The Man Clad in Black (Phantom of the Opera)

A Letter to You - Chapter 7

"How did those get there?" Meg asked, looking up to you with both suspicion and curiosity.

"I... Erhm, it's -"

No matter how hard you tried to think of an excuse, nothing came to mind, and you even began to feel lightheaded as your head pounded with thought.

"[Y/N]?"

"I brought them here, Meg," a voice interrupted. The two of you whipped your heads around to see Madame Giry, holding her cane in her hands. You should have known it was her - she was the only one around with such a heavy accent and intimidating presence. "I heard the two of you talking at before dinner, and I wanted you to feel welcome on your first official night here."

You smiled gratefully...

But why was she lying for you?

"Meg, go to the dorms - you still have some of your clothing in there."

"But mom, I -"

One glance from the woman was enough to get Meg to go silent.

"Yes mom," she squeaked quickly, and like a mouse afraid of a cat, she scurried away from the scene.

"Walk with me."

Madame Giry began to walk down the hallway, leaving you to either stay there or walk with her.

"She insisted on getting a room near yours, [Y/N]," Madame Giry said with a soft laugh. "She's quite fond of you... and she's quite lucky to be a smooth talker. Otherwise, she would still be sleeping with the rest of the ballerinas."

You nodded softly.

While you were certain that it was an entertaining story, you wanted to cut to the chase.

"Madame, why did you lie?" you asked stopping in your tracks to face the woman.

She held her breath.

"What do -"

"Madame, please," you said firmly, your eyebrows furrowing. You were a little angry that she had tried to keep up the lie, and you really just wanted to know her connection to the ghost. "A man - the one who owns the opera house - visited me and told me that it was only fair that he brought my things back."

Her breath was taken away, and almost immediately, she looked angry.

"You talked with him?" Madame Giry asked, her tone (and accent) thick with rage. "[Y/N], do you know how dangerous -"

"Madame, he didn't harm me," you said, placing a hand on her shoulder as a gesture of reassurance. Your voice was laced with confidence, and perhaps a little frustration that she didn't believe that you would be alright. It's not like he killed anyone. "He's been quite kind to me, if I might say so..."

"[Y/N], he is a very dangerous man... brave, brilliant - a genius, even - but he is very dangerous."

"Madame, I appreciate your concern, but really... I will be alright," you said with a smile. She let out a sigh, already knowing that you wouldn't listen to her if she said anything else, and she gently rested her cane against the wall as she grabbed your hands in hers.

"[Y/N]..." she began. "I only want the best for you... but if this is truly what you want, then I will not stop you."

You smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Madame... If you'll excuse me, I think I will go back to my bedroom... it's been a long day, and I think -"

Her hand shot up to grab your arm.

"No, [Y/N]!" she said, holding onto your arm firmly. It almost reminded you of the grip that the man had held you with just the night before, although this time, if was much more delicate... Yet, it was still demanding and certain. You didn't dare move. "I was told to give you this before I leave you tonight..."

She reached into her dress and pulled out an envelope. It was outlined in black and sealed with a red skull, and just upon looking at it, you knew that it was the same type of letter that Madame Giry had this morning before. You only remember because of how many people were fawning over the thing.

She handed it to you, and with great care, you took it from her hands.

You couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, Madame," you said, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as you looked down at the note. Before you could open it, however, she rested a hand on your wrist, and you looked up to face her.

"Be careful, [Y/N]," she said again. Before you could give a reply, she was already walking down the hallway, and you quickly decided return to your room.

You finally felt at rest.

You let out a sigh as you closed the door behind you, and as you sat down on your bed, you broke the wax seal and rested the letter on your lap.

Dear [Y/N],

I apologize for not being able to stay for too long - I hope that this letter has reached you safely, and that you managed to get your bra on in time to meet with your visitor...

You paused and reread that sentence... once. Twice. Three times. Did he just make a joke? About your lame excuse? He had seemed so serious to you before, and you just couldn't imagine him saying such a thing... had he really? You were puzzled, although you continued to read.

I would like to meet with you tonight. While I am currently unable to speak with you face-to-face, you can find me in the same place that I had taken you last night... Use the same door in which you found the piece of my cloak... you will then know exactly where you are. The boat will be there, and while I apologize for being unable to row you across, I have left an oar that you will be able to use.

I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

O.G.

He wanted to meet with you? You felt as if an entirely different person had written this, but nonetheless, you were still going to see him.

As soon as you put on your robe, you grabbed a candle, and you carefully emerged from outside of your room.

You could still hear chatter coming from the hallways. You were a little surprised - the cast members all seemed to be awake and partying, but as you recalled the night before, no one had been out to greet you. Perhaps it was because it was so much later... Maybe even far too early in the morning.

Nonetheless, you managed to sneak past them without making a sound, and as you walked to the stage, you were relieved to find that nobody was there.

You glanced around to re-find the steps. Although took a while, you found yourself back up inside of the fly systems, and you quickly traced the walls to remember where you had found the piece of fabric.

You sighed. You already knew that this would be an incredibly long journey...

However, what you didn't know was that it would be absolutely worth it when you arrived.

Especially because you were about to be this man's very first friend.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Things will begin to pick up in the next couple of chapters... You will learn a lot more about this so-called "phantom," and you will begin to venture further into the iconic story of the 1896 Opera Populaire... "incident..." Vote, comment, and continue to enjoy!