Chapter 14: Thoughts
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Erik sat in his study. The house was quiet. No booming organ, no pens being scratched over paper. Nothing. This was the day Erik was thinking. The past two months had been busy. He had succeeded a lot. He got the school and the daughter. But for all his acumen he was confused. He had the school, that was easy, but he had only meant to seduce Celeste, talk her into selling him her half and then leave her alone. But in the time he had done this, he had forgotten to close his heart and she had begun to worm her way into it unwittingly. She was like Christine. She was talented and smart. But there was something else. She was stronger. Were Christine had been scared of everything; Celeste went with her head up. She still missed her father, but unlike Christine, she didn't pine for him. She mourned then went on with her life, had graduated and now was off looking at colleges.
But she was also different now. She still had her hard headedness and temper, but she was also mellower. Her singing lessons went well and she was now singing songs that she never dreamed of singing. Erik sighed and ran a hand though his hair. Hitting his soft mask, he shuddered and pulled it off. He gazed down at it in hate. With it he looked like just an ugly eccentric old man. He then ran a hand over his sunken cheeks and the sharp cheekbones. Over his paper-thin lips, over his high forehead. Then to his hollowed eye sockets. He pulled his fingers away and placed his mask back on. He remembered how Celeste had looked at him that first day that had met. She had hated him on sight, but not because of his face, but because of who he was. She hadn't looked twice at his face. But then, that first night that they came together, he would sometimes catch her staring at his face, but more and more at ether his lips or forehead, where if up close the lines of the mask could be seen. She would stare at him with a thoughtful look on her face, like she was trying to put a puzzle together.
However, that was not the problem that he had to worry about. He had to worry about what to do with the beautiful fiery redhead that was starting to warm his iced heart of 200 years.
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Celeste sat in her hotel room thinking. Not about the collages she had visited over the coarse of four days. No, she was thinking about Erik. Almost known him for two months, and he had her almost thinking about him in the worst of places. Of their time together. The talks, the arguments, the…makeup's. He still scared her but it was mostly due to his intelligence and strength and charisma that emanated from his personality. He could be charming when he wanted to be but also he could get a murderess look in his yellow eyes when angered.
He was almost like the man that has haunted her family's past. Did such a person ever live? Because she was sure that if he did, he would be like Erik. In fact, if she thought on it, the name was the same. No, she pushed the thought out of her head. That name is common, even with the K. But, he was also very interested in her Don Juan Triumphant. He also acted like he knew the story and the opera. Even Cesar had taken a liking to him and that picky horse was mean to everyone but her and now Erik. Again she pushed the thought aside. So he just liked the opera, and if anyone dug enough they could find about her family. He had just been humoring her. And he just likes animals. So what?
But…he wears a mask. He had worn a white one and that night, when they had been in bed, she had seen the other mask. She didn't ask him about it, she knew it would be just rude, and though she is a normally rude person, she could imagine his temper if she had just pulled it off. In fact she could imagine the scene. Like when her great great grandmother had pulled off her teacher's mask.
Celeste stood up and tapped her head. Come on girl! He can't be! The most people live to be are 90. He would have to be over 200! She groaned then laughed. She would be in love with a 200 year old man! Suddenly she stopped. Love? Do I love him? I can't. That would be a problem, she thought. Suddenly she felt sick again. She ran to the bathroom and leaned over the toilet. When she was finished, she stood up. That was twice today. She must be coming down with something.