Christine sat stoically in her bed, silent tears streaming down her cheeks and onto her white nightgown as she stared blankly at her door. The warmth and happiness that she had known from her home for the past fourteen years was now gone and replaced with a cold emptiness. Gone was the sweet sound of her father's music, gone was the happy laughter from her lungs; in its place was group after group of police officers and investigators.
"Papa" she whispered quietly before hanging her head, her long, dark, curly hair falling into her face. Her breathing became rough and ragged as she began to sing softly; the sound was strangled and full of sorrow, yet beautiful. The tears continued to roll down her face as she sang her sad melody, a eulogy to her father on the other side. Christine suddenly fell silent and snapped her head up at the sound of her name. She sat perfectly still and listened, thinking that maybe she had imagined it. But then, she heard it again; her name sung in a beautiful tenor voice, "Christine." Christine placed her feet on the hard wooden ground and walked softly to her open window. The moon was full and bright in front of her as she leaned out into the cool night air.
"A...AllĂ´?" She called quietly, her heart quivering in fear. She was met with silence in response. Her nightgown billowed lazily around her ankles as she looked around the small balcony. Christine shook her head and turned away, about to tiptoe back to her bed, when she heard her name again, more clearly this time. She turned around quickly and almost collapsed when she saw a shadowy figure staring back at her. She stared up at the dark figure, her brown eyes still glistening from tears. She stepped backwards slowly as the figure stepped down from her balcony and into her room.
"M...Monsieur... w-who are you?" she boldly asked, even though her voice came out more as a frightful whisper. The shadow simply took another step closer to Christine so that he was more visible by the moonlight. He was a tall young man, his dark hair out of place and his body covered in a dark cloak. When Christine tried to look at his face, she was surprised to find the left side covered in a dark cloth fashioned to fit like a mask. She swallowed hard as she took in the fairly handsome boy standing in front of her.
"Do not be afraid, Christine," he coaxed gently; his voice flowed like honey and was perhaps one of the sweetest voices Christine had ever heard. He reached out his hand and ever so lightly placed it on the side of her face, ghosting his thumb over her cheekbone. Christine remained silent, her heart beating out of her chest. She was terrified. The young man stopped and pulled his hand away.
"I am here to protect you," the words seemed to roll off his tongue. Christine sniffed and eyed the boy cautiously.
"y-your voice... it is beautiful," she managed to get out. His thin lips curved slightly in a polite smile.
"Rest now, it is late. You must rest." The young man motioned at her bed and watched as Christine turned around and walked back into the center of her room.
"Who are you Monsie-" Christine was cut short when she turned around to find the figure had vanished completely. She was alone again. Christine tucked herself underneath the soft blankets and closed her eyes, thinking about the shadow in the darkness. The last thing she heard before she succumbed to her weariness was two words in a soft melody, "Goodnight, Christine."
Outside the window, the young man stood looking at Christine's sleeping figure. The wind rustled his cape behind him and mused his hair in all directions. He reached up and removed the makeshift mask from his face, revealing the horrific deformation underneath. The groves in his skin were deep and menacing, suddenly changing a handsome young man into a monster. He stepped once again down from the windowsill and into the girl's room. He silently walked over to her bedside and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. "Oh Christine, how could such a beautiful creature ever be in such pain?" He spoke quietly. "I am here now, and I promise that I will watch over and guide you from now on." The young man bent down and placed a delicate kiss on her forehead.
"You have shown me compassion; you could have run away and forgotten about me, yet you instead reached through the iron bars that held me for so long." He stood up and stepped through the window once more, only looking back for a second before jumping from the iron-worked railing, disappearing into the depths of Paris.
