Chapter Seven- Sleepless (Part two)
I turned to look, and came face to face, with the Phantom.
But before I could scream, he covered my mouth with his hand and pulled my form, closer to his. My heart was beating wildly, in the heavy silence, it sounded like beating drums to my ears.
He uncovered my mouth and gestured for me to remain quiet. He bent down, and picked up the lantern. Then he grabbed me by my elbow, careful not to touch my wounds, and led me through my clothes. We were facing the inner wall of the cupboard. He pulled an identical looking latch, like the one I had seen by the mirror, and the wooden screen slid to one side. He led me past it and closed it from the outside. We were in a tunnel, now. So he really had been watching over me. He started leading me inside the dimly lit tunnel, his hand still holding my arm, softly, but firmly.
I stopped in my tracks.
"Why did you watch over me?", I pronounced, as valiantly as I could.
He turned to glare at me, then pulled me forward again.
We started walking again, my legs felt as weak as wicker, where was he taking me? We kept walking, and I did not have the strength to protest. But I still felt agitated that he had used the secret mirror to look over me. Why could have possibly made him do that? He had saved my life once, now there was no reason for him to show such concern for me.
"If you think that since I saved you, you owe me your concern, then you are erring. You don't owe me anything.", I said, without stopping.
I didn't have to see his face to know that he was glowering at my words. He kept us going, and didn't utter even a single word. I kept fidgeting in his silence, the urge to know the true reason behind his actions was now growing, inexplicably.
"Why do you not sleep?", he asked, after some minutes. I could sense the anger in his voice.
We had traveled quite a bit far inside the tunnel, now, it did not seem to possess any ending. My legs were weak, and my head was throbbing with lack of slumber. I felt agitated and impatient due to my condition.
"You do not owe me anything!", I had meant the words to be imposing, but instead they came out in a flimsy manner.
He let go of my arm and turned to face me.
"I am very well aware of the fact that I do not owe you anything. And why would I? You didn't save me, Rose, but you murdered my one chance of freedom from this hideous life and world! I should kill you, for being such a savior, a savior who condemned me back into a never ending purgatory!", his voice was full of venom.
His words left me tight lipped.
I drew away from him and until I had backed into the wall of the tunnel. My legs, frail with the sudden excursion they had had to endure, collapsed, and I slid down into a sitting position.
"Then why did you save me?", I whispered, looking directly at his enigmatic form, in the scanty light, provided by the lantern in his grasp. My irritability had vanished.
His eyes flickered with some unknown emotion, and then his face turned cold and calm. He came up to me, and sat down beside me, backed up against the wall, just like I was.
"Why do you not sleep?", he asked, huskily.
I knew that he would not answer any of my questions, so I resolved to answer his.
"It's my mind. It's a scary place to be in. I am afraid, that it will take over my soul in my sleep, and rot it.", I answered, truthfully.
I looked at him, he was staring at me intensely, as if trying to scrutinize my persona.
He didn't speak after that. I was still thinking about what he had said to me before, about killing his one chance of freedom from his hideous life. I felt terrible for him. It was bizarre, because he was essentially a stranger, but was he really? I could see through him, at moments, in a way that I had never been able to, with anybody else.
"I am sorry about Christine.", I whispered looking at him.
His face distorted with pain and disgust, and he was about to get up, but I grasped his arm, tightly, preventing him from moving away.
I flinched with the effort, and he noticed that it was my right hand. His expression softened, and he sat down again, reluctantly.
I turned my face away from him and closed my heavy lidded eyes. I was very close to sleep; I couldn't resist it anymore.
"May I know your name?", I asked him.
"Erik", he answered, after a few moments of silence.
Such a beautiful name. For me, it resonated with purity and valor. I could empathize with him, I knew exactly how the torment inside him, treated him. I wanted his pain to go away, I wanted to make it go away, but I didn't know how to.
"I understand, Erik. I understand what it feels like, to not be loved."
He was absolutely silent, so I glanced at him, with half open eyes. His expression was one of ...incredulity? Yes, he was looking at me incredulously, and the pain was quite evident in his beautiful eyes.
My eyes closed.
"You must sleep now, Rose", his voice sounded controlled.
"No, I can't sleep, I can't..", but my head drooped to the side, inspite of my feeble protests.
And then, I felt an arm around me. Erik had gently pulled me to his chest, and I gladly accepted the abode. I rested my head on his chest, and he held me, humming softly. I felt safe, now. Warmth blossomed inside of me and I gladly welcomed the sleep I had evaded for so long. He was the night, but such a beautiful night it was. If he was the darkness, then he was the darkness that comforted and provided shelter from the harsh reality of the light. I pulled myself closer to him, and he sweetly tightened his hold on me.
I fell asleep in Erik's arms.
