After Christine had gone through the mirror in her dressing room, and down
the narrow corridors to Erik's dark home, she expected to hear organ music
floating hauntingly from the walls, but all was silent. Unless you counted
the faint patter of tiny rat footsteps, there was no sound of life at all.
That's the way it often was. She was used to it.
Cautiously, she creaked her teacher's door open, glancing around the entry fretfully, a bit frightened that she might have barged in on something important. She shuddered, remembering the last time she had barged into other peoples business. She hadn't liked the results, and didn't want to make a mistake like that again.
Christine opened the door to Erik's music room to see if he was consumed in scribbling notes down, but he wasn't there.
The next most likely place was his bedroom.
When Christine entered Erik's room, she found that he was propped against the wall in a sitting position, petting Ayesha as he stared off into space.
"Erik?" She asked, giving him a worried look. "Is there something wrong?" She instantly regretted the slightly hopeful tone of her voice, as if she really didn't want to sing with him. The truth, was that she was never exactly comfortable when Erik was around, so therefore, always waited anxiously for when it was time to leave. And yet... she enjoyed the musical portion of the stay. Sometimes, when they were singing together, she would forget momentarily the face beneath the mask, and would feel truly wonderfully around him.
Erik, nit hearing her, continued to stroke his elegant feline. Instead, he said in an awkward sort of voice; "Christine, you shouldn't stay."
"Why not?" Christine asked loudly. She never really expected him to reject her company, this caught her COMPLETELY off guard.
When Erik saw that she hadn't moved, he talked louder, but still with a strange tone of voice that Christine wondered about along with his behavior.
"Leave, Christine. You should go. Nod if you understand," Erik said.
Christine shook her head. "I don't understand," she said plainly.
Erik stared at her for a moment, concentrating on her lips. "Say that again," he requested.
"I don't understand," she repeated in bewilderment. The phantom sighed in frustration and waved his hand in annoyance.
"I don't need you to stay anymore," Erik said hollowly. "You can leave."
Now that Christine thought about it, she really HAD looked forward to singing with Erik, and didn't want to leave when she had traveled all that way for nothing. "Sing with me first," she protested. "Just one song... please?"
Erik narrowed his eyebrows. "Who needs music anymore," he barely whispered, resting his forehead on his hands as if in deep thought.
Now Christine was genuinely shocked. "Erik, what are you talking about?" She asked shrilly, not knowing if he was rudely closing his eyes or not because of the mask. There was no reply. "Erik!" Christine strode across the room to him and stared down.
He didn't look up, so she bravely stooped, tipping her face into view. He was looking at the ground as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.
"What's wrong?" Christine repeated, this time in serious concern.
"Things change," Erik muttered slowly. She wasn't sure if he was answering her question, or just talking to himself anymore. He actually looked like he was conversing with the rug. "Sometimes it's for the better, and you usually don't understand... hell, I don't even understand."
"What's for the better? What don't you understand?" Christine asked, urging him to go on.
In an instant of fury, Erik banged his fists on the side of the wall, which made Christine jump, her eyes widening. "Though it's never the better for me, now, is it?" He shouted sarcastically.
"What are you talking about?" Christine demanded. "I'm going to leave if you don't start acting normally!"
Erik looked up at the girl. "Why are you still here?" he asked, the first question directed towards her in a while. "I told you to leave."
"Well, if you want me to!" Christine huffed, standing from her crouched position. She later realized that when she was waiting for Erik to make sense, she had been the closest she had ever gotten before becoming uncomfortable around him. Strangely ironic...
She took one last glance at Erik before exiting the room. "Madman," she whispered to herself. "When will he EVER make sense?" Christine was about to leave the house entirely, but at the last second, changed her mind. If Erik was less nutty in the morning, she would get to the bottom of this weirdness.
Erik watched as the girl he loved left the room in haughty confusion, thinking she would never return. Would she? What did she care? The phantom doesn't want to sing with her anymore. The kidnapper is letting her free. Now who would deny THAT privilege? No longer was she bound under him. She could leave without feeling guilty every time. He didn't want her anymore. But he did! Why couldn't he tell her the truth? She would find out sooner or later anyway...
"Christine, don't go," Erik mouthed, tears pricking the back of his eyes. Why was he cursed with this? Why him? Why?
It could have been anyone at all... it could have! It just wasn't fair the way the world worked. Or maybe the way the world broke... what a thought.
All he knew, was that he needed his music to live, and he needed Christine for his music... as his inspiration... his will to keep on writing it, because he knew that someone was there to share it with him. Christine- less and music-less, Erik forgot about the world around him, remembering he was all alone. There was nobody and nothing there.
"I would have drunken the water, you know," he said mockingly to Ayesha. "I would rather have gone blind, too.. but you know how I am. I would rather have broken all my limbs. I would have rather..." he trailed off, thinking of all the other possible things that could have happened to him. "How deafening silence can be," Erik whispered now more to himself than his cat, shaking his head bitterly. "And how extremely maddening..."
All at once, the full impact of all the agony and grief, confusion and realization hit him right through the chest, and his heart skipped a painful beat, making him squint in an embarrassed way, feeling alone and lost, trying not to cry and failing tremendously.
