Chapter 5: Old Lovers meet New Lovers
Erik tried to have a conversation with Camille as they walked slowly towards the opera house. Unfortunately, she still remained cold and distant.
She wasn't sure wanted to go with him, but something about the words he had spoken to her made her go with him. It wasn't against her will but it wasn't her own will- that much she knew. The rest was lost in the confusing tangle of thoughts in her mind.
"This- dear Camille- is La' Opera Populaire… welcome home."
His words startled her. And then she finally put two and two together. Erik had always refused to tell her of his past and refused to remove his mask- in everything he was a very mysterious character and it annoyed her somewhat.
"You… you are the phantom of the opera!" she gasped
Erik chuckled "That took you long enough. I thought you had already realized."
"I knew bits of the story of a young woman that you loved, Christine. But now… now I realize that the woman was Christine Daae and you are the dreaded opera ghost. You are famed for murders and an insatiable lust! Please tell me Erik- how is it that you fooled me for so long?" her voice was angry and yet sad
"Camille-"he drawled out her name "I have changed- I feared this is how you would react which is why I didn't reveal my identity to you sooner. Please come to my home with me?" he said in his deep, sensual voice
Something about those words set off the alarm bells and sounded oddly familiar in her mind but she couldn't resist them "yes, Erik." She said her voice heavy and confused
"Good." He smirked at her "let us go in." he lead her up through the corridors of the dark opera house.
Christine was lost in a world where all the pain in her body and her mind combined.
The faint images around her swirled and twisted to form demented pictures of horror and agony… her tears had not ceased to flow.
She was silent, though. Too terrified of what was happening in her mind to make a sound- for fear of being discovered.
Raoul mounted his white stallion and galloped off into the streets, searching dark corners and alleys.
"If you weren't my wife and I needed you to keep my honorable name- then I would kill you. As it is, I may kill you anyway!" he hissed as he rode
Erik grabbed Camille's wrist and slowly opened the door to a dressing room and stepped inside and walked over to the mirror.
"Damn it!" he hissed when he tripped on something sprawled across the floor in the dark room. It had let out a soft cry when his boot had connected sharply with its tender flesh.
"Light a candle! Quickly!" he said to Camille
She lit the candle and raised it up the glow illuminating a shape on the floor and so she quickly crossed the room lighting all the lamps until the room glowed with light
She turned back to Erik and saw him standing there staring at the crumpled form on the floor, his chest heaving and his eyes flashing.
"NO! No, it can't be! WHY NOW! Why?" his voice was low, angry and broken all at the same time
The form on the floor shifted and Camille moved to it- going to help the person- shocked that Erik wasn't helping.
"NO! Do not touch her! Get away from her Camille!" he shouted his hand grabbed her forearm pulling her away
At the shouts Christine stirred slightly trying to escape the impeding danger she felt looming around her. She struggled to open her eyes- her mind flashing back to Raoul's actions- could it be him shouting above her. Noise rushed in her ears- making it hard to hear the shouted words.
The tears began to flow again "no Raoul- stop! Please don't hurt me… ill come home… just stop hitting me!" she begged and curled her body into a ball as she remembered the blows he had inflicted on her
At her words, Erik's face froze.
"Camille. You need to go! This is not for you to hear- none of what is about to happen is for you to hear." He said
"But... but Erik! I thought… you were taking me to your home." Her voice was pleading- the charm he had cast over her was still in effect
"GO!" he shouted at her "Go back to the club. I will come fetch you when I need to speak to you again!"
Tears poured down Camille's face at his harsh words.
The spell finally broken she answered her voice thick with tears "I will go Erik. But do not expect that you will have my favor in the future."
She turned her eyes rimmed red against her tan face and her raven waves mussed around her head.
She stepped out into the hall but listened outside the door- he wasn't going to get rid of her that easily- oh no…
Christine continued in her broken terrified voice "no, no Raoul. Please don't hit me anymore. Please, please stop. I'll come home… I won't say anything- just stop hurting me!" she begged as her body shook
Erik knelt by her and turned her gently to face him.
She screamed and curled into a ball "let go, Raoul. You're hurting me- please…" she began to sob so lost in the awful memories she didn't notice that is was Erik's face above her and not Raoul's.
Erik said in an angry but concerned voice "Christine- its Erik. Raoul isn't here- please Christine wake up and look at me!"
Christine felt his hand and heard his voice drilling into her subconscious
"Erik… no… Erik is dead. Raoul is alive. Raoul wants me dead. I want to be dead. Erik is dead!" she moaned in a pitiful voice
It was then that Erik saw the terrible bruises on her body. On her neck was a livid purple bruise that was the shape of a hand and on her arms and upper body he could see many bruises and cuts. On her face there was a bruise across her cheekbone and several cuts in random places on her face.
"Oh my angel…" he said "No... No… Erik is here. I am here and I am alive. Oh Christine- what has he done to you! I am alive Christine! Please look at me!" he moaned
"Erik?" her thin hand tried to reach up to his face and the tears began again
"Oh Erik! Is it really you? Please don't let Raoul find me. Oh Erik- im so sorry. What have I done- oh god- what have I done?
Erik couldn't stand it anymore; he gathered her frail form up in his arms and said softly as he rose from the floor
"Yes Christine, I'm here. I wont Raoul hurt you."
There was no reply.
Christine had fainted in the arms of her angel.