I groggily opened my eyes to a small moan coming from across the room. I turned my head to see Christine, head in hands, sitting on the side of her bed. I looked at Meg who still seemed to be asleep.
"Danielle, I don't feel very good," Christine moaned.
"Just go back to bed. Here, take one of these and try to go to sleep." I handed her an aspirin from my bag. "Drink some water and, when Meg wakes up, give her the other one. I'm going for a bath." I walked down the hall with my toiletries bag under my arm, my mind was far away from the hall though. I was thinking of my family and friends. Are they missing me? How are they going to explain someone disappearing into thin air? I love the people I've met here but I wanted my family. Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed me from behind and pulled me into the shadows.
"What were you thinking, giving Christine alcohol?!" Erik angrily whispered in my ear. "What were you to gain from that?"
"A gaggle of shits and giggles?" There goes my mouth again, speaking before thinking again. Erik put his hand around my throat and pulled me to him, nearly choking me so I couldn't scream. He pulled me down to his home before he let go of my throat and threw me to the ground before his orgon. I sucked in air like it was my last breath on earth, my shaking hand pressed against my chest. For the first time I was afraid of Erik, for the first time I saw him as what he was: a half crazed man with an unhealthy obsession with Christine and, after what he considered to be endangering her, there was a possibility that he would take my life. He was not an overly romanticized outcast only wanting love, he could kill whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted and could get away with it, I wonder if he can hear how fast my heart is beating? I refused to meet his eyes as I gasped on the floor.
"Look at me when I speak to you, wretch!" He grabbed my chin and roughly pulled it up.I held back the tears as best I could and masked my eyes with hate and fury, after my years of acting it wasn't hard to mask how I really felt. "What were you thinking? Christine could've gotten hurt while trying to find a bathroom in the dark or fallen off the stage. Do you think it was funny to put her well being at risk for your little shenanigans?! Did you?!" He pulled me to my feet and shook me as he spoke, I stayed silent as he yelled at me and didn't answer him. "Answer me!" He backhanded me hard across the face, I didn't move an inch as my head was forced to the side and my vision went blurry.
ERIK
With a stunning crack my hand collided with her cheek making her neck bend in a sickening position that almost convinced me I had broken it. Slowly Danielle rotates her head to look at me, my brief relief that she was alive was short lived as I saw the fear and hate in her eyes that I had prayed I'd never see. I flashed back to my dream where I had killed her, what would I become if I had taken her life? Even in my eyes I was a monster before this but Danielle had never called me one, she had been nothing but kind and caring since I met her. She sung her hardest and best for me when I taught her and she treated everyone like they were all the same in her eyes. Even me. Even when she knew the murders I have committed, even when she knew everything about me.
"Danielle I... I didn't..." The fear in her eyes burned out, being replaced with a deep, cold hate.
"You what, Erik? Are you sorry? You think that'll make things alright? You think I'll forgive you as easily as I did when I found you rooting through my things like the dog you are? No, wait, it's too nice to call you a dog. Dogs are sweet, loyal animals that love you unconditionally. You're not fit to lick the paws of such an animal." She pushed me back farther and farther until my feet hit the stair leading to my bed. "Fuck you, Erik Destler! You think since you're the great and terrible Opera Ghost you can get everything you want, right?! Well, I have a fun fact for you: at the end of one of your stories you're captured by an angry mob that drags you to the Seine River where you drown in a slow, agonizing death." My body went numb, I didn't know what to believe; was she lying to hurt me to telling the truth? Her small hands found my throat and she pushed me backwards. I tried to regain my footing but she had hooked her foot under mind and I collapsed with her on top of me. Her nails dug into my neck and she strangled me.
"S-stop," I gasped. She was strong for one so small.
"How do you like it?!" She screamed. "How does it feel you bastard?!" Her eyes were glazed over, she wasn't seeing me anymore but someone else she wanted to punish. She lifted my head and smacked it against the stone stair, only hard enough to cause my eyes to blur for a moment. "You should've died, you should have died a long time ago! How dare you live?!" The glee in her half crazed eyes chilled me to my bones. "Die, die, die." She muttered with a horrible satisfaction. Tears spilled out of her hollow eyes and she snatched her hands away from me. She backed away from me, half seeing me and half seeing the person she so wanted dead.
