Although it may seem like this took a while to update, I wrote this chapter so fast! Sometimes I just have to be in the 'writing mood', you know? Well, I was in that mood a lot! I really hope you all enjoy this chapter, and hopefully I can get another one up sooner rather than later!

Point of View

Amelia curled up into a ball in her bed. It was probably about two in the morning now. She'd run straight to the dormitory from the practice room. When other girls started turning in for bed, Amelia had managed to stop sobbing and just thought. The situation replayed itself in her mind yet again…

She and Erik had kissed. It was a very light and soft kiss. But a knock at the door had interrupted them. Amelia left to get her violin. She walked through the corridors to her dormitory and retrieved it. On her way back, she passed the mailroom. Lucas was standing casually next to the front desk. He looked like he had been waiting for her. She thought nothing of it and smiled as she passed.

But being Lucas, he had to stop her and talk. They talked about random things and happenings in the Opera House. Amelia knew that she was being a bit rude while speaking to him and cutting his words short. But she yearned to get back to Erik in the practice room…

"Did you hear about the party being held for Monsieur François?"

This caught Amelia off guard. "What?"

Lucas suddenly became excited in knowing some gossip she didn't. "Yes, apparently his birthday is coming up and the whole Opera is throwing him a party."

"When is it?" she asked.

"Some time in the next few weeks," Lucas replied, slowing down. "Amelia, I was wondering if you would accompany me to the party?"

She hesitated. If anything, she would go to the party with Erik; if he wanted to go, that is. But she didn't want to be rude to Lucas. She knew that he really liked her. Is false hope better than crushing the hope?

"I'll think about it," she replied quickly. "But I have to go now. I'll talk to you later." Amelia felt horrible for doing this to him.

She nearly jogged down the corridor after realizing how much Lucas had hindered her. As she neared the practice room, Amelia thought she heard the piano. Perhaps Erik was going over the solo again. The music had died down by the time she reached the door. But what confused her was the fact that the door was open. She looked inside to see Erik and Giselle kissing. Their kisses were much more passionate than the one she and Erik had shared. She cried out and ran back in the direction of her dormitory, tears streaming down her face.

Amelia sighed softly. She'd been very quiet while the other girls slept, but she hadn't even felt tired. She felt miserable. There had to be a reason why Erik kissed Giselle. Her heart twisted painfully. The reason was what she was afraid of. Had Erik accepted Giselle's invitation without Amelia knowing? None of this made sense. Amelia saw Erik reject her invitation. And he had clearly chosen Amelia over Giselle… hadn't he?

All of the options and choices were giving her a headache. Amelia finally decided to close her eyes and try to get some sleep. She wondered if she should pretend to be sick the next morning. Avoiding the situation wouldn't make it go away, she knew that. But she also knew she didn't want to see Erik and Giselle eating breakfast together. Plus, her eyes had to be incredibly swollen. Perhaps she could use that in her sick act…

The next morning, Amelia's plan to pretend to be sick really wasn't all that hard. She felt horrible. Not only was she emotionally drained, her entire body felt fatigued. Caitlin came to her dormitory to walk with her to breakfast. Amelia kept her face away from her friend and told her she didn't feel well. Caitlin patted her on the back and went to breakfast alone.

Amelia wondered if she should bother taking lessons from Erik anymore. It would be awkward, especially for her. She suddenly felt depressed. What about their opera? They probably wouldn't continue that either. She knew that she didn't want to see him for a while, at least not until she was prepared. A sob escaped her lips. She would never be prepared. Why did he do this to her? She thought he might have liked her. And it went without saying that she liked him.

Amelia refused to cry again. She knew she already looked horrible. Perhaps more sleep would be good. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes, hoping a dreamless sleep would follow.

Erik woke up, still groggy. He had barely gotten any sleep the night before and he felt horrible. He glanced at the clock on the side table. Eight o'clock in the morning. He always seemed to wake up at this hour regardless of how much sleep he'd gotten. Leaving his mask on the side table, he went over to the small mirror. Erik stared at himself. Had his deformity even crossed Amelia's mind when they kissed? It seemed like she had completely forgotten about it. But it would have come up eventually. He knew that her curiosity couldn't be smothered forever.

