Love of a Stranger
Ob1MegOb1
I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. School started and it has become increasingly difficult. If anybody knows what the International Baccalaureate program is they know how difficult it is junior year. Anyway here is the next chapter. And for anybody who wanted to know this is being based on ALW, GL, and the 2004 movie. Gerry Butler is the visual basis for this Phantom.
Also, I thought I would provide the ages for all the different characters in case anybody wanted to know.
Jasmine- 22
William - 16
Rebecca - 5
Erik - about 36 (I know that is fudging with his age a little but it's because of the grander story I have planned for him)
Chapter 3
(Erik)
I sat in the room Jasmine had prepared for me. The shutters drawn, the gas lamp turned off so the room was nearly pitch black. I needed the comfort of the darkness in order to recover from all that I had suffered the night before. Both mentally and physically.
I sat there for the longest time wondering why I had chosen this place to enter. Had I been so lost in grief yesterday that I had not known what I was doing? So affected by the rejection of the woman I had sought for so long I had almost strangled a defenseless woman? A blind, defenseless, scarred woman at that.
And yet she had taken no action against me. She had not notified the gendarmes or booted me out of her home. In fact, she had invited me to stay at her home with her young sister and brother? I had never known a woman so kind and foolhardy in my life. My mind was swirling in so many directions. I felt the need to stay here longer even though I knew I should not. No matter how comforting or kind this place seemed I knew I could not be here.
(Jasmine)
I lay on my bed staring up at the ceiling feeling my heart pound in my chest. I could not lose them. They were my life, the only thing left in my poor excuse for a life. I had always grown up in a dark and lonely world. I had never had friends save for one as a child. The rest only jeered or laughed at me and my family.
How many times had I just wanted to quit, give up? Git rid of the jeers, the laughter, the fear. To go to a better place where neither I or my family had to suffer anymore.
A scarred woman was a cursed woman. And yet I was cursed in two ways, by blindness, and by scarring.
I slowly got up knowing I could not stay up here forever or I would worry Rebecca and William. They could not know something was wrong. Not yet at least. They could not know that I may lose them forever.
(Erik)
I turned at the sound of the door opening and was surprised to see the young girl walk in. She stopped as if surprised to see me there. Obviously, her sister had done a poor job in informing her I was staying here.
It felt strange not knowing what to say to her. She just stood there staring. "May I help you mademoiselle?" I asked softly.
She only stared back heading towards the back of the room. She sat in the corner and continued to analyze me. Never had I seen a young child's eyes so curious and critical all in one moment. It annoyed me to feel so nervous under her gaze.
"What do you want?" I asked again.
She only continued to look upon me. Her eyes spoke words though. They spoke of curiosity and intrigue. Surprisingly she did not seem scared or upset about my face. But then again she was a child. Children were always immune to what everybody else thought were the horrors of the world.
"Are you mute?" I finally blurted out desperate to know why this girl would not speak to me.
"Of course not," she answered quickly and then she stopped as if surprised at herself.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"I spoke," she said simply.
"Everybody speaks," I said curiously as to what intrigued this girl about hearing her own voice. She seemed shocked to know that she could even make words come out of her mouth.
"Not me," she said almost sounding scared, "I have never spoken to anyone. Not in a long time."
(Jasmine)
I walked down the stairs and was surprised to hear it was quiet. But then the silence was broken by a voice I had never expected to hear.
"I have never spoken to anyone. Not in a long time," said a small voice. One that I immediately recognized as Rebecca's. She was talking!
I followed her voice as she continued to speak, "I only speak to Jasmine."
"Why is that?" a deeper voice answered and I knew it was Erik. She was talking to Erik. I stood there in awe. My sister had never spoken to anyone since our parents had died. Especially men. So why was she speaking to Erik of all people?
(Erik)
I sat there in confusion. Why did this girl not talk to anybody and suddenly choose me to talk to? "So why are you talking to me?" I asked curiously as to her answer.
"That's what I would like to know," a new voice said and it was then I saw Jasmine standing in the doorway. She was staring in the opposite direction, but I could tell she had heard every word we said.
"Jasmine!" the girl said jumping up and rushing over to her, "I can talk to him!"
"I noticed," she said smiling, "Will you excuse me for a moment while I talk to Erik? Why don't you go see if you can talk to William as well."
She immediately nodded her head and bounded away. She stood where she was as she asked me, "What did you do?"
