Disclaimer: All is property to Gaston Leroux, Andrew Lyod Webber and all those other filthy stinking rich people.
A/N: This takes place 2 years where the story left off. I am added elements of all three mediums of the story, the novel, musical and movie (2004). I love aspects from all three mediums, but I would highly suggest that you have at least read the book or know the book's aspect of the plot, because a majority will be based from the book. If you have read Susan Kay's "Phantom" there will be a small number of elements from that as well, like Ayesha.
Oh, and I am not a historian and I am making up a number of names out of my butt. Don't flame me about my inaccurate usage of names, dates and people.
This may start off sounding like a really bad Mary-Sue but I PROMISE this is an Erik and Christine story.
Please give it a chance. I abhor Mary-Sue stories and this will not be one of them.
Enjoy!
MXIVIVIXM
The young fourteen year old Linette deCour looked in awe at the renewed splendor of the Opera Populaire. It was amazing at how in just five short months her father had contracted if from its previous owners, Andre and Firmin, and transformed the rapidly disintegrating; crumbling opera house into the grand structure was restored to. Her father, Percival deCour, had been a Parisian Aristocrat his entire life and was only too happy to jump at the offer of owning the world famous Opera Populaire. Linette had often found herself wondering why the heavily wealthy de Chagny family hadn't swiped off the relatively cheap offer considering their long history with the Populaire. But when her father had questioned the Vicomte de Chagny about the matter, he just sent them off with a wave of the hand and a 'good luck'. Linette had been lucky enough to join her father on that venture, but was quickly puzzled as to why the wealth and prestige of the de Chagny name wanted no part in restoring the run-down theatre. For five solid months Percival had been in non-stop contact with contractors, carpenters as well as new actors and ballet dancers interested in a new career in the fine art of the Opera. Quickly and steadily the job had been taken care off and it was as if the grace of God was sanctioning them on their mission to restore the Opera Populaire. Even the usual contraction and construction troubles were avoided and they had restored it in a record amount of time.
Linette was standing just beyond the large finely crafted doors that led inside the Populaire. Percival was standing with three of his best friends and business pals, Audrey Chapman and Tyson Zidler. All three had been into business ventures their entire lives and Tyson was currently working to gain the deed to the world renowned cabaret the Moulin Rouge. Linette's mother, Voletta, had expressly forbid her daughter from ever going near Zidler's business dealings or even Zidler himself unless her father was in the vicinity. Audrey had teamed up with Linette's father in running of the Opera Populaire. "This has indeed turned a great profit. I cannot wait to see how business dealings will go," Linette heard her father say. Percival deCour was a tall, robust man with a mop of thick rustic hair and honey colored eyes. He always wore a fine quality business suit and hat, and that day was no different.
"I must agree. Great fruit of profit has indeed been planted her on this day. It is only a month until we can officially re-open the Opera Populaire," Audrey said. His hair was an inky black greasy paste, often combined with immeasurable amounts of hair gel which directly contradicted his liquid white complexion. He, like her father, more often than not, wore a black silk suit with a silk top hat. Audrey had grown up in a wealthy family environment, much like Linette's family, and was very stiff in character. He was not married, nor 'burdened', as he would put it, with progeny to carry on his family tradition. Linette disliked Audrey immensely but always kept her feelings to herself.
"We could open even sooner if we could find a cast and crew production. There is indeed no shortage of magnificent plays we could produce. All we need is the cast, band and ballet," Percival replied enthusiastically.
"If that is all you really need, then might I suggest some of the players I am familiar with," Tyson joked with a smile. Despite Voletta hatred for him, Linette liked him a lot and broke her restrictions about him. Tyson was slightly plumper than his two accomplices but made up for it with his jubilant nature and love for a good dirty joke. Linette liked him a lot with his jokes and humorous nature that, in her mother's words, polluted her premature mind.
"I doubt that we need the sort of cast that you can provide us. We intend for this to be a theatre the entire family can enjoy, not just the dirty old scoundrels looking for a cheap brothel," Audrey retaliated with his voice full of disgust. Percival laughed, as did Linette.