Erik returned to his bed and sat on the edge. He held his mask in his hands, staring at it. The mask glowed eerily in the dim light his grotto had. Erik squinted slightly as he looked at its contours. It was strange; the mask had the same contours as the left side of his face. He'd never actually looked at the mask before, he only wore it.

He sighed and returned the mask to its rightful position: his face. What was he going to do? Amelia must have been the one who saw them and made that heart wrenching noise. That sound kept echoing in his mind. He looked down, as if ashamed. What had he done? How could this have happened? This was all Giselle's fault… Erik's hands tightened into fists. They had gotten so far! He and Amelia had shared their first kiss! Well, it was their first for her, at least. But Giselle had to ruin all of that. Erik completely despised her at that moment.

Erik's mind rewound back to the incident, remembering what happened after the kiss.

He looked over at the door after hearing the cry. And then his eyes returned to the woman he was kissing. It was not Amelia. He practically felt the bile rise in his throat when he realized it was Giselle. Erik's body jerked back and he pushed her away as well. She was panting ever so lightly from their passionate kissing. Her painted lips were smudged and swollen. They held a satisfied smirk. This made Erik sick.

He wiped his bottom lip with his index finger. Her lipstick had stained his lips as well. Erik looked up at her with hatred. "What have you done?" he whispered angrily. Although it was a rhetorical question, Giselle opened her mouth to answer. Erik stood up abruptly and glared at her. She closed her mouth. His jaw clenched. Then he turned and walked swiftly out of the open door.

Erik made his way through numerous corridors. Was it just him, or were more people staring at him than usual? His shoulders hunched, trying to make himself smaller. Erik turned a corner and found a group of young aspiring ballerinas. Each young girl's eyes widened and gawked at him. He felt his heart begin to pound. Why was he afraid of these girls? What could they do to him? Erik shoved past the group and headed for the stairs to his home.

As each step descended him further underground, Erik wondered why all of the stares had bothered him so much. He had received much worse than stares before. Was he afraid that now Amelia wasn't going to protect him it was going to go back to the way it was before? Erik shook his head. Even if Amelia wouldn't protect him, Marie would. And why would he need to be defended anyways?

He could not get captured again; he was in a safe environment. Wasn't he? No, that was ridiculous. Of course he was. The entire time he lived here, he had never felt threatened by such fears. He'd lived at the Opera for… how long had it been? About two years. Erik sighed. Had it really been that long? He'd been with Amelia for only half of it, and through the rest he was trying to win her back. Now he was sure he had lost her.

At last Erik reached the end of his descent, and to his surprise, he wasn't even out of breath. Perhaps he was finally getting used to all of those stairs. But that wasn't the end of his journey. Erik walked a bit more through the murky caves. He knew the labyrinth so well it almost felt like he could see in the dark. A dim light met him at the water's edge. He kept a gas lamp on the cave wall so he could see the gondola. Erik stepped into the boat, making it wobble slightly. He used the tall pole to push the vessel along. When he reached his home, Erik jumped from the gondola. Surprised again, he realized that he wasn't tired from pulling more than his weight across quite a few meters of water.

The surprise of his athleticism wore off and depression set in. He never would have thought that the day he kissed Amelia again would end like this. Erik sat down on the hard cave floor. He removed his mask and tossed it away from him. Its clatter echoed in the grotto, making Erik realize how lonesome he was.

After tinkering with his piano fruitlessly, he went to bed. He tossed and turned for hours on his old mattress. Erik's internal clock woke him up after only four hours of sleep. Curse his mind for being so methodical.

Erik yawned. He was still tired, but knew that he would never be able to fall asleep again. He wasn't really one for naps, especially after just waking up. But what was he to do? He knew that he couldn't face Amelia after that incident. Besides, he wasn't hungry, and he knew for a fact that Amelia wouldn't be at breakfast either. That was just the way she worked: avoiding the whole situation. Erik's lips curled ever so slightly. He liked that he still knew how she functioned.

