The 'Mirror'

3 years later…

"I think it is time Christine found out that I am not an angel." Erik announced off hand one day while he was with the Giry's. They had come visited him and delivered supplies such as wood and food down in his house.

He got four pairs of eyes staring at him. Two pairs from the Giry's, two pairs from their companions.

"What brought this on?" Antoinette asked, the first to break the silence.

"She is not a child anymore." Farren answered while Erik shrugged.

"But, this could go wrong in so many different ways." Valere replied for her human.

"We know, and if she is willing, I will continue to be her teacher. But I do not want to do it as a lie anymore." Erik stated to his family.

"How do you think she'll react to the news?" Meg asked her uncle.

Erik hummed, leaning back in his chair and putting his hand to his chin. "Honestly, I do not know what to expect of her. She has taken me by surprise on more than one occasion. Though, I suppose I fear her rejection of me and the possibility of her wishing to end our sessions. She has greatly improved over the years but is a long way from ready."

Meg nodded and stroked Leala's feathers. "I think she'll want to continue her lessons."

"What makes you say that?" Antoinette asked her daughter.

Meg thought about the way Christine talked about her angel to her. She was always smiling brightly and dreamily when she spoke about him. It had taken a year after Erik had told Meg and Antoinette about his decision to teach Christine to sing that her friend was finally able to admit why she sometimes disappeared from her bed at night but was always there in the morning.

Christine had brought her to the chapel room and lit a single candle in front of her. Christine made Meg sit down on the floor next to her and explained.

"Father once told me of an angel. I used to dream he'll appear. Now as I sing, I can sense him and I know he's here." Christine had taken Meg's hands in hers and gave them a squeeze. "Here in this room, he calls me softly. Somewhere inside, hiding. Somehow I know he's always with me. He, the unseen, genius."

Meg, of course knew that it was really her uncle, accepted the explanation and has since been the person who Christine has come to when she wanted to talk about her angel. She also knew that the other girl had a crush on her angel and believed that if she were to meet Erik, those feelings would not change.

She even suspect that those feelings might even grow to be stronger.

"Oh, just a hunch." Meg answered instead. "When did you plan on telling her?" She asked Erik.

"Ah, probably the next time we have a session. There is no reason to stall the act." Erik informed her.

"Do you plan on telling her about us?" Antoinette questioned.

"Only if you want me to." Erik assured her. "I believe I can make it work without having the two of you involved."

"Don't tell her that I know." Meg hurried to say. "She'll get mad at me for having kept it from her."

"I doubt she would be too upset once you explained yourself." Farren chirped on the armrest of Erik's chair.

"Well, right now, I'm not going to take that chance." Meg countered.

"It is alright, dear one." Erik told her, as he plucked at a feather from Farren's tail, making the eagle squawk and jump off the armrest. "You can choose when you want to tell her. What about you Madame?"

"I think it would be better if she knew that I, at least, have known about this. I can also act as a messenger for the two of you when you cannot come up or are busy." Antoinette confirmed.

"Like you do with my phantom messages?" Erik replied with a playful smirk.

Antoinette shrugged but wore a grin. "If that is how you wish to see it."

Christine went down to the chapel that night like she always did when her and her angel had their lessons. Nada trailed behind her like always, though ever since she had changed into a faun she had become slightly clumsier. Christine could only hope that when she got older and Nada grew, the clumsiness would go away as well.

"Why do I have this feeling that something is going to be different today?" Christine told her companion once they went inside the chapel.

"I don't know, but usually when people have that feeling, it comes true." Nada replied.

Christine nodded and lit the single candle before kneeling in front of it. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, saying a pray for her father in heaven and calling out to her angel that she was there.

She stayed like that for a few minutes, which was normal.

Suddenly, she began to hear soft singing that grew louder as it got closer. She smiled, letting the sound sweep over her, and fill her with warmth. She opened her eyes when the voice stopped, letting her know that her angel was there.

"Angel." She greeted, standing up from her kneeling position.

"Christine." The voice whispered her name but the name echoed in the small empty chapel. She shivered at the sound.

"What would you have me do tonight, master." She asked, staring at the flame in front of her.

"That decision shall be yours tonight, my child, for I am offering you a choice." Her angel replied, and if Christine did not know any better, she would say that her angel sounded nervous.

"If it will please you, I have something to confess." The voice echoed through the walls, surrounding her.

"What is it?" Christine inquired, looking up from the flame to glance at the picture of an angel painted on the wall.

"I must warn you first, Christine, do not be too hasty." The voice instructed her in amusement.

Christine felt her cheeks flush with heat and she looked down at her feet where Nada was lying down. "I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize child." Her angel reassured her. "But I must confess that there is a possibility of me no longer being able to teach you. However—"

"What do you mean not teach me?!" She exclaimed. She gasped at realizing she had interrupted her angel and slapped her hand over her mouth.

There was a pause in the room and Christine felt anxious at the thought the he might have left her out of anger.

Finally, the dreadful silence was broken.

"Are we not a little impatient today." Christine almost sighed in relief at hearing the voice again and was thankful that he sounded entertained rather than mad. Next he spoke, his tone was more serious. "I offer you two choices tonight. Your decision will determine whether or not your lessons will continue."

