Josephine looked down, as if the answer were in her cup. "I only have one teacher," she said, slowly. She wasn't supposed to tell him anything. The cold was starting to creep around her ankles and she had to repress her shivers. If she didn't react to it, maybe he'd never notice. She had to choose her words wisely.

"I only have one teacher, but he prefers to remain annonymos. If anyone found out who he was, they would bother him with needless questions and requests," she said. "I owe him a great deal, Monsieur Conrad. I was merely a back dancer when he first heard me. I could not afford the private lessons that Charlotte did, so I was greatful when he started teaching me. He has a wonderful singing voice, like an angel. He is learned and a traveller. Sometimes he says things in a language I've never heard. I think it's Pursian or something like that. At least, I think I heard a rumor he had traveled there."

She put her cup down and sighed. "I am sorry, Monsieur Conrad, but I am tired. Maybe we can finish our talk tomorrow?" She smiled, hoping he wouldn't find her request rude. She had a big day coming up. Another show and then a lesson. Her teacher had been hinting a big project for her. If possible, she wanted to have Monsieur Conrad see it, but she didn't know when it would be.

Conrad frowned, sighing heavily. "That sounds fine," he said casually, taking the last sip of his tea before setting the cup down. He then nodded towards Josephine. "I'll come by later. If you need me... hm..." he muttered, trying to think. He was pretty sure he couldn't tell her to come down to the random janitors closet that didn't exist until he came... "I'll just know... Let's leave it at that. I'm staying not far from here..." he muttered, suddenly leaving.

However, despite the fact that he closed the door and walked back to his room, he merely opened the door and hurled his shoes inside. He then silently crept back to the door, pressing himself to the wall and remaining as silent as possible. He then put his ear to the wall, hoping to catch a snippet of this 'teacher's voice...

Josephine barely had time to lock her door after Conrad left before her teacher's voice filled her room. "You were about to tell him! That suitor of yours isn't trustworthy. Only I am trust worthy, Josephine. Only I have your best interests at heart! "

"I'm sorry, teacher," Josephine said. She turned, but saw no one in her room. "Please, teacher, I told him nothing. He won't know who you are."

"That insolent boy, basking in your glory. I won't have it Josephine. You belong to me. You only belong to me."

Josephine looked down. "Please, forgive me. Monsieur Conrad isn't a suitor. He's merely a friend, someone who loves the opera. That is all, teacher. He means nothing to me."

There was silence and then her teacher said, "You should get some sleep, Josephine. Tomorrow, you will star in the opera. And soon, you will perform in my greatest triumph. Only you have the voice I need."

"Me, star? They would never go for that, teacher."

"They have! I am the power of this Opera house, they will do as I say. Today, Geaston learned to not question me. It was a lesson they will not forget."

Josephine pulled out her nightgown and started to change. If the thought of her teacher watching her bothered her, she made no show. She never could figure out where he was, and if he were a ghost, it wouldn't matter. "TEacher, when will I meet you? Face to face?"

"Soon, Josephine. AFter tomorrow's perfomance."

She smiled and went to bed. As she blew out her candle, she thought she saw something in the mirror. A tall man with a white mask. It vanished as soon as darkness fell, and she figured her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Conrad frowned, swiftly leaving and throwing open the door of his TARDIS. Silently, he paced back and forth. There had to be some reason for the strange teacher. The voice sounded like one he had heard before, yet he couldn't place who or what had possessed the voice... Finally, he opened the door of his TARDIS once more, locking it behind him as he left.

Someone had to know something. And, if not, I can find something, he thought to himself. After some looking, he sighed heavily. He'd found nothing, and was starting to get tired. Reluctantly, he wandered back towards his TARDIS. As custom, he locked the door behind himself. He then got into his bed, turning out the lights.

He was hoping that tomorrow would bring more information. And it sounded like this 'teacher' would be making an appearance some time soon... Or... at least... he'd know where to catch the 'teacher'.

By the next morning, everyone had heard of Geaston's death. The Opera Ghost's name was whispered in every hall by frightened dancers and choir girls. Anton, nervously waited for Josephine and Charlotte to be brought before him. He knew he had to do as the Opera Ghost requested, or he would die. It was not a task he was happy to perform.

"What is the meaning of this," Charlotte demanded. "I have an opera to prepare for."

"There's been a change in the schedule," Anton said. He wiped the sweat from his brow. "Josephine will be singing your part tonight."

