Well the contest (which went great) took up so much of my time so sorry I didn't update on the promised days. This story is just a little bit longer and I think it will be more interesting. There is some more of Erik in it. The night gown I'm trying to describe that Christine wears is supposed to look like the outfit she wore in the 2004 film during the song music of the night. Please let me know what you think of the characters and story! Any advise is immensely appreciated so please REVEIW! I don't own any recognizable thing and please enjoy! I worked extra hard this time editing and writing while in the car and hotel room at the contest! :D (I THINK THIS IS THE BEST CHAPTER SO FAR)

Chapter 3

Christine POV

I had no clue as to where I was. I didn't know how to get back to the bedroom; there were too many dark and twisting hallways to get lost in. But that didn't bother me. I'll ask someone in the morning where to go, until then since I couldn't sleep anyways, I decided to just keep exploring and maybe I might just happen to find my room by chance.

As I aimlessly walked around I came across a huge wooden door, with angels and crosses carved into it. I couldn't cease my curiosity so I turned the brass door knob and found myself in the middle of what appeared to be a chapel. There were many unlit candles and stone floors. I marveled at the small alter with pictures of angels playing harps and trumpets.

My mind drifted towards my Papa at the thought of angels causing my knees to go weak. I let myself plop down on the floor in front of the Alter with my white bed robe and gown sprawling on the floor around me, and rapid tears finally made their long needed release.

"Dear lord, I pray that you're with my Papa right now. I just ask that he is no longer in pain and that he knows I'm thinking of him. If you could please lord, let him hear me when I speak!"

I cried some more, then began to pray to my beloved Papa.

"Papa, I'm trying to be strong but it's so hard without you. I don't know anybody. And the world we once shared has now shattered into pieces at my feet! Oh! Please papa, help me! Give me something to help me! Why, did you have to leave me?!"

I slammed my fists against the cold stone floor with anger and sadness at my Papa. My body trembled with strong emotions of animosity and dolefulness. Why did he leave me all alone? how could he let me suffer like this?

Erik POV

I decided I would go to the chapel where I could remind myself how God forgot about me, how my prayers for beauty are never answered, and so I could remember why God laughs at me.

I walked down my dark catacombs cursing myself. I have to get that girl out of my head. I can't let these foolish thoughts of a girl who will never even see me control my actions. I was supposed to be in control.

When I got to my secret entrance to the chapel I checked trough the wall to see if anyone was there before I entered; but what I saw stopped me dead in my actions.

The girl I was trying to push out of my thoughts had made her appearance yet again. Was God trying to torture me!? I banged my hands against the wall separating me from the chapel then realized what I did was foolish.

The girl had been cuddled up in a ball sleeping, and I hoped that I did not wake her with my idiotic action.

The girl tossed a little at the booming sound from my fists but to my relief she remained asleep.

Her cheeks where drenched in shiny tears and her eye lids where red all around. This girl was obviously pitifully sad and had been crying, but even then she looked sublime. This time she was not wearing rags but she was barefoot with a thin white lacy robe and slimming night gown.

I found myself standing there peering in at her, stunned. My eyes ran over her every feature many times starting at her pale still face to her slowly rising and sinking chest, all the way down to the curves of her toes. Only one word can describe how she looked, and that was angel. Moon light peered in through the stain glass windows high on the walls and danced through her curly brown hair that laid smoothly across her cheeks and back.

Just what was this feeling that I felt deep inside of me? I've never felt such a thing before. Could it be that I wanted to protect her? No! She doesn't deserve such a privilege from the Opera Ghost himself! If she saw me in person she would spit in my direction! I leaned against the damp stone wall behind me and slid down it until my lower back reached the floor. I sat there a while and watched her sleep from my look out, until sleep its self came over me.

Christine POV

I slowly rose from the position I was laying in, tears had dried on my cheeks and my back was stiff. I stood up slowly, freezing from the cold stone floor. I had fallen asleep talking to my Papa...just like old times only not.

