Chapter 16

Christine didn't sleep that night because she couldn't stop thinking about Phantom. She was analyzing everything, from the way they 'met' to how he never wished to talk about himself, and everything in between. Why haven't I ever questioned this before? She recalled their first 'meeting', which had been odd, to say the least...

Phantom: Hello Samantha. I am glad to have finally found you.

Christine stared at her computer screen in shock. She'd been studying for a high school Math test when this stranger happened to instant message her. 'Samantha? Who the heck is Samantha? Better yet, who the heck is this guy? How strange,' she thought with a furrowed brow.

MissDaae7: Who is this?

Phantom: Why Samantha, you know who this is.

'Uh, no I don't,' Christine thought with a frown. She sighed and began typing again.

MissDaae7: My name isn't Samantha.

Phantom: Forgive me, I must have found the wrong person.

Christine couldn't help but be curious.

MissDaae7: How did you find me? And why did you think my name was Samantha?

Phantom: I found you using the Search bar. I thought you were Samantha because her last name is 'Daae'.

'How weird,' Christine thought, still curious. Before typing anything else, she quickly scanned his profile page. All it told her was that he lived in the United States.

MissDaae7: 'Daae' is a rare last name for someone who lives in the United States.

Phantom: Yes, it is. Perhaps you are related?

MissDaae7: I don't really think so. My family consists of me and my dad. That's about it, as far as I know.

Phantom: Well, Samantha will find our meeting interesting when I tell her about it, I am sure.

MissDaae7: How do you know her?

'And why exactly did I just type that? That's a personal question that I have no right to know the answer to...' Christine couldn't help but wait for a reply without taking back her words, though.

Phantom: She is a singer. I met her when she performed at a restaurant. I happened to be dining there that night, and her singing was the entertainment.

Well, that was interesting, as singing happened to be Christine's passion. In fact, she was waiting anxiously to receive a letter from Ballad Conservatory saying that she'd either been accepted or rejected into their vocal performance program. Perhaps she and this Samantha really were related. 'Maybe I'll ask Dad later..' For now, she was very into her conversation with Phantom.

MissDaae7: That's interesting. I love singing.

Phantom: Well, you two do have common interests. Do you perform?

MissDaae7: Not really. I hope to someday, though. For now, I'm just wanting to major in vocal performance after I graduate from high school.

Phantom: How long is it until you graduate?

If Christine had been thinking logically, she would have seen that his question was a bit too personal. He was a stranger, and yet... He didn't 'seem' like a stranger. He seemed like somebody she could get to know and talk to. After all, she was just a bored high school senior suffering from Senioritis. Talking to him could be fun.

MissDaae7: I graduate in May. Three long months away...

Phantom: You wish to major in vocal performance. Have you applied to any colleges?

MissDaae7: Yes, I have. I've applied to and auditioned at several schools. My hopes are set on getting into Ballad Conservatory, though.

Phantom: Ah, yes. I have heard of it. It is located in Alabama, right?

MissDaae7: That's right. I am hoping to receive an acceptance letter from them soon.

Phantom: I wish you luck, then.

They'd continued to talk frequently since that day so long ago. But now, Christine was questioning things.

Wait a second... Something suddenly came to her. Christine stood from her bed and noticed that it was 4:00 am. Meg had obviously decided to spend the night with Chad. Not caring, she rushed to her lap top and logged into her Instant Messenger account. No one was on, which wasn't a surprise. But, she wasn't on to talk to people... No, she was on in order to check something.

With speed, she clicked on her own profile link and studied its contents. It says my name is Christine. It also lists my interests, hobbies, and a lot of other things. And I haven't changed this thing since I was a junior in high school... That means..

Christine's heart began to pound as it dawned on her. When Phantom had searched for 'Samantha Daae', 'MissDaae7' had appeared as one of the options. There was no suspicion there. But, there was no doubt that he had researched more thoroughly that that. He wasn't stupid enough to go by a user name alone. He was bound to have looked at 'MissDaae7''s profile. And that means he knew I wasn't the person he was looking for. My profile says clear as day that my name is Christine.

