Christine's POV

"Oh, little one you look so beautiful…"

After Miss Maddy came back downstairs, she dragged me into her bedroom and began brushing my curls and placed a diamond necklace around my neck. The piece of jewelry was too big and heavy for me, but Miss Maddy didn't seem to care.

"This necklace was my grandmother's. She gave it to my mother and my mother gave it to me. Someday, I'll pass it down to you, perhaps."

"But wouldn't you give it to Erik?" I questioned. "He is your only child and it only seems right that you give it to him to give to who he wishes to give it to."

"And why would I give him such a beautiful trinket? He would probably take it apart to see how it's made… He's good for that, you know? Once, he asked me for a mirror and when I gave it to him he took it apart. He destroys everything he gets his hands on. I'm warning you, girl…Don't be fooled by Erik's innocence. He is anything but…"

Miss Maddy placed a bow into my curls and smiled. "There, you're perfect."

"Will Erik be all right, Miss Maddy?"

She shrugged and patted me on the behind. "Go play, little one."

"I want to play with Erik."

"Well, Erik isn't able to play. I don't think he ever will be able to play. He'll be lucky if he has a foot by the end of the week. He always has and always will be a foolish child."

When I left Miss Maddy's room, I crept over to Erik's and lightly knocked on the door. I didn't hear much except a few low groans.

"Erik?"

I pushed the heavy door open and entered to find Erik lying in bed with his legs elevated onto pillows. The ankle that had been shackled was no longer chained. No, it was his opposite leg that was shackled now. I gently crawled up on his mattress and touched his bandaged foot, only to have him cry.

"Erik, what did you do?"

Erik opened his eyes, those same shades of strange blues starring me in the face. He looked like he was in a lot of pain and I didn't know why.

"Your foot looks strange, Erik…Is it all right?"

"B…Bro…Broken."

"You're sweating… Is there anything I can do?"

Before Erik could answer, I began rummaging around the night table and came across a few vials of medicine.

"Erik, did Miss Maddy give you any of these?"

"N…No…"

I was about to open the vial when Miss Maddy came walking in and grabbed the vials from my hand.

"I don't know what kind of rules your father enforced in his home, little one, but here, I enforce punishment, when punishment is deserved."

"But…But he's in a lot of pain, Miss Maddy. Shouldn't you give him at least one of those?"

"I will, once his punishment is over. Come now…"

Miss Maddy lifted me off of Erik's bed and dragged me to the door.

"I don't want to leave him! Please let me stay…"

"Absolutely not. Erik is in time out and he will do so alone."

I didn't want to leave Erik's side, but I had no other choice. For the remainder of the day, Miss Maddy had me with her in the kitchen, forcing me to help her bake muffins and cakes. She was treating me as though I were her own flesh and blood, when in reality, she didn't have a clue about me. Today it was my birthday…I had been hoping to spend it with Erik in my papa's caravan, but God obviously had other plans. When we were finished baking, I wandered out into the yard to tend to Cesar. The yard was fenced in and had enough space to where he could happily trot around and eat the grass. The yard faced the woods and I sighed as I rested my head on the wooden fence and gazed into the dark beyond.

"I know Erik doesn't want to be here, Toby…" I began. "I know he feels as though he's fallen into another trap. But what can I do? Miss Maddy can be mean at times, but being able to have a bed and a roof over our heads is nice. I just wish Erik would get better."

Erik's POV

I wished for death! I wished for nothing more than for God to put an end to my suffering. I could feel every bone within my foot moving and attempting to heal. I whimpered in discomfort while the world went on living outside of my bedroom window. For hours I laid there suffering and wondering when I would be put out of my misery. Finally, when the sun's light became soft and darkness set it, the door to my bedroom opened and Madeline came walking in. I bit my lip to hold in the cries of pain that wanted to emerge, for I wouldn't allow her to see me weak. I had gone through worse pain than this and I wouldn't let her see it.

"Have we learned our lesson?" she questioned, taking a seat at the side of my bed. "You should have known better, Erik. You may be hideous, but you are anything but stupid. You're tutor bragged about your ingenuity five seconds out of every minute of every day."

When I didn't answer her, she held one of the vials in front of my masked face.

"You look like you're in pain… Do you want some?"

"No…" I crooned. "I'm not in pain."

I knew the woman didn't believe me for a single second, for the next thing I knew, she grabbed a hold of my broken foot and squeezed it in her fist.

"Ah!..." I cried louder than I ever had as the numbing agony took over every nerve within my body.

