Disclaimer: I do not own anything!

The Glade

Chapter 5:

The Phantom had kept his word and for the next few days things had fallen into a sort of routine. I would wake in the morning, sometimes take a shower and then, and I had discovered this early on, I would choose an outfit from the array that had awaited me in the wardrobe. Once I was dressed for the day I would then enter the foyer and have breakfast while I sat in one of the chairs surrounded by books. At this time the Phantom would come join me after he handed me my food but he never ate himself. When I asked him about this he always said the same thing.

"I've already ate,"

I doubted this was true but I was content with the answer. After breakfast was over there was usually a few awkward hours where he would read and I would just sit on in my chair eyeing the room with fascination.

I had been trapped in his home for days now and yet the main foyer still ceased to amaze me. I liked to think that everyday I found something new about it.

After that and this was where we currently were in the schedule, he would lead me into the music room and play for me.

I sat transfixed as I listened to the notes fill the air. As I listened to him play, it seemed to give new meaning to the word music. I would even dare to say he was better then any great composer of any past decade, and that thought often made me wonder why he wasn't.

I noticed that when he played he often lost himself to the music, just as I had lost myself to that voice. I'll admit, that despite this odd calm we had come to over just a few days I was still scared of him. Scared of what his reasoning behind kidnapping me was? Why he wore that mask… perhaps I wasn't so much as scared as the mask but instead curious about it.

Why did he where it? I often found myself wondering.

The music slowly came to a halt and I found my hands were about to start applauding, and I was afraid that if I opened my mouth I would ask for more. Instead I just folded my hands into my lap and stayed silent. Apparently my mind had other ideas.

"Why me?" My voice came out rushed. He turned on the piano bench to look at me, those eyes of his looking right at me.

"What do you mean?" He responded and I could tell from the look in his eyes that he knew what I meant, I sighed.

"Why kidnap me? I mean I'm nothing spectacular, no real talents or skill. I guess I'm at least nice to look at but nothing out of the ordinary," I blushed as I said that. "I have no family, no fortune, so you can't expect to get any ransom." I paused to catch my breath before finishing my rant. "Really the only thing I do have is two friends," I couldn't help but think rather one friend and one maybe-something-more companion. "So I ask again, Phantom, why me?"

He didn't answer me right away and I really hadn't expected anything less. In fact I didn't even expect him to answer me. He hadn't answered me when I asked what he wanted from me, so why was the why any different.

Eventually he stood up and walked to one of the many bookcases, his back was to me.

"Do you really see yourself as so meaningless, my dear?" He asked his voice so indifferent that I really couldn't tell what he meant by it or even if it was a question at all. But despite this his words struck a chord within me.

Perhaps I did believe my existence was meaningless, or at least it became so after my dad died. Before then he had been my reason for living and without him I was nothing.

"Yes." His shoulders hunched closer to the bookcase as if wounded. At that moment I really would have liked to know what was going through his mind. Straightening himself he faced me and I withdrew a little from him as he looked at me so coldly.

"Has anyone ever told you, you have a terrible self-image of yourself?" I looked at him wide eyed; his lips were curled up in a sinister smile. His cold demeanor was still hovering in the air and yet he had, in his own unique way, made fun of me. I couldn't help myself, I laughed.

"Yes actually, I have been told that many times." I replied still laughing. He turned away from me again and moved back to the bench. After sitting down he glanced back at me, I could still see that slight smile on his lips.

"Come here?" I stopped laughing at his command disguised as a question.

Rising to my feet I moved to the piano and stood beside him. I had never yet been this close to the instrument that helped in the creation of his heavenly music and while he studied me, I studied the piano. It was very old, that I could tell just by looking at it, but well kept, I could just imagine the Phantom tuning it whenever a single note sounded the tiniest bit off-key.

Turning away from the object I looked at the man, who quickly looked away from me. Suddenly nervous I brushed back a strand of my dark hair just so I had something to do.

"You sing, am I correct?" I nodded dumbly, wondering where he was going with this. His spider hands reached out and pressed down on a key, C. Again I wondered where he was going with this and then it hit me as the note rang through the room again.

Cautiously I opened my mouth and out came the note in my soprano voice. It came out well despite the lack of practice it had gone through or at least I thought it had come out well. The Phantom stopped playing and rose, moving towards me he cupped my chin, or at least it felt like he did when in reality he stopped mere inches from meeting skin. Lifting my chin up his hands barely grazed my throat.

He pointed out the faults in my voice but I didn't hear a word of what he said though I knew I'd correct my mistakes anyways. All I could do was stand there, looking up at his masked face which seemed to loom above me due to his tall frame.

Once he was pleased with the note we moved up the scale. At some point his words became clear to me again and I took his instruction to heart but still through the entire process I couldn't help but continue to stare up at that masked face.

