Chapter 2:
Lessons
After dinner, he offered a tour of the mansion, and I enthusiastically agreed as he led me out of the dining room, trusting that the servants would clean the dishes. Though I haven't seen the servants, I knew they were there from evidence that my room was later cleaned.
He led me out to the living room, and walked across the room to the door he said led to the music room and opened it to reveal the greatest music room I believe I've ever seen. To be exact, it was basically a room literally filled to the top with music and instruments. The instruments lined the walls, possibly every instrument I've ever heard of, and some that looked rather exotic. A grand piano was in the center of the room and surrounding it, was sheets and sheets of music that looked either composed or printed by classical, baroque, and modern composers, all concocted into a big mess.
"Excuse the mess," he said, as if almost reading my mind. "I tell the servants that this room is not to be touched... so this is my way of organization."
I smiled as I walked further into the room, careful not to step on the sheets, letting my fingers run over the piano lovingly.
"Do you like it? The piano is my favorite instrument."
"I think it's beautiful... I always wanted a grand piano... I can't play it correctly, unfortunately, because my fingers are too short and I can't reach broad chords, but I taught myself when we had a keyboard in my old dining room and I would sit there for hours figuring out songs because I couldn't afford to buy music books with my own money." I smiled at the memory, "But next to the voice, I think the piano is the most beautiful instrument next to violin."
"You can show so much emotion with those instruments. Well, not that you can't with any other instrument, but I think it's the entire concert-like feeling of them that gives off the portrayal." He explained thoughtfully. And I nodded in agreement. "This is where we will come for your lessons every morning a few hours after breakfast, just before lunch, understand?" He asked, suddenly more serious.
I cringed at the loss of beauty once more in his voice, "Sounds good." I replied dully and without a turning glance, I walked out of the room with him, as he turned the lights out from behind.
From that door, there was a hallway that led to more rooms, and the first door to the left a light was left on. He opened it with the same amount of grace as before, and it revealed a room that had shelves and shelves of book, probably more books than a public library held. I glanced at some titles that were in other languages, and then classical and modern titles that were familiar to me: Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens, and many more that I could not read from where I stood. There was a sitting area this time with leather chairs, and then a few yards from there was a desk with papers and thick books, along with a globe to complete the office-like feeling.
"You're welcome in the library any time. I know you love books." He said fondly, looking down to me, still stunned by its beauty.
"Ok," I managed to say, suddenly excited at the books that I'm yet to read, and the sense of freedom suddenly to move, for it was truly a gift in this sort of house.
We moved out of that room and he took me further down the hallway to a door across from the library, and only gestured toward it, "Bathroom," He named and I nodded, and he turned back down the hallway, leaving only another room left unsaid.
"What is that room down there?" I asked quietly.
"My bedroom. For privacy reasons, I do hope that I don't offend you by saying to keep away. As I intend on granting your own privacy."
"I understand," I replied quietly.
"Good," he sounded relieved.
We moved back to the foyer, ignoring many more doors, therefore making the tour of the mansion, not-so-much of a tour.
"There are some rooms, Christine, that I wish you not to see," He explained in response, once more, to my thoughts. I didn't respond, not being able to think of anything. We began to move up the stairs into the various hallways upstairs. My curiosity made me begin to worry about what he was hiding... secrets he didn't want me to know... I didn't know what to think, so automatically, I preferred not to think at all at my too-imaginative mind.
He showed another door, labeling it a bathroom, and the next, a guest bedroom, obviously untouched. The next room was another office, and the rest were not named. So, basically, I occupied only twenty-five percent, the other seventy-five percent was made of nothingness that I should keep away from... Either that or the house was far too large for one man, and then I wonder why he even chose to be here in the first place.
"You must be tired, Christine," He noted quietly, stopping in front of my room, ending the not-so-much of a tour. I wasn't tired until he basically lulled me with his voice to believing it. I shook my head, still lost in confusion.
"Um... yeah. Very. Suddenly." And I yawned, as he opened the door to my room slowly.
"I bid you goodnight, Christine."
"Goodnight," I replied and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind me.
I went to the dresser and pulled out my own night gown, uncomfortable with the fact that he offered me all of these things, so I decided to ignore it for as long as possible. I pulled down the covers and slipped into them, the bed being so comfortable, I believe I fell into a deep sleep instantaneously.
