Chapter two
Christine
Music filled the room and I swayed with every note. My eyes closed and my body came to life as the music wakened my soul. I was a born dancer; that's what I've always been told. Ballet was my passion and it seemed like I was created for it. My few friends loved watching me perform and practice, complimenting me on everything. There were times where they would just say how pretty or beautiful I looked. All I would do was smile and blush, as I always seem to do, but deep inside I had a feeling that they were lying.
Than I met Erik; a painter, an artist. When I first saw him something struck a cord. He seemed so lonely as he sat in the farthest corner of the room, musing to himself, as I think he did, as he drew on the papers before him. I watched him as I found my own table, one where I could sit and read without being troubled, yet I couldn't stop looking at him. Erik seemed out of place in the lunchroom, he seemed to fit better at a street side café in a place such as Paris or Vienna. As I watched him he looked me in the eye and the mystery and intrigue I felt only heightened and all I could do was blush and look away, watching him from the confines of my book.
Slowly the music came to a stop and so did I. My heart was pounding within my chest and I let out a soft sigh. I turned around and looked at my little group of friends. The two of them smiled at me, their faces lighting up and they both clapped happily. I smiled, letting a laugh escape me as I trotted over to them. They greeted me with broad smiles and words of good will.
"Bravo! You're getting better!" Leigh said with a smirk. She bit into a cookie after offering me one. Her midnight hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail that was coming undone. "You doing any recitals soon? I love watching those things."
I shook my head. "I have to focus on school. Dancing will have to take a back seat for a while. You got anything to drink?"
Dana pulled a bottle of soda from her backpack and handed it to me. She smiled sweetly, pushing a strand of her dirty blonde hair behind her ear. "You shouldn't think of it that way. It makes it sound bad." Dana slowly began to pull her jacket on. "Think of it as, uh, putting it in second place for a chance. You make it sound so bad if you're putting it in the back seat."
"I suppose." I said with a shrug. I pulled out my cell phone and glanced at the time. My eyes grew wide and I let out a startled gasp and groan. "Shit, it's almost six. I'm gonna be late for work." I quickly began to grab my things. I didn't bother to replace my ballet slippers for my tennis shoes or put on the pants I had worn over my leotards. Swiftly I threw on my hoodie and sighed. "Donovan will have a cow if I'm late. I'm the only cashier tonight."
Leigh and Dana began to gather their things as well, offering to walk with me to my car. I didn't reply but stood and began to rush towards the door. Leigh said something and I than heard Dana yell something that I couldn't make out. I turned my eyes to look at her, only to see the two of them close their eyes and cringe for a moment.
I collided with someone and stumbled backwards. With a gasp, I felt my face grow warm. A wave of paper was slowly falling to the floor in a mess. I cursed beneath my breath and knelt down, muttering that I was sorry. Hurriedly I gathered the papers, looking at Leigh and Dana for a moment. Their eyes were wide as they looked up towards whomever I had run into.
Putting the papers together I stood and looked at the person who stood before me. Words quickly escaped me as I looked into Erik's brown eyes. A soft smile crossed his face and all I could do was return it for a moment. He held out his hands, wanting to take back his papers. I obliged and held them out. As we exchanged them his fingers grazed across my own and I noticed his cheeks slowly growing rosy as we looked at each other.
"I wasn't expecting to see you until tomorrow." I said, suddenly finding a voice. Inside I kicked myself for such a stupid statement, but I knew I couldn't figure anything else out. "What are you doing here so late?"
Erik motioned to his papers. "I came here to do some composing, and to get away from the house. My mother is having a friend come over." There was an edge to his voice when he talked about his mother. His eyes softened, though, when they turned to me. "And what are you doing here?"
"Just practicing some of my ballet steps." I replied, beginning to feel self-conscious. Erik smiled sweetly, which eased me in a way. "This is the only place I can practice without really paying anyone." I lowered my eyes.
"Maybe I can play for you and you can dance for me." Erik said. I looked at him, somewhat shocked. He smiled. "I know how to play songs from Swan Lake and The Nutcracker by heart. I would love to see you dance."
I could tell my face went red when Erik said he'd love to see me dance because Dana and Leigh snickered. Erik glanced at them, causing them both to become silent. I blushed again and he smiled softly. He seemed different, though. I had a feeling it had something to do with something at home, so I didn't bother to think on it more.
