Disclaimer: Okay…I actually do own something this time. My pen. There I confess, I do in fact own my pen. Three guesses what I don't own.

A/N: Okay, I'm almost 100 sure this will have Erik in it. I'm just kidding, I'm just as anxious to see him as you are believe me, my other personalities are driving me crazy! Sorry, anyway he will be here and if he isn't, may I be flamed and never write in this story again. (So lets' hope he's here, huh?)

…Chapter 7…

For the rest of that day, Madame Giry showed me everyone and everything. There was so much to remember it was making my head spin. I did however always remember to keep walking and to always be courteous and to suck up to Prima Donnas like La Carlotta. I even managed to remember my name as well as the way to the dormitories. When the heavily detailed tour ended, I flopped down on my bed, but my relaxation was soon interrupted. "Deirdre, before you fall to sleep just one last thing," Madame Giry poked her head in. "Yes Madame Giry?" She paused as if trying to decide something. "Dinner's at 7. Do you remember where the kitchen is?" "Yes, Madame," "Good, good evening then." "Good evening, Madame," I had quickly learned to always address a superior as Madame or Masseur. Unless of course it was Carlotta, which you had to address as Senora or Prima Donna, but always mutter something nasty under your breath afterwards. I picked it up from Madame Giry herself. As it was only 6 o'clock I decided that it would be safe to explore my new home a bit before dinner. Having thought of this, I opened the door of my room and began wandering down the halls. I wandered around everywhere, sometimes I saw people going into costume or make-up, down another hall I would hear people practicing scenes, through an arch way and I hear people rehearsing and Madame Giry and Masseur Reyer shouting. Eventually, I started to wander down halls with no people and no sounds. Down a few of these such hallways I found more and more gorgeous paintings and tapestries. After awhile I ran into a dead end with a very peculiar looking inscription on one side of it. It was so hard to read as I peered at it, that I had to grab a candle to even see what the characters were. Though I still didn't know how to read, I could tell that it was English rather than French, though the characters at the time meant nothing to. (This is what I later would find out it said: Be warned all of ye who came here, for beyond this mirror you will find both wonders and horrors beyond your imagination.) I turned around from the placard and found a very ornately decorated, full-length mirror staring back at me. As I admired the exquisite architecture of it, I noticed something that seemed out of place. Off to one side was a slight gap between the border and the glass. Being very curious (ill-warned about the dangers of this Opera House) I stuck my fingers inside and tried to pry the gap wider, to my surprise the glass moved to the other side with out too much force from me. I stuck my head inside and looked around; I was met by nothing but a very long, very dark, and very imagination-spurring hallway. I pushed the glass all the way over and grabbed the candle I had used earlier; I then took a deep breath and stepped through the threshold into darkness. I decided that I was going to find out where this mysterious tunnel led. I walked farther in with out even closing the glass behind me. (Little did I know that I was sealing my fate.) I walked in farther and farther, but I didn't seem to be getting any closer to the end of the darkness. After a long while, a sensation of fear began to creep over me, but I brushed it aside. (Had I listened to it, I can bet you that I would never have met my now good friend and teacher.) I walked for what seemed hours, but I eventually began to see a slight light at the end of the passage. By now, the hall had started to slowly descend into the pit of the earth. I began to wonder why an already huge Opera House would need underground levels, but I supposed that it did. The light became stronger and I eventually reached the corner where it seemed to be coming from. As I rounded the corner, I ran smack dab into a great black horse. At first, I didn't know who was more startled, me or the horse, but he seemed to recover first because he whickered gently at me. I gulped and carefully walked up to him. He stretched his nose to me and I petted him gently. I didn't know much about horses, but I sure thought they were pretty. After a little bit I walked on, feeling a little bit more secure, but just then another wave of fear swept over me, stronger than the last one. I still shrugged it off, but it seemed to linger in the back of my mind this time. It was then that I reached the end of the hallway, I saw a great river, but I could just make out the end of it. (Please note that the boat was NOT there which as we all know means two things: 1) Phantom's in his lair, or 2) he is not in the Opera House at all, or 3) I guess, he didn't use the boat to get where ever he was going.) My mind was telling to go back as fast as my legs could carry me, but my heart was telling me to see this to the end. As usual, my heart won out and after placing the candle on the edge, I dove into the water without a second thought. I soon found out two things, a) the water was frigid(!) and b) it was not as deep as it looked (ow…). I gasped as I returned to the surface and grabbed the candle now that I knew I could walk through it. My mind sent another urgent warning call of fear through my nerves, this time it was powerful enough to make me stop walking and shiver, or was that from the cold? Either way I kept trudging, shivering worse and worse with each step. Finally I reached the end…which was a very large gate with no lever that I could see. I frowned, I didn't com all this way to end in a dead end. Hoping against hope that I had an idea, I sacrificed my candle and dove under water. Ah, ha! Just as I suspected, the water did indeed get deeper, but the gate didn't quite reach the bottom, there was a gap! I returned to the surface, now a little less bright since my candle had gone out. I took a deep breath and plunged back down. Feeling around for the end of the gate, I held on to it and shoved myself through the other side. I choked gasping for air, I splashed through the surface, I had made it! I crawled up onto the side of the river, panting. For awhile I simply lay there with my eyes closed, shivering uncontrollably. I sniffled and pushed myself up to look around. I gasped. All around me everywhere was undeniable beauty. There were candles and black and red drapes and canvases, dolls, models, and drawings of a very beautiful figure. Off to the side was a striking black swan bed with red sheets. And in the center of it all, covered in papers and red roses with black ribbons and an aurora of light seeming to shine from it, a huge black pipe organ. The keys were like porcelain and ebony, the wood a rich, black, mahogany, the pipes swirling up the brick wall like vines of roses. My mouth dropped open in awe at how any man could make something so divine. I longed to touch it, to hear it played, but at the same time it was the last thing I wanted. I suddenly remembered the last time I heard a pipe organ, it had been for a funeral and sense then I had always associated the thing with fear and death. I now blinked wearily around at the rest of my surroundings. I found long drapes covering something. Once again, my evil curiosity took over and I walked up to the drapes and gently pulled them off of whatever they were hiding. I saw threes full-length mirrors, not unlike the one I had used to get down here. I looked at each in turn. I carefully inspected the first, it appeared to be nearly identical to the other, it gave me a strange eerie feeling, like I was being watched, but when I turned I saw no one, so I passed it off as merely my over-active imagination. I studied the next one, but that eerie feeling persisted. It was once again identical. I finally turned to the third and final mirror, but before I could study it I found someone else in the mirror beside me! I turned and found a very tall, very dark and very ominous man in a white mask looming over me with a hatred so strong I thought it would scald me. I looked into his eyes and found anger, surprise, and was it fear? I didn't have a chance to take a second look because his eyes were the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.

YES! I did it! I finally got Erik here! God, that took more time than it should have, but oh well. So nun-ya, to all y'alls who thought I wouldn't do it. I'll get right on the next chappie just as soon as I post this one so pretty please review! Oh, you guys should probably know that at this time, Christine is 12, I'm 9, oops I mean Deirdre is 9, and Erik is…lets say 18? I don't want to make the age gap too big, but he obviously has to be at least a couple years older than Christine, so yeah I think 18 is a good age. To all who review me, you will be rewarded by another Erik chappie, to those who don't review me, you won't be reading this so curse you and doom on you!