"What! How can you allow this? Have you gone mad?" Charlotte turned on Josephine. "You! You did this! What did you do, sleep with him? Is that how you got my role?"

"No," Josephine protested. "I swear. I had nothing to do with this. Madam Charlotte, I was not aware that this would happen." Though, she had known. Her teacher had told her. He was the reason she was starring tonight. How he convinced Anton was a mystery, but she had a sinking suspicion that it revolved around Geaston's death.

"There is nothing to discuss," Anton said. "Just for tonight. And then, darling Charlotte, you take your rightful place as our star."

"I'd better," Charlotte huffed. She stormed out of the room. Josephine gave Anton a weak smile before leaving. She had a lot to do to prepare.

Conrad sighed heavily. after waking up, he'd gotten dressed in his normal formal attire. He wore a simplistic black sports coat with matching slacks. Not to his surprise, it seemed that the 'ghost' had caused a stir amongst the staff of the opera. And it seemed as if he were finally going to get his information. The first thing he had to do was figure out who Geaston was. And, considering the wild rumours and insanity, that was a simple and quick process.

The second step was to find Anton. Hopefully, he could force some information out of him. After all, he knew already that he had no chance of getting information from Josephine. Having managed to pester a few stage hands into handing him over information, Conrad finally managed to catch up with the second manager of the opera. He waited for a while, striking after the man had spoken to Charlotte.

Knowing that it would at least appear intimidating, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He then began to casually toy with the device, twirling it between his fingers as he spoke. "You actually think people come to see her? I'm pretty sure that if she sang beside and ocean, dolphins would come and kill her for making their ear drums bleed. But that's beside the point. I came to address this whole 'Opera Ghost' hoopla. As I understand, he killed Geaston. Now I'm not going to hurt you, I just want information. All I need you to tell me is how exactly this ghost killed Geaston. Does that sound good?" he inquired, raising a brow as he examined his sonic screwdriver. He was sure not to make eye contact, ensuring that he seemed slightly less threatening.

Anton took a step back. "Who are you," he demanded. "Why should I tell you anything?" He tried to keep quiet, but the need to talk to someone caused him to babble. "The Opera Ghost isn't hoopla! I've seen him, he's real! He's a monster. His face is hidden behind a death head's mask and his eyes...His eyes were red! He was a monster!" Anton broke down, sobbing so hard he couldn't go on. When he could finally talk, he continued, "That monster made demands of us. For years, we've been paying him to protect this opera house. When we don't pay, accidents happen. He came to us last night, demanding that that nobody sing. Geaston refused."

Anton took a deep breathe and said, "He killed Geaston with this globe he carries in his hand. It's connected to his mask somehow. I don't know. It was just awful. I had to do as he asked. He was going to kill me."

Conrad nodded, taking note of the description. After hearing this, he closed his eyes. His mind then quickly drew forth a rough outline. Red eyes with a globe... Slowly, the form began to take on a familiar shape. Within seconds, his eyes snapped open once more. "Ha! Thank you, sir!" he said, suddenly handing over a large amount of cash. "Good day to you!" he added, running down the hallway.

After several minutes, he stopped before Josephine's door. He began pounding wildly against its surface, desperately calling for her to answer. "Josephine! Josephine!" he roared, sighing heavily. He needed to inform her of the situation. He had known something fishy was going on, but not this fishy. He still wondered as to how this had happened, though he decided to question no further. After all, it would be best to stick with what he knew...

When Conrad banged on the door, Josephine jumped. She had been in the middle of getting ready for the rehersal, her teacher stalking the shadows. Tonight was her night. Her teacher got her a coveted role, and was planning something great. Her career was taking off.

"Do not answer that door, Josephine," her teacher said. "None outside should distract you."

"I'll just tell them to leave," Josephine said. She opened the door and saw Conrad. "Monsieur Conrad, I'm afraid this is a bad time. We can talk after the show." She quickly shut the door and turned back to where she thought her teacher was standing. "I don't think he's gone."

"Do not let him distract you. You must shine tonight so my masterpiece will be triumphant." Her teacher was silent for a moment. "This Monsieur Conrad is dangerous. He is jealous of you, of us. Do not listen to anything he says." He had no idea who or what Conrad was, but he was sure it was something that would ruin his plans.

Conrad frowned, raising a brow as he heard her reply. "Let me in! It's important!" he roared, kicking the door in frustration. He needed to get into that room before this thing could do any major damage. He sighed heavily, leaning against the wall and pressing his ear to it. Only then did he hear the voice. He snarled, banging on the door once more.

