My Phantom (Phantom of the Opera Phanfic)

Chapter I - A Mask

Phantom of the Opera is NOT owned by me. It is owned by Gaston Leroux and Andrew Lloyd Webber. [insert other copyright stuff]

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"All of us have ways in which we mask and cover our pain."        -Iyanla Vanzant

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Erik's POV

        I thought about the girl who had brought me here quite often. She had shown me the first act of kindness in a very long time. I had just murdered someone in front of her, yet she acted as if nothing had happened. Sadly, I could not say that I regretted killing the man. By all means, I wish I had done so earlier.

        I felt tears begin to build up in my eyes. I wiped them away angrily, Do not cry. You are the Devil's Child, you are a monster. I lifted my head, No. I am not! If I truly were that ugly, then why did she not run? 

        So forth and so on, I carried on this inner war until I heard the door open. I looked up expecting to find the police, but instead I saw the young ballerina. She walked up to me with some clothes and said, "Here put these on and follow me." She turned around and waited for me to change.

        I quickly undressed and donned the clothes given to me, tapping her shoulder when I was done. I swallowed my spit and asked, "I am sorry Madame, but I do not know your name."

        Her long brown hair bounced as she smiled, "Antoinette Giry." She grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the hallway, past a series of doors.  One, two, three...eight... fifteen. Then we stopped. She twirled towards me and said, "The police will be looking for you for a few days and I can't hide you in the ballerina's dormitory." She hesitated for a second, "I found an entrance to the catacombs a while ago, nobody else knows about them." She stopped once again before continuing, "It is the only place I can hide you without being discovered." 

        I looked up at Antoinette and expressed my gratitude. Keeping my monkey by my chest, I entered the catacombs though the drainage hole. I had barely gone down five feet when my feet hit the ground, I looked up at the light and saw Antoinette handing me a few candles and matches for my journey.  I took them as she told me, "I will try to come bring you food as often as possible, Erik." I nodded and walked away, looking back one last time. I walked into the darkness with my monkey, matches, and candles.

        After walking down the corridor for a few minutes I finally ran into my first crossroad. I decided to go right, then left at a strange rock, and straight for five minutes. As I took a right, I realized that I was now in a large cave with and underground lake. In the center of the lake, there was an island I could fashion into a place to live. Right, left at the weird boulder, straight, and a right. Remember that. 

        I returned to the drain as he waited for Antoinette to return.

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        It had been two months since I had entered the catacombs. During that time, I had explored many tunnels and lived on the food Antoinette brought for me. She had even been kind enough to bring me a bar of soap to wash myself in the lake. I hadn't told her where I was getting my water from, and I didn't plan to. I had constructed myself a makeshift boat to get to the island, obviously nothing too fancy.

        On this particular day, I had decided to explore a new tunnel. I veered off into the darkness, capturing every small detail with my, now superb, night vision. Being so caught up with the wallks, I walked straight into a strange wall. Or so I thought.