Chapter 14

The mysterious man slowly guided Elle in the darkness, holding onto her hand. She could hardly see, so she needed the guidance and gratefully accepted it. Soon thoughts of her mother's death flew from her mind as she walked in a trancelike state. Everything was quiet, not a word left either of their lips. The girl did not know where she was headed, but she did not think to ask. Something had come over her, leaving her speechless.

Little did she know at the time that the man who was leading her into dark and unknown passages was the Opera Ghost himself. He was not a ghost at all, but a real man. To her this was all surreal, but to him it was life. He had been watching her and her family since they moved in to his domain, gradually letting his presence known in little ways. His interest in this particular young woman began when he first saw her on one of his routine inspections of the opera house. He had entered the theater and been there for a few minutes, admiring the fine craftsmanship of the restored room. As he checked on his box and found everything satisfactorily, he noticed someone enter and step onto the stage.

It was a meek girl, about eighteen or nineteen. She was the first girl he had seen since Christine, his first and only love, but he fought those heartbreaking memories from his mind as he watched her as she took a spot on the center of the platform. It was obvious to him that she enjoyed being up there, and he almost felt awkward intruding on such a personal moment. He was intrigued by the expression on her face when she was on the stage, which led him to question her. She stated that she was not a performer and when he asked her to sing she ran off, apparently frightened. This did not disturb him, by the type of life he had lived he was used to people being scared of him.

He pondered over her, and thought that maybe in extending an invitation to her for singing lessons he would have something to distract himself with. When he was alone he spent most of his time composing music, but it no longer held the same sensation as it once did. It was enough to occupy his time, yes, but he still thought of his love. Later he learned that his new student was actually the daughter of the man who was responsible for the reconstruction of his opera house, which brought him some contentment. He was grateful, in a way, to her father for fixing his home and the lessons could be seen as a sort of indirect payment for the favor.

After the first lesson he no longer presented himself to her, for fear of getting too close. He was simply teaching her how to sing properly, and he quickly learned that she was an obedient student. It pleased him that she did not ask questions, as he had stipulated, and things seem to go smoothly. That was until she began to remind him of Christine. He disappeared for a bit, staying in his home underneath the theatre and focusing all of his energy on composing. Time could not put the girls from his mind though, and soon he longed for human contact. Their lessons continued and he was delighted with the promise that the young woman showed in her singing. With time listening to her no longer made him think of Christine, they had different singing voices and he had tried hard to push her from his mind.

The death of Elle's mother and her obvious pain got to him. He had been suffering with a pain of his own and, after seeing a once radiant young woman turn frigid and sorrowful, he felt sympathetic towards her. He had not left the safety of his opera house to venture out to the funeral, but he watched as people left to go to it and as the girl returned. His eyes followed her to the lonely chapel, which was set off from the rest of the building, and he witnessed her light a candle in prayer. She was beautiful, even with a face full of tears.

His soft voice whispered to her, in an attempt at comforting the shaken mess. With some deliberation he stepped from the protection of the shadows, allowing the dim light of the candle to reveal part of his form. The girl recognized him to some extent, he could see it in her eyes, as he offered out his hand to her. He did not know what to expect, but after a few seconds her hand was in his and he was helping her up from the floor. His intentions were honorable as he led her away from that chilly room and deeper into the building. She followed, and for awhile they walked in silence. He looked back at her from time to time, even though she was in a hypnotic state.

When they were finally in the labyrinths under the opera house, Elle began to come out of her silent trance. She watched, as best she could considering the lack of light, as the man lead her through many tunnels. The tunnels twisted and turned, like a complex maze, yet he never hesitated about which route to take. He knew exactly where they were going, and as she walked along she remembered that he was holding her hand.

Then they suddenly stopped walking. He turned to her and gently picked her up in his strong arms. It lasted a second, for then he set her down in something just as gently as he had picked her up. Her eyes had gradually adjusted to the darkness during their time getting there, and she could see that she was sitting in a wooden boat. He stepped in after her, pushing the boat from its spot and moving it along with purpose. She glanced from him to the direction that they were headed and soon she saw land. The boat passed through a small lake and when it hit the ground he jumped out, this time helping her out of the boat.

As Elle looked around, convinced that she was asleep, she began to sing. The words came to her naturally, as did before. There was a dreamlike haze surrounding her as she stood there and watched the person who had brought her there. Her singing started out at first to herself, but then turned to the man with her.

"I must be dreaming,

You can't be real,

You are my imagination,

Guiding me away from pain."

The man looked up from what he was doing to glance at the girl. He stepped from the shore and once again took her hand. Slowly leading her from where he docked the boat, he began to reply to her in the same way she had sung to him. His voice was rich and deep, still as good as it had ever been. He was an amazing tenor, with talent that he had to keep hidden from the world.

"Then let the dream descend,

Leave behind your reality,

I'll be your imagination,

Forget about your agony, I'm here."

