Disclaimer: Yup, this chapter is much shorter, but a major part will happen
in the next chapter. So...enjoy! Same disclaimers...yadda yadda...expect
the next chapter today or tomorow!
He searched the grass, parting the plants and bushes along the wall. Dirt flung up in clumps as he tore weeds away, searching...
"Boy! Get out of my garden!" A short lady with a tightly wound bun stood out on her doorstep, waving her dustrag in Erik's direction. He ignored her, his thoughts consumed in finding his mask. There. There it was. He heaved a sigh and picked up the white cloth, dusting the mud off it with his equally dirty fingers. Perhaps he could rinse it somewhere...
"You! I said get out of my garden!!" The woman had strode up behind him, brandishing a broom now. Erik looked up in terror and scurried away as fast as he could, trampling some roses in the process.
"AH! You little upstart! My prized roses! If I see you again, I'll make sure your parents are told of you!" she shouted to his back. He lept over a short stone wall and was out of sight. Wind tugged at the loose wrapping around his face as he put all his strength into just running, from the loud people who shouted...the strips of cloth fell from his face just as he scurried back into the dim alleyway, and he colasped on the hard cobblestone. He couldn't stop the tears that ran from his mismatched eyes. The lady had no idea how empty her threats were, of beeing scolded by his parents. He wept bitterly, letting loose the emotion he had kept bottled inside for 11 years...
A teeneage boy stumbled around the corner into Erik's alley. He swayed and stumbled, making Erik start. The boy smelled fowl, and had obviously been into his fathers whiskey. Erik shoved the mask on his face before looking up at the boy who stook drunkinly above him.
"You..therse...down." He said slurred, trying in vain to focus on Erik's covered face.
"Gimmie your money..now. Or.....else" he managed to spit out. Erik just looked confused. The boy grabbed the front of Erik's torn shirt and lifted him up to eyelevel.
"Gimmie the money, or I'll squash you into the cobblestone, you maggot." he said, reeking of old liquor. Erik tried to turn his head from the fowl smell, but the teen thought he was trying to get away. "Why you.." the boy raised a fist and swung at Erik's head, clipping his ear and sending him sprawling to the ground. Erik scooted against the wall, holding onto his throbing ear with one hand.
"Leave me alone, I have no money..." he muttered, preparing to spring up and run. But the drunken boy had lost his sense of reason, and began to pummel Erik's small body with blows, kicking out and smacking him blindly. Erik didn't yell, he dind't want to attrack more attention, but just scrunched up further to try and shield himself. After a few minutes the boy stoped, swayed, and proceeded to throw up most uncerimoniously. Erik took this chance ad scrambled up, ducking into the nearest door opening into the alley. The boy looked up, and Erik was gone.
Erik stumbled into a dark room, slamming the door behind him. He couldn't see, not that it mattered anyway, since his head was spinning and blood was running into his eyes. He groped around for a minute, then just dragged his aching body over into a corner, and everything went black.
He woke up to a pounding headache and the sound of strange voices close by. Instincitivly his hand flew to his face, but the mask was still there. He blinked and tried to comprehend where he was. He seemed to have pulled himself under a table, out of sight of the rest of the room. Which was lucky for him, because two people were standing at the table, apparently in a heated discussion.
"The papers are all flashing headlines of it; 'Phantom has returned to the Opera!'" The voice was high and very paniced.
Another voice spoke, deeper and a bit calmer. "Yes, Andre, I know. But is it such a bad thing? I'm sure that by tonight, we'll have a full house of curious people..."
the paniced voice jumped in. "but what if it IS him again? We need the publicity, I'll be the first to admit, but what if he begins his rampage again??" The calm voice now sounded agitated.
"Andre, I'm sure it's just a rumor started by a bunch of young holligans, trying to get their 10 minutes of fame. We haven't heard a peep from the ghost for 11 or 12 years now! I think it's safe to say that he left with the departure of Christine..." Erik's eyes grew larger. Christine...his mother? Now, there were hundreds of Christines, he was sure, but a Phantom..?
"Yes, when Miss Daee left, it seemed so did the Phantom. But what if he DIDN'T..." The deep voice was positively upset now.
