A/N: I'm a little upset right now. I send emails to the people that have reviewed in the past. I take the time to do that for them. And then they don't review. That is rather rude and it upsets me... if there is some rational reason that you could not do it, forgive me. But I'm starting to think that no one likes this story and I might discontinue it.
Disclaimer: It belongs to someone. However, that someone is not me. But Dawn Mastin does belong to me, as does the original idea of this plot.
-SOMEONE LIKE YOU-
...Good and Evil
Erik watched the rehearsal for the newest opera begin. Madame Giry stood tall as she held a cryptic eye over the ballet rats, some of which were on the receiving end of a severe tongue-lashing. He wasn't sure why he was there, but when he had woke this morning he had found himself restless. Meg Giry was doing well, but the others were a lost cause. He simply listened to the music.
As he sat there, he recalled something odd he had come upon this morning.
The previous night, Dawn had leaned on the table when she had bid him good night. But this morning, when he came into dust, there was no mark. Upon the table, the layer of dust was still intact. Perhaps she hadn't been leaning on the table? There was no further explanation for it. He shook it off.
He had been sitting there for a while when a voice interrupted his quiet musings.
"Heartless, aren't they?"
Erik jumped. It seemed years since someone had actually startled him.
"Dawn, you gave me a fright. You are as quiet as a mouse," he said. Then, he peered about. "Someone could have seen you."
"Oui, monsieur. But someone also could have seen you," she retorted smoothly. Her expression became somber. "Although I doubt someone would have seen me… You were the only one who saw."
Erik's brow furrowed in confusion. What in the devil was she talking about? Does she mean that he was the first person that knew she was blind? He shook his head. No, plenty have people have known according to her. Maybe, he was the first to care for her. He mentally cleared his thoughts. It was probably something metaphorical that meant to be a compliment.
"I've always seen you, mon petite, and I pity those who don't," he answered.
She smiled at him. Her smile was always a fitting payment for him. She stirred feelings in him that no one had ever evoked before. Only Nadir's dying son had brought about these fatherly emotions. Things like sympathy and tenderness… he had never received and therefore, never returned. But things were different with Dawn… and he found that she was a good change to his droll life.
And he was surprised how comfortably they sat with each other. She sat next to him in the box, watching the ballerina's practice, not making a sound. But the whole point was that she didn't need to. The silence that had descended was comforting like a warm quilt on a chilly day. They sat that was for quite sometime until she spoke.
"Are you going to the yearly Masquerade ball, Erik?" she asked. Before he could respond, she turned to him. Her eyes were large and excited, her speech quick. "It would be perfect, Erik! You could wear a mask the entire time and no one would be the wiser."
"I've heard of the ball, little one. I've considered attending," he said. He remained frank. What he was to do on the night of the Masquerade was none of the child's business.
She nodded, "Have you heard the rumors?"
Erik paused, "How have you heard the rumors?"
Dawn chuckled, "I've heard the girls before my-," she paused, unsure of how to continue, "my attempted rape." She spat out the word 'rape' like curdled milk. "And I heard them on the way here."
"Oh," he replied. "Well, then, it depends on which rumor you are speaking of…"
"The one of the Opera Ghost," she said.
Silence.
Not even the music that the rats had been dancing through invaded Erik's mind. He hadn't even considered what would happen when Dawn learned of his alternate identity: The Phantom. If Erik had been apart of our time, he would have heard the twilight zone theme echo about his head. But instead, Erik heard strange twisted melodies that sounded haunted from the first note.
"Erik?" Dawn called. Erik finally registered Dawn's voice and from her face, it was obvious that she had called more than once.
"Oh, that's right… the Opera Ghost," he said. Hesitation seized him, but all he could see was Dawn's large hazel eyes. "The Opera Ghost is… me."
"Oh," Dawn paused. "Oh…"
"Yes, I have taken the identity of the Phantom of the Opera or The Opera Ghost for many years. I built this building and upon doing so, haunt it because I could never live in the world above for obvious reasons."
She nodded. "But what about the other part of the rumor?"
He looked puzzled, "What other part?"
"About, oh what was her name, ah yes, Mlle. Christine Daae."
The silence reclaimed it's territory with a vengeance, growing thick and strong. So thick that Erik practically choked on it. So strong that Dawn knew she had made a misstep somehow. A dull ringing started in Erik's ear, seeming to get louder as he tried to think of a way to avoid the question. He finally decided he would take the same approach as he had with the Masquerade question.
"She was my student," Erik said, his tone clipped.