I'm a complete and total idiot for not thinking of that until now. I've been blind...

So, if Phantom had known all along that she wasn't Samantha Daae, then that had to mean that he'd actually been wanting to talk to Christine Daae the entire time. It wasn't random, it wasn't coincidence. It was planned out. He knew who she was all along. He'd been lying to her for months.

Christine felt like she was going to be sick. I trusted him... I trusted him! He knew everything about her. Well, everything except for the recital. But, he knew about that, too...

Who is this guy? Sleep wasn't going to come, she was sure of that much. She was unsure of everything else, though. But, my angel will know. Erik knows everything. She couldn't wait until her 7:00 am voice lesson.

–

7:00 am actually came quickly, for Christine's thoughts had been running rabid for three straight hours with the knowledge she now possessed. She practically ran to practice room seven.

"Angel?" she called breathlessly.

Erik stared at her flustered appearance. It looked like she hadn't slept at all. What has happened? Of course, he recalled their Internet conversation from the previous night and how it had ended, but he didn't think it would cause this. "I am here," he said, trying to stay in character, which meant he had to be an all-knowing, powerful force.

Christine looked up at the ceiling, still trying to calm her breathing. "You're going to help me, right?"

Help you? Have I not already told you that I devote all of my time to helping you? "Of course," he smoothly replied.

"Well then, who is he?" she asked, jumping right into it. Her angel would know who she was talking about.

Erik didn't say anything. Who is she referring to?

"Angel?" she questioned softly. Is he still here?

"You are going to have to elaborate, Christine."

His words made her freeze. "B-but shouldn't you already know?" Now that she was thinking clearly about one part of her life -her time spent with Phantom-, she was also thinking clearly about every other part of her life. I'm not the narrow-minded, gullible girl I was yesterday.

Erik was now panicking a bit. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he was supposed to know... It was usually spelled out for him. This time, though, he was at a loss. "I do not know who you are referring to." He kept his voice firm and controlled.

Christine placed her hands on her hips. It would be the first time she wasn't an accepting, obedient pupil. She was now skeptical of everything, including her angel. "You should know. You're my angel. You're supposed to be able to read minds.. my mind. So, if you can't do that..." Oh no... If he can't do that, then...

"Christine-"

"I want to see you. I need to see you," she interrupted desperately. "Show yourself to me."

There was a bad taste in Erik's mouth. She'd never acted this way. She'd never questioned. "I cannot do that."

"You can do that. Angels have bodies. I'm not stupid enough to believe they don't." Christine remembered Phantom telling her that his angel took on human form, not that she could necessarily believe what he said now. But, she did believe her mother's stories, and they always indicated that the Angel of Music had a body.

Perhaps Erik could have shown himself to her at one time... But, he couldn't now. Well, perhaps he never could since angels were supposed to be perfect and flawless, not some monster wearing a mask. Even if he was perfect, though, he still couldn't show himself. She knew him as Derik, her friend from the park. To see him now would ruin everything.

This was a nightmare, an absolute nightmare. What was he supposed to do? "I must leave," he suddenly heard himself murmur. He hadn't even been aware of the fact that he was going to say it.

Christine had heard those words enough times. She was hurt, disappointed, and thoroughly angry. "You sound exactly like him!" Then, she yelled, "You know, you and him aren't the only people who can do that! I can leave, too! I can leave and never come back!"

She stood still for a moment waiting for him to say something, anything that would keep her from leaving. But, after five seconds of nothing, her face finally fell in a defeated way and she left the room.

Erik could only watch her go, unable to end the lies that were tearing them apart.

Short chapter. Sorry about that. Well, I guess you could call this 'drama time'. My mind just told me to write it this way. Erik's losing it, Christine's losing it.. The truth is bound to come out sometime in the near future...

I'll try to write more soon. Thank you so much for the reviews!

Please review!

-Lauren