He took the candle on the side table and used it to light various others on the candelabras. Erik turned up a few gas lamps as well. He stood at the water's edge and looked at his home. After a few moments, he realized that he was doing the exact same thing Amelia had once done. The memory was vivid in his mind. It was the day he had accidentally bumped a lever and made a backdrop fall on the stage during rehearsal. It was the day that he had walked into their home and saw Amelia standing just as he was now. He knew that she had been thinking about the grotto's lack of hominess. And she was right.

But now that he had lived there for another year, he'd grown to like it. Of course, it had attained more furniture than the last time Amelia saw it. Erik had been able to go to the market a few times within the last year. Marie helped him buy the side table and a few candelabras. Coming across the piano, however, was much luckier. Charles had pulled a few strings for him to attain it. The Opera had some old pianos that were going to be thrown out. The music department had received new ones from the patron, so the older ones were of no use. He smiled at the memory of him and Peter hauling the piano down the thousands of flights of stairs.

The gondola was a different story. Erik had actually stolen it. One night he went out to the Seine River and found a drunken gondolier. The man tried to talk to him, but his speech was too slurred. He soon passed out with a bottle in his hand. Erik seized the moment and pushed boat to a door in the back of the Opera. Surprisingly no one ever used that entry, and Erik started to use it more often. He had made a trap door inside of the entrance to get to the catacombs more easily.

So, now he had his old piano, his small round mattress covered in a mess of black sheets, and the bulky cushioned chair. The side table housed the little clock, a few candles, and of course the velvet box. There were a few books full of blank staffs and others with completely blank pages inside the drawer. Pages of both were scattered all around his home: across the piano, on the floor, on the side table. Writing utensils were also strewn along the piano and in the table's drawers.

Erik knew that these distractions couldn't last much longer. Reliving old memories and memorizing the contents of his home wouldn't protect him from the horrible truth. But he didn't want to face any of it yet. So, he picked up the book with the blank pages in it and a thin charcoal pencil. He drew Amelia.

Lucas ate in silence. He sat with his father, other postmen, and a few younger stagehands. This was his usual group for eating in the Opera Populaire's dining hall. The first thing he noticed upon entering the commons was that Amelia was absent. His eyes squinted at his bland breakfast. He was so pitiable for an eighteen-year-old, pining over a sixteen-year-old girl who didn't want to be with him.

After eating some more, Lucas realized a second thing. Erik Destler was not there, either. His stomach twisted nervously. He swallowed another mouthful of oatmeal and glanced around the dining hall again. Giselle Leandros, however, was present and seated at her usual table. Perhaps he should speak with her about… No. She requested that he not talk to her in public. He wasn't completely sure about the reason, but he didn't really care. Lucas sighed. Perhaps he could catch her on her way out.

He observed Giselle, waiting for her to get up. Once she did, Lucas stood as well. His father looked up at him quizzically.

"What are you doing, Lucas?" he asked.

"I'm going to go back to the post room. I'm kind of tired." Lucas was a horrible liar, but part of that was the truth. He hadn't slept much the previous night.

He followed Giselle and her friend down a few corridors. The two young women parted ways, and Lucas lurched forward.

"Giselle!" he half whispered, half yelled.

The Greek goddess stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around. Her arms crossed as she said, "What do you want, mail boy?"

Lucas felt his jaw clench. He was no boy. But this was no time to get quick-tempered. He let out a breath and walked closer to her.

"What happened yesterday?" he asked, tone suddenly soft.

Giselle slowly turned around to face him. Her piercingly green eyes looked him over. Then a smirk appeared on her lips.

"A kiss," she replied simply.

Giselle turned on her heel and continued walking. Lucas stood in the same spot, dumbfounded. Who had kissed whom? He knew Giselle had taken some part in this, but he had no idea what 'this' even was. So, he thought back to the entire scene from yesterday, trying to remember what had happened…

Amelia and Erik were walking toward the mailroom, arm in arm. Lucas felt the jealousy in the pit of his stomach. He took a few breaths and waited for them to near. But the couple stopped walking and stared at each other. The look was same in both of their eyes. Lucas couldn't handle it when he saw that they were leaning toward each other for a first kiss. "Amelia!" he practically shouted.

