Lusus Naturae

Chapter 1

His voice echoed throughout the cavern, his heartbreak making his beautiful voice crack.

He swung…smash!

"Hide your face so the world will never find you... Christine, I love you..."

Another mirror. Crash!

"You alone can make my song take flight"

The last mirror shattered beneath his hand.

"It's over now, the music of the night!"

He dropped his weapon and looked back over the water. They were gone. She was gone.

His head snapped up. Others were coming to find him. He grabbed a few precious belongings and bolted for his horse. He would come back later.

They took off into the night, his heart continued to break as their duet continued to ring throughout the tunnels.

"Say you'll share with me one love one lifetime…"

She grasped his arm firmly looking for a comfort that she couldn't find. She was shaking horribly and her eyes burned. She looked up at Raoul as he continued to push them toward the surface. The past few days have shaken her nerves completely. The appearance of her angel, the murder of the theatres helper, the fight in the graveyard, the disaster of Don Juan, and finally the forced decision she had to make just a few moments ago.

She made the right choice. Raoul was a gentleman, they grew up together, her father would be proud of her. Right?

She could hear her past teacher's voice still and her heart cracked a little more with each note that passed.

Raoul docked the gondola and they began ascending to the surface.

"Christine!" Meg raced down the stairs to her friend and before she could respond she was enveloped in her arms. It took her a moment to clear the mass of blonde from her eyes before she hugged her friend back. Tears welled up behind her eyes and before she could stop them they were flowing freely. She was in hysterics before she knew it. Sobs escaped her and she could vaguely hear Meg giving soft words of comfort but she paid them no mind. She felt herself being pulled up the stairs, Meg at one side and Madam Giry at the other.

She was beginning to hyperventilate. She had just lost the thing that was most important to her for the past 12 years! She just lost her angel. The three of them continued up the stairs while Raoul stayed below with other members of the theatre.

"Find him!" Raoul commanded after his fiancé was out of earshot. He snatched a sword from one of the men and headed for the gondola.

Everyone automatically scattered heading in various directions to find the masked man. Raoul jumped back in the gondola heading back to where his life had previously threatened.

This was supposed to be easy! She wasn't supposed to have a man in her life, let alone a man who loved and protected her!

"My plans aren't ruined yet!" He thought to himself. "All I have to do is make sure he is gone for good."

As he reached his destination, he jumped out of the small boat and drew his sword, prepared to take down the phantom. He cautiously scanned the area. There were instruments everywhere along with papers and quills. He walked over to the organ and looked at the music that was there.

Christine

He had titled his latest song after her. Raoul felt immense irritation.

"This man has to go! He will ruin everything!"

Raoul searched the various rooms of the phantom's fortress but after some time, had to admit that the man had fled.

"Damn it!" He slammed his fist down on the nearest object, and winced as his hand met with a wooden table. With rage rushing through him he stomped back over to the organ and snatched up Christine. He furiously ripped the papers to shreds then proceeded to stomp on them.

"Take that!"

"Monsieur." Raoul whipped around glaring at whoever dared interrupt his fit. It was a man a couple years younger than himself who had insisted to be hired by the Vecont.

"What!" he snapped.

"Nobody is able to find him. He's gone…" He whispered at the end, afraid to anger his master.

It didn't work. With a feral cry Raoul shoved his sword into the boy's chest and grasped on to his shoulder with his free hand. With his arm pulling and his body pushing, the sword ran clean through the boy's body. He let out a gurgling gasp and his eyes automatically began to glaze over.

"When I kill the phantom, you will meet him in hell!" He shoved his foot into the boys gut and roughly kicked him off and away from the sword. "I will find him!"

"He's gone… He's gone… My angel is gone…" The words kept echoing in her head. She could feel Meg and Madame Giry brushing her hair and getting her ready for sleep but she mind was too preoccupied to notice them. She sat still as stone and stared into nothingness. After a time she felt them lift her and lead her towards her bed and she obediently followed. Soon, she was tucked in; a single candle flickered in the middle of the room and she was left alone.

Hours passed and she still lay awake staring at the same spot on the ceiling. The same question kept coming back into her mind.

"Did I do the right thing?"

Her angel's face kept flashing in her mind. Friendliness and pride on the day she met him face to face. Terror as she tore his mask away from his face in his home. Adoration as he sang to her. Desire as they performed his work of Don Juan. Betrayal when she revealed his deformity to the entire theatre. Love as she kissed him.

"I betrayed him. Not the other way around…I was the one person on earth that he trusted and I betrayed him… He has stood beside me since I was a child and I couldn't even return the favor…"

The tears started again and she rolled onto her side and wrapped her arms around her legs to make herself disappear more. She pulled the blankets over her head and sobbed. As the sun began to rise, she finally fell asleep.

His back ached and his neck refused to move past a certain position. He shut his eyes tightly against the intruding sun. It was an uncomfortable change from the darkness of his theatre. It had only been 4 days and already he missed his plush bed and musical instruments.

"I guess that's what I get for sleeping on the forest floor." He thought. But where else could he go?

