Author Note

Thank you everyone for your lovely reviews! Karen, Black-Kitsune (love your name), NeoQueenSolaris-Cosmos, Shadie-poo (luv ya girly!), and Estelle Tiniwiel. You don't know how much I appreciate it! Estelle, your comment made me feel very good about this story. I really try hard to make as much since as possible. Lol. Here's chapter 1! Enjoy!

Black Isis


Chapter 1- Welcome to the 21st Century

Erik slowly opened his eyes. His vision was terribly blurred and his throbbing headache did not help his situation. Wherever he was, it was dark. He could make out a large window on the opposite wall that was blocking most of the light with thick, royal purple drapes. He tried to lift his head up off the pillow but failed, letting it fall limply back down. He let out a groan as his head surged with pain.

"Are you awake?" the woman's voice asked. Erik blinked, desperately tying to see. Finally his vision cleared. He was lying in a bed that had purple and yellow sheets with a small floral patter that weaved throughout it. The woman's voice came from a girl who looked no older than seventeen. She had large blue eyes and unusually long, strawberry blonde hair that was pulled into two pigtails on the side of her head. Her long bangs hung limply over her eyes creating a laid back look. The room was still too dark to make out, but it had several things in it that Erik did not recognize or even knew what they were for.

"Where am I?" he asked hoarsely. The girl smiled. Her teeth were very white and very straight.

"Good, you're strong enough to speak." She exclaimed. "Well, you are in my apartment on 117 East 59th St." she explained. "I couldn't just leave you last night…" she continued.

"59th St.? Where the hell is that? What part of France?" Erik asked. The girl starred at him.

"You're from France?" she asked. Erik nodded, his eyes barely open.

"Do not take offence to this but, why are you not afraid of me?" he asked. The girl gave him a puzzled look.

"Afraid? No, I wouldn't be afraid." She said, waving it off with her hand. "I mean, I don't usually pick up perfect strangers off the street but, you had a good aura." She said, smiling kindly at Erik. He blinked, raising his hand to his mask.

"And you do not recognize me by my mask?" he inquired. The girl shrugged.

"Ever since the movie, there have been a lot of people walking around with masks on." She said nonchalantly. Erik was taken aback. He did not understand what she meant by "movie", but he did understand the last part.

"You mean people wear masks even when they are not forced to?" he asked feeling anger surge through his veins. The girl backed away.

"Easy, no need to get angry. You don't have to wear that mask do you?" she asked, reaching to take it off.

Erik grabbed her wrists in mid air. The girl gasped, pulling her hand away quickly. She scowled.

"I don't know what you do in France, but we don't take shit like that here in New York…" she said. "Especially not me." She concluded, jabbing her thumb towards her chest. Erik's eyes became wide.

"How the hell did I end up in America?" he asked, getting out of the squishy bed. "Where is my cape?" he hissed. He fell backwards onto the bed from getting up to quickly.

"It's right here." The girl said, walking over to Erik's cape that was draped over a chair. He snatched it out of her hand, throwing it over his shoulders.

"What is your name, child?" he asked, glancing at the girl. She was wearing a patched skirt with several squares of patterns on it and a solid brown long sleeve shirt.

"It's Nicole." She said, crossing her arms. "And I'm 20. Not a child. What is your name…Monsieur?" she asked, horrible mispronouncing 'monsieur'.

Erik scowled. He did not like telling people his real name.

"It's…..Erik." he said plainly. The girl's eyes became wide, a smile creeping at the corner of her lips.

"No last name?" she asked, the smile stretching across her face. Erik's eyes flitted away from hers.

"No last name." he repeated. "Now, I must take leave of you. I need to find some way to get back to…" he stopped short, opening the door to Nicole's room. Hi eyes became wide and he stumbled backwards.

"Wh-what is that!" he asked shakily, pointing a long finger at Nicole's TV. She peered around the door at the TV that was turned to Vh1. She glanced back at Erik, her eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"That's a television." She said in a sickly sweet voice. "And this is a chair." She said, motioning to a small chair that sat in front of her vanity.

