After Annabelle left for her appointment, Christine came running over to the group of girls, "I'm so sorry I'm late!" Sorrelli smiled politely as Christine approached, having a teasing tone to her voice, "Good to see you finally arrived. Did the Vicomte keep you up so late that you couldn't bother to wake up on time?" Christine blushed at the mention of Raoul, "Nothing happened between us, I can assure you! We just…" She sighed happily as she remembered the night with Raoul.
She had been surrounded by a group of patrons and other guests at the party when a well-dressed and handsome individual approached her, "I must say, you have improved tremendously over the years, Mademoiselle," Christine nodded and curtsied politely, not recognizing her childhood best friend, "It pleases me to hear such high praise from our patrons, thank you Monsieur…" The man smiled and leaned closer to Christine, "I can only expect the best from Little Lotte, now can I," Christine's eyes widened as she stared in disbelief, the puzzle pieces fitting together, "Raoul?... Is that you?" He smiled and nodded, relieved to see that she had remembered him. They spent the rest of the night catching up on the past decade, clearly both possessing more than just excitement for seeing their old friend.
Christine snapped back into the moment when she noticed the girls staring expectantly and started blushing in embarrassment, "We were discussing how much has changed since our childhood! That's all!" Cécile giggled, "Christine it sounds like you got a boyfriend," she teased. Meg hid her snickers and Sorrelli let out a few laughs at Christine's utter embarrassment.
Christine turned pink and huffed, "You all are insufferable, good thing Annabelle isn't-" That's when she noticed that she was nowhere in sight, "Where is she…" Christine wondered aloud. Cécile shrugged, "She said she was meeting someone, then she left." Meg nodded quietly, Sorelli elaborated, "We were warning her about… Him when she had to leave for an appointment with someone," Christine nodded, "I see… I wonder who she's meeting with," she muttered quietly. But she shrugged the thought off as the dance director came and yelled at them to come to rehearsal for the next show. They all left for the performance with Annabelle's whereabouts slowly fading from their minds.
Around the same time, Erik was carefully rowing himself and the still unconscious Annabelle across the lake towards the island under the Opera house that he called home. He wasn't willing to disturb her just quite yet, fearing that she would be unable to process the fear and once again faint. The boat ride would be the simplest part of the journey, for he need only place her in the boat and make it across without any accidents. He had made the journey countless times, and was therefore confident in his abilities, even with a passenger. They were halfway across the lake when Erik took a small break to study his unconscious companion.
The color had returned to her face, which was a relief to Erik. He noticed that she had a natural blush that added a charm of innocence to her and that her hair fell to just below her shoulders. Her bangs were covering her face so he carefully leaned forward to gently brush them to the side, exposing the young face they were hiding. He could feel his heart starting to race just looking at it, but he contained himself and sat back down to continue rowing to the island. That's when he heard it, the maiden was slowly waking up! He cursed his bad luck and his impatience, if he had just let her alone she wouldn't wake until they had arrived on the island!
He forced himself to calm down by taking some deep breaths, quietly readjusting his mask Once he was confident that yes, his mask hid the abomination that was his face, he waited for Annabelle to wake up as continued rowing to the island.
Annabelle scrunched her face and rubbed her eyes, 'What a strange dream,' she thought to herself. She believed that she came face to face with death! The figure had a pale, mask-like face and was cloaked in darkness. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that it was only just a nightmare. That was when she noticed the rocking. It was almost like she was… Floating? She opened her eyes carefully and was mortified that she was in a boat!
"So you're finally awake…" Annabelle gasped and looked up in horror as she realized that she was in a boat with the Opera Ghost. She instinctively stood up trying to distance herself from him, but Erik held out his arms to steady the ship, "Careful! If you tip over the boat we'll both fall to our doom! The creatures of the lake's depths don't like being disturbed. Make the smart choice, my dear.." Annabelle froze in fear as she peeked at the black abyss below. She hesitated and glanced between the "man" before her and the surface of the water. The fear of the unknown prevented her from diving head first and escaping into the murky waters. Sensing her fear and hesitation, Erik held out his hand to help steady her.
Annabelle looked down at his hand warily, not willing to trust him so easily. Erik couldn't blame her hesitation but in this situation, he knew she couldn't be so untrusting, "Don't worry, I won't let you fall, my dear… I promise…" After a few moments of tension-filled silence, she slowly held his gloved hand and took her seat once more. Erik still held onto her hand even after she had calmed down, which made her a bit embarrassed, "…I presume that you are the one they call the 'Phantom', and the one I spoke to in Box 5?" He nodded, "You may call me Erik, young maiden," and he brought her hand to his masked lips as if to kiss her hand.
Annabelle went bright pink and completely forgot about her fear for the moment, "Monsieur, please!-" She drew back her hand reflexively then paled significantly, terrified she would incur his wrath. Erik, however, didn't seem to be offended. He merely chuckled at her reaction and continued to row them to the island, not pressing the issue. Annabelle, filled with embarrassment at his forwardness and fear for the situation she was in, sighed in relief when they finally reached land. Erik tied the boat to a suitably sized rock so it wouldn't float away. He then gracefully got out of the boat and extended his hand to help Annabelle once more.
