Chapter 5

Christine dragged herself into the dorm andthrew herself on her bed, her face in the pillow. Meg was sitting on hers, brushing through her long,golden blonde hair. "Where have you been?" She asked Christine.
Christine didn't look over at her. She spoke through the pillow, "You're talking to me?"

"I suppose. It isn't fair for me to stop talking to you. It's not your fault he kissed you."

Christine blushed at the mention of the kiss. "Yes, but I am trying to find the reason for why he did so."

Meg spoke and there was a hint of sadness in her voice, "Is it not that a boy kisses a girl that he admires?"

Christine did not notice the grief in Meg'stone so she continued to talk, "Oh, no. Erik cannot admire me. I am sure it was an accident."

"How can a person accidentally kiss somebody?"

"Um, they fall on top of the person?"

"So that's what happened."

"No."

Meg hung her head, letting go of her brush.She grabbed her chest and tugged at her shirt, clutching her teeth. She felt her heart ache knowing that Erik kissed Christine intentionally. She felt extremely devastated at the thought; Meg had been at the Opera House for all her life but Christine, she had only been there a few days. It also made Meg angry, and what made her angrier was that Christine was trying to make it seem humourous. She acted as though she were an unsophisticated naivete and this bothered Meg.

But Meg couldn't be annoyed by it; Christine is her friend.

Christine has been seeing me on the roof of the Opera House for weeks now. I thought about discontinuing my violin-playing on the roof for her, but I did not want to break a promise, she said she would never break the one she made to me. I assumed that she was going to ask me that question again, but surprisingly, she avoided it. It also seemed like she was trying to dodge me, as though she did not want to be there. One day, I brought it up"Christine, is my violin boring you?"

"No." She uttered in such simplicity.

"But you do not seem as excited as you were before."

"I apologise, Erik."

She never tells me anything. I could tell there was something the matter, but she would never confess. I suppose it is time to pry. "Christine, tell me what is wrong."

"Nothing is wrong."

"You always claim there is nothing wrong but I can tell. Very well. You cannot lie to me. We need not hide from each other."

"'You cannot lie to me'? Actually, in a sense, I have been."

My ears were deceiving me; I knew it. "No, no, you haven't. . . you jest."

"As you said, we needn't hide from each other. So, I will tell you the truth."

"'Truth'?"

She gulped and said, couragerously, "Yes! Thetruth!" A sigh escaped her mouth."I. . . broke the promise I made to you. .. are you angry?"

Istood, stupefieduntil finally I found something to say. "What do you think?" I growled, coldly. Not exactly the wisest choice of words.

I threw my violin in its case and slammed it. "Well, if you broke the promise, then I shall be off. Why should I keep mine if you could not keep yours?" I walked away, when I could have easily slipped away, leaving Christine there but something in me wanted her to stop me, as though I could not stop myself. As expected Christine called to me and I froze. "Erik, please, do not do this to me!"

"What have I done?"

"Erik, please..." Christine approached me and put a hand on my arm and squeezed my sleeve. I looked down at her, her eyes glistened in the moonlight as tears began to form in her eyes. She was about to cry again. I could not allow that to happen so I sighed in defeat. "Okay. . ."

She smiled, letting go of me to wipe her eyes. I rolled mine at her but she did not realise it. "Anyway. .. if you did not want me to go, then there's something you want of me, yes?"

"Would you play the violin?"

"You have not gotten bored of it yet?"

She shook her head quickly, "Of course not! Especially since you play so marvelously."

"Okay, I will play for you." I pulled out my violin and Christine stared at me, curiously. "What is it?"

Christine's eyes remained fixed on my face. "Erik, earlier, did you not say we should not hide anything from each other?"

I did not like what she was saying and I knew where she was getting at. "Christine, I will not take off my mask!"

"Then I will!" Stubbornly, Christine reached forward to snatch the mask away but I automatically grabbed her arm. "Do noteven try!" I roared, twisting her wrist around. Christine shrieked and tried to shake free of my tight grasp, "Oww! Erik, you are hurting me!"

I felt like I turned into different person when Christine reached for my mask. How dare she even try to take my mask. . . invade my privacy? But when I felt somethingsnap in my hand, I quickly realised what happened; I just broke Christine's hand. I let go of her and she crouched down on the ground, holding her injured hand in her other one. She trembled, she was in pain. . . and it seemed she was afraid of me. "Christine, I am so very sorry! May I see it?"

She shook her head.

"You do not want me to take a look?"

She shook her head again. "I will be fine. . ."

"I am sorry, I promise I will never let this happen again." I was about to run off, I did not care if I left my violin behind, but before I dashed away, I heard Christine whisper to herself"Meg will never allow me to see you again if she finds out about this. . . I suppose I will not tell her."

"No, Christine. . . allow me to bandage it. Let her see."

"But I want to see you again. . . and hear you play for me again. . . if Meg knows about this, she would probably do all she could to keep me from going back. This is the third time already." Christine got up and walked slowly away. "Christine. . ." I said softly.

"Do not worry. I will be fine."

And with that, she retreated to her room, abandoning me on the roof, where I stared after her, with a tear in my eye. . .