Brandon stared at the elevator door and prayed he would find Crispy at the top. Ebony had been reluctant to tell him the last of the secrets, but he was now armed with the code that would open it. He reached out and started pushing the buttons... 3... 5... 1...9...

"She told you?" Crispy asked from behind him. He turned, relieved, but then realized relief was not to be found. The phantom smiled sweetly at him.

"Something's different..." Brandon couldn't quite place it. The phantom remained silent. "You're not..." He stared, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. It was not the phantom looking so sweetly back at him after all. "Crispy?"

Crispy smiled a little wider. "I can't believe she told you. Us french horns have no secrets now."

"I came..." What was she doing? What was she wearing?

"I know why you came. You're still trying to save me."

"Why... Your clothes..." She was toying with him, it seemed.

"Forgive me Brandon? I... I have no idea what happened back there... it was like it wasn't even me doing it..."

"I will... If you take that mask off."

"Take it off?" Crispy said sadly as she turned away. "What if I don't want to?" she added in a wholly different tone of voice.

"What..."

Crispy turned around. Crispy saw that Crispy was gone. The phantom stepped towards him and gazed at him pleadingly.

"Don't you see, love? You can have us both. She won't have to die. Mercy is wonderful, no?"

Brandon shook his head and stepped backwards. "No." The phantoms face was hard and wrathful again. "I would be a fool to agree to that. You've already killed her, anyone can see that."

The phantom, finally giving up on her endeavor, eyed him pleasantly. "You really think so?"

"...The police are attributing the fire to 'the phantom of the band room' as they are calling themselves. There was one fatality in the band room fire. Brandon Chesney, a nineteen year old film student at the college was found chained to a timpani. Police have proclaimed Michael Gaylord innocent in lieu of recent events, however, they have no other suspects at this time. If you have any infor..." Stephanie turned off the television and looked despairingly at Ebony. She was sobbing over the contents which had come as a surprise to both of them.

Friends,

I have commited unforgivable crimes these past months. Early on I did not understand why I was doing them. Moreau's murder is still somewhat of a mystery to me, though there has always been emnity between us. Nick has had it coming since his senior year in high school. He has been holding me back from my dreams for far too long. For the longest time I fancied that it wasn't me doing these things, that I was innocent. But I killed Brandon Chesney. The phantom and I are one in the same. I go now to save you from me. I gp in search of the peace I stole from you, and from myself. I am the phantom of the band room, and the phantom of the band room is gone.

Crispy Cage