Ahhh yes it is another chapter! Arent you all so happy! I am! Well before you read your brains away, i must thank a few reviewers
Countess Alana- sorry for leaving off at such a place! but hopefully you dont mind where i left off this time! we must go on another of our journeys together in Erik's boat, just not to the falls this time. That turned out bad, with the whole shark! lol hope ya like this chapter.
TheAngel'sMaggie- ahh what will Crystal do! Well she doesnt exactly know at the moment! lol Well she will know! OMG when i finished writing chapter 14, i did the gerard dance! lol of course i did not look for cool, then i downloaded the video of him doing it and wow it is so much more complicated than that and he does it 10 times better while looking 10 times hotter! But ya you must update on your story! im totally dieing out here wanting to know more! lol well enjoy this chappie
Soofija- hopefully now you will forgive me for that cliffie i did! Hope you dont mind the end of this chapter! Oh and im really glad you like the way Crystal and Erik act when they are like that(i kinda like it too!) im also glad you liked that chapter! Hopefully your'll like this one as well
GerrysISUChick04- Yoda! Oh man that little green dude rules! i saw it twice as well! and i wanna see it again! oh we must talk about star wars more often eh! oh ya about the story! lol sorry about the cliffies! its a habit i have! i shall try to break it! well enjoy this chapter!
milkywaypnay37-yes yes the suspense, i am terribly sorry lol! haha and yes Erik fell! cute erik fell on his tushie! but thats ok, crystal was there to save the day! glad you liked the chapter!
simi- thank you forsaying you liked the ending of the last chapter, and i really hope you like this one! i sure do! and i have to say that i love your reviews! they are so nice! (me smiles) please continue!
GamaFox- i updated i updated! hope ya like this chapter!
Erik's Music Of The Night- first of wow i love your name "Erik's Music Of The Night" makes me wanna go watch Phantom now! But yes wow its like i have a new reviewer even though you have been reading this for awhile! Its a good thing you got your new computer or else i would be missing out on your awesome reviews! oh and you will eventually find out what Crystal is hiding...in future chapters of course! Well please read and review!
Chapter 13 – Haunted by the Past
Crystal rushed down the steps leading back down into the Opera house, letting her tears fall down her flushed face. She could hear the loud sound of her feet clanging from hitting the metal steps below.
She threw herself off the bottom step and up against the wall in front of her. Putting her hands up to her face, she cried against the cold wall.
She couldn't hold back the tears any longer. She hadn't wanted Erik to grow curious at these random fits she was having, but she knew he would wonder why sooner or later.
As she heard the footsteps of someone walking down the hall towards her, Crystal stopped her crying and wiped away the tears streaming down her face. Her eyes were now red and puffy as she read the sing on the wall in front of her. It read 'Chapel' with an arrow beneath it pointing in the direction to the Chapel.
Crystal wiped her nose and began her to find her way to the Chapel in the Palais Garnier.
She took her shall off her shoulders and let it hang over her arms in front of her as she stepped into the tiny room.
Walking past the many candles, she knelt down and quietly prayed. Tears were burning behind her eyes as she silently whispered the words of the Hail Mary.
'Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.'
Until completely satisfied, Crystal repeated this prayer 5 times and leaned back resting upon her heals. She touched her swollen lips remembering only moments ago Erik was kissing them. She closed her eyes and slowly licked her lips wishing she could have tasted him longer as she was lost in her imagination.
She quickly blinked open her eyes, shaking off the old memories as well as the new ones of Erik.
Wiping away a few tears, Crystal leaned up and picked up an already lit candle and lit two new ones fro her parents.
"Mother, Father." She paused starring at the stained glass window to the left of her. "How I wish you were here."
The floor was cold as she sat on the ground not wanting to ever leave this room. Wanting to talk with her mother and father again but knowing that she would never be able to.
Just then, at that moment, Meg came running into the Chapel that was shimmering with candles and saw Crystal sitting on the floor.
Hearing her run in, Crystal turned her head and smiled at Meg as she dropped to the floor and hugged her friend.
"Oh Crystal, I thought I might find you here." She said as she now sat herself beside Crystal. "Mother told me you were in your room and to not disturb you. So I crept out of the dining hall to come see you. When you weren't answering your door I knew you couldn't possible be abed at this hour, so I came here. I'm so delighted I found you." Meg hugged Crystal for the second time.