"Lie to me again, Erik and I won't think twice about throwing your medicine away."

From there, she forced one of the horse sized pills into my mouth and held my lips shut until I swallowed it. I nearly choked, but after coughing a few times, I plopped back against my pillow to relax. She was still here… Why was she still sitting at my bedside as if she cared?

"I really do love your little friend. She really is a sweet little thing. She is slowly coming to like living here and I know you'll eventually come around as well. And that mask….It isn't the one I made for you. Did she make you this mask?"

"Y…Yes," I snapped. "She did."

"It suits you. But I'm afraid I must ask, Erik… Whatever happened to the one I made you?"

I didn't want to think about that horrible night. I didn't want to think about the gypsies and what they had done to me. I knew that when I was strong enough, I would seek revenge on all of them.

"Don't think that I didn't see your back when the doctor helped you. I know I hurt you in the past, Erik, but I didn't cause those hideous markings on your back. Who did this to you?"

When I didn't answer her, the woman wrapped her arms around my neck and began to strangle me.

"Who? Who did that to you, Erik! Answer me, you monster!"

When she let go, I gasped for air and knew that if I didn't tell her, she would keep hurting me.

"T…The gypsies. They caught me and kept me their prisoner for three years. Christine…She…she saved me from them."

"Gypsies?" Madeline cried. "You were captured by gypsies? They're monsters! Cannibals, and the scum of the earth."

My mother became quiet for a few moments before she seemed to go mad and tore away the blankets and grasped hold of my trousers. I tried to fight her off, but she was like a mad woman, unbuttoning them and forcefully rolling me over to my side as if she were about to change a diaper on a baby. But she wasn't…She was pulling my trousers down past my butt.

"I knew there was a reason why you couldn't sit right!" she cried. "I saw it when you were performing in the streets with Christine. I knew there was something wrong with you, and now I know the truth!"

The woman tossed the blankets back over me.

"Those monsters made you their whore! Is that what you are, Erik? Did it feel good? Did you enjoy letting those pigs take advantage of you?! That's all you will ever be good for….Do you hear me! You won't be worth anything else. You might as well go back to them so they can continue raping you! Maybe one day they'll let you do the same to them."

And with that, the woman stormed out of my room and slammed the door closed. When she was gone, I let the tears roll down my cheeks. Was that truly all I was good for? I hated the world and it hated me right back. I tore off my mask and pulled the blankets over my head to continue sobbing into my pillow.

"Erik?"

When I heard someone softly calling my name, I pressed my face harder into my pillow and ignored her voice.

"Erik, please answer me…"

But I didn't… Christine didn't deserve to have me as her friend. I was a monster, one who wasn't good enough for anything. When I felt someone hopping up onto my bed, I continued to sob. Soon, the blankets were gently pulled back from my head and I felt her fingers gently running through my locks of black hair.

"Erik, I heard what Miss Maddy said to you…I was listening right outside the door. It was mean, and even though it was mean, it wasn't true. I'm not sure what the gypsies did to you, but I know that you're better than they are. I know that one day you will do great things. Just because they broke you doesn't mean that you can't put yourself back together again and live a great life. You're my friend and I want you to continue being just that for the rest of my life."

I was about to lift my head, when I realized that I wasn't wearing my mask.

"You took your mask off," she said. "I have it in my hands. You don't have to hide from me, dearest Erik."

"Y…You will be afraid."

"But what if I promise to not be afraid?"

"I…I don't have a face, Christine. And no one should have to look at it. Promise me that you will never ask to see it again…"

"I…I promise dearest Erik."

I reached out for my mask and placed it back over my deformed face before turning to her.

"Miss Maddy and me made cakes today. We decorated them all the same, but I made this one especially for you."

When I was comfortable again, Christine handed me the small chocolate cupcake and smiled.

"I thought it would make your foot feel better. But, I must make you promise me something, Erik… You made me promise to never ask to see your face again. Now I want you to promise me that you will never try to run away from here. I don't want to go to the orphanage and I don't want to get separated from you. Promise me…"

"I…I promise, Christine. We will stay until there comes a time when we should move on."

I didn't want to stay here, but Christine was making me promise to stay. In my mind, I knew I would grow up hating the world and it would continue hating me right back. Therefore, I promised to stay until I was a man. Others might have seen me as a helpless puppy, but they should never kick a dog because he's just a pup, for they would need to run for cover when the pup grows up. I would become the man everyone would fear…


I don't think there is enough love left in this world to save Erik now... Poor unhappy Erik. Please review!