A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been updating as often as I should. I just came up with a new plot twist a while ago and I needed think of a way to fit it into the story. . I want to keep you on your toes.

OOoooo! Who saw x men 3? OMG! Logan was so hot... cough

Last we left off, Erik bumped into Madame Giry and is now living in the Opera House. Christine is with her father who is a bit under the weather.

This whole chapter is on Erik. I will continue with Christine in the next chapter.

And now for the story…

Chapter 21

Erik looked up in awe at the magnificent Paris Opera House, ignoring Antoinette's impatient gaze.

"I thought you were in a hurry to find shelter," she tapped her foot on the cold cobblestone street.

"Don't rush me, woman!" Erik hissed. He tore his eyes from the building at looked at her. "Is there anyone in there?" he referred to the building. "I'd rather not be seen."

"The Opera House is closed today. There will be very few people here," she replied quietly. "You will be staying-"

Erik cut her off, "I know my way around here," he snapped.

"How would you know?" she asked.

"Because I've studied the blueprints," he replied flatly. Erik glided past her without sound.

XXX

Erik traveled though the dark corridors of the opera house looking for the storage closet. He spotted the door he was looking for and opened the door slowly, checking to see if there was anyone inside. When he saw that it was deserted, he stepped inside the large room.

His golden eyes quickly adjusted to the dark room. The room was filled with old stage props, a few brooms, and costumes. He walked toward a door that was at the far end of the room. He gripped the cold door knob in his hand and turned it. The door creaked shut as he closed it behind him, leaving him in total darkness. (A/N: Erik might want to WD 40 the door.)

He went back to the room to find a candle and matches. By a stroke of luck, Erik found that a stagehand had left them sitting on a table. He set back to investigate the dark room, hoping to find what he was looking for.

As he made his way farther into the tunnel, the ground beneath him changed from concrete to cobblestones. The smoothed walls became rougher, turning rocky as the path started to decline.

Erik was walking for nearly an hour. 'I should be nearly there,' he thought to himself. His keen ears picked up the soft dripping of water from the ceiling and he quickened his pace. He stopped short, feeling that his feet were now wet. 'At last I found the underground lake. I shall start building my home as soon as I can.'

XXX

The next morning, just before dawn, Erik went to the marketplace to steal some supplies for his new home.

He returned to the storage room in the opera house with his arms full of supplies. He emptied the contents onto the floor, looking over what he had just stolen. He had some wood and some kerosene that he would use for a torch, boards of wood, a hammer, and nails to make a boat, and some more candles. (A/N: He needs A LOT of candles. .)

He headed down to the lake to start his work.

XXX

The month has passed so quickly that Erik wasn't aware of the date. He had been busy building his new house under the Paris Opera House.

He had managed to build his boat and clear the rock from the other side of the lake, to make way for his house. He couldn't have done it all if it weren't for his skills at not being seen while he stole dynamite and tools.

He had decided to build his house first before he made his trap doors and mazes in the tunnel for possible intruders.

XXX

Three months had passed when Erik had finally finished his house. It contained two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a music room. He made a spare bedroom in hopes that Christine would one day inhabit it.

He had very few items in the house, but he had enough to survive with. Most of the items in the house were from the old props in the storage room.

His chief prize from his rummaging in the storage rooms, was a broken organ that he had stumbled upon. He brought the broken-down pieces to his house to restore it. (A/N: I think he is going to need a really big boat. How about a ship, Erik? lol) It was easily fixed in a matter of hours. He stepped back to admire his work.

It was gorgeous. The paint was a glistening black and the towering silver pipes were shining under the soft candle light. He couldn't figure out why someone would throw something this beautiful in the trash.

In his spare time he had even made a new mask. He couldn't breathe well and he would get very hot with the burlap sack on his head. He replaced it with a white porcelain mask that covered the right side of his face.

Although Erik was very busy making his home, he ate on a regular basis. He only ate for the sake of staying alive. He would take the food from the marketplace or in the kitchens of the opera house. Many of the cooks in the opera house noticed their food was disappearing, so they blamed it on the ghost.

The opera house had come up with the ghost before they realized that there food has been missing. The people would overhear occasional explosions and feel the ground beneath them shake. Little did they know; it was the dynamite that was going off beneath the opera house. Men were sent out to find the source of the noise, but the only way down to the cellars of the opera house was blocked by a six foot mirror. The men tried pushing the mirror aside. The mirror wouldn't budge so they abandoned the search.

The rumors had spread around the opera house like wild fire. It was then that the Opera Ghost was born.

Erik would spend some time in box five looking at the ballet rats practicing their dances with the help of their strict teacher Madame Giry.

One day while watching the ballet rats, one of the background scenes fell at random.

The stage was filled with screaming girls. When the girls settled down, a little red head commented that the Opera Ghost might have done it. Some of the girls argued that the Opera Ghost only stole food, but the majority said that they saw him drop the background scene.

Erik mused at this. The whole opera house thought he was a ghost. 'I guess I could play the roll.' He let out a deep laugh.

The ballet rats looked up at the noise. "It's the ghost!" a girl shrieked. Some girls gasped in horror.

"Girls. GIRLS!" Madame Giry shouted above the voices. "If this class is interrupted one more time, you all will have to spend an extra hour dancing."

Erik smiled and left box five. He headed toward his home to start building trap doors and secret passageways.

XXX

Erik woke in a cold sweat. He kept seeing a little brunette sobbing in a dimly lit room. 'Christine…'

When he calmed down he started to wonder where Christine was. 'She said she would come. It's been nearly four months, and I haven't seen her since.'

'She lied to you,' his mind argued.

'She couldn't have. She's my friend,' he replied back

'You really think she could stand to be your friend. YOU ARE A MONSTER!' his mind yelled back.

Erik's inner battle lasted for an hour. He decided to play the organ to drain out the thoughts.

XXX

(A year since Erik moved into the Paris Opera House)

As time past, Erik's feelings for Christine had begun to turn bitter. He now believed that Christine had lied to him on purpose to make a fool out of him.

His began to block out every emotion except his anger. His heart became as cold as ice.

A/N: I hope you all like the chapter.

Oh, and Erik was 13 at the beginning of the chapter and is now 14. I know before that I mentioned that he was 12 somewhere, but there I think I said that he looked 12 Next chapter, Christine will be 9.

PLEASE REVIEW!