Disclaimer: I own nothing-nothing, I say!
A/N: This is kind of a strange story. It has a little supernatural twist to it. R/R, please!
"AAAHHHCCCHHHOOOOO!" She sat there, listening to the echo of her sneeze bounce off the walls of the passage. Or so she thought it was a passage, but she couldn't be sure. Groping along the dusty floor, she managed to wrap her hand around the handle of her purse. Her intentions were to get the emergency flashlight she kept in it.
Unfortunately, the purse only made it a few inches before coming to a sudden halt.
Cathryn gave it a few tugs, but it wouldn't budge. It was like something extremely heavy was placed upon it. Or someone was standing on it. Of course, this last thought never occurred to her.
Muttering a few choice words, she yanked harder for a few moments. The purse moved a whole millimeter. Cathryn let her arms drop, gasping for breath.
"Damn purse..." she whispered, her hand sliding up the handle to reach the body of the bag. Her hand came upon polished leather. Puzzled, she moved her hand up and her fingertips brushed lightly against an almost silky fabric. It was warm. Swallowing, she suddenly felt a quiet, brooding presence tower over her crouched figure.
A soft chuckle floated through the darkness, making her heart beat at a more panicked pace.
Then she was stood up, swung around, a hand placed firmly over her mouth, lifted off the ground by a strong arm, and carried off. She struggled, but soon found it useless. Cathryn was bounced around for a few moments, then unceremoniously dumped on the floor. Coughing, she spun around to face the mysterious man who had carried her off. He was no where to be seen.
Cathryn looked around for a few moments, but she saw no movements in the shadows. The gentle lapping of the waters on the shore of an underground lake calmed her wildly racing mind. Only then did she notice the stabbing pain in her left wrist, which she quickly assessed was broken. It must have snapped when she landed on it after falling through the trapdoor. Not knowing anything better to do, she walked to the edge of the lake and slipped her wrist beneath the surface. A chill went up her spine from the icy temperature.
"You should get that checked out."
Gasping, she twisted around to look behind her, refusing to take the just barely throbbing wrist out of the lake. A shadow was standing not three feet away. How he had gotten so close without her knowing was beyond her. A gloved hand reached in her direction, a simple gesture of kindness. Warily, she slipped her small hand into his.
Again, there was an over whelming sense of déjà vu.
His grip was gentle, and he helped her up from the edge of the glassy lake. He led her to a sheer wall of rock, then reached up and flipped an invisible switch. The wall moved aside, revealing a short tunnel and a wooden door. Opening the door, she was led into a dark room. Another passage? She thought. That idea went out the window after a few candles were lit, revealing an ornately decorated room. The odd man went over to a hearth and stoked the dying embers back to life. Soon the room was completely lit, revealing every corner.
"Alright, why don't you sit d-" he said, turning around. He stopped short when he saw her. It was her. She was back, just like the old witch had said she would.
---
(Erik)
He couldn't believe his eyes. The hair, the eyes, the face; it was all her. The witch hadn't lied.
A few weeks after Christine left, he had journeyed to Egypt to let the events at the Opera House settle down. While visiting, an old witch had called to him from the shadows of her tent in the market.
~Flashback~
The lone figure strode through the market, a black cloak wrapped around himself, keeping the sun at bay. He earned a few odd glances from the Egyptians passing by, but went otherwise unnoticed. That was how he preferred it. Striding past a shadowed tent-which he had learned was the Seer and Witch-he heard a soft melodic voice call to him.
"Come, Erik."
Stopping short, he glanced back, trying to pierce the dim interior of the tent. The thing that had startled him most was the heavily accented French he had heard. Warily Erik walked into the tent. A mixture of perfumed oils stung his nose, making his eyes water.
"Sit," a lilting voice said. Only then did he notice the young woman seated at a small table in the middle of the tent. Slowly Erik sat on the pile of cushions opposite the Seer. Her skin was a hazelnut color, her eyes a blazing green. They were outlined in heavy make up, and her was hair tied up in many braids. The bangles adorning her wrists made a light tinkling when she set her hands on the table. He noticed she was scantily clad, and he averted his eyes to keep from staring.
"Your only true love has left, am I correct? Her name was...Christine?"
