I had to pull myself together as I stepped out onstage. As much as I tried to block it out, my mind's eye was plagued by images of Erik and Christine. I don't know what I expected though. I could have predicted this.
Soon the last act rolled around, and all I wanted was to get out of here. I was doing all I could to keep my composure onstage, but I was at my limit.
"No thoughts within her head but thoughts of joy, no dreams within her heart but dreams of love…" I sung, stepping out on stage. I waited for Rufus, trying desperately just to stay on my feet.
"You have come here, in pursuit of, your deepest urge. In pursuit of that wish which till now has been silent… silent…"
My breath caught in my throat. That wasn't Rufus' voice. It was Erik's.
My knees gave way beneath me, and I hit the stage hard as I came down. I stayed there, keeping my hands on my knees as I refused to look at him. What the hell was he thinking?
"I have brought you, that our passions may fuse and merge - in your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses… completely succumbed to me - now you are here with me, no second thoughts, you've decided…decided…" He crouched beside me, putting his hands on my arms. He was trying to make my fall appear as though it were part of the scene. Tears bubbled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. What if he was seen?
Was I still worried about his wellbeing?
"Past the point of no return - no backward glances. The games we've played till now are at an end… Past all thought of "if" or "when" - no use resisting, abandon thought and let the dream descend…" He pulled me to my feet, gently coercing me upwards. "What raging fire shall flood the soul? What rich desire unlocks its door? What sweet seduction lies before us…?" The last words hung on his tongue as he sung, making the words seem like they were only intended for me, but projecting just right so the audience could still hear him. His mouth was inches from my ear, and I had to physically keep myself from shaking violently.
"Past the point of no return, the final threshold - what warm, unspoken secrets will we learn? Beyond the point of no return…" He turned me to face him, so I was forced to look into those pleading blue eyes. "You can't ask me to stay away, I can't do that."
I jerked away from him, keeping my back to him as my voice emerged from me, wavering at first before growing stronger.
"You have brought me to that moment where words run dry, to that moment where speech disappears into silence…silence…" I could hear his heavy foot falls as approached me again from behind, and my voice jerked again as I darted away from him. "I have come here, hardly knowing the reason why… In my mind, I've already imagined our bodies entwining defenseless and silent - and now I am here with you, no second thoughts, I've decided…decided…" He took my shoulders in his large hands, spinning me around to face him.
"I've decided."
I spoke those last two words, not realizing I was saying them. "I'm sorry."
He took me in his arms and kissed me deeply. There were murmurs of confusion from the audience, but we were no longer aware of them.
"Tell me that my love for you isn't true." He murmured as he pulled away, leaving me dazed. He kissed me again, desperately pulling me close to him. "I can't live without you."
Nothing would have pleased me more than to just stand there, kissing him, to forgive him and move past this. But this time it was me that pulled away.
"When you kiss me, all I see is her."
I backed away from him, his arms falling away from my body. Loudly, I sung, "The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn!" I had to choke down a sob. "We've past the point of no return…"
"Alanna," He stepped toward me.
"No." I shook my head, holding my hands to my chest.
I couldn't stand to look at him anymore. Mustering up what was left of my dignity, I ran off the stage, leaving everyone in a state on confusion.
The End
** Thank you for reading a new rose! This one, despite already being a re-write, is old and is super rough around the edges. But it formed a series. So while this is the "true ending" with its own set of sequels, there is also an Alternate Ending with sequels as well. What I'm going to do is post the alternate ending chapters AFTER this one and those will be marked with * at the end. Hope it's not too confusing! The sequel for the "True Ending" will be coming soon! I can only post so many on FanFiction . Net a day since I made a new account. Thank you!**
