Chapter 14: Reality

And before I knew it, I found myself standing in a freezing cold, dark room. It actually wasn't a room, but an auditorium, specifically the one from the Anderson Theater. That fine wood, dusty stage, those cobweb infested black velvet seats, and the dreary chandelier above me faded away in my mind and I pictured the way it used to be: histrionic and lively. To see it in its current state would have saddened me had I not been broken out of my revere when I caught sight of my violin, book-bag, and purse sitting off to the side. Instantly I remembered why I was here and became more alert of my surroundings

A cold hand came to rest lightly on my shoulder from behind me. I tensed, fearing the worse and suddenly having flashbacks from that night in the torcher chamber. It slid off me and I spun around and gasped at who I saw.

A gorgeous blond woman in white stood before me. Her blue eyes looked back at my plain green ones with such a warm expression that I felt at ease even though I recognized her completely. In my dream, she had been that white shade of a person in Erik's living room after my panic attack. Why I could see her now and who she was were problems that evaded me.

"Who are you?" I inquired, moving back to put a safe distance between us. For all I knew, she could have been the person who caused that dream. But why on earth would she do that?

A heavenly smile to match the perfect, almost earth-real voice I was about to hear graced her rosy-red lips as she said "I am your Guardian Angel."

My mouth went agape; I hadn't been expecting that. A witch without a broomstick I could imagine (but only if she made that nightmare happen), but certainly not a Guardian Angel! Regaining my senses, I shook my head but peered around for any sight of him. As if knowing exactly what I was doing, the woman said, "You won't find him. I was able to divert him from you this time, but I won't be able to do it anymore."

I averted my attention back to her, "You had him leave? How did you do that?"

With a sweep of her arms, she stated, "I am an angel, dear. I can do a lot of things."

Testing myself a bit, I countered, "Then why can you not keep him away for good?"

Smiling sadly, she said, "I may be an angel but I am not God. I don't play with fate."

"Fate? So I was supposed to be harassed by a madman?"

Sitting at a piano bench but still facing me, she replied, "If you wish to look at it that way. Many things could come out of this experience, you know. I met my childhood sweetheart during a very trying time, so who knows what could come out of yours?"

I gasped; could it be…The girl nodded, confirming my suspicions: Standing before me was Christine Daae! Who was my Guardian Angel! But doubt still clouded my 'realistic' side who held uncertainty of the situation. "How do I know what you say is true?"

Christine sighed and opened her mouth. What came out of it was seraphic; Gaston Leroux couldn't have described the sound any better. Naming the piece after she finished turned out fruitless-the words had no meaning compared to the beauty of her voice. I now had no uncertainties about the authenticity to her words. Another confirmation occurred when I caught sight of a silver watch dangling from her wrist that was an exact replica of the watch that I had found in the closet in my dream life.

"So there was a real phantom?" I inquired after a moment of silence, somehow finding anything to implore impossible.

She nodded, "Yes, and a Raoul and obviously a Christine.' Tilting her head at me, she stated, 'you're wondering why I bothered to come and show myself to you? Well, you're a rather special case. Erik, the one who is 'harassing' you, in your words, is a descendant from my Erik's family. Now, my Erik never had anyone to love so no children himself, but his mother had two children and the other was normal. Eventually though, the gene caught up down the line and your Erik was the result. Despite his deformity being like Webber's stage version, his history was as tragic as the original Phantom, even in this day and age where people like him are supposedly accepted."

I took it all in: I understood the connection to his deformity and the book Phantom. It was because of my Guardian Angel being the original Christine. And I now was, in a way, the 'new' Christine. I didn't need that told to me. "I was preparing you for what is to come, dear." I looked over at her; she was almost motherly to me and it made me think of that Disney princess with the fairy godmothers. Only now, as I learned, my Guardian Angel would be leaving me-

Just as I thought that, Christine jumped from her seat and rushed to me, gripping my arms and shaking her head fiercely, "I will not be leaving you." Collecting herself, she let go of me and straitened her skirts. Looking levelly at me, she continued, "I just won't be able to 'physically' make anything happen. My powers as an Angel are limited. And yes, that means I will never be allowed to see you again in person, but I will always be here." Christine motioned to her heart and I noticed something strange: Part of her white dress was fading away.

Taking note as well, she shook her head, "I must be going soon. But remember this: You will always have me and God with you in times of trouble. Keep your head and whatever you do, don't lose faith." Turning away, she disappeared and all the warmth she brought with her left as well. I hugged myself; it was freezing cold! Though that experience told me quite plainly that I would be on my own from here on out physically, it also gave me hope. I knew that I would be able to get through this, though it would be a tremendous battle!

