Melody woke up and never had she felt more excited than at that very moment. The thought of going to a school, like all of the others was simply too much for her. It's not like she never met anybody but her parents (aunt Meg and her mother stopped by sometimes, and that Persian guy Nadir also visited once in a while) but this was different. This time she was in control.

She got dressed and went to the main room. To her surprise, her parents were already awake and ready to go. She still smiled at the thought of living on her own for a while. She took her time to look at the room for she wouldn't see it again in a small period. Nevertheless was she happy.

They all arrived at the small apartment and she never felt so free as she entered the apartment.

"I know it's not that big but I hope that you'll like it," her father said. Melody, still looking in awe at her new residence, answered "It's perfect, really it is. I don't know how to thank you for letting me do this, it means a lot to me" "Well, I guess you'd better thank your mother, it was she who talked me into this"

Melody looked at her mom and in less than a second she had crossed the room and gave her mother a tight hug "Thank you so much," she said to her mother. When Melody hugged her, Christine looked over to meet Erik's gaze and she was ever so glad she decided to stay with him. Erik seemed to notice this and smiled towards them. Never could he have dreamt this would ever happen to him.

He sighed knowing he would have disturb this precious moment to show Melody around in the streets of Paris.

"Melody, it's time to explore the streets of Paris, we wouldn't want you to get lost would we now" Melody let go of her mother and followed her father towards the door. He told her all the ways she need to take the first few days and maybe even weeks. "After a while you'll be able wander around the city on your own. But never let your guard down, like all cities, Paris isn't that safe to wander in when the sun has set. Especially for young woman" "With all you've thought me, it's not safe for them to attack me"

Erik laughed at the comment "True, but don't grew to confident. They may surprise you and even overpower you" "I promise you I'll be careful. Whilst having her tour around town, she noticed that people always stopped in their tracks when she and her family arrived. It annoyed her enormously, but she didn't let it show. But her father knew how she was feeling. "Are you sure you want to do this? They'll never stop starring." "Well that's their waste of time. I'm sure I'll get used to that"

Erik still felt the hard sting of guilt, but as a master of disguising his feelings nobody ever knew.

After spending the entire day showing Melody every possible route to her apartment and school ( and even to the opera), every was tired. They all needed some rest and decided to go back home. After having dinner, Melody went straight to bed and let herself literally fall onto her bed. She was exhausted by having to progress all of the new information, but she also felt extremely content. Within a minute, she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

4 days later

"Melody, wake up. It's time go dear"

Melody jumped out of her bed and got dressed in less than 30 seconds. She was too excited, today was her first day of actual school. She ran to the main room and almost knocked over her dad.

"Looks like somebody is ready to go," he said while moving out of the way. "Uhu," was her only reply. She was about to enter the tunnel which gave access to the Rue de Scribe when she heard someone call to her. "Aren't you forgetting something?" her father asked. Melody stood there a little bewildered. Surely she had thought of everything.

Erik could not help but smile. "Your forgetting this," he said while handing her a new mask.

It was a black one, resembling his own, but with some red and gold decorations. She looked at it in awe. "It's not because you have to wear a mask , you can't make something fashionable out of it," he said to her. Melody didn't seem to know how to respond. Therefore, she stayed silent and just looked at her father. He seemed to understand her and gave her a small smile. "You'd better go know, you'd better not be late on your first day," her mother said entering the room. Melody woke up from her little trance, said goodbye to her parents and off she went.

As she entered the building, she was amazed by its decoration. The ceiling was painted with various biblical scenes and the walls were furnished with ornamental stones in gold leaf, a great amount of paintings and sculptures. She could have stand there for the rest of the day, just to look at the place. "Are you new here?" a boy asked. Melody, who now felt extremely stupid for just standing there answered the boy. "In matter of fact, I am"

"Okay, maybe I can show you around and make sure you get to your classes," he offered her. "That is, if you haven't already someone to show you around Miss …?" Melody wondered why the boy talked to her. The whole time people have avoided her. But then it hit her, she had been watching one of the painting on her left side and even when she answered him, she had not looked at him. So he couldn't have seen her mask. She sighed and turned her face to meet his and when she did, she saw him looking at her curious. "Are you sure you still want to show me around?"

