Angel walked about the caverns beneath the Opera House aimlessly, feeling light and cheerful. Everything had gone so *right* for her lately! First, she was rescued from her attic prison, then given vocal lessons from the admittedly handsome Phantom of the Opera, and now she was to live here, about as far from her former-jail as possible! She felt like quite the princess.
Her thoughts went back to her savior, Erik. She had been wondering for quite a while now as to why he was always wearing that mask. The day prior, she didn't question it, in case it was simply an accessory to his outfit and nothing more. However, now that she noticed him *still* wearing it, she had to ask herself what reason he would have for doing so. Of course, there was always the possibility that it was for fashion's sake, but what if it was for some other reason, such as hiding a deformity? Secretly, Angel hoped for the latter. After all, at this point, she didn't feel that she *deserved* the Phantom, if he was everything he seemed to be on the surface: kind, thoughtful, good-looking, a wonderful singer. But, if he were more like *her*, then maybe he could begin to like her as she did him. Just maybe.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps echoing through the caves. The Angel realized that she had wandered rather close to the entrance, and began to grow worried. What if someone was looking for her? She wanted to hide, but didn't know anywhere to turn. After all, Phantom was out running some errands or something, and she couldn't tell *exactly* where she was, so she couldn't make a break for his home. Thus, she decided to turn and face the threat head-on.
Thankfully, the "threat" wasn't very much so at all. Instead, a young couple emerged from the darkness, a man and a woman. The man had long, light hair that was tied back in a low ponytail, and was wearing a fancy-looking suit. The woman was dressed in a clean white gown, with her brown ringlets tied back almost carelessly. They noticed the Angel and approached.
"Hello, Mademoiselle," the man said, giving her a short bow, "I am looking for someone, and was hoping you could help us find her."
Angel stepped back, wary, "Oh? Who are you looking for?"
"She is called the Angel of the Opera," the woman said, "We have come to give her a warning."
Angel paused a moment, assessing the situation. Seeing that she had nothing to lose, replied, "I am she. What is this warning you speak of?"
"Your tutor, the Phantom of the Opera," the man began, "He is not who you may think he is. He is a known murderer, and has killed dozens of people during his time inhabiting the opera. We think that it would be a good idea to discontinue your lessons with him, in case something bad happens to you, as well."
"Is that so?" Angel asked not concerned at all, "Well, that doesn't really surprise me. After all, how else is he supposed to reinforce his demands? A strongly-worded letter?"
The other woman was taken aback, "I know that you may be a little confused, living secluded for your entire life," she said in an elaborating tone, "But human life is sacred. You should not take it simply to make a point!"
"Try telling that to my captor!" Angel snapped, "*He* of all people should be told that, *not* Erik! Erik would only kill when it was necessary, I can tell, but my *father* would abuse me just for the fun of it!" The man and the woman exchanged uneasy glances.
"What if we told you," the man said, "That the Phantom of the Opera killed your father, for no good reason?" Angel seemed shocked, and he continued, "We found him hanging outside the entrance to the cave."
"We didn't want to tell you," the other woman said, "But you don't seem to realize that your Erik is a very dangerous man. If you don't want to end up like your father, you should leave him for good."
"Did he really do that?" Angel asked, wonder in her eyes, "For me?"
"Excuse me?" the man asked.
"Erik knew that my jailer was on the hunt for me," she explained, "And I sincerely feared for my life. The man was going to beat me every day for a year for sneaking out *once*, what do you suppose he would do if he found me gone overnight? So Erik obviously spared me from his terrible wrath in the best way that he knew how. Do you not think that my father would have eventually found a way to take me back, if he were left alive? Do you not think that a man who would torture me every day, without remorse, would not kill me for breaking his highest commandment?"
"Yes," the brown-haired woman said quickly, "But he was your *father*!"
"Only by title," Angel replied harshly, "He would never treat me like a daughter."
"Would that be because you do not *deserve* to be treated like his daughter?" the man asked boldly.
Angel's eyes narrowed, "I do not know *what* he may have told you," she said darkly, "But I can guarantee you that they are *lies*. I know for a fact that he tells terrible stories about me. 'Why do you stay up in the attic so long?' someone asks him, and he says, 'I have to watch my hideous gargoyle of a daughter. If I do not, she will leave and terrorize the opera house.' Or, sometimes, he will go further and say something like, 'If I do not keep an eye on her, she will escape and hide somewhere in the opera house. She practices Wiccan, you know, and will cast a spell on the whole theatre it things do not go her way.' But none of them are *true*!" Angel was almost crying, "He would tell me what he had told someone every day when he would check in on me, just to make sure I knew that I would have no friends, should I ever escape. You must believe me when I say that *I* never did anything to deserve his harsh treatment." She turned away from them, letting a tear fall, "I am *glad* he is dead."
The woman sighed, exasperated, "I am sorry for your bad relationship with your father," she said, "But I would like to return to the topic at hand. I am *telling* you, as his former student, that the Phantom of the Opera is dangerous. He made a chandelier fall because of *me*!"
"As I recall," Angel counter-pointed, realizing that she was talking to Christine Daae, "He was angry because of your relationship with a man who was – now what word his Erik used to describe him? – homosexual. *I* would never do that to poor Erik."
The man looked angry, "I am *not* homosexual," he growled. However, the women chose to ignore him.
"You are being very stubborn," Christine said, "The *cause* is not the issue here, it is the *principal*. If he is willing to ruin an entire opera house, simply because I want romantic freedom, he is clearly *not* a man that anyone should be around. Right?"
"I do not know," Angel said, slightly aloof, "I have not had much experience with *normal* men."
"The Phantom of the Opera is *not* normal, though!" the man who Angel realized was the Vicomte de Chagny said, "He is an insane sociopath with a taste for blood! And he is rather deformed, as well." It seemed like he was trying to play a card geared more toward vanity, but Angel ignored it. In fact, she was *thrilled* that there was something to bring Erik to her level, but she did not show it.
The Angel's expression turned hard, "I am *finished* discussing this with you," she said, "I refuse to abandon Erik as you did, Mademoiselle Daae. Please leave, and *never* return." A glint of metal shown in a pocket of her dress – a knife that she had stolen from her former-jailer from her days in the attic. Of course, she had no intent upon *using* the weapon, but it worked well to scare off the couple. They gave her a look of almost pity, turned and left. Angel could hear the man say something about "dangerous" and "crazy", but she ignored them at the time.
However, when Erik returned a few moments later, she collapsed into his arms and sobbed.