Walking towards my belongings, I froze when I crouched down. A sound came from behind me, like the lock of a door. And from that I knew one thing: I was not alone anymore. Painfully jerked back by my shoulder a cloth clamped over my mouth. Darkness just became my new acquaintance.

I felt like I was swimming in a torrent of water as I came to. I didn't dare open my eyes. Already feeling drunk or at least what I believed that to feel like (since I've never been intoxicated), I knew light would not be helpful at the moment. A more frightening thought kept me from doing so: I'm in a car…I could hear the heat blowing out of the fans and feel the flatness of a well-paved road covered with snow meeting smooth tires. Leather rubbed against my hand and a seat-belt held me up. This can't be happening. Please no!

Although my mother didn't seem to care for me at the moment, I still wished I was with her and not this person. Especially since I knew who I was with. My eyes flew open when his silky voice graced my still cloudy senses, "I know you are awake, Lara." Lifting my head, I stole a glance at him. He still wore that same white mask. A suit, even in this age, was his choice of attire. And, of course, the color of preference was black. I diverted my attention towards the passenger window and watched as the white trees flashed by. Where were we going? Trepidation flared inside of me, yet I surprisingly kept calm outwardly. But I knew if he were to look me in the eyes my façade of calmness would never fool him. He saw everything….

The silence was painful. I almost preferred his anger to this. However, not long after waking up I saw a side road come into view. He pulled in. I soon found out it was a driveway which seemed to stretch for miles. It would be a long run…I thought, already considering how I was going to escape. Based upon how rough he had placed that cloth over my mouth, I knew he was exactly like the Erik in my nightmare and was not to be trusted. A mansion, after we passed the towering stone walls and a metal gate, met my vision. Instantly my hopes of leaving were shattered when I saw the distance and the walls to match it.

Somehow when he drove near the gates they began to slowly open. That doesn't surprise me. As he went thorough, dread settled deep within me. I wanted to cry and go back to the dream-Lara frame of mind, but I knew if I were to survive through this I simply couldn't allow it. But a query passed my mind briefly: Is it worth it?

I stared blankly at the wall in Erik's expansive study. My chair was against a wall and in perfect view of Erik, who I noticed was repeatedly taking glances at me. Yet that mattered not one bit to me. Disgust was embittered too deeply in me to care. In my mind, the moments that took place just minutes before ran across my mind.

The living room was huge and decorated nicely, yet I only noticed the door in which we had just crossed. It was very tempting to make a run for it, but the gates outside and Erik's fiery anger kept me from trying. He held my hand surprisingly gently and sat me at a two-seater Victorian sofa. He sat next to me and was silent for what I believed to be minutes. I stared indifferently at my hands; I knew his eyes were directed at me. Then I broke the silence, "Why am I here?" I shocked myself for being so brave, but I also felt stupid when I looked into his eyes. He held that arrogance that I despised even in my dream and continued to make me fill miniscule.

"That is a conversation for another time, my dear." He said in a commanding way that was laced with that same lovingness which he had held my hand. It only served to infuriate me.

"You brought me here, harassed me, and have the audacity to not even tell me why? What's the matter with you?" I rose to walk away to God knows where when pain erupted in my hand as his larger one enclosed it tightly. Not even a second later I was staring up into his furious yet still breath-taking beautiful eyes. I shrank back into the settee as far as possible.

His horrible breath crashed across my face as he warned in an irate voice, "You ask what is wrong with me? Well, I am looking at my problem now!" Seeing my perplexed expression, he laughed, "Yes, you, love. Ever since I've heard you play at that audition you've taken over every part of me!"

He jerked away from me and stood. Pacing back and forth in front of the couch, he continued his tirade, "it's ridiculous; the thought that a teenage girl could have had such control over me. But the intensity and emotion in your playing - I had to hear more. And soon, I knew everything you thought just from that." At some point during his monologue, he had stopped his pacing and was standing directly in front of me. I hadn't even noticed; I had brought my knees up to my chest and attempted to keep him out of my line of sight. Him lowering to his knees at my feet had my full attention after he grabbed my hand with such tenderness that I could never imagine it was the same person. I stared into his eyes with something akin to awe, I suppose, but when he kissed my hand I reeled father back, snatching my hand away. That was the wrong move.

Not even a second later he was next to me, though now there was no space between us. His face was so close I could feel his warm breath and body pressed against my side. It sickened me so much I had to turn away. Extreme reservation consumed me; I had never been that close to a man before in my sixteen years. Cruelly he held my chin and menacingly he whispered, "Could you not appreciate the chaste kiss I granted you? Was it not enough…or do you want more?" I tried to pull back but to no avail. His lips smothered mine. I shoved at his chest, but he only deepened the kiss. Eventually realizing the only way to end the horror would be submission I lowered my hands to my lap and forced myself to remain silent and dried eyed. Not long after he pulled back.

