See? New chapter? I AM capable of keeping promises!
Chapter Twenty-five
I was dreaming. For once, I was sure of it. I was in a dimly lit museum. None of the people talked to me. In fact, it was almost as though they couldn't see me. I was once again wearing a vintage gown. I wandered through the museum, glancing at the many displays. None of them interested me, though. I had to find it. Time was running out.
When I woke again, the sun was low in the sky. My sleep pattern had been thrown off due to a year of visiting Erik's world and the side effects of the pain medication. I remembered my strange dream for a moment but quickly disregarded it. I had enough dreams to worry about without adding a new one to the list. I dragged myself out of bed and into the bathroom. After some rummaging, I found a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Eager to freshen up, I turned on the faucet and started brushing my teeth, scrutinizing my face as I worked. My face was so terribly pale. My hair was dull and the ends were frayed. My collarbone was too prominent because hollows were in my neck. My eyes worried me the most: they had dark circles underneath them that didn't go away no matter how much I slept. I resolved to take better care of myself. After all, even if I was healthy – which I wasn't – I didn't look healthy. Erik would never believe I was strong enough to enter his world if I appeared to be ill.
I leaned over to spit, holding my hair out of my way with my free hand. My eyes glanced at the mirror again, and I stumbled backwards, too shocked to scream.
There, in the mirror once again, were Erik's golden eyes looking right at me.
Please tell me I'm not hallucinating, was the first thought that entered my mind. I warily approached the mirror and placed my hand upon it. All I felt beneath my fingertips was glass. I turned, but no one was there. "Erik?" I asked uneasily.
"Do not be afraid," came his voice close to my ear. "I am coming for you soon."
"Come now," I pleaded, but I knew he wouldn't concede.
"You are not strong enough yet, angel," he reminded me. "Continue to heal. Take better care of yourself."
"I'm trying! But, earlier, Raoul said things… crazy things…" I shuddered as I recalled his words. "He said, 'I'll make you forget about him, one way or the other. You can either be my living wife or you can be his dead one.'"
I heard Erik hiss. "He has gone too far this time," he snarled, his voice terrible in its rage. "I think it is time for me to pay him a visit."
I whirled around, panicking. His full face was visible now, and I could tell by the blaze in his eyes and the tightness of his jaw that he meant to act. "No, Erik," I protested as fear filled me. "You can't…"
"I will not do anything life-threatening," he assured me. "I will simply give him a… little scare."
"Erik…"
"Stay safe, Christine. I am coming for you soon…" His voice faded until it was the faintest of whispers. I blinked, and all I saw in the mirror was my own reflection. Just like that, he was gone.
I shook my head angrily. He was being careless. If Raoul threatened me in his presence, he would undoubtedly kill him. I could only he would reconsider after he calmed down. I turned off the faucet and left the bathroom muttering, "Foolish man…"
… And ran smack into Raoul.
I jumped and shrieked in alarm. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Then, I got a good look at his face. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was turned down in a frown. Uh-oh. He must have heard something, I realized. In an attempt to distract him, I continued, "How am I supposed to recover when –"
"Whose was that voice?" His voice was stiff. I could practically feel the anger radiating from him. "Who is that in there?"
I swallowed and involuntarily took a step backwards. "What do you mean?"
"I heard someone," he insisted. I shook my head. "No one is there, Raoul," I told him, forcing myself to sound calm. "Where would someone hide? How would anyone get inside?"
Slowly, he relaxed. "I suppose you're right…" he agreed reluctantly. To my relief, he left without another word, muttering to himself and shaking his head. That was too close, I thought as I allowed myself to take a breath. Then, I heard Raoul's voice. He sounded distraught. I crept towards the cracked door. He was pacing and talking on a cell phone. I was about to turn away when I heard the name Philippe. That was his older brother, a very influential, no-nonsense man. Curious, I quietly listened and watched.
"I'm fine, Philippe," he said. "I just need you to send me my medication. I haven't had it filled in a long time." A pause, and then, "I told you already. Christine and I are on vacation. I don't know when we'll be back." He listened and groaned in frustration. "No, I haven't been to the doctor. I'm fine. No, don't do that. There's no reason for you to – Fine! I'll go as soon as I get back, okay? I don't see why this is such a big deal. I'm perfectly fine." With that, he moved out of my range. I closed my door and sat against it, pulling my knees to my chest. It was a comforting notion that someone else knew of Raoul's mental instability. If we took a long time to return – and I knew we would, seeing as Raoul had no intentions of going back anytime soon – Phillipe would come looking for us. He had even more resources than Raoul, and he would take my side. He had to take my side. He would want to hush up his little brother's breakdown and would probably try to pay me off to stay silent.
Perhaps everything would be alright, after all. I only hoped that Philippe would rescue me before Erik could do anything rash.
o0o
I woke with a start later that night. I moaned and tried to clear the cobwebs in my brain. What… why… I wondered groggily, unable to form coherent thoughts.
Suddenly, I heard a shout. I stood quickly, trying to locate its source. Then, I heard, "Come fight me like a man, you coward!"
It was Raoul. That could only mean one thing.
I ran to the door, my heard racing. Erik, no…
BANG!
Posted on June 22, 2012