A/N: Yeah! I got 7 reviews, all right! I WAS only expected about 2 or 3, you know how it is.. but this really surprised me! I must have made a catchy summary for once! Hurrah! :)
That's the way it often was. She was used to it.
Cautiously, she creaked her teacher's door open, glancing around the entry fretfully, a bit frightened that she might have barged in on something important. She shuddered, remembering the last time she had barged into other peoples business. She hadn't liked the results, and didn't want to make a mistake like that again.
Christine opened the door to Erik's music room to see if he was consumed in scribbling notes down, but he wasn't there.
The next most likely place was his bedroom.
When Christine entered Erik's room, she found that he was propped against the wall in a sitting position, petting Ayesha as he stared off into space.
"Erik?" She asked, giving him a worried look. "Is there something wrong?" She instantly regretted the slightly hopeful tone of her voice, as if she really didn't want to sing with him. The truth, was that she was never exactly comfortable when Erik was around, so therefore, always waited anxiously for when it was time to leave. And yet... she enjoyed the musical portion of the stay. Sometimes, when they were singing together, she would forget momentarily the face beneath the mask, and would feel truly wonderfully around him.
Erik, nit hearing her, continued to stroke his elegant feline. Instead, he said in an awkward sort of voice; "Christine, you shouldn't stay."
"Why not?" Christine asked loudly. She never really expected him to reject her company, this caught her COMPLETELY off guard.
When Erik saw that she hadn't moved, he talked louder, but still with a strange tone of voice that Christine wondered about along with his behavior.
"Leave, Christine. You should go. Nod if you understand," Erik said.
Christine shook her head. "I don't understand," she said plainly.
Erik stared at her for a moment, concentrating on her lips. "Say that again," he requested.
"I don't understand," she repeated in bewilderment. The phantom sighed in frustration and waved his hand in annoyance.
"I don't need you to stay anymore," Erik said hollowly. "You can leave."
Now that Christine thought about it, she really HAD looked forward to singing with Erik, and didn't want to leave when she had traveled all that way for nothing. "Sing with me first," she protested. "Just one song... please?"
Erik narrowed his eyebrows. "Who needs music anymore," he barely whispered, resting his forehead on his hands as if in deep thought.
Now Christine was genuinely shocked. "Erik, what are you talking about?" She asked shrilly, not knowing if he was rudely closing his eyes or not because of the mask. There was no reply. "Erik!" Christine strode across the room to him and stared down.
He didn't look up, so she bravely stooped, tipping her face into view. He was looking at the ground as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.
"What's wrong?" Christine repeated, this time in serious concern.
"Things change," Erik muttered slowly. She wasn't sure if he was answering her question, or just talking to himself anymore. He actually looked like he was conversing with the rug. "Sometimes it's for the better, and you usually don't understand... hell, I don't even understand."
"What's for the better? What don't you understand?" Christine asked, urging him to go on.
In an instant of fury, Erik banged his fists on the side of the wall, which made Christine jump, her eyes widening. "Though it's never the better for me, now, is it?" He shouted sarcastically.
"What are you talking about?" Christine demanded. "I'm going to leave if you don't start acting normally!"
Erik looked up at the girl. "Why are you still here?" he asked, the first question directed towards her in a while. "I told you to leave."
"Well, if you want me to!" Christine huffed, standing from her crouched position. She later realized that when she was waiting for Erik to make sense, she had been the closest she had ever gotten before becoming uncomfortable around him. Strangely ironic...
She took one last glance at Erik before exiting the room. "Madman," she whispered to herself. "When will he EVER make sense?" Christine was about to leave the house entirely, but at the last second, changed her mind. If Erik was less nutty in the morning, she would get to the bottom of this weirdness.
Erik watched as the girl he loved left the room in haughty confusion, thinking she would never return. Would she? What did she care? The phantom doesn't want to sing with her anymore. The kidnapper is letting her free. Now who would deny THAT privilege? No longer was she bound under him. She could leave without feeling guilty every time. He didn't want her anymore. But he did! Why couldn't he tell her the truth? She would find out sooner or later anyway...
"Christine, don't go," Erik mouthed, tears pricking the back of his eyes. Why was he cursed with this? Why him? Why?
It could have been anyone at all... it could have! It just wasn't fair the way the world worked. Or maybe the way the world broke... what a thought.
All he knew, was that he needed his music to live, and he needed Christine for his music... as his inspiration... his will to keep on writing it, because he knew that someone was there to share it with him. Christine- less and music-less, Erik forgot about the world around him, remembering he was all alone. There was nobody and nothing there.
"I would have drunken the water, you know," he said mockingly to Ayesha. "I would rather have gone blind, too.. but you know how I am. I would rather have broken all my limbs. I would have rather..." he trailed off, thinking of all the other possible things that could have happened to him. "How deafening silence can be," Erik whispered now more to himself than his cat, shaking his head bitterly. "And how extremely maddening..."
All at once, the full impact of all the agony and grief, confusion and realization hit him right through the chest, and his heart skipped a painful beat, making him squint in an embarrassed way, feeling alone and lost, trying not to cry and failing tremendously.
A/N: Yeah! I got 7 reviews, all right! I WAS only expected about 2 or 3, you know how it is.. but this really surprised me! I must have made a catchy summary for once! Hurrah! :)