Yet another successful night had passed at the opera house and Caressa found herself wandering the hallways behind the stage. She was being sent to clean the dressing rooms tonight. This was always an interesting job for her. When she found herself in the dressing rooms, she liked to imagine she was the star of the show, getting ready for another glorious night on stage. Of course, after visiting the dressing rooms several times, the effect had worn off a bit. Still, it was nice to imagine.
As she entered a dressing room and began tidying up, she began to sing to herself. "Ave Maria, piena di grazia, eletta fra le spose e le vergini sei tu." As she finished the line, she heard a faint humming finish as well. It was the same voice she'd heard the night before, she was sure of it. She suddenly remembered what Cecile had said about the ghost. She shook her head, smiling. She couldn't let that fairy tale get to her. She took in a deep breath and began again, "Sia benedetto il frutto, o benedetta, di tue materne viscere, Gesu." Again, she heard the humming finish slightly after her singing ceased. She listened carefully, hoping that the humming would continue, that voice which sweetly complemented hers. There was no voice but only silence. "This is silly," she said aloud to herself. She picked up the rag she'd been carrying and proceeded to exit the room.
As she reached for the door handle, that same soft voice sang out, "Caressa." She gasped aloud and turned around. There was no one in the room except herself. Her heart beating rapidly, she opened the door and ran out.
She stood there momentarily, catching her breath. There was no way she could have imagined that. The ghost had said her name. Though it frightened her terribly, it seemed to have given her a warm feeling as well. She wondered why the ghost was stalking her. Sure, other people claimed they'd seen him but none had said he'd spoken to them.
Trying to put these thoughts aside, she opened the door into the next room. As she closed the door behind her, she froze in place. A man was standing in the room, dressed in a finely tailored suit with a long black cloak trailing behind him. His hair was jet black and slicked back neatly, his skin was pale, and his eyes were an enchanting blue. But the rest of his face she could not see, for a white half-mask concealed one side. She felt the need to scream but she could not find the power to. It seemed all the air in her lungs had been sucked from her body. Her legs and arms began to feel heavy and her head began to spin. At last, she felt herself fainting, falling to the ground. The last thing she felt was the stranger's arms catch her. The strong, gentle arms embraced her as she lost consciousness.
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Her eyes slowly fluttered open. She was lying in an enormous bed, wrapped in fancy embroidered sheets that looked as if they'd come from some foreign land. The bed was concealed in a gossamer canopy that prohibited her from clearly seeing her whereabouts. At last, she noticed a faint humming from a distant room. It was the ghost, she was certain. She was unsure of what to do. Surely if he'd meant to harm her he would have done something by now. She remembered his strong yet gentle arms catching her before she fell. She didn't know anything about ghosts but from what she'd heard, they didn't have warm, gentle arms like that. Still, she was quite frightened. She listened to the heavenly voice humming its somber tune. It relaxed her mind and made her want to reach out and touch. After listening to the humming for quite some time, she found the nerve to get out of bed.
As she pulled away the canopy covering the bed, she found herself in a room decorated with many ornaments that seemed to have come from all over the world. Rich and warm colors accentuated every corner. Never in her life had she seen so many treasures in one room. She wandered through the doorway and into the next room. Before her lay a dark, murky lake that was topped with a translucent mist. "I must be underground," she thought, for the lake was surrounded by what looked like cave walls. Startling her out of her wonder, the voice began humming again. Her eyes were drawn to the opposite side of the lair where she saw the ghost. He was sitting hunched over a gigantic organ, scribbling something onto a sheet of parchment.
Though she hadn't made a noise, the phantom stopped writing and turned to look behind him, those enchanting eyes meeting hers. "At last, you awaken," he said, his voice deep and equally soothing.
Not sure of what to say, she finally answered, "Where am I?"
He stood from his seat at the organ and said, "You are in my lair below the opera house, though I am beginning to wonder if I should have bothered bringing you here at all."
"Why is it that you've brought me here?" she asked, her brows furrowed.