"Get a hold of yourself, man! The ghost is gone, if there ever was one. This is all for the best, for us of couse. Now, if we can discuss the ballerina costumes for tonight.." The voices grew softer as they walked out the door. Erik pulled himself up, peering out from under the tablecloth. His mother's madien name had been Daee, he thought...he was fairly sure this was the Opera house, but what was this talk of a ghost? He got up and snuck to the door. He cracked it open, preying that the drunken teeneager was gone. He crept out the door and out into the fadding sun. Apparently he'd been asleep for the afternoon...he was about to set forth into the woods, to spend the night. Perhaps tomorow he'd try to learn more about the Opera ghost and his mother...
"That's 'im!" a voice shouted. Erik spun around to be facing 6 teenage boys, including the drunken one. They were lifting the drunk to his feet, it looked as if he'd passed out for awhile, according to the cobblestone print across his cheek. "That scum..he..kicked me!" The boy lied, shaking his head confused. The boy's gang rounded on Erik. He looked up at them, not believing that it was happening.
"I didn't kick him, he attacked me..." he growled, inching backwards untill his back hit the wall.
"Yeah, I'm sure.." a tall redheaded boy sneered, looking Erik up and down. "What've you been doing, rolling in the pigpen?" Another boy joined in, laughing.
"Yeah, I bet his was playing dress up. Look, he was pretending to be the Phantom!" all the boys began to howl with laughter, as the redhead reached for the dirty mask. Erik jerked back and reahed for the nearest garbage can, grabbing a broken wine bottle. He thrust the glass out like a sword, slashing the redhead's hand.
"Ah! the little mite gashed me!'' The boys all jumped foward at once, knocking the bottle easily from Erik's small grasp. They swung at him and kicked him in unison. Erik sank to the ground, trying in vain to cover his head from the onslaught of fists and feet. He felt a rib crack, and blood stained his already black clothes. He felt darkness closing in, as a loud sound broke through the din of shouting boys.
"Get out of here, you brats! Shoo!" An old man came running from one of the closed doors. The boys all glanced at each other and scattered into the streets, laughing the whole way. The man shook a fist at them, then glanced at the boy curled on the ground.
"My god, they almsot killed him..." the man stooped over and picked up the bloody boy, who was breathing shallowly. He grined a bit, showing a smile of rotten teeth and blackened gums. "Ha, looks like I was meant to find that extra servant after all!" The man threw Erik's unconcious body over his meaty shoulder and returned to the darkness of the brick building.
He searched the grass, parting the plants and bushes along the wall. Dirt flung up in clumps as he tore weeds away, searching...
"Boy! Get out of my garden!" A short lady with a tightly wound bun stood out on her doorstep, waving her dustrag in Erik's direction. He ignored her, his thoughts consumed in finding his mask. There. There it was. He heaved a sigh and picked up the white cloth, dusting the mud off it with his equally dirty fingers. Perhaps he could rinse it somewhere...
"You! I said get out of my garden!!" The woman had strode up behind him, brandishing a broom now. Erik looked up in terror and scurried away as fast as he could, trampling some roses in the process.
"AH! You little upstart! My prized roses! If I see you again, I'll make sure your parents are told of you!" she shouted to his back. He lept over a short stone wall and was out of sight. Wind tugged at the loose wrapping around his face as he put all his strength into just running, from the loud people who shouted...the strips of cloth fell from his face just as he scurried back into the dim alleyway, and he colasped on the hard cobblestone. He couldn't stop the tears that ran from his mismatched eyes. The lady had no idea how empty her threats were, of beeing scolded by his parents. He wept bitterly, letting loose the emotion he had kept bottled inside for 11 years...
A teeneage boy stumbled around the corner into Erik's alley. He swayed and stumbled, making Erik start. The boy smelled fowl, and had obviously been into his fathers whiskey. Erik shoved the mask on his face before looking up at the boy who stook drunkinly above him.
"You..therse...down." He said slurred, trying in vain to focus on Erik's covered face.
"Gimmie your money..now. Or.....else" he managed to spit out. Erik just looked confused. The boy grabbed the front of Erik's torn shirt and lifted him up to eyelevel.
"Gimmie the money, or I'll squash you into the cobblestone, you maggot." he said, reeking of old liquor. Erik tried to turn his head from the fowl smell, but the teen thought he was trying to get away. "Why you.." the boy raised a fist and swung at Erik's head, clipping his ear and sending him sprawling to the ground. Erik scooted against the wall, holding onto his throbing ear with one hand.