"Uh, Christine, you gotta get to work ya know." Leigh said as she and Dana stood. They looked at Erik nervously. Leigh cleared her throat quickly, which brought me out of my daze.
"You're right!" I cried. I looked at Erik and smiled. "I'm really sorry, Erik. Maybe tomorrow you can play something. I just have to get to work or the assistant manager is gonna kill me. Have a nice night, okay?"
Erik nodded and I quickly hurried out of the room, feeling my body grow warm from embarrassment. Dana and Leigh called out to me, but I didn't reply. I had to get to work and my mind was still buzzing with the thought of Erik. As my mind pondered on the thought of him, I began to wonder more about the mask and why he had to wear it.
"God, Christine." Dana yelled. The two finally caught up with me. They glared at me, but I ignored their playful attempts to make me feel sorry. Dana sighed and glanced over her shoulder. "What the hell was that all about?"
I glanced at Dana and cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?
Dana shrugged. "The guy, Erik was it? What's with the mask?"
"I really don't know." I mused with a sigh. I shrugged as we continued our walk. "I guess I didn't really think about that until now. He didn't seem very happy with you guys gawking at him like that. You were being rude, ya know."
"When did you meet him?" Leigh asked, nudging me with her elbow.
A smile crossed my face as I began to reminisce. "Earlier today around my lunch time. He was sitting at a table drawing. We talked a little bit and he asked if I would be a model." I decided to leave out the part that I had followed him, fearing that the two would began to make up elaborate stories about me stalking him. What I said was pretty much what Erik and I did. I didn't want to fluff it up.
"Oh!" Dana and Leigh said in unison before giggling.
I glared at the two. "What do you mean 'oh'?"
"Nothing." Leigh said with a smile.
I narrowed my eyes. "What?"
Dana smiled as we continued walking. "Well, it seems that you two like each other." I gave a nervous laugh, which only enticed Dana to continue. She crossed her arms over chest and looked at me from the corner of her eye. "I mean, from what Leigh and I could see, when ever Erik said a word your cheeks would get rosy and you're eyes would haze over when you looked him. For a second there I thought we lost you to a dream."
"What about Erik?" I asked, beginning to wonder myself. I felt embarrassed knowing that I had worn my emotions on my sleeve. "You said he liked me."
"Well, I think so." Dana said with a wink. She smirked and let out a soft sigh. "Well, not only was he staring at you with the same glazed over eyes, but when you were leaving he was lookin' at your ass."
I felt my face go hot. "What? You can't be serious!" Leigh and Dana burst into giggles, nearly falling over each other as they walked. I frowned angrily and quickened my step. "I can't believe you guys. Making me think Erik likes me and than throwing it in my face. You two can be heartless sometimes."
"We're sorry, Christine." Dana laughed. She took my arm and forced me to stop. I looked at her angrily. "I thought you could take a joke."
With a huff I pulled my arm out of her grasp. "Apparently I can't." I said angrily.
Leigh fiddled with the cuff of her jacket for a moment. Our eyes met and she smiled softly. "Seriously, though, Christine, I think he does like you. The way he watched you and asked if you'd dance for him. I think you may have found yourself a good match."
For a moment I looked at Leigh, wondering if she was joking. The look in her eyes told me differently, though. I smiled slightly and lowered my head. "Are you sure? I don't wanna get my hopes up and then find out it's not true."
"Don't worry." Dana said with a smile and a wink. "If you want, we can find out all about him. My art teacher gives him a private class. She may know something about him."
"A private class? How do you know?" I said, exchanging a glance with Leigh.
Dana stuck out her tongue. "Mrs. Marrin talked about him a few times in class and has even shown us a few of his paintings. He's pretty good."
I nodded and smiled softly, tapping my fingers on my tennis shoes. Hopefully Dana and Leigh were right and I wasn't crushing on someone I couldn't have. Is this a crush though? Maybe I'm infatuated with him purely because of his artwork? No. There is something about Erik that is alluring; something that seems to be drawing me in.
**********
Erik
The room was silent. I stared blankly at my sheet music, my fingers hovering over the keys of the piano. My fingers itched but I couldn't seem to force myself to play. My mind was still on Christine and the way she had looked at me. There was something in that expression when our fingers brushed against each other. I was embarrassed beyond belief, but the look in her eyes was something completely different. I have seen that same look many times in paintings, photographs, and movies alike, but never in my life has that look been given to me. What does she see when she looks at me? Her friends saw nothing more than my mask, but she seems to see past it.
