CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
Meg POV

I ran through the backstage, still trying to understand all that I had seen tonight. My best friend was in love with the Opera Ghost, I had seen it in her eyes, and he had captured her in his frenzied rage. Not to mention that the opera house was on fire, and that a mob was rapidly forming.

It didn't sound like such a bad idea, and I was about to join them when I saw my mother leading Raoul through the swarms of screaming ballerinas.

"Come this way, monsieur Vicomte. I will show you," she called to him, as they pushed through the frantic crowd.

I hurried over. I had made Christine so much more nervous than I wanted her to be and I had been so wrong. Christine and I hadn't talked for months because of my foolish mistake. It was easy to confuse Raoul and Philippe at first glance, but I couldn't believe I had been so stupid for this long! I had much to apologize for, especially since I had caused this mess during such a traumatic period in our lives.

"I'll come with you," I told him, hurrying along behind him. I was glad my character had dressed like a boy. It would mean I could wander around more freely than I would in a dress. My mother looked around at me.

"No! You must stay here. I can't risk losing you!" she called and was gone, swept away with the crowd. But this time I would not listen.

I was done being the little ballerina, always shunted around because I was a girl. It was time to take action.

Raoul de Chagny wouldn't last five seconds against the Phantom, so I would be the one to save the day.

But the way she had been looking at the Phantom, I wasn't so sure if Christine wanted to be saved.

Nevertheless, it was time to man- er woman up and save my best friend. Her life depended upon it.

~0~0~0~0~

Christine POV

Erik dragged me down the damp pathways to his lair, as I struggled to get my hand out of his iron grip and not trip at the same time.

"Down once more to the dungeon of my black despair, down we plunge to the prison of my mind. Down that path into darkness deep as Hell!" he yelled at me, though he really didn't need to. The halls echoed any sound, even if it was as quiet as a pin drop, so my ears were ringing. As the mask had come off, so had most of his sanity and I was desperate to calm him down.

"Erik… Erik, please I~" He cut me off, wildly spinning around to look at me.

"Why you ask was I bound in chains in this cold and dismal place? Not for any mortal sin, but the wickedness of my abhorrent face!" he spat, disgusted with himself.

It was not abhorrent. It didn't startle me in the slightest any more. Now, only the monster released from within scared me. This monster was lethal.

Dragged into the lake encircling his home, I tried to get out of his grip, but he fought me, forcing my body against his as he pulled me up onto the land.

"Hounded out by everyone, met with hatred everywhere. No kind words from anyone, no compassion anywhere. Christine…why?" He was now crying, switching emotions quicker than the weather. His hands found my shoulders and shook them once violently.

"Why?" he growled a bit more impatiently. I didn't reply, searching his eyes for the suave man who had been there less than a half an hour ago.

Because they don't understand, they can't see the true beauty you hold, I thought, but my throat was too dry to say it aloud. If only the angel in him would come out. This was not the man I knew, not the man I had loved.

Come back, my Angel, I begged in my mind. Don't leave me in the dark.

~0~0~0~0~

Meg POV

"This is as far as I dare to go, monsieur," my mother told the Vicomte, who nodded and continued on. I flattened my thin dancer's body against the wall as my mother went passed. Thankfully, her eyes were to busy watching for the Phantom to spot me.

I tentatively stepped after Raoul, who was walking down the stairs as if it were a regular staircase. I took my time, testing each step before I put my full weight on it. It was a good thing I did, for halfway down the stairs, Raoul fell through a trapdoor and was sealed in.

I sighed a little. He was infiltrating the domain of one of the greatest mastermind's ever and he didn't expect any traps? He was a fool, an annoyingly handsome fool.

I hurried down the side of the stairs, and over to the trapdoor. Stepping lightly on the door, it swung open. Beneath a moss-covered grate, that was lowering rapidly, was Raoul. He swam around like an idiot, trying to keep his golden locks out of the water.

"Madeline!" he called up to me. I quirked an eyebrow up with annoyance.

"It's Meg, monsieur," I corrected, remembering how he called Christine 'Charlotte' when he was younger. Obviously, he was not good with names.

"Help me up!" he cried, and I looked around for a something to control the water. The bars were just squeezing down on his head, when I spotted a wheel a little ways down. Leaning over, I spun it to the right a little. The bar instantly began to rise. I spun the wheel until the bar was at the very top. I slid the bars over to the side, locking them in place with a resonating click. Raoul swam to the top.

"Thanks, Madeline, I~" He stopped short, seeing something to his right. I looked over and saw a small crawl hole.

"A passage!" I cried, but he had already clambered up it.

"Hey!" I jumped in to the freezing water, and surfaced quickly so I could scramble after him.

Though we were in the home of a murderer, I couldn't help feel excited. I had heard so many tales of the secret passages around me and to go in one was a dream come true.

I just hoped I wouldn't meet the murderer too soon.