"Somewhere," Erik said.
"Can I please know where that somewhere is?" I pressed on.
"What did I tell you about pointless questions?" Erik snapped, opening a door.
I was silent, as I walked into the room. It was a dressing room. And the end of it was a big mirror. Erik walked over to it, and slid the glass back, revealing a hidden passage. "Ladies first."
I walked through it, amazed. Erik shut the glass and turned to me. "Now stay close," he said., "one false move here and it could be fatal. Not that I really care about you, but I'm sure your little parents would like you back in 2006 in one piece."
"Are we going to your house on the lake?" I asked. He nodded.
As much as I was happy about seeing where Erik really lived, the labyrinth he was leading me through wasn't fun. Not at all.
It wasn't like the movie where it was brightly lit and easy to walk through. This maze was dark, damp, slightly moldy, and it smelled like burnt rubber.
The pathways were steep and slippery too. Many time I tripped and fell. Once, as I was falling I grabbed onto the hem of Erik's cloak to break my fall. Erik shok me off and told me to not touch him.
"Erik, I'm not used to this underground maze, it's the first time I've been here, and I'm uneasy on my feet. Please, bear with me!" I said.
After a while we came to this dryer, yet steeper part of the maze. In our path stood an impressive black horse.
"It's Cesar!" I said, petting it. Erik nodded. "I've borrowed him for Christine, since after this gala night, I will reveal myself to her. Not as an angel of music, not as a phantom, but as Erik."
"Interseting," I said, climbing in vain onto the horse's back. Erik lifted me up, and hopped on himslef. I really wanted to make the horse run, but I knew Erik wouldn't let me. Besides, it wasn't safe.
After some time of riding, Erik stopped the horse and I jumped down. "Is it time for the boat?" I asked.
"See for yourself," Erik said, pointing ahead.
Sure enough, a gondala was floating in the lake just up ahead. Erik and I got in it, and rowed off.
As we neared Erik's home, we stoppped for one minute, and Erik kicked a lever that was sticking up from the water. I heard metal moving in the distance. He must off kicked the lever that opened his 'door'.
As Erik rowed us into the his house, I took notice to the surroundings. There were a lot of candles here, and my head hurt a little from being in the dark so long, and now being exposed to bright lights. There was Erik's beloved organ which had music sheets strewn about the floor around it, and a some door were off to the sides.
Erik jumped out of the boat and ran into one of the rooms. I followed him.
The room had a bed in the shape of a swan in here, and the curtain near the entrance was drawn back.
"Oh! I know what-"
"Sh," Erik said, looking through a little crack in the ceiling. I listened.
To my amazment, I could here Chrisitne singing. She was just finishing. when she was done, Erik sighed, and sat down on the bed. "God, I love her," he said.
"You know, Erik," I said, "Chr- OH NO!" I cried, suddenly realizing. "You always sit in box five, right?"
"Yes," Erik answered.
"Well, Raoul's gonna reserve it for himself tonight! The managers think your a joke, so they're gonna give it to him! If you take me back to the stage, I might be able to save your seat!"
"One problem," Erik said. "Your clothes are riduculous, and your hair is a mess. But I may have a dress you could fit into."
"Why on earth do you have a dress?" I asked. "You're not a girl."
"Well, since I've been here almost all my life, I have known how to get back at my enemies. When Carlotta was your age, one day, she was mocking Christine, saying how she had a horrible voice, and that she was a useless dancer. Poor Christine ran away in tears. I had no tolerence to see my angel cry, so as a trick, I wisked Carlotta's best dress away, and she went to the gala that night in a horrid, oversized dress."
"Whoa," I said. "So love at first sight is possible. But how come you didn't tell her that you loved her so? Why keep it bottled up until... uh... how old are you?"
"Never you mind," Erik said, annoyed. "But I was waiting for the right time to tell her I loved her, and it shall be tonight."
As Erik left the room, and I put on Carlotta's old dress, I was thinking about what I should do to save Erik's box. I had no idea at all.
But, it came to me as I was brushingmy hair with a comb Erik lent me. Ah, yes... The managers and Raoul would surely let me have the box now!"
I looked in the mirror. I wasn't a raidiant beauty, but I was presentable. I ran to Erik, who was at his organ, composing music, and told him I was ready.
He took me back to the bedroom and opened up a trap door on the ceiling. I heaved myself up out of the room, turned to Erik, and said: "I promise, I'll get your box," I said. Erik sighed and said: "You better. I don't want that boy they call a patron messing it up!" And with that, he shut the door.
I was behind the stage, and I saw Andre, Firmin, and Raoul talking, I ran over to them.
"Hi!" I said. "I'm Antoinette Devoir." Which was a lie of course.
"Uh... hello Antoinette. Um- how exactly did you get past the security?" Andre asked.
"Oh, the nice man let me pass," I lied. "Could I buy some tickets reserving box five tonight? My papa and I want to see the opera."
"You could have bought tickets at the front," Firmin said.
"But the man wasn't there," I said.
"I'm sorry, Antoinette, but the box is reserved for M. Raoul de Changey tonight."
I knew this would happen, so I decided to get them to give me the box by crying. I thought of the saddest thing I could, and as my eyes welled up with tears, I said: "But- but- I-I walked for three miles to come here, and my papa said this would be the only night of the year we would see and opera." I started to sob, and hang my head. I wonder if Erik's listening to this, I wondered.
"Uhh... umm... Don't cry, petite fille," Firmin said. "I can offer you and your papa free tickts to another night."
"We can't," I said. "Papa would have to work over time to pay for my sick baby sister's medicine!" With that, I burst into a fit of tears.
"Well..." Roaul said. "I guess I could sit with the managers to night, if they don't mind."
"Not at all," Andre said. "Here, Madameoiselle Devoir," he pulled out the tickets and handed them to me. "You don't have to pay."
"Oh thank you!" I cried. I hugged them and ran off. I knocked on the trap door. Erik opened it.
"Were you listening to that?" I asked.
"Every word," Erik smiled. "You lie like a rug."
I tossed him the tickets. "are you ready to see your Chrsitine preform a wonderful solo?"