It was the final test. I was about to prove myself. I couldn't mess this up. It was simple task, but a great goal! All I was told was to help him spread his stories. He was busy with his masterpiece at this particular moment, so I was intructed to help him. I knew my target and my plan. It was a simple task, as I said. But I was so very ready to recieve the prize at the end.

I slipped into the managers' office, which was extremely easy for me, as I had been practicing my stealth and slyness since I was able to walk. Once inside, I found my place in a dark corner, completely unnoticed among the shadows. I got in a nice possition where I could stay unseen but still see others.

Waiting in that dark corner, holding up my body weight so as not to fall, I kept my eyes on the door for hours. Patience was a key part of my task. After all, there was no telling who could come in, or when they could.

Suddenly, I heard a set of feet clopping down the hallway. My muscles tensed as the doorknob began to turn and the door slowly creak open. Instead of the victims I had expected, the chorus-master, Gabriel, stepped inside, closing the door shut behind him. But beforethe door had closed all the way, I saw a glance of a white, eerie face in the hallway. He was watching me.

It took quite a while for the right chance to happen. I had slipped along the ceiling, completely unseen by the superstitious man. I wasn't paying much mind to what he was doing. He appeared to be reading something, but I couldn't see what.

My ears gave a sudden twitch towards the door. Someone was approaching. I saw my chance as Gabriel looked up at the door. I slid down behind his chair and found a nice, dark hiding space beside him. The fool still hadn't noticed my presence.

The door opened up to reveal the Persian. He looked serious, which was the only way that I had ever really seen him. As the Persian stepped forward, his head moved a bit to the side. Behind him, in the hallway, he was still watching me.

I could see in Gabriel's eyes that he had seen the flash of pale face and deep, dark eyes in the hallway. The oaf through down his book. As quickly as I could, I slipped the bottom of his overcoat over a nearby nail. I couldn't help but smirk as Gabriel leapt up, arm stretched out to touch the iron of his cupboard lock. In doing so, his coat let out a loud shearing sound and a whole skirt was left dangling on the nail. He must have been quite embarassed, because as he made a dash for the door, he smack his forehead into a peg on the wall, without me even having to move from my spot. But I did move while the Persian was watching Gabriel (with a bit of an amused twinkle in his eyes, mind!) and Gabriel was running around like a rooster without its head. I slipped over to the piano and slid the screen out, so as Gabriel came tumbling backwards, his elbow scraped against it. By now he looked absolutely exsausted, but I wasn't finished. He went to lean against the piano, breathing heavily, but I dropped the lid and it crushed his fingers. He yelped in pain and flew out of the door, but I beat him to the staircase, still completely hidden amongst the shadows. As he flung his leg to the first step, I shot my arm out and gripped his ankle as tightly as I could, causing him to fall forward with a great crash and flop down the rest of the stairs on his back. I snickered quietly, and as I watched him laying in pain at the bottom of the staircase, I also caught a glimpse of Mame Giry and Meg Giry running out to help the poor man up.

Before I could watch any more, I was surrounded suddenly by darkness. Then a lantern appeared, and the room was alight. I was back in his lair. I stood straight from my deviace crouch and combed through my hair with my fingers, a terribly habbit of mine. I heard the sound of two hands smacking together in a clap.

"Very good," said a deep voice from behind me. It was him. He was proud!

I continued staring forward, petting my strait, black locks fondly. My hair, unlike other French girls' of this time, was completely strait. I had no natural curl, and I never bothered to fix it, so it was just a mass of thin black strings matted atop my head. But it was perfect for the sort of work I did, for it covered my face well, but it was so thin I could see right through it.

"I am very pleased," the voice went on. "You have proved yourself, indeed."

I was overwhelmed with happiness. To be honest, I hadn't been so happy in my entire life, which is quite pitiful, when you think of it.

A bony hand, covered with a black glove, came to rest on my shoulder. "You may now consider yourself my apprentice."

Turning to stand with my eyes looking down at the floor and my head down low, I whispered. "Thank you, sir. I will not disapoint you." After a moment of thought, I decided the question was bound to come up eventually and I might as well get it over with now. "Sir, may I ask you something?"

"Of course, my apprentice," said he.

"What is your name?" I managed to finally ask.

"Erik," replied he. "What are you?"

I disliked the way he spat the word "what" at me, though I was already quite used to it. Of course, I never expected my own mentor to say it.

"I have no name, sir," I whispered. What an embarassment, to not know your own name! But it was true. I was named when I was born, but I was not old enough to remember it well. But then I remembered something that made me perk a bit. "Actually, sir, now that I think about it a bit, I do remember one title I had at one point in time," I said thoughtfully. "Oh, it was only a nickname, really, but all the others called me it. So it was sort of my name for a while, but by now all those who knew it are gone, so I went back to no name at all."

"Well, what is it?" he asked.

"Chenille d'Ombre," I said.

"Chenille d'Ombre it is, then," said Erik. "You are the Shadow Crawler, and I am the Phantom. I shall teach you everything you need to learn in order to help you become the new Opera Ghost, when the time comes."

"Thank you, sir," I said gratefully.

"No, thank you, Ombre. My time will come, and when I am gone, who will look after my Opera House?"

"Anyone could, sir. If it's not too bold, that is, sir," I added quickly.

Erik chuckled at the comment. "No, my apprentice, I am afraid that not just anyone can look after my Opera House. Which is why I am thrilled to have you here, Ombre. For with the proper teachings, I am sure you will make a fine new Phantom of the Opera..."