He peered at the woman, then gave a barely perceptible nod.
She wrapped her hands around a ruby sphere and blew into it. A light flared to life deep within the core of the gem. She studied it for a few moments, turning it over and around in her slender hands.
"Her heart was stolen away from you by a person of high rank...a boy named Raoul?"
Disbelief showed in his mismatched eyes. She gave a soft laugh.
"She was almost yours, before he came along. They knew each other from childhood...he rescued her scarf from the sea. Her nickname was Little Lottie..."
She pondered over the stone for a few more moments, the set the stone on the table between them. Leaning on the table, she studied him. He glanced quickly away when he saw her full bosom. But a smile graced her perfect lips when she saw a few of his sneaky glances.
"How about I make a deal with you. I give you immortality to wait for your reincarnated Christine, in return for a service to me," she said, an idea coming to her cunning mind.
"What?" he asked eagerly, his only wish to be with Christine-whether it be in the present or the future.
She knew that she was physically desired by him-she saw it when he first walked in. The men of the village knew of what her occupation was, and that every descendant of hers would be granted with the same gifts she possessed. They didn't want their bloodline tainted by evil. She was in no part evil, only misunderstood. Her entire family had the gift of seeing things, and the art of witchcraft was taught to every member of her bloodline. Alas, the people of the village had learned of this, and refused to let anyone create the next Seer. The only thing she wanted was for her bloodline to continue. That was to be his payment to her for placing an enchantment on him.
Standing up, she went and untied the knot holding the flap for the entryway of her tent. The flap fell, enshrouding everything in darkness. Rubbing the ruby and blowing on its surface, a soft red light chased away the shadows. Crouching next to the mysterious Erik, she whispered something in his ear.
Shaking his head in disgust, he looked at the Seer. He found his eyes roving over her tantalizing body, and finally gave into temptation. He slowly nodded, sealing their agreement.
~End Flashback~
His eyes came back into focus, and found the girl staring at him with an odd look in her eyes. He motioned her to sit on the divan by the fireside.
"Let me look at that wrist," he said, moving to his room to get the bag that contained all of his healing supplies.
A/N: This is kind of a strange story. It has a little supernatural twist to it. R/R, please!
"AAAHHHCCCHHHOOOOO!" She sat there, listening to the echo of her sneeze bounce off the walls of the passage. Or so she thought it was a passage, but she couldn't be sure. Groping along the dusty floor, she managed to wrap her hand around the handle of her purse. Her intentions were to get the emergency flashlight she kept in it.
Unfortunately, the purse only made it a few inches before coming to a sudden halt.
Cathryn gave it a few tugs, but it wouldn't budge. It was like something extremely heavy was placed upon it. Or someone was standing on it. Of course, this last thought never occurred to her.
Muttering a few choice words, she yanked harder for a few moments. The purse moved a whole millimeter. Cathryn let her arms drop, gasping for breath.
"Damn purse..." she whispered, her hand sliding up the handle to reach the body of the bag. Her hand came upon polished leather. Puzzled, she moved her hand up and her fingertips brushed lightly against an almost silky fabric. It was warm. Swallowing, she suddenly felt a quiet, brooding presence tower over her crouched figure.
A soft chuckle floated through the darkness, making her heart beat at a more panicked pace.
Then she was stood up, swung around, a hand placed firmly over her mouth, lifted off the ground by a strong arm, and carried off. She struggled, but soon found it useless. Cathryn was bounced around for a few moments, then unceremoniously dumped on the floor. Coughing, she spun around to face the mysterious man who had carried her off. He was no where to be seen.
Cathryn looked around for a few moments, but she saw no movements in the shadows. The gentle lapping of the waters on the shore of an underground lake calmed her wildly racing mind. Only then did she notice the stabbing pain in her left wrist, which she quickly assessed was broken. It must have snapped when she landed on it after falling through the trapdoor. Not knowing anything better to do, she walked to the edge of the lake and slipped her wrist beneath the surface. A chill went up her spine from the icy temperature.
"You should get that checked out."
Gasping, she twisted around to look behind her, refusing to take the just barely throbbing wrist out of the lake. A shadow was standing not three feet away. How he had gotten so close without her knowing was beyond her. A gloved hand reached in her direction, a simple gesture of kindness. Warily, she slipped her small hand into his.
