Hello everyone! Thank you for all the great reviews! I don't know why, but people keep asking me to lower the age of the Phantom when I am sure I don't mention it before. Anyways, it is mentioned in this chapter and yes, he is younger. Just so that it is out of the way... Another thing: this is no an EC pairing I'm trying hard to keep the story as true as I can so... Just so you know. If you dont want to continue, I totally understand. I know I can't please everyone ;o) so, without furtherado, here's Chapter Seventeen.


Madame Giry's Confession

Christine sat cross-legged on her bed, biting on her thumbnail, nervously glancing at the window.

She was never so scared in he life. How she longed for one moment's peace. But she knew she wouldn't not for a long time. She had to get away from everything. She had to get away from the Phantom. Erik.

She just didn't know how.

After he disappeared, no one found a trace of him. Then people began to speculate if the Phantom was indeed real and was not in fact a spectral image. But she knew better, she had heard him speak, felt his cold but seducing hand over her bare neck.

Madame Giry took Auditorium Ghost's music and began to look it over. Christine couldn't bear to be on school grounds after that, she just left not caring if anyone followed. No one did, no one except Raoul who could only imagine how she felt.

He drove her home in silence, not letting her know how bothered he was because they left so early. They drove in silence and when he walked her up to the front door, it was no different.

Now her dress lay askew across her bed and her makeup had been carelessly washed off.

Meg walked into the room, making Christine uneasy with her loud voice and even louder footsteps.

"What is the deal with the Phantom?" she asked unknowingly. "It's as if he has a stick up his-"

"Meg!"

Meg froze at Christine's sudden yell. Then she sighed and sat down next to her. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Meg took a lock of Christine's hair and placed it behind her hair. Christine pulled back from her harshly not letting her finish her friendly movement, and began shaking her leg nervously.

"Christine, I'm your best friend, you have to talk to someone."

"No, I don't," Christine said quickly. She then scolded herself for sounding so childish.

"Does it have anything to do with the Phantom and you Angel being the same person?"

Christine turned to her Meg. How could she possibly know?

She shrugged sadly. "Word gets around."

Christine looked at her aghast. "The whole school knows?"

"No," Meg said silently. "But maybe you better hear it from someone who knows."

"Who?"

Meg stood and took her hand. "Come on."

Christine stood with her but placed her hands in her pockets. She didn't like being told what to do anymore nor being led like she was only three years old.

Meg, seeing this, just smiled sadly and began to walk down the stairs. When they entered the dining room, Christine saw that Madame Giry was sitting at the table.

"You want to know the truth, yes?"

Christine could only stand at the doorway.

"The truth about Erik?"

Christine thought her eyes must have bugled out. "Erik? You know Erik?"

Madame Giry nodded solemnly. "Megan, put on some tea, will you?"

Meg nodded and left silently.

"Christine, dear, sit down please."

She didn't listen.

Madame Giry let out a long breath. "My dear Christine, where to begin?"

"The beginning."

Madame Giry looked up startled by Christine's cold response. In truth, Christine didn't mean to sound so cruel but she couldn't help it.

Erik was born with a disease that disfigured half his face. His mother was poor and unable to love her child. I blame her for Erik's life."

Christine sat down on a chair across from her.

"She sold him to the circus."

She gasped disgustedly. How could anyone do that to their child?

"The circus named him 'The Devil's Child'. He was so horribly disfigured that they had a sack over his head. No one could bear to see him. No one but me." She sighed. "I was only twenty five when I saw him. I was pregnant with Meg, I had gone to the circus to take my mind off her father's death. I saw him and it tore my heart. He was so badly treated, they treated him like an animal, not the human he is. No one would do something about it, they all thought it was part of the show, so I decided to do something about it. One night, I went to the circus to negotiate his escape. But I was too late."

When she wouldn't go on, Christine found herself saying, "What happened, Madame Giry?"

"The man that handled him had been murdered."

"By who?"

"Erik. He didn't like the way he was treated, he didn't like being confined to a small cage and whipped and tortured like an animal. I caught him as he strangled him with rope. Erik strangled him to death." After a minute pause, she continued. "I saw this and knew immediately the circus would somehow put Erik as the madman not the victim he was. He was only ten years old, what else was I to do? I pitied the boy so I hid him in the auditorium; I had only started to teach there."

"But the law would be lenient, they wouldn't-"

Madame Giry held a hand up to silence her. "I was ignorant. Scared, stupid, and young. Ever since then, he has survived on the things I bring him and the money he bribed from the old principal but now-"

Christine looked at the floor, tears brewing in her eyes. How can anyone be so horrible to a boy? She was pregnant with Meg that had to have been seventeen years ago. That would make her Angel- the Phantom- twenty-seven. He was so young.

And to think he lived all his young life confined to one building. That was horrible.

"Then he started asking questions about you. I had no idea why but I answered them. Now I know why, he must like you."

Christine chuckled bitterly. "Like me? Madame, he is obsessed."

"Christine, I can't imagine how you feel."

Christine stood. "I need to think. I'm gonna go for a walk."

Madame Giry objected. "I don't think that's best, Christine-"

"You are not my mother." Those were the last words Christine told her before she shut the front door.


I know that when Erik was young he was with gypsies, I changed it to the circus because there are not a lot of gypsie clans now. (that i know of so far) :) So stay tuned for chapter Eighteen: The Shadow