As she gazed at the carpet the memory of her dream flashed through her mind.
"Stay calm," her mind screamed. "Do not let him know you know who he is. Just tell him the truth."
Claire took a deep breath.
"I-I was there the night…" she paused, unsure of how to describe that fateful night. She decided not to mention the chandelier.
"The night Don Juan Triumphant was performed."
She continued to stare at the floor. When he didn't answer she looked up to find him gazing at her, a mix of wonder and anger playing in his eyes.
"And the song was stuck in my head, so I was tried to figure out the tune" she continued.
He took a step forward.
"I've very sorry" she said quickly.
"You're the new girl aren't you?" he asked taking a few more steps towards her.
With her eyes still on the floor Claire nodded.
"What is your name child?" he demanded softly.
"Claire" she replied.
In two more strides he had covered the distance between them. However, despite her fear Claire did not back away.
"Well Claire" he whispered.
Claire sucked in her breath at the way he said her name, so smoothly, so beautifully. She looked up to find herself looking into two deep blue eyes.
"Don't ever let me catch you playing that piano again" he hissed in her ear. She could hear the suppressed anger in his voice.
Claire nodded, her frightened eyes still staring into his.
"Now get out!"
Without hesitation Claire picked up her cleaning supplies and ran out of the room.
She was halfway to the servants quarters before she stopped running. Slumping against the wall she tried to catch her breath. She closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself, but all she could see was the mask and those fiery blue eyes staring back at her.
"It's the Phantom of the Opera!!" her mind screamed. "He's the master of this house."
Suddenly she was overcome by embarrassment, regret and relief, and she sunk to the floor.
"How could I be so stupid to be caught playing "The Point of No Return" by the Phantom himself? I'm probably lucky he didn't kill me. He wrote that song for Christine Daae, who ended up marrying the Vicomte de Chagny anyways, and here I am in HIS house playing that song on HIS piano."
As Claire's mind rambled on she could not help feeling very very lucky that he did not harm her, or worse send her away.
In order to avoid the rest of the servants, and especially the Master she spent the rest of the evening cleaning everything in sight. Once she was sure that everyone had gone to bed she quietly crept into her room and tried to go to sleep.
Erik sat on the piano bench staring after her. His own actions had confused him. He should have been furious with her, have thrown her out of his house and left her to die in the wilderness. But he hadn't, he hadn't even yelled at her. Perhaps it was the look in her eyes when she first saw him. A mix of amazement and fear had crossed her face, but not horror. If she knew who he was she had hidden it well for he was still unsure. When he had approached her she had not backed away. No one had ever stood their ground against him. One look at her had told him that she had not long been a servant girl.
Then suddenly he knew. She had been afraid of him, but not his mask. She had stood her ground because there was something she was more frightened of then him. Something in her own dark past.
And that song. When he heard those notes it had torn open a scar he had been trying for so long to heal. But sitting here in the room now he saw it in a different light. This girl had remembered the song, three years after its one and only performance. It brought him some small satisfaction that at least someone had enjoyed it, and appreciated it.
Erik sat in the dark until he heard a clock ring twelve somewhere in the house. Sighing quietly he picked up his cloak, pulled the up the hood and headed towards the mirror. As he slid it closed behind him the smallest flicker of a smile passed over his lips, this girl was far too fascinating to let go now, not until he had a least learned her secrets.
