Disclaimer: Don't own Phantom never will... Unless I threaten to kill Webber unless he puts me in his will, kill him anyways and then I could own Phantom. HAHAHAHAHAHA! Now to get plane tickets to England... On with the show!

This morning when my alarm clock went off, it was playing my favorite song, The Grace by Neverending White Lights. I began to sing the song as I got dressed.

In better days I've been known to listen
I go to waste all my time is missing

I'm mapping out my ending,
it's never gonna happen now
These things are condescending
with everybody backing down

You pray to stars that can help you get by
And all at once you forget to try

I'd go there if you let me,
they're never gonna find me now
My life is always empty
and in and out of doubt

Your not coming back for me, these things they will never be
I'm so used to being wrong, so put me where I belong

I get back to you,
God knows I try,
but I still lose
And I get back to you,
these days run by,
but I still lose

Angels say they can make you suffer
They give and take like a vicious lover

When all this loses meaning,
You'll never want it back somehow
Awake but still I'm dreaming
And never waking up

Your not coming back for me, these things they will never be
I'm so used to being wrong, so put me where I belong

Alone...Where I'm not alone

The pain that the song exuded really spoke to me. I always wanted to be in a place where I did not feel as if I was not alone. To me that wish was a million miles away and would never come true.

I could not wait until I was 18. I was a senior in high school and at the top of my class. My GPA was a 4.5(I took A.P. classes) and I had gotten a 30 on my ACT and was accepted with a full ride scholarship (because I play volleyball) into University of Michigan. We lived in Illinois so it was close enough to be with my father, but far enough away so my mother would not try to make any surprising visits.

After I got dressed I ran downstairs as close to the time that the bus came so I could avoid seeing my mom. I grabbed an apple and ran out of the door. As I walked to my bus stop I thought about the dream I had had last night. I shuddered at the very thought of the dream. I wondered why I had a random dream about a dying man I had never met before. I am a person who remembers faces very well, but I was sure that had never seen that man before. Plus, his clothing was weird. He was wearing a full suit from the olden days and a mask. What the heck was he doing with a mask on his face?

My thoughts were interrupted as my bus came around the corner. Most people on the bus were still sleeping, but my best friend Jade I and were always up laughing up a storm.

"Hey Jade!" I loudly whispered to her.

"Sola, girl what's up?" Jade is kind of ghetto.

"Nothing much. You?"

"I'm so excited that it is our last day of school."

"I know. We can finally get out of this stupid town. I hate small towns. There's absolutely no diversity. Everyone is so closed minded."

"Yeah! I cannot wait to go to New York. Parson School of Design here I come." And with that she threw here hands up and started the lean wit' it rock wit' it.

That started our morning of raucous laughter.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ahhhh! School was finally out for the summer and I was so happy. That meant my father was home for the summer since he taught a school and my Mom had to be nice to me. Summer always was my favorite time of year.

After I had said my goodbyes to Jade I walked home. It was 75 degrees today and slightly windy. On my walk home, I decided to walk by the pond near my home. It was a beautiful pond and it had many duck, geese, and a swan that had inhibited it that summer.

As I walked along the banks, I saw a person moving. I wondered what it was, since only a few my friends and I knew about this pond. I figured it was someone I knew, so I called out,

"Hello?"

No answer.

I walked slowly to the person now not knowing what to expect.

It was the man with the mask from my dream!

A/N: I'm starting to like where this story is going….. do you guys? Anything I should take out or add?