Crystal laughed. "I'm delighted you found me as well Meg. You are probably wondering about the night before though aren't you?"
Meg leaned back and folding her hands in her lap. "You know me too well I'm afraid. But we need not talk about it here. I suppose you are here for your mother and father." She said shyly.
Crystal smiled lightly. "You suppose correctly. Meg I miss them terribly. No one will ever be able to replace them. Though your mother has come close." She said looking up at the burning candles.
"How about tomorrow we take your mind away from all this. I know the perfect place that will cheer you up." Meg suggested.
Crystal turned to Meg and took her hand in hers. "Meg that's a marvelous idea. I do need some cheering up." Smiled Crystal.
"As so I." The girls chuckled together.
Crystal got up from the floor and blew out the two candles she previously lit and helped Meg up from the floor. "Come. I can only imagine you're aching to know more about last night." She said as the girls walked out of the chapel.
"I was practically biting my nails off at dinner." Meg giggled.
Crystal looked down at Meg's fingers. She was in fact right; she really did almost bite off her nails.
The sounds of the girl's laughter filled the halls as they both walked side by side to Crystal's room.
Crystal unlocked her door and the two scurried in.
"I am so relieved mother didn't see us both." Crystal laughed at Meg's remark as Meg jumped onto her bed.
Meg lied her head on Crystal's soft fluffy pillows and closed her eyes. "How do you wake up each morning? If I slept in this bed I am positively sure I could stay here forever.
Crystal laughed and made her way beside Meg and laid down next to her. "I know what you mean. Sometimes it seems impossible to get out of bed." She giggled starring up at the high ceiling.
Meg slowly turned her head over facing Crystal. "Crystal. What did happen last night?" Meg asked twirling her hair between her fingers.
Crystal bit her lip before telling Meg step by step, the happenings of the previous night spent with Pierre and the Opera Ghost.
"Oh I cannot imagine how horrible it must have been, spending a night with the two most horrible men on the face of the earth!" Meg exclaimed as she knelt on the bed.
Meg did tend to exaggerate quite a bit and that is why Crystal left out the part where she thanked Erik by giving him a kiss. She wasn't quite sure Meg was ready for that information.
"Pierre yes, but not so much the Opera Ghost. Honestly, he is not as horrible as you may think Meg." Crystal said starring into the mirror wondering if Erik stood behind it.
"But you were not yourself, for Pierre had gotten you drunk." Meg said placing a hand on Crystal's shoulder.
"Perhaps." She smiled to herself.
"You surely haven't forgotten what happened Crystal, years ago!" Meg said looking worried.
Hearing this, Crystal snapped back to reality, forgetting all the pleasant things Erik had done for her and remembering what took place on the rooftop. "How could I ever forget? That changed my life completely. I can never forgive him." Crystal looked down at her broken wrist sadly.
'Knock Knock Knock'Meg immediately covered her mouth with her hands as she spoke beneath them. "Oh no! It must be my mother. She will be furious if she finds me here."
Crystal slowly got down from the bed and pulled Meg along with her as they slowly crept near her closet.
"Hide in here and stay quiet." She whispered to Meg as she slowly opened the closet door and lightly pushed Meg into the darkness.
Crystal closed the closet door and straightened up, pushing the lose pieces of her hair behind her ears and walked to open the door.
She realized she was no longer in her nightshift and that Madame Giry would want to know why. Crystal slowly turned the doorknob as she was thinking of an excuse. To her surprise, it was not Madame Giry who knocked at the door.
"Monsieur Reyer!" she said shocked as she placed a hand to her stomach.
"Mademoiselle Blyth! Let me see that wrist of yours!" He said taking her wrist and placed it in his hand. "Tsk tsk. Shame you feel on it tripping on your skirt. Let us just pray it does not stay broken." He chuckled letting go of her wrist.
Crystal lightly giggled as she was thinking about how Erik told her Pierre had twisted it. "Monsieur, to what do I owe the honour of your visit?"
"Oh of course. Well other than just simply wondering how my new pianist is doing, I was hoping I could introduce you to someone who had been asking about you." He smiled a jolly smile.
"Why of course!" Crystal said surprised.
Crystal had wished she had taken back what she said as soon as she saw Pierre turn the corner and step into her room. Her eyes were wide with fear as she took a few steps back.
Monsieur Reyer, ignoring Crystal's actions, said, "This, Mademoiselle Blyth, is my nephew. Pierre Gratton." He said patting his nephews back.
