Chapter 24: Foolish

Erik

I am a fool.

I could not believe I was so foolish as to not take her myself. Maybe he did not expect a fight out of Christine. It really does not matter. He has no excuse.

Few things anger me more than having my perfect plans changed without me being the one to change them.

Everything was set. The streetlamps would be turned off at midnight, thanks to my expert hacking (another little skill of mine). The man I hired would lure her outside and take her. My instructions were simple enough for any idiot to follow. Still, I sat in my car, watching. I did not intend to take any chances when Christine was involved.

When I saw him throwing pebbles at Christine's window, I rolled my eyes. However, she soon came outside. Perhaps she thought her young man was waiting for her.

Now, the most important part of the job was to be quick and silent. But, Christine fought, digging her nails into the man's face. He yelled and cursed at her. Angrily, I left my car. While seeing Christine fight usually would have amused me, the clock was ticking, and I was afraid someone would hear them. Then, I saw him throw her to the ground, and my blood boiled.

I stressed over and over again that he was not to harm her. So, when he attacked her, I swore to myself that I would kill him if was the last thing I did on this earth.

"Stop!" I commanded, enraged to see his hands on Christine's soft white throat, the most beautiful instrument to grace human ears. If her voice was damaged, I would not stop with killing him; no, he would be tortured first.

Obviously terrified, the man instantly let go of her. I knelt beside her unconscious form, desperately searching for a sign of life… and to my great relief, I felt a pulse.

"She fought," the man frantically explained. "I didn't know…"

I took a deep breath. I would not be able to kill him myself, now. Christine could not be left alone. I inwardly cursed. "It does not matter," I told him harshly.

"Do you want me to –"

"No, thank you. I will take it from here. Go to the arranged meeting place for my assistant to pay you." He did not hesitate to leave. Once he was gone, I called my assistant.

"Yes?"

"A situation has occurred. Kill him and dispose of the body. Keep the money as payment."

"Yes, sir." No surprise was in his voice. This kind of situation had happened before, and it would happen again. My assistant knew better than to question me and my motives. He did exactly as I asked without hesitation. He was really quite valuable to me.

After I ended the call, I turned to Christine. Finally. No more boundaries stood between us. She was at last within my reach. I was free to woo her, to speak to her face to… well, mask.

I lifted her in my arms and carried her to my car. The driver saw us and asked, "Is she alright?"

"She will be once she regains consciousness," I replied. "Now, remember that I do not want you talking to her. She is already going to be confused." He only nodded and raised a screen between the front and the back of the car by pressing a button. I positioned her head in my lap and simply gazed at her. She is so beautiful, my Christine. I was stroking her porcelain face with my fingers when she suddenly coughed and moaned. I could already see bruises forming on her white throat. Gently, so as not to frighten her, I said, "Christine, you are safe now. I am here." She smiled sweetly; she recognized my voice. However, only moments later, her eyes opened and met mine. She tried to scoot away from me, but I took her hand. Silence followed before she whispered, "My… my angel?"

My heart broke. She will never see me as her angel, I realized bitterly. Her Angel of Music was a figment of her imagination, a fairy-tale. Now, the princess had been kidnapped by the horrible monster. I was only Erik; I meant nothing to her. "Christine," I moaned painfully.

Her eyes widened as she slowly started to understand my treachery. "N-no," she stuttered stubbornly. I shook my head, knowing I had to end her pretty daydreams. "It is true, Christine." If only you knew how much I wish there was another way… "I am not an angel, nor a genius, nor a ghost. I am just… Erik!"

She said nothing, only stared at me in pure horror. A tear trickled down her cheek, and I reached over to brush it away. She cowered back, though, which hurt more than I can ever say. "Who… who are you?" she asked.

"I am Erik." I could not bring myself to tell her any more, not at that moment. I hated myself for not having more to offer her.

"Why have you brought me here?" Her blue eyes searched my golden ones, and I immediately felt the warm rush of emotions that she always made me feel. I wanted nothing more than to reach over and claim her pink mouth with my own, to hold her close to me, but I knew that such gestures would be rejected. Anyway, I could not bear to make myself even more vulnerable to her.

"Christine, I… I love you."

I suppose everything was too much for her – or perhaps she was exhausted from fighting – for her eyes began to shut. I leaned towards her and gently sat her upright, placing her head against the headrest.

She was not awake when we reached my home – our home – so I carried her to her room. It was a beautiful room, completely suited to her tastes. I placed her on the bed, covered her with the comforter so she would not become cold, and left.

I am such a fool.