It had been three months since Erik had kidnapped Christine. If you could call it that. It was more that he had given her an ultimatum. She could go with him or he would reign down terror on all she knew and loved. She really thought he could be so dramatic sometimes. Being a phantom of the opera was quite a fitting title for him. Where else would his theatrics be appropriate? Anyway Erik had threatened her and she had cried, then agreed to go with him. He hadn't seemed to notice how quick her assent had been. Christine supposed that was in her favour. Maybe she should keep him tricked into thinking that she hadn't wanted to leave her life behind. Not that it was a horrible life or anything. She had a fiancé and a singing career. Those things just weren't as important to her anymore.
Christine had fallen in love and now she just had to convince the object of her affections that he felt the same way. Sure, she knew that Erik loved her in a way, but not the way she wanted. His way involved all manners of bullying to get what he wanted from her, his moods ran from boiling hot to freezing cold all day long and he had serious trust issues. These were all things she planned to fix. However, it had been three months, and she wasn't anywhere close to checking one thing off her list. This was going entirely too slow for her liking. How could she speed things up? How did one go about changing a man? She knew many girls from the opera who said it wasn't possible, but Christine refused to believe such nonsense.
Well, she might as well get out of bed and get started on her plan for the day. She yawned and stretched, swinging her feet onto the floor. She grabbed her dress from the chair she'd left it on the night before and quickly changed out of her nightgown. Slipping her shoes on, Christine glanced around the room. Erik had let her have the bedroom. She didn't know where he slept, how many bedrooms could be underneath an opera? Maybe he didn't sleep, maybe he was vampiric in that way. He wasn't very forthcoming, one of the things Christine planned to change, of course.
Outside the bedroom, was basically just a large room, then beyond that was the underground lake that separated them from the opera house. She didn't have that much to do everyday, so she had already explored nearly every inch of the place. Erik had glared at her menacingly when she got too close to the lake. Did he really think she would try and escape? She thought that it was obvious she had come to live with him willingly, but maybe not. Christine left the bedroom and came upon Erik sitting at the huge dining table in the main room. As usual, he had procured their breakfast already and had it set out on the table. She had no idea what time he rose to do all that. She took the seat at the head of the table across from him.
"Good morning," she said cheerfully. She poured herself some tea and sipped it. She took a biscuit and began spreading jam on it. He watched her silently.
"Good morning," he finally said. "How did you sleep?"
"Fine, thank you. And yourself?"
"Barely, thank you," he returned, grabbing the teapot and pouring himself a cup, spilling some on the table.
"What kept you up?" she ventured, expecting a gruff response.
"Things, thoughts, feelings," he said, poetically. Or at least she thought it poetic. She decided to jump on that last word.
"Feelings?" she said, excitedly. "Of what sort?"
"Of the private sort," he replied with a harrumph. "Do I bother you with personal questions?"
"Well, for goodness' sake, I wish you would," Christine blurted without meaning to. She wanted to be subtle, but he made it so difficult. She wanted progress, maybe today she'd get some. "I mean... you have me here. It's been quite some time, and you don't..."
"What? What don't I do? Am I so displeasing?" Erik replied, each question getting louder, until he was practically shouting. She looked around and then remembered they were alone. Who cared if he was growing hysterical?
Christine matched her tone to his the best she could. "You don't talk to me, you don't ask me anything, you leave me alone a lot of the time. I mean, why did you bring me here? To be an ornament? If that's the case, then yes, I find you very displeasing."
His eyes widened. "Oh, you do? Well, I'll make myself scarce then. You won't have to gaze upon my annoying presence anymore!"
With a flourish of his dark cape, Erik headed off in a hurry towards the lake, leaving Christine really alone. She sighed and returned to her tea. She had tried shyness and today she had tried using his own temper on him. Both had failed, how could she get through to him? And moreover, what was the answer to her question? What had he expected or wanted when he had taken her to live with him underground?
Christine sat reading a book Erik had left laying around. She had cleaned up the breakfast dishes and was awaiting Erik's return. It had been almost five hours since he had stormed off. He always came back at mealtimes with food for them. What if he didn't return this time? What if he was trying to teach her a lesson through starvation? She shook her head and closed the book. She was being ridiculous. If Erik wanted her with him for whatever reason, he wouldn't do anything to harm her. He hadn't so far.
Most of their interactions were like the one they had at breakfast. He being bossy or haughty and she being the sweet angel she was. Christine laughed out loud at that one. Erik had often referred to himself as an angel, well, an angel of music, anyhow. She didn't think of him as very angelic, but there was something that drew her to him, none the less. He had a certain je ne sais quoi. Christine determined she would figure out all his secrets as she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and saw Erik hurrying towards her with their supper.