Christine stood knee deep in dark, murky water as she stared at the two men in from of her. All time seemed to freeze as they awaited her final decision. She looked first at Raoul. His long, light brown hair draped limply over his terrified and desperate eyes. As children they had had so much fun together. He had really seemed to understand her. But that was it, she never knew for sure. She wondered if things would ever be the same between them if she were to marry him.
As these thoughts flew through her mind, she turned her gaze to Erik. His thick, black hair fell wildly around his disfigured face. Christine, looking deeply into his hard, piercing eyes, reminisced upon the little time they had spent together. The man who was standing before her now was not the Erik she knew. But which man was truly him then? Was choosing Erik over Raoul worth the risk of such an unsure future?
Her heart was being absolutely ripped in two at the terrible decision she now faced; the decision that would determine the rest of her future. Glancing back and forth between the men, she locked eyes with Erik. A sudden compassion for the mysterious man swept over her. She took a few shaky steps toward him. He looked at her with an unsure and slightly confused expression. Then, Christine found herself standing about a foot away from him, and without thinking, she leaned foreword, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips softly against Erik's.
He closed his eyes as well, but remained frozen in the same stiff position, holding the rope which was still looped around Raoul's neck. Christine pulled away and looked at Erik's face, trying to read it for any thoughts or emotions. The look in his eyes confused her. It was a look of amazement, but also fear. Christine reached her hand up and smoothed his hair back, then kissed him again, more passionately than the first time.
Suddenly, she felt Erik pushing away from her. He looked back and forth from her to Raoul and backed away from her like a child would a monster. He threw down the rope he was holding, turned around, and waded out of the water.
"Take him! Forget all you've seen! Go now and leave me alone!" He shouted at Christine angrily as he staggered away.
In shock, Christine watched the man she had learned to love so much walk away from her. Then, Raoul let out a stifled cough behind her, causing Christine to wheel around and trudge her way through the green, slimy water to help untie him. Raoul gasped for breath and pulled Christine close to him in a tight embrace. He then grabbed her arm and dragged her to Erik's boat on the other side of the lake.
Christine glanced back frantically. What was going on? This was not what she wanted! Why was Erik doing this? She looked at Raoul in a sort of daze. She really did love him, but not the same way she loved Erik. Raoul could never take the place of the man she had just lost.
Christine thought of Erik now as she sat in the boat and glided through the shallow water. He had loved her so much. He cared about her more than anything else in his cold, dark world. Christine had been everything to him and she knew it. A terrible pang of guilt and resentment spread through her trembling body as she grasped Raoul's shoulder for balance.
"Wait! Stop the boat!" She heard herself shout.
"What? What is it? Are you okay?" Raoul asked
"Yes, there is just something I have to do." Christine replied timidly, stumbling out of the boat and turning back the way they had come. Raoul reached out and touched her arm.
"Are you sure?" He asked with concern. Christine paused as second thoughts shot through her mind, then moved away from his touch and disappeared into the long, dark tunnel
"I am." She said over her shoulder.