1The Return of the Phantom 12: The Lessons Begin

Every night at 10:00, Chelle has secret lessons in her room with Erik. She has devoted everything to these lessons; nothing else seemed to matter. A week has pasted since her first meeting with Erik; everyone was starting to get worried about the secret life she was now living.

Chelle is now sitting alone in her room waiting for her angel of music. It is now 9:55 and there is no sign of Erik. Chelle was about to walk to the passage behind the mirror when she suddenly hear a knock at your door. "Chelle, are you in there? Come on Chelle open up the door. You have closed yourself to everyone this week. Chelle?" Chelle recognize the voice of her old dear friend Jeni and she open the door.

"Jeni, I cant talk now. I...I have to get to my lessons."

"Lessons, what lessons? Chelle what are you talking about. You have closed yourself off from everyone this past week. What is becoming of you?"

"I have been taking lessons from a great teacher. I promised that I would devote myself only to my work."

"chelle, you are talking in riddles and its not like you", Jeni takes her hand and is now pledging with her, "Chelle, tell me what's going on. I'm worried for you."

"I can't; at least not now. You must leave I have to get to my lessons."

Jeni looks at in disgust and disbelief; then she turns to leave. Chelle locks the door behind her to make sure no one can come in. Chelle then goes to the mirror and open it to take the passage down to Erik's underground house.

Chelle walks down the dark halls and stairs to the fifth cellar. As she gets to the lake she can see that Erik is there waiting for her. "You are late my child." He helps her into the gondola and takes her to his house. Erik opens the front door and leads Chelle into the drawing room. He then walks over and takes a seat at the organ. "Monsieur Leroux is planning to put on Faust here at the Opera."

"Yes, I have heard it. I was planning to try for the part of Marguerite."

"No, you are not ready", he then starts to play the organ, "you need more time."

"And how long do I need? How long must I isolate myself from the world? I have come a secret person this last week; I don't even recognize myself."

"You promised to devote yourself entirely to me and your work."

Chelle begins to cry and she goes over to the organ and throws the music to the floor, "I miss my life, and I miss my friends. I had to lie to Jeni tonight. She came looking for me right before lessons. She is worried for me. I cannot go on lying to everyone like this. I even have to lie to myself; I keep telling myself that this is real, but it is not. For goodness sake you,re not real; you're a ghost."

"A ghost; I'm a ghost", He gets up and walks over to Chelle and looks at her right in the eye; "Yes I am a ghost. Let's just see how much of a ghost I can be!" He then vanishes in a cloud of smoke right before Chelle's eyes. She can hear his laughter echoing all around her.

"Stop it, Erik; please stop it."

"What's wrong my child; are you scared? Yes, everyone is scared of Poor Erik. Christine was afraid of my hideous face and you are afraid of my ghost. When will you learn?" He then reappears in front of Chelle. "Why can't you understand? Why must everyone hate Erik?" He falls to the floor and starts sobbing.

"I never hated you", Chelle kneels down in front of him and look into his eyes, "I care for you. I have loved you since I first heard your story. I always said that I couldn't understand why Christine left you." She looks at his black mask that is covering the upper half of his face. "Show me your face without fear."

"You will run from me just like Christine. I will only frighten you."

"Erik, show me your face without fear!" Chelle slowly reaches for the mask and remove it from his face. She wants to look away, but she can't. She just stare into this face; this face that looks like death staring back at her.
She just sit there in silence staring into Erik's face. Then she hears a voice inside her head, "He might be ugly and evil at times but I love him. I don't know why but I do I love him." Chelle remembers telling that to all her friends when they would ask her why she loved The Phantom of the Opera so much. And now she was here with him looking into his hideous face and she can't help to smile.

"Why are you smiling? Must you mock me?"

"No, its just that, I dreamed of this so much, but I never believed that it could ever happen." Chelle picks up his mask and hand it back to him. He takes it from her and quickly puts it back on his face. He then stands up and helps Chelle to her feet.

He walks Chelle back to her room. "It is late my child you should get some rest", He puts her into her bed and pulls the covers over her; "I will see what I can do about you having the part of Marguerite. You don't have to be a secret child anymore; the world will love you." He bends over and kisses her forehead and then disappears threw the mirror.

"Erik wait", he appears back in front of Chelle "I was wondering if it would be alright to tell Jeni about my lessons with you?"

"You may tell Jeni, but nobody else."

"I love you my angel of music." He smiles at her and then disappears through the mirror.

The next day Chelle wakes up early to tell Jeni about her lessons with Erik. She gets ready and heads down to the corps de ballet dorms. Everyone is getting ready for the audition for Faust. Chelle finds Jeni in the back room pulling her hair in a tight ballet bun. Chelle grabs Jeni by the arm and lead her to a room where they can talk about Erik without being over heard. "Jeni, I'm going to tell you about my new teacher, but you must promise not to tell anyone about it."

"Chelle, why must it be a secret?"

"Because no one must know about him. They won't believe in it any way."

"You are talking in riddles again. Just tell me what is going on."

"I've been taking lessons from the angel of music."

"What do you mean by the angel of music?"

"You know the angel of music, the opera ghost, the phantom of the opera, Erik; he's been giving me lessons. Every night he comes to my room and gives me lessons."

"Chelle, Erik is not real, and if he were he is dead now."

"He is real. Jeni, Ive seen him. I've been to his underground house in the fifth cellar. I saw his face! It was the most hideous face; it was the face of death itself. I saw it and I wasn't scared. I just sat there looking into his eyes. I couldn't help but to feel sorry for him."

"Chelle, Erik is dead. You couldn't have possibly seen him."

"I did see him. I thought you out of all people would believe me."

"Come on Chelle we have to get to the auditions."

The auditions lasted for about two hours. Right after the auditions Derrick comes up to Chelle looking concerned. "Chelle, Jeni told me about your so called lessons with the angel of music."

"It's none of your business. She had no right to tell you", she says in disgust and anger.

"Chelle, there is no angel of music. Erik's been dead for centuries."

"He is dead, I know, but his ghost has been giving me lessons."

"His ghost? Chelle, listen to yourself; you are making no since. You're not thinking clearly. You need to get away from the opera house for a little while. Let me take you out tonight."

"No Derrick the angel is very strict. I promised to only devote myself to him and my work. I must go now and cannot leave my angel waiting."

Chelle goes back to her room and follow the passage behind the mirror down to Erik's underground house. She stays there for weeks devoting yourself only to his music. Meanwhile, back at the opera house everyone is getting ready for the opera of Faust which Ellisa will be playing the part of Marguerite. No one is concerned for Chelle considering that she left a note with Monsieur Leroux saying that she wastaking a vacation. It is now the night before the opening of Faust; Erik starts to play the aria that Marguerite sings and tells Chelle to sing the part. After she finishes singing it, Erik gets up and writes two letters in red ink; one addressed to Monsieur Leroux and the other to Ellisa. He then turns to Chelle and says, "You are going to play the part of Marguerite or Faust will be performed in a house with a curse on it."