"Let me in!" he roared once more, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and pointing it towards the door, activating it and smirking as he heard the familiar click. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm coming in anyway! Normally I wouldn't, but you leave me no choice!" he roared, his hand waiting on the doorknob. He did, however, wait to see if she replied. He was decent enough to let her know he was coming, so he was allowing time for her to at least make sure everything was in order.

Josephine felt the pressance of her teacher fade, leaving her alone with the wild man behind her door. Swallowing, she debated on whether or not it was wise to just let him stay out there. SHe heard her door click and realized he had unlocked it. Fear gripped her as she now knew he had a key.

"Come in," she said. She made sure to keep the whole of the room between them, even though it was quite small. When he entered, she said, "Monsuier Conrad, you are not conducting yourself as a gentleman. I demand to know the meaning of this outrage!" If he moved to the left or right, she stayed in step to keep as much distance between them as possible. His sudden anger at her door frightened her, as she had thought him a harmless, if not strange, man.

Conrad smirked, spinning his sonic screwdriver between his fingers. "I already told you that I'm technically not a human, thus I don't really have to conform to your etiquette, but I do out of politeness. In regards to your door... It's rather easy to unlock. Very few precautions against anyone with something more than the common lock pick. Oh, say, a sonic screwdriver? Like the one I have here," he said, holding it up and pressing the button. The device then let forth its signature squeal, lighting up blue at the tip.

"Anyway, I'm here in regards to your teacher. I have a hunch that he's not a teacher. I believe he's an Ood. A creature from space that tends to communicate through telepathic song. They're quite interesting, but your Ood happens to be infected," he said calmly, fiddling about in his pocket before pulling out a booklet. He opened it to the page he kept on Oods and dog-eared the page before throwing the book towards her. "Now, the problem we have here is that your Ood is infected. I guess not all of them were purged. What I don't know is how there's one here, but that's beside the point," he said absent-mindedly. Erstwhile, he continued to fiddle with the sonic screwdriver he held in his hand.

Josephine cautiously opened the book and looked at the picture. The monster that stared out at her could not possibly be her teacher. She wasn't even sure if the creature was real. Her heart sank as she listened to him. Monsieur Conrad believed her teacher was this creature, and he seemed to be there to kill him. She couldn't allow that to happen. Her teacher had been so kind to her. No monster could be that kind.

"Monsieur Conrad," she said, closing the book, "I need to prepare for tonight's opera. I assure you, you are mistaken about my teacher. He's not an...an...Ood. He's a man who values his privacy."

She tossed the book back to him. "And the only danger I see, is from you. Please, leave me." What had happened to the funny, sweet man she had met just yesterday? The man before her frightened her. All she really had in this world was her teacher, and he wanted to take that away.

Conrad sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. It figured that he'd get a resistance to his claim. After a moment of thought, he flipped the book open once more, studying the page. "I'm not here to kill him or you. I'm here to help. Both of you. All I need to do is figure out why the destruction of the Circle didn't effect him," he said calmly.

However, despite his concerns, he exited the room, closing the door behind himself and deciding that the best thing he could do now was to try and track down this teacher. So far, he knew that there had to be a place behind Josephine's walls where the teacher could hide. And so, he swiftly walked down the hallway beside her room, gently tapping the walls as he went. His ear was pressed firmly to the wall as he continued, listening for any sounds which were out of the normal. Finally, he tapped a section of the wall which sounded hollow. He smirked, wandering over to a nearby lamp and pulling on it. After some time, he managed to pull it down and reveal a section of wall which had not been there before. He entered into the dark tunnel, using his portable sunlight to see his way through the labyrinth.

Josephine leaned against the door, wondering if she would be able to do well in tonight's opera, or if her nerves were shot. The room suddenly got colder again, and she knew her teacher was back.

"I don't know if I can do this," she said softly. "I'm so rattled."

"I had hoped to wait until tonight, but I feel as if my time is running out," her teacher said. This caught her attention. He didn't lecture her on her duty or tell her to continue her practice. He sounded sad.

"What do you mean?"

"Come with me, Jospehine. It's time to show you my greatest dream. You will help me achieve it." There was a ripple in the mirror and a hand came from the glass. It was deformed under the glove and Josephine was afraid to touch it. Curiosity got the better of her, and she allowed her teacher, the Opera Ghost, to take her into the tunnels that ran under the Opera house.