did exist, that was hundreds of year ago!"

Anna looked at her friend, before beginning to lead him towards a shop that displayed clothing in the front window. "Nick, when my machine short-circuited, it not only got the destination wrong but the year as well. At my guess we're in the year 1881," Anna sighed. "Oh Nick, what have I done?"

Nick was in shock. They had traveled through time? The Phantom was real? Nick's attention came back to the present as he and Anna stopped in front of a clothing shop.

"We're going to have to wait for it to open. It shouldn't be too long since the streets are filling up. Then we could go see about employment." Anna chuckled darkly, "Maybe we could get a job in the Paris Opera House."

A few hours later found Anna and Nick in clothes of the lower classes. As they walked by a bakery, Anna took out a few coins and handed them to Nick.

"Take these and get us some food, then meet me on the steps of the Paris Opera House in twenty minutes," Anna said as she walked into the crowd.

Nick walked into the bakery and bought the needed food that he and Anna were to eat for lunch. Making sure that he did not spend all the money so that they could either find a place to live or buy food for the next day. Slowly Nick made his way to the Opera House, carrying some bread and cheese.

When he arrived at the meeting place, Anna still had not come. Nick sat down on the steps and placed his bags of food beside him. Shortly thereafter, the front doors opened as Anna stepped out.

"Thank-you Madame, my brother and I owe you much." Anna quickly came down the stairs and stopped right in front of Nick. "I have amazing good news! I got us a job! We are now employees of the Paris Opera House!" Anna told her friend. "Now, please tell me that food is ours, because I'm starving!'

Nick chuckled as Anna sat down next to him and took a huge bite out of the bread that Nick had handed her.

"When do we start and what jobs did you get us?" Nick inquired.

"We start tomorrow morning. I'm part of the clean-up service. Since you've injured your hand, you'll be working in the stables. Once it's better, you'll be moved to either a stagehand or you'll actually be making some of the props and backgrounds for the operas," Anna replied.

The two were silent for a few minutes as they ate, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Nick spoke up.

"Anna, this must be a dream come true for you. I mean, you get to be in the Opéra Garnier every day with the Phantom actually around and alive!"

Ana chewed thoughtfully before answering. "In a way it is. However, the fact that he has already tried to kill us kind of dampens my enthusiasm."

"Another quick question Anna. Do we know where we are going to live?"

A huge smile broke out on Anna's face. "Of course! We have our own separate rooms inside the Opera House."

Nick choked on his food and started coughing. "In the Opera House? How did you manage that?"

"Quite simply actually. I told the woman that our house and all our worldly possessions had burned down in a fire. Unfortunately, our parents were killed in the fire and we were left alone in the world, with no jobs and no money."

"Our parents?" Nick asked, looking slightly confused.

"Yes, our parents. I had to say that we're siblings and that our last name is Speranza. Our mother was French and convinced father to move to the French countryside. It was either that or we would have to be married. Which could get awkward since...well..." Anna broke off.

"Since we don't feel about each other that way," finished Nick. "Good thinking. I'm glad you did it since I could never have come up with a believable story."

They both finished their meal in comfortable silence. After she was done, Anna stood up and rushed the crumbs off her skirt.

"Well Nick, what do you say to trying to find our way around this Opera House?" she asked with a smile playing across her red lips.

Nick stood up and extended his uninjured hand towards Anna. "Why my dear sister, I'd be delighted to join you."

The two friends walked through the front doors together. The rest of the day was spent wandering through the majestic and labyrinth-like halls of the Opera House. As the evening drew to a close, Anna got changed and laid down in her bed. Her room was quite small and contained only a small, old wooden bed, and an old wooden vanity set. The bed was placed in the corner of the room and was separated by a makeshift-hanging curtain. Staring at the wooden walls, a small contented smile played across her face. Giving a tired sigh, Anna rolled over, closed her eyes and fell asleep while wondering what the next day would bring.