I pushed myself away from the piano and closed my eyes tightly. Every time I thought about Christine something stirred inside of me. True, her beauty is something I had dreamed of but there is something more than that. For the first time I knew I was feeling a physical attraction to someone. I had never looked at a person before in the same way I look at Christine. Her touch, her breath, and her whole being send shivers through my body, touching the very depths of my soul.
Deciding there was nothing more I could do, I left the college. I wandered aimlessly through the city, taking back roads here and there. From time to time I would pause at a church and marvel at its beauty and wishing to see the gothic cathedrals that lived in Europe. As time slipped away I figured it would be best to head home; it was past midnight and the doctor shouldn't be around.
The drive home was pleasant, listening to a classical station and wanting nothing more than to climb into bed and sleep. The house was dark as I pulled into the drive way and I smiled to myself. I turned off the car and left my things in the back seat. I would be off to school in the morning and there was no time for me to study or do any work.
Soundlessly I wandered towards the house. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the key to the front door. A yawn escaped me and I felt sleep tugging at me. Rest a hand against the door frame I managed to unlock the door. With another yawn I pushed the door open and stepped into the house. Silence and darkness surrounded me and I closed the door, without much concern if it woke my possibly sleeping mother.
I stretched and sluggishly pulled off my coat. As I let it fall to the floor I felt something strike my arm. I let out a cry and stumbled backwards, the urge to sleep now slipping away. I pulled my throbbing arm to my body and searched the darkness. Faintly I saw a human form creeping down the stairs, something similar to a baseball bat in their hands.
"Get the hell out of here. I don't want to hurt you." The voice was male and I had the sickening feeling that this person had done something to my mother.
"Who are you?" I asked, trying to come up with a plan.
Slowly the man left the last step and stopped, the baseball bat held as if he was ready to strike. "I should ask you the same thing. Get outta here before I call the cops."
With a cry of anger the man swung at me. I dodged the bat easily and, without a though, struck the intruder with a hard kick. The man stumbled backwards, falling to the stairs and the baseball bat tumbling from his hands. I kicked the bat away and grabbed the man by his arms, lifting him up with a new strength. He kicked wildly, managing to give me a quick kick to the leg making me drop him.
Thinking only of my mother's safety I pounced on the man, viciously punching him. He squirmed under my weight and some how managed to kick me off of him. This time he had the upper hand; he stood over me and quickly began to throw kick after kick, knocking the air out of me.
Suddenly the lights flashed on. I let out a cry of surprise and covered my face. The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs caused me to pull my hands away from my face. Halfway down the stairs stood my mother, wearing a bathrobe and a mask of terror. She stared at me before looking at the man who I had attacked; it was Dr. King.
Dr. King raised a hand, causing my mother to pause as she began to descend the stairs. "Mary, don't come down here. Call the police for me." Dr. King looked at me angrily, his eyes drawn more to my mask than anything else. "I'll make sure he doesn't get away."
"Peter, it's okay." My mother said, quickly coming down the stairs. To my surprise she came straight to me; holding me like a mother should. She looked at me, her eyes studying my face; more than likely to see if my mask is broken.
"What are you doing?" Dr. King cried.
My mother heaved a sigh and looked at Dr. King. "Peter, this is my son, Erik."
For a moment I stared at my mother before turning my gaze to Dr. King. A shocked expression lay across his face as he stared at me. Slowly a smile crossed my face; it was out of embarrassment more than anything else. I knew Dr. King knew nothing about me let alone that I existed. For all I knew my mother told him nothing about me or what happened with my father.
"You. . . . Have a son?" Dr. King breathed. His eyes stared deep into mine. "Why wasn't I told about him?"
I pulled away from my mother and stood, fixing my clothes. I looked at Dr. King, my smile fading. With a simple gesture I drew his attention to my mask. "It's because of this and what caused it all. She would rather hide me from the world than to cause more pain for our family."
Dr. King's eyes flashed from me to my mother. "You should know nothing like that would turn me away from you, Mary."
"Oh really?" I quipped. "Why don't we just find out?"
"Erik, don't." my mother said quickly.
I ignored my mother, blocking out her voice quickly. Gingerly I untied my mask, holding it in place with one had. My eyes stared into Dr. King's and for a moment I saw him shudder. Then I pulled the mask away from my face and heard his sudden gasp as he saw what I had been hiding.
