Hey peoples out there! I'm back and ready for action. :takes out a gun: NOT THAT KIND OF ACTION:puts away: Sorry 'bout that. Anyways, back to business. I saw Sweeney Todd a little while ago. Not the Tim Burton one, though I wish I could, but the original Broadway version. IT WAS AWSOME!

The Truth and The Plan

The New Year's party was only one day away. Sophia was waiting eagerly for the day to come since she heard so many things about it. But the thought that the Phantom might be there had brought a cold fear into her heart. She played her ocarina once more that night to bring her mind to peace. She could feel a warm breeze surround her. As she stopped, she stared out at the sleeping city of Paris.

"If only mother could see me now." She said sadly. "She would be proud of me." She suddenly heard the sound of the violin. "You're here."

"Hello my dear." The eerie voice said.

"I can't believe that tomorrow is the party." She said gleefully.

"I believe, that tomorrow would be a good time to reveal myself to you." He said. She was wondering if she heard him right.

"You are?" She asked.

"Yes." He said. This gave her a sense of joy. At long last she would know who has been her angel since her arrival.

"Where will I find you?" She asked.

"Come find me in the manager's office when the party reaches its climax." He said. "There you will find me." She had no idea what was in store for her, but she knew that she had to know. There was a long silence in the room. But as the sound of the violin disappeared, she knew she was alone.

"I'm finally learning his identity." She said happily. "Why do I feel this way? What is this inside me? Part of me says that He's a good person and I should trust him." A small bell went off in her mind. "Am I in love?" Christine walked into the room holding a box.

"You're still awake?" She asked.

"Yes, I couldn't sleep." Sophia said.

"Well, that's good." She said placing the box on the chair in the corner of the room. "I wanted to bring you a new dress."

"You didn't have to do that." Sophia said modestly. "Say, Christine. You said that the Phantom was pretending to be something when he was your teacher. What was he?" Christine sat down o the bed.

"He was an angel of music." Sophia's heart was torn in two. "He pretended to be an angel sent by my father. He always hid in the shadows. Though before I knew who he was, it was nice to have an angel. But when I figured out what he was, I was filled with a great disappointment." Sophia couldn't understand what she was saying. The Phantom was an angel of music? What if…

"I see." She said sadly. "Well, I'm glad that you don't have to worry about it anymore." She put on a small smile to hide her feelings. "I should go to sleep." Christine got up and turned out the lights.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" She nodded. When Christine left the room, Sophia started to cry.

"I was betrayed again."

The next day, she tried to keep a positive attitude in front of everyone so they wouldn't be worried. But the thought that the Phantom might be HER angel started making her nervous. She had to go to the office during the climax so she could be certain. She sensed a disturbance while she was getting her new outfit ready for the party. She looked out the window and into the deep blue sky.

"A storm?" She looked farther into the sky and saw a giant wall of storm clouds. "I hope it doesn't hit by the time the party starts. I absolutely hate storms." As she watched the sun over head, she prayed that her angel was not the man that had once been Christine's. She felt dearly for this man, though she never met him face to face.

"Mademoiselle?" Andre walked into her room after knocking about five times. "You've been acting strangely of late. Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine." She said. "I'm just anxious for the masque. I hope it all goes well."

"Are you worried for your home?" He asked. Sophia sighed.

"I am a little." She said. "I mean, it's my home, but it's felt so much like a prison. Mother always told me to live my life freely. She wanted me to be like a bird. To fly beyond the clouds and to my own destiny."

"Birds are able to fly past the things that both angels and humans can go. You should be able to be like the birds and live life your own way."

They both just stood in silence for a few moments until Firmin walked in with a distraught look on his face.

"This is terrible!" He said. "We were supposed to have flowers delivered, but it's been hours. They have not arrived." A smile shot onto her face.

"I can make flowers!" She said.

"How can you do that my dear?" Andre asked.

"Did you forget?" She asked. "I'm an angel." She grabbed her ocarina. "Just tell me where to go."

"Follow me." Firmin started leading her down the hall when she stopped for a moment. She placed one hand on her shoulder. "Is something wrong?" She shook her head.

"I'm fine." She said. "Just a little back pain." She shook it off and they continued walking. When they reached the lobby, they found everyone preparing for the masque that was to come tonight.

