I THOUGH OF SOMETHING! AHHHH! Get ready for the cliffhanger! I also thought of a way to end the chapter, with a letter reflection an event in the chapter. This chapter is a bit of a mess bcuz of a load of projects (5) due this week. Also, I'm giving ye 7 people reading this another week to answer the question. Cuz one person answered. '-'

I was pleased with Vienne's high vocal range. The acoustics down here weren't as good as the house above, making her voice better than I just heard. Getting back to business, I helped her out of the boat and tried to calm her obvious confusion.

"Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination. Silently the senses abandon their defenses."

"Close your eyes, for your eyes will only tell the truth. And the truth isn't what you want to see. In the dark it is easy to pretend that the truth isn't what it ought to be." My plan for Christine was to show her my mannequin of her. Vienne couldn't see this mannequin, but instead I drew a picture of her hand with an engagement ring on it. I didn't know what her hand looked like as she hadn't taken that part of her costume off yet, so I added the two freckles that she had on her wrist, visible in the theatre lighting. The ring in the drawing was on top in an open box. I thought to myself, why am I progressing so quickly? She seemed familiar. I laughed a bit. She wasn't like that other girl. Not Christine, another.

"The power of the music I write. The power of the music of the night."

POV Change

I was stunned. I mean, no one had ever asked me out, let alone take me to his underground- wait this wasn't normal. I had been thinking of this as something done in Paris as a romantic gesture. While thinking about what one does in this situation, the Phantom, let's call him, I don't know, Erik, was leaning over extending his hand. Taking it, I stood up and got out of the boat.

"Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs, and wakes imagination. Silently the senses abandon their defenses," he sung gently. He slowly pulled me up along the walkway adorned with candles. They were everywhere. Pieces of paper carpeted the floor. As we walked through the underground hideout he gestured to sheet music, a piano, and other instruments, continuing,

"Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor. Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender. Hearing is believing, music is deceiving. Hard as lightning, soft as candlelight."

As the pre-arranged song continued, Erik brought me through the scattered papers and finally, to a desk. As the one thing not littered with paper I could see, surprisingly, more paper. But not messy. It was in a stack with one of them off to the side. That piece was drawn on. It was a hand extended to show an engagement ring, which also existed on top of the desk. I turned to ask him who it was, but a small detail stopped me. The two freckles that I had on my wrist. As the realization hit me I felt my knees cave in. Expecting this, Erik caught me and carried me to a nearby bed. As I slowly drifted off I could hear him finish the song.

"You alone can make my song take flight. Help me make the music of the night."

POV Change

She stayed out for the rest of the night and through the early morning. With nothing else to do, I continued on the opera I had been writing. The story of a Lord falling for a local poor girl, and tricking her into his company. I wanted it to be ambitious so I spent the night slamming the keys. It continued for hours until I heard rustling in the back of the cave. I looked back and saw Vienne sitting up and rubbing her head. Turning around, I pretended to still be occupied. She recollected the night slowly, and when she mentioned me I reflexively looked at her, now standing.

"Who was that shape in the shadows? Whose is the face in the mask?" She came up to me, caressing my face. I cherished the gentle moment until I felt a familiar weight disappear. Opening my eyes I saw her with my mask about to look back onto my fully exposed face. She seemed as though she was about to smile. I pushed her back in anger and yelled, "Damn you! You little prying Pandora! You little demon! Is this what you wanted to see?" She opened her mouth to respond, but I knocked over a candle, giving her something else to run from. She scurried to the side, looking back up with wide eyes.

"Curse you! You little lying Dahlia! You little viper! Now you cannot ever be free! Damn you! Curse you!"

I knocked over a few more candles before collapsing onto the small staircase.

"Stranger than you dreamt it, can you even bear to look, or dare to think of me. This lonesome gargoyle who burns in hell, but secretly yearns for heaven, secretly. But Vienne, fear can turn to love! You'll learn to see to find the man behind the monster, this repulsive carcass who seems a beast but secretly dreams of beauty, secretly, secretly. Oh Vienne." Feeling awful for what just happened I turned around and buried my face into my hands. Silent sobbing, I felt a slight poke on my back. I looked to the side and saw Vienne smiling with my mask in her hands. She offered it to me gently, so I grabbed it and put it back where it belonged. Christine wouldn't have been so calm. I helped Vienne up and walked back to the boat.

"Come we must return, those two fools who run my theatre will be missing you."

POV Change

I woke with a small headache. I rubbed my head and tried to collect myself. I remembered there was mist, swirling mist upon a glassy lake. There were candles all around and on the lake there was a boat. And in the boat there was, a man. As I thought aloud I looked to Erik. He was by his piano, scribbling on sheet music. I walked over the staircase to the piano, careful not to trip on the rocky floor. I caressed his face to hush any alarm, and then I pulled off his mask. Erik knew something was wrong immediately, and shoved me to the ground. I had only caught a short glimpse of his face, but I saw a dull pink area poking out of his hair line. That settled it, he had a wig. I smiled a bit at the fact the only guy here with a good sense of style had a wig. I snapped back to reality as he started to swear at me. I backed up a bit, terrified. Erik knocked over candle after candle. He looked remorseful as he buried his face in his hands. Putting on an apologetic smile I prodded his back with his mask. He looked over with the good side of his face and grabbed the mask. All he said was that it was time to leave. At least he never noticed that I took the ring.

POV Change

As everyone parted their separate ways the opera house began its daily routine. The cleaning staff would arrive early to polish the ornaments and the stage floor. Next the managers came to start the business due yesterday. The orchestra and performers followed soon after, missing Vienne. As the arguments of who sent what continued they were oblivious to the fact that the Phantom stood nearby, laughing at their petty disagreement.

Erik normally was there to catch up on the progress of his opera house. He often daydreamed about Christine, but today was all Vienne. The only thing to stop him from his fantasy was the Paris Guard entering.

"Miss Daae has been returned. She was found lost in an urban area of Southern France. Her caretaker will be watching over her for the next week."

No one could be more excited, yet no one could be more indifferent than Erik. Vienne, he had chosen Vienne. For all he cared the Vicomte could have Christine. But she was the original. Erik finally decided to choose himself for once.

Besides, no one could ever replace the first girl he loved. As a boy he met someone and saw her year after year. It was very confusing, but was always the highlight of his year. When the visits stopped I was quite depressed that she was gone, and nobody could replace Marinella.

Letters of Memory 1~ Vienne on 'Stranger than You Dreamt It'

—

As curiosity took over I decided to show myself what I had previously feared. From personal experience I knew how it felt to live with a deformity, and I had felt alone in the world. Except in 5th grade, where a boy a year older started to come out to see me every year. He had a birth deformity that I never saw. Erik's mask reminded me of his. It is also why I called him Erik, which was the name of the boy. They were so similar yet so different. Anyways, I had never seen his deformity, so I was interested to see one besides my own. In the small moments when he wasn't swearing at me I tried to explain, but apparently he didn't notice. One day he will, I know.

IVE DONE SOMETHING. IM SORRY. Does anyone else think that everybody's last word or phrase reflect their character?

Erik-The Music of the Night

Christine- Each morning

Raoul- Me (lol)