Chapter Three

"I...I did it!" Christine shouted with joy. Once again in the auditorium during lunch, Christine had, luckily, managed to smooth over the rough spots in her song and was quite pleased with the progress.

"Perfect. You sounded like an angel," Erik told her, not embarrassed to have been flirting so ferociously with Christine the past week. She smiled that sparkling smile at him and blushed. All Erik had been feeling was power over the time they'd spent together. With the mask on he could say anything, do anything he wanted and his Christine would never know it was really Erik. The misfit. She must never know.

They both quieted. It wasn't an awkward silence. It was comfortable. That is how Erik really saw his time spent with Christine. So comfortable. Christine decided to speak up saying, "This really has been fun. I like hanging around with you. I'm just so curious! Why can't I know your name or see your face? Have I met you before this?" The questions stumbled out of her mouth, her eyebrows twisted in confusion. Mouth in a slight frown. Erik wondered what he could possibly say to satisfy her. He didn't have a clue how to start this.

"Christine," he began in a charismatic voice. "What does that matter? It only matters that you and I are here together. Making music." A smile spun on his face, and her look softened.

Christine couldn't help being just slightly attracted to this handsome stranger. At least, she thought he was handsome. The truth of the matter was that she hadn't ever seen his face, and didn't know him by any name besides "The Phantom". The whole idea of a mysterious man teaching her how to sing was simply romantic in her innocent eyes.

Christine looked at him straight in the eye. They both sat on the small piano bench, where Christine suddenly moved closer to him. Erik looked at the space she had closed between them and then back in her hopeful eyes. He slightly gulped. Not audible. Erik decided to make his move. He smiled and leaned into Christine, eyes closed. She did the same. But the difference was this: her eyes were wide open. She had a mission. As their lips almost touched, she ripped off the strange mask, prepared to see a handsome boy. She did not. In fact, she did not see too much, but it was enough. As soon as he felt Christine's grip on the mask Erik had tensed up and turned away just as it was taken off. She'd seen a pair of large brown eyes, staring daggers. But also multiple red splotches, and what she thought might be muscle or bone.

Erik turned away, cursing. He covered his face with one hand while the other lay limply down at his side. He yelled angrily, "Curse you! You little prying Pandora! Why, Christine?" The poor girl was frightened now. She got up and handed the mask to Erik. He snatched it away from her. Christine sat back down as he adjusted the mask to fit him. Erik turned back to her, now better composed. "You're friends must be missing you. You will go to them," he commanded. She was about to talk back, telling him that she wouldn't be told off. Seeing his eyes crinkled in angry and tiredness changed her mind.

Christine nodded at Erik, before walking off of the stage, slowly at first, but she continued to walk faster wanting to leave what happened behind her.

~Later~

As she sat in her room, Christine couldn't stop thinking about Erik, his mask, or the auditorium. She kicked herself for what she'd done to Erik. But his face... she couldn't get the gruesome image from her mind. That was why he wore a mask. To hide his face from the world. Christine knew how cruel people could be. Her friendship with Erik had grown so much. They had talked and laughed together. She couldn't abandon him now!

Her thoughts were interrupted by Meg popping her head into Christine's room, "Dinner is served, milady!" She grinned. Christine couldn't help smiling at her sweet friend.

Christine's situation was an odd one to say the least. Her father had been a great violinist, traveling most of the year. During that time, Christine would stay with Meg and her kind mother. As the years went by, Mr. Daae fell ill and shortly after died. Christine was brokenhearted. Meg's mother, Miranda Giry, adopted Christine into her family. It was wonderful of her. Mrs. Giry did not have much spare time, seeing as she was a prestigious dance instructor, but she always seemed to find time for Meg and Christine. Christine would be forever grateful for all Miranda had done.

Meg and Christine entered the spacious and beautiful kitchen. Miranda was running about the kitchen trying to get the food in order. Even then, she was just as graceful as she ever was. She smiled quickly at the two girls looking at her.

"Get the plates and cups, please, loves." They did.

Once the table was set completely and food piled high on each of the three plates, the dinner buzz began. Miranda would ask questions about their day and Christine and Meg would ask about hers. It was a nice, little tradition that went on as they ate. But tonight something was quite different. Christine did not talk. She played with her food, and only half listened to the table conversations. When Meg and Miranda noticed they stopped talking. Christine looked up and said, "What's the matter?"

"Christine, is something wrong?" asked Miranda. Christine faked a smile and shook her head no. After a few seconds though she quietly said, "Yes." They beckoned her to tell them. "Well, there's this boy..." Meg threw back her head and laughed. "Meg! No! It's nothing like that! Stop laughing!" But Christine told them all about the mysterious phantom and how he refused to tell her anything about himself. Christine didn't tell them about earlier that day, when he had become so angry. She ended her short story with, "I want to be his friend, but he won't tell me anything!"

Meg and Miranda Giry nodded vigorously until it was over. "Hmm..."

Miranda finally said, "Have you tried taking his mask off? Maybe when you do that you'll recognize him and he'll stop with all the mystery." Christine sighed and thanked her mom for the help. She had already tried that and it hadn't worked. She silently wondered to herself why she was not telling them about Erik's face.

Christine planned to find out more about Erik. No matter the cost. She had to know. She had to see him somewhere beside the auditorium because she was starting to pretend like he really was a phantom. A phantom of the auditorium.

Christine vowed to herself that tomorrow she would genuinely try to find out about him. She would seek the phantom out. She would find him.