"Why would I mind, it's not because you seem to hide your face for some particular reason I would take back my offer" "I wouldn't mind if you did, people tend to just avoid me. I thought you would too"

"Well, I'm still waiting on your answer" Melody couldn't help but smile a little. This boy didn't seem to take no for an answer. Probably royal, always getting what he wants she thought. "Well because you are so persistent, I kindly accept your offer. The name is Melody. Melody Destler"

"Well then Miss Destler, you can call me Jean-Jacques. Let us start, shall we?" and he hold out his hand to her. But instead of grabbing it, she gave him a look and he drop his hand. "I guess you have singing first, then working on your acting skills and then playing the instrument you picked, am I right?"

"Yes you are, monsieur …" Melody answered. "Like I said, just call me Jean-Jacques" and with that he started walking in the direction of the singing class. The fact that she just could call him by his first name confused Melody. If he was from royal blood, he would have bragged about his title. But maybe he wanted to be an unknown boy. Maybe he thinks that they'll treat him like anybody else, when if he admitted to be royal they'll treat him extra nice. She could understand him if he didn't tell them for this reason. She wasn't likely to introduce her as the Opera Ghost's daughter. She wanted people to accept her as she was and not fright them away because of her parentage.

Melody followed Jean-Jacques and he opened the door to reveal a bunch of people who seemed to know each other for a while. She felt an outsider and Jean-Jacques noticed. "We all go to this school for 3 years now. That's the reason everybody knows everybody. Don't worry they'll accept you quickly." And with that he started to gain their attention.

"New pupil guys," he yelled. Everybody focused on Jean-Jacques and her. She could easily tell they weren't used to someone with a mask, their faces betrayed their emotions. "Everybody say hi to Melody Destler" They all said hi simultaneous. They still kept on staring at her. She didn't knew why they did. "You have to introduce yourself a little," Jean-Jacques.

Melody didn't knew if she ever felt so embarrassed in her life. She put on a nervous smile and started the introduction: "Hi everybody, my name is Melody as already said by Jean-Jacques. And I don't really know what to say else"

"You can start with telling why you wear a mask," a blond boy in the back of the class said. Some of the other pupils started to snicker and a few glared at him. "Or you can tell us where you got it, it's beautiful," one of the girls who glared at the boy asked. "Well, my father gave it to me," Melody answered.

"You still didn't told us why you wear it," the same boy said. Melody's temper began to rise. The only thing she despised from her heritage of her father was the temper, not her face. "Well sire, it's non of your business. And I hereby warn you all, if anyone even comes to close to my mask they will meet my temper. And you don't want that," she stated a little angry. Good job Mel, now you'll never be accepted.

"Really," that boy said while walking towards her "and what it is you're going to do if I came to close to it" He made a move to grab her mask, but she was quicker. She grabbed his arm and threw him into a wall, grabbed a dagger which was hidden in one of her sleeves and threw it next to his head at the level of his eyes. When realization struck her, she just ran out of the classroom.

A few students looked at each other for a moment, and the same girl who helped Melody sprung out of her chair and said "Well done Phillipe" and then she ran to the one place she would run to if she felt bad, the ladies she entered the room she could hear what was going on inside: "Good idea Melody, throwing daggers at people within the first 5 minutes. God, I'm so stupid."

"No you're not," the girl said entering the ladies room. Melody looked up at the girl. "He needed that a long time ago. The name is Katerina," she said holding out her hand. Melody shacked hand with her. "Thanks, I know I have a short temper and I don't like it when people are messing with the mask"

"Well maybe it's a stupid question, but why do you where one," Katerina asked afraid she triggered Melody's temper. "I rather don't talk about it," Melody said with a sad look. "Okay then, now lets go back, shall we?" Katerina said and she turned to the door. "Wait," Melody yelled "I never got the chance to say thank you for coming after me"

"It was nothing, but we better go now before Madame Galure is there before us" and with that the 2 girls left the ladies room. Melody felt a little guilt when she re-entered the classroom and took a seat next to Jean-Jacques. "Are you alright," he asked her. "Yeah, I'm fine" and with that Madame Galure entered and class started.

Auhors note: Sorry if my spelling/grammar suck. English isn't my native language. So there can be some wrong expressions. If anyone notice on, please be kindly enough to mention them to me and I will correct them.

Oh yeah, could you also tell me what you think of the story, because if nobody likes it I will stop this story.

Because I don't have much time now (the exams are coming closer and closer) it could take some time before I update. My most sincere apologies for that