The two jumped and pulled away from each other. When Erik looked over at him angrily, it felt like a victory. Perhaps this could work out for him. Lucas walked to the front of the desk and waited for Amelia to meet him there. To his disappointment, she pulled her teacher along.

He struck up a small conversation. But the whole time he and Amelia talked, Erik just stared at her. After a little while, Lucas couldn't think of anything else to say. There was a small silence and then Erik placed his hand on Amelia's back. Lucas could practically feel a sense of protection radiating from him.

"Shall we get started?" Erik looked down at Amelia.

He noticed her blush and whisper in the positive.

Lucas handed the day's stack of mail to them and said nothing. He knew that this battle was lost. Amelia was obviously dazzled by him. The couple walked away, sorting the envelopes and talking amiably. He returned to his seat in the back of the post room, defeated.

The day had dragged on after that. When he wasn't sorting the mail, Lucas sulked. His father seemed to notice his lack of enthusiasm, but didn't say anything to him. Richard knew when to leave him alone. Lucas respected that about his father. After a few hours of doing some work and sitting around, someone came to the front desk. He noticed the person standing there, but he took his time to greet them. Lucas turned from the stack of mail he was organizing to face the person.

Giselle Leandros stood there, looking excitedly impatient. The expression was a strange combination. Lucas was struck by her beauty for the first time. Her dark hair looked incredibly silky and ended a little past her shoulders. She wore an elaborate green dress that matched her eyes brilliantly. Her lips and cheeks were perfectly rouged…

"What?" Giselle said edgily.

Lucas shook his head. "Nothing. What are you doing here?" He hoped the question didn't sound rude.

She looked at him for a moment. "Do you have feelings for that messenger girl named Amelia?"

His lips pursed and he began to retort, but she interrupted him. "I thought so. Listen, she and Erik Destler do not belong together. Do you agree?"

"Yes," he mumbled.

"I knew you would. How about you do me a favor?"

Lucas looked at her for a moment before answering. "What do you mean?"

"Amelia will probably walk by here at some point this evening with her violin. All I want you to do is… distract her a little. You two talk a lot, don't you?" He nodded. "Well, take your time in talking with her tonight."

Giselle waited for a moment, perhaps for an answer. But Lucas remained quiet, brow furrowed in thought. She squinted her eyes for a moment.

"Do it for you and Amelia." He looked up just in time to see her walking away.

So he talked with her for a long time. He could tell that she was eager to return to her original course. Thinking quickly, he had decided to ask her to the upcoming party. In that short amount of time that he had tried to gain her trust back, he had expected her to like him. But she hadn't said no – that was a good thing.

After Amelia left, Lucas sat at the mailroom desk for a while. He suddenly felt like he had betrayed her for doing what Giselle had told him to do. But what harm could a simple lengthened chat do? It had actually seemed a little beneficial to him. So, what could have happened in those short few minutes? Nothing too drastic, he had hoped. He had gone to bed that night and realized that hoping wasn't the best form of action.

And so here he stood, just as baffled as before. Except now he had a new piece of information: a kiss. He sat down at the mailroom desk and thought for a moment. What good did this detail do him? Lucas scowled and leaned back. Then, suddenly he believed that it did do some good.

Had Giselle kissed Erik in that short time that he had distracted Amelia? And then she found out and was upset about it. That explained why she wasn't at breakfast. But why would Erik kiss Giselle? For the moment, he didn't care about that small detail; this new theory was enough for him. Lucas jumped up and began sprinting down a corridor. He passed his father along the way and tried to quickly explain that he was leaving for a short time. He was going to find Amelia and comfort her. Perhaps she would finally get over her teacher!