I think I was becoming more and more curious about that mask and what lay under it. I wanted to see the face of my captor and now teacher.

A loud clang filled the room as his hands came smashing down onto the keys and I withdrew into myself. It was yet another one of our lessons and I had of lately been making a lot of mistakes. 'Bad' mistake on my part.

"You are not focused." He managed to spit out between gritted teeth. I had the urge to put my hands on my hips but stopped myself before I could. Of course I was not focusing well! Anyone wouldn't focus well if all they did was scales for the past couple of days! Up and down, up and down. It was endless and I was restless. Containing what little anger I possessed I breathed in and out.

"I don't feel well that's all," I muttered sounding more like a two year old then the eighteen year old I was; though my entire bratty attitude dissolved when I saw the honest concern that crossed his, well, eyes. Turning on the bench he reached out and I gasped when I vaguely felt a cold hand on my forehead.

"You have no fever, and I've told you time and time again that if your throat ever pains you to tell me…" His worry touched mebut before he worried too much I had to explain myself.

"It's not that I don't 'feel' well," I began unaware of the quick disappearance of that worry which made me feel guilty. "I'm sick of this house!" At his frown I continued. "Well not literally, I need to get outside. Breathe in some fresh air, I have cabin fever or something." I looked anywhere but at him. How foolish did I sound to him? I wondered briefly. My question was answered as I heard him chuckle and I felt myself go red. His laugh! How stupid it made me feel when it was directed 'at' me and not 'with' me.

"Well then, I was planning to save this as a surprise for lunch, but then again it'll do well now I suppose." My head tilted to the side on its own accord and I followed him with my eyes as he left me alone in the music room. His absence made the large room so daunting and in a way scary, I wished he would come back soon. My wish was granted as he returned with what appeared to be a basket hanging from his arm. I stared incredulously at it seeing as it was the last thing I'd ever expect to see him with.

"We're going on a picnic?" I asked still dumbfounded. That laugh again filled the air.

"It would seem so, my dear." He responded, and in his own twisted way it sounded as if he looked forward to this, way of out of character, outing.

"Outside, outside?" Now he was just plain laughing at me! That voice which often scared or confused me with it's haunting magnificence was now laughing at me, warmly though still sounding cold and dangerous. In conclusion it was just plain weird.

Once the idea registered in my mind, I found myself actually maybe looking forward to it. After all I had wanted to go outside hadn't I?

So I was ushered out of the music room and into the foyer where the Phantom helped me into my jacket. I stood back and watched as he himself pulled on a black coat, which in a way looked more like a cloak then a jacket, and placed a well used fedora a top his head.

I seemed semi-forgotten for the moment and waited patiently at the front door assuming that was to be our exit. I couldn't help but be reminded of the gentleman I had thought the Phantom to be on our first meeting, and after watching him now the idea was embedded in my head.

When it seemed like he was ready to go he walked over to the small table with the rose filled vase resting on it and opened a compartment I hadn't noticed before. What he pulled out was a long black fabric which seemed to me that it had no great importance that is until he approached me with it outstretched in his hands and then I realized what the fabric was for.

I couldn't help the fear that crept up me at the idea that he was about to blindfold me and my face must have paled upon realization because it seemed to pain him to do what he was about to do.

"I'm sorry but it is just for precaution." He whispered sadness interlaced into his voice. I stared at the blindfold as it covered my eyes and I felt his hands draw my hair aside. As he stood behind me tying the blindfold on me, I couldn't help but think the strangest thing. I thought about how often he would have to tie something on so as to hide something else from theview of the world, he probably did have to tie the mask on every day wouldn't he?

When I felt his hands leave the back of my head I sighed but I knew inside the terror was not over.

"Phantom?" I called out. "I'm scared of the dark," I heard him shift on the spot. "I've always been scared, it's silly…" With the loss of my sense of sight all other sense seemed to expand and it was with that that I faintly could tell of the grip on my arms despite the fact that they weren't really gripping my arms but the air around them.

"I'll lead you then, my dear," His voice rang once again hauntingly beautiful in my ear. I nodded and cautiously took a step forward my hands stretched out before me. I could hear the sweep of his coat as he stepped ahead of me to unlock the front entrance. When the door was open I was lead by that light grip again only to be stopped after a long and winding path had been taken. Then he left my side for how long I don't know seeing howeverything seemed like it was taking hours while I had this blindfold on.

Eventually I heard his footsteps again and the sound of a car door opening followed soon after. Blindingly putting the seatbelt on I waited for him to get in and start the engine. I didn't have to wait long and soon we were driving away from the house I had been a captive in for some time now.

The car ride was unsurprisingly silent and was equally as unsurprising as rich classical music filled the air. I looked away from the driver's seat so as to hide the small smile that was forming on my lips.

When the car came to a stop the familiar sounds of the car door opening, his footsteps, and then my own door opening filled my senses. Then wasting no time he began to lead me into a forest, and I could tell it was a forest due to the soft ground we walked on.

