(Erik's POV)

I woke up in one of the chairs that I brought into my lair the last evening. I rubbed my eyes, only to realize that the mask that I wore over one half of my face was digging into my skin. I stood up and stretched. I have not had a sleep like this for quite the time I remembered. But still, my sleep was dreamless as always. I walked over to one object in my lair covered with a big drape and I tore the drape down. Behind it was a big reflective surface framed with gold. It was a big mirror.

In the mirror, I saw the image that I so despised. My own reflection. I combed back my messy straight black hair with my fingers and already knowing what would be underneath it, I removed the white porcelain from my face. From the very few things I remembered, I remembered the reason why I wore a mask. My face was deformed underneath.

My eye on the deformed side was a bit drooping, my cheekbone was a lot more prominent with two big gashes underneath it, revealing the muscle and a bit of bones I had underneath. There was also a very similar gash on my temple and it had a small cut near my cheek from when I rubbed my eyes.

I quickly cleaned the cut and replaced the mask onto the damaged half of my face. I couldn't stand looking at that distorted flesh.

I then went to look into the opera house above me, to see if I would find something that would lead me to the lost princess. I went through the paths and tunnels that the ones who were here before me must have built.

I suddenly heard soft footsteps echoing in the passageway. Soon, a figure appeared in the distance. It was a girl. She had straight red hair, she was a lot smaller then me and she was wearing a white dress with a short poofy skirt. She must have been a ballerina and she wondered here by accident.

She was suddenly really near me and I didn't have a place to quickly hide in. She was looking around until I came into her view. She stopped, her eyes almost poping out of her head. She then screamed and ran away.

It must have been because of my eyes; they have a strange yellow-ish color and they dimly glow in the dark. That is the reason she must have been scared of me.

I followed her, because she surely must have known the way out. I followed her through the rafts and she ran into a chapel.

"Christine, you couldn't imagine what I saw!" She started to share her adventure with an another girl who waited there for her. "So, I went exploring the catacombs once again and there was this ghost with glowing yellow eyes..." The redhead was still frightened.

"Diane, don't worry." The brunette shushed her. "The ghost that you saw might have not even been a ghost and I can assure you that it won't hurt you."

I looked at the girl calming the little scared ballerina. The little ballerina called her Christine. She had long curly brown hair, big doe chocolate eyes and a petite but curved figure. She might have been about 16 years old and she looked very familiar to me. Like I knew her in an another life.

"Diane, may I tell you a story?" Christine asked her, smoothing the little girl's hair.
"Of course you can, Christine."
The young ballerina said, lifting her spirits.
"My father told me this story before he, unfortunately, passed away at our little house by the sea.It is a story about a little girl, just like you, or even smaller, and her strange guardian..."

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Author's note for the reader

Hi, my dear readers!
So, I got a new update today! This was originally meant to be posted on my birthday, 5th of April, but I had a lot of work to do.
So, here, we have a new character named Diane. She is my tribute to @jessicarocks5555 's phanfic The Music Teacher. And now, you may be asking "Where is Meg?". Easy, she is up there, in the light angel kingdom. (If you payed attention during the prologue, you will remember) Of course, we couldn't have 2 Megs at the same time, so therefore we have Diane in the human world and Meg up there.

If you liked this chapter, give it a vote and write your opinion down below.

This chapter is dedicated to @jessicarocks5555 who is like my buddy here, on Wattpad. Thank you so much for the reads and votes!

Yours,

AdriElsa37