For the first time in her life, the time she'd spent at the opera that day had been restless and apprehensive. She waited in great unease for the evening and kept her eyes and ears open. He'd merely said he would retrieve her—he hadn't said how. She'd kept her promise and hadn't mentioned what had happened the night before. Luckily, she hadn't even been missed and she didn't have to conjure up some excuse for her absence. Still, she couldn't avoid Cecile who was very aware that something was different about her.

"What are you so nervous about?" Cecile asked as they were cleaning the auditorium that evening.

"Nervous?" Caressa returned, not sounding very convincing.

"Yes, nervous. You've been jittery all evening."

"Well, I haven't noticed."

Cecile dropped the matter though she still seemed unconvinced. "Well, will you do me a favor? I need to go and check the boxes on the grand tier but I shall be here all night if I must do that too."

"Sure," she answered, glad to break away from the others. Before she left, she paused and turned around. "If my duties are completed, I suppose I will leave after checking the boxes."

"Very well, if you are finished," Cecile answered.

"I shall see you tomorrow then," Caressa said, smiling the best smile she could manage.

"Yes," Cecile replied, eyeing her suspiciously.

Escaping Cecile's prying gaze, Caressa turned and swiftly walked away. Once in the foyer, she climbed the grand staircase to the top floor. This was a side of the opera house she seldom saw. Only the very wealthy obtained the box seats. Taking her time, she stepped into each one, checking that they were clean and orderly. Her heart beating quickly, she stepped into box five, Erik's box. It was vacant and in order, just as the others had been. Feeling slightly let down, she left the box and moved onto the next one. Perhaps she'd imagined her meeting with the phantom, her angelic-voiced teacher. She could be quite impractical at times. But still, she remembered everything so clearly. Perhaps he simply couldn't teach her that night. "Things do happen," her mother had always said.

She stopped suddenly as she entered box six. "Caressa," a tender voice called, the voice that could belong to none other than Erik, the phantom. She spun around and looked behind her but there was no one there. Wondering if she was just hearing things, she turned around and was startled when he was standing before her. His tall, thin frame towered over hers several inches. His radiant blue eyes glinted, one in the shadow of that white half-mask. "Come quickly before we are seen," he said, grasping her hand.

Together they walked stealthily down the hallway of the grand tier. Erik stopped abruptly and placed a hand on the wall. Pushing it gently, the wall slid away revealing a hidden passageway. Taking her hand once again, he led her down the dimly lit path. He didn't say a word the entire trip down through the dark, dank hidden passage. Soon, she found they'd ended up at the hidden underground lake. Helping her into the boat moored at the water's edge, Erik climbed in as well and they began gently gliding across the murky water.

Once reaching the other side of the lake, Erik jumped out of the boat, took Caressa's hand and helped her out as well. As he strode away from her and took a seat at his organ, he said, "I did not hear you singing as you worked today."

Staying put, she answered rather reluctantly, "I was nervous."

"What, may I ask, were you nervous about?" he asked, turning to face her.

She hesitated, searching for an answer. "I'm not sure," she said.

He stared at her momentarily before turning to face the organ once again. "Well, a successful opera singer does not have nerves." Noticing she was still standing in the same spot since they'd arrived, he said, "Come over here and stand so that we may begin your first lesson, if indeed you are here to learn." Somewhat confused by his seemingly ill temper, she walked quickly to stand by his side, beginning her lesson.

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As she finished singing, he spun around in his seat to face her. "Remarkable," he said. "You are truly blessed with an amazing talent."

She smiled bashfully and said, "I believe I owe my talents to my mother."

Interested, he asked, "How so?"

Caressa gazed at the lake serenely as she began her story. "When I was very young, my mother would always sing songs to me from the operas in town. She had a truly remarkable voice. I could sit and listen to her sing for hours on end. Sometimes I would sing along with her as we did the house chores. As I grew older and she listened to my voice she would tell me, 'One day child, you will make the whole world's hearts sing.' I never believed her to be telling the truth though. After all, all mothers tell their children what they want to hear."

Looking slightly disagreeable, Erik asked, "And what became of her?"

"She passed on of illness a few years back. I truly do miss her. But I like to think that when I sing, I am singing to her. I hope that maybe she can hear my voice in heaven."

A look of sadness on Erik's face, he gently touched her cheek and he answered, "She can, my child. Believe me, she can. All of heaven can hear your voice."

She stood there looking into his melancholy eyes, feeling his warm gentle hand on her cheek. She felt like love was generating from that hand into her body, nearly making her swoon. At last, she broke free of his spell and asked, "Am I to return tomorrow."

Seeming dumbstruck, he hesitated momentarily before answering, "Yes, you are to return every night. I will come to retrieve you around the time I did this night." He paused a moment longer before saying, "Come, I will show you where we are to meet."

He led her once again through a passage that she was unfamiliar with. She wondered how he ended up living beneath the opera house, using all these secret paths that no one knew of save him. Taking her around the lake instead of across, she soon found herself at a doorway that led to the streets outside. He turned to face her before opening the door. "Stay safe on your journey home. The streets are crueler at night," he said.

She smiled gently and answered, "I will."

He opened the door which seemed to blend into the wall. A rush of cold, winter air came through, making her shiver. As she started to leave, he called out, "Goodnight, Caressa."

She turned back to face him but he had disappeared.