Author's Note: What are Jennifer's plans now and was she able to enact them? Please read and review.
Inspiration: Somebody Else by Miranda Lambert
Somebody Else
The Persian watched from the window as the carriage carried Erik back to his beloved opera house. He still couldn't believe that Erik had let Christine go. Perhaps all it took was a beautiful woman to tame the savage beast.
But what was this, there was another carriage pulling up in front of his door in the space where the other carriage had just vacated. His heart stopped for a moment when he saw a dark figure step out of the carriage wrapped in a dark cloak with a soft felt hat upon their head. Within a few minutes Darius came to him announcing yet another stranger who refused to give their name or show their face but insisted they speak to the Daroga.
'Perhaps I can find out how this infernal person knows so much.'
"Let them in." He walked over to his mantle place pulling out a dagger checking the curved blade was indeed sharpened before tucking it into the waistband behind his back. He would be prepared for anything.
When Darius brought the stranger in he was seated in his favorite chair. "Darius would you bring my guest and I some tea."
"Certainly." He bowed before disappearing to the kitchen.
"This is an interesting turn of events. I suppose you found me by following my friend here." He waited for an answer but didn't get one so he continued on. "You obviously know who I am as well as my friend. However I do not know how any of this is of concern to you, other than the times you've claimed me to be trespassing. However you are now in my home so there must be more to this than meets the eye. Wouldn't you agree?"
The servant entered the room with a tea tray. "Ah Darius, please set the tea set over here and bring the chair closer to mine."
He turned back to the mysterious figure. "Please have a seat so that we might discuss everything. Would you like milk and sugar in your tea?"
The figure nodded and stepped closer watching as Darius poured the tea carefully before adding sugar and milk then bowing before he exited to the outer rooms. Once he was gone the figure spoke in a gruff voice.
"You are certainly right I followed your friend here in order to find you. You are also correct that this isn't about the trespassing at the opera house."
Her voice dropped back down to normal. "This is about Erik, and how I need your help to save him."
She saw his eyes widen a small fraction at Erik's name however it could also be that her voice changed into that of a woman's.
"I'm afraid I don't understand."
"You just saw Erik you know how bad he is after he let Christine go. He says he is heartbroken and will die of it soon. However it won't be a heartbreak that will end his life. He plans on using cyanide instead. I refuse to let it end like that. He needs to know there are more women out there besides Christine women who could love him. He needs to be taken away from the opera house away from the negative memories and away from the police force that may be searching him out."
She looked straight into his eyes pleading with him. "I know you are writing your report for Faure however I ask you wait until I have taken Erik, before you hand them in. Faure may not care much but other police officers might."
"How did you know about my reports? Or the cyanide? Or Erik's name?"
"It's a long story."
"I have time. Please sit before your tea gets cold."
"That's alright I prefer my tea cold, I shall tell you of how I came to meet Erik while you drink yours."
She removed her cloak and draped it over her chair, while the Persian's eyes wandered over her strange clothing choices. A black embroidered under-bust corset wrapped around her waist only the top half of a white blouse peeked through and the bottom half of the young lady was enshrouded in black trousers. Even though masculine in cut her feminine curves still showed through. There was no doubt in his mind that the dark figure that had caused him fear and unrest when he would search the opera house was a woman. Her hat came off releasing her dark curls and revealing her face to the Persian for the first time. He was astounded her beauty was almost that of Christine's it was different in some ways her nose not as fine, her lips fuller and her eyes more of an almond shape however still beautiful especially appeasing to his exotic taste. He began to get curious, wondering what relationship this young woman had to Erik.
She sat opposite him crossing her legs before taking a small sip of her tea reminding him that he had wanted to drink his before it got cold. She looked pensive while staring off into space for a moment before turning her amber eyes back towards him.
"I guess it's best if I tell you who I am first. My name is Jennifer Miller after landing in the opera house I began working there, hired as a head chef almost a year ago. That's when I met Erik."