Again, there was an over whelming sense of déjà vu.
His grip was gentle, and he helped her up from the edge of the glassy lake. He led her to a sheer wall of rock, then reached up and flipped an invisible switch. The wall moved aside, revealing a short tunnel and a wooden door. Opening the door, she was led into a dark room. Another passage? She thought. That idea went out the window after a few candles were lit, revealing an ornately decorated room. The odd man went over to a hearth and stoked the dying embers back to life. Soon the room was completely lit, revealing every corner.
"Alright, why don't you sit d-" he said, turning around. He stopped short when he saw her. It was her. She was back, just like the old witch had said she would.
---
(Erik)
He couldn't believe his eyes. The hair, the eyes, the face; it was all her. The witch hadn't lied.
A few weeks after Christine left, he had journeyed to Egypt to let the events at the Opera House settle down. While visiting, an old witch had called to him from the shadows of her tent in the market.
~Flashback~
The lone figure strode through the market, a black cloak wrapped around himself, keeping the sun at bay. He earned a few odd glances from the Egyptians passing by, but went otherwise unnoticed. That was how he preferred it. Striding past a shadowed tent-which he had learned was the Seer and Witch-he heard a soft melodic voice call to him.
"Come, Erik."
Stopping short, he glanced back, trying to pierce the dim interior of the tent. The thing that had startled him most was the heavily accented French he had heard. Warily Erik walked into the tent. A mixture of perfumed oils stung his nose, making his eyes water.
"Sit," a lilting voice said. Only then did he notice the young woman seated at a small table in the middle of the tent. Slowly Erik sat on the pile of cushions opposite the Seer. Her skin was a hazelnut color, her eyes a blazing green. They were outlined in heavy make up, and her was hair tied up in many braids. The bangles adorning her wrists made a light tinkling when she set her hands on the table. He noticed she was scantily clad, and he averted his eyes to keep from staring.
"Your only true love has left, am I correct? Her name was...Christine?"
He peered at the woman, then gave a barely perceptible nod.
She wrapped her hands around a ruby sphere and blew into it. A light flared to life deep within the core of the gem. She studied it for a few moments, turning it over and around in her slender hands.
"Her heart was stolen away from you by a person of high rank...a boy named Raoul?"
Disbelief showed in his mismatched eyes. She gave a soft laugh.
"She was almost yours, before he came along. They knew each other from childhood...he rescued her scarf from the sea. Her nickname was Little Lottie..."
She pondered over the stone for a few more moments, the set the stone on the table between them. Leaning on the table, she studied him. He glanced quickly away when he saw her full bosom. But a smile graced her perfect lips when she saw a few of his sneaky glances.
"How about I make a deal with you. I give you immortality to wait for your reincarnated Christine, in return for a service to me," she said, an idea coming to her cunning mind.
"What?" he asked eagerly, his only wish to be with Christine-whether it be in the present or the future.
She knew that she was physically desired by him-she saw it when he first walked in. The men of the village knew of what her occupation was, and that every descendant of hers would be granted with the same gifts she possessed. They didn't want their bloodline tainted by evil. She was in no part evil, only misunderstood. Her entire family had the gift of seeing things, and the art of witchcraft was taught to every member of her bloodline. Alas, the people of the village had learned of this, and refused to let anyone create the next Seer. The only thing she wanted was for her bloodline to continue. That was to be his payment to her for placing an enchantment on him.
Standing up, she went and untied the knot holding the flap for the entryway of her tent. The flap fell, enshrouding everything in darkness. Rubbing the ruby and blowing on its surface, a soft red light chased away the shadows. Crouching next to the mysterious Erik, she whispered something in his ear.
Shaking his head in disgust, he looked at the Seer. He found his eyes roving over her tantalizing body, and finally gave into temptation. He slowly nodded, sealing their agreement.
~End Flashback~
His eyes came back into focus, and found the girl staring at him with an odd look in her eyes. He motioned her to sit on the divan by the fireside.
"Let me look at that wrist," he said, moving to his room to get the bag that contained all of his healing supplies.