"Leave me alone, I have no money..." he muttered, preparing to spring up and run. But the drunken boy had lost his sense of reason, and began to pummel Erik's small body with blows, kicking out and smacking him blindly. Erik didn't yell, he dind't want to attrack more attention, but just scrunched up further to try and shield himself. After a few minutes the boy stoped, swayed, and proceeded to throw up most uncerimoniously. Erik took this chance ad scrambled up, ducking into the nearest door opening into the alley. The boy looked up, and Erik was gone.
Erik stumbled into a dark room, slamming the door behind him. He couldn't see, not that it mattered anyway, since his head was spinning and blood was running into his eyes. He groped around for a minute, then just dragged his aching body over into a corner, and everything went black.
He woke up to a pounding headache and the sound of strange voices close by. Instincitivly his hand flew to his face, but the mask was still there. He blinked and tried to comprehend where he was. He seemed to have pulled himself under a table, out of sight of the rest of the room. Which was lucky for him, because two people were standing at the table, apparently in a heated discussion.
"The papers are all flashing headlines of it; 'Phantom has returned to the Opera!'" The voice was high and very paniced.
Another voice spoke, deeper and a bit calmer. "Yes, Andre, I know. But is it such a bad thing? I'm sure that by tonight, we'll have a full house of curious people..."
the paniced voice jumped in. "but what if it IS him again? We need the publicity, I'll be the first to admit, but what if he begins his rampage again??" The calm voice now sounded agitated.
"Andre, I'm sure it's just a rumor started by a bunch of young holligans, trying to get their 10 minutes of fame. We haven't heard a peep from the ghost for 11 or 12 years now! I think it's safe to say that he left with the departure of Christine..." Erik's eyes grew larger. Christine...his mother? Now, there were hundreds of Christines, he was sure, but a Phantom..?
"Yes, when Miss Daee left, it seemed so did the Phantom. But what if he DIDN'T..." The deep voice was positively upset now.
"Get a hold of yourself, man! The ghost is gone, if there ever was one. This is all for the best, for us of couse. Now, if we can discuss the ballerina costumes for tonight.." The voices grew softer as they walked out the door. Erik pulled himself up, peering out from under the tablecloth. His mother's madien name had been Daee, he thought...he was fairly sure this was the Opera house, but what was this talk of a ghost? He got up and snuck to the door. He cracked it open, preying that the drunken teeneager was gone. He crept out the door and out into the fadding sun. Apparently he'd been asleep for the afternoon...he was about to set forth into the woods, to spend the night. Perhaps tomorow he'd try to learn more about the Opera ghost and his mother...
"That's 'im!" a voice shouted. Erik spun around to be facing 6 teenage boys, including the drunken one. They were lifting the drunk to his feet, it looked as if he'd passed out for awhile, according to the cobblestone print across his cheek. "That scum..he..kicked me!" The boy lied, shaking his head confused. The boy's gang rounded on Erik. He looked up at them, not believing that it was happening.
"I didn't kick him, he attacked me..." he growled, inching backwards untill his back hit the wall.
"Yeah, I'm sure.." a tall redheaded boy sneered, looking Erik up and down. "What've you been doing, rolling in the pigpen?" Another boy joined in, laughing.
"Yeah, I bet his was playing dress up. Look, he was pretending to be the Phantom!" all the boys began to howl with laughter, as the redhead reached for the dirty mask. Erik jerked back and reahed for the nearest garbage can, grabbing a broken wine bottle. He thrust the glass out like a sword, slashing the redhead's hand.
"Ah! the little mite gashed me!'' The boys all jumped foward at once, knocking the bottle easily from Erik's small grasp. They swung at him and kicked him in unison. Erik sank to the ground, trying in vain to cover his head from the onslaught of fists and feet. He felt a rib crack, and blood stained his already black clothes. He felt darkness closing in, as a loud sound broke through the din of shouting boys.
"Get out of here, you brats! Shoo!" An old man came running from one of the closed doors. The boys all glanced at each other and scattered into the streets, laughing the whole way. The man shook a fist at them, then glanced at the boy curled on the ground.
"My god, they almsot killed him..." the man stooped over and picked up the bloody boy, who was breathing shallowly. He grined a bit, showing a smile of rotten teeth and blackened gums. "Ha, looks like I was meant to find that extra servant after all!" The man threw Erik's unconcious body over his meaty shoulder and returned to the darkness of the brick building.