Chapter 2

That night, Ashley didn't feel much like going to the opera. She already knows how it will turn out and she was a little depressed when reality finally hit her like a frying pan to the face. She had absolutely no idea how she was going to get through this. When she thought back on her life in her world, she remembered how she resented her life since her parents' divorce when she was a child. Her parents would do nothing but fight whenever they spoke to each other and for the first few years they would keep going to court. She also thought about the post years with her mother and father. Her mother would drink most of the time and was a chronic liar. Her father would mean well, but when he started dating other women, most of them were not the nicest people.

But as she did look back on her life, she realized that she definitely took too much of it for granted. Because, for instance, she could have lost either one or both of her parents. There could have been something much worse that would have involved child services taking her and her sibling away and being put in foster care. Sure, her life wasn't the best, but it could have been worse.

Ashley continued staring out the window of her room down at the streets of Paris. She saw a carriage pulling up to a small shop and out from it came a man a woman and a little girl maybe five or six years. Ashley sighed.

"Where do the years go?" She asked herself. "I'm left with no choice. In this world I must stay. What God did I upset to lose my life in such a way?" She began to sing to the melody of the Beauty and the Beast song: Home. "Why must I be tortured in such a way? Tell me... Am I here… Here to stay?"

Is this home
is this where I should learn to be happy?
Never dreamed that a home could be dark and cold.
I was told every day in my childhood
even when we grow old,
home will be where the heart is
never the words so true.
My hearts far, far away
home is to

Is this home?
Is this what I must learn to believe in?
Try to find something good
in this tragic place.
Just in case
I should stay here forever
held in this empty space.
Oh but that won't be easy
I know the reason why.
My hearts far, far away
home's alike

What I'd give
to return
to the life that I knew lately.
And to think I complained
of that dull provincial town

Is this home?
Am I here for a day or forever?
Shut away from the world until
who knows when?
Oh but then,
as my life has been altered
once it can change again.
Build higher walls around me
change every lock and key
nothing left nothing holds all of me.

My hearts far, far away
home and free.

Ashley felt a single tear roll down her face and threw herself down face first onto her bed. She started sobbing while thoughts of her home rushed through her mind. In the two weeks she'd spent in this world, not once did she think of her home. Her family must be worried sick about her. The school must have noticed she disappeared. And all she thought about was this new world she found and the people in it.

"I think I know what God I pissed off." She said into her pillow.

"Who might that be?" Ashley quickly shot up and tried to look like she hadn't been crying for the past few minutes. Meg came into the room, still dressed in her costume, and gave Ashley a very concerned look. "Are you alright? You weren't at the show."

"I didn't really feel like going." Ashley said. "I just realized what a terrible person I am."

"You're not a terrible person." Meg tried to sound comforting but it didn't help much.

"I completely forgot about my family Meg. All the time I've been here, not once did I think about the fact that I'm in a separate world. I have no family, no friends, and no idea when I'll ever go back, and not once did I stop to think about it." Her head fell into her hands and she started taking deep breaths to prevent herself from breaking down again. Meg placed a hand on her back and started rubbing up and down her spine.

"Ashley, its better that you realize this later rather than never." She said. "If you didn't think about it at all, then you really would be a bad person." She managed to get a small laugh out of the young adult.

"It still hurts though, not knowing if you'll see home again."

"Well, if you can't find your way, we're here to make sure you're alright." Ashley looked up at the young blond and smiled.

"Thanks Meg." She hugged her friend and her heart felt much lighter than it had all day. "So, how'd Christine's performance go?"

"She was incredible!" Meg beamed. "You should have seen her. She sang like an angel on that stage tonight. I went to find her afterwards and asked her who had been teaching her and she told me it was an Angel of Music." Ashley's face remained interested in Meg's little story but inside she knew that Christine was being taught by the Phantom. He was probably on his way to take her to his lair right now.

"Meg, where's Christine right now? I'd like to congratulate her on her success." Meg took Ashley's hand and led her from the room. By the time they reached the dressing room Christine was in, everyone was gone and the hallways were dark. Ashley reached for the door handle but the door was locked.

As I thought. Meg pulled out a ring of keys and opened the door. The room was dark and eerie when they entered. As Meg investigated the room, Ashley went over to the mirror on the opposite wall and saw the light coming from the small opening behind it. Ashley peaked through and saw the long dimly lit corridor.