Giselle smiled to herself as she walked down the hall. Her plan was turning out quite well. The only thing that bothered her was the fact that Erik hadn't been at breakfast. She didn't mind not seeing the Amelia girl. Erik probably needed a day or so to get over her. He seemed rather angry at what she had done. But Giselle knew that once Amelia stopped returning his feelings, he would come to her.

She made her way down a different corridor, altering her course. She had just talked to the mail boy for a moment after getting rid of Colette. Anxiety had practically been radiating off of him. But thankfully she had brushed him off rather quickly. Giselle wanted to be alone for a while. She made a few more turns and found her destination.

If she didn't desire company, Giselle would go to one of the many theatres. She usually preferred them to be empty, but a performance or rehearsal wouldn't bother her. The audience seating was darkened anyways. This particular theatre happened to be vacant. Smiling at her luck, Giselle entered and found a random seat. She looked up at the stage. There were a few gas lamps throughout the auditorium and a small amount of stage lights had been lit. The red curtains glowed in the dim light.

Now it was time to think of her current situation. Giselle crossed her legs and placed her chin in her palm. She repeated her earlier thoughts. Erik needed more than twenty-four hours to get over Amelia; that was obvious. When he realizes that he wants Giselle, however, that was when she could have some fun. But she wouldn't let her mind jump into the future. She wanted to rewind and admire her work.

The whole situation started months ago. The first time she saw Erik Destler was at L'Automne Café. She had just gotten together with François and they were openly showing their fondness of each other. François was in his thirties and was the manager of the Opera Populaire. He was on the top of her list of men to be with…

Giselle shook her head. She and François had gone their separate ways months ago. Why was she thinking about him now? She took a breath and let her mind continue.

She had noticed him when her eyes scanned the café, wondering who was looking at her. She had been quite loud; she wanted attention, after all. He seemed to be annoyed, like many of the other customers of the restaurant. But there was something about him that she was attracted to. He seemed mysterious with his mask and dark eyes. He was rather young, she had to admit that. But the unmasked side of his face was ruggedly handsome. Giselle couldn't help herself from fantasizing what it would be like if he was hers.

But of course, she pictured being with many men. She usually was with the ones she imagined herself with, so this didn't seem like such a problem. Erik Destler was now on her list, right after François and Maurice.

Giselle skipped ahead a few months, passing over her relationship with Maurice. Now that she was finished with the cellist, she was ready for Erik. She rarely saw him around the Opera House, so she had to encourage fate a little.

She smiled at the memory of harassing Charles into making Erik observe her lessons…

"Do you want to be disposed of?" she hissed.

Charles looked at her, alarmed. He knew that she had connections with Monsieur François, and he wasn't going to push his luck.

"I didn't think so. Now, I want you to listen carefully. Erik Destler will be at my next flute lesson. Perhaps you should forget to come." Giselle knew she was asking for too much, but she knew he would break soon.

"Erik is not qualified to teach a flutist!" Charles cried, exasperated.

Giselle rolled her eyes. "Fine. He will observe, then. Just make sure he is there. My lesson will be at six o'clock on Thursday."

She found out that Erik taught Amelia Simon at that time. She wasn't sure exactly who this girl was, but she was his only student. 'Not anymore' her exact thoughts had been.

"But Erik teaches at that time –"

"Charles."

He hesitated. "I will see you Thursday at six o'clock."

The lesson hadn't been exactly what she had hoped it would be. Giselle had tried to show off a bit, trying to catch his attention. He had seemed distracted throughout the lesson. She realized that Erik had cringed at every note she played. After the lesson was over, he had bolted out of the door. She packed up her flute and looked up at Charles. He looked nervous, as if it were his fault that Erik wasn't impressed by her.

Giselle sighed angrily. "Erik will not be observing any more of my lessons."

She actually heard Charles exhale.

We'll just have to see each other another way, she thought.

She left the practice room, determined to find Erik. He couldn't have gotten far.

"Erik?" she thought she heard his voice down the next corridor. She followed what she thought was his voice, but her search was fruitless. After a few moments, she gave up the investigation.

