Chapter Three

They held hands. My angel and Erik did after a tree collapsed onto a large tent. I felt nauseous. Philippe assured me that there was still hope, still hope of a future with her, but I wasn't so sure. Of course a woman can stop courting a man, but a woman to stop courting such a man as monsieur Erik?

The chances were slim to naught.

I figured only if he left her...that would never happen. Who would leave such a lovely specimen of woman?

Erik held her to his chest and rocked her, rubbing her hair and whispering comforting words to her. I clenched my fists and felt a ball of fire manifest in my stomach, my teeth gritted and my left hand groped my belt for my pistol. Philippe was quick to stop me. "You'll never have a chance with her...ever...if you do that" Philippe hissed, causing my hand to release the small gun. She was happy in his arms, I saw the comfort plastered all over her lovely face.

Then, a large, black cat walked over to them, my angel was quick to lift her from the ground, Erik shook the cat's paw and my angel laughed. Next, monsieur Erik lifted my angel up and held her bridal style, beginning to walk her back to her tent; when, mademoiselle Zaza jumped out in front of him. "She has a right to know" Zaza demanded, the man stood for a moment, sighed, and then began walking my angel to the tent where they transferred all of the crushed, mangled, and completely shredded corpuses.

Philippe and I traveled silently behind them.

Philippe and I peeked inside the tent to see my angel shaking terribly whilst writing something on a small chalkboard, the chalk broke only once. Monsieur Erik held the black cat that seemed dear to my angel. After she finished, monsieur Erik helped my angel into a chair and handed her the cat, my angel smiled and sighed. On the chalkboard was written 'Edward, beloved father and musician, RIP' and my heart broke in half...my angel just lost her father. Now, mademoiselle Zaza held out a bottle which she said contained healing potion, but monsieur Erik slapped it to the ground.

"That is not healing potion! That is death!" Monsieur Erik yelled, standing and advancing upon mademoiselle Zaza, now, now I saw Erik's rage. His eyes turned into two balls of fire and spat out flames...only by my angel's pleas would monsieur Erik resume his seat and cool his fiery eyes. "You are going to leave here, Penny, to-night you will leave.

You will never return." Monsieur Erik hissed through what sounded like gritted teeth. Philippe and I now sat next to the tent, eagerly listening to their conversation.

"Where am I to go, then? The only place I have is open in five months, Erik. I could go back to my mother and sister...but that is not a savory answer, especially so when I bare the news of my father's demise." My angel said, her voice quivered, as if she were going to burst into tears. The urge to hold her to me was almost uncontrollable now, I wanted to feel her in my arms, and more than once did I stand to do so, but Philippe pulled me back down to a crouching position.

Monsieur Erik sighed and a few moments later the trio (I'm counting the cat) came out of the tent of corpuses, and, with us shadowing behind, walked back to my angel's own tent. For hours they talked, mostly it was my angel telling monsieur Erik about her life, which was terrible! She was beaten by her mother in the worst ways possible, and yet, when she was younger, my angel still tried to please her devil of a mother.

* In the evening, Philippe and I were dozing beside my angel's tent when she and monsieur Erik emerged, I quickly tapped Philippe, gaining his attention, and pointed to them. They walked to a carriage. "What are you going to do, Erik?" My angel asked, slowly stoking her cat, monsieur Erik held the door open to the carriage, my angel's bags were inside.

"I am currently in the business of building a great opera house. I promise I will visit you when it's finished, in five months time. I will write you" Monsieur Erik said, my angel looked to her cat, then to monsieur Erik and ran into his arms, snuggling up to his chest. Monsieur Erik wrapped his arms around her and smiled.

Monsieur Erik kissed my angel's forehead softly, then, a singular tear fell from my angel's golden eye! Monsieur Erik was quick to catch it, letting it run down his hand and into his sleeve. Now, my angel smiled and stood on her tippy toes, kissing monsieur Erik's masked cheek. My mouth unhinged and I felt my body go cold, monsieur Erik grasped the door for stability, my angel smiled and climbed into the carriage, monsieur Erik's face was littered with shock.

