Okay, just a warning. This chapter has a bit of T-rated material in it. This won't make sense now, but it will at the end: Nothing actually happened to her. Okay, so without further ado, here is Chapter 4! Thanks to my reviewers and followers!
"Monsieur," Elaina said to Erik. "Please tell me. What's going on up there?"
Erik remained silent.
"I haven't been to the world above for many days. Please tell me what's been happening."
"They are rehearsing for the new opera, Il Muto, which opens tonight. I specifically wrote that Christine should be cast as the lead of the Countess and Carlotta should be given the silent role of the Pageboy, but they completely disobeyed my orders."
"Wait a second, Carlotta is back?"
"Yes, the managers begged the diva to come back, and now she is the Countess while Christine is the Pageboy."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Why? It is not your fault this time."
Elaina walked over and picked up one of the drawings Erik had done. "Is this Christine?" she asked.
"Yes."
"She's beautiful. I can see why you like her so much."
"She has the voice of an angel. She is my Angel of Music."
Elaina was silent before she thought of something. "Is there any way for you to ruin Carlotta's performance?"
"Excuse me?"
"I don't know how, but you should humiliate the diva so much that she can't perform and Christine ends up getting the role."
"That is quite a bold idea."
"Christine deserves the role more. Carlotta is just arrogant and needs to be taught a lesson. They all do."
"I believe I am starting to rub off on you," Erik chuckled.
For the first time since she was brought down to Erik's lair, Elaina smiled.
Erik started to leave quickly after their conversation.
"Erik, wait!" Elaina called as she grabbed his arm. Once she realized she was actually touching him, she very quickly let go. "Um…please can I go with you? I haven't been out of here in…I don't know. Too long. Please? If anything, I just want to see Carlotta embarrassed!"
Erik looked at her for what seemed like far too long before taking her hand roughly, but not as rough as before, and putting her in the gondola.
"Stay close to me," Erik ordered as they reached the other side of the lake. "If you try to run, I will catch you."
"Yes, monsieur."
Admittedly, Elaina hadn't even thought about trying to escape. But now that he had said that, she couldn't help but wonder if she could find Christine or Meg or Madame Giry, and explain what had happened to her. Madame Giry seemed to know about Erik more than anyone. She knew, though, that that would be very unwise. Even if she did so, Erik would no doubt find her and take her again and he would be very angry at her. Elaina didn't want to risk it.
Erik went up to the rafters high above the theater. "Who's sitting in Box Five?" he hissed.
"What are you talking about?"
"One of my demands was that Box Five was mine."
Elaina watched as Carlotta sang her very high notes and then pretended to kiss Christine. She felt bad for that poor girl.
Carlotta sang her next lines:
Poor fool, he makes me laugh!
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Time I tried to get a better better half!
Suddenly, the Phantom's voice burst out and echoed across the entire theater, "Did I not instruct that Box Five was to be kept empty?"
Elaina saw Christine whisper, "It's him! I know it! It's him!" She seemed very afraid of him, but all Elaina could think was that she did not know true fear of him. She hadn't been his captive for several weeks.
Carlotta ran up to Christine and grabbed her arm. "Your part is silent, little toad!" she said harshly.
"A toad, madame?" the Phantom responded. "Perhaps it is you who are the toad!"
Carlotta began her song again, but right in the middle of a high note, she let out a huge croak! Erik chuckled softly, but covered it up well. Elaina held back her giggle.
Carlotta went to resume the song, but croaked again even louder. The Phantom's laugh echoed all across the theater. "Behold!" he exclaimed. "She is singing to bring down the chandelier!" Elaina looked at the beautiful chandelier that hung high above the audience's heads. It was starting to flicker and looked a little loose.
Andre hurried onto the stage as Carlotta ran off, sobbing all along the way in humiliation. "Ladies and gentlemen, the performance will continue in ten minutes time, when the role of the Countess will be sung by Miss Christine Daaé!"
Elaina smiled. "You did it!" she whispered to Erik.
"Yes, my Christine now has the role like she should have had in the beginning!"
Erik led her to the catwalk above the stage and it reminded her of how he saved her from falling. It occurred to her that he could've let her fall, but he didn't. He said that he didn't want her to ruin Christine's performance, but it seemed like there was more to it than that.
"Stay here," he whispered. She nodded to him. He left her alone on the catwalk to do whatever he needed to do. Once again, her mind told her to run and go find Madame Giry. She could get away from him and never have to go down to the lair again. Madame Giry would understand and could help…right?
Her head whipped around at the sound of footsteps. It was Joseph Buquet! He was on the catwalk with her!
