Chapter 2

That is exactly what Meg thought, she took one look at the perfectly still Christine and then looked upon Erik as not just a ghost, but also a murderer. A scream issued from Meg's mouth and she instantly turned to bolt back up the tunnel she had come from. Erik had just discovered Christine asleep on his own bed when Meg had appeared, he had barely even noticed her when she had ran away shouting and screaming so much you would think Erik had harmed her. He immediately pursued her, she had obviously discovered a passage into his house and he couldn't have her running back and telling everyone. He swept through the tunnel, groping in the darkness for the girl whose cries he could still here echoing through the walls, he gave a lunge forward and his hand grasped a skinny shoulder. Erik then clapped a hand over the girl's mouth and commanded her to be quiet or she "may end up getting hurt". He turned and began to pull her back towards his house. She gave muffled cries and kicked out furiously. Her light feet did not hinder Erik as he reached his room again. Erik was especially keen that she would not wake Christine, as he could not imagine her being thrilled that he was dragging her best friend kicking and screaming through his lair.

Meg was panicking, now she laid eyes on Christine again…she wondered if whatever happened to Christine was going to happen to her. So she took a great risk and opened her mouth again, but instead of screaming she bit down on the hand that covered it. Hard. A cry of pain seeped between Erik's teeth and he could not help but wrench his hand away from Meg's mouth, he held his injured hand with his other and released Meg completely. Meg cried out Christine's name and rushed to the bedside. Erik caught her by the wrist swiftly and hissed at her.

"Quiet, you little rat! Do you want to wake her?" He began to pull her through another door away from his room.

"Wake her?" Meg asked, she hadn't been aware that Christine could have been woken…

"Yes, wake her. She is sleeping you know, on her own…she has not fainted away and I haven't drugged her, or perhaps you presumed I had put her asleep altogether?" He ruthlessly questioned Meg, dragging her through more hallways in his house. Deep in thought, Meg had not spared a thought to where she was being dragged by the phantom and was quite shocked to find herself pushed roughly into a room…followed only by a locked door.

- - - -

An hour or so later, Christine found herself sitting back at the vanity table of her dressing room. Erik has returned her himself, saying that she was missed and he had things he had to take care of. She had chosen not to question him. Christine's head jerked to towards her locked door as a sharp knock woke her from a daydream. A key clicked in the lock and Madame Giry entered.

"Oh Christine dear, I wasn't expecting to find you. People have been looking for you all night…you would think they would have the sense to search your room!" She said with an air of surprise, but her voice also stung with worry. "Have you seen Meg at all? She came through here looking for you and I haven't seen hide nor hair of her since. She even missed rehearsals this morning! She hasn't missed a rehearsal since she was five years old." Madame Giry's confident and harsh attitude was gone, and Christine was shocked to see her eyes glazing over with worried tears. Christine cast her thoughts back to the dreams that had haunted her sleep the night she had fallen asleep on Erik's bed, she remembered hearing vivid screams and the voice of her best friend calling her name desperately. She couldn't possibly tell Madame Giry. She would think of her as a fool and a mad woman!

"Does Meg ever go in the cellars?" Christine spoke this line, hearing how ridiculous the words sounded as they left her mouth. Madame Giry looked up in curiosity, but there was also a knowing glint.

"Of course! She must have followed you and Erik down the passage." Madame Giry rose from her kneeling position and began to pace the room. "She must have come up behind Erik. Oh I do hope she was careful." Christine shot to her feet, her eyes wild with surprise. She stuttered over her words with amazement.

"What? How…Erik…you…Erik?" She muttered his name over and over until held know meaning, Madame Giry placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back into her seat. Madame Giry then slowly told Christine that she was an old friend of Erik's and that Meg had probably sneaked up on Erik whilst he was working.

"What has he done with her?" Christine questioned, various scenarios running through her head that involved Meg being knocked to the floor, being sprung apon by a raging Erik, she tried to push them from her mind.

"I can't say, I can't imagine he's hurt her, he knows better than to hurt an innocent girl….especially the daughter of his oldest friend! Well…second oldest." She rambled on, plotting a scheme to find Meg. She thought of writing, but he obviously had kept Meg for a reason, she thought of going down there herself, but it was too dangerous. Eventually her mind rested on the answer, the girl who sat, pale and shaken, before her. She told Christine of her plan, Christine was to call to Erik that night saying that she was upset and needed a place to escape from it all, she would spend the night at the lair and once Erik fell asleep, she could find Meg and help her get back to the opera house.

"Now get some sleep, I daresay you won't be getting much tonight." And with that, Madame Giry walked stiffly out of the room, having restored calm in her own mind, leaving Christine to her thoughts. She barely even considered sleeping, instead she made arrangements to spend time with Raoul and also explain to him the reason for her disappearance the night before, and the reason she would disappear that night.