"What happened?" Dr. King breathed. His eyes were wide with a mixture of horror and fascination. I felt like I was a side show freak in a circus.
I looked down at my mask as I cradled it in my hands. I felt vulnerable; I felt like anything he did or said could wound me. "My father." I whispered. "He attacked me when I was three and I, somehow, survive. I suppose I'm just God's sick joke."
"Erik!" my mother gasped.
Without a word I put my mask back on and began to walk up the stairs. "Good night."
Silence filled the house as I disappeared from the stairs. I went to my room and closed the door, but didn't go in. I slipped to floor, resting my arm on my knee and strained to listen to what my mother and Dr. King would say. There was nothing but silence. I knew he would say something about me; it was something everyone did when ever they see my face.
Then it happened.
"Have you ever considered surgery?"
"Yes, but it was God's will to have Erik this way." my mother replied. "If God wished for Erik to look like everyone else, then that night would have never happened."
It was the same story my mother told to anyone who as that question. For the first time, though, I cried when my mother responded. I did want the surgery, but she had her point; everything happens for a reason. Why did that reason have to outcast me from the world and from my own family?
I heard Dr. King sigh. "Okay. But why do you force him to wear that mask? It only draws attention to him."
"It would be worse if he didn't, Peter." my mother whispered.
"I didn't hurt him, did I?"
"What do you mean?"
"That little scuff we just had; you don't think I hurt him."
My mother laughed softly. "Oh no; I don't think you could. Erik is a strong boy and his strength can be frightening from time to time. I think the look you gave him, though; when he removed the mask will hurt him far more."
I slipped into my room, shutting out their whispers and quickly fell onto my bed. All I wanted was to fall asleep and to never wake up again.
********* Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to update. School, work, and so many other things just got into the way. :p And Christine's pov is kinda hard to write it. Rrrr I want both perspectives, but it'll probably end up being mainly Erik's pov. Anyway, thanks to my own private hunter(she knows whos she is) I was tracked down on AOL and told I had to continue. That gave me the swift kick in the butt to get me through this. I thank her because she is loverly. ^^
Christine
Music filled the room and I swayed with every note. My eyes closed and my body came to life as the music wakened my soul. I was a born dancer; that's what I've always been told. Ballet was my passion and it seemed like I was created for it. My few friends loved watching me perform and practice, complimenting me on everything. There were times where they would just say how pretty or beautiful I looked. All I would do was smile and blush, as I always seem to do, but deep inside I had a feeling that they were lying.
Than I met Erik; a painter, an artist. When I first saw him something struck a cord. He seemed so lonely as he sat in the farthest corner of the room, musing to himself, as I think he did, as he drew on the papers before him. I watched him as I found my own table, one where I could sit and read without being troubled, yet I couldn't stop looking at him. Erik seemed out of place in the lunchroom, he seemed to fit better at a street side café in a place such as Paris or Vienna. As I watched him he looked me in the eye and the mystery and intrigue I felt only heightened and all I could do was blush and look away, watching him from the confines of my book.
Slowly the music came to a stop and so did I. My heart was pounding within my chest and I let out a soft sigh. I turned around and looked at my little group of friends. The two of them smiled at me, their faces lighting up and they both clapped happily. I smiled, letting a laugh escape me as I trotted over to them. They greeted me with broad smiles and words of good will.
"Bravo! You're getting better!" Leigh said with a smirk. She bit into a cookie after offering me one. Her midnight hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail that was coming undone. "You doing any recitals soon? I love watching those things."
I shook my head. "I have to focus on school. Dancing will have to take a back seat for a while. You got anything to drink?"
Dana pulled a bottle of soda from her backpack and handed it to me. She smiled sweetly, pushing a strand of her dirty blonde hair behind her ear. "You shouldn't think of it that way. It makes it sound bad." Dana slowly began to pull her jacket on. "Think of it as, uh, putting it in second place for a chance. You make it sound so bad if you're putting it in the back seat."
"I suppose." I said with a shrug. I pulled out my cell phone and glanced at the time. My eyes grew wide and I let out a startled gasp and groan. "Shit, it's almost six. I'm gonna be late for work." I quickly began to grab my things. I didn't bother to replace my ballet slippers for my tennis shoes or put on the pants I had worn over my leotards. Swiftly I threw on my hoodie and sighed. "Donovan will have a cow if I'm late. I'm the only cashier tonight."
