Me: Whoa! It has been a long time since I've updated-
Erik: Yeah, you got that right!
Me: (ignores) -because of school and all that jazz! (does jazz hands)
Erik: (rolls eyes)
Me: Ugh! Anyways, it's a bit annoying because I'm doing my GCSE's so be nice! Hehe...yes, so I'm making up for it by posting 3 chapters in one go. YIPEE!!
Erik: GCSE exams are not until spring!
Me: Well, I've got to work towards them. Duh!
Erik: (embarrassed) I knew that!
Me: Whatever mate.

He halted round the corner to turn round and glance at the room he had just left. He heard her weeping on the floor. He heard everything. The thud of fists hitting the door. The thump of her slumping onto the floor. What she had said...

"I meant n-no harm." She sounded so sincere...he shook his head and let out a grunt in disgust at hearing her words. Well she wished she meant no harm now! Hah! People...all the same. She'll have to learn the hard way. If I could have killed her then and there, it would have been a quick and painless punishment. Well...she'll have to suffer. He laughed harshly and continued back the way he had come. But hang on? I released her! Fool! Damn...I could easily do without this burden...well, it will be satisfying for a little while to have someone to torment! With that he carried on until he came to under the stage once again.

So, she thought that her little scheme would work did she? Try and gain my affection and trust through her playing? He mentally slapped himself for becoming so wrapped up in that girl's playing. But it had been so beautiful. He hadn't had the joy of being entertained in such a long time, and by such an obviously accomplished and promising musician! He had been so enraptured by her music that every week he had impatiently been expecting her return, just to hear her again and see those little fingers dance around the keys. Maybe impatiently was not the word since he respected that her coming and playing was a rare treat for him to behold. He had lived such a lonely life and even more so after the Opera Populaire had been abandoned. Eagerly awaited her return was a better way to put it. But what a fool he was!!! Of course, she must be part of an organisation to lure him into their trap and sell him to some kind of freak show, or earn some sort of fame from his downfall! Using this girl and her music was their way of luring him into their cunning plot. Everyone knows his love and devotion to music. And, whoever these people were, they were going to use his passion against him! How dare they! How dare that girl! Why else would a young girl go venture into an abandoned Opera House, despite the stories and rumours and play?! Just like that? Then she just randomly slips down into one of his secret passageways?

Earlier as he was attempting to silently retreat back into the shadows, he had accidentally stumbled over above her head while she was packing up. He was losing his touch. Usually he was so good at sneaking around. He just never really needed to anymore until then, when she came. He had then just legged it, fearing she would have looked up and seen him. That, followed by a loud thump as he misjudged his step and almost tripped over again in his haste. Hidden in the shadows he turned back and saw her look up with a confused expression on her face. She had shaken her head as if reasoning with herself over something. That had been the first time he had actually seen her whole face. Usually it was always downcast...well, naturally, seeming as he was always watching her from above. Phew. That had shaken him up just a bit. So, he went back down and entered one of his underground tunnels leading down to the cellars. He remembered his last thought...she has a pleasant face. He had been considering that day of maybe approaching her, teach her? The Phantom had immediately put that thought out of his mind, and he was glad that he did too...

Just a few minutes later he heard a CRASH and someone scream at the same time. Curious and slightly worried, he followed the yelping sounds and was surprised to see that girl struggling to get to her feet. But his surprise soon turned to anger as he advanced towards her. She had found the secret trap door on the stage that was hidden just behind the ordinary one. The other one opened up to a corridor exactly parallel to this one which no one knew about. The secret trap door that he had fallen down with Christine, which tricked everyone else into thinking it being the ordinary one that they had disappeared into! The SECRET trap door that lead down to HIS lair, HIS HOME! His anger was fuelled by the pain of his past, his vulnerability, the panic he felt at the thought that he may be discovered!

He couldn't let her go. She would go running to these people that she must be working for. Telling them everything. The secret tunnel! They would for sure come back straight away in excitement and anticipation before he could board it up. Even if he did, they would know for sure that someone was living there still. And assume it to be the Opera Ghost. But to top all of that, after his outburst she had seen him, been confronted by him and need he go on thinking what else she would tell them about how he almost strangled her. Proving that he was a monster. No doubt she would elaborate making it sound as if the devil himself rose from the fiery depths to torment her! Once he had come up to her, he knew that it was too late to be rid of her. Damn! Every path that he could possibly take would turn into a disaster. It was either death where he would be rid of this burden completely or prisoner. He chose the latter and for what? Yes, he wouldn't get found out but he had this girl in HIS Opera House doing nothing! Then the others would get suspicious of where she had disappeared off to. UGH! But this was for the best.

He stumbled across the trap door that now lay splintered on the floor. That was odd? He thought...wouldn't she have slid it out of the way before jumping down? Nah, people can be pretty stupid these days. He sighed realising that he would have to tidy the mess up and make a new door just in case of any more intruders. He lifted himself gracefully up onto the stage to check nothing else was damaged and then his eyes rested on the piano. Her bags...it looked like she was in the middle of packing her things back together...that was odd...but he shunned the thought and proceeded onwards. He needed to get them out of the way otherwise it would look as if she was still here...if people came looking for her...