Two Souls

Chapter 1- My Dearest Friend

I think the most important thing in live is love. I think that's probably why I never really had any boyfriends. Christine- my best friend- she always had scads and scads of boyfriends. Boys flocked to her like hopeless sheep.

But out of all those boys that that she could have chosen, Christine chose Raoul de Chagny.

I had had a crush on 'pretty boy' Raoul since I was a freshman in high school, and somehow I had convinced myself that I was in love with him.

I had never told Christine that I was in love with Raoul. She was my best friend, and I guess self-sacrifice came all too easily for me.

As long as they're happy. I thought. As long as he's happy.

I know it's not very nice of me… I should have been more worried about Christine… but the more I heard about Christine and Raoul together, I grew to resent Christine more and more, almost to the point of hatred.

I never told Christine about my secret love for Raoul- I didn't trust ANYONE to understand- not even my mother. And I told my mother everything.

I think I was afraid that I would be hated. So every time I saw Raoul kiss Christine, flaunt her or something, I died a little inside. However cliché it sounded, I wanted to be in Christine's place, having Raoul kiss me whenever we pleased, flaunting me.

The year when something actually happened with Raoul and me was the end of my junior year. I had bottled up so many of my feelings for Raoul that I thought I might burst, or at least grow some gray hair.

Well, everything changed when I first saw him. I first saw him in my school's auditorium, when I was practicing singing with the piano.

I liked practicing in the auditorium. I liked how my voice carried from the stage to the uppermost balconies, into the boxes. Our school had used to be some Opera House back in the late eighteen hundreds, and they hadn't changed a thing about the stage.

Sometimes I liked to stand on the stage and close my eyes and imagine what it would have been like to sing a magnificent aria, (maybe Hannibal? Or that beautiful song from The Magic Flute…) and all the people in all of their finery of the eighteen hundreds clapping their hands and throwing roses onto the stage.

But I digress.

I was singing a song, and hopelessly plunking out the tune on the piano. I was always horrible at playing the piano. Yet another thing to add to my long list of faults.

Anyway, I was singing my best, when he finally revealed that he was there. He stood up suddenly. I hadn't even noticed he was there, but there he was, in one of the box seats. It was old, but I could make out that it was Box Five.

I stood up so suddenly that I knocked the piano bench over.

He stared at me, and I stared at him, trying to access just who this guy was. From where I was standing, he looked pretty tall. But there was something not right about his face. I couldn't really put my finger on it, but something wasn't right.

Everything about him was intense. He had these very intense blue eyes. So blue I thought they were almost white at first glance. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he had a frown. I bit my lip, not knowing what to expect.

I supposed this was the type of guy you probably wouldn't notice on first glance. Maybe you would have to take a double take or something. Before you realized he was there, actually taking up space. I hadn't seen him before.

"You're singing too high." He said, and glided down the stairs to the stage, then to the piano, where I was standing. "You're an alto. You'll strain and ruin your voice if you try to sing soprano."

I didn't say anything. What WOULD I say? That he was right, I was an alto, but all the main roles in all of the drama plays were soprano?

Well, they were all things to say… but saying them felt foolish. I stayed silent.

"Aren't you friends with Christine?"

No need to say last names here. There was only one Christine.

"Yes," I said, looking down at the floor. The guy grinned. Senior? I thought, wildly. He wasn't a junior, and he was too old to be an underclassman.

"Aren't you in love with de Chagny?" He said, leaning on the Steinway.

Dear God, how did he know? I hadn't told anyone!

"How… how did you know that?" I said, startled. Dear God, did Raoul know? Worst of all, did Christine know? She would never forgive me. I'd never forgive myself.

"Little girl, it's obvious." He said, half grinning. And looking slightly evil, I might add. "I might be able to help you if you help me." He said, looking like he was amused by me.

I felt like a guinea pig.

"What?"

"What if I told you that I could help you win Raoul if you could help me get Christine?"

Oh, it figured. Another one of Christine's many stalkers, hell bent on winning Mademoiselle Daae. I opened my mouth to say no. Never, never, never.

But then again… Raoul…

"Alright." I said instead, feeling slightly ill.

He smiled- beamed, really- and reached his hand out to shake mine. I slowly extended mine, and we shook hands.

I felt like I had made a pact with the devil. Just a tiny bit.

We made a promise to meet each other to execute a plan after school… and he told me his name. Erik Leroux. And he was a senior, just as I thought.

"Stay away from soprano songs," He reminded me, smugly as he strutted away- he strutted, actually strutted!-, and out of the auditorium.

I was left to right the piano bench by myself and think about what I had done.

It was when I was walking out of the auditorium, after gathering up all my sheet music, when I realized what was making his face so striking. It was his nose. It was a little too large.

A/N-

HEY ALL!

Sorry if you guys think Erik is OOC in this chapter.

He'll be better next chappy! Yay!

Um… my dad's yelling at me, so no long note. REVIEW PLEASE!