Leigh and Dana began to gather their things as well, offering to walk with me to my car. I didn't reply but stood and began to rush towards the door. Leigh said something and I than heard Dana yell something that I couldn't make out. I turned my eyes to look at her, only to see the two of them close their eyes and cringe for a moment.
I collided with someone and stumbled backwards. With a gasp, I felt my face grow warm. A wave of paper was slowly falling to the floor in a mess. I cursed beneath my breath and knelt down, muttering that I was sorry. Hurriedly I gathered the papers, looking at Leigh and Dana for a moment. Their eyes were wide as they looked up towards whomever I had run into.
Putting the papers together I stood and looked at the person who stood before me. Words quickly escaped me as I looked into Erik's brown eyes. A soft smile crossed his face and all I could do was return it for a moment. He held out his hands, wanting to take back his papers. I obliged and held them out. As we exchanged them his fingers grazed across my own and I noticed his cheeks slowly growing rosy as we looked at each other.
"I wasn't expecting to see you until tomorrow." I said, suddenly finding a voice. Inside I kicked myself for such a stupid statement, but I knew I couldn't figure anything else out. "What are you doing here so late?"
Erik motioned to his papers. "I came here to do some composing, and to get away from the house. My mother is having a friend come over." There was an edge to his voice when he talked about his mother. His eyes softened, though, when they turned to me. "And what are you doing here?"
"Just practicing some of my ballet steps." I replied, beginning to feel self-conscious. Erik smiled sweetly, which eased me in a way. "This is the only place I can practice without really paying anyone." I lowered my eyes.
"Maybe I can play for you and you can dance for me." Erik said. I looked at him, somewhat shocked. He smiled. "I know how to play songs from Swan Lake and The Nutcracker by heart. I would love to see you dance."
I could tell my face went red when Erik said he'd love to see me dance because Dana and Leigh snickered. Erik glanced at them, causing them both to become silent. I blushed again and he smiled softly. He seemed different, though. I had a feeling it had something to do with something at home, so I didn't bother to think on it more.
"Uh, Christine, you gotta get to work ya know." Leigh said as she and Dana stood. They looked at Erik nervously. Leigh cleared her throat quickly, which brought me out of my daze.
"You're right!" I cried. I looked at Erik and smiled. "I'm really sorry, Erik. Maybe tomorrow you can play something. I just have to get to work or the assistant manager is gonna kill me. Have a nice night, okay?"
Erik nodded and I quickly hurried out of the room, feeling my body grow warm from embarrassment. Dana and Leigh called out to me, but I didn't reply. I had to get to work and my mind was still buzzing with the thought of Erik. As my mind pondered on the thought of him, I began to wonder more about the mask and why he had to wear it.
"God, Christine." Dana yelled. The two finally caught up with me. They glared at me, but I ignored their playful attempts to make me feel sorry. Dana sighed and glanced over her shoulder. "What the hell was that all about?"
I glanced at Dana and cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?
Dana shrugged. "The guy, Erik was it? What's with the mask?"
"I really don't know." I mused with a sigh. I shrugged as we continued our walk. "I guess I didn't really think about that until now. He didn't seem very happy with you guys gawking at him like that. You were being rude, ya know."
"When did you meet him?" Leigh asked, nudging me with her elbow.
A smile crossed my face as I began to reminisce. "Earlier today around my lunch time. He was sitting at a table drawing. We talked a little bit and he asked if I would be a model." I decided to leave out the part that I had followed him, fearing that the two would began to make up elaborate stories about me stalking him. What I said was pretty much what Erik and I did. I didn't want to fluff it up.
"Oh!" Dana and Leigh said in unison before giggling.
I glared at the two. "What do you mean 'oh'?"
"Nothing." Leigh said with a smile.
I narrowed my eyes. "What?"
Dana smiled as we continued walking. "Well, it seems that you two like each other." I gave a nervous laugh, which only enticed Dana to continue. She crossed her arms over chest and looked at me from the corner of her eye. "I mean, from what Leigh and I could see, when ever Erik said a word your cheeks would get rosy and you're eyes would haze over when you looked him. For a second there I thought we lost you to a dream."
"What about Erik?" I asked, beginning to wonder myself. I felt embarrassed knowing that I had worn my emotions on my sleeve. "You said he liked me."
