OHMIGOD I LOVE YOU ALL *tear tear* six reviews, two story alerts and two favorite stories grahhh :3 I'm thanking you all RIGHT NOW. so scroll down and just read if you don't want to feel the loveeeeee.

Awesomer: You're amazing. Just getting that out there :D And okay, i won't be jumping off any buildings anytime soon... And i most certaintly will slip in something like "THIS IS OPERA!" even if I have Nora say it...just don't explode on me. there's not enough purell in the world to clean up an exploded person in cyberspace. hahahah poor Nora? she's not so poor in this chapter :P

darkraiauthor: thank you ever so much for the favorite story! :DD

AcheronNyx: Thank you so much! :) I try my best haha

Thatcrazygirlwithglasses: hahah thank you! :))

PhantomROX1870: Thank youuu! :D hahah i wouldn't say the best phantom story yet :B ahahah and i tried to add something unusual, like the rose part. it's probably going to have a deeper meaning later :P and Nora's relationships will develop xD and i'm not quite sure yet. i think i'll keep it The Introduction a little while longer to see if it still fits. Thank you for the favorite story and story alert! :D

Ravengirl1011: Thank you for the story alert! :) And here comes the update now!

Read, review, and enjoy! :)

Love,

SarcasmIsTheBestMedecine
AKA: Maura


The Introduction

Chapter Seven: Trust Me


Nothing much happened after I awakened. I glared at the slightly wilting roses on the foot of my bed. I got dressed, heeding Erik's warning and pulling up a curtain shield before swapping clothes. Yawning, I pulled on my boots and stumbled into the corridor, grabbing a newsboy hat and stuffing my hair into it sloppily. I snatched a random pastry off of a passing tray and scarfed it down - not tasting the fruit or bread – whilst wandering. Practice started a little later today, so I didn't have anywhere to be. I started humming and walking about the halls of the theatre aimlessly, avoiding the bustle of people passing by, too caught up in their lives to notice me. I closed my eyes, letting the sound envelope me, and – of course – ran into someone.

We let out simultaneous "Oof"s and I stepped back, looking at the person's face.

"De Chagny!" I smiled, shoving my hands in my pockets.

He squinted at me for a moment, and then realized who I was.

"Nora! I didn't recognize you in those clothes." He eyed my clothes, almost grinning, but not quite. "They almost suit you. Having fun with your new job?"

I paused before answering, biting the inside of my cheek.

"I love working with the sets," I answered honestly and slowly, choosing my words with care.

"Well," Raoul – DE CHAGNY! – said, smiling, "I'm glad you're having a good time. Is there anything I can get you?" Before I could answer no, his smile faded. "Did anything else happen with that 'Opera Ghost' character? Did he hurt anyone else?"

I bit my bottom lip, unsure if I should answer. De Chagny's eyes stormed over when I didn't reply.

"What did he do to you?" He asked, growling a bit and stepping towards me protectively.

"Nothing, de Chagny, nothing," I hastily reassured him, holding my hands out in front of me. I put one hand on my hat, picking fuzzies off of it and fiddling with the brim. "He merely gave poor Christine a fright."

His eyes unclouded and confusion and sympathy filled them.

"Who's Christine? Is she alright?"

I did a mental facepalm. He doesn't know Christine. They don't meet until… I scrolled through a calendar in my head, looking for opening night for Hannibal. Tonight

"Oh, you'll see her tonight" I replied breezily. "And she's fine, just shaken up a tad." When he eyed me suspiciously, I rolled my eyes and said, "Trust me."

He nodded slowly and murmured, "I do." We both blushed a little and I looked away, picking invisible lint off of my vest nervously.

"W-well," Raoul stammered, after a few unbearably awkward moments of silence, "I'd best be off. I need to see my brother inside, he's waiting for me by the entrance," he explained, using far too many hand motions for my taste.

I giggled and place a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eyes and watching his cheeks go from carnation pink to a fuchsia and feeling his muscles tense.

