Chapter six: Remembering
Christine stared into Erik's eyes as her mind wandered back to that night they'd first met.
It was a cold and dark night in Paris. Christine stood by her father as they walked through the sideshow. The display of human oddities was a little unnerving to her. "Come and see the Devil's child!"
Then…she saw him for the first time. She saw him in a cage his hands tied up above his head. She saw blood trickling down his back from a whip mark on his back. She gasped and approached the cage with tears trickling down her cheeks.
"Christine," her father said. "come away."
"I can't." she croaked. "How can anyone-"
"I won't have you getting upset."
The man cracked the whip over the boy's back and he yelled. Christine's blood ran cold as she watched the man crack the whip again over his back.
Something, a wild dam of emotions broke over her and her scream pierced the air. "Stop it!" She screamed as she pulled free of her father's grasp and ran towards the cage. "Stop!"
"Christine!"
She barely heard her father's scream as she heard the whip crack over the boy's flesh again. The boy was looking up and staring at her in amazement. She flung the cage door open and she ran at the overseer and hit him.
"Stop it!" She screamed as she beat him. "Stop it!"
The man dropped the whip and grabbed her. "Whoa! The wildcat has feelings for the beast." The crowd of coarse people laughed at her as she fought the man.
"Unhand her." Her father shouted and she looked up to see her father was being restrained by several henchmen. "Let her go!"
"Father!" She called out "Let him go!"
"Watch," the man said as he bound Christine's arms behind her back and threw her onto her back. She stared at him wide eyed as he undid his bonds, holding him by the hair. "as the devil's child takes her like a mad animal!"
Christine's blood ran cold as the mad crowd cheered as he was thrown on her! She gasped and her heart pounded as he shook his head before staring down at her. Christine trembled as she looked at the face of the boy who was pressing her into the hay with his body.
His face was partly deformed and she held her breath as he studied her curiously for a moment before saying. "You… didn't scream, even now."
"I wouldn't." She inhaled. He had a deep voice for a boy of his age. She wasn't sure how only he was, possibly eighteen. "I don't think…you'd hurt me."
He looked at her for a moment later before getting carefully up off her. "And I wouldn't." she exhaled as he untied her bonds and stepped respectfully away from her. "I couldn't."
The crowd groaned with disappointment that he wasn't going to ravage her like a mad animal as they'd anticipated. She smiled and stepped towards him, her heart pounding in her chest. He frowned and stepped backwards until his back made contact with the metal bars behind him. He winced and jumped forward as the cold metal met the broken skin. Christine stepped forward quickly, cupped his ravaged cheek in her hand and kissed him.
The crowd gasped in horror and groaned in disgust, as he stood there frozen, powerless in her hands. She hadn't kissed anyone before, but she'd never seen anyone react the way he did. He'd stiffened and backed away, she could feel his whole body tremble under her touch. He didn't touch her; it was if he couldn't bring himself to do so.
When she pulled away, she saw he was crying. Tears were running down his cheeks. She stepped away and shakily made her way towards the door of the cage. The boy walked beside her, daring anyone to lay a hand on her again.
The man nodded that her father be freed and her father immediately grabbed her as soon as she came out of the cage. "Christine."
"I'm all right."
"Come." He said as he pulled her away. "Now."
Her father's tone broached no argument. As he led her through the crowd she turned around and looked at behind her. The boy stood there, his hands once again suspended in the air, but something had changed in his eyes. It was as if, her kiss had given him some new hope.
"Christine" her father said. "what has gotten into you? You kissed him. A complete stranger and in a public place!"
"Father, don't be angry with me. If there was ever someone who needed a kiss more than he did at that moment, let me know. I don't think he's ever been kissed before."
"No he hasn't Christine," he said. "there are many things that I know in this world that you don't know. That boy, has had many horrible things done to him. He could have hurt you and I thank God he didn't."
Tears flowed down her cheeks. "I wish, I could free him." She whimpered. "If you could arrange, somehow to let him free, I'd never ask for anything again."
"Christine?" Erik's voice jarred her out of her thoughts. "Why? Why did you kiss me?"
"Why didn't you rape me?" She asked. "You had the opportunity."
"Because…I wasn't sure what love was, until I saw your face." Erik said. "Why did you kiss me?"
Christine's heart crumbled at the look in his eyes. "Because…I had never seen anyone, begging for love, wanting it as much as you did at that moment. I wanted to give you some."
Erik turned her in his grasp to face him. "I'm still asking for that love Christine. I still want it, more than I did then. I want your love."
"Erik."
She never got to finish. Erik grabbed her and pressed her against him. Christine opened her mouth to object but Erik's mouth covered hers a moment. Her heart pounded, her mind raced as Erik pressed against him in a kiss that caused all the chains around her heart to break away.