Horse King (Phantom of the Opera)

Chapter 1 - Black Rider

Thirty Years Previous:

Alexis's POV:

I settled back against the hard seats of the train and sighed. It was going to be a long trip. I looked toward my right and gently stroked my little girl's hair. She was sleeping soundly and I didn't want to wake her. Her name was Jewel and she was just that. I had given birth to her when she was sixteen. My boyfriend and I had had a good relationship until he decided to rape me. He was in prison but I was left with the scars. I loved my little girl but it hadn't been easy. I had to quiet high school and start a job. My parents had supported me through my whole pregnancy but when my little girl had been born they had screamed. You see, my girl was deformed. One side of her face looks like it had come in contact with acid. The doctors didn't know what had gone wrong. They said it was a strange genetic mess up. My parents had begged me to git rid of Jewel but when I decided to keep her they helped me with what I needed. The strange thing was that the doctors said that the deformity normally went along with genius. And my daughter was brilliant. I wasn't saying this because most mothers think that their children are brilliant. No, my daughter was a genius. She was walking and talking by the time she was eight months old, reading at eighteen months, playing the piano at two, and drawing master pieces by three. My daughter was a beautiful girl and a genius.

She shifted against my shoulder and I moved closer to her. She was all I had left. My parents had died three weeks before I had left. I couldn't support myself and so went to live with my grandmother. She was my father's mother and needed someone to stay with her. Now that I had no one to stay with she had agreed to let me come live with her and keep her company. I would do some cooking and a little cleaning on her ranch. What really interested me was that she had said there was a herd of mustangs that ran the hills. They were said to be led by a man in black on a black mustang. It was a legend and I wasn't sure if I believed the part about the man in black. The part that I liked was about the mustangs. I loved horses and wild horses especially. This was going to be a special time for me. I couldn't wait to see them. I had been on the train for two days. We had finally arrived at the station. I walked out and led Jewel behind me. A few peopled pointed and laughed at my daughter. I glared them down and they backed away. I held my head high and quickly got our luggage and soon found my grandmother. I smiled at her and she walked toward me. “Oh, my darling, how good it is to see you. And, Jewel, haven't you grown!” Jewel smiled and accepted a hug from Grandmother. I looked to see who was driving the car and blushed. He was a dark eyed youth with black hair. I blushed and he winked. I was careful to try to ignore that look but I couldn't help but blush again. He was so handsome. We loaded up Grandmother's Cadillac and left. But there was something I noticed before we drove away. Someways away from the country station I saw a man in black on a black horse.

Unknown POV:

I didn't know why I came to train stations that day. I guess I was bored and needed something to do. I rode up and watched the train come in. People looked at me and whispered. I never showed my face but they all knew who I was. I watched a young woman step out of the train and people started to point at something that was hiding behind her. Then I saw it. It was a little girl. She looked like she had been scarred. The woman glared at everyone and held her head high as she led the girl through the station and to an old woman in a car. I closed my eyes and felt a single tear slide down my cheek. My mother hadn't ever defended me. No, she had been one of the mockers.