The group of four people immediately surveyed the theatre and its baroque styled architecture. Dozens and dozens of beautiful golden nude statues were everywhere and they decorated the brightly illuminated room beautifully. Linette gazed at the statues enviously in their perfection. She had always fancied herself as far from perfect as one could get. Touching only five feet, two inches, Linette was a good deal shorter than all of her friends and family, even her grandparents. Her hair was neither the delicate blonde nor exotic brown that she envied in the girls around her, but instead a mousse colored mixture; it was needle straight and kept back in a long plait that fell to the middle of her back. Her skin was a healthy looking tan, something her mother always complained about, from spending too much time out of doors chasing the neighborhood cats. Instead of taking a liking to the normal indoor loves of cooking, cleaning and embroidery, Linette fell in love with the exciting outdoors. Instead of attending poetry readings, she would climb the trees outside and tear her stockings, much to the dismay of her governess and mother. Linette didn't really care though. "Linette darling, why don't you explore this new house of splendor? If there is so much as a crack wrongly constructed or out of place, you will report it to me and I will set those lazy construction workers straight," Percival said to his daughter with a laugh.
Linette giggled and nodded. She knew it was just an excuse to get her away from the boring business talk and dealings of her father and friends. Linette was glad to leave; she did not want to be troubled by the incessant talk of money, toils and politics. Linette took off up the grand looking stair case. She couldn't wait until it was opened again. Her mother had made sure that as a child, Linette had frequented opera houses and shows. She knew many of the stories from memory, as well as many of the songs although she could not sing them. Her voice was as flat as bull frogs and she not, for the lives of her, possible understand all the musical terms and alphabet that so many people had tried to instill in her head.
'Papillon would love this,' Linette thought as she passed what looked like the band stand surrounded by paintings of famous composers. Papillon was one of Linette's only friends. She was two years her senior, 16 years old, and lived in the streets of Monmartre. She was greatly gifted in music and art. The name 'Papillon' was only her nickname, her real name was Od'ette; she hated her name, according to her it made her sound like the rich chumps that often gawked and laughed at her in the street. Her parents had died when she was little and grew up in a small orphanage just on the outskirts of Monmartre. She would often linger at the late cabaret clubs of the Parisian night and sneak her way into the opera houses to hear the beautiful music that was played. Papillon's job was as a freelance artist. She drew and painted anything she could sell, but putting her heart and soul into everything she worked on did not guarantee that it would sell. More often than not, Papillon would sneak into Linette's room and stay the night because she had no where else to go. Despite all of her young hardships, Papillon remained dreadfully optimistic that she would become a world famous composer and artist. Linette had talked her father into hiring Papillon to work at the Opera Populaire as a flautist and as a place where she could sell her art.
Linette became so absorbed in the rich surroundings that she had become hopelessly lost. She hypothesized that she was somewhere near the back with all of the ballet dormitories, but she could not say for certain. Mentally scolding herself for not keeping record of her steps, Linette spun her heel to turn around but she suddenly felt every hair on the back of her neck stand up on end. "Who's there?" she squeaked, suddenly feeling that someone was watching her. Her cinnamon brown eyes darted in and out of every dark corner and crevice she saw but nothing. The feeling of being watched still lingered. A pregnant silence filled the room and Linette felt her heart thumping painfully against her breast.
Suddenly she felt something wisp by her ankle. She squealed in fright. Linette looked down franticly but a wave of relief and stupidly fell over her as pair luminescent amber eyes gazed back at her. A cat slinked in and out of the dark corners. A slight smile came across Linette's face. "Are you what all the fuss was about?" she cooed. The cat just looked sternly at Linette as if daring her to come any closer. The cat had light brown fur and little cinnamon dipped paws. A Siamese. Linette had never seen one, save for the pictures of them in the library books she often borrowed. "I didn't mean to frighten you," Linette said softly. "I'm sorry if I scared you". Almost as if understanding, the cat slithered forth from the shadows. The cat appeared it was well fed and cared for it had the healthy slender body that a Siamese cat always possessed. Linette put forth her hand and softly caressed the cat's soft fur. She had three cats at home, 2 British Short Hair and 1 Red Tabby called Sapphire, Scamper and (by her father's own deeming) Damnit. Linette had named Sapphire and Scamper but no one could think of a name for the tabby cat. It would always pounce on her father at the most inopportune moments and each time he would always exclaim "Damnit", until the cat just thought it was his name. Voletta just rolled her strict matronly eyes at the cat's name. Papillon liked Damnit the most out of the three cats.
