It was an accident.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
It was an accident.
Erik stood in box five, in plain sight, staring at the stage.
He hadn't meant to do this.
Down below, patrons were screaming and running as the fire enveloped the stage. The chandelier sat alone in the middle, glaring up at him. It was so terribly, terribly bright. He rose a hand to block out some of the light, leaning forward on the banister.
Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he was delusional and everything was an awful hallucination. Maybe his wide, horrified eyes had failed to notice her making her escape. Because she had to escape. She had to. It wasn't his fault.
But no… the Vicomte was still in the wings, watching the chandelier. He was still as a statue, and even from Erik's leverage point, he could see the scream forming on his lips.
Eriks anger had been overpowering, suffocating at the sight of her and that boy. What right did that fop have, 'saving' her from him?
In fact, Erik was so clouded by his fury that he barely registered Christine entering back on stage. And he certainly didn't notice her being a few feet off cue, standing far too downstage than the blocking demanded.
It wasn't difficult to untie a few weights on the chandelier, loosening it enough to send it careening. Erik's laughter echoed throughout the large theater, underscoring the sharp shrieks of the audience as the light fixture hurdled down at them
That's when he spotted her, standing frozen on the stage. Her pale face was upturned, her eyes wide with horror.
She had stood center stage, and he had failed in his increasing fury to notice her standing slightly off cue. The chandelier should have… would have missed her otherwise.
The Vicomte had begun to run, racing towards her with an outstretched hand, but he reached her too late, and the entire theater was forced to watch as Christine Daae vanished beneath the great chandelier.
Murderer. Monster. Murderer. Your fault. A mantra repeated in Erik's mind. Murderer. He slowly slunk to the floor. He might've been crying, but he didn't quite know. His own thoughts were nearly drowned out by the screams and cries of the audience.
He remained watching the auditorium even as the fire was eventually quelled, and the chandelier removed. There was nothing salvageable. Erik vomited.
It was an accident.