Chapter 4

When Elle realized that it was time to slip off to the theatre she felt knots in her stomach. She was as nervous as one girl could get, so she fiddled with the skirts of her dress as she walked and with her other hand held a lit candle. She made sure to lock her door again, and then she quietly tiptoed down the hall. After passing her parents room she let out a small breath which she had been holding back. Then she made her way down the staircase, holding the candle in front of her to see where she was going.

The darkness terrified her, because she never knew what could be lurking in the shadows. As a child she was scared to sleep in the dark and she would make her father sit by her side until she fell asleep. Now that she was older she was less afraid of all that and desperately tried to let go of her childhood fancies, but there was something about this place that unnerved her. Maybe it was because it was new to her, or maybe there was something more to it than that. People are always scared of what they do not understand.

She slowly opened the door to the theatre, trying to be as quiet as she could. Then Elle gradually walked towards the stage, where she saw candles already set up to give light for whatever it was she was there for. It looked like no one was around, but she knew that someone had to have been there to set up the candles. She centered herself on stage, slightly shaking and waiting for something to happen.

The clock struck eleven, and she could sense a sort of presence in the room. He was there, but she was not sure where. A voice once again called out to her. "I see you got my letter. It was smart of you to come."

"I'm sorry Monsieur," she replied, her voice quavering. Although Elle was fearful, she wanted some answers. "But you know my name and I do not yet know yours. How did you come to be at my father's opera house?"

"I have owned this place far longer than he has," he answered, still not showing himself. "I am the Opera Ghost. Now, enough of this, sing!"

O.G., so that was what that stood for. Elle still was not sure she understood why he was there, and she wondered if anyone knew about him. Her parents obviously did not, but maybe Madame Giry did. She had worked there before, so she could know something. Then she remembered Giry's warning, 'don't go wandering about where I haven't shown you'. Well, she had shown her the theatre, so Elle had not gone against her word. The question was, was he why Madame Giry did not want her wandering around?

"I- I can't sing," Elle said. "I tried to tell you that before. My voice has no song."

"Let me be the judge of that," was his reply. "Begin with your scales."

She went through with his order, aware that nothing she says would make him believe her. Her uneasiness was apparent with her singing, and that did not help since her scales were already a bit unsteady. Even her own ears did not take pleasure in the notes that left her mouth.

"I'm afraid you are wasting your time," Elle stated when she finished, disappointed with her own voice. She felt that it was a lost cause, and she did not understand why this man, this Opera Ghost, would want to spend his time helping a girl he did not even know.

"Do not tell me when I am wasting my time," he scolded harshly, and then added an afterthought with a softer tone of voice. She heard him move about. "Maybe I am wasting my time with someone who isn't grateful."

"No, I didn't mean it like that," she explained. She had not meant to offend him. "It's just that I will never be able to sing beautifully."

"You simply have to try," the Opera Ghost replied. "Now do your scales again, and this time relax your jaw."

Elle did her scales and waited for a response.

"That was awful," he honestly commented. In the audience she saw a shadow moving, it was coming towards her. "Your breathing is all wrong."

He approached the stage for the first time and came closer to her. She became tense again, not sure what her instructor was going to do. She saw his face, or what wasn't covered by a white mask, for the first time. He was wearing a black cape, a black jacket underneath, and black pants. The sight of him, finally, startled her, but it was not because he was ugly. Actually, what she could see of his face was quite handsome, it was just that she did not know what to expect. He continued moving closer to her until he was right behind her. She could feel his breath on her neck.

Due to all of the tension she had forgotten to breathe. At last she gasped for air, remembering that breathing was essential to live. He could sense her fear and her reserve. Her body was stiff as a floorboard, and she tried desperately not to move even an inch. He was, after all, only about an inch behind her.

He put one hand around her waist, and it landed on her stomach. "Your scales," he demanded, and she was not about to disobey. She sang, and he held her stomach, teaching her to breathe from her diaphragm and not her chest. When she was done he backed off and moved over to the side of the stage. She turned to look at him. "Better, much better."

