Chapter 4

ERIK'S POV

Immediately after our lesson I made my way down into the seats of the theatre, not my lair as I usually did after Christine sang. I needed a moment to mull over what had just happened, and my mind wouldn't wait until I was in my home to think.

The passion that she sang with was absolutely astounding! Had I known what that duet meant to Christine, I may have at least been prepared for it, but the sound of the music ripping from her soul left me breathless. The pain of losing her parents, the hardships she had been through, the love she had for them, the love they had for each other… All combined into a few glorious notes!

The world needed to hear her sing. In terms of technicality she still had a long way to go, but that kind of passion could not stay hidden for long. The crime-filled, depressing world needed an angel of music like Christine Daae, and I would stop at nothing to have that happen.

I stole into the manager's office, using the trapdoor hidden behind the old book case. Without hesitation I pulled out a piece of Andre's stationary and found a pen, eager for my plan to begin.

Dear Mr. Andre and Mr. Firmin,

I began to write in my typical cursive… I couldn't bear to type anything, it was simply too impersonal.

I have recently noticed your opera is lacking in the musical talent it needs to be truly amazing. Honestly, this is largely due to your leading soprano, Carlotta. For lack of a better term, she is horrendous; her singing lacks passion, her attitude is atrocious and her acting, well, "horrible" would be a generous descriptor of the way she prances about the stage.

Now why am I telling you this? The answer is simple; I have recently discovered a blooming soprano in the form of one of your chorus girls, Christine Daae. I am anxious her career should take flight, and I would like her cast as the lead instead of Carlotta in the upcoming premier of Hannibal.

I am recommending you comply, not just for your own sake, but for the entire opera.

Signed,

Opera Ghost, (OG)

I chuckled as I signed the letter, laughing at my own genius. The threat laced into the end was subtle, yet effective; not enough to cause downright fear, but just enough to start spreading some unease into the minds of the managers. Perfect.

I looked down at my old-fashioned pocket watch (a rare collectible I has picked up in an antique store downtown) and cursed at the time. At this rate I would be horribly late.

I quickly strode to the back door of the theatre, letting myself out into the cool night. I hailed a taxi a few blocks away careful to hide my masked face under the hood of my jacket. Where I was going, you didn't want any unnecessary attention.

The cab ride was short and uneventful, and soon I was standing outside a small pub in the middle of the city, mostly hidden by large office buildings all around it. I wrinkled my nose in disgust at two teenage drug addicts doing drugs right outside the doors as I entered the nearly empty room. The only occupants were four men, sitting in a corner drinking alcohol out of some rather sketchy looking glasses.

"Phantom!" One of the men, called Bones, beckoned to me. Bones was a short, stout man, but was almost as clever as me, making him a good asset to our little group. Although, I always thought Bones was a stupid pseudonym to take… Of course none of us knew each other's real names, lest someone get caught and interrogated.

"Have a seat!" A different man, Rasputin, called. Rasputin was average sized, but he had connections like no other. Unlike the rest of us, Rasputin didn't lie low, he lived out in the world, blackmailing people into working for us.

I took a seat next to Barnabas, a tall muscular man who always dressed like a gangster from the 1920's, however, he was the most agreeable person in the entire group. He was the muscle of the group, but wasn't stupid by any stretch… and, he was incredibly… Persuasive.

"So we had an incident with one of our muggers last night." Hades spoke up, and everyone went straight into business mode. Hades was our organizer, and oversaw all of our crime operations.

"And what is that?" I questioned calmly, even though it was obviously an issue if he felt it necessary to bring it up.

"He got arrested," Hades said, taking a swig from his glass. "He was mugging an old lady, and some chick jumped on his back and somehow managed to hold him off long enough for the old lady to call the cops."

"Which mugger?" Rasputin questioned.

"Tom," Hades answered immediately.

The group was silent.

"You mean to tell me," Bones said after a moment, "That some random girl off the street, took down Tom!"

"Yes," Hades replied tensely.

"Who the Hell is this girl?" Barnabas exclaimed, "Some freaking wrestler or something?!"