"Well, I think so." Dana said with a wink. She smirked and let out a soft sigh. "Well, not only was he staring at you with the same glazed over eyes, but when you were leaving he was lookin' at your ass."
I felt my face go hot. "What? You can't be serious!" Leigh and Dana burst into giggles, nearly falling over each other as they walked. I frowned angrily and quickened my step. "I can't believe you guys. Making me think Erik likes me and than throwing it in my face. You two can be heartless sometimes."
"We're sorry, Christine." Dana laughed. She took my arm and forced me to stop. I looked at her angrily. "I thought you could take a joke."
With a huff I pulled my arm out of her grasp. "Apparently I can't." I said angrily.
Leigh fiddled with the cuff of her jacket for a moment. Our eyes met and she smiled softly. "Seriously, though, Christine, I think he does like you. The way he watched you and asked if you'd dance for him. I think you may have found yourself a good match."
For a moment I looked at Leigh, wondering if she was joking. The look in her eyes told me differently, though. I smiled slightly and lowered my head. "Are you sure? I don't wanna get my hopes up and then find out it's not true."
"Don't worry." Dana said with a smile and a wink. "If you want, we can find out all about him. My art teacher gives him a private class. She may know something about him."
"A private class? How do you know?" I said, exchanging a glance with Leigh.
Dana stuck out her tongue. "Mrs. Marrin talked about him a few times in class and has even shown us a few of his paintings. He's pretty good."
I nodded and smiled softly, tapping my fingers on my tennis shoes. Hopefully Dana and Leigh were right and I wasn't crushing on someone I couldn't have. Is this a crush though? Maybe I'm infatuated with him purely because of his artwork? No. There is something about Erik that is alluring; something that seems to be drawing me in.
**********
Erik
The room was silent. I stared blankly at my sheet music, my fingers hovering over the keys of the piano. My fingers itched but I couldn't seem to force myself to play. My mind was still on Christine and the way she had looked at me. There was something in that expression when our fingers brushed against each other. I was embarrassed beyond belief, but the look in her eyes was something completely different. I have seen that same look many times in paintings, photographs, and movies alike, but never in my life has that look been given to me. What does she see when she looks at me? Her friends saw nothing more than my mask, but she seems to see past it.
I pushed myself away from the piano and closed my eyes tightly. Every time I thought about Christine something stirred inside of me. True, her beauty is something I had dreamed of but there is something more than that. For the first time I knew I was feeling a physical attraction to someone. I had never looked at a person before in the same way I look at Christine. Her touch, her breath, and her whole being send shivers through my body, touching the very depths of my soul.
Deciding there was nothing more I could do, I left the college. I wandered aimlessly through the city, taking back roads here and there. From time to time I would pause at a church and marvel at its beauty and wishing to see the gothic cathedrals that lived in Europe. As time slipped away I figured it would be best to head home; it was past midnight and the doctor shouldn't be around.
The drive home was pleasant, listening to a classical station and wanting nothing more than to climb into bed and sleep. The house was dark as I pulled into the drive way and I smiled to myself. I turned off the car and left my things in the back seat. I would be off to school in the morning and there was no time for me to study or do any work.
Soundlessly I wandered towards the house. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the key to the front door. A yawn escaped me and I felt sleep tugging at me. Rest a hand against the door frame I managed to unlock the door. With another yawn I pushed the door open and stepped into the house. Silence and darkness surrounded me and I closed the door, without much concern if it woke my possibly sleeping mother.
I stretched and sluggishly pulled off my coat. As I let it fall to the floor I felt something strike my arm. I let out a cry and stumbled backwards, the urge to sleep now slipping away. I pulled my throbbing arm to my body and searched the darkness. Faintly I saw a human form creeping down the stairs, something similar to a baseball bat in their hands.
"Get the hell out of here. I don't want to hurt you." The voice was male and I had the sickening feeling that this person had done something to my mother.
"Who are you?" I asked, trying to come up with a plan.
Slowly the man left the last step and stopped, the baseball bat held as if he was ready to strike. "I should ask you the same thing. Get outta here before I call the cops."
With a cry of anger the man swung at me. I dodged the bat easily and, without a though, struck the intruder with a hard kick. The man stumbled backwards, falling to the stairs and the baseball bat tumbling from his hands. I kicked the bat away and grabbed the man by his arms, lifting him up with a new strength. He kicked wildly, managing to give me a quick kick to the leg making me drop him.