She took a quiet deep breath as she took his hand, noting how his touch felt quite cold with the leather gloves. "Thank you for being so... cooperative…" Erik murmured as he helped her onto the land. Annabelle shivered, not used to hearing his soft yet stern voice, "Oh… Um… You're welcome Monsieur… Besides…" she laughed quietly, "It wouldn't have done me any good to resist you. Based on what I've heard about you, you're certainly not a… A man… I suppose, to be trifled with…"
He chuckled, "If only the managers were half as wise as you… We'd have less… accidents…" Annabelle went quiet at this remark. She was once again reminded that if she wasn't careful, either she or her uncle could be the next accident in the Opera House. They came to a structure that seemed to resemble a house but had the atmosphere of a prison. They went through a couple of rooms before he brought her to a room that appeared to be an echo chamber. He walked forward a bit and turned around, displaying its magnificence to her, "This is where we will be having our music lessons, my dear! Your secret desire shall be fulfilled under my tutelage…"
Annabelle's eyes widened in realization, "Music… lessons? You're… not going to… Oh phew…" She was immensely relieved that she was safe, at least for the moment, and took some time to study her surroundings. In the corner of the room, there was a desk that was perfect for writing letters. It seemed to be in good condition as there was a pile of neatly stacked papers next to an ink pot. Before she could focus on the rest of the room, the Phantom gently held her face in his gloved hand and turned her to gaze at him. "Focus on me, my dear... The outside world doesn't exist… Right now, it's time to focus on your music lesson." Annabelle glanced down at his hand and then back up to his masked face. She couldn't tell if the shiver that went down her spine was from fear or his seductive tone. Erik chuckled as he drew his hand away, leaving Annabelle mildly flustered. "Come, my dear, your lesson awaits…"
Time is a fickle thing, especially when you are in a dark place. Erik, The Phantom, walked circles around Annabelle, occasionally giving advice or adjusting her posture while she sang as a predator stalked its prey. Annabelle tried to stop her shivering but it was practically useless. Her only solace was knowing that as long as she could sing she was safe. She didn't know how long she had practiced when The Phantom clapped his hand and silenced her song. She turned to him and bowed her head in humble servitude, waiting to hear his command. "You sing beautifully, my dear. Well done on your first lesson. I am very pleased…" She sighed in relief, but it seemed he wasn't finished.
"I shall return you to the surface and we will continue tomorrow. You will find me at the same time in my Box Seat…" Annabelle looked up, anxiety evident on her face, "T-tommorow Monsieur? I-" The words caught in her throat as he slowly turned to her. The surrounding candle's lights reflected on his mask and gave the allusion of a skull. "You were… saying, my dear?" Annabelle shook her head quickly and held her hands in front of her timidly, "I… I was about to ask if I needed to bring anything for our lesson… Monsieur…" The Phantom was silent for a moment, then he walked towards her. Annabelle winced and shut her eyes, almost sure he was going to retaliate in some way. Instead, she felt a soft gloved hand hold her face and turn it to look at him. Annabelle opened her eyes in surprise once more curiously gazing at the Phantom's "face".
"You need only bring yourself and your wisdom my dear. I will provide all the necessary items, should you wish to stay longer I would not object, however, I advise you to bring some nourishment if you do…" Annabelle nodded slightly as the Phantom released her, "Now… It is time I return you to the surface. The fool who helps my theater will miss you if you're missing for too long…" Annabelle bit her lip as the retort against her uncle fired up her soul. However, this battle was one she knew she could not win, and silently followed the Phantom as he led her through the endless hallways.
Eventually, they had reached an "exit" of some sort. The Phantom gestured and bowed his head to Annabelle, motioning for her to walk through first. She took a small deep breath and stepped through, quite astonished that she was now in the middle of a hallway downstairs, one most people avoided out of sheer laziness.
"Oh! Monsieur how did we-" Annabelle turned back to question her "companion" only to discover that he and the opening to the passage had disappeared. She reached out to the wall to search for the doorway when "Annabelle! There you are! I've missed you!" Annabelle yelped and whipped around, her nerves completely shot from her past encounter. Much to her relief, it was only Little Jammes. Cécile ran over to give her a tight and warm embrace to which Annabelle held her tightly, "You are like ice Annabelle? Are you alright? You've been gone for hours!" Annabelle's face paled and she could feel her stomach sink, "I… Hours? M-my… It seems I've let time escape my grasp…" She chuckled embarrassed and reassured Cécile by petting her hair gently, "I'm alright, I promise… I'll try to be more careful little one…"
Cécile calmed down considerably and dragged Annabelle away, "Let's go, Annabelle… This place gives me the creeps!" Annabelle nodded as she glanced back at the wall as they left, unable to differentiate the wall from the "door". 'It's no wonder the Phantom can travel so effortlessly,' Annabelle thought to herself, 'If the passageways are hidden in plain sight then, of course, he is known as the "Phantom", what else do you call a man who can appear anywhere he pleases…' She shuddered and glanced around, 'Is there no place where he can't go? Truly… This is his opera house, and we are all his guests…'