"Stay away from me." I started towards her. "Stay away!" She bared her teeth and tore away, running to the world above like a cornered animal. I followed her in fear that she would hurt someone or herself. She ran fast and quietly back to where I had caught her before she stopped. She looked around to see if there was any witnesses before she grabbed her toiletries and ran to the bathroom. I couldn't do anything for her now.
DANIELLE
I slipped into the bathwater, trying to fight off the chill from my recent encounter with Erik. After he slapped me I couldn't really remember much; the next thing I remembered was strangling him. Why didn't he fight back? I'm sure he could've snapped my neck if he wanted to. I gently touched the sore spot on my cheek, I'm sure that it's going to turn into a bruise. How the fuck am I going to explain that when rehearsals start? Did I bring my concealer? I hardly ever needed it except to cover up pimples from time to time. I felt like a wife trying to hide the bruises my husband inflicted. My vision blurred as I began to silently cry, Erik had hurt me; after what happened by mentioning a memory in a dream I didn't think he'd hit me. His emotions were so unstable and I could see how dangerous he really was. God, my hands were still shaking. I scrubbed my body and got out; after toweling off I wondered if Erik was waiting to ambush me. Thinking about it made my teeth chatter. I slowly opened the door and sprinted back to the dormitories as fast as I could, thankfully I didn't meet anyone along the way.
"You were gone for so long, did you enjoy your bath?" Christine was still asleep but Meg had only been resting her eyes. As soon as she turned to look at me she knew something was wrong. "What happened?" She got up and guided me to my bed as I began to shake. "Who did this to you?" She indicated to the, thankfully, light bruises around my neck and the harsh one on my cheek.
"It was... I don't... I'm sorry. I just need to get dressed." I finished lamely. "I can't talk about it now." I can't convey the sense of betrayal. Meg helped me dress and I laced my shoes. "I need to get some air," Meg opened her mouth to protest but I cut her off. "I really need to be alone for a bit. I'll tell you what happened when I get back." I ran out the door, making sure I looked at every possible hiding spot to make sure they were empty before I went past them and out the doors into the streets of Paris. I gathered what wits I still had and patted my face to make sure the makeup was still in place before I walked to the little coffee shop I usually met Raoul at.
The sounds of the people around me brought me partly back to life, my heart was still cold and for a minute I wondered what these people were thinking. Who were they, what were their worries and problems? I sipped my hot tea and watched people come and go, still wondering what their life was like. I had gotten lucky when I was allowed to stay at the Opera but some people had to do hard work to barely keep themselves afloat. It broke my heart knowing that some people even had to go as far as to sell their bodies but thanked God that I didn't have to. Despite all the warmth created by the drinks and the bodies in the room I was cold. Cold and alone. I needed to talk to someone. Who? Madame Giry? She has to understand, but I didn't want to go back to the Opera now and I didn't want to face Erik or risk him listening in on our conversation.
"Danielle? I thought our date was for next Friday." Came a voice from in front of me. I looked up and Raoul was smiling at me. "Forgive me, I saw you were alone so I decided to see if you would like my company." I raised my eyebrow at him and his cheeks flamed. "I-I'm sorry, if you would rather be alone I understand." He started to get up but I put my hand over his.
"No, I'm glad that you're here, I was getting kind of lonely." I smiled at him. "It's always great to see you Raoul." He flushed again with joy and sat down. He turned his hand over and ran his thumb over my knuckles. Maybe it was supposed to be like this. Maybe I was supposed to marry Raoul so Erik could have Christine. He obviously loved her enough to beat anyone who 'compromised' her.
"What's wrong? You look so sad." Raoul pressed his hand to my injured cheek. I cringed away and cradled the throbbing bruise. "What's wrong with your face?" Raoul got up and walked around the table, kneeling before me. I turned away as he tried to use a wet handkerchief to wipe away the concealer I used to hide the bruise.
"Please don't." Raoul wiped off the make up and looked at the mark on my face. I covered it with my hand and let a few tears slip out.
"Who did this to you?" Raoul put his hand on my shoulders and rubbed them up and down my arms. I looked around. Almost all of the people were watching us.
"They're all staring at me." I whimpered. God, I sounded like a sniveling little girl.
"Come on." Raoul pulled me out to his carriage and sat me down in the soft seats while he took the reins and urged the horses forward.
"Raoul, where are we going?" I called to him, still hiding the mark on my cheek with my hand.
"To my estate. We can talk there without anyone staring or talking about us."
