Rebecca woke up feeling lost and confused. She looked around and saw that the ice path she had made earlier was gone. That ice usually last for a good 12 hours. I must have been out cold for a long time. Rebecca sat up cradling her aching head. She looked up and saw the man lying on his side. Rebecca ran to him to see if he was hurt in any way. The man was out cold and dying. She could feel sadness in the man and she felt that he was not yet ready to move on. Rebecca made the decision to heal the strange man.
Rebecca put her hands on the man's head and arm and she concentrated. She could feel the warmth leave her hands and go into the man's body. The man's breaths became deeper and Rebecca could feel the man get stronger. Than Rebecca stopped, she could not completely heal the man. Rebecca did not know why she could not. The man moaned and turned unto his back. From his face fell an opera mask. Rebecca picked up the mask and looked at it. It was a white mask that would cover half of a face. Rebecca put the mask to the side and looked at the man. His face was pale as thought the man had not seen much sunlight in recent years. Rebecca grabbed her bag and pulled out a blanket to cover the man. She put her bag underneath his head for a pillow. Rebecca did not want to move him just yet.
Rebecca sat by the man. The man who was still a stranger to her. In the distance Rebecca heard some music playing softly. She did not know where the music was coming from and she felt as thought she had to know. She looked over at the man. He was still asleep. Rebecca placed the white mask by the man and went looking for the music. The place was full of sadness, so much so that it made Rebecca cry. After much wondering Rebecca found the source of the music. It was a music box that had a monkey playing the cymbals dressed in a Persian style outfit. She picked up the music box and in her hands the music coming from the box slowly died away in her hands. As Rebecca looked at the music box someone grabbed her shoulders and threw her across the room.
"How dare you come here!" It was the man Rebecca healed earlier. His eyes were full of fury at someone coming down to his home. Rebecca got on her hands and knees slowly. The man had great strength; Rebecca never dealt with anyone with that kind of strength. Even after she had healed someone they never had the strength this man had. She looked at the man and said nothing. The man wore the white opera mask. To Rebecca the man wore the mask to hide something.
"Why are you here?" the man said walking slowly towards Rebecca. She said nothing to him; she was still trying to gat her bearings on the situation.
"I said – Why are you here!" He picked her pick and pushed her to a wall. He looked at this girl. Her hair was messy and was in her face. The girl's eyes were calm; there was no fear or any disgust in them. The man was never looked upon with eyes like that.
"I am investigating a strange occurrence that seems to be happening in this Opera House." There was no point in using her cover story with this man. His hands felt like that had drained the life of people before. "I could ask you the very same thing – Why are you here?" The man did not answer, instead he loosened his grip on Rebecca and pushed her to the floor. He turned away from her and there was silence.
"Why do you wear that mask?" Rebecca broke the silence. She watched as the man slowly clenched his hands.
"My face." For a strange reason the man felt as thought he could trust this girl. He did not know why he could he just did. But the man knew he had to be careful with his feelings. Last time he showed his feelings it ended in nothing but pain.
"Your face?" Rebecca was confused. "Why do you hide your face when there is no need to? I have seen your face, it bears great sadness for what reason I do not know. But there is no reason to hide your face." The man turned around to Rebecca, his eyes were bewildered.
"What is your name?" The man spoke slowly. He wanted to know everything about this strange girl.
"I am called Rebecca." She got up from the ground and stood in front of the man. "Why don't you take off your mask. I have a mirror in my pocket if you don't believe me." Rebecca pulled out a compact mirror and held it in front of the man. He took the mirror and turned away from Rebecca.
He slowly took off his mask. The mask he used all his life to hide his monstrous face from the world. What is this girl saying? It can't be true. The man looked into the mirror and he dropped his mask to the ground. Everything seemed to be moving slowly for him as he turned around to the girl amazed. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. She right… I don't need a mask anymore.
"How did you do it?" The man whispered as he looked at Rebecca.
"What do you mean?" Rebecca was afraid that she was just about to blow her cover completely.
"This! My Face!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and held her tightly. "My face has never been like this!"
"Is there something wrong?" Rebecca felt her heartbeat go faster as the man's grip became tighter.
"I no longer look like a monster! How did you do that?" The man needed to know. He would not let go of her until she told him. Rebecca could see there was no point in keeping her cover story with him.
"I healed you." She whispered. "You were dieing and I healed you with my powers." Rebecca could not believe just told this man her deepest secret. She hung her head and tears formed in her eyes.
The man looked at the girl as she wept softly. How could she have done this? Why would she do that for me? He looked at her and for the first time in long a time he felt respect for this strange girl. He let the girl sit on the ground and he sat next to her.
"Sir, please tell no one!" There was a fear in Rebecca's eyes. it was not fear of him, but a fear of people finding her. The man knew this feeling well and he put his arm around her. He did not know what else to do.
Words could not describe how upset Rebecca was. It was very dangerous for anyone at the agency to tell their secrets. Here was Rebecca at the mercy of the strange man she had healed and who she told her secret to.
"May I ask you your name sir?" Rebecca hoped she could convince the man not to tell anyone.
The man looked at Rebecca, who was looking backat him,intohis eyes. Again he felt that he could trust this strange girl called Rebecca.
"I am called a ghost, a phantom, and a monster."
"But those are not names for a person."
Erik looked away from Rebecca. I'm not a monster to her - I'm a person.
"Erik, that is my name." He said softly.
Rebecca remembered something Thomas had told her.
"The Phantom's name was Erik. And in his reign over the Opera House there was murder and mayhem."
Rebecca looked at Erik and realized that she was not in her own time.
