"Thou hast thy calling to some palace-floor,
Most gracious singer of high poems!"
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Sonnet IV"
It's strange, how at the most emotional moments in your life, the most ridiculous thought will pop into your mind. That happened to me as I listened to the end of the aria. All I could blurt out was: "You were the one singing with me that day!" My presence and my loud voice did not seem to startle Erik. In fact, he acted as though he had been expecting me. How odd…
He exhaled slowly, breaking the spell of perfect music as he stood and nodded, even such a slight movement was infinitely graceful as if it had been choreographed. "I hope I did not scare you."
"No... I-I enjoyed singing with you." I felt a bit braver and stepped closer to the stage where he still stood gazing down at me with those strange eyes of his that almost glowed in the darkness.
" 'My White Knight,' " Erik said suddenly, looking at me with expectation. My mind stumbled from this sudden change of topic and I bit my lip in confusion.
"From The Music Man," he continued, going over to the piano and retrieving something. "It is difficult, but very impressive when done correctly." He made a small gesture with his hand and I automatically walked up to the stage where he gave me sheet music without touching my fingers. "It will show off your high range and has a melody line almost entirely independent from the accompaniment."
In a single fluid movement, he walked back to the piano and sat, long fingers poised above the keys as if they had been born to play.
Like the idiot that I was, I looked dumbly at the music and then back at him. "The Music Man?" I repeated weakly.
I saw a flash of impatience in his eyes but he sighed and replied gently. "You were a needing a solo piece for the audition, correct?" When I nodded, he continued. "I have taken the liberty of choosing a piece for you so that, with my help, you will get the part of Maria." The conviction in his voice was so strong that for a heart-stopping moment I thought could beat Charlotte.
I shook my head and looked down at my feet. "No I won't..." I whispered sadly, "Charlotte will. She always has the lead..."
Erik stood up and with two long strides was so close to me that I saw a faint white scar on his forehead, just under the brim of his hat. "Not this year!" he hissed. My breath caught in my throat and we stared at one another until Erik seemed to realize how close he had gotten to me. He relaxed a bit and moved back to the piano. "Charlotte is all volume and no tone quality. She substitutes the true melody with sheer noise. You, on the other hand," he nodded at me, "Already have perfect pitch and a pure bell-like clarity that I've never heard anywhere..." I blushed under his intense gaze and he turned away, uncomfortable. "With my help, you'll easily beat Charlotte and win over the audiences during performance." I had a few doubts but I dared not voice them.
"What about you?" I suddenly blurted out. Erik gave me a questioning look.
"Well... aren't you going to audition?" Erik sneered and I hurried on. "You would surely get the part of Tony, your voice..." I shook my head at the memory. "It's like nothing I've ever heard... you sing so effortlessly, I've heard professional tenors before and you are much better than what I've heard..." The visible side of his face softened as he saw my sincerity and he shook his head, sadly.
"Why should I even bother?" he asked bitterly, "I would never get the lead. If I was lucky, I would make the chorus but nothing better."
"Why not?" I asked then immediately regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth. Erik stiffened and turned towards my dismayed face with a sardonic smile and I was once again only too aware of the black mask that separated us and the desire I felt to see what lay beneath it.
"Must you ask?"
"I'm sorry," I whispered. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He merely nodded and turned back to the piano once more.
"We'll start with a few scales to warm up..." And thus began my private lessons with Erik.