"Princess!" Marco ran up to her. "Princess! Something happened to me last night." She looked at him strangely, until she saw what was on his back. "My wings grew in ast night. I fear that yours might come in as well." This was definately a shock to her. She put on ehand on her shoulder and felt a sharp pain. "It's happening to you. Isn't it?" She looked on her back but saw nothing.

"I don't think so." She said. There's nothing there." He sighed.

"That's good to hear."

"I'm just here to take care of the flowers." She explained. She took her orarina and started playing. Flowers started growing all around her. "Pick the ones you like."

"How in the world...?" Everyone was dumb-struck at the sight of all the flowers.

"Spring angels can produce flowers with their music if they choose." She said. "Now, just pick the ones you want." There were so many kinds of flowers all around her that it ws hard to choose right away. Sophia however picked some cherry blossoms. "These are some of my favorites." She placed tem in her hair.

"Princess! You look so beautiful!" Marco started squeezing her so hard she could barely breath.

"Let go! That hurts!" She pushed him away. "Don't do that!" She went back to her room. Looking at the cherry blossoms in her hair, it reminded her so much of home. How she would always sneak out of the palace and go to the flower shop. A tear fell down her face. "How could I have just left?" She said. As the sun slowly set over the horizon, she remembered something from her childhood.

"Darling, you remember when I told you of the angels of music?" Her mother said softly.

"Of course mama. I'll never forget the angels of music." She said happily.

"I hope that you find one someday." She said. "They are wonderful."

"Have you met one before?" Sophia asked.

"Of course." She said stroking her daughter's hair. "He was a wonderful person."

"It was a man?"

"That's right." She said. "It was a little after you were born. He looked just like a normal human."

"You went to Earth?" Her bright smile making her eyes sparkle.

"Yes. I even remember his name." She started to whisper. "His name was..."

That was all she remembered. If only she knew his name. She looked at the dress hanging on the door to her dresser. Her heart started pounding against her chest as if it were trying to escape. She layed down on her bed and shut her eyes.

As she shut her eyes after listening to her mother's lullaby, she could hear a strange sound. She searched her mind for the source of the sound, but to no prevail. The music filled her mind. She felt words come to her heart as she listened.

"It's as if I've heard this song before, yet I know this is the first time I've ever listened."

When she opened her eyes, it was already night time. She could hear music play a liitle ways off and realized that the masquerade must be going on.

"I can't believe I slept for so long!" She grabbed her dress and started getting changed. She brushed out her hair and put it into a braided bun. She ran out the door and went to the party. She was reliever that it hadn't reached the climax just yet.

"Sophia." She turned around and Christine and Raoul were behind her. "We were about to go wake you up."

"I can't believe I slept for so long." She said. "I guess I was really tired."

"We're almost at the climax." Raoul said. "Why don't you join us?"

"No thank you." She said. She suddenly saw a memory flash in her eyes. It was quick, but she saw it clearly. It was a masque ball for her tenth birthday. She felt another sharp pain in her back.

"Are you alright?" Christine asked. "You're not looking good."

"I'm fine." She said. "Please excuse me." She ran past them and towards the manager's office. "It has to be here somewhere." She opened every door on the way but couldn't tell if it was the right door or not. But after opening over ten or twenty doors, she found it. "Finally." She slowly walked in. The door automaticly shut behind her and locked itself.

"Good evening mademoiselle." Said a voice from the shadows.

"Is it you?" She asked. She started shaking.

"Yes. I believe you had a little trouble finding the room?" She saw the figure in the darkness. "I believe you wish to know who I am."

"Wait!" She looked at his face trying to find his eyes. It was hard since it was shrouded by the darkness. "Before you reveal yourself, are you... the Phantom?" A crash of lightning was heard outside. as the lightning illuminated the room for only a second, she was able to see his face. one half being covered with a white mask.

"Good guess mademoiselle." He said. He started walking towards her. She started backing away. "You can't get away from me." He whispered. She reached the wall and could move no farther. "You say you're an angel. I do not believe such things." His eyes were burning with rage. "You can fool everyone here, but I am not like them."

"You're right." She said timidly. "But you're still human." Another bolt of lightning came down from the sky. She had another glimps of his masked face. He grabbed her by the throat.

"I was going to use you to bring Christine back to me, but it seem's you're not as useful as I thought." He drew his sword and held it to her neck. She felt another pain in her back and she screamed. He dropped her and she felt herself burning up.

"No, not now." She could feel her wings start to break through the skin.

"What is this?"