There was a pause and Christine waited anxiously. Nada, feeling her emotions, stood up and waited patiently beside her to give her silent support, for which Christine was grateful for.

"The first is where you decide to see the real me, which I am reluctant to admit is not an angel as you have believed these past few years. If you can accept me as I am, I will continue to be your teacher."

Christine froze at the confession that her angel was not an angel at all. But before she could give it too much thought, he continued.

"Your second option is where you deny seeing me. I am afraid that if you are to choose this option I would no long be able to be with you as I cannot teach you while you deny to accept my true form."

There was silence after that and Christine figured that it was to let her think to make her decision. She felt betrayed by the thought that her angel was not an angel, but instead was who knew what. Three years, this voice has let her believe that he was an angel, sent to her by her father.

However, she was the one that called out to him in the first place those years ago when she had first heard his voice within the walls. The voice did not have to response to her, it could have left her in her despair driven by her grief, but instead answered her plea and has been with her ever since. The voice had been there for her when she needed it, advising, comforting, and later instructing her.

And now she was being given the option to meet the owner of the voice that has been by her side. It did not matter to her that he was not an angel. The voice had saved her like a real angel would.

Nada's head turned to look up at her and Christine knew that her companion knew what her answer was going to be.

"Enter at last, master." Christine gave her answer. There was no response, so Christine continued, to draw the voice out.

"Angel of music, guide and guardian. Grant me your presence and hide no longer. Come to me strange Angel." She spoke with a melody intertwined with her voice, knowing that the voice loved her singing.

There was a pause but the voice eventually responded in kind, mixing his words with the same melody she had used.

"Flattering child, you shall know me." The voice answered satisfied with her choice. "See why in shadows I hide. Look at the wall behind you, I am there inside."

Christine quickly turned and saw that there was a thin opening right in the middle of the wall. She had never seen it before and started towards it.

Abruptly, the opening grew larger and a small black form shot out of it. Christine heard Nada cry out her name and gasped. She jumped back and covered her head with her arms.

"Farren, I am going to pluck all those feathers of yours out. You did not have to frighten the girl." A male voice, which sounded like her angel but without the echo, scolded.

"Sorry." A female voice responded sheepishly.

Christine lifted her head from her arms and was startled to see a man kneeling in front of her.

He's quiet, she thought, not having heard him at all except for his voice. He was silent, almost like a cat.

The man was at least ten years older than her, probably around Mme. Giry's age. He wore a well-made black suit that fit him perfectly. His form was lean but athletic and around his shoulders was a long wide black cape. In his hand was a hat that he must wear on top of his slicked-back black hair.

What took Christine most by surprise was the pair of golden eyes that almost glowed in the dim room like a cat's and the white mask that covered the majority of his face.

"My angel is the phantom." Christine whispered, remembering all the stories the about the opera's ghost that have played tricks on the employees for years.

Her angel, the phantom, blinked his golden eyes at her.

"You know, out of all the reactions I believed I would receive, that was not one of them." The man confessed, then glared off to the side when laughter was heard.

Christine glanced to the side and saw that the dark form that had rushed out of the opening was actually a black eagle who had taken a spot on one of the window sills.

The eagle was currently snickering.

"I think I was right about my decision earlier. I will pluck out your feathers." The man declared, glaring up at the bird, who was obviously his companion.

The eagle stopped snickering right after he said that.

The man nodded and turned back to her. "I am the phantom, yes, but that is only one of my personas. The phantom keeps my existence safe and people away."

"Away from what?" she asked curious about the man who had been her angel for the past few years.

"Me, my home." The man shrugged, then looked down at the crouching Nada by her side. "I believe we have never been able to meet."

Christine perked up and waved her hand towards Nada. "This is Nada."

"Hello." The faun replied shyly.

The man grinned, and Christine felt her heart skipped a beat. She had known her crush on her angel had increased over the years, but she never believed in her wildest dreams that she would ever be able to see him. Now, standing before her was her claimed angel and he was not only human, but an attractive one at that.

"Hi, I am Farren!" the eagle announced from her spot on the window. She hopped off and dove down until she got to the ground. She went to stand beside her human and cooed at Nada.

"Can I ask you something?" Christine asked the man, who was watching the two companions move away from them to talk among themselves.

The man's eyes rolled over to her, which were below hers since he had remained on his knees in front of her. "Yes?"

"Ah," she began awkwardly. "Does this mean you still be my teacher?"

The man's eyes widen for a moment but then gave her a pleased smile. "Yes, I shall."

"Thank you Angel!" she exclaimed then leaped forward into his surprised arms.

"I am not an angel anymore. You know I am not." The man stated cautiously.

Christine drew back and smiled at him.

"You may not be a real angel, but you will always be mine!"

She could tell the man was amused but she did not mind.

"Well, if you ever get tired of calling me such, my name is Erik." the man, Erik replied.

Christine had a feeling she would not stop calling him her angel anytime soon.

And they met! Just in case anyone is curious, Erik is 27 at this point, Mme. Giry is 32, Meg is 13 and Christine is 14. I had to calculate their age's soo many times before I was able to settle on them. Lol, I had this whole complicated process, anyway this is so you get to know their ages. Hope my readers enjoyed the chapter and will leave a review!