"I know what a chair is!" Erik spat. "But how do the pictures move?" he asked, walking closer to the TV. Nicole followed him.

Erik's electric blue eyes darted curiously about the apartment, picking out the little details. He ran a hand across the vibrant orange wall before walking over to the reddish orange couch and picking up an iridescent pillow that had beadings along the fringes. He walked all over, looking at all the books that were on an old bookshelf before wandering into the kitchen.

"What time period are you from?" she asked sardonically.

"1870." Erik answered plainly, inspecting the toaster curiously. Nicole let out a snort.

"Okay, this has gone far enough." She said, walking over and jerking Erik's mask off.

"Now get…" she stopped as Erik's hand flew to his face.

"NO!" he roared. "Ignorant girl! Give me my MASK!" he bellowed at Nicole, his hand covering the right side of his face. She slowly handed Erik his mask, her eyebrows raised. He snatched it fiercely from her hand and turned to put it back over his face.

"Oh my God." Nicole said, dumbfounded. "You really are…you're the…how did you…?" she couldn't seem to formulate sentences. She turned around and walked over towards the kitchen area, mumbling something. Erik gazed around the small apartment. There was a small sitting room with a large squishy couch and a coffee table in front of a large window with a view of tall grey buildings with many windows. The so called "television" sat across from the couch and coffee table beside the bookshelf. and a small eating table with a glass top. There was a small wall between the kitchen and the sitting room where there was a strange box with a handle and numbers on it. Nicole was leaning against the wall, facing away from Erik.

Down the small hall, someone stirred behind a closed door.

"Nicky? What's all the fuss about?" came another girl's voice.

"Nothing Charo, go back to sleep. It's Saturday for Christ's sake." Nicole answered as she ran out of the kitchen. She grabbed Erik's arm and pushed him towards the door.

"Stand out here for a second." She instructed, standing Erik just outside the door to their apartment.

"Char, I'm going out for breakfast, do you want anything?" came from behind the door. Erik stood there, gazing around the hallway. The architecture was so strange and the coloring was so dull; white walls and a grayish blue carpet, how very boring. He sighed, looking up the flight of stairs that was just to the right of Nicole's door. He could hear people on the next floor up snoring. Who all live in this house? He thought.

Nicole emerged from her apartment.

"Come with me." She said taking Erik's hand. She pulled away immediately. His eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong? Can you not even stand to touch me?" he spat. Nicole shook her head.

"No, your hands are so cold!" she exclaimed. She took both of his hands in hers in an attempt to warm them. Erik's eyes grew wide at the warmth of her hands.

"Now, are you hungry?" she asked, leading him down three flights of stairs.

"I suppose." He said plainly.

They finally reached the bottom floor. Nicole opened the door, revealing the blinding sun. Erik hissed, covering his eyes with his cape once again.

"Whoa, Dracula…" Nicole said smirking. She walked over to her car, beginning to get in. She looked over to see Erik still standing in the same spot.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing at Nicole Hyundai Tiburon.

"It's a car, now get in." she instructed. Erik gulped, slowly walking over to the vehicle. Nicole walked around and opened the door for him since he was obviously confused. He bent down, sitting in the front seat of the low car. Nicole shut the door, walking over to the passenger side.

"Now, how about…" she began then stopped. "Oh yeah, you're from the nineteenth century…" she said shakily. Erik looked at her.

"And what year is this?" he asked.

"You are currently in the year 2005." She answered. Erik's already pale face went even paler.

"What?" he gasped, his eyes bulging. Nicole smiled weakly.

"You really are the Phantom of the Opera aren't you." She said. Suddenly she turned and shook her head wildly.

"NO NO NO NO NO!" she yelled startling Erik. She started the car, revving the engine. Erik yelped, grabbing onto the handle. His hand gripped Nicole's arm as well. She blushed slightly, pulling out onto the street.

Erik was almost hyperventilating as they drove down the street.

"Slow down!" he bellowed.

"I'm only going twenty five miles an hour!" Nicole snapped.

"WHY THE HELL AM I HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?" he bellowed. Nicole pressed on the breaks.