A month or so passed. One evening Giselle decided to take the initiative. She was going to give Erik the invitation to be with her. It had been too long since she had a suitor. The next morning, Giselle did what she usually did for an invitation. She walked by Erik when she knew he was looking. She gazed at him and swayed her hips. But he did nothing. He didn't follow her with his mouth hanging open like she thought he would. Erik had deliberately turned away from her to look at Amelia.

The couple left the dining hall, leaving Giselle to her thoughts. She and Colette had returned to their room. When her thoughts got her nowhere, she finally turned to her comrade.

"What should I do?" That was the first time she had ever asked anyone that.

Colette had offered a few useless suggestions. They exchanged a few more words and then both became silent. Giselle began to wonder if she would ever get Erik… until Colette spit out the most brilliant idea she ever had.

"Have you thought of breaking them up?"

Once her ally made the suggestion, an entire scheme began to construct itself in her head. She smiled when she realized that it would work perfectly.

"I know exactly what to do."

Giselle spoke to the mail boy briefly, getting to the point. She persuaded him to elongate his conversation with Amelia. Then she went to the practice room in which the couple had been occupying for the past month. When she looked in the window, what she saw made her blood boil. Erik and Amelia were sitting on the piano bench, leaning toward each other. Leaning toward each other for a kiss. Her fist had reached up and knocked forcefully on the door before she knew what she had done. Giselle ran down the hall and around a corner before she heard the door open.

Then she heard Amelia leave the practice room and head in the opposite direction. This was her chance! As she made her way to the room, she heard a beautiful melody. Giselle looked through the window on the door. Erik was playing the piano. She smiled slightly. His eyes were closed as he played, and then he began to sing. His voice was just as ruggedly handsome as he was. She entered the practice room without him noticing.

When he finished the song, Giselle felt like crying. She pretended that he wrote the song just for her. She walked over to the piano bench and stood behind him. After closing his eye, she turned him around. He was so cute with his eyes closed, head tilted toward her. She dipped down and kissed him. The thing that made her heart flutter was the fact that he kissed her back. Then she slid her tongue through his parted lips. He hesitated. In that moment they heard a cry outside of the door. Right on cue, she thought.

Erik broke the kiss to look over at the door. Confusion flitted across his features and then he turned to look at her. His entire body wrenched away from her; he even pushed her away as well. "What have you done?" he asked.

She didn't know why, but she was about to answer. Erik glared at her, and the saying 'if looks could kill' crossed her mind. He nearly ran out of the practice room.

Giselle sighed. Now all she had to do was wait.

Amelia was awakened to someone gently shaking her. Her eyes opened to find one of the girls that lived in the dormitory with her. She looked up at the girl in confusion.

"What?" her voice sounded raspy.

"There's someone here to see you," she replied.

Amelia's stomach dropped. Could it be Erik? "Who is it?"

"I think it's the mail boy." She felt disappointed and grateful at the same time. "Should I send him away?"

Amelia blinked a few times. "No…No, just give me a few seconds."

She stood from her bed and went to the mirror on a wall. She ran her fingers through her hair and made sure her face didn't look too horrible. Sleep must have helped the swelling of her eyes to go down; it wasn't too bad any more. Lucas came through the open door, and the girl left. They were alone. There was a moment of silence in which Lucas and Amelia gazed at each other.

He pushed his auburn hair out of his eyes. "Are you alright?" Lucas looked genuinely concerned, although she had a feeling that he wasn't worried about her health.

Tears rushed into her eyes. "No," she sobbed. Amelia hurried to him and he took a few steps forward. Her face crashed into his chest and she cried there. His arms enveloped her; one around her back, the other embracing the back of her head. He gently stroked her hair. Amelia's body shook with sobs. Lucas tightened his hold on her, wishing he could release the pain from her heart. And hopefully the love that was still there, too.

I'm so sorry if this seems like a filler chapter to anyone. I wanted to write everyone's version of what happened, and include a little insight of each character while I was at it. And you better get used to that angst, because there's more of it coming! Don't worry, though, fluff will follow. I know, I know, I love that good old fluff, too. It's my favorite thing to write. But angst is my second favorite. :)

Please Review!