spoiled rotten Viscount that he was, but the young, adventurous, brave, and "puppyish" pup that he once was. What happened in those years?

   He had grown up, and those long, tough years of being pampered by his mother, and being sent off to the military by his brother, seemed to not turn his skin into cold, hard steel, but his heart instead.

   Gosh, it's been, what, 15 years since then? I wonder if she remembers me after all this time. He pondered this as he got into bed, but he wasn't exactly sure. Jenna had seen him, but she seemed to not recognize him, even when they met face to face. Also, Jenna didn't refer to him as Stephen, just Monsieur Vicomte and Steele de Chagny.

   Maybe she really did forget about me, he thought as he lay down on his pillow, Perhaps I'll be able to figure it out when we go out to dinner. Then I'll see if she still thinks of her Stephen from time to time. He realized that this could probably be his chance to get Jenna to finally see that he is the one she wants. If it happened once, then it could happen again.

   Right?

   Either way, he smiled as he thought of them being friends again, and perhaps even more than that, just like the good o'l days. He the fell asleep with the words Little Lotte on his lips.

Chapter 3

   Rehearsals for the newest production of Charles Gounod's Faust were underway a month before the Gala was performed, which would premiere in only 2 weeks afterwards, so there was a rush amongst the staff as they tried to get as much of the Opera done in such a short amount of time, as much of Act 1, 2, and 4 had already been rehearsed and completed. However, due to La Carlotta's absence, they had to resort to using Jennifer Daae as the brief understudy for Carlotta during rehearsals of Act 3 and 5.

   As Act 3 was being rehearsed, a female canine was casually walking down the 2nd floor hallways of the Opera House, which were connected to the Box balconies of the theater, which was were she could normally be found, going in and out of the Boxes and checking for who and where guests would be seated for a performance. She had jet black fur on her face, with a strip of white running down the middle, with the same pattern of colors repeated on the rest of her body, with a layer of black fur on her back and tail, which contrasted with her snowy white underbelly, which also went down to her paws, where the black color ended on her ankles and elbows. She wore a jet black dress jacket, which ended at the base of her stomach, along with a small emerald gem that was attached to white ruffles that went down the front of her chest, with golden cuff-links at the end of the sleeves of the jacket. Madame Elisabeth Aurelia, the Opera Canine's Box-Keeper, a title that she held with an iron paw.

   The origin of the Box-Keeper seemed unknown to the staff, however due to her rich accent it was clear that she was not from Paris, but from England, yet her past life was a mystery. It was said that she had moved from London not too long ago, but many of the staff didn't really know her enough to ask what she had done beforehand, as she did not have any surviving relatives, nor did she have any friends to be with or companions to talk with, so she was always alone during her time at the Canine.

   In this rather odd character, she was seen just as mysterious as the Opera Ghost. The staff could clearly tell that after her first day at the Canine (which was approximately 6 years back) something seemed to have changed from her friendly demeanor, into a rather puzzling one. She could be seen wandering the halls of the balcony Boxes, going up and down over and over, peering out through the Box's red velvet curtains, and her overall aura was certainly mystifying, yet curious. Though no one was exactly certain as to why she acted this way, it was clear that something indeed must have happened to her.

   Some say, that she was the only one to have actually spoken to the Opera Ghost, though this could not be proven, and was merely just a regular rumor told among the superstitious staff.

   All sorts of dogs from the upper-class had proceeded to buy some of their Box seats, and it was clear that it was going to be a full house on opening night for Faust. So, the box-keeper was permitted to place plagues on the doors that led to each Box that said the French word "Loue", which stands for "rented" or "leased". It was usually used for Boxes that held seats that had already been sold to guests beforehand. It was a tiresome job, as she had to do it nearly everyday of the week, and she wasn't permitted to take too many breaks. However, it did bring in good money, and she was one of the few that actually received a reasonable pay, so she sucked it up and did her job with vigor and stamina.

   The collie had just passed the doors of Boxes 3, 7 and the infamous Box Five, and as she did, she thought she heard a tapping noise from behind Box Five, which made her stop and turn her head towards the mahogany door. It was apparent to many guests and the staff that this Box was haunted (by the Opera Ghost no doubt) and it was a tradition that the Box was not to be sold to anyone, no matter what the circumstances were. This matter of the Box and its mysterious occupant confused the new managers, and they immediately went to the Box-Keeper to ask her about it.

   The first thing she noticed about the managers was their lack of basic theatre knowledge, so it was no doubt irritating for the collie to walk the trio through the massive theatre, the seating arrangements, and how many guests could be seated.

   The only positive thing about them was that they were fast learners, which made her sigh with relief. She wasn't one to repeat herself. It was when she was called to their office was when Monsieur Kaltag asked her of the situation of Box Five, and she proceeded to lead them to the hallway of the balcony Boxes.

   "Box Five is just around this corner, Messieurs." The collie told the managers as they walked around the Box hallway. Each door that led to one of the many Boxes in the theater had the same inscription on the mahogany doors, with the number of places (seats) available in the box on the left, the box number in the middle, and a blank space on the right, which is where the words Loue would be placed. Box Five was one such Box, and it seemed to not differentiate from any of the other doors.

   "Madame, we received a note from some anonymous animal named 'O.G' and he has told us that this Box Five belongs to him. Is this true?"

   The box-keeper turned to the Chinook, "I'm well aware of that, Monsieur Moncharmin," she said, "and yes, it belongs to the Opera Ghost."

   The trio couldn't help but chuckle to themselves.

   "What's so funny?" The collie asked, not sure as to why the dogs found the term "Opera Ghost" so amusing.

   "I'm sorry Madame," replied Kaltag, "but we can't help but find this Opera Ghost to be nothing more than a joke. I'm sure that you're well aware of this, right?"

   Madame Aurelia then stopped in her tracks, and turned to the dogs, "Messieurs, I know this Opera House like the back of my paw," She remarked sternly, "and I can tell you that, no, I don't believe it to be a 'joke'."

   "Why is that, Madame?" Star asked, giving a slight chuckle, "He seems pretty funny to me."

   "I'm sorry Monsieur, but the ghost is no laughing matter." The collie then turned her head and continued walking down the hall, the giggling managers following behind.

   As the dogs made their way to Box Five, they're seemed to be a strange presence around them as they rounded the narrow hall, almost like something was waiting and watching them from behind the walls.

   The door to Box Five, as I've said, seemed to not contrast with any of the other doors around it. It had 6 seats inside, and had the word Loue on the right side, just above the small, circular glass window.

   "This is it?" Monsieur Kaltag asked, a bit confused as to what all the fuss was about.

   "It doesn't look so special." Nikki remarked.

   "Yeah, what's the deal?" Star added.

   "This is the ghost's Box, Messieurs, that's what's important about it."

   The Chinook then said that he wished to see what was inside, but he was blocked by the collie.

   "I'm sorry, but you can't go in without a key."

   "Ok, could you please open the door?"

   "I can't Monsieur."

   "Why not," Kaltag asked, before chuckling a bit, "is the 'ghost' going to spring out and attack?"

   "No, but..."

   "Ok, then open it for us."

   The collie sighed, and went to unlock the door, taking her Master Key necklace off her neck, and unlocked the door.

   The trio then walked up to the door, and as the collie slowly opened the door, and upon turning the latch, a small puff of what looked like dust could be seen coming from the carpet, which was visible in the light.

   As the managers entered the Box, there seemed to be a strange,