Woohoo, third chapter! Shoutouts to Fireballmaddie, Brackenfern, and yasdnilgoth. Now, onward!

Chapter 3

"Dear Mandy,

I shall meet with you on one condition: you sing for me when we do meet. Go to Box 5 at midnight tonight and I shall be there.

-O.G."

Sing for him…Box 5…midnight? Every Phangirl's dream! Then I saw a P.S at the bottom.

"P.S. Also, wear the dress you arrived in…"

I shrugged, thinking nothing of it. Small price to pay when you're actually going to meet the freaking Phantom of the Opera!

It seemed like forever for midnight to roll around. Christine came by my room again to take me to dinner, where we ate – yet again – soup and rolls. Does the menu in this place ever change?

After dinner, the members of the cast were instructed to go to their rooms. Meg accompanied me to my room with promises of showing me around the next day. "I know you must hate not knowing where you're going, so I will make you a map so you can follow it as we go along."

I smiled at her kindness. "Thank you. Lord knows that I need a map in such a place as this. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight." She said as she made her way towards her room.

As she went down the hall, I shut my door and sprawled out on my bed. How much longer until midnight? It felt like forever!

Finally, it was fifteen minutes until midnight. I jumped up out of bed and got dressed in the dress that I arrived in. That got me to thinking: why on Earth would he want me to wear this?

Shrugging it off, I made my way to Box 5… to the best of my abilities. I got lost a couple times along the way, but I finally made it at exactly midnight. Looking around the box, I couldn't see anyone. "Hello?" I called out tentatively.

A rush of cold air suddenly came through the box, then the wall opened up to reveal a secret passageway and a note. I took the note and opened it, fearing the worst.

"Mandy,

Forgive the sudden change of plans, but I feel it would be safer for us to meet down below. Do not worry, I have no ulterior motive except to hear you sing without interruption or fear of interruption, as well as to talk with you. If you would please step into this lift, it will take you to where I will meet you.

Your friend,

O.G."

Well, this isn't creepy at all… I thought to myself, but nevertheless got in. As soon as all of me was inside, the door shut, immersing me in complete darkness. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have my phone right now…

After what seemed like an hour, the lift finally stilled and the door opened. I stepped out, taking a look around. The room I was in was scarcely lit, but lit sufficiently so that I could see exactly where I was.

I was in Erik's living room.

I marveled at the beauty the room held. Mahogany furniture, Persian rugs on the floor, paintings on the walls. It was absolutely stunning.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a voice said behind me, effectively startling me and making me jump. I turned to find a handsome man in a suit and a stark white mask. It was indeed Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, in flesh and blood. It took all I had not to swoon.

I then realized he was waiting for an answer. Clearing my throat, I said, "Yes, it is."

He started walking towards me, eyeing me carefully, as if trying to measure if I were going to run from him. As if…

"I'm curious about you. How is it that someone like you ended up being found on the steps of the Opera Populaire in a wedding dress? Don't tell me you're a runaway bride…"

I blushed. "Certainly not. To be honest, I have no idea how I ended up here. One minute I was doing…something, and then the next, Madame Giry found me."

He looked at me curiously. "What was this thing that you were doing?"

I laughed. "Like you would ever believe me if I told you the truth."

"Try me." He said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I was taking my final bows of the night after performing a musical about you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

I took a deep breath then started my explanation. "Okay, so I'm from the year 2014, and I'm from America. At my school, we were performing a musical named The Phantom of the Opera, and I played Christine. That explains the dress because the last scene is where Christine wears it."

A suspicious look passed over his face. "And how did you supposedly come here from the future?"

"That's the thing, I have no clue. Like I said, I was taking my final bows after the show, then I blacked out and woke up here."

We were both silent for a moment. He seemed to be trying to take in what I was revealing to him. I mean, heck, I wouldn't believe it myself either if this was happening in my time. He would either think me mad or believe me. I was hoping for the latter, but knew that the former was the most logical choice he would make.

Finally, he spoke up. "Well, I'm not sure if I believe you, but I'll play along for now."

"Do you want me to prove it? Because I'm sure I can."

He gestured to me. "By all means."

I nodded. "Alright, so in the future, there are many variations of your story, the oldest one being the book Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. That was then turned into a movie in 1925-"

He interrupted me. "What is a movie?"

"Hold on, ghostie, I'm getting there. There are many other variations of Leroux's story, some of the most popular being Phantom by Susan Kay and the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. And before you ask, a musical is basically an opera, only with more talking."

His face grew red at my nickname of ghostie for him. "Alright, so that answers one of my questions. My other question still stands, though."

"Okay, fine. A movie is basically a lot of pictures moving in rapid succession with sound added."

He nodded. "Alright, I think that answer is acceptable. So you really don't know how you came here?"

I shook my head. "Not a clue."

"Come with me. I may have the answers you seek. It's not a guarantee, but the search may deem fruitful."