"I can't stay long," I said after remembering I'd promised to tell Meg what was wrong.
"You'll stay as long as it takes for you to tell me what happened." He called back to me. After a while we were at a large estate which I guessed was Raoul's home. "Maurice! I am home, please get the horses in their stalls and have the carriage brought to the garage." Raoul helped me dismount and walked up the steps of the 'house' giving orders.
This place was huge, I could hardly see the end of the long driveway we had come down. The building was a pristine white with dazzling clear bay windows, it was like a castle without the towers and battlements.
"Welcome home Vicomte, may I take your coat?" A maid asked.
"Yes, thank you Ariel." Raoul handed his hat and coat to her and she turned to me.
"May I take your cloak Miss?" She asked. I shook my head.
I have a bit of a chill, please do not bother yourself." She nodded and went to put Raoul's things in a closet I guess.
"Come sit in the parlour, we can talk there." Raoul lead me to a large room that was the parlour. The maid came in again and asked if we wanted anything to drink.
"Danielle, would you like a glass of wine?" Raoul asked as he sipped his glass. I thought of the whole 'Love Never Dies' thing.
"No thanks. Do you drink often?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Not really, only at parties and such," Raoul said.
"I'll have water, please." I told the maid. She came back quickly with a glass and Raoul dismissed her.
"Danielle will you tell me what happened? Who hit you?" I covered my cheek and looked down. "You can trust me, I swear. You listened to me and gave me advice for my petty troubles, let me help you with your big ones," Raoul said sweetly. I felt my tears come fast then.
"O-one of my bosses was mad at me, I think I pissed him off pretty bad. H-he gr-grabbed me by the neck and..." My voice dissolved into hiccups. Raoul wrapped his arms around me and let me cry on his shoulder. "He hit me."
I don't know how long it had been since I'd let myself cry. I stopped crying from the constant pain I was in after a month, I stopped crying from loss after a year, why did I cry so much while I was here? I'd left myself cry in Erik's arms and now I was letting myself fall apart in Raoul's. I hated feeling weak, I'd learned to protect myself against the whispers in the halls at school, the stares I get on the bus going home, the pity I receive from the whole town I live in. I thought nothing could break me; I'd already been broken before so how can you break something again? I'd never hated Christine for what she did to Erik but I'd always wished she'd loved him instead but now I can understand why Christine loves Raoul so much, he was the sweetest guy and he let me cry on his shoulder and ruin his shirt until all my tears were gone.
"You should stay here, I don't want you to go back to the man who hurt you even if he is your boss," Raoul said. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pressed my face to his, completely ignoring the sting of contact with the bruise.
"I wish I could but I need to go back, my friends must be worried for me. I told her I'd come back soon and it's been," I checked my watch, "four hours. She'll probably have had a fit by now."
"I don't want you to be hurt again. Please, reconsider." He urged me. I stroked his cheek with the back of my hand and smiled at him.
"I have to go back, please understand this. If anything else happens I promise I'll find you right away. Alright?"
"Alright. I hope you know I won't get a good night's sleep until I know you're alright," he said, giving me a cute, lopsided smile.
"I wouldn't expect anything less from you." I kissed his forehead and he called for the carriage to be readied and he took me back to where he had first dropped me off. "I'll see you next Friday," I said.
Meg and Christine were half mad by the time I reentered the room. "Where were you? We were so worried! Meg told me someone had beaten you, oh God!" Christine looked at my face and winced. "Are you alright? Who would do such a thing to a young woman?" Her eyes went wide and her face grew pale as a corpse. "It was him wasn't it? It was the Phantom."
"Oh, Danielle was it him? Did he hurt you?" Meg whispered, fully aware that he could be listening.
"Yes. He beat me." They gasped in horror. "He strangled me a bit," I showed them the small light bruises, "and he pimp slapped me across my face."
"P-pimp slapped?" Meg stammered. I could've laughed for my language slip.
"Back handed across the face." I simulated what Erik had done to me.
"Danielle, what could you have done to make him so mad?" Christine asked.
"He seemed to think since it was my idea to sleep on the stage I should be taught a lesson. Don't worry," I said in a hurry after I saw their faces, "I'm sure he's only after me. It was my idea, not yours."
"But we did it with you." They protested.
"But I orchestrated it." They still looked afraid. "It's my fault, you don't have to worry." I guess that worked because they seemed to relax. "On a lighter note I've met someone. He's handsome and rich."