"Ayesha, what trouble have you caused now?" a deep voice said. Linette's eyes opened as wide as saucers. Fear jumped through her veins. Under her fingers, the cat gracefully leaped out from them and went to the ankle of a black booted foot. Linette dared not to look behind her. From the moment her father had bought the Opera Populaire, he had been warned by the previous owners of the infamous O.G., Opera Ghost. Linette did not believe in such superstition, but she could not help but wonder as the soft tapping of footsteps was heard behind her. "What have we hear, an intruder in my Opera house?" he said dangerously.
Gathering every once of courage she had, which wasn't much at that point, Linette stood up and faced the ghostly figure in front of her. He was tall, very tall, and clad entirely in black with a long black cloak that trailed the wooden floor. His hair was slicked back but Linette could not decipher its color, whether or not it was dark brown or black. Across his mighty looking visage was a white leather mask that completely covered the right half of it. Linette began to tremble. Andre, Firmin, and even the Vicomte de Chagny had warned her father of a man who black and a mask who called himself the Opera Ghost. "Please don't hurt me," Linette said, every muscle in her body was shaking with fear.
"What brings such an innocent child to my dark lair?" the man asked with deadly venom and sarcasm in his voice. Linette looked at the cat which was purring and rubbing her face against his ankle.
"Please Monsieur, my father has purchased this Opera House," Linette managed to get from her lips.
"So I see. The fools just are too thick to learn to keep off from my door step," the Opera Ghost said. His eyes seemed to be perfectly in sync with the blackness of the room Linette was trapped in. He glanced down to his cat, "Ayesha you have indeed brought forth more trouble it seems," the cat gazed up lovingly at its master and 'meowed'. She then leaped up onto his shoulder and then again to the rafts above their heads. He then turned to Linette, who was still shaking uncontrollably. Erik smirked in spite of himself, even though two years had passed he still inspired fear into the hearts of the dunderheads who ran his theatre. "You say that your father has bought my theatre? Then tell me, what brings you into such a dark and desolated corner? Do you purposefully look for trouble or do you seek the murdering fiend responsible for the great tragedy," he spat out.
"Monsieur I did not mean to disturb you. I became lost. Please don't hurt me," Linette pleaded. She had been told that the Opera Ghost was, as he self proclaimed, indeed a murdering fiend who systematically killed Philippe de Chagny, Joseph Boquet as well as many others, and he had attempted, nearly succeeding in killing the Vicomte de Chagny. It had also been ominously hinted that he was the one responsible for ruining the career of La Carlotta. How was she, a mere fourteen year old girl, going to escape the hands of a lunatic murderer?
"You will tell no one of my existence. Those bumbling fools all believe me to be dead and it will remain as thus," he threatened. His eyes flashed a deadly yellow as Linette cowered in his presence. His hands went into the back of his cloak and gripped his Punjab Lasso. He pulled out from beneath his cloak and glared at the little girl threateningly.
"Wh-w-what are you g-going to d-d-do with th-t-that?" she stuttered, fear gripping her every nerve and paralyzing her.
Erik smirked, "Just making sure that you understand that you are not to tell a single soul, living or dead, of my existence," he said, taking a threatening step towards the little girl.
"Don't hurt me," Linette squealed with tears streaming down her face. She didn't want it to end. Her father had just started a brand new future, she didn't want to die.
"To make sure you…understand…100 percent…perfectly clear," Erik said. He took a leather gloved hand and wrapped the lasso around her neck and tightened it just enough up to the nape of her neck. Flashing another dagger with his eyes, Erik disappeared a cloud of thick smoke and Linette was left alive trembling from head to foot with her red, tear stained face and puffy bulging eyes.
MXIXIVXIXM
END CHAPTER.
Long live Erik! (Snuggles my Erik plushie)
Please R&R. More reviewsmore chapters much quicker.