Prologue
Shrill screams filled the dark Parisian night. The Paris Opera House was in an uproar. The new soprano, Daae, gone! She just disappeared in the middle of Don Juan Triumphant! Disappeared with the infamous Ghost that haunts the opera house! Everyone thought he was a story…a ploy to help the opera house gain popularity. And some other crew found strangled behind the curtains. It was all too confusing: All too exciting.
Marietta watched the excited crowds with interest. Her dark eyes were adjusting to the outside of the opera house. The furs around her shoulders did nothing to stop the biting winds. But the excitement helped her fight the chill. She squeezed away from the crowds, preferring to stand and watch from the sidelines. Her lips twisted into a grin, watching the scene in front of her with amusement. With a scoff and a toss of her ruby curls, she turned and walked around the corner where she knew her coachman waited.
Paris. Ha! Let them have their fun and gossip. She was going back to the hotel for a drink.
-o-o-o-
Covered with grime and his feet drenched with dirty water, he continued his walk. His mask was gone, left on his throne. The entire city of Paris was after him. He could hear them above him. Within the drainage pipes in which he stood, the shouts echoed across the curved walls.
With a twisted grin, he stiffened his shoulders and continued to walk through the pipes beneath the streets of Paris.
Paris. Ha! He was done with this place. Let them have their fun and gossip. The last remnant of his heart had faded away already. So he thought he could have happiness. He thought he could have love. God, what a fool he'd been!
Ha! Paris. Let them have their fun and gossip. Erik will rise again.