"Excuse me?" I said knowing what she was going to say.
(Jasmine)
I turned in the direction of his voice, "How did you make Rebecca talk?" I had to know or go mad. My brother had suffered through two years of not hearing his sister's voice and I had suffered through those years of trying to figure out what she wanted when she would not speak in front of him. And now this stranger comes into our home and suddenly she starts talking to him?
"How should I know?" he answered annoyed, "She didn't speak to me this morning. She acted like I was some bloody monster this morning."
I closed my eyes in frustration, "She's not stupid, mute, deaf or dumb. The doctors think she may have experienced a trauma when she saw our parents die before her. And he thinks because the gendarmes were male it is the reason she will not speak to anyone especially males. She will not even talk to her own brother."
(Erik)
I stared at her and I could see the pain in her eyes. Remembrance of something that pained her. She turned in my direction the best she could, "If I could wish for anything it would have been that she had been blind that day instead of me. She should not have had to watch our father be beaten to death by the gendarmes."
She turned away from me but I could still see the solitary tear fall down her face. But her body bolted upright as someone pounded at the door. "Mademoiselle Dinea!" a gruff deep voice said echoing throughout the house.
(Jasmine)
"Oh god," I muttered my heart skipping a beat, "Its the gendarmes. Quick you must hide," I said extending my hand. I sat there waiting for his hand, "Please Monsieur I beg of you," I said my heart racing.
"Jasmine what's going on?" Rebecca said her little footsteps echoing in the hall.
"William!" I called and as if on cue I could hear his heavy footsteps.
"Take Rebecca upstairs and don't come down no matter what."
"But Jasmine—-" he started to say but I did not have time to explain to him.
There's no time William just take your sister upstairs okay?!"
He must have agreed because I heard their footsteps quickly disappear up the stairs.
(Erik)
I stood there my mind going through many possibilities. I feared she was tricking me and would turn me in as soon as I took her hand. And yet she had come this far and not turned me in. And as her brother and sister disappeared upstairs she turned in my direction hand extended, "Please Monsieur we can not delay." I looked at her hand still unsure of what to do. "Please Erik trust me," she said her eyes unfocused and staring at the ground. Finally, I reached out my hand and took her own.
(Jasmine)
I was so relieved to feel his hand in mine I had completely forgotten there was a gendarme about ready to break my door down. I must have stood there for thirty seconds as he suddenly brought me closer, "I trust you," he muttered. The feeling of softness rushed through my fingertips and I could feel his warm breath slowly blowing against my face. His hand brushed my scar and a strange sensation rushed through my body.
But then I pulled away and quickly led him towards the trap door under the house. I quickly released his hand and began to search for the handle. The pounding on the door continued to grow louder and I began to search more frantically not taking my time and searching over and over again in the same spots.
(Erik)
I could see she was becoming frantic. I gently placed a hand on her shoulder, "Its okay," I whispered.
Her body went still and she took a deep breath and began to search more slowly until she finally lifted a rug and dust flying revealed the handle to a trap door. She swung it open and stood there waiting for me to enter. "Please don't come out until they are gone."
I slowly walked over to the door and peered down. It was dark and gloomy reminding me very much of the cellars beneath the Opera House. I turned to her as she stood up slowly brushing herself off. "Be careful," I said softly.
(Jasmine)
I gripped his hand and held him close, he needed to hear what I was about to say. "If anything should happen to me take my siblings to their Aunt Evelyn. She leaves to the north of here. The children will know how to find her."
I finally pushed him down into the cellar and turned to face whatever trouble was about to come through our door.
I slowly felt my way over to the door and opened it. I heard a gruff voice say, "We know he is here. A neighbor verified seeing the Phantom enter this house. If you do not allow us to search your house then you will face the consequences."
Instead of letting them in I blocked the doorway and said defiantly, "The man you seek is not here, I think you should leave."
It was then I felt the back of his hand connect with my jaw and I fell to the ground pain rushing through my face. "Defiant little bitch," I heard him say as he stepped over me and entered the house. "Now I will only ask this one last time, where is the monster?"
I slowly stood up and leaned against the stairwell, "I am afraid Monsieur the only monster I see here is you." This time I received a fist full in the face, and there was a blinding flash of light as my head hit hard and then I saw and felt no more.
TBC
Hahaha, cliffhanger! I love it, I love it! Please Please Please continue to send in those reviews!