The Journey of the Mask Part 2: Christine's Discovery By Lady Rinthe
This is a sequel to the musical, my first Phantom work which is my own creative idea. In this book there are a few things I'm sure you'll be surprised about and I'm not sure you'll like.
Warning: In all my books, Erik always wins! Even if it is in a rather peculiar way in which it seems no one won!
Anyhow, since I have the aspirations of becoming a full-time author someday, I need all the practice and criticizing I can get. So don't be stingy on the criticizing of anything! I don't get easily offended and I like it when people are completely honest, even if it does hurt a little! So enjoy!
The very next day, Christine determined to go see her closest friend, Meg Giry, and her somewhat mysterious mother Madame Giry. As she made her way through the bustling streets of Paris, she reflected on the previous nights� thoughts of guilt and depression. She hoped that by talking to Mme. Giry it would alleviate the pain a little. It had helped her in the past, and had helped her understand certain things of the Phantom�s nature, too.
When Christine reached their small house, she rang the doorbell. There was no answer, so she rang again. Since no one came to the door, and she found it unlocked, she let herself in.
"Meg?" she called. "Madame Giry?"
There was no reply. She looked into the parlor and the dining room, but they were both empty. Christine decided that perhaps they were in the small kitchen at the back of the house, and so she went into the hallway, which also contained the doors to both bedrooms.
Christine was walking through the hall when, as she passed Meg�s bedroom door, she noticed that it was standing ajar. She stopped and saw Meg standing by her dressing table, her back almost completely turned toward Christine, but angled enough that Christine could see that Meg held something in her hands. She was looking down at it intently, and then all of a sudden she shuddered and a look of anxiety crossed her face.
"Meg?" Christine asked, opening the door all the way. "Are you all right?"
At the sound of Christine�s voice, Meg spun around, a guilty, somewhat fearful expression on her face. Her eyes opened wide when she saw who it was and whatever it was she held in her hands disappeared behind her back in a flash of white.
"What are you doing?" Christine asked curiously.
"Meg�s mouth opened but she couldn�t speak until Christine came forward.
"Oh! Uh, nothing! Nothing at all!" she smiled nervously. "I was just, um, you know, cleaning," she finished lamely.
Christine stared at her, baffled by her peculiar behavior and said, "Meg, what in the world is going on? What are you hiding behind your back?"
"I--can�t tell you," she stammered and then burst into tears and wailed, "You�re not supposed to know! Mama told me never to let you see it! She said it would only hurt you!"
Christine paled at this. She had a horrible feeling she knew what that meant; her heart almost stopped when she thought about it, but she had to know...
Christine almost jerked Meg�s hand from behind her back and then felt a tightness in her chest when she saw what she knew she would. For there, in Meg�s small hand, lay the Phantom�s white mask.
