Chapter Five
A/N I don't own Phantom of the Opera (sob). Okay, here's where Erik and Chelsea learn about each other's past.
I feel so terrible! I've never seen Phantom on the stage! The last time I head it was in town was when my parents went to see it, and that was before I was born. I've only seen the movie and last year my reading class read part of the play (I was Christine!).
Maska- your idea is in here or part of it anyway.
Chelsea and Erik sat down on the couch (black of course).
"Why don't you go first." Erik said not quite ready to let Chelsea see his painful and dark past. Chelsea sighed thinking back on the past.
"Well" she began. " I was born and grew up in south-eastern Minnesota, in a small suburb of St. Paul (that's the capital of Minnesota for those of you who don't know about or live in one of the most boring states in the U.S.) "I'm the oldest and the only girl of four kids. Our neighborhood had its own theater group so we were always working on some play or another." Chelsea said with a faraway look in her eyes. "I guess that's all there is to tell about me, nothing interesting or special."
"Why'd you come to Paris?" Erik asked.
"Well, I've always wanted to come to France since I'm partially French and there is so much history here and yeah…" Chelsea said without finishing her sentence. Erik rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Now you tell me" Chelsea said gently knowing Erik must have had a terrible past. He took a deep breath.
"When I was five years old my mother left me on steps of this opera house." Erik said remembering the day that had shattered and frozen his heart. It had been cold and snowy and he remembered being clutched to his mother's breast.
The lady had held her son close to her, not from love, but so as no one could see his face. Even at the thought of his face she shivered from disgust. She was tiring; the five year old was getting taller and stronger by the day already he came up to her rail thin waist. As she came to the steps of the Paris Opera House she hurried up the steps, and set the sleeping boy wrapped in a thin blanket on the step near the door. Then she left without looking back sure she'd never see her monster of a son again.
A few hours later the Opera House's owner's wife saw the child wrapped in the thin blanket shivering and burning with fever. She took him in and the suddenly noticed his face, but he looked so peaceful sleeping in her arms she was not disgusted. She brought him to her rooms above the Opera House and nursed him back to health. Her young son grew up with the boy who she'd named Erik.
"Matthew's mother took me in and raised me but I never forgot I wasn't one of them, and that I was different. After Matthew's parents died and left the Opera House to him he gave me this place to live saying that my ancestors' had lived here and he showed me all the "Phantom" proof. I believed him, and took on the role of the "Opera Ghost". The darkness seemed to suit me." Erik looked up and saw that Chelsea's eyes were oddly bright; it took him a moment to realize that they were filled with tears.
"Oh Erik" Chelsea whispered. She fell silent. Erik shrugged.
"You should be getting back, it's late and you've been gone for a long time."
"Oh Erik, no one minds if I'm gone, I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself." But Erik had already stood, took Chelsea by the hand and led her out to the tunnel. She sighed and walked up the tunnel with Erik at her side. At the mirror Erik kissed Chelsea on the cheek and disappeared. Chelsea opened the mirror and stepped inside.
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Matthew had just walked into Chelsea's room for a few minutes ago, wondering what he was going to do about Erik when he heard voices coming from behind the mirror. He recognized the voices as Erik's and Chelsea's. Matthew almost burst in to take them by surprise, but then Chelsea stepped through the mirror.
"Matthew? What are you doing here?" Chelsea gasped.
"Oh, Chelsea, I'm so sorry" Matthew purred sympathy seeping into his voice as his plan entered his mind.
"Sorry? About what?" Chelsea implored Matthew.
"Well I shouldn't really be in your room and about Erik…" Matthew trailed off.
"Erik? What about him?" Chelsea said her voice rising to a feverish pitch.
"I see he's fooled you like all the others, don't feel bad, no one has been able to out smart the "Phantom" yet.
"What do you mean Erik fooled me? He hasn't done anything of the sort!"
"Oh, my dear girl, you are one of the many he has fooled with his voice, his mask and hideous face. In fact his deformity, if you will, is just make-up." Matthew said his story growing by the minute.
"Wha- What do you mean?" Chelsea stuttered drawing away from Matthew.
"Oh the girl comes down to his lair, sings for him and falls head over heals for him. And then, he goes and gets himself hurt, comes crawling to the poor girls dressing room, she cleans him up, sees his face and tells him it doesn't matter-"
"Wait!" Chelsea cried finding a loophole in the story." YOU found me and brought me down to him. AND how do you know Erik was hurt?" Matthew hung his head in shame.
