Erik had insisted, despite the girl's efforts to get him to continue playing his organ, that it was time she had some food. And in spite of the fact that she had not had proper food for almost her entire life, she still argued.
"Please Monsieur Erik! I really want to hear you play some more!" she exclaimed.
The phantom sighed in frustration. "Honestly, you need to eat. Look at you! You are obviously not well…"
"But I haven't eaten in years!" she cried, interrupting him, and exaggerating quite a bit. "I think I can wait a little longer!"
Erik couldn't help but smirk at the girl's stubbornness and sense of value. According to her, his music was more important than her own nourishment. When the girl crossed her arms in a determined attitude, he rolled his eyes. He grabbed her arm and literally dragged her into his kitchen.
~*~*~
Ten minutes later, Erik had the girl sitting at his table, eating a bowl of soup contentedly. As hungry as she was, she followed Erik's order of taking it slow. If she were to eat it too fast, the soup would aggravate her stomach. But she had to admit, it was the most delicious thing she had ever put into her mouth.
And when she had finished, she looked up at Erik and smiled adoringly. "Thank you so much Monsieur Erik," she said quietly. The phantom nodded.
But suddenly, he noticed that the girl was still in the nightgown he had given her the night before. Erik frowned and the girl looked at him uneasily, sure that his frown meant nothing good. "Monsieur?" she asked hesitantly.
Erik rose from his seat and pushed his chair in. He motioned for the girl to do the same and then walked out of the room, the girl on his heels. His pace was quick, and she had to practically run to catch up with him. But she did not dare say a word, for fear of angering him more. And instantly, Erik stopped in front of her room, waving his hand to let her in before him. The girl gave him an uneasy look, but entered anyway.
The girl shook her head, extremely confused. She went to sit on the bed, while the phantom moved to the corner of the room where a chest sat. He rummaged through it, and eventually withdrew a white cotton dress. He then turned to the girl and looked her over, his eyebrows knotted together.
He then pointed to a door on the right side of the room. "There is a bathroom through that door. Go get yourself washed up and then put this dress on. Unfortunately, it may be a little too bit for you, but it's all I have. We'll get you some better clothes later on," he finally explained.
The girl let out a breath she had been holding out of fear. She now understood that he was not angry with her. She smiled and nodded. "Thank you Monsieur Erik," she said and grabbed the dress from his outstretched hands. She then turned to walk through the door to the bathroom.
Closing the door behind her, the girl filled the bathtub with water and undressed herself. She then sank into the warm water and felt her body relax.
She vaguely heard the door to her bedroom click shut. Erik had left the room to give her more privacy. The girl sighed.
Where was she? Who was she with? And why was she still here? She was obviously terrified of the man. Not because of his looks, (it seemed she had already gotten used to his disfigured flesh) but because of his behavior. Her heart seemed to beat a thousand times per second as soon as she realized that he was irate. She became wary and made sure not to increase his irritation in any way.
But yet, she was still living with the man. He had given her a home. He seemed to take full responsibility for her safety and well-being. And strangely enough, the girl trusted him. Despite his horrible mood swings, she felt that he would protect her. She believed that he would keep his promise to never hurt her again. The girl bit her lip and looked at her upper arms where he had grabbed her. There were two rather large bruises, but they simply blended in with the rest of her body.
The girl sighed again. The two bruises Erik had given her were no different from the ones her gypsy master had given her for a lifetime. His greatest joy in life seemed to be beating her to a pulp. Oftentimes, the girl would fall unconscious for days on end after one of his tirades. And that was how she was forced to live since the age of three. For thirteen long years, the girl had been tortured to the brink of death.
And then the girl's mind flew back to what had happened the night of her rescue. Erik had beaten her master in order to save her. The girl frowned slightly. She also remembered his facial expression. His entire face had been twisted in rage and hatred. The girl wouldn't have been surprised if he had killed her master right then and there. She shuddered and remembered his face the night he had realized what the gypsy had called her all her life.
Lucia. Basically, he called her the devil. Suiting really, considering the fact that she was the Devil's Child. She laughed vindictively. Erik had also been the Devil's Child. Obviously, they both weren't the real offspring of the devil, but humankind had treated them as such. Consequentially, she felt a connection with the mysterious man. They had both gone through the same kind of torture.
The girl contemplated the pros and cons of the man she was now to live with. Yes, he was dangerous and completely impulsive. The girl most certainly believed that he did not have a full grasp of his emotions at any point in time. Just look what he had done to her earlier.
Still, the man could protect her. He had saved her and given her a place to live. He had fed her and bathed her. And he had promised never to hurt her again. The girl decided that she believed he would keep his promise. She smiled and rose out of the tub after cleaning herself. Coming to the conclusion that she could trust the man that she would now live with, she dried herself off with a towel she had found in the corner of the room and made to put the dress he had given her on.
Erik had been right; it was too big for her. The long sleeve, knee length, white dress went past her fingertips and down to her feet. She couldn't help but giggle.
But she shook her head and was grateful that he had any dress at all for her and set to the task of brushing her uneven hair.
~*~*~
After about twenty minutes, the girl was as clean as she could be. Her hair now free of knots, she left her room to find Erik. Once again, he was at his organ, his fingers speeding over the keys.
"Monsieur Erik," she called to get his attention. The phantom turned around to look at how she had cleaned up, and chuckled. She looked ridiculous. The dress was entirely too big for her; they would need to go shopping soon.
But he shook his head and put the thought aside. He rose from his seat at the organ and went to his coat rack. He grabbed two cloaks, throwing one to the girl and putting the other on himself. The girl looked at his with a curious look.
He smiled slightly. "Come my pet. I want you to meet someone very special." The girl suddenly got tense, but nodded all the same. The phantom did not notice her reaction and grabbed her hand to lead her out of his home.