"What did you find?" Meg asked.

"It's a one way mirror." Ashley replied. "Not only that, but it's a secret passage." She moved more of the glass to reveal the opening more.

"Where does it lead?" Ashley shrugged.

"Beats me. But I'd rather not find out." She pushed the glass back so it was completely shut.

"Christine's not in here." Meg stated. "Maybe she-"

"I know where she went." Ashley stopped Meg from finishing her sentence.

The Phantom must have taken her. She didn't feel comfortable saying this part aloud. Meg just looked at the girl still staring at the mirror.

"Where'd she go?" Ashley smirked.

"We shouldn't be here. Let's go." She said ignoring her question. With that being her final word on the matter, she took Meg's hand and they left the room. As they made their way to the dormitories, they heard the shrieks of girls and growls from Joseph Buquet.

"Like yellow parchment is his skin." He began and Ashley rolled her eyes. "A great black hole serves as the nose that never grew." Ashley saw Madame Giry making her way into the room. "You must be always on your guard or he will catch you with his magical lasso." Joseph caught one of the girls with the lasso. Ashley sighed and went over when Madame Giry made to stop him.

"Those who speak of what they know find too late that prudent silence is wise." Ashley sang as she made her way over surprising everyone.

"Joseph Buquet, hold your tongue-" Mme Giry said and slapped him across the face before taking the noose and throwing it over his head "-keep your hand at the level of your eyes!" Mme Girl looked over at Ashley and Meg then left without another word.

"What do you think?" Joseph said turning to her. "You should stay on guard little girl, or you may find yourself with his lasso around your pretty neck." Ashley just shook her head and smirked.

"My philosophy is this: 'If I don't bother him, he won't bother me'." She said before turning back towards Meg.

"Aren't you afraid of the Phantom?" She asked.

"I never said I wasn't." Ashley said. "But I never said I was. All I know is that I'm not planning on finding him anytime soon." She went over to her bed and threw the covers over herself.

"What do you think he looks like?" Meg asked. Ashley already knew the answer to that but she didn't want anyone else to know.

"I'm not sure, but I'm not going to go looking for him to find out." No one continued talking about the Phantom after that. Ashley decided that since tonight was a special night, she would listen to one song on her iPod. So she reached under her mattress and pulled out the little device and the ear buds. She browsed through her selections and found what she wanted, The Music of the Night. She put the buds in her ears and pressed play before drifting off to sleep remembering more of the dream from her past…

Ashley screamed as she fell through the floor. But it wasn't the floor that gave out, it was a trap door. She looked up and saw that she fell quite a ways. The problem was that she didn't find herself under the stage or under any of the wood flooring. She looked around and saw herself in a stone corridor. It was dark and cold and she started feeling scared. She fell too far down and found herself lower than just the opera house.

"How am I gonna get back up?" She asked herself. She couldn't call for help since everyone was asleep or had gone home for the night. Just then, she heard a faint sound. She turned in the direction of the sound and pricked up her ears. It sounded like a piano. The melody being played sounded dark and lonely. Ashley followed the music not bothering to think about where the sound was taking her or who was producing it in the first place. All she thought about was someone was down here who might be able to help her. After a little walking, she found one end of the corridor had a silhouette of light surrounding what almost looked like a door from her position. But as she continued to approach, the supposed door looked more like a curtain.

"Curious." She whispered almost inaudibly. When she finally reached the curtain, she gave it a light touch at first then poked a finger around the corner giving her enough space to peak through. As her eyes adjusted to the light she took in the scene before her. She was standing in the lair of the Phantom of the Opera. She recognized the area before her from the musical movie she saw the year before and it was just as beautiful in person. The glassy lake, the many candles lighting the cavern, the organ sitting at the far wall…

But no one was at the organ. She could still hear the sounds of a piano coming from the space. She moved to the other side of the curtain and peaked out. She saw the Phantom sitting at a large black concert grand piano. As she watched him play, she felt an unusual warm and fuzzy feeling swell up in her chest. Before she knew it she was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, listening to the beautiful music and very softly humming the tune as best she could. She barely noticed when the music stopped because she could still hear the music playing in her head. Meaning she was still unconsciously humming the melody as well. And when she did realize the music stopped, it was too late.