As I kept my eyes closed and he held both of my hands in his, he said, "While you stay with me, I expect you to show me absolute respect and to do as I say. Do you understand?"

I looked at him now and I could tell no was the wrong answer. I nodded and attempted to stay positive, though by now it was very difficult. Inquiries ran through my mind: Where am I? Am I still in Richmond? What was happening with my mother? He went on, "You will have your own room-unless I decide you need to stay with me. I give you free roam of the house, but you must never enter two rooms except when I allow you to: my office and room. And especially that door." Standing and bringing my slightly shaking form with him, he pointed to the door he was refering to and stated, "But now that you have formed a slight idea of why you are here, I think that we can move on to another matter…"

He began to lead my slightly shaking form with him to a staircase, down a few dark halls, and finally a room, which I deduced by the desk at the other end to be his study. After making sure I was seated and wasn't going to make a break for it, he sat across from me and placed a document on the space in front of me. The first two words I read turned me ashen white: Marriage License. My mouth parted in shock. My hands trembled and everything around me disappeared-except him, of course.

Erik Destler and (Insert name) are hereby brought together in holy matrimony by the state of Indian on December 20th, 2013.I read it over and over until the reality forced me to accept it. A small tap on the desk engendered me to glance at Erik, who returned my gaze with an ominous air. A pen, I saw, was the cause of the noise and I hesitantly grabbed it, but my eyes never left him.

A moment of defiance came over me, despite what had happened before and the look he gave me now. The pen fell from my loose grasp to the desk and it was blatant that Erik did not like my actions. Yet he didn't allow his anger to flare, and, like one who is merely scolding a bad child, he said, "Lara, do I need to remind you what will happen if you defy me?" My shoulders sank and my overall confidence shattered. I was completely under submission. At least,I thought,for the time being.

I made no comment and simply retrieved the writing utensil, placing it over the paper on the spot where, this time being real, my life would cease to have its own purpose. Pressing the tip down, my hand began to shake and, to make it stop and to make sure I would actually finish the deed, I hastily wrote out: Lara Dikau. With surprisingly stable legs I rose from my spot and simply walked over to a seat against the wall after Erik directed me to do so.

Now as I sat I considered those events. Peculiar they were, but far more frightening in context when contemplated. He had followed me since my audition in ninth grade? I remembered the audition vividly that he had referred to; it had been my first. That particular audition I had played my favorite piece, Ave Maria. Nothing happened that day that was out of the ordinary…I had, though, gotten first chair in my high school orchestra for first violin in my freshmen year. And in spite of my knowing that there had been far better players audition than I, I ignored those thoughts that distrusted the legitimacy of it all.

I guess I reasoned it was God's favor…Inwardly, I shook my head. No, eventually I didnotice strange things occur that I began to feel slight insecurity about it: If a part of my instrument broke, the money that had been taken out of my student account to replace said demolished piece was placed back in. Or, if on a test I missed a question, the teacher would simply explain why it was wrong and then give me an A+ anyway. And when a student was rude with me one day, it was the next that they would be put on suspension for some other unrelated cause. However, many stranger, unexplainable things happened than just those. But, though I probed them, I never found any reason to voice my concerns. My mother, as I found out only a month ago, would never have helped through those problems I was facing. Why she acted that way was a mystery and I could only assume it was she was denying reality, like I had been. Now neither of us had that option.

Erik's voice slicing through the air brought me out of my thoughts, "I sent an email to your mother posing as a music director whom she had met before and trusts very well. In it were the details of 'private music lessons for an unknown amount of time.' Jacqueline, as I presumed, acquiesced to the offer and stated that she expects that you will be taken very well care of and is glad for the experience, as I expect any mother would…" He ended the last part with a calculating gaze, attempting to see how I would take the news of my mother's carelessness.

I, obdurate to allow him to see any emotions, simply lifted my knees to my chest, folded my arms and rested my forehead on them in a fashion so he couldn't see my quickly crumbling expression. Inside, my heart was in torment. The news that I would not be remaining here forever was uplifting, but the fact that my mother was so blind hurt me even more. Ever since my father died when I was twelve she had acted that way. She never got over it, I suppose. The position calmed me, though, as I could 'forget', in a way, my surroundings. I could imagine a time when my family had been complete and all I had to worry about was school. Soon I found myself falling into a deep sleep, dreaming about a moment in my life that I would never again see.

Hello readers! Another chapter! I hope you liked the twist I added in. As always, tell me what you think and if there are any corrections that need to be made, please, don't hesitate to mention them.

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