this is actually a replacment for chapter one! Phantom jedi has done a wonderful job editing it!
I know this has been done but I don't care! I am doing it again! Please read and review, I am so desperate to know what you think of my writing.
This story begins at Erik's birth, but not from his point of view. As incredibly intelligent the Phantom may seem I do not believe he remembered his own birth, or even knows his birthday for that matter! I will switch to his point of view in the next chapter so you'll get to see what HE thinks and not what I think happened.
Erik – Yes, that's right. It's my story not hers!
Me – Now, Erik, be patient… (We both hear police sirens and I begin to panic) I don't own any characters from the Phantom of the Opera (forcefully grabs Erik and stuffs him under my bed) See?
Please read and review and most importantly – ENJOY!!
Chapter 1
A Beautiful Baby Boy
He was instantly wrapped up in white cloths and blankets to keep him warm. A baby boy, so delicate and fragile, he shivered in the cool air. All that could be seen was a shock of jet-black hair at the top of his head, spiked and still wet. He was gasping for a first breath beneath the cloth so the nurse lifted the blankets a little to let him breathe… and promptly shrieked.
The silence in the room was tense, electric, almost louder than the frightened scream. The nurse had covered her mouth with her hands and was staring down at the little baby with a mixture of horror and sadness on her face. The child just stared up at her with innocent eyes and a small sweet smile. But on a face such as his, it was nothing but a grotesque leer.
"Let me see him!" his mother demanded loudly. "I want to see my baby!"
The nurse instantly recovered his face with the blankets and picked him up gently but fearfully, like she didn't really want to touch such a creature. She handed him over, a sigh of relief escaping before she could restrain it.
The mother looked up at her, puzzled and more than a little afraid herself. The baby himself had a slightly bemused expression under the blankets like he couldn't really understand what was going on, what all the fuss was about.
She lifted the blankets to get a good look at her second son's face, and gasped, her face contorted with horror, her mouth open and her lips pulled back in a silent testimony of disgust. No, she mouthed. She let go of him, like he was burning her, and pushed him away, her face turned away from his wriggling body trying to get free of the twisted blankets.
Outside, his father paced the hospital waiting room, nervously wringing his hands and breathing heavily. A tall dark haired man with brooding eyes and thin lips. He was usually neat and well groomed, but after running his hands through his hair several times and many sleepless nights he was thin and disheveled. Dark shadows circled his eyes. The nurse opened the door slowly but he still heard it creak and looked up sharply. She tried to smile but he was too smart a man to not notice the look of dread and fear. His face fell and he very slowly came to a halt.
"What is wrong…?" he asked, not sure he really wanted to know the answer.
The nurse just motioned desperately. He followed her anxiously into the room. His wife was sitting up and covered with clean sheets. The assorted doctors and assistants looked on, their faces grave and fearful. His wife had her eyes closed and was muttering something under her breath. It sounded like a prayer! The child was still trying without success to squirm away from its blankets. It seemed healthy enough, lively enough. So why were the doctors looking at him like that?
He picked the little back up gently and turned him over. His eyes widened but he made no sound. He had incredibly dark thick hair and bright blue eyes that sparkled with innocence and love and innocent childish happiness. A sweet happy smile painted his mouth. These were the first things his father noticed about him, it only to a millisecond for him to take in the full picture and forget these lovely features.
His face was terribly scarred on the right side. His father opened his mouth in disgust, then closed it again. He held the child at arms length, fear and abhorrence in his eyes. He was speechless, a rare occasion. He closed his eyes and thrust the infant into the nurse's hands. "Take him!" he hissed. "I don't want to touch him!" and he hurried out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The nurse held the child in bewilderment In that instant his father subconsciously vowed to hate the boy all his life. To loathe him!
It was an bad start to an even more cruel and painful life full of misery and despair.
And that is the beginning of my long, depressing and difficult story. Not difficult to read I hope, but that chapter was harder to write than I thought. It is now your chance to read and review. There is a small icon down by the bottom left hand corner of the screen. It says beside it "Submit Review"… Please click on it and type in the box provided any thoughts and/or feelings you have about this Phan-fic. Also, there is a box on the bottom right hand side that allows you to sift through chapters. Feel free to select one and read on…!
No seriously, I would really like some reviews. Wouldn't we, Erik?
Erik – Oh, yes, please review. She says she'll beat me if my story doesn't get enough reviews (good or bad) and…
Me – That's enough from you now! (Covers Erik's mouth with hand)…