Hello everyone. Soooo I realize that I am a terrible author for not posting in such a loooonnnngg time. But I got busy with baby. I had my little girl in April and she is doing wonderful! My husband and I are very happy parents, and she is such a doll. Now that my life has settled down, (yeah right) I am able to find some time to write when I can. I am almost done with this story and have started a few others. Aaaannnd we're off.

Chapter 10 Shadows.

Christine sat in silence, only the fire dared to crack and throw sparks in the air. Erik took a step toward her and she pulled her legs close to her body and wrapped her arms around them. The flames made the shadows dance across his face and mask.

"Do you want to see?" Erik demanded. He grabbed her arms and pulled her to stand. Christine clenched her fists and dug her finger nails into her palms as he put her hands to his face. "Take it off! Go on! You're curious I know that you want to!"

"Erik stop!" Meg tried to pull his hands away. "You'll frighten her!" Erik shoved Meg aside, and she fell on her bottom. "Erik!"

"Please," whispered Christine, "stop Erik. I don't want to…don't make me." She pulled her hands away from him, twisting her wrists in hopes of getting free. Erik's grip tightened and he pulled her hands above her head. Christine gagged. "You're drunk."

Erik just snorted. He gripped both her wrists in one hand and moved his free one to his face. "If you won't do it, then I will do it for you!"

Christine turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut. "Erik no!"

He paused, his fingertips brushing the edge of the mask. "Why not? Why do you not want to see what I really am?"

"That is not who you are, it's just a scar from the past. The man I heard singing in the trees, near the water, that is who you really are." Now she turned to face him. "He is beautiful, and kind and I love-"

BLAM! A nearby tree splintered, and pieces of wood sprayed everywhere. Erik dropped Christine and dropped to the ground over her. Meg buried her face in her lap and covered her ears as she screamed with frights. Twigs snapped under someone's feet as they ran away. Erik looked around then stood and slowly pulled Meg and Christine up.

"Meg, start back home, take Christine with you." He looked at the two girls, Meg chewing her bottom lip and Christine staring at Erik. He put their hands together. "Go!"

The two girls vanished through the trees. Erik smothered the fire and went after them.

The Man in Yellow listened from the shadows. The girls talked and didn't notice the drunk man behind them, and he was too drunk to notice that he was being followed. When he had been thrown from the bar, the Man in Yellow knew he had found one of them, The Giry's. He knew that they were here and now all he had to do was follow him to find where they had been hiding all these years.

The young man interrupted the girls, and the argument became heated. He pulled one of them to her feet into the light. The Man guessed this was the missing girl he was supposed to find. He watched the two of them struggle and finally he held her arms above her head. He moved to pull off the mask he wore, but stopped as the girl began whispering. The Man strained to hear, but was deafened by the gunshot noise.

He growled deep in his throat. Someone had followed him. He had been so eager to follow that he hadn't heard the steps behind him. Peering through the trees he only heard the retreating footsteps of the gunman and the two girls. The fire was extinguished, and the man stumbled in the dark after the girls.

The Man in Yellow looked back where he had heard the retreating noises then forward where the other three went. Making his decision, the Man followed the Girys.

I know its short but more will come. I promise. I hope you all enjoyed!