Alright, monsieur Erik, you have won round one.

But I shall claim round two.

"Promise me" my angel said quickly, before monsieur Erik could close the door "promise me that you will write to me...everyday" my angel said, the look of longing once again taking up a home on her exquisite face.

"I promise you that I will write to you...and I will think of you" replied monsieur Erik with a small smile, I felt the beginnings of rage bubbling up in my gut as my angel pressed herself against the glass of the window in order to get one last fleeting glance at the monsieur Erik. Monsieur Erik sighed and turned, he smiled and out of his pocket he pulled a silver pocket watch and began twirling it. "Monsieur's I know you are hiding behind the tent, don't think I'm so stupid as to not notice." Said monsieur Erik, I looked to Philippe who nodded, we both stood from our hiding place to face this man, this man who I had mentally started a war with. Erik put away his pocket watch and interlocked his long fingers behind his back, strolling over to Philippe and I, this man was intimidating, he was at least a foot and four inches taller than me!

Monsieur Erik stopped before my brother and I at a respectable distance, then, he grinned. There were a few moments of tense silence before he spoke. "I suggest you take one more look at monsieur Javert's body before you think about beginning a war with me...boy" Erik said as he walked between Philippe and I.

My mouth fell to the grassy earth at my feet.

"Oh, yes" Erik said, causing Philippe and I both to turn "round two it is, monsieur Viscount...devil take the hindmost..." monsieur Erik trailed off, whistling some song all the way back to another carriage that seemed to follow my angel's carriage.

* That night I sat at the dining table with a glass of whisky in hand. I didn't normally drink, in fact, I hated it. But, in times like these, my brain craved it more than my taste buds rejected it. How did monsieur Erik know what I was thinking? How could he?

It was impossible! I explained everything to Philippe on the carriage ride home, he too was speechless. He too didn't have an explanation. The clock chimed two in the morning, father was in his bed and Philippe was readying for bed.

I couldn't even entertain the thought of sleeping.

Not now, not when I knew some man might be looming in my thoughts and reading my mind. That's when I realized that this is what monsieur Erik wanted me to do! He wanted to sleep deprive me so I would be off my game when I saw my angel again! Oh, well, monsieur Erik, if you're listening, you will not win! I poured out the whiskey and left the dining room, walking up to my bedroom and removing my shirt, sighing and turning out the gas lights.

I fell into my bed, covering my body with the cotton sheets and closing my eyes for a few moments, getting them acclimatized to the darkness. When I reopened them I saw two yellow eyes at the foot of my bed, I yelled in surprise and backed against my wall. Philippe came running. "What is it, Raoul?" Asked he frantically, turning on a gas light.

Philippe held a gun.

As soon as the gas light was turned on, the yellow eyes disappeared! I jumped from my bed and ran around the other side, but nothing was there! "What is it, Raoul?" Philippe demanded.

"Y-Yellow e-e-eyes, P-Philippe! There were y-yellow eyes at the f-foot of my b-bed!" I explained, trembling from the surprise. Philippe and two armed servants searched all over my room, but there was nothing, and no one.

"You're just all worked up from earlier, calm down, you were dreaming, Raoul. It was a dream and nothing more. Come, it is time for sleep now" Assured Philippe patting my back and helping me back into bed. When I closed my eyes, however, monsieur Erik's yellow eyes would return to me, staring me down, watching me with cruel intensity. That night I only gained three hours of sleep thanks to Erik's hellish eyes.

How could my angel find serenity in them?

* The next morning I received a letter written in red ink with childish handwriting, the letter runs thus:

Dearest Viscount,

2:1 monsieur Viscount, are you even trying to win over the angel named Penny? Now, monsieur Viscount, now begins round three.

Sincerely

- Erik

"Oh, that bastard!" I cried, slamming the letter down on the table, causing my father to swear and me to reread the letter to Philippe.

"Don't worry, Raoul, you will win in the end. Don't worry" assured Philippe, turning back to the paper, I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. The bastard was certainly right.

Now begins round three.