She continued on telling him everything that had transpired from that fateful day until she witnessed him releasing Christine a day ago and discovering the vial of cyanide in his desk drawer. She had made a plan a very carefully laid out one of how to get the phantom to come with her away from the opera house and another plan for if he decided to go through with her plan. Both plans involved faking his death which was simple, since Christine and Raoul were the only others that knew the way he looked. The difficult part would be to find a dead body, however she knew that the Persian had accomplished it once before.
"I do appreciate the fact that you were wise enough to create a plan if Erik turns down your offer."
"Well actually that was my first plan. I know he's too stubborn and will be too hurt to see reason however on the off chance he can hear it, it would help things drastically."
"So we place a fake body in his stead then wait three weeks before placing the ad in the Époque. Correct?"
"Yes that's right."
"However what about my testimony I am to give Faure? Should I wait on that as well?"
"No that will be fine Faure doesn't care much about the case and no one will find Erik's lair and if they somehow manage too they'll find a dead body wearing Erik's mask."
"Before I help you, I have some questions. Did Erik tell you about how I helped him escape Persia? And you said Christine and Raoul were the "only others" who had seen Erik's face, has he actually shown you? How is it you know about Faure and whether or not he will investigate this crime? How did you also know I was writing my testimony today? Not even Erik knew that much."
"He gave me the bare details once when he told me stories of his time there and building the palace for the shah. He hasn't exactly shown me his face but I know how bad it must be. The others I could answer but you probably won't believe me."
"I think I should know everything if I'm going to help you."
"You do have a point." She sighed heavily. "This is going to sound farfetched but it's all true. I am from the future."
She held up her hand to stop him from questioning her. "I don't know how exactly I came through time. I made a wish, a silly wish I never even imagined would come true but it did. You see someone was with me when I made the wish. I don't know who she was or even what she was, all I know is she popped out of nowhere says my wish has been granted then shoved me out of box five and somehow I end up in eighteenth century Paris."
"Originally I'm from twenty first century New York. A man named Gaston Leroux hears snippets of the story of the phantom from people and decides to investigate. He will show up in 1909 or 1910 and interview the managers as well as yourself. He later writes a book telling the story. Needless to say it becomes a popular book and even is made into a play and a few movies. Most people know of what transpired here and the sad ending of the phantom Erik. I came here to change it but instead I couldn't change anything Christine still ended up choosing Raoul. So the only course I have left in order to go back to my time is to save his life and help him find another."
"That's why I need your help. It's better for Christine and Raoul to believe he is dead and they can move on with their lives. They've both been through too much already, they deserve some solace. I'm going to take Erik away I don't know where yet but someplace safe where he can get over Christine and this death wish of his and help him find some happiness."
She looked over at the Persian who looked dumbfounded. He gaped at her like a dying fish for a few minutes before he finally spoke.
"That is definitely an unbelievable tale. To think someone came from the future to the past so mysteriously. It sounds like a story."
"You're telling me. I wouldn't believe it if I had heard it either. But I'm living it now. Here this may prove what I'm saying or at least help you keep an open mind."
She reached for the cloak, reaching into the pocket pulled out a worn soft cover book and handed it to the Persian. The cover showed a man wearing a mask and in bold letters the title stood out at him "The Phantom of the Opera". The author was the man she mentioned.
"Open the book and look at the published date."
He opened it and found the published date and nearly dropped the book and his tea. The date was 1990. The book was well worn so it couldn't have been less than a year old so it couldn't be a fake. Perhaps she changed the cover so he flipped through the pages and read small snippets of text and was dumbfounded again as he read different parts of what he knew had only recently transpired as well as parts that were deemed to be in his narrative. He couldn't deny that if the book was indeed real than her story as fantastical as it was, must also be true. He sat back in his chair aghast.
"So you're really from the future. Utterly amazing." He paused. "So you must know what happens after all of this."
"Well after this Erik dies of a "broken heart" and Christie visits him one last time, the managers still believe someone was pranking them and you live out your life here. That's all I know and what I hope to change, well with regards to Erik's demise. So I'm just as clueless as you are. So will you help me?"
A/N: Will the Persian help Jennifer?