Thinking only of my mother's safety I pounced on the man, viciously punching him. He squirmed under my weight and some how managed to kick me off of him. This time he had the upper hand; he stood over me and quickly began to throw kick after kick, knocking the air out of me.
Suddenly the lights flashed on. I let out a cry of surprise and covered my face. The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs caused me to pull my hands away from my face. Halfway down the stairs stood my mother, wearing a bathrobe and a mask of terror. She stared at me before looking at the man who I had attacked; it was Dr. King.
Dr. King raised a hand, causing my mother to pause as she began to descend the stairs. "Mary, don't come down here. Call the police for me." Dr. King looked at me angrily, his eyes drawn more to my mask than anything else. "I'll make sure he doesn't get away."
"Peter, it's okay." My mother said, quickly coming down the stairs. To my surprise she came straight to me; holding me like a mother should. She looked at me, her eyes studying my face; more than likely to see if my mask is broken.
"What are you doing?" Dr. King cried.
My mother heaved a sigh and looked at Dr. King. "Peter, this is my son, Erik."
For a moment I stared at my mother before turning my gaze to Dr. King. A shocked expression lay across his face as he stared at me. Slowly a smile crossed my face; it was out of embarrassment more than anything else. I knew Dr. King knew nothing about me let alone that I existed. For all I knew my mother told him nothing about me or what happened with my father.
"You. . . . Have a son?" Dr. King breathed. His eyes stared deep into mine. "Why wasn't I told about him?"
I pulled away from my mother and stood, fixing my clothes. I looked at Dr. King, my smile fading. With a simple gesture I drew his attention to my mask. "It's because of this and what caused it all. She would rather hide me from the world than to cause more pain for our family."
Dr. King's eyes flashed from me to my mother. "You should know nothing like that would turn me away from you, Mary."
"Oh really?" I quipped. "Why don't we just find out?"
"Erik, don't." my mother said quickly.
I ignored my mother, blocking out her voice quickly. Gingerly I untied my mask, holding it in place with one had. My eyes stared into Dr. King's and for a moment I saw him shudder. Then I pulled the mask away from my face and heard his sudden gasp as he saw what I had been hiding.
"What happened?" Dr. King breathed. His eyes were wide with a mixture of horror and fascination. I felt like I was a side show freak in a circus.
I looked down at my mask as I cradled it in my hands. I felt vulnerable; I felt like anything he did or said could wound me. "My father." I whispered. "He attacked me when I was three and I, somehow, survive. I suppose I'm just God's sick joke."
"Erik!" my mother gasped.
Without a word I put my mask back on and began to walk up the stairs. "Good night."
Silence filled the house as I disappeared from the stairs. I went to my room and closed the door, but didn't go in. I slipped to floor, resting my arm on my knee and strained to listen to what my mother and Dr. King would say. There was nothing but silence. I knew he would say something about me; it was something everyone did when ever they see my face.
Then it happened.
"Have you ever considered surgery?"
"Yes, but it was God's will to have Erik this way." my mother replied. "If God wished for Erik to look like everyone else, then that night would have never happened."
It was the same story my mother told to anyone who as that question. For the first time, though, I cried when my mother responded. I did want the surgery, but she had her point; everything happens for a reason. Why did that reason have to outcast me from the world and from my own family?
I heard Dr. King sigh. "Okay. But why do you force him to wear that mask? It only draws attention to him."
"It would be worse if he didn't, Peter." my mother whispered.
"I didn't hurt him, did I?"
"What do you mean?"
"That little scuff we just had; you don't think I hurt him."
My mother laughed softly. "Oh no; I don't think you could. Erik is a strong boy and his strength can be frightening from time to time. I think the look you gave him, though; when he removed the mask will hurt him far more."
I slipped into my room, shutting out their whispers and quickly fell onto my bed. All I wanted was to fall asleep and to never wake up again.
********* Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to update. School, work, and so many other things just got into the way. :p And Christine's pov is kinda hard to write it. Rrrr I want both perspectives, but it'll probably end up being mainly Erik's pov. Anyway, thanks to my own private hunter(she knows whos she is) I was tracked down on AOL and told I had to continue. That gave me the swift kick in the butt to get me through this. I thank her because she is loverly. ^^