The Phantom led Amoret through the seemingly endless dark passages and tunnels to his music chamber. "In sleep you sang to me...in dreams you came. That voice which calls to me...and speaks my name." She looked at her companion. "And do I dream again? For now I find the Phantom of the Opera is there...inside my mind..." she said. Under his mask, the Phantom smiled.
"Sing once again with me our strange duet. My power over you grows stronger yet." He put his arms around her waist. "And though you turn from me to glance behind...I am here," he kissed her temple, "inside your mind..."
With that kiss, Amoret knew what her "Angel" truly was. No Angel would touch a mortal in that way. "You are not my Angel! You are nothing but a mortal man! You..." Here her voice began to crack, and she had to fight back tears. "You made me love you! You took my memories of my father and twisted them to suit your own perverse desires!" Her pale skin was flushed crimson with anger and she looked as if she meant to strike him.
Erik stared at the girl, startled. He had certainly not expected this reaction from the reserved, shy young chorus girl. "Amoret...I..." He was stunned as she interrupted him.
"Non! I want to go back! I trusted you! I thought you were my Angel...my own Angel who would help me, and show me what I could be..." she could not finish, as she was sobbing loudly. Instinctively, Erik opened his arms to the young woman, and was thoroughly amazed when she allowed him to embrace her.
Amoret was equally surprised at her yielding to the mysterious man's advance. She was so angry...the only time she had been angrier was when her father died, leaving her alone to face the vast world. She had hated her father for a long while afterward, until she finally realized that she would rather forgive and love the memory of her father.
So it was with this false Angel. She had loved the voice for so long. Why did it seem to matter whether the voice belonged to mortal or angel? Or devil, she thought, aghast at her own heretical thoughts, but thinking them nonetheless.
"Can I not still teach you, even though I am mortal?" he asked her in that radiant voice. Despite herself, Amoret's will was weakening. "If I did deceive you, it was because I love you."
"You...you love me?" Amoret asked him in a trembling whisper. He nodded. "You say you love me. If you love me, will you let me go back?"
"If it pleases you, ma chere. But I ask that you stay here, with me, for a few days. Just a few days; a week at most. Then I will allow you to sing for my Opera once again" Erik looked down at her. "Do you agree?"
"Oui...mon ange..." Her still reverent tone touched his heart and he smiled behind the white mask which concealed his wretched ugliness. She was going to be a perfect pupil.
"Erik," he gently corrected her, in his instructing voice. "My name is Erik."
***
For five blissful days, there was no one or nothing in the world besides her and Erik. And the accursed cat. Erik's sleek and regal Siamese cat, Ayesha was the little beast's name, was the most hateful and jealous creature that Amoret had ever seen.
***
Amoret, who had always liked cats, had reached out to stroke the pretty head and had been rewarded with a vicious swipe of razor-sharp claws. "Ouch! You little..." she cut herself off, afraid of upsetting her teacher.
But Erik was busy with his scores, searching for one with which to begin the first lesson. "What would you like to sing first, Amoret? Mozart, perhaps? Or Beethoven?" Amoret walked over to his organ, examining the sheets of music, lifting them one at a time and reading over them.
She soon came to one labeled "Don Juan Triumphant". Under the title were the words "composed by Erik Dessleur". "You wrote this, Erik?" It was still strange to call him by that name. So ordinary, yet with him, it was almost mystical. Erik turned and snatched the manuscript from her hands.
"It is not finished...incomplete. I have many pieces for you to choose from, Amoret. But not this. No one has heard this work, except, of course Ayesha." Amoret felt an absurd burst of jealously at the cat, which had climbed upon the organ and pressed into Erik's arms. Amoret could have sworn that the beast was smirking at her. 'I have Erik and you do not,' Amoret read in those wicked blue eyes.
"I want you to play your work for me, Erik," Amoret replied stubbornly, taking the papers from Erik's hands and placing them on the music rack of the organ. "Play it for me, please..." Erik was helpless to the passionate gaze of those gray-green eyes and he sighed in a show of great reluctance.