"Thank you," she said, in almost a whisper. Elle could not believe how much better she actually sounded when she did as he said. This man obviously knew something about music, and she wanted to learn.

"I can work with you after all," he stated. "That is, if you want to improve."

"I do," she responded.

"Then you will do as I say and not question me. Understand?" Elle nodded. "Good, then we will meet back in here tomorrow, same time. I trust you will go straight to your room and get some much needed rest."

"Good night Monsieur," she replied, and felt his eyes watch her as she left the stage and walked out of the theatre. Elle used the light of her candle to guide her back to her room, and once she got there her exhaustion kicked in. She fell asleep on her bed without even changing, and a soft breeze put the light of the candle out.

She fell into dreams of song and dance, a masked man, flashes of red and black… A woman and a man running, confessing their love to each other, a lonely man abandoned, torches and people screaming… The building going up in flames, more shouting, the music drowned out by chaos…

Elle woke up sweating; her dreams had disturbed her. She was not even sure what happened in them, but now that she was awake she calmed down. This time her curtains were closed, and so she got up out of bed and opened them to let the light in. It was eight o'clock. She was late to breakfast, and when she looked in the mirror she realized that she was still dressed from the previous day.

Her hair was a mess, her smooth skin was clammy, and her dress was wrinkled. Hurriedly she tried to change her dress, and right as she was about to zipper it up there was a knock at her door. "Elle? Elle are you in there? It's time for breakfast."

It was her father's voice. "One minute," she answered, combing her hair and trying to make herself look presentable. "I'm almost ready."

Elle hurried to the door and opened it. Her father was standing there, and he looked concerned. "Are you alright, my darling? Your face is pale."

"I had a nightmare," she answered, joining him in the hall. "That is all."

They walked together down the hallway to the dining room where she expected her mother to be waiting for them. When she entered the room she saw that it was empty, and she turned her face to look at her father. "Where is mama?"

"She is not feeling well today," he responded solemnly. "So she is resting. We will eat our breakfast without her."

Elle did not ask questions, but she felt worried for her mother. They always had breakfast together, all three of them, and it was odd that on one random day she would stay in her room. Change disturbed her, and she did not know what to think. Instead of talking, they ate their meal in silence and occasionally glanced up.

"Many people will be moving into the dormitories today," he informed her as he finished eating. "So do not be afraid if you see strangers running about. And I know something that will cheer you up, Mister Tremaine is coming back today and bringing his son with him again. You seemed like you were charmed by him the other day."

"He is nice," Elle replied. Hector had been kind to her, and she did not regret meeting him, although for some reason she was not immediately excited by the fact that he was coming. That did not bother her though, for she had only known him a day.

"The kind of man I hope you marry someday," her father doted, giving his daughter a smile.

She knew that her father only wanted what was best for her, but she was not sure whether or not she wanted for herself what he did. Elle dabbed her face with her cloth napkin, and then set it down. "May I be excused, papa?"

"Certainly," he answered, and so she stood up and left the room.

Elle wandered back to her room, and sat down. She was in such a rush for breakfast that she did not get a chance to wash her face, and so she started to do that now. Then she dried herself off and looked up, face to face with a mirror. At first she was just looking at herself, but then she noticed something in the background. She instantly turned around to look at it directly with her own eyes. There was something sitting on her table that had not been there before.

She got up from her seat and slowly moved over to the table. Sitting on top of it was… sheet music. Elle picked up the sheets and looked at them. The Opera Ghost must have left them there for her so she could prepare for her next lesson. The song was entitled 'When the Night is Over'.

Taking the music in her hand, she headed over to her piano. She propped the sheets up and began to play. Elle thought that if she got a feel for the tune then the music would come to her easier, and she was right. After playing the lovely tune once, she started over again from the beginning, this time singing the words that were neatly written beneath the lines of notes.

"Do I dare to dream

Without you by my side

How to act, what do to

When the night is over…"

A/N: Thank for you the reviews. Please review!

Kate- Thank you. It is based on the movie.

skye717- Actually I was using O.G. for Opera Ghost. Thanks for the review, glad you like it so far.

Galasriniel- lol, thank you.