"Well, hello, my fine lady!" he said quietly. "We've all been looking for you."
"Have you?" Elaina asked. Buquet made her feel very uncomfortable. She actually wished Erik was still here with her. Surprisingly enough, she preferred him over Buquet.
"Why don't you come with me?" he purred. "I'll take you back."
"No, I can't go back."
"Then why don't I just take you away?"
"No," she said firmly.
Joseph Buquet grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her away. She struggled against him and fell on her back on the catwalk. He leaned down toward her and she tried to push him away from her. She couldn't escape from him in their current position now. She wanted to cry out for help, but she knew she had to be quiet so as not to disturb the performance below, and no one could know that she was here.
Buquet overpowered her and leaned closer over her and Elaina couldn't get him off. She felt his hands caress her legs as they slid from her calf and kept going higher and higher. Her skirt was lifted up by his wandering hands and try as she might, she couldn't stop him. Suddenly, Erik appeared behind Buquet and threw his Punjab Lasso around his neck. Elaina watched in horror as Erik pulled the lasso tighter and tighter and then flung the body over the side, sending it down to the stage. Everyone screamed and panicked at the sight of the dead body with the broken neck.
Erik grabbed Elaina's hand and ran off with her. He took her through the same secret passageway he had used when he kidnapped her and ran down it. Elaina slowed behind him and tears began to flow down her cheeks. She began to cry as Erik stopped pulling her. All she could think about was Buquet's body on top of hers. It sickened her, and she was afraid what might have happened had Erik not shown up.
Erik put his hands on her shoulders. "It's alright." His voice was still rough, as if this situation was awkward and he didn't know how to handle it.
"Thank you," Elaina whispered.
Erik wasted no time. "Come, we must go to the roof."
"Why? What's on the roof?"
"My Christine."
He took her through another secret passage, and Elaina wondered just how many secret passages there were in the Opera House. They arrived on the roof in the middle of Raoul and Christine having a rather big argument, evidently about Erik, and hid behind a statue.
"What you heard was a dream, and nothing more!" she heard Raoul tell her. There was a short silence before she heard Christine sing to him:
Yet in his eyes, all the sadness of the world
Those pleading eyes that both threaten and adore
"Christine, Christine," Raoul said tenderly.
"Christine…" Erik sang softly, but hauntingly.
"What was that?" Christine asked in a frightened voice.
Elaina listened as Raoul sang sweetly to her. They began to confess their love for each other and Elaina watched as Erik's face became more and more pained.
She wanted to reach out to him. Even though she feared him, no one deserved to feel this way. But it was that fear that kept her from comforting him in any way. She snuck a peek at the couple and saw them drawing closer and closer to each other until the gap between them was closed and they were kissing. Erik looked like he was about to fall apart. Elaina knew how much he loved her considering all the things he had done for her. This had to be painful for him.
After what seemed like forever, Christine and Raoul finally left the rooftop, leaving Erik and Elaina alone.
Erik slowly went to the middle of the roof, while Elaina hung back. He picked up a rose on the ground that Christine must've dropped.
He ever so softly began to sing:
I gave you my music
Made your song take wing
And now, how you've repaid me
Denied me and betrayed me
He was bound to love you
When he heard you sing…
"Christine…" he whispered as he fell down onto his knees. He caressed the rose as if it was his tether to life itself. Elaina didn't know what to do. She wanted to do something for him in order to help his heartbreak, but he still scared her, and she was afraid of how he might react if she did anything.
Her head turned as she heard Christine and Raoul singing faintly:
Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime
Say the word and I will follow you
Share each day with me, each night, each morning
Erik crushed the rose in his hand and shook with anger. He quickly stood up, ran to a statue perched on the edge of the roof, climbed up on it, and belted out to the air:
You will curse the day you did not do
All that the Phantom asked of you!
He climbed down from the statue and roughly grabbed Elaina's arm. She winced, but said nothing. Erik went straight to the rafters of the theater and looked out. Elaina saw that the chandelier was flickering again. On the stage below, the cast of the opera was taking their bows. Christine came on stage to bow and the chandelier loosened from the chain hanging on the ceiling.
"GO!" Erik screamed, and the chandelier fell onto the stage right in front of Christine. Erik grabbed Elaina's arm again and hurried down to the lair.
Once back underground, Erik practically threw Elaina into the room and left her there.
Just when she thought that the Phantom of the Opera had finally softened up to her, Christine had to go and wreck everything. Now she was back at Square One with him and was terrified of him all over again.
