No ownership. Would love to own GB...um...he,he,he...(Clearing throat)...okay.

Thank you to my4 reviewers. Sorry about the first chapter of the story. I had some stars in there to break up the POV's, but they fell out for some reason. This time I just used 'x'. )

Not such a mess

Nadine walked quickly up to the large gate. Her hands slipping on the slimy iron beneath her touch. She pushed her face close to the mossy smelling metal bars and peeked through. There, on the far shore, was her idiot sister.

"Nedia." She whispered. Her hands becoming tighter on the cold iron, "What are you doing?"

Nedia was busy kicking dirt up with her mud caked feet.

Suddenly, Nadine noticed a figure up at the top of some dirt steps. He seemed to be just sitting there. Maybe listening for her voice again.

What did he mean to do with her sister? Did she really care if he meant to harm her?

Not really, she thought quietly.

"Idiot!" Nadine whispered a bit harsher this time. Her sister's head jerked up and her eyes locked with Nadine's.

"NADINE!" she screamed in excitement. Then she laughed lightly and rolled her eyes, "What the heck do you want?"

"Dad, Troy and Gary are mad." Nadine whispered harshly, "They chased you here and you deceived them by going to him. Whoever he is."

"They wanted to kill me." Nedia said as she kicked more sand up, "Ask old spaghetti face up there. They were trying to hit me with sticks."

"That isn't very nice, Nedia." Nadine hissed as her eyes traveled back up to the masked man who was now staring at her, "Apologize!"

"No." Nedia said softly and then kicked a large stone at her sister.

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Erik moved from his place at the organ, his eyes still on Nadine. She seemed to shudder under his stare. He walked down to the shore, gently grabbing onto Nedia and pulling her roughly into the water. He dragged her through thelake until he came to the gate. Nadine had stepped back.

"Can you sing?" he said quietly to the girl on the other side of the gate, his eyes never leaving her eyes.

"I can hum." She said with a tremor in her voice, "Or whistle."

The gate began to rise slowly, "Then you shall stay until she comes back."

"But..."

Nedia pulled her sister roughly to the other side as she ducked out to freedom.

"Have fun with the freak!" she screamed as she ran up the other shore.

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There was an awkward silence as the gate lowered. Nadine cleared her throat, "Sorry about her. Mother dropped her on her head when she was born."

"Should have drowned her." He muttered as he walked past Nadine.

She stared after him. Quietly wondering why he had a mask on one side of his face. Maybe he was into strange things down here in the darkness. Maybe she really didn't need to be here getting her sister out of another mess.

"I tried to drown her once, but she figured out that she was in the rain." Nadine waded up to the shore, "Heh..." she muttered nervously, "Just a joke really."

"I get it." He said softly.

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Erik looked at her before he seated himself. This one didn't seem a very good pick at all. She wasn't very attractive. And what made her more unattractive was the fact that she seemed to be very insecure.

But, wasn't he unattractive?

"Yeah." He whispered. "Seemed to forget."

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing." He seated himself at the organ, "Come to me." He said lightly.

He felt her behind him in moments. She seemed to be making some sort of utterly annoying noise with her teeth. A chattering of her teeth as if she had been out in the cold for too long.

"What is that?" he asked without turning to look at her.

"Oh..." she cleared her throat, "bad habit. Nervous habit..."

"Quit doing it!" He hissed.

"Right." She said.

He could now feel her breath on his neck. Was she really that close?

He didn't mind, though. Human contact was something he hardly ever accomplished, so this closeness to her made him feel somewhat more connected to what he truly was. If he were truly human at all.

He still wasn't sure about that!

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Nadine didn't like him looking at her. No one ever really looked at her so it made her very uncomfortable. She was happy that he was turned away from her now.

Her whole body was tense as she moved even closer to him. Now her arm was touching his white shirt.

She quickly moved back. She wasn't the sort of girl to get too close to anyone, especially a man who dressed in masks and lived in a cavern under the Opera House.

She began to make a small popping sound with her lips as he began a haunting melody on the organ.

Abruptly it stopped. She saw him lean forward in a tense shudder.

She stared at him. Her lips vibrating with the noises she was making.

"Let me guess..." he said very harshly, "another bad habit!"

"Sorry." She said as she turned crimson.

"How many bad, nervous habits do you have?" he asked quietly.

"A lot." She said, "Let me show you."

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THREE HOURS LATER...

"Stooooooooppppppppp...!" he screamed, as he stood up and pushed her aside, "Is everyone mad nowadays!? Is there hell on earth?"

"Sorry." She whispered.

He looked at her, his anger throbbing throughout him like a horrible rage. He wanted to explode. He wished to kneel down and beat the earth below him. Maybe dig his way into an era where the women weren't so maddening.

"Sing something, pleeeeaaaassssseeeeeeee..." he said as he leaned back his head, "and make it good. Pleassssssssseeeeeeeee."

He waited. Finally, slowly, she began to sing.

He paused. Opened his eyes. Looked at her.

This would be a lot of work, but she had promise.

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"It's horrible, I know. Oh God, I am so sorry." She jumped down from the steps, landing on her behind in the dirt, "I hate my voice." She said softly, and then she screamed, "I hate my life!"

He was still staring at her.

Slowly she lowered her face into her knees, "Please don't stare at me." She said softly, "I feel like a freak."

"Freak?" he questioned lightly, he was lifting his mask off his face.

"Freak." She repeated, "I mean, I know that my sister is beautiful and men would destroy each other for her. No one would destroy anything for me. Ugh...I hate my face." She buried her face deeper between her knees, "Ugh…and I hate the fact that I am wallowing in self pity."

"You want to see a freak?" she heard him ask.

"I can look in the mirror for that." She said as she pulled her green jacket tighter to her breast.

"Look at me." He said.

She sighed, but looked up at him.

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He stared at her. The weight of the air on his swollen face seemed suffocating. His eye socket felt barren as if the eye that sat in it were dried up and gone.

Still, he didn't break eye contact with her. He had to be strong.

He waited.

He was waiting for her to scream bloody murder or run for her life. He was waiting for drama and nightmarish wails of fright.

She did none of it.

Slowly she stood, her eyes never leaving his face.

"How did it happen?" she questioned, her hand rising up to touch the purple skin.

He pulled back like a scared animal. A furrow played upon his brow. Who were these women who weren't afraid of him?

"I was born like this." He muttered lightly. He put the mask back on, slowly turning away from her.

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"And I was born like this." She heard herself say lightly, "But I think you are a beautiful man. I mean. You did sit and listen to me for three hours. No one really ever listens to me for more than three minutes."

"I think I could teach you to sing better." He said as he looked at her, "Much better."

She smiled lightly, "For the dog choir?" she questioned.

"Can you howl?" he uttered.

She seated herself, "No. Can you?"

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He found himself smiling slightly as he walked up to the organ again. She may work after all. He knew he would have to train her for many months, but he was willing to try. She sounded much better than her attractive sister did and she seemed a lot sweeter.

He was ready for this challenge...

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But, then, from across the lake came a voice...

From hell...

"NADINE! Mom says you have to do your chores!"

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Ugh...he knew he should have drowned her!