Hey you guys! I'm updating again! I'm on a roll! Sort of… Well, not really. Yeah, it's been too long. Sorry.

Phantomphan76- I appreciate the re-review. I wasn't online to approve it. Calm down.

The doctor finished wrapping the brace around her broken wrist as David watched her solemnly in the corner. She knew she would have some explaining to do, but she was just glad that she was safe and outside of the Opera Palace. "Come back in three weeks and we'll see how your wrist is doing," the doctor told her. She nodded in consent and wordlessly followed David outside.

"Well?" he asked as he walked her back to the palace.

"You were right," Marionette sniffled as he walked her back. David stopped in his tracks.

"Right about what?" She could hear the suspicious tone in his voice. Being right about things was generally his area. For Marionette, it was more the fact that she was too trusting than too stupid that made her wrong most of the time. But he was toying with her this time. He knew exactly what he was right about. He just wanted to hear her say it.

"He's not an angel," she choked out. Her tone was so pathetic that David took pity on her, despite the fact that he had warned her about the very same thing many times. He held her shoulders tightly as she cried into his chest. "He did this to me," she said between gasps and sobs. "I should have listened to you!"

Yes, you should have, but since you're distraught, I won't say anything.

"Alright, so we'll just keep him away from you, and if he tries to come after you, we'll just tell the police."

Marionette shook her head. "It doesn't work like that. David…" she trailed off as she looked him in the eye. He was so close right then, and he hadn't held it against her when she was too naïve to see the truth. He really knew, because she hadn't changed since she was a child. And for once she didn't resist the urge to kiss him.

David knew it was going to happen as soon as their eyes met, he still felt surprised and rather unprepared when their lips met. Usually, he would have leapt for joy, but he felt it was different. He pushed her off of him as she gave him a confused look. "David," she whispered, embarrassed, "I thought you—."

"You thought I loved you?" he finished her question. "I do, but you're not emotionally stable right now. We'll talk about it over dinner tonight." She nodded, still red in the cheeks. And although his mind slapped him for what he had done, he still felt better that she could trust him.

/

David bumped into her in the hallway. "Well, you're ready early," he joked with a slight smile. She gave a faint smile back.

"I know. I needed to talk to Mr. Deagia sometime today, and I figured it was best to ask before we go. I'll see you in ten minutes or so?" He nodded and walked off as she headed to the managers' office.

Marionette flung the door open and walked inside the office without an invitation. She had just about enough of their secrets. The two stared at her as crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Who is Helen?" she asked.

Their eyes widened. "I don't know what you're talking about." Raide tried to dismiss her in a shaky voice.

"You're terrible at lying, Mr. Raide," she told him bluntly before turning to Deagia. "Perhaps you would like to explain." The managers looked at each other before Deagia sighed and sat down.

"You'll probably need to sit, too, Miss Azayl," he told her, gesturing to another chair across from him.

/

ABOUT 17 YEARS PRIOR

"Erik, I really do need to leave. I'll be late, and that won't please the audience too much. Then there will be nothing to celebrate about," she told him.

He tried to tune her words out, still playing with the locks of short blonde hair she possessed. "I know, but surely you can miss just one performance for me. I have something terribly important to ask you." She smiled. She had always been a sucker for his incredible voice.

"Can it wait until after the performance?" she tried to reason. He hesitated, which caused her to break into an even larger smile. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Don't worry, I'll be right here after the performance," she assured him as she left the dressing room.

He sighed, but the question would have to wait, though the longer he waited, the more anxious he became about it. The lovely ring seemed to burn in his pocket, waiting to be put onto his beloved's finger. He was about to head back so he could hear her lovely voice, but something stopped him.

A loud gunshot rang out from in the hallway. He quickly bolted out of the room, where he saw her in a pool of blood. Someone else had already beaten him to chasing the killer, but when he tried to join them, he felt someone tug at his ankle. It was her. Bewildered at how she had remained alive that long, he dropped to his knees.

"Erik," she managed to choke out through her pain, "I just wanted you to know that… I love you." She gasped in pain, clutching her stomach. It was obvious she wouldn't survive this.

So Erik did something he never thought he would do. He reached up to his mask and took it off. Even close to death, she was clearly horrified. He tried to touch her, to assure her that he wouldn't hurt her, but she flinched away as best as she could before the light left her eyes completely.

No matter how ugly she viewed him, he still let a cry of anguish escape his lips. "HELEN!"

/

Deagia finished his story all about who she was, but said he didn't know a thing about her personal life. "Then why does he keep calling me her name?" Marionette wondered aloud.

"Well," Raide cut in, "she had the tendency to visit her dressing room quite often, just as you do. Perhaps…" he trailed off. A look of realization crossed Marionette's face.

"And he thinks I'm her," she muttered. Deagia nodded.

"To be truthful, the two of you sound remarkably alike," Raide informed her. There was a silence for a while before Marionette piped up again.

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Perhaps he'll leave you alone?" suggested Deagia, but it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than her.

"Perhaps…" Marionette half-heartedly agreed. There was another long pause before anyone spoke again. "Thank you for your time, both of you. If you'll excuse me, I have a dinner to attend."

And that was the Apollo's Lyre Part One! Tune in next time for the Apollo's Lyre Part 2! And I apologize for taking so long to update. It's kind of hard with school and everything.

Reviews are greatly appreciated.