"We don't have a name yet," Hades spoke calmly, "And it all happened tonight so I haven't had a chance to see Tom yet to get a description of her."

"Do you think she knows anything?" I asked quietly.

"No," Hades said, "I think she was just the good Samaritan that tried to help and old lady being mugged."

"So what's the plan then?" Bones answered.

"Rasputin, you'll need to go talk to Tom and get a description, then take it to one of our sources and find a name. We'll see what we need to do from there." Hades said, "In other news, the heist we organized on that little casino last week went swimmingly… Here's your shares gentlemen."

He pulled out four stacks of money out of his briefcase, passing one to each of the men.

"What was the payout this time?" Barnabas asked, beginning to count his money.

" Three million… Five hundred thousand for each of us and five hundred thousand to cover our other expenses."

"What about the bank robbery in two weeks? What's the expected payout for that one?" I inquired, trying to line up my expenses.

"About a million each if we estimated correctly."

"Excellent," I smiled.

"That was a brilliant plan Phantom," Rasputin clapped him on the back, "Pure genius."

"Your plans are helping me pay for all my weekends in Vegas!" Bones exclaimed, "I can get two or three women a night if I want," He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Everyone else laughed, but I just rolled my eyes.

"Well if we are done… I really must be going." I said, standing up to leave.

"Oh, Phantom?" Bones said, and I turned to face him.

"Yes?"

"I can let you know for sure next week, but there may be someone I need to be taken care of, okay?" He spoke softly.

I nodded without saying anything and exited the pub, deciding to go for a walk in the chilly night air.

Those crime ring meetings were so tiresome. All we did was meet, get our money, figure out who we were going to rob, hire and dispose of, and go. Of course, I was sometimes the one that had to do the disposing, but usually it was no big deal… Just another mugger that no one would miss.

However, by the way Bones talked, this person was different. I was curious as to who was so bad that the "Phantom's" skills were required to take care of them.

My curiosity quickly went away as I reached the outer door to my theatre and escaped down into my lair, crossing the lake quickly. The emotions swelling inside me needed to be proclaimed to the world, and there was only one way I could do that.

As soon as I tied the boat to the small dock I made my way to the music room, my fingers immediately starting to trail across the keys.

My beloved Don Juan poured out of me once more, a torrent of unspoken emotion. As I pictured the beautiful character Amnita, I found myself picturing Christine…

In my mind she became the character, and I found myself writing Don Juan with certain elements of myself in it. Of course he was a much better man than I, charming, charismatic, handsome… But with the same cleverness and cunning as myself.

As I approached the beautiful duet between Don Juan and Amnita, my hands suddenly froze on the keyboard, a roadblock setting itself across my thoughts.

This was one of the most volatile human emotions, but one that I had no experience in. How could I write about Amnita and Don Juan's love and passion when it was something I had never experienced?! I was never going to be able to convey the emotions I needed to!

Slamming my hands on the keyboard, I stormed away from the piano, ripping off my mask in pure fury. I threw it to the floor, cursing the ridiculous monstrosity in every language I knew how (And that was over twenty languages).

Life was unfair… So terribly unfair. How could I have been gifted with such powerful music, but have such a cursed face I could never share it?! Was I just some cruel joke by the universe?

Then it dawned on me.

I may not have been able to proclaim my music to the world, but Christine could. Her beauty and magnificence would be eagerly accepted by the world of opera, and the passion in her voice could certainly do my music justice.

I began to formulate a plan in my mind… If I kept developing her voice, acquiring her trust under the guise of her angel of music, I could use her to share my song with the world. She could be my mask to the audiences of this planet.

I walked over to my room, emotionally exhausted due to the events of the day. Without even bothering to take my suit off, I curled up under my silk covers and was enveloped by the welcoming darkness.

AN: Sorry for updating this so late… I got home late from drama However, technically it is Friday for another hour, so I'm still keeping my updating promise Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and followed this story… You are the reason I am motivated to keep writing On that note… I hoped you liked it! And please review