Elle followed him, his enchanting voice bringing her once more into a stupor. She looked around, the place was unbelievable. Candles were lit everywhere, an organ sat by piles of music scores, and black curtains blocked entrances to other rooms. He took a seat on the bench in front of his organ, letting go of her hand, and took off his gloves. Placing them to the side, his fingers lightly traced over the keys before he began to play a tune. Elle stood behind him, watching his experienced fingers move quickly over the keys as he played. She continued singing.

"How strange is this,

World of dreams,

Your voice, it sounds,

Familiar and sweet."

He pounded away at the keys; the music gave more substance to the song. This was the closest contact he had had with anyone since the first lesson he gave her, and although he liked to believe that he had grown past the point of needing any interaction with people, he needed it. His voice once again responded to hers as they created this strange duet.

"This is simply,

The world of music,

Let the notes embrace you,

And soothe your soul."

This did indeed take all the thoughts of Elle's recent loss from her mind. She could think of nothing but the music and that eased her mind. For some reason her singing improved when she was in this kind of condition. When she was not consciously thinking about what she was doing she let her voice take on a life of its own, which made it soar higher than it ever had before.

After some time of singing, neither of them could tell how long they were done there for they both had gotten quite carried away by the music, they slowly brought their time together to an end. The fatigue from singing for a long time and the softness of his voice brought Elle to sleep, and the Opera Ghost had to carry her to the boat. His gaze went back and forth between the direction in which they were headed and her sleeping form. She looked so peaceful and innocent, young and naïve. In a moment of despair her mind let him take over and bring her from those mournful thoughts. He was not sure if he was doing her a favor or taking advantage.

With this thought the boat stopped on the other side of the lake and he once again picked her up in his arms. Even though she was immersed in a deep sleep, he was careful not to disturb her. He carried her through the network of tunnels like she was an expensive piece of china that he was scared to break and slowed his speed so that she would not wake. Her body must have caught a chill from the damp passageway, for she snuggled into his arms for warmth. He glanced down at her with mixed emotions, but carried on his way.

It took longer than usual to get to the hidden door that he needed at the pace that he had been going. With one hand that came out from underneath Elle's body he touched a latch and a door-sized part of the wall began to move in a circle. They were soon on the other side of the wall and he looked around to find them in her bedroom. He walked over to her bed and vigilantly laid her down upon the mattress. Before he turned away he pulled a blanket over her and then returned to the wall. In the darkness he found the way to counteract the movement of the wall and in less than a couple seconds he was back in the hidden passageway.

Rarely did he actually use that secret entrance that he constructed while the room was being built, but he did stand behind it many a time to give Elle her late night lessons. It was only a coincidence that she obtained that room, but there were also several other rooms that he had installed hidden doorways as well. He liked having several routes of possible escape at all times, so these various passageways were handy to have around. Without looking back he resumed his usual speedy pace and returned to his home below ground in less than ten minutes.

Elle did indeed sleep very soundly. Any form of physical or mental exertion could help anyone fall into a deep slumber. When she woke up she yawned and sat up in bed, stretching out her arms. At the moment the memory of Madame D'aubigne's death did not come to mind, but instead she began to think about something else. Hazy thoughts clouded her mind as she sat there and tried to make sense of it. What a dream she had! It all became fresh in her mind the more she pondered over it, and the dream was a pleasant thing for her to think about.

She pushed the covers off of her and got up from her comfortable bed. As she walked she found that her thoughts were completely focused on the dream that she had the previous night. When she was over at her large window she pulled the curtains open and her eyes danced excitedly. She spoke aloud to herself as she stood looking out at the sky. "I dreamt of beauty so divine, not of looks but of sound. Oh, that voice that sang to me in my dreams!"

Then she turned around and strolled over to her vanity. As usual she took her place on the cushion and began to commence her morning ritual. The minute Elle looked up into the mirror she stopped and started at herself with surprise. She was still dressed from the night before. That did happen occasionally, when she was too tired to undress, but it still gave her reason to doubt herself. When she tried to think back, she did not remember falling asleep or returning to her room. Was that marvelous dream a dream like she thought, or reality? Elle laughed at the question, thinking that it could not have possibly been real. Then she looked at the somber black dress that she had on and the recollection of her mother's funeral suddenly stabbed at her mind. She lost her appetite and sat there for a long while staring into space.

A/N: Just thought I'd put another chapter up before I have to be shipped off back to hell- I mean school. As always I thank my readers and loyal reviewers, without the encouragement I doubt that I would continue. Anyway, I'm not sure when I will update next but I will try to make it soon. Hope you liked the chapter.

Galasriniel- Thank you immensely for the wonderful compliment. I haven't seen Finding Neverland yet, but I do know that Kate Winslet's character dies. Anyway, thanks again!

Anri- I tried to ease into it, but at the same time wanted it to be a shock for the characters. Glad you enjoyed it.