"Yes I did bring you down. He makes me." Chelsea snorted. "No, you don't understand, if I don't he will kill me."
"He- he will kill you?" Chelsea asked in disbelief.
"Oh yes, he'd kill me without a thought. But, anyway, after a while Erik will just drop the poor thing and she's heartbroken but, he just goes on with his life."
"No. Erik wouldn't, he couldn't." Chelsea cried, sobbing now.
"Oh Chelsea I'm so sorry. Come with me we'll go away and he will never find us." Matthew whispered leading Chelsea out of the room. Matthew set the mask he'd been holding down on the bed. He grinned evilly to himself, Chelsea was his (or so he thought).
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After Erik left Chelsea he wondered the tunnels aimlessly. He was angry at himself for making her leave so suddenly. He didn't know what came over him. He just needed time to think. Suddenly he remembered that he had left his mask in Chelsea's room and Erik hurried back up the tunnels to her room. At the mirror he noticed that no one was in the room and the door had been left open. He picked up his mask, but feeling something was wrong waited just inside the mirror.
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Chelsea let Matthew lead her to a little café down the street. Matthew ordered her a hot chocolate, but when Chelsea looked down at the warm brown liquid her eyes filled with tears as she remembered her breakfast with Erik. Chelsea bolted up without saying a word and ran down the street, into the Opera House, and into her room slamming the door. Chelsea flung herself down onto the bed, sobbing.
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Matthew watched Chelsea run down the street. He felt anger bubble inside of him, but didn't go after her; she would come to him in time.
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Erik watched Chelsea fling herself on the bed in her room crying her heart out. He was about to step out of the mirror and comfort her when she sat up and looked coldly at the mirror.
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Chelsea looked over at the mirror not sure what to do. She didn't want to believe Matthew, but he seemed so trustworthy and why would he lie to her? Erik had been so kind and gentle and truthful she thought. Chelsea laughed bitterly at the thought. Then, suddenly, much to her surprise Erik stepped out of the mirror. Chelsea looked up coldly at Erik with her tearstained face.
"Chelsea what's wrong?" Erik said. He was no doubt taken aback when he heard her reply.
"What's wrong?" Chelsea hissed. "Oh Erik I can't believe you! How you could you do this to me!" Erik tried to ask what in the world she was talking about but before he could put in one word Chelsea snapped: "NO don't say one word! I've heard enough of your lies and-"
"When did I ever lie to you?" Erik thundered. "I told you everything! I showed you my heart, my soul Chelsea! And now your taking it and crushing it under you heal."
"Me? Look what you did to all those other girls! Yes, I know Erik. Matthew told me everything!" Matthew stood listening to the shouts outside Chelsea's door.
"Me?" Erik backed away from Chelsea as though she had slapped him. "What did I do?" Just then Matthew burst into the room.
"Oh yes Erik she knows everything that you have done. Now why don't you admit to her your-self." Matthew hissed. "About how you go and get yourself hurt and-"
"How do you know he got hurt?" Chelsea cut Matthew off remembering the question he never answered. Matthew was so surprised he didn't answer; he just stood gaping at the other two. Chelsea felt relief wash through her now knowing that Matthew had made the whole thing up. But before she could say anything Erik shouted at his so called friend.
"So, it was you that night on the roof!"
"Yes, it was me that night." Matthew hissed. "And I'll do it aging if I have to!" Turning to Chelsea he said: "You will be mine!" Then he stormed out of the room, slamming the door. Chelsea fell to her bed losing her composure now that the whole ordeal was over. She sat with her head in her hands sobbing not looking up. Erik just stood where he was; amazed that Matthew would do such a thing.
"Oh Erik" Chelsea said once she could talk again. " I'm so sorry. I should never have believed him." Then she was overcome by tears and couldn't say anymore.
"Chelsea, Chelsea it's alright. I can hardly believe he'd do such a thing." Then Erik walked over to Chelsea and pulled her to him. She stood against him, shaking.
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Matthew stormed off the his apartments above the Opera House, anger filling his every thought and breath. He sat to think about what he should do.
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A/N Wow that was intense! Tell me what you thought and what you think should happen next.