"I, of course, can refuse you nothing, ma chere...but only a small bit. My music is dangerous." It was not for some time that Amoret realized how very true those cryptic words really were.
"Sing once again with me our strange duet. My power over you grows stronger yet." He put his arms around her waist. "And though you turn from me to glance behind...I am here," he kissed her temple, "inside your mind..."
With that kiss, Amoret knew what her "Angel" truly was. No Angel would touch a mortal in that way. "You are not my Angel! You are nothing but a mortal man! You..." Here her voice began to crack, and she had to fight back tears. "You made me love you! You took my memories of my father and twisted them to suit your own perverse desires!" Her pale skin was flushed crimson with anger and she looked as if she meant to strike him.
Erik stared at the girl, startled. He had certainly not expected this reaction from the reserved, shy young chorus girl. "Amoret...I..." He was stunned as she interrupted him.
"Non! I want to go back! I trusted you! I thought you were my Angel...my own Angel who would help me, and show me what I could be..." she could not finish, as she was sobbing loudly. Instinctively, Erik opened his arms to the young woman, and was thoroughly amazed when she allowed him to embrace her.
Amoret was equally surprised at her yielding to the mysterious man's advance. She was so angry...the only time she had been angrier was when her father died, leaving her alone to face the vast world. She had hated her father for a long while afterward, until she finally realized that she would rather forgive and love the memory of her father.
So it was with this false Angel. She had loved the voice for so long. Why did it seem to matter whether the voice belonged to mortal or angel? Or devil, she thought, aghast at her own heretical thoughts, but thinking them nonetheless.
"Can I not still teach you, even though I am mortal?" he asked her in that radiant voice. Despite herself, Amoret's will was weakening. "If I did deceive you, it was because I love you."
"You...you love me?" Amoret asked him in a trembling whisper. He nodded. "You say you love me. If you love me, will you let me go back?"
"If it pleases you, ma chere. But I ask that you stay here, with me, for a few days. Just a few days; a week at most. Then I will allow you to sing for my Opera once again" Erik looked down at her. "Do you agree?"
"Oui...mon ange..." Her still reverent tone touched his heart and he smiled behind the white mask which concealed his wretched ugliness. She was going to be a perfect pupil.
"Erik," he gently corrected her, in his instructing voice. "My name is Erik."
***
For five blissful days, there was no one or nothing in the world besides her and Erik. And the accursed cat. Erik's sleek and regal Siamese cat, Ayesha was the little beast's name, was the most hateful and jealous creature that Amoret had ever seen.
***
Amoret, who had always liked cats, had reached out to stroke the pretty head and had been rewarded with a vicious swipe of razor-sharp claws. "Ouch! You little..." she cut herself off, afraid of upsetting her teacher.
But Erik was busy with his scores, searching for one with which to begin the first lesson. "What would you like to sing first, Amoret? Mozart, perhaps? Or Beethoven?" Amoret walked over to his organ, examining the sheets of music, lifting them one at a time and reading over them.
She soon came to one labeled "Don Juan Triumphant". Under the title were the words "composed by Erik Dessleur". "You wrote this, Erik?" It was still strange to call him by that name. So ordinary, yet with him, it was almost mystical. Erik turned and snatched the manuscript from her hands.
"It is not finished...incomplete. I have many pieces for you to choose from, Amoret. But not this. No one has heard this work, except, of course Ayesha." Amoret felt an absurd burst of jealously at the cat, which had climbed upon the organ and pressed into Erik's arms. Amoret could have sworn that the beast was smirking at her. 'I have Erik and you do not,' Amoret read in those wicked blue eyes.
"I want you to play your work for me, Erik," Amoret replied stubbornly, taking the papers from Erik's hands and placing them on the music rack of the organ. "Play it for me, please..." Erik was helpless to the passionate gaze of those gray-green eyes and he sighed in a show of great reluctance.
"I, of course, can refuse you nothing, ma chere...but only a small bit. My music is dangerous." It was not for some time that Amoret realized how very true those cryptic words really were.