Chapter 4:
The next morning, Meg woke with a pounding head and an beating heart. She slowly rose from the wonderfully soft bed and walked to the mirror hanging on the wall. Her hair was a mess and her dress wrinkled. She tried to straighten it, but to no avail.
"Good morning Miss."
She spun around to see a man standing in the doorway. A mask covered half his face but Meg could see his smile. He wore a lacy white shirt and black dress pants.
"I hope you slept well." His voice was deep and resonating. His eyes were the amber, and intriguing.
Meg gulped for breath, what was she to say? "Um yes sir." She finally managed to mumble. "Thank you." She could not take her eyes away from him, though she wanted to.
"I am being rule do forgive mademoiselle. I am Nicole's father Eric." He smiled, "And I know your mother," he smiled slightly, "very well."
Meg nodded, trying to think of something to say to him. What do you say to a phantom? "So the stories are true?" Meg finally whispered, brushing her hair behind her ear. Eric grinned behind his mask.
"Yes miss, they are." He glanced at his pocket watch, "I need to take you back before you are missed." The phantom, gently took her arm, and led her out of the room, and back into the main building. By the time she got back to her room, it was nearly time for classes to start. Meg quickly changed into clean clothes and pulled her hair back, then ran to meet her sister in the main hall.
"Anna!" She yelled, watching her sister turn around and relief wash over her face.
"Meg!" she ran to meet her. "If you ever do that again I swear I will strangle you!" Anna hugged her twin. "What happened?"
Meg smiled and shrugged. "lots of things!" but before she was able to continue, Sophia D'arcy marched up to the twins in her self acclaimed perfection.
"you are late again Meg." She tried to smile sweetly, but it came across as more of a grimace. "Why?"
Meg turned to look at Sophia trying her best not to want to kill her. "yes well, I had other business to see to." She finally said, keeping her voice low and cold.
"Oh." Sophia's pail face lost some of it's light. "Well Madame Giry handed out the parts this morning, and I got the part of Nicoletta." She again tried to smile, and Meg felt sick to her stomach. Nicoletta, though not the main part of the new opera was a secondary character, and a big part for a chorus girl. "You are just in the back ground, Cheri." Sophia flipped her red hair. "Better luck next time!" she laughed and walked away.
"I hate her Anna!" Meg whispered, glaring after her swaying form.
"Meg." Anna tried not to laugh. "But what Sophia did not say was that I got the lead!"
Meg smiled, hugging her sister. "I am so glad for you!" She really was.
That night, as Anna and Meg were getting ready for bed, Meg sat on the bed thinking about all that had happened.
"Madame Giry is going to tell papa I was down there Meg!" Anna finally said. "We are going to be in so much trouble!"
Meg looked at her sister, "I'll take are so that you are not in trouble. You know that if I talk to papa, he'll believe me."
"yes, you were always his favorite." Anna smiled, finishing the last brush of her long hair. She moved to the bed, sitting down next to Meg, and gently brushed her hair. "what did you see down there any ways?"
Meg turned to look at her, "I….I don't think I can explain." Meg looked confused. "There is so much to tell and yet no words to begin to describe it." She leaned agaist her sisters shoulder. "All I know is that I want to go back."
Anna turned to face Meg. "Surely you don't mean it." Anna's eyes were large, staring at her twin. "Don't say such things."
"there is nothing horrific or dangerous." Meg replied. "The phantom means no harm."
Anna gasped. "You met him? He's real?"
Meg nodded, slipping away from her sister, and curled up in her side of the bed. "He was kind."
"Meg?" Anna reached out to her sister, fearing that she was again slipping away into the land of dreams and haunts. "Meg!" She tried to keep her attention but Meg had turned her back to her sister. Anna leaned back in bed, worried about her sister. But there was nothing she could do.
Later the night, Meg woke with a start. She was again hearing that song. Though, now knowing what the Phantom sounded like, this was different. It was the same song she had heard while exploring the catacombs. She crawled from her bed, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, and walked to the mirror. She stood there, staring at it, listening. As she stared, a figure started to appear. He smiled at her and he stared back. He was tall and lean. A mask covered his face, but Meg could see he was younger then the Phantom. He was Maybe in his 20's, or late teens, and very handsome. Meg touched the mirror, and he nodded his head, but he seemed to hear a voice for he turned, nodded, then turned back to Meg in the mirror, bowed, and walked away. Meg watched until he disappeared. She crawled back into bed, shaken.