"I'll see you around," I said, taking my hand off of his broad shoulder –Nora, STOP IMAGINING THINGS – and backing away.

"Goodbye, mademoiselle," he said quietly, turning away and walking towards the door.

I stood in the same spot for a few minutes, sorting out my emotions and thoughts and smiling slightly, remembering Raoul grinning down at me and blushing. I shook my head, turned around, and promptly ran right into someone else's chest.

"Hey," I snapped, looking up into a different man's face, thankfully not one Joseph Buquet. He had laughing silver eyes, a pixie-ish face, and shaggy, medium length hair pulled back in a ponytail the same shade of red-brown as a half-dead scarlet leaf at the end of autumn. That metaphor didn't work out as well as I planned it.

"Watch it," I finished lamely, stepping back once more and straightening myself out. When I looked up, a broad grin had fixed itself upon the man's face, threatening to split it in two. He couldn't have been older than his early twenties, like me.

"Ahh, so you're the female stagehand Buquet's been talking about." I blinked at his British accent and his mention of the ball o' sleaze. He held up his pointer finger. "Wait." His smile faded a bit, concern lighting his eyes. "You're the one who the Opera Ghost almost killed, also!"

I grimaced a bit and nodded. "That's me," I sighed, glancing around, searching for a pair of green eyes I knew were always watching me.

"I'm Adam," the man said, causing my eyes to focus back on him. He offered his hand, and I tentatively shook it, wondering why he was being so exuberant. "What's your name?"

"Lenora. Nora for short." I pried my hand from his iron grip which was lingering a little too long.

"Well Lenora, Nora for short, I'll be seeing you at practice." He gave a sweeping bow and strutted off, every dancer's eyes following him.

I grinned in spite of myself as I wandered off again, remembering Raoul's shoulder and Adam's bow. I managed to wind up in a hallway devoid of people but filled with chairs and tables lining the walls. I looked around and, deciding nothing interested me, shrugged and turned to find my way back to the main corridor. Something moved behind me, and I turned quickly to see what it was. No one was there, but a spot of color and a square had appeared on one of the tabled. I was there in a second, looking at the small piece of parchment and the single marigold. I winced. The marigold was the flower of affection, cruelty, grief, and jealousy. I picked both up and started to read the words on the paper.

Slumming, chéri? I can be a…very aggressive personality when it comes to shielding those I care about from others.

I groaned and looked at the bloom in my hand. The flower of jealousy rears its rather pretty head. Sighing, I sprinted my way to my post above the stage, shoving the parchment in my pocket and gripping onto the marigold like it was life itself. Once I had scampered up to the creaky platforms, I walked leisurely along the planks and plopped myself onto the ground in crisscross applesauce by my post. Up above me, Adam looked down and saw me. His face broke into a roguish smile and he waved so fiercely I thought his arm was going to fly off. I offered a small smile and a tiny wave as I lifted myself up into a standing position, dropping the marigold onto a chair for my use.

Looking out across the stage and into the boxes, I saw Raoul and a man I could only assume was his brother in Box 7. He waved, and I smiled tiredly and waved back. Glancing into Box 5, a white face caught my eye. I realized half of it was covered in a mask, and a smirk split Erik's face. He pointed to Adam, and then to Raoul, and put his hand in front of his face before melding into the darkness.

I sighed and turned my face up to look at Adam. He was staring at me, but instead of blushing when I looked at him, he winked. I pointed at him, put my hand in front of my face, and mouthed "keep your hand at the level of your eyes".

He rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. I wasn't worried about de Chagny, his brother was with him. Erik wouldn't kill an innocent man just to get to Raoul. Would he?

I sighed as practice started and grabbed the ropes to lower a backdrop.

"It's difficult having two loverboys and a crazy stalker phantom," I grumbled to myself as the theatre lights dimmed.

BAH. i redid this because, checking back on it, a bunch of stuff had gotten cut out. Bleh stupid bugs.