The Phantom of the Opera: Phantom's Apprentice (Complete)

Chapter 2 (10 Years Later)

The snow had been hitting the ground lightly as the sky grew dark. The city streets were becoming deserted due to the temperature dropping and the lateness of the time. The street lamps were being lit by the lamp lighters and a few guards were patrolling the dark streets. Clouds covered the sky and the moon was barely showing through them. Snow continued to fall slowly to the ground.

The streets were now deserted. Even a few guards had gone inside to shield themselves from the cold, most of them running into bars for glasses of brandy. It was silent. No sound could be heard except for the occasion footstep of a guard. The only things you could see were the lit street lamps, candles in some of the windows, and a wreath on a couple of doors.

A guard was walking along the street quietly. He was cold but did not seem to mind it. He was used to it. His uniform was neat and clean. His hat sat on his head tightly. He walked along his route and kept sharp eyes on every corner.

"It is quiet tonight", he spoke. "To think, people would be doing shopping at this hour. It is close to Christmas." He shrugged his shoulders had his own remark and kept walking. He was now on a more open street. In front of him was a massive building. It was old and abandoned. The pillars by the doors had chipped but stayed up, but the front doors were closed off. The guard walked closer and gazed upon the old building. "How music would come out of those walls." He spoke up. "I remember when I was young seeing a show myself in this theater." He walked even closer. "Though I do remember the night an accident occurred." He closed his eyes and sighed. "The voice of that singer, it made the room light up with joy. It was so beautiful."

He kept his eyes closed for a while, and then a sound was heard. Opening them, he looked around. The sound was heard again. "What could that sound be?" After a moment of silence, a light song was heard from a distance. "What is that?" It sounded like a bird singing in the night. Looking around to see where this beautiful sound was coming from, he noticed something on the roof of the building. A tall figure was seeing faintly on a corner of a roof. The guard tried to squint but did no good. No real details were seen, only a dark figure. The guard shook his head, and looked again. The figure had vanished and the song had stopped. "I swore I saw something up there." After thinking this, he shook his head. "I must have been in the cold for too long. I've been seeing things." He then turned around and walked back in the direction he came.

As the guard disappeared, the area was empty. The only thing you could possibly see was the figure on the roof of the old building. The figure was of a young girl, singing into the night. She wore a dress of dark red with black trim on the bottom. She also wore a dark red cloak on her shoulders to protect her from the snow. Her hair was a dark brown and very curly. It was pulled up half way in a bun and half way down. She had a pretty face that could catch twenty men's attention. Her eyes were a dark brown and she had a smile as bright as the sun. She looked into the distance over the city. She watched as lights would go out one by one.

"I should get back." She thought to herself. "Master will worry." She turned around and got down from the ledge. She closed her cloak and began to go for the door back into the building. The cold was making her shiver more and more, but what really made her shiver was the thought of her master worrying about her.

"I was worried." The girl stopped in her tracks, her hand already positioned on the handle of the door. She turned around and looked to an angel statue that stood a few feet away. It was large and towered over her. She looked to it with a face that was calm.

"Why must you spy on me?" She responded. "There is no need for it." After saying this, a dark figure came out from behind the statue. His hair was slicked back and a white mask sat on half of his face. A cloak sat upon his shoulders as well. He looked at the girl with a face that seemed concerned but calm.