"My wings..." She said. "...They're growing." The Phantom could do nothing but watch as this young girl suffered. suddenly, a pair of wings sprange out from her back. Sophia let out a loud scream. there were loud knocks on the door. When the door opened, he was gone. A large group of people found Sophia on the floor unconscious. Her wings covered with blood.

"Is she alright?" Meg asked.

"She'll be fine." Marco said. "We need to get her to bed and to clean off her wings." He lifted her up. "Come." When they reached her room, Marco placed her, belly-down, on the bed. Someone came in with a bucket of water and a brush. Sophia started coming too.

"Wh-what happened?'' She looked at her back and saw her charcoal-gray wings. "Why'd they...?"

"I'm not too sure why our wings grew back." Marco said. "But either way, we are back in our angel forms." He took the brush and started cleaning off her wings. "They're still the same charcoal-gray. It's a beautiful color."

"I saw him." She said. Everyone looked at the expression on her face. "The Phantom. I saw him." A cold fear decended on everyone's hearts. Madame Giry however, left as she said this to find Erik. "He said, he was gonna use me to get Christine back."

"So he's up to no good again." Firmin said. "I thought we would be rid of him after a year ago."

"As did I." Raoul said. "This is terrible. He's trying to control Sophia now."

"But how would I know if he was trying to control me?" She asked.

"He'll try to put you under some sort of trance." Christine said. "He has some way of controling you that way."

"I'll be more careful next time." She said. After the last stains of blood were wiped from her feathers, her wings shook themselves dry. "It feels good to have my wings back."

Erik sat at his organ and just stared at a piece of blank staff paper. He was trying to write a new opera, since his previous score was destroyed in the fire one year ago, but he just couldn't get his mind on the music. He just kept his thoughts on Sophia. As he watched that girl screaming pain as her wings came forth. She really was an angel after all.

"So she was telling the truth."

"What did you do?" He turned around and saw Madame Giry stanging behind the gate that blocked her off from entering his lair. "It has come to my attention that you paid Miss Sophia a visit."

"Yes I did." He said. "Many times actually."

"Why would you want to harm a innocent child like her?" She asked.

"She will fit perfectly into my plan." He explained. "I will have Christine back. That girl is the key."

"Erik, leave Sophia out of your plan." She said in her usual stern voice. "That girl isn't someone to trick." She turned away and started back to the surface. Erik hit the keys on his organ in fury.

"Why would I want to care about such a person?" He said. "She wouldn't even be able to accept me." But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He sat down in a chair next to a velvet curtain and just started thinking. "Just what is she?"

The next morning, the pain from her wings went away. She looked at her back in the mirror and fluttered her wings a little. She carefully put on a plain white dress, but it coveed up her wings. She needed to cut out two holes in the back. There was a knock at her door and Marco came in.

"Good morning Princess!" He said in his usually cheerful mood. He looked at her trying to get her wings through the dress. "Allow me." He took a knife and cut out two holes and slipped her wings through.

"That's better." She said with relief.

"I have news from your father." She jerked around. "He says that this war might last for a long time. He's not sue when it will end. He's hoping that it would be soon. After this war is over, we will be married." She looked off to the side.

"I don't want to get married to you." She said crossing her arms. "I want to marry someone I love."

"Love does not exist Princess." He said. "You just keep wallowing in your mother's words." She was about ready to knock his lights out.

"I believe in love Marco." She said. "It does exist. Christine and Raoul found it. Why can't I?"

"They're humans." He said. "We don't love."

"Who's this we?" She said. "I don't care if love can't exist in our world. I know I will find it!" She slammd her fist against her vanity and smashed the mirror. Marco smirked.

"Believe what you want, but by the time the war is over, you belong to me." He gave her a smug look and she slapped him across the face.

"I belong to no one!" She stormed out of the room and slammed the door. As she walked down the hallway, she could hear the violin. She felt strange, but she knew she couldn't listen to it. She covered her ears and started running.

"You can't resist." She stopped running. She was frozen in place. "Come to me." She felt her legs begin to lead her in the opposite direction. A door opened up beside her and Erik reached out and took her hand. As their hands met, she snapped from her trance.

"Let me go!" She screamed. He quickly knocked her out and began to carry her down to the darkness.

OK, I know I said I would place a song in here but, it didn't happen. I promise it will happen in the next chapter. This I promise you. Seriously. But for now, I have to stop. Thank you for your support. Please R&R. Don't flame. Byebye!