Dawn remembered the silence. She heard a low mournful sigh escape him at Mlle. Christine's name. Dawn paused as she tried to put two and two together. Erik didn't notice her expression since he was too busy trying to avoid her gaze. Dawn went over every conversation she ever had with him. And suddenly, the answer materialized.
"You're in love with her!" she exclaimed, surprised.
Erik's eyes shot up to hers. Once again, he damned her unseeing eyes for being unable to look upon his furious expression. And once more, he rode that anger train right into the station.
"How would you know of love, child, when you have never felt it nor received it?" he hissed.
Dawn's expression crumpled. Her mouth opened to reply but no sound emerged. Her mouth slammed shut and her eyes began to well with tears. Erik felt remorse start to build in the back of his mind as his words started to register. A single tear escaped before she quickly exited the box.
He was quiet at first until his words finally grabbed hold of his common sense. How could he have said such a thing? Who was he to talk of such things, to give her cruelty when all she provided was kindness?
He left the box but the long hallway was empty. He turned back to his box and entered the dark passageways, in search of Dawn again.
-*-
On his way patrolling about the Underground passages for the third time he bumped into Nadir.
"Daroga," Erik greeted, coolly.
"Erik," Nadir said, bowing. He paused for a second before jumping into the fray. "I don't want you to go to the Mask."
Erik chuckled. "If you came all this way just to tell me that Nadir, you could have saved yourself the trouble."
"You plan on going, don't you, Erik?"
Erik shrugged. "Perhaps. What are you afraid of, old friend?"
Nadir glared. "You know very well what I am afraid of."
"You think I'm going to wring the little fops throat, don't you?" Erik question.
"Well… yes," he replied.
Erik laughed. "That is rather hysterical, Nadir. I was only planning to maim him."
Alarm clouded Nadir's face. "What?"
"I'm teasing," Erik said. "I'm going to kill him much slower than you think."
Nadir's expression changed to pure horror. Erik laughed at him, clutching his sides.
"What has happened to your sense of humor?" Erik chuckled.
"My humor?" Nadir questioned. "I never know with you, Erik."
Erik sobered at Nadir's expression. "All right, I promise I will not hurt, kill, or maim the fop tonight."
Nadir still looked doubtful. Erik simply rolled his eyes and trudged off to prepare for the Mask. Perhaps Dawn had left and gone home. He felt relieved in some way, that he needn't worry so much about her, but a sense of loss filled him as he entered his home.
-*-
Please Review if you read this. I'd appreciate it. Thank you for your time.
\/
Disclaimer: It belongs to someone. However, that someone is not me. But Dawn Mastin does belong to me, as does the original idea of this plot.
-SOMEONE LIKE YOU-
...Good and Evil
Erik watched the rehearsal for the newest opera begin. Madame Giry stood tall as she held a cryptic eye over the ballet rats, some of which were on the receiving end of a severe tongue-lashing. He wasn't sure why he was there, but when he had woke this morning he had found himself restless. Meg Giry was doing well, but the others were a lost cause. He simply listened to the music.
As he sat there, he recalled something odd he had come upon this morning.
The previous night, Dawn had leaned on the table when she had bid him good night. But this morning, when he came into dust, there was no mark. Upon the table, the layer of dust was still intact. Perhaps she hadn't been leaning on the table? There was no further explanation for it. He shook it off.
He had been sitting there for a while when a voice interrupted his quiet musings.
"Heartless, aren't they?"
Erik jumped. It seemed years since someone had actually startled him.
"Dawn, you gave me a fright. You are as quiet as a mouse," he said. Then, he peered about. "Someone could have seen you."
"Oui, monsieur. But someone also could have seen you," she retorted smoothly. Her expression became somber. "Although I doubt someone would have seen me… You were the only one who saw."
Erik's brow furrowed in confusion. What in the devil was she talking about? Does she mean that he was the first person that knew she was blind? He shook his head. No, plenty have people have known according to her. Maybe, he was the first to care for her. He mentally cleared his thoughts. It was probably something metaphorical that meant to be a compliment.
"I've always seen you, mon petite, and I pity those who don't," he answered.
She smiled at him. Her smile was always a fitting payment for him. She stirred feelings in him that no one had ever evoked before. Only Nadir's dying son had brought about these fatherly emotions. Things like sympathy and tenderness… he had never received and therefore, never returned. But things were different with Dawn… and he found that she was a good change to his droll life.
And he was surprised how comfortably they sat with each other. She sat next to him in the box, watching the ballerina's practice, not making a sound. But the whole point was that she didn't need to. The silence that had descended was comforting like a warm quilt on a chilly day. They sat that was for quite sometime until she spoke.