"Who? I thought you were already dating Henri." Meg and Christine leaned in, neither could resist some good, old fashioned girl gossip.
"Not telling who but he's so sweet, I'm sure you'd like him. And Henri never asked me to be his girlfriend." I shrugged with a coy smile.
"So you're dating two guys at once?" Christine asked.
"I'm just playing the field," I said. They giggled and we settled in to talk about the people we thought were cute from around the opera.
"The florist that provides flowers for the opera is so handsome, it doesn't matter that he's not rich, he's so kind and he makes such beautiful arrangements." Meg sighed and stared dreamily into space.
"Oh, do you like him?" I teased.
"Maybe." Meg blushed.
"Oh, stop embarrassing her, it's not funny to make her blush so much so that she looks like a beet." Christine piped up.
"Nice one Chrissy." We laughed and Meg turned redder.
"Danielle! I'm so happy for you!" Blaise yelled as he sprinted into the room. I gave him a round of applause.
"Wonderful entrance and impeccable timing my glorious rainbow friend." He bowed and hug tackled me.
"I heard through the grapevine that you're going to be a main character in Hannibal, that true?" Though most of it sounded like a statement I answered him.
"Damn right. I'm Evangeline." He gasped and bear hugged me.
"So exited with you," he said.
"With? You need to check your english boy." I raised my eyebrow?
"Yeah, you're excited and I'm excited, so we're excited together!" He stated, I began to laugh. I was feeling better and better. Thank God for gay friends.
"Are you 'playing the field' with him too?" Christine asked from behind. Blaise and I both looked over at her.
"Honey, did she just say that she thinks that we're?" He pointed his finger at him then me.
"Afraid so Cutie," I said, keeping up our game of pet names. I turned to Christine and Meg. "Blaise and me are buddies, I love him as much as I love you two." I hugged them. "Maybe just a little more." They smacked me.
"You love us better than anyone, remember?" Meg said.
"Of course, of course." I sighed.
"May I ask why there is a stagehand in the girl's dormitories with my daughter and two other dancers?" Came a cold voice from the door. We froze and turned to face Madame Giry.
"W-well, you see..." Blaise was cut off by a sharp thwack of the cane against the ground.
"I must ask you to leave before I consider telling Monsieur Lefèvre of your escapades." Blaise jumped up and went out the door, waving a quick goodbye. "Meg, Christine I need you to go buy thirty pink ribbons for me." They made a noise of protest but Madame Giry brushed it off. "Here is the money now go." They didn't dare disobey and left. I got up to join them but Madame Giry stopped me. "I must have a word with you Danielle." I sat back down and prepared for the worst.
"Alright, what do you want to talk about." Please don't be about Erik, please don't be about Erik.
"It's about Erik." Crap.
"What about him?" I asked coldly, making sure that, if he was listening, I still hated him.
"You had an encounter with him?" She asked gently.
"Yes, he dragged me down to his realm by my neck, yelled at me and then slapped me purple." I indicated to my still bruised cheek. I was glad that Blaise hadn't seen it or decided not to ask about it. Madame Giry gently touched it before dropping her gaze.
"Danielle, Erik has told me what happened and I must say I do not approve. That is not how young ladies act here, I don't know about your world but here" I cut her off.
"You're taking his side? So I got them drunk, so what? Nothing bad happened except Christine had a mild hangover. Here, as you put it, they're allowed to legally drink so it isn't a crime. No one was around to witness our drunken singing and dancing or my disgraceful attempt at scary stories. If I really was in the wrong this is all I deserved, a stern talking to, not being manhandled like that! He overreacted and now look at me!" I yelled.
"Danielle, he is sorry he hurt you," she said quietly.
"And that's supposed to make things better? No. Way. I'm not just going to forgive him, he's not worthy of my forgiveness." I turned to walk out of the room. "I'm not sure there's anything he can do to make me forgive him." I walked out of the room then, feeling two sets of eyes on me as I let the door slam shut.
Bum bum bum! What'll happen to Erik and Danielle's friendship? What'll happen now? And will Raoul be there to comfort Danielle when she needs it? Alright, who's happy Blaise is going to be a main character again? ME! Review if you liked it and everyone belongs to their rightful owners.
P.s. Sorry it took me so long to post this. I owe you two or more chapters.