Chapter 42- Forsaken

"Christine..."

The one word that jerked Meg from her ecstatic reverie, bringing her back to reality harshly. The singular stab, the knife in the heart that cut deeply, letting blood flow freely around the wound.

The moment the damning word left his lips, Erik knew that Meg had heard.

She pulled away sharply, stepping away from him as though he were diseased. His heart plunged to the floor; her eyes were flashing angrily, though he could see the hurt also- its own flame burning clearly.

Fear pulsed through him suddenly, an emotion that he had thought himself incapable of experiencing.

"Meg..." he said desperately. "Meg- please-"
"What?" she hissed, in a voice that was so low it could barely be heard. "Stand here so you can pretend that I'm her?"

"No Meg, never! I-"

"It was all a lie, wasn't it, Erik?" she said venomously.

"No- you have to believe-"

"I won't!"

The two words cut through the air, leaving a torn silence between them.

"Why, Erik?" Meg asked suddenly. "Why did you let me believe... how long have you pretended to love me?"

"Meg- I do love you!" he cried out in anguish, falling to his knees before her. "You must believe me!"

"You can't love me!" she said shrilly, and he saw angry tears form behind her eyes. "Its her that you think of... you were thinking of her just now, when you said her name!"

Erik couldn't deny this. He had been thinking of Christine- not voluntarily; the song had taken him back... back to the time when he had been an Angel.

"How long has this masquerade gone on, Erik? Did you intend from the start to train me to be like her, to act like her? Is that why you've tried so hard to get me to sing?" Her voice shook. "I won't live a lie, Erik. I won't live on like this, pretending." She took a deep breath. "I won't be Christine."

She backed away, beginning to retreat toward her room.

"Meg, please..." Erik moaned pitifully.

"Leave me alone," she said icily.

The silence that followed her door slamming shut was deafening to the point where Erik was certain that he would go insane.

He felt as though someone had removed his heart from his chest; he felt empty inside, as though he would never feel anything again.

Hours passed, in agonizing silence, before he picked himself up and also retreated to his sanctuary in his coffin.

He woke the next morning, taking a moment to remember what had happened. There was a sense of emptiness in the cave as he got out of the coffin and walked out into the main room. He passed Meg's door, which was shut.

As he approached the organ, something caught his eye; a note, scribbled in blood red ink, presumably from the inkpot that sat beside the parchment. It was short, but the words each had their own torturous power. On the note were the words that Erik dreaded:

Erik,

Goodbye.


A/N: Hey guys: sorry it has been so long and that this chappie was so short. I will make it better, I promise! And plus: I HAVE THE DVD! IT IS MINE, ALL MINE!

so now the question is: what will Erik do to get her back? I promised new twists... so once again, prepare for a wild ride!

As always, review, and I luv u all!