I awoke to the dim light of the morning showing through the curtains across from my bed, showing through my eyelids, the sun very welcomed in this darker home. The morning found me deeply confused and stunned, once more, at the magnificence of the home, but I hurried to get away from it. I peeked into the closet curiously, finding clothes from designer stores, with brand names that I could never have afforded. Shoes that were also designer that were my exact size of foot, and it was all stretched out into a walk-in closet. I shut the door, closing my eyes, and shook my head disbelievingly.
I opened the door once more, and everything was still intact.I stepped into the closet, looking for an outfit to wear with the amount of excitement as a little kid on Christmas day.
I pulled out a casual shirt and some shorts that probably cost more than my home (well, not really, but I think jeans are usually overpriced). They were all in the latest summer fashions, rest assured, and it seemed dutifully perfect.
I ransacked my upper drawers of my dresser for underwear finding even more designer items, and I shut the drawer immediately, residing with my own belongings, blushing.
I took it into the bathroom, finding expensive shampoo and conditioner on the ledge of the glass shower with big fluffy towels on the lid of the toilet. I hung them up and took my shower, feeling very replenished.
I walked down the stairs, feeling every bit uncomfortable as I did before, and went into the living room to find myself abandoned. I walked into the dining room where a plate of expertly made pancakes covered in syrup and steaming bacon awaited me with a glass of milk next to it, along with a note which read in a lazy hand.
I went out to run some errands. I will be back before you finish eating, so do not worry on my behalf. Enjoy your breakfast.
~Erik
I shrugged, relieved that he wouldn't sit there and stare at me for the entire meal, and dug into the pancakes, taking forkfuls into my mouth. Once more impeccably delectable.
While on myself, I resolved in looking through thoughts that I never had enough time for between the surprises that awaited me yesterday. Thoughts of Raoul flooded my mind, his smiling blue eyes, and Meg with her pixie-like qualities and hyper, brightness to her that always brought a smile to my face. I began to wonder whether I will be able to see people outside of this house, or if Erik might restrict me. I took note of it as I began eating the bacon, to ask him that when I see him again.
I just realized, though, that this was the chance to take in my curiosity... When he wasn't watching. I almost leaped out of my chair and opened the door in the dining room that I've never opened before. I opened it widely, expecting to see something utterly surprising, but all I saw, was a kitchen, emptied and dull...
Okay, then, I thought to myself, shutting the door uselessly, and sat back into my chair, eating my bacon.
"Good morning," Came Erik's voice suddenly, almost forcing me to choke on the milk as I swallowed. I restrained myself from spitting it back out, so I forcefully chugged it down, wiping my mouth, and placed the cup down forcefully.
"Morning." I said, sounding angry for him startling again.
"I'm sorry to startle you again..." He apologized, taking off his hat, his fingers outlying the perimeter of it as if suddenly nervous.
"It's fine... but can you not do that? It's like you walk through walls or something..." I glared. He didn't answer for a second, seeming to take my words as offending, feeling slightly guilty, "I don't mean to be offensive."
"It's not," He replied, glaring through his beaming eyes and sat down at the opposite side of the table, looking at my plate. "What would you like to do?" He asked curiously.
I looked to the ceiling and shrugged, "Could I hear you play?" I questioned timidly.
"For our lesson, I may play something." he answered, his tone pleasing for not another word.
"Okay, then." I replied and left the dining room without another word, and went to read in the library until the lesson would begin. It wasn't until an hour later that he came into the library.
"Let us begin our lesson, shall we?" He announced as he stepped toward me. I shrunk away naturally, already intimidated by him being so tall compared to me.
"Yeah... sure." I replied and rose from my chair.
I followed him hesitantly, my brow furrowed as it seemed to remain. It didn't take long for my annoyance at his mysterious ways to come about, for it doesn't take much to annoy me on the inside, though I never let it go except when someone wasn't looking. It was rare for me to actually speak my word... though with him, I don't know how much longer I could keep it in. I felt selfish, but I wanted to confront him and demand answers. Of course I wouldn't do that, but it was a nice thought.
He sat at the piano bench and beckoned me over. I looked at him and then began to walk forth with the thoughts in my head, I probably looked as if he might bite me for some reason, but I was near him despite, looking at his mask bitterly.
"To begin lessons we should start with breathing exercises," He said slowly. "So, follow what I do, and try to mimic me." He said. "Breathe in for four counts, and breathe out for four counts."