Oh God! What time was it!? I had to rehearse at seven! I ran out of the room down the hallways until I saw Monsieur Firmin. I ran to him immediately and he looked shocked at my rush.

"Good morning Christine. I trust you slept well" he said in a thought filled sentence, contemplation was evident on his face as he looked down at my thin attire.

I blushed rapidly from embarrassment; he shouldn't be seeing me in these clothes! They hardly cover up any hint of curve I might have.

"Monsieur, please where is the room me and the ballerinas are in? I'm lost"

"It's just down that hall; you passed it while running to me"

"Oh I'm so sorry thank you!"

Feeling foolish I ran up to the door and barged In with lots of noise.

All the girls were asleep! And a few of them sat up in bed with sleepy eyes staring at me.

"I'm sorry" I whispered to the few sleepy girls rubbing their eyes and looking me up and down.

I went and grabbed the pale pink dress Meg had given me and my father's tattered violin case. I quickly got changed then walked out of the dark room and wondered to an area behind the stage on the way to my destination.

"Excuse me monsieur, could you please give me the time?" I asked the only man that I could see. He was very sweaty with whiskers and tough callously hands.

"Well aren't you a small thing." He said inching closer to me.

"The time, Monsieur?" My voice was trembling, this man wasn't acting right.

"Whatever you're up to you have plenty of time to get it done"

He grabbed at my skirt and I started to run but my feet got caught by a stage prop and I fellto theground.

"Monsieur I-I" his face twisted with a cynical crooked smile.

"I just need the time"

He ignored what I said and crawled on top of me. He grabbed both of my wrists inside of one of his thick hands and held them above my head, pinned against the wooden floor. His weight was crushing my bones and made it hard to breath. I felt my hands go numb from lack of circulation due to his painful grip on my wrists.

With his available hand he ripped at the skirt of my dress. What was this man doing? I had never seen anything happen like this in my life, especially not when someone just asks for the time.

"You really are very pretty. And I bet you are a virgin." His deep heavy breathes brushed violently against my face. His breath smelt like whiskey.

Trepidation took a holt of me causing my body to only react in a tremble. Confusion filled my brain as I watched him unclasp his pants. My heart started beating faster, I could tell his intentions where bad even though I didn't know what they were. What scared me the most was the fear of not knowing what was coming next.

Then in an instance that happened so fast, a backdrop from a scene came crashing down next to us. The sound was horrendous and a panic came over the man's face. He quickly stood up, buckled his pants, than rushed off before anyone could come looking for the cause of the loud noise.

For a few seconds I still laid there reflecting on what had just happened. Had I made him mad? Is that why he ripped my dress? I then got up and grabbed the violin which had been knocked out of my hands when I tripped.

I didn't care about my dress being ripped, I had worn worse and only a little bit of skin was showing through so I decided I would change when I got back to the room, and I would try to be there before any of the girls woke up.

I no longer wanted to be back stage, nor did I care to ask anyone else for the time, so I decided to just hurry up and get to where I intended on going in the first place.

I pushed open the large door of the chapel and set the violin down in front of the Alter. I decided to light three candles. The flickering light would help calm me after the previous situation. After staring into the small slams for a moment I got the violin out of its case. I ran my fingers all over the smooth wood and thought of my Papa. It still smelled like him. I could no longer cry though, even if I wanted to it seemed as though I was out of tears.

"Papa, I wish I could hear you play again. You always did sound so brilliant. No matter what you said to me when you were still by my side, about how the Angel of Music never visited you, I think he did. You don't have to keep it a secret any more. How else would you know him to send him to me when you got to heaven? I can't wait to see him though. I'm sure he will almost be as handsome as you are!" I couldn't help but smile at the thought of my wonderful papa, and the fact that I would soon be visited by an angel. Then I realized I had not sung since my Papa's death and he probably longed to hear me just as much as I wanted to hear him.

"Lie doon, my dear, and in your ear,
To help you close your eye,
I'll sing a song, a slumber song,
A miner's lullaby.

Your daddy's doon the mine, my darling,
Doon in the Curbly Main,
Your daddy's howkin' coal, my darling,
For his ain wee wean."

