Love of a Stranger

Ob1MegOb1

Thanks to all who have reviewed so far. I hope this story will continue to grow on fans out there and for those of you who already reviewed, I hope you continue to review. And in case anybody wanted to know I am basing this Phantom story largely off of ALW, Susan Kay, and Leroux.

Reupload 12/20/2020: Was reuploaded for missing quotation marks and dialogue that disappeared from over time.

Chapter 2

Awoken

(Jasmine)

I was never awoken by someone turning on the light as a child. In fact, since I had gone blind nobody really understood how come I had a hard time sleeping. The doctor had told my parents when I became blind that many of my senses would become enhanced. Senses like my hearing, touch, and smell. But in my childhood it had seemed that my ears had been the only thing that had made up for my ability of not being able to see. Sometimes it even seemed more like a curse than a gift.

Every creak of the house, my father's heavy step, my mother's light step, the gendarmes as they threw my father to the floor, all these things I heard and more. It had to become a habit just figuring out what noises were normal or not. And that night the sound of a man crying out in dispair was anything but normal.

I jolted awake listening upstairs to make sure there were no little feet running down the stairs. I sighed as there was no sound. I sighed wondering what I had gotten myself into.

"But I love you," he muttered.

I turned in the direction of his voice slowing feeling my way over to him. "Erik," I said softly. The first thing I felt was his hands. They were smooth but calloused on some parts of his fingers. He was a writer judging by where the callouses were. Otherwise, his hands were perfectly gentle. The only time I had ever felt hands like this was when I had felt a musician and composer's hands. As I felt up his body I felt a thin body that obviously did not feed itself properly or was not able to.

I felt his face until I felt his eyelids shut over his eyes. He was not running a fever so I figured he must be dreaming. It was then I felt his face for the first time. The left side of his face was beautifully smooth and featured. I could almost imagine the handsome possibility of this composer. But then it was then I felt his right side. I felt the familiar feeling of scars all across the right side. I felt my own scar suddenly realizing why he had touched it.

This man was horribly scarred on his right side. His face felt almost like it had been burned in a fire. But I knew better than to assume anything when it came to scars. For all I knew he had been horribly scarred at birth like me. And if his face had been horribly scarred like this all his life then I could not imagine all the pain he had gone through.

For years mine had been mocking faces, faces that shunned and outcasted anyone who was different. And that was just for one line across my face.

This man had probably experienced so much more than me. And while I didn't have to see their faces he did. And while the laughter is still imprinted in my mind it probably was in his as well.

And then it suddenly became very clear to me why the gendarmes had been pursuing him. Not because he had stolen anything real except the souls of those who had died at his hands. But as I felt them again I only hoped my suspicions were wrong.

I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. They were too heavy to be Rebecca's so they must have been William's.

"William?" I said into the darkness.

There was a deafening silence in the room except for his small shallow breathing. He still sounded like a ten-year-old to me everyday.

"Come here," I said extending my hand. But I didn't hear any footsteps forward only his breathing becoming more shallow. And then I heard footsteps only going in the opposite direction.

"William!" I called. It was no use though he was our father through and through. Not able to accept the consequences of his actions.

(Erik)

I awoke to the very tantalizing smell of...bread? I opened my eyes only to quickly close them again as the sun gleamed through the window. My body felt stiff probably from the injury I had sustained yesterday and sure enough, when I tried to get up my side protested in pain.

I slowly sat up and turned my direction toward the smell. I was met with the sight of a five-year-old girl staring at me, eyes wide. Her midnight black hair hung to her shoulders and her eyes a beautiful shade of brown. I almost thought it looked like a miniature form of the woman who had saved me last night only she bore no scar upon her cheek. And very much like the other woman, her eyes bore no hate at my appearance but surprise.

I wasn't sure how to act in the presence of such a small child. But my question was answered as she ran out of the room. I sighed thinking that maybe she had been scared by my appearance.

But the girl returned with the woman who had helped me last night. Her eyes searched all over the room. She was probably waiting for me to speak so she would know where to fix her gaze. But I couldn't meet her gaze out of guilt of what I had done the night before. The bruises on her neck were still evident and there was still a speck of blood from where I had touched her cheek. And now that I got to see her in the light she almost seemed beautiful if her face did not appear so worn and tired.

"You're awake?" she said softly.

"Where am I?" I asked wishing to know whose house it was I had entered in my foolishness last night.

She leaned down slowly and whispered something in the girl's ear who bounded away without a second thought. "You are in my home, she said simply, "And I would think you would have a better explanation as to why you broke in last night than me."

I shook my head unsure as to why I had come to this place. "I'm not sure," I muttered.

She walked forward a couple of steps before kneeling down in front of me, "Monsieur you are very lucky I have not reported you to the gendarmes. I wish to have an explanation as to why you broke into this house last night."

"What makes you think I wished to enter this pathetic hovel?" I demanded my anger rising. This house was no place to be desired. Not any more than my pathetic existence beneath the opera house.

"Because you almost killed me and my brother and I assume you would have killed my sister as well?" she demanded. Her eyes were unfocused still but they still held a piercing glare.