He stiffly stood and rubbed his neck, groaning as it spasmed. After a time of stretching his sore body, he retrieved his horse and began making his way back to the theatre. He had time only to pack necessary previsions and unfortunately he was out.

While he traveled, he thought about the way he longed for Christine. From the day he met her they had spent every day together. Being away from her this long was pure torture. His chest constricted and his heart hammered at the thought of her.

"If I could just talk to her. Just once more." No. That wasn't an option he knew, She had made her choice. She didn't want him anymore. The back of his eyes burned and his throat began to constrict. He forced himself to stay in control and he focused once again on his task of getting back home.

He racked his brain for other tunnels he could take to get back to his home. He knew he could remain undetected, for he was the phantom of the opera. Nobody could find him in his theatre. His issue was that a couple people knew his routes, namely Christine and Madame Giry, and he questioned their loyalty to keep them secret.

A few blocks away he decided to leave his horse. Christine knew of his horse as well. Pulling his cloak tighter around him, he kept to the shadows to avoid any unwanted attention. He entered a tunnel that was hardly ever used. Any passerby would never consider entering such a disgusting place. Unlike his other tunnels this one was filled with muck and grime and smelled of urine and vermin. Ignoring his discomfort he trudged on eventually it transformed into one of the cleanlier attachments to him home.

It felt strange sneaking around his own home. Again, he stuck to the shadows and quickly scanned his many rooms for intruders. Detecting none he headed for the main room where his instruments lie. He was desperate to hear music. Any music. Life without Christine made live unbearable anyway, but not to have music made him feel completely dead inside. He practically sprinted in his excitement.

He halted as he entered. Something was wrong. He scanned quickly until his eyes fixed on the boy's body on his floor. Stepping closer he examined the body.

"Sword wound. Died around the time I left."

Anger flared through him as he noticed the torn papers below the body. His music. Somebody tore up his music. He bent down and picked up a piece stained by blood. It had to be that boy! Only he would do something like this!

Ignoring his desire to take revenge, he picked up the boy's body and decided to lay him to rest in the water. Whatever reason he had to make the Vecont angry enough to kill made him a martyr in his eyes. After that chore, he headed for his piano. He would have to play quietly to avoid attention but soft music was better than none.

He let his fingers flow over the keys putting all of his emotion into it. He played old songs that he composed years ago and new songs just invented. He played both fast and slow, and eventually began singing along to his playing. The beautiful sounds echoed off the walls and he knew that he could be caught at any time but he didn't care. For too long he had been without the sound of music and his soul craved the unearthly tones. He felt his spirit rise a small amount and before he fell again he dashed for his tub determined to scrub away the grub and filth of the past few days.

"You must eat!" Raoul yelled. In the four days that passed since that day, Christine had hardly slept or ate and it was beginning to show. Black circles were under her eyes and her already thin figure was turning to skin and bone. Her white dress hung from her and her hair had lost some of its luster.

They sat at the table in her room, cakes and tea sat before them untouched.

He was getting frustrated. She hardly went out or even spoke to anyone. Meg was the one person who could get her to open up a little.

"She is thinking about that accursed phantom again!"

Whenever she thought about him she would shut everyone out and her eyes would glaze over. He knew that look well enough by now. He was fed up. He grabbed her by her arms and hauled her to her feet. Her eyes instantly focused and she let out a hoarse gasp at his roughness.

He shook her roughly. No doubt leaving bruises on her shoulders.

"I will make you forget him Christine! We are getting married! I will not have you thinking about a man that held you captive!"

"Raoul! Raoul, stop! You're hurting me!"

He stopped shaking her but did not release the bruising grasp on her arms.

"Stay calm" He said to himself. "Act sincere."

He made his face and eyes soften along with making his grip relax. "I'm sorry Christine. I love you so much and I hate to see you in so much pain because of this man." He lifted a hand to her face and rubbed a thumb across her cheek gently. "We will be married in one week, darling. Then all of your worries will disappear."

"A week? Raoul, isn't that a bit soon?" Christine pulled away from him slightly.

"The sooner we are married, the sooner we can start our lives together." He smiled down at her and before she could protest he forced his lips upon hers. This kiss wasn't like their first on the roof. It was rough and demanding. Her lips felt bruised and she shut her eyes tight against the feeling. After a moment he pulled away and released her.

"Eat and get some sleep. I expect you to be in better spirits tomorrow." He headed for the door.

"Tomorrow? I have a performance tomorrow!" She was pleased to find that she was happy about this news. Her music was always a sure way to lift her spirits. A small smile passed her lips at the idea of performing again.

"You will not be performing tomorrow." And just like that her happiness shattered and she felt dead again.

"Why not?"

"I don't think you should be wasting your time with such useless things. You are soon to be the wife of a Vecont. Such things are looked down upon in society." With that he left. Her mind was buzzing so she couldn't be sure but she thought she heard the turning of a lock.

Before she could stop it she collapsed on her bed in tears. Her music was the only thing left in the world that made her feel alive and now her future husband wouldn't allow her to sing.

"I lost my angel and now my voice… and I deserve it."

To Be Continued…