He walked closer to her but she did not shy away, something he did not find often. He studied her lovely face for a moment before answering, "Your voice." Before she could respond, he continued. "I've been studying you for quite some time since your arrival here. You have an exceptional talent that you do not seem to realize. You're voice is by no means perfect, but exceptional nonetheless. If I were to train you, I believe you could become something great." She remained standing there, studying him carefully. Her eyes seemed frightened, a look he was too familiar with. "Of course, you do not have to accept. You will not be the first to reject me." He turned away from her and walked back to the organ, sitting down.
She stood there a moment longer, her head spinning. This seemed so unreal. She must be dreaming. Not only had the supposed "opera ghost" kidnapped her and took her to his lair but now he had told her she had a beautiful voice and he wanted to be her teacher. Shaking her head, she walked until she stood behind him. "Begging your pardon, sir, I don't even know who you are," she said, her voice innocent and meek.
He turned around to face her, studying her carefully. She looked into his eyes, confusion prevalent on her face. He sighed and said, "Is it necessary for you to know the name of your teacher?" She nodded slowly. He paused yet again, still studying her warily, those burning eyes never leaving her face. "It is Erik. My name is Erik," he said at last.
Weighing all the information she'd just received, she thought about the consequence at hand. She was being offered singing lessons. He'd said she would become something great if she accepted. This might be the very thing she'd wanted all her life. Besides, since the moment she'd met this man, she'd felt he had no intentions to harm her. Sure, she was frightened at first but that was understandable. Not many people would be calm if they were captured by a stranger. If anything, she felt relieved by him. He certainly was a mysterious character—living underground beneath the opera house, scaring the opera's patrons, the mask that concealed his face. But despite these things she still felt she could trust him. "Then be my teacher, Erik," she said at last.
What seemed like relief and joy quickly flickered in his eyes but it was immediately replaced by the steady expression they bared before. "Very well then," he said, "But you must be certain you are willing to go through with this. I will not play around if I am to teach you. These lessons will not be fun and games." She nodded promptly. But suddenly she remembered why she was there in the first place. She had been on duty before all of this had happened. If they'd discovered she was missing, they would be very worried. Noticing the tension on her face, Erik asked, "What is the matter?"
"What about my duties at the opera house?" she asked.
"You will continue your work there for now. We can't let any suspicions arise." He paused for a moment and then continued, "And don't tell anyone of your visits here. My whereabouts as of now are unknown. If the fools at the opera house were to find out my secrets, terrible things might happen."
She wasn't quite sure what he meant by terrible things but she did not ask questions. There were so many questions that she wanted to ask but she feared upsetting him. Just by asking his name he'd seemed upset. She supposed all things would be revealed in time.
He stood with hesitance and finally said, "Come, I will show you the way back. They will be missing you." She nodded and followed his lead.
He led her across the lake in a boat he had stationed on the edge of the water and through a series of tunnels. After walking for a long time along a dark path, she saw a light up ahead. He walked toward the faint light and pressed his face against the wall it was coming from. At last, he backed away and said, "It is safe for you to enter the room." Caressa looked through the wall as well and noticed that on the other side was the room she'd collapsed in. They must have been looking through the mirror on the wall. He grasped her shoulder gently and turned her towards him. In that brief moment, there seemed to be great longing in his eyes. "I will retrieve you tomorrow afternoon. Remember, do not speak a word of this."
She nodded again as he looked through the mirror once more. He gave it a gentle push and it opened like a door. "Goodbye," she said quietly.
He did not respond until she had crossed through the door. "Goodbye, Caressa" he whispered. A look of wonder crossed her face before he shut the door behind her. As he descended the path down to the lake, he went over what just happened in his mind. Maybe he was wrong to start something like this. But he could not help it. He did not tell her this but the highlight of his day had become hearing her sing while she worked. He didn't want to intervene but he soon found himself singing along with her. It was not wise for him to get involved with the people who came to or worked in the opera. But she was not like other people. She hadn't seemed afraid of him and she spoke his name so gently in her sweet voice. It was the first time he'd ever heard his name spoken in such a way. But he knew he must not get involved in anything deeper than teaching her. He was walking a fine line already. As he reached the lake, he jumped into the boat and kicked off the shore, crossing the waters back to his lair.