One little tear snuck down my cheek as I sang the old Celtic lullaby my Papa loved. And when I finished singing, I strummed my fingers over the strings of the violin one at a time hearing their sweet sounds.

"I promise I'll try to keep it tuned for you." As I said that I noticed the small clock engraved with more angels on top of the Alter. It was 6:47, I needed to get back if rehearsal was at 7!

I packed up the violin with fast fumbling fingers, blew out the candles, then rushed to my room only to be greeted by a worried Meg.

Erik's POV

I opened my eyes to find myself still in my look out at the chapel. My bones popped and my muscles ached as I got up. I suppose my body forgot what it was like to sleep on cold stone grounds when my mind remembered clearly every detail of it.

The girl was gone and a feeling came over me, perhaps a strange form of curiosity? I needed to know where she went. Something about her pulled me towards her with a great force that I could not explain.

I rushed down the dark corridors looking out around the opera house in all my secret hidden look outs until I spotted the young who was talking to Buquet. I felt sick to my stomach. She obviously didn't know he was a pig.

My attention was then brought to her change of clothes. She looked very ravishing in that dress, it brought out her glowing features even more then rags or night gowns. How I longed to just touch her arm to make sure she was real and not an image my brain conjured up. How I longed to touch something so beautiful, never had I ever had such a luxury.

My thoughts shattered when I saw Buquet reaching for her. My brain froze, no he wouldn't dare, not with a young girl barley even a women!

The girl looked petrified and I closed my eyes. I wasn't going to watch such horrors, and I couldn't help her, the Opera Ghost had no place helping such a beautiful girl.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I heard delicate fabric rip. Oh God, a violent shudder ran down my back. I couldn't let this happen. I opened my eyes to see him on top of her, holding her hands to the floor above her head. Fear and confusion showed clearly on her face as I recognized her innocence.

Panic raced through my whole body, why did I care? The whole world has done worse to me!

But I couldn't help myself. I took out a small knife from my trousers and began furiously sawing at the ropes which held a backdrop up.

It came crashing down beside Buquet and the girl, which caused him to jump up and run off before anyone came looking for the noise.

The girl laid there a moment more. I watched her expression relax only slightly while her shallow and fast breathing calmed.

She then slowly got up and walked off with the violin case she always carried.

Bile rose to my throat as I saw the damage done to her. There where bruises on her wrists and part of her once breathtaking dress drooped down from her waist in shreds. She was so vulnerable being the new girl, and so en experienced that she failed to realize the dangers that faced her. I felt a great urge to protect this girl.

I followed her to the chapel and hid while watching her again. My heart sank when I saw her hands still shake with fear as she lighted the candles. Sadness still seeped through her genuine smiles and sweet words she gave to her Papa. I listened carefully when she mentioned the angel of music. She was waiting for him. My mind recalled memories when I saw her yesterday at her arrival. I had overheard what she said to the blonde girl about this angel. She was so foolish. Didn't she know that angels would not visit her like that? It was probably just some silly fable her Papa Told to comfort her.

Then she began to sing. The song that slipped from her mouth was the one my mother used to sing when she sowed. A shiver went down my spine at the memories of my mother and how heartless she was.

The song was filled with such emotion though, emotion that one would think couldn't be brought to such a simple song. A tear wriggled its way down her cheek and tugged at my hardened heart. I have only felt such emotions in my own music. I have never once connected to another human's music in such a way before. This felt odd.

The song then came to a smooth halt and I watched her eyes open slowly as if she woke up from a wonderful dream of memories.

"I promise I'll try to keep it tuned for you"

She said with such clarity while plucking the strings of the violin. I saw her eyes widen though when she spotted the clock. She then hoped up, packed her violin and started out the door frantically after blowing out the lit candles.

Thanks for reading! I really wanna know what you think so ppllleeeeaaassseee the best thing you can do is review! Whether you're a member or not your opinion matters to me and I will take in any ideas/advise/criticism and use it! Yall are amazing THANKS AGAIN!