Finally we came to where I could only guess was our destination and I could hear the Phantom move to take off the blindfold. It came off quickly and I was left to see the setting of our unique picnic.

We were defiantly in a forest, a densely populated one at that. Everywhere you looked was another tree except for in the dead center where I could spot a clearing. Walking towards it I soon found myself in a spot conveniently just big enough for a picnic. To the side of the small clearing was a pond which was attached to a stream and a steady supply of common fish swam about. Cattails surrounded the edge of the pond as well but what really drew my attention were the roses.

Opposite the pond was a small rose garden, some of the flowers were still in bloom even though their season was soon coming to an end. As I looked at the roses I couldn't help but think they looked familiar for some reason. Then the vase on the table flashed through my mind and I remembered how everyday it seemed the roses in the vase never aged. Once the time spent between breakfast and singing lesson I had dedicated to trying to figure out the mystery to the eternal roses and now the answer lay before me.

The Phantom was at my side as I bent down to get a closer look at the roses and then I was aware of his disappearance. Looking up I noticed that he was really gone! Trying not to panic, I did what any sensible person would do. I prepared the picnic.

Pulling the basket to where I stood I opened it and took the square plaid blanket out and with one swift movement it floated down to the ground. By this time I began to hear footsteps again and I glanced over my shoulder to see who it was.

"Why did you leave me alone?" I asked angrily though I wasn't entirely all upset. He didn't answer me which just proved to make my frustration grow.

With one step he closed the distance and with his hand he gently put something in my hair. I stared at him and then reached my hand up to see what it was. I felt flower petals and when I brought my hand down so did one of the petals. It took it's time floating down but eventually I saw that it was white.

"The White Rose and the Nightingale," He murmured and even straining to hear I could barely hear him. With a small shake of his head the Phantom turned to the blanket already laid out. Figuring that he wanted to begin eating I sat down and awkwardly let myself get comfortable.

It didn't fly past me completely that what with the intimate surroundings and the whole picnic thing that this was like a date. What made it worse or not was the little fact that it was in a way my first date. I also couldn't ignore the idea that the Phantom ,despite not quite acting like it, was probably around the same age as my dad had been.

But those things aside I planned to enjoy myself, knowing that everything he did was for me.

The meal started simple enough, a salad. Followed soon after by sandwiches, of all things, and then it dawned on me.

"You're eating!" And I pointed at the Phantom's sandwich as if it was about to do a little dance. The look that met my statement was blank, quite like he couldn't decide how to react to that.

"I do have to eat, my dear," He stated in a matter of fact tone. I nodded still confused.

"I know, but I've never seen you eat before." He chuckled and this time I didn't get that scared, confused feeling. He was just laughing at my naiveté this time around.

"I have a small appetite that's why you often don't see me eat but it is there, occasionally."

After that we actually managed to have a civil conversation, and it really felt as if the circumstances were normal even though they weren't.

But of course I had to go and ruin it… in a way.

"What's your name?" I asked suddenly after the meal was done. I sat staring up at the stars out of the opening in the trees, when I didn't receive an answer right away my eyes darted to where the Phantom sat. He seemed to heave a sigh of frustration but I finally got an answer to my question again, in a way.

"It doesn't matter," It was the same answer I always got out of him but this time I was oddly determined to find out the truth.

"Then at least can you tell me why your name doesn't matter, Phantom?" I asked with an edge of the frustration that he must alsohave been experiencing. He turned to me and with that action the moonlit lit up the white mask on his face causing me to have to catch my breath.

"Would you care about such a trivial thing, such as a name, if your own mother hadn't caredif you received one or not?" What kind of life had he leaded? I couldn't help but wonder.

"She sounds like a terrible person," I finally said to him and was rewarded with a shrug.

"It wasn't as if she was a terrible person, my dear; just that she was in a terrible situation." He paused thoughtfully and I could begin to see the glimmer of a smirk playing on his lips,

"Besides," He began amicably, "I like out little nicknames for one another, don't you?"

Authors Note: So for anyone that has seen the 1990 TV mini series I'll let you know that the picnic was taken from that version and I guess in a way so was the forest minus the creepy stuffed animals. Also if you've seen the mini-series then you know that that scene was the unmasking scene. There actually was a slight inner battle whether or not to have the unmasking happen like that but in the movie Christine was able to make Erik believe she loved him and that she would love him no matter what was under the mask and I felt my Christine wouldn't be able to do that just yet (Added proof to that is that she still believes her 'angel' and the Phantom are two separate entities).

On another note I finished reading Susan Kay's Phantom a couple weeks ago and simply loved it! I especially loved the ending and how in a way Erik's and Christine's love prevailed (in my opinion) but I won't go any further into detail about it. I'll just finish with saying that it was really, really good!