The Opera: A Ghostly Performance of Faust

Tatiana and Michael exchange worried looks as for you wonder what Erik meant. No one was here, and if they were then couldn't someone save you? You forget that you are playing by the rules of Erik and that means there are none.
 "Shall I show you to your seats?" a voice behind you asks.
 You all whirl around. A young French man is waiting for your answer. He is dressed in strange clothes. Though you can't tell what period they're from, you know they aren't modern. His face has an odd pallor and his eyes are an icy blue.
 "What do we do?" Tatiana breathes. She obviously had not anticipated this turn of events.

 If you let the man show you to your seats, go to #8.
 If you don't, continue on:

"I'm not going anywhere with him," you whisper. "This is too weird."
 "I agree," says Michael. "But I don't see that we have much of a choice."
 Tatiana adds, "I think we should go along with him."
 "But," you argue, "It's not possible for this guy to be real, is it?"
 The fairy girl bristles. "I'm here aren't I?" she asks huffily. Her skin glows red.
 You are about to give a sharp reply when Michael injects, "Ladies, please. Focus on the matter at hand."
 Tatiana shoots you a nasty glare. You return it then turn to Michael.
 "I'm not going. I don't trust that guy."
 Michael shrugs. "I think you should reconsider. I'm going with Tatiana."
 You shake your head decidedly. You're not going anywhere, except out.
 Michael and Tatiana follow the usher, and you wonder what to do or where to go. You feel a light touch on you shoulder, so lie that it feels like air. You turn around and find yourself looking into the inquisitive brown of eyes a petite thin girl. Her curly brown hair hangs around her bare shoulders and she is dressed in Degas style ballet rehearsal clothes. Her skin has the same yellowish tint of the usher. She cocks her head to the side and says, "You're dressed oddly."
 You look down at you clothes. You're just in the clothes you always wear. Something definitely strange is going on and this girl before you is so familiar but you know you've never seen her before.
 "So are you," you answer.
 She laughs lightly. "I beg to differ, my friend. But no matter. If you are here for the opera then you must dress appropriately. Come.

If you go back to Michael, run to catch up with the usher at #8
If you go with her, continue on:

You follow the girl gazing wide-eyed at the splendor of the Opera in it's heyday.
 "My name's Meg Giry," she says, leading you past the dressing room doors.
 You stop dead and stare at her. Can't be. That's impossible! Isn't it?
 Meg looks back to see why you've stopped. "What's wrong?" she asks.
 Without thinking, you answer, "I saw a shadow disappear into that hallway."
 Meg gasps in terror and begins to tremble. "He's here!" she whispers more to herself than to you. Grabbing your hand she turns around and runs back to the Opera auditorium, explaining, "We must stay with people."
 But you don't want to go back. What do you do?

If you go back to Michael, then go to #8.
If you see this as a chance to meet Erik alone as you always dreamed,
stop Meg and go on:

"Meg, wait," you say. The girl stops and turns around, jumpy and nervous. Her eyes dart around as you talk.
 "I know about the Phantom." She stares at you. "Please help me find him. Point me in the right direction. Please."
 "Oh, no. I don't dare. He'll hang you his lasso or burn you with his eyes. Oh, no. Do not risk his wrath."
 But you're insistent. Finally, she says she'll take you to her mother, the ghost's box keeper.
 Excited and giddy, you meet Madame Giry and ask to be shown the ghost's lair. At first she refuses, then upon your insistence, tells you that curiosity killed the cat and that she will take you, but your fate is not her responsibility. You agree, thank her, and say good-bye to Meg who will not say anything.
 Madame Giry takes you to the the cellars and points you in the right direction.
 "I will not take you any further," she says.
 You tell her thanks and she whispers,
 "Remember, hand at the level of your eyes!"
 You start off into the darkness of the cellars. You pull out a pocket flashlight that you didn't know you had and shine the tiny beam around. It dances over the walls and floor catching the edge of black material disappearing behind a wall. You run after it and chase it for quite awhile. You think you finally have it cornered, but it's disappeared completely. Were you actually chasing Erik? Or maybe a real ghost? You laugh at your last thought.
 You decide to try to find the house on the lake. But there's one little problem, you're lost. You have no idea where to go. So you start walking. And walking.
 It's hopeless you cry out for Erik, but never receive a reply. You call for Michael or Tatiana. But there's no guarantee that they're even still alive. You wonder aimlessly for days. There's no food, no water, just rats. You spend you're time fighting them off. You can no longer use your flashlight; the batteries are dead and the light just attract the rats anyway.
 You begin to wish you had never set out on this quest to find Erik. You're not even sure that he exists anymore. In fact you begin to doubt that any of those events happened. You hope that you'll wake up to find this just a dream, but you don't.
 You grow weaker and weaker from lack of food and water. Often you think you can hear the gurgle of the underground lake, but you never find it. You must have water. But there is none.
 You are never seen or heard from again.
                                                The End

Erik won! Click on the rose.