Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera in any of its forms, though this story is based on the ALW movie.
Thanks to my sister Phangirl321 for all your help.
Prologue
A seaman poked his head into the small, rank-smelling cabin. "Can I get you something, Sir?" He asked in a nervous American accent. His eyes were wide with fright, perhaps from the ship's tossing and rolling, or from the memory of past dealings with this mysterious passenger the captain had taken on while in port at Cherbourg, France. For enough money, the captain would take on board anyone with out asking questions.
"I don't want any food, damn you! Just get this ship into a port!" The man yelled viciously. He had suffered from seasickness since the beginning of the voyage.
"Yes—yes, Sir!" The young man stammered and closed the door.
"Mon Dieu," Erik groaned as his stomach pitched and rolled in unison with the ship, "That I had let the mob kill me! Erik, you fool! What business do you have sneaking halfway across the world to a strange country?" He was but one outcast following the path of many others before him.
He clutched his stomach as a severe cramp seized him. "God," He growled, "if You want to punish me, just strike me dead! Anything is better than this living hell!"
He fell out of the narrow berth while chasing the slop bucket across the pitching floor.