Frightened, Sophie forced her eyes open, remembering that she came exactly for this - to see the dreaded "Phantom of the Opera". She was surprised because he actually seemed rather attractive; but the well built body under the suave outfit that had caught her eye also made him more dangerous. He could easily kill her - or worse - down here; he could finish her against this wall right now. She looked up and noted the large white mask that covered part of his face. That's strange, she thought.
She was taken aback by the fury in his expression; he was burning with barely concealed rage. Her mind began to race, frantically searching for the right words to save her from her predicament.
"I am so sorry Monsieur! I didn't mean to intrude, I was simply in the prima donna's room, awaiting her return when-"
"Save your breath child." He tightened his grip and Sophie squeaked into silence. She was panicking. Her instinct was to claw, to dig at the hand against her neck; but she was too frightened at what he would do in reply. She settled for a defiant glare, looking him straight in the eyes. He smirked in amusement - she wouldn't be broken so easily. Sophie's eyes widened, filling with fear thinly disguised as rage, and the Phantom continued:
"I will ask you once, and only once: who are you? And how in God's name did you find this place?" Sophie started to speak, but found she could only gasp and sputter for air. The Phantom slightly released his grip. She took a deep, desperate breath, fighting the urge to wail and cry, her chest heaving. She felt as though she were about to faint.
"My name is Sophia DeLucas, I've lived here under the care of Madame Giry since I was seven. My mother was suffering from consumptio-" His grip tightened even more than before. Sophie tried to cry out from the pain, but no sound escaped her lips.
"I only asked for your name, and how you found this place. Nothing more." His smirk came back, this time with a tinge of anger and sadism. Tears began to stream down Sophie's face. No, not now! I can't let him see how frightened I am. Her heart was racing. The world was starting to swim around her. She tried to lift her arms, but they didn't seem to move. She panicked, sputtering and writhing, unable to escape his grasp. She fell to the ground. So this is how it ends. Underground, in a place no one will ever find her, at the hands of some insane masked man. Her ears were ringing. Her sight was fuzzy. Her head was about to lift from her shoulders and float away... and then darkness.
Sophie woke with a start, immediately gasping for air. She was horrified to see that she hadn't been dreaming; she could still see the vast underground lake in front of her. Her arms were suspended above her head. Chains.Damn it.
"Ready to tell me the rest of what I asked?" She looked around. She didn't see the Phantom anywhere, but it was unmistakably his voice. He sounded amused.
"The other girls in the opera house, they told me. As for who told them I haven't got a clue. And even if I did I wouldn't tell a monster like you." She spat defiantly. She should have been terrified, but instead she felt emboldened, almost daring him to kill her.
"You try my patience girl. Now... what to do... I'll give you a choice." He suddenly appeared in the corner of Sophie's eye, a deranged grin stretched across his face as he walked over. "You can either go back up the way you came and tell nobody about what or who you found down here, or you can life the rest of your life wandering around the dark underground labyrinth of the Opéra Populaire. It's your choice."
Sophie began to speak but the Opera Ghost quickly covered her mouth.
"Ah, ah... No need to say anything. How about nod once to stay, and twice to go?" He seemed genuinely delighted in making her submit to him. She glared at him fiercely, nodding twice.
In a quick swoosh, everything went black for a moment, her chains unlocked, she was free, and the Phantom was gone.
"Have a nice life, Ms. DeLucas." His voice echoed calmly through the caverns.
How? She thought. Her shock at what just happened was enough to make her get up and scramble back up the stairs. Upon seeing the mirror-door she noticed that it was transparent, like a window. She could see that Carlotta was still there, getting ready for bed. She waited, exasperated, for her to fall asleep.
She wasn't sure how long had passed before Carlotta's breathing became rhythmic enough to signal that she was fast asleep. Sophie stood up, groaning as she stretched her stiff muscles. She slowly unlatched the lock so that there was no way it would awake the sleeping opera queen. One foot at a time she padded out of the secret door and across the room to the large wooden exit. Finally escaping Carlotta's room, she ran through the opera house into the room that she shared with her long-time friend Meg Giry, and a few other girls. Arriving at the door she quietly opened it, stepped through, and closed it. She walked across the room and into the rather small bunk that she shared with Meg. She felt so relieved to finally be safe in her bed, but the entire night, until she fell asleep she felt as if someone was watching her.