I nodded and he began to count, unfurling his hand as if to signal for me to breathe in now. He counted, while breathing in, in time till four, and then counted to four as he breathed out. I did what he did, though he stopped short, looking at my stomach.
"You're not breathing properly." He noted in a concerned tone. He placed a hand on my back gently, and I felt some sort of electric shock run through my body where he touched. I shuddered, and he frowned, "Now, breathe in from here," he placed a hand onto my lower stomach, "instead of here." And put the hand higher on my stomach where my ribs were, his cold hands running through the fabric of my shirt. I shuddered suddenly away his touch.
"Forgive me, once more, Christine. I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable." He said dully, with less feeling as all the other times he unnecessarily apologized.
"No, no, it's fine. I know I wasn't breathing right." I replied hastily, feeling his tension.
"Good. Now, try again, and fill all of your lungs with air."
I did exactly what he did again, and obeyed the advice he gave me before.
"Wonderful. Now, breathe in for one, and breathe out for twelve." He instructed. Raising his hand, he counted to one, and I breathed in, as he began to count to twelve, I gradually breathed out.
"Good. Now, mimic me on the word, 'la.'" He instructed, and with his grand voice... he began to sing... And... oh, how he sang. It was a simple scale, but he made it sound like a beautiful song, his voice flowed like velvet once more, caressing my entire body this time, making goosebumps raise on my skin. It stopped suddenly, and he stared at me with dim amusement.
"Your voice... It's just so beautiful, I'm sorry." I apologized hastily, and he shooed it off.
"I've had that plenty of times before." He shrugged, and repeated the scale again, expecting me to repeat. I did so, my voice sounding horrible versus his. I half expected him to scold it, but he only went on with the scale, singing it a pitch higher. The scales only got higher and higher, and I was well passed able to sing them to their full extent, surprisingly enough, and I finally cracked on the high B as I usually was able to.
"Your voice is beautiful, Christine, though we do have much work on it ahead." He observed thoughtfully. I nodded in agreement, not willing to go against his wishes, but I thought I sounded good though I haven't opened my mouth to sing in two years.
Over the course of the lesson, he handed me a piece of music and instructed me to study it. He sung it, an octave lower so he could sing it, and it was obviously an operatic piece... an aria to begin with, simple yet the way he sang it, he made it all the more intricate. I hardly studied it, I simply looked at him, singing through a mask... now who in the world could perfect it other than he himself? Pronouncing it in perfect French accents.
"Were you listening, Christine?"
Hell, yeah! I thought to myself, but all I could say was, "Yes."
He said something unacknowledged under his breath and then shut the piano lid.
"We'll work some more tomorrow." He rasped and rose from the bench.
"Tomorrow? You mean everyday?" I asked, exasperatedly.
"Well, yes." He nodded, shoving it off. "If you want to work on your voice, you must consistently work on it." He explained as if I was insane for saying such things. I shrunk away, looking to him the same way he was looking at me. It made my heart drop to the lowest pit in my stomach the way he looked at me.
"I'm... going to go to my room and read." I said, not wanting to stay with him much longer, feeling utterly stupid with this conversation. I clenched my fists for his impatience, and stomped off like a child, leaving him there befuddled, most likely.
I took out one of my favorite books, Pride and Prejudice, and sat onto the bed and began to read, being taken immediately into another world without masked men and big mansions, and thoughts of death. Instead, a beloved romance... and I thought of Raoul.
I only got to reading for ten minutes, according to the alarm clock beside my bed, when the vibration of my cell phone on the desk pulled me off the bed instantly. I almost completely forgot about the outside world in this house which didn't have a television or any source of outside communication besides a cell phone and car, so it shocked me a little to be welcomed back into the real world for just a moment.
I picked the little black cell phone up and looked at the unfamiliar number, curious, I pressed talk and pressed it to my ear.
"Hello?" I asked, resting my elbow onto my hand.
"Christine? Is this you?" A familiar voice asked from the small receiver. I almost squealed.
"Raoul!? Oh, my God! Raoul! How did you get this number?" I asked almost too loudly.
"Meg Giry told me, of course. I heard you moved again and, well, so did I. I was thinking you and I go out... you know, to eat."
"Where are you?" I asked, furrowing my brow.
"I moved to a new place on the southern side of Annapolis." He said, sounding as though he was smiling.
