Chapter 4

He was so shocked but pleased he didn´t know what to say. A long minute passed before he could manage to say "hi" back.

So, how´s everything going?- she asked feeling like an idiot, specially because EVERYONE was watching.

Eh...fine? – he answered looking around the frozen cafeteria and then thought actually great because I ´m with YOU)

Great! So...(God! What should I say now?) – she just stared at him clueless.

And then it hit him. For some unknown reason she was struggling to talk to him. Did she want to be friends?

"And how are you?"- he asked by impulse but it helped her a lot.

"Fine thank you!"- she answered a bit too happily.

He nodded and they stood in an awkward silence which seemed to last 20 minutes. Christine was so nervous she broke it.

"Well, see you. Have a nice day!"

"Yeah..." was all he could mutter before she took off.

Erik couldn´t stop thinking about it for the rest of the day...and the week. She hadn´t tried to talk to him since then but she clearly seemed interested in him in some way for some reason. He just couldn´t figure out which. And to make things worse he noticed the guy he hated the most in this planet besides himself flying around her like a bee on a flower all the time: Raoul Dechangy. Mr. Perfect, the Prince, the guy every girl in school drooled over. And who did he have to choose as his prey? Of course, just his luck, the only girl poor Erik had ever looked at. He didn´t stand a chance against anyone let alone against him. Christine could only be talking and smiling to him out of pity, which it more than he had ever received anyway.

On next Tuesday Christine went to her weekly lessons at the conservatory hoping to find out who this mysterious yet captivating voice belonged to. After her lesson finished she took her walk around the place as usual until she heard it. She tried to follow it and ended up in an empty dark corridor, she couldn´t see anything or anyone. It kept singing so deeply and softly she closed her eyes and got lost in its sound. It was bewitching. Suddenly something in the back of her head snapped her eyes open returning her to where she was. She got up the courage and asked with her voice trembling:

"Hello? Who is this?"

He stopped singing. He couldn´t let her see him. He needed a lot of courage to answer too.

"Hello?" she insisted.

"Hello." His voice echoed strongly through the walls causing her to shiver.

"Who are you?"

"I cannot tell you."

"Why not?"

"It´s for your own good."

"What do you mean?"

"Trust me, you don´t want to meet me."

"Yes I do."

"No."

Christine decided it was useless to argue with him about that.

"You have a beautiful voice sir."

What should I say? Thank you?- he thought. It´s not like he got compliments everyday.

"You too. I´ve heard you."

"Have you?"- he knew her?

"Yes."

"Not like you however. Will you teach me?"

Teach her? She wanted him to teach her? She already had the natural talent, all she had to do was learn to use it. She was like a diamond in the rough. He could help her with that. He just didn´t want her to know he was the creepy boy from school.

"Yes, I will. Come here next Tuesday at the same time. We´ll be having regular sessions but you will never see me."

Christine was afraid he would change his mind if she tried to argue again so she just said "Thank you" and "Good bye" instead and went home.

The next day Erik was afraid to see her at school. He had the paranoia that she would look at his face and magically relate it to his voice and just know it´s him. He was really excited about spending time alone with her but he was afraid of her to see that her faceless teacher was him. He didn´t want her to make that connection.

He tried to avoid her all day but he couldn´t. It´s like without intending to she went to the same places as him at the same time. The cafeteria, most of their classes, the library, even when he had to go back to the Math classroom because he forgot his calculator , there she was coming back from the toilet.

He was glaring at her. His only response and defence method was to glare at her. He glared at her every time they met. And all Christine could think was that he hated her. With all his guts. Of course she knew she hadn´t done anything to him. But maybe he really was bad and found it annoying when she talked to him. So she decided she would stop. It hurt her a bit because she did want to be his friend even if she didn´t know what to do with the fact that he physically attracted her.

The next Tuesday she was excited to go her singing lessons with Face. He sang like a male angel. She just loved his voice and was happy that he agreed to teach her. She entered the room where she had heard him the last time.

"Hello?"

She sensed someone jump a little.

"Hello. Come in."

He had found the perfect place to hide so he could be in the same room as her and she would never guess where he was standing. Yet he was still very nervous.

She entered and as soon as she closed the door he said "Let´s begin."

She stared around the room trying to find him. He could see her but she couldn´t see him .She ended up in the centre of the room and looked around expectantly.

"So...what do you want me to do?"

Erik who had been quiet snapped out and remembered he was supposed to give her lessons.

"Right."- he said with his best masculine voice- "I have a piano here with me, I will play and you will start practicing your scales with my music."

Part of her didn´t want to sing in front of him, she felt like a crappy singer next to him. It embarrassed her.

"Uhmm...is that alright?"- he said when she didn´t answer.

"W-what? Oh yeah, sure."

He started playing the scales and she followed them with her voice. He almost stopped playing at her sounds. He just wanted to sit there and get embraced by her voice. But he had to concentrate. He couldn´t give himself away.

When they finished she nervously asked:

"Was that okay?"

Absolutely divine.

"Yes, yes that was good. Now...uhm is there any song in particular you would like to practice?"

Please don´t recognize me. Please don´t recognize me.

"Well there is one my father taught me. It´s called Angel of Music. "

"Alright then, start singing it and I´ll follow your compass."

She took a breath and began:

Father once spoke of an Angel

I used to dream he´d appear

Now as I sing I can sense him

And I know he´s here

Erik tried to pay attention to the notes but found the lyrics more interesting. Christine kept on singing without realising what the song might imply.

Here in this room, he calls me softly

Somewhere inside, hiding

Somehow I know he´s always with me

He, the unseen genius

She was so nervous her voice started to crack which made her even more nervous. She stopped.

"I´m so sorry. It happens when I try to sing loud enough."

"It´s...it´s okay. Really. Y-you, you just have to be more confident about it."Right. He could talk about confidence. "Please, just give me the last stroke."

How could she say no to that. He had just adopted such a sweet, comforting tone of voice.

Angel of music, guide and guardian

Grant to me your glory

Angel of music, hide no longer

Secret and strange angel

And without thinking he responded her singing:

I am your Angel of Music

Come to the Angel of Music

I am your Angel of Music

Come to the Angel of Music