"Well….!" She began but stopped when she saw Erik's face. Tears were streaming out of his electric blue eyes.

"Oh Christine." He whimpered. "I just wanted to die…" he said, burying his face in his hands. Nicole reached over and patted his back hesitantly. As she felt him shudder beneath her, more feeling went into her comforting.

"Now then, no one wants you to die." She said calmly, rubbing Erik's back soothingly. A car behind them beeped loudly at their lack of movement, startling Erik. Nicole held her middle finger out the window before pulling over to the side. The car beeped again as it drove past them.

"Now, I'm sorry about Christine…" Nicole continued. "But you have to get over her." She stated as if it was simple. Erik raised his head to look at her.

"How did you know?" he asked, his eyes wide. Nicole chuckled.

"You're a pretty good actor." She said, beginning to drive forward. "You almost had me fooled back at my apartment." She turned onto Broadway, speeding up slightly. Erik gripped the side of the seat again.

"What do you mean by actor?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.

Nicole shrugged. "You can't really be the Phantom of the Opera. He lived in the 1800's. It's the twenty first century for crying out loud!" she exclaimed, shifting a gear as she sped up.

"The only way you can prove to me that all the bullshit that you're pulling off is true is to remove that mask of yours." She said, putting on her blinker to pull up beside a Starbucks café.

"No." Erik hissed. "You will regret it as soon as I do." He explained. Nicole rolled her eyes again.

"Okay, now this is really getting annoying. Give me that stupid mask!" she demanded, reaching over and grabbing it again.

"NO! STOP!" Erik roared, his hand flying to his face once again, his other hand clawing at Nicole. Nicole put the mask out of his reach.

"Now you can't get it. So just lower your hand so I can know who you are and get you a deal with a talent scout." She said plainly. Erik shook with fear and rage.

"No, you don't understand! You will fear me! We are in a close space. You will scream!" he said, his voice quavering.

Nicole crossed her arms in frustration then softened her appearance.

"Please. I promise I won't do anything." She said, her eyes becoming large.

"You won't?" he asked skeptically. Nicole shook her head.

"Nope. How bad could some make up…..HOLY SHIT!" she yelled, backing against the car door as Erik removed his hand. He quickly turned away from her, his hand flying to his face once again. His body shuddered with rage and sadness.

"No! I'm so sorry Erik! I am so sorry! I really wasn't expecting you to actually…" she faded off. "Oh God, Erik, please forgive me." She begged, placing a hand on Erik's shoulder.

"Just….give me my mask." He said venomously, jerking away from her touch.

"No, Erik, show me your face again. I will not react in the same way. I really wasn't expecting you…" she faded off again.

"Wasn't expecting what?" Erik asked through clenched teeth.

"I wasn't expecting you to be telling the truth." Nicole said. She reached around and turned Erik's head towards her. He looked at her with his hollow eyes. They held all the sorrow of the world within their confines. Nicole's own eyes glistened with curiosity.

"Monsieur Phantom…" she said softly. Erik raised his eyebrows ever so slightly.

"Yes?" he asked, surprised to see Nicole had a large smile on her face, her eyes glistening with small tears.

"God you're beautiful." She whispered. Erik raised his eyebrows all the way this time, his eyes becoming large with disbelief.

"What!" he asked shocked. Nicole shook her head as if to bring herself out of a trance.

"Oh, nothing. H-here's your mask." She said, giving Erik his mask back.

He placed it over his face, leaning his head back against the seat and letting out a sigh. Nicole whipped out her cell phone. Sliding it open, she pressed the speed dial to Charo's phone. It rang a few times before Charo answered.

"H-hello?" she asked sleepily.

"Charzard!" Nicole said playfully.

"I am not a Pokemon. What do you want? You told me I should sleep in!" Charo barked.

"Heh, that was before…..um, I'll tell you when I get home." Nicole said, glancing over at Erik.

"You called me up just to say 'Oh I'll tell you at home'?" Charo snapped, obviously still sleepy.

"It's complicated…" Nicole began. "But don't be frightened when I bring home a man wearing a mask." Nicole said quickly before hanging up. She turned to Erik who was starring at the cell that she held in her hand.