"I think I'm near there..." I whispered, looking out the window to forest. "Listen, Raoul, my new guardian is pretty strange. I may just have to ask him, and I'll call you back soon when I get an answer, okay?"
"Sounds good." He replied, and I hung up, grabbing my phone and I ran to my door, my heart thudding excitedly, and opened the door. To my utmost horror and surprise, Erik was standing there, leaning on the threshold of the door, with his arms crossed. I gasped, falling back slightly covering my mouth to block the startled scream.
"You did it again!" I said, looking away to shrug it off.
"Are you going to ask me something?" He asked coolly, not caring about whatever I had to say.
I choked down a nervous swallow and nodded slowly, "Yes." His eyes were taunting me now, as I shrunk further and further back into the recluse of myself.
"You want to see that boy, I suppose?" He asked slowly, his eyes glaring down to me and my heart, for some reason, began to thud harder it felt as if it might come out of my chest and take flight in his face.
"I haven't seen him in forever, and he just moved here... Could I see him tonight?" I rushed quickly, bending my hands behind my back.
"No." He replied without any sort of thought to it.
I glowered on it for a second, not believing he actually just said that. I glared up to him. "...And why not?" I asked brokenly, the bravado of the moment wearing off, as my shoulders relaxed back and I crossed my arms.
He softened suddenly, his eyes no longer glaring, "All I ask is for you to be comfortable here. Besides, Christine, how could I know to trust this boy?"
I looked up to him in utter disbelief now, my jaw hanging low. That struck something in my chest as rage began to boil in my chest. "...Excuse me?" I asked softly with unintentional acid dripping into my tone.
"Christine, I implore you to calm down. You may see him some other time." He unfurled his hand carelessly.
"You're not my father," I said slowly looking angrily to him. "You can't tell me what to do!" I huffed angrily, the anger feeling well in my throat as it was relieved slowly.
"Yes, Christine, it is true I'm not, but dear, I am your legal guardian right now and I can tell you to do what I wish for you to do. I just told you you may see him soon!" He said, using the beauty of his voice to lull me again, and I almost fell for it naturally.
I shook my head, "Look, Erik... Raoul is one of my only friends... The least you can do to make me comfortable anywhere is to let me see him... Let me see him and I'll do whatever you damn well want me to do." I hissed the last words.
"I'm afraid I can't let you." He said, still very indifferent to my words.
"What?" I asked letting my jaw drop once more, and I crossed my arms. He was impossible! And he was only a few years older, it seemed. But his eyes were very threatening, I knew I couldn't persuade this man any further.
"Don't be a little child, Christine. You need to grow up, and you need to learn now." He said, his voice suddenly as powerful as a god's, inviting and beautiful. I snapped out of it again and glared at his mask this time. I coiled away, backing away from the door at his painful words.
"I hate you." I hissed, grabbing the door handle and slamming it shut on his face. I slid down on the door, actually feeling like an angry child, and I began to cry into my arms. Scared for my life that my guardian was this powerful.
After a few minutes of crying, I looked up to hear him leaving the doorway, and hearing the lock click on my door. Oh, my God... he locked me in here! He locked me in this room! Who the hell did he think he is?
"You can come out once you get over this, Christine!" He called back, hearing my gasp of realization. I tried the doorknob stupidly, finding it definitely locked with no way to pick it from in here. I sighed, banging my head onto the door and slamming my fist against it, succumbing for now.
I looked around for my cell phone in order to call Raoul back, except for the fact that I realized I had it in my hands when I confronted Erik, and I was too distracted with my anger, I dropped it. Panic reached my chest, looking under the crevice of the door to see if I was able to spot it not so far away, and it was gone. Obviously, Erik took it from me... and now I had nothing to do.
"Give my cell phone back, Erik!" I called out, banging on the door noisily. There was silence on the other side. "Give it back now!" Again, no answer.
I couldn't even call Mrs. Giry to tell her I was stuck with a over-controlling guardian and I'd rather go spend the rest of my days as a 17-year-old in a foster home. I leaned my head against the door and looked up, massaging my temples. Maybe I was being a little childish... My dad would have done the same thing... except for the fact Erik is no where near being my dad.
I resided in resuming reading my book except that I couldn't pay attention, so I leaned my head back against the pillow and spent the rest of the day waiting for Erik to let me out.