She got up quickly but didn't turn fast enough before the large curtain was pulled aside, revealing the Phantom. She let out a tiny squeak when she set her eyes on him. What was strange was he didn't look like the Phantom from the movie. His face, the portion that wasn't masked, was extremely handsome. He wasn't the Gerard Butler Phantom that she knew either; he was something ten times more. His hair was still slicked back but had a bit more shine to it and his eyes… Oh, his eyes! They were the most beautiful shade of green she had ever seen. He still held a very threatening air around him, which is probably why she was so frightened of him at first. Her large hazel eyes looked up into his terrifying green ones and she started trembling. She felt like crying but she knew that she shouldn't show her tears in front of him.

"How did you get down here?" He asked sounding a bit annoyed but at the same time… Surprised? Maybe a bit concerned? And when he did speak, his voice was the most beautiful sound that ever graced her ears. It was almost like an angel was speaking to her. Before she could lose herself with these thoughts, she remembered her current situation. She looked back into his eyes and she immediately lost her voice. She tried to speak but no words came out. She began panicking thinking that she was going to be punished and lowered her head.

I am SO dead! She thought. Finally a stray tear escaped her eye and made its way down her cheek. She was scared stiff of him. Then she felt something resting on her head. She looked up and saw that he had placed his hand on her head. She was a little shocked but when she looked back into his eyes, she saw that they had changed. They looked sad.

"Do not be afraid." He said to her. His voice also sounded sad. This made her feel a little foolish at the way she was acting. She nodded to him then looked back down the corridor where she came then back to him. "Follow me." He took her hand and began leading her back down the dark corridor. As they walked, Ashley couldn't stop looking at her hand in his. A small blush appeared on her face. After a little while, the Phantom had stopped and was facing the wall. He pushed on it and it swung aside like a door. "This way." He gently pulled her along as they went down the passage until they reached a flight of stairs. "If you take these to the very top, you should find yourself behind the mirror in the dormitory. Just push the glass aside and you can enter the room. Understand." Ashley quickly nodded. "Good." He turned and began making his way back to his lair. Ashley was still quite shocked that the most feared man in the opera house had just helped her find her way back. But that didn't stop her from thanking him.

"Thank you." She said in an almost whisper, but it was loud enough for him to hear since he stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. He nodded to her then continued on his way. Ashley felt her heart pounding and her face was red.

What's going on with me? She wondered as her hand unconsciously made it to her chest where here heart was and clutched at the spot.

The next morning, Ashley woke up to the sound of Music of the Night. She had left the song on repeat and it played the entire night! She grabbed her iPod and quickly turned it off. She looked at the battery and sighed with relief. Not much of the battery was used. She lifted herself up from her bed and looked out the window. The sun was about to rise.

"You know, I want to see the sunrise over the city." She whispered to herself. She didn't bother to put anything over herself since it was still a bit early and since it was summer she didn't have to worry about being cold. She left her room and made her way to the roof. When she stepped outside, she set her gaze on the horizon where the first rays of the sun could be visible. "It's so strange. The sunrise here is just like the sunrise back home. But somehow, I feel much more peaceful watching this one. She walked over towards the edge to see more of the city. As she sun began appearing in the distance, she watched as the light traveled from the far ends of the city right to her. "A special place…" The door to the roof opened with a loud smack and Ashley turned to see Meg looked a little breathless.

"Christine is back!" She said a little winded.

"Really?" Ashley said approaching her friend. "When did she get back?"

"Not too long ago. Come on!" Meg grabbed her hand and they made their way back down.

They arrived in the dormitory and Christine was sitting on her bed looking shaken and was very pale.

"What happened to you?" Meg asked.

"I can't say." Christine said. "I just can't." Ashley sat next to the girl and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"It's okay Christine, you're back now." She said reassuringly. Christine looked at the girl and smiled.

"You would not believe what happened to me." Ashley just quirked an eyebrow and a half smile appeared on her face.

"Try me."

The song used in this chapter was Home from the Broadway version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

So, as you can see, I did make some minor changes to this chapter. But nothing too noticeable. More chapters gonna be posted ASAP since I worked on them all before I started posting.