"So, hungry?" she asked, motioning to the Starbucks them with her head. Erik nodded slowly.

Nicole got out and went in by herself, not really wanting to take Erik inside. She ended up ordering almost every item off the menu. When Charo and Nicole were hungry, they put it away. Who knows how much food she would need with Erik there? (A/N: I don't own Starbucks.) Nicole slowly drove back to the apartment, using all her will power to not dig into the delicious smelling pastries and coffee.

Back at the apartment, Charo had gotten dressed quickly, pulling her mocha brown hair up into a messy bun, her light blue eyes glistening with sleep as she looked at her pale reflection in the mirror. What the hell was Nicole thinking, brining a man that she had never met to their apartment? Charo rubber her face sleepily, her pale complexion turning slightly pink from the friction.

It was their second year at Dress Making and Design School Maison Sapho. They both loved visual art however. Their various paintings hung about the apartment. A small room in the back was purely dedicated to art; they each had a desk with their work scattered about in a slipshod manner and an art easel that they shared was positioned in the corner.

Charo quickly rushed out into the living room right as Nicole came through the door.

"Oh, um Charo, this is Erik." Nicole said nervously, taking Erik's arm and leading him through decorative doorway. Charo took a step backwards out of habit.

"H-how do you do?" she asked nervously. Erik bowed his head.

"I have been better but I appreciate you asking." He said, smiling weakly, still unsure of his surroundings. "It is a pleasure to meet you Mademoiselle." He said politely. Nicole smiled. Erik was extremely charming.

Charo looked at the fast food bag Nicole held in her hand. She cleared her throat.

"Oh yeah!" Nicole said, walking over and setting the food down on the small eating table. She took out a pastry and handed it to Charo, then took another and handed it to Erik. He took it hesitantly then slowly tried to bite down on it.

"No, no, you have to unwrap it first." Nicole said, showing Erik her unwrapped pastry.

"Good." He said, peeling the paper back. "It tasted horrible." He said taking a large bite out of the strawberry filled doughnut.

His eyes became wide and he looked at the doughnut he held. Nicole stopped eating.

"Do you not like it?" she asked. Her question was answered when Erik ate the rest of the pastry in under four bites.

"Oh…." Nicole said, finishing hers a little slower. "Here, you might like these…" she said, handing Erik the latte. At first he made a disgusted face, but soon began to sip it lightly.

Erik stopped drinking for a moment. "It has probably been at least two days since I have last eaten." Erik stated. "Maybe three…" he added as an after thought. This time it was Nicole's eyes who became wide.

"You poor thing." She said, walking over to Erik. She ran her hand along his rib cage.

"I can feel your ribs!" she exclaimed, not noticing Erik, who was blushing furiously as he stared at her like a deer in the headlights.

"That's not good, Erik." Nicole said, leading him over to the couch. "I'll have to fatten you up!"

Charo watched from the corner of the room. She had just recently seen the Phantom of the Opera movie. The man that sat on the couch looked nothing like the man who played the Phantom. His face was gaunter and much longer, no to mention his eyes were a different color, electric blue. His hair was jet black and he had long bangs that hung in front of his eyes in almost an elegant manner. She took another bite out of her sandwich, still studying the man. He was, however, just as skinny as the actor if not skinnier.

"I shall try to find a way to get you back, Erik." Nicole stated, walking over to the bookshelf and taking a book out. Erik smiled.

"Thank you. It would be most appreciated." He said, bowing his head.

"But while you are here…." Nicole continued looking up from the pages she was flipping through. "I'm going to make sure you have the best time of your life!" she ended excitedly.


End Notes

-I actually don't know if Starbucks has pasteries or not. I don't go there much. lol.

- Erik is a little emotional in this chapter...but hell, I would be too.

-Please don't ask why he's not speaking French. For I won't have an answer. If he was speaking French then we wouldn't be able to understand him now would we?

- Nicole and Charo's appartment is one of the nicer ones...so yes they have some cha-ching in the bank. He he he.

Thank you again! please review!