"I meant no harm to either of you," I said slowly, "I just needed a place to hide. The gendarmes wanted me because I had stolen something earlier in the evening."

She only stared ahead but I could see she didn't believe my story. She only nodded her head, "Well you sure picked the worse place to hide Monsieur. I am afraid we do not have much to offer you due to our pathetic existence as you called it. If you wish to leave Monsieur you may do so in a couple of days, but I can not let you leave in your condition now."

I sighed in frustration. I had not meant for my words to sound harsh. But truly could not understand how such an able family was stuck in this harsh existence.

"I must change your dressing so if you will sit still," she said searching for the pile of fresh bandages on the floor. I reached over and handed them to her only slightly annoyed. "I'm sorry," she said, "In your sleep last night you must have knocked them away. I can be quite useless sometimes if I don't know where things are.

"I can only imagine," I said plainly. Her fingertips were soft against my skin as she searched for the dressing.

"So monsieur what is it you stole that caused the gendarmes to come after you?" she said softly. This time I was in no hurry for her to find it. I didn't know if it was from being blind or it was just natural but she had the most gentle touch I had ever felt.

"A woman," I said telling only half the truth.

"A woman?" she said suddenly her eyes becoming confused, "What did you plan to do with her?"

"I believe that is none of your business mademoiselle," I said irritably.

She dressed the wound again neatly for not being able to see. She dropped her hands as she finished and slowly stood up. "Our breakfast was just finished if you wish to join us," she said softly.

"No thank you," I said quickly.

"Very well then," she said simply, and then she said something that surprised me, "Erik."

My head shot up as she walked away.

"What did you call me?" I said a little demandingly.

"Erik…you said that was your name last night," she said, "If you do not wish me to call you that it is fine."

I sighed in frustration, "No it is fine."

She only nodded her head in answer. "If you need anything Monsieur just call." She stood at the stairs and called to her brother and sister who came bounding down the stairs to breakfast. She smiled brightly at the sight or for her sound of them. And my heart only ached to think that I had nearly made her little sister an orphan last night.

They all sat at the table and I watched them eat what little breakfast they had. It consisted of a loaf of bread and some fruit. I cringed to think how long this family may have suffered in poverty while I sat in my cave with money and nothing to do with it.

It was then I heard the little girl's face voice pipe up from the other room, "How come that man's face is like that?"

"Becca!" the woman said her voice annoyed, "That's very rude. It is none of her business quite honestly."

"Sorry Jasmine," she continued.

Jasmine, so her name was said at last. It seemed strange she had debated about my name and yet I had not even asked hers.

"Rebecca he is a guest and we are to treat him with respect," she said gently but sternly.

"Yes Jasmine," Rebecca said finally giving in.

I wondered what had happened to this family's parents. I imagined it wasn't easy for her to raise them on her own especially being blind. And yet she was somehow managing it or so I thought.

(Jasmine)

I could feel his eyes on us the entire time. He had come off as slightly rude and annoying but if he was indeed the Phantom of the Opera like I thought then maybe I could understand. They said the Phantom had lived beneath the Opera House alone and isolated. I was sure being isolated had not helped with his social skills.

I could feel his body relax as I dressed his wound. I don't whether my presence relaxed him or my touch. Many people had wondered why I had not become a nurse because of my touch. And I only told them for obvious reasons that I could not. Although being in that kind of job could probably really help us now.

But my thoughts were distracted as someone knocked at the door. I slowly got up out of my chair and felt my way to the door. "Who is it," I asked.

"It's Mr. Bettany," the voice answered. I groaned knowing he was here to collect the rent which I did not have.

"Good morning Miss Dinea," He said as I opened the door a crack.

"Good morning Mr. Bettany," I said quickly, "Listen I don't…"

"Jasmine please don't say you don't have the rent," Mr. Bettany answered. He was a thin tall man with thin blonde hair and dark blue eyes or so people had said. And I could just see his disapproving face in my mind.

"I'm sorry Mr. Bettany I'm trying," my voice quivered knowing that I was in trouble.

"I'm sorry Jasmine but you have missed payments three times. If you don't have the payment by the end of the week I'm going to have to evict you."

I sighed, "I understand."

"Jasmine if you lose this home we have no choice but to take William and Rebecca away to live with their aunt. They can't be living with a blind sister who can hardly take care of herself."

"No please Mr. Bettany," I said my voice breaking as my heart began to beat faster, "You don't understand they are my life. You can't take them away from me."

"I'm sorry Jasmine but it's in their best interest and if you really do love them make the payment." And then he just turned and walked away from the sound of it. No sorry's no nothing.

I closed the door my heart racing a million miles a minute. Many times I had been threatened with eviction but never with the possibility of my only family being taken from me. But I slowly turned away feeling my way towards the stairs. "William watch Rebecca I'll be back," I said climbing up to my room. I sat down on my bed and compared to the floor last night it was much more inviting. I just lay there and tried to let all the frustrations drain away through the tears running down my face.

(Erik)

I had heard the entire conversation from the main room. I sighed knowing the vast majority of money I had hidden away. She had saved my life and not turned me over to the gendarmes so maybe I could find some way to return the favor.

TBC

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