"Are you going to the yearly Masquerade ball, Erik?" she asked. Before he could respond, she turned to him. Her eyes were large and excited, her speech quick. "It would be perfect, Erik! You could wear a mask the entire time and no one would be the wiser."
"I've heard of the ball, little one. I've considered attending," he said. He remained frank. What he was to do on the night of the Masquerade was none of the child's business.
She nodded, "Have you heard the rumors?"
Erik paused, "How have you heard the rumors?"
Dawn chuckled, "I've heard the girls before my-," she paused, unsure of how to continue, "my attempted rape." She spat out the word 'rape' like curdled milk. "And I heard them on the way here."
"Oh," he replied. "Well, then, it depends on which rumor you are speaking of…"
"The one of the Opera Ghost," she said.
Silence.
Not even the music that the rats had been dancing through invaded Erik's mind. He hadn't even considered what would happen when Dawn learned of his alternate identity: The Phantom. If Erik had been apart of our time, he would have heard the twilight zone theme echo about his head. But instead, Erik heard strange twisted melodies that sounded haunted from the first note.
"Erik?" Dawn called. Erik finally registered Dawn's voice and from her face, it was obvious that she had called more than once.
"Oh, that's right… the Opera Ghost," he said. Hesitation seized him, but all he could see was Dawn's large hazel eyes. "The Opera Ghost is… me."
"Oh," Dawn paused. "Oh…"
"Yes, I have taken the identity of the Phantom of the Opera or The Opera Ghost for many years. I built this building and upon doing so, haunt it because I could never live in the world above for obvious reasons."
She nodded. "But what about the other part of the rumor?"
He looked puzzled, "What other part?"
"About, oh what was her name, ah yes, Mlle. Christine Daae."
The silence reclaimed it's territory with a vengeance, growing thick and strong. So thick that Erik practically choked on it. So strong that Dawn knew she had made a misstep somehow. A dull ringing started in Erik's ear, seeming to get louder as he tried to think of a way to avoid the question. He finally decided he would take the same approach as he had with the Masquerade question.
"She was my student," Erik said, his tone clipped.
Dawn remembered the silence. She heard a low mournful sigh escape him at Mlle. Christine's name. Dawn paused as she tried to put two and two together. Erik didn't notice her expression since he was too busy trying to avoid her gaze. Dawn went over every conversation she ever had with him. And suddenly, the answer materialized.
"You're in love with her!" she exclaimed, surprised.
Erik's eyes shot up to hers. Once again, he damned her unseeing eyes for being unable to look upon his furious expression. And once more, he rode that anger train right into the station.
"How would you know of love, child, when you have never felt it nor received it?" he hissed.
Dawn's expression crumpled. Her mouth opened to reply but no sound emerged. Her mouth slammed shut and her eyes began to well with tears. Erik felt remorse start to build in the back of his mind as his words started to register. A single tear escaped before she quickly exited the box.
He was quiet at first until his words finally grabbed hold of his common sense. How could he have said such a thing? Who was he to talk of such things, to give her cruelty when all she provided was kindness?
He left the box but the long hallway was empty. He turned back to his box and entered the dark passageways, in search of Dawn again.
-*-
On his way patrolling about the Underground passages for the third time he bumped into Nadir.
"Daroga," Erik greeted, coolly.
"Erik," Nadir said, bowing. He paused for a second before jumping into the fray. "I don't want you to go to the Mask."
Erik chuckled. "If you came all this way just to tell me that Nadir, you could have saved yourself the trouble."
"You plan on going, don't you, Erik?"
Erik shrugged. "Perhaps. What are you afraid of, old friend?"
Nadir glared. "You know very well what I am afraid of."
"You think I'm going to wring the little fops throat, don't you?" Erik question.
"Well… yes," he replied.
Erik laughed. "That is rather hysterical, Nadir. I was only planning to maim him."
Alarm clouded Nadir's face. "What?"
"I'm teasing," Erik said. "I'm going to kill him much slower than you think."
Nadir's expression changed to pure horror. Erik laughed at him, clutching his sides.
"What has happened to your sense of humor?" Erik chuckled.
"My humor?" Nadir questioned. "I never know with you, Erik."
Erik sobered at Nadir's expression. "All right, I promise I will not hurt, kill, or maim the fop tonight."
Nadir still looked doubtful. Erik simply rolled his eyes and trudged off to prepare for the Mask. Perhaps Dawn had left and gone home. He felt relieved in some way, that he needn't worry so much about her, but a sense of loss filled him as he entered his home.
-*-
Please Review if you read this. I'd appreciate it. Thank you for your time.
\/