"You…have been asking…about me?" Crystal asked sternly.
"I begged him not to say anything, but he insister we meet." Pierre said eyeing Crystal up and down.
"Monsieur Reyer. Myself and your nephew have already met!" She grinned as Pierre as she was about to continue.
"Actually yes we have Uncle. Mademoiselle Blyth was lost and I simply showed her to the dining hall. That is all." He said with wide eyes.
"Well that was quite nice of him." Monsieur Reyer smiled up at Pierre.
"Of course. Now Pierre, tell me," she said switching her tone of voice as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Who gave you that bump on your head?" Crystal smiled for she knew Erik gave it to him to protect her.
Pierre looked at her furiously and grinded his teeth. "That is none of your concern Mademoiselle." Pierre said before he cursed Crystal under his breath in his French language.
"Oh Pierre it is absolutely massive. How I had noticed it note before is beyond my imagination." Monsieur Reyer said looking curiously as Pierre's head. "Come let me take a look at it boy."
"No uncle, it is fine." He said stepping out of the room. "I must be off. Uncle, Mademoiselle, I bid you good night." Pierre said running down the hallways realizing he should never have left his bedroom.
"Now that was rather odd." Monsieur Reyer said as he watched his nephew running down the hall. "Well Mademoiselle I hope to see you at practice tomorrow. Even though you cannot yet play properly, I would be happy having you join us."
"Of course I will be there Monsieur Reyer. I would miss it not for the world."
"Splendid! See you tomorrow then. Au revoir" Monsieur Reyer smiled and took his leave from Crystal's room.
She shut the door after him and breathed a sign of relief that it was not Madame Giry who had been on the other side of the door.
As she walked back to her bed to tell Meg she could come out of the closet, she grew angry at the fact Pierre would dare come to her room after what he had done.
"Meg you can come out. It wasn't your mother at the door. We can thank the heavens for that," Crystal said sitting at the edge of her bed facing the closet.
She frowned when Meg had not answered her or opened the closet door.
"Meg? You can come out." Crystal said.
Still no answer.
'What the devil is she doing in there?' Crystal thought as she got up from the bed and walked to the closet door.
"Meg, stop playing and come out!" Crystal said turning the handle and opened her closet door. "MEG!" Crystal shouted as she saw Meg's stiff body fall onto her out of the darkness.
Crystal had tumbled over to the floor once Meg had fallen on top of her along with her wrist. Crystal winced in pain as she pushed Meg over on her side.
"Meg! Oh Meg!" Crystal cried out as she knelt beside Meg shaking her forcefully trying to wake her.
Trying to figure out what happened to Meg, Crystal turned her head towards to closet as she feared to look inside.
She clutched Megs arms tightly when she saw Erik's white mask move out of the darkness and reveal his whole self to the light and stood before Crystal.
Crystal turned on her knees and faced Erik as she screamed so loudly he thought she might wake the dead. "What did you do to her?" she shouted up at Erik and hit her fists with all her might into his hard stomach as tears began pouring down her face.
She had noticed a bump already showing itself on the side of Meg's head, and she grew more upset. She slowly stopped pounding on Erik's stomach and leaned into it as she stood on her knees and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Is this how you solve all your problems?" she cried into Erik's stomach, no doubt soaking his vest with her tears.
"I had to." Erik said gently stroking Crystal's head as his gingers swam through her waves.
"But why?" she gripped Erik tighter. "Meg wouldn't hurt a fly." Crystal began crying even more and Erik could feel her body shaking against his.
"Crystal, you must understand. I do not want little Giry knowing any more than she already knows." Erik cupped Crystal's wet cheek.
Pushing herself away from Erik, Crystal went back to Meg lying helplessly on the floor and placed her head on her lap as she slowly stroked her head. "She is my friend Erik." Crystal said wiping away a few of her tears. "Why? Why are you here?"
Erik bent down so he was now eye level with Crystal and cupped her cheek once again, but she turned her head away from him.
"You must answer me this one question." Erik said looking down at his shiny black shoes. "Why on the roof did you tell me not to make it any harder than it is? What is this pain your speaking of? Crystal, please tell me." Erik looked up at Crystal's sad face hoping she would truthfully answer him.
Crystal got up from the floor and slowly lifted Meg's body and leaned her against her shoulder.
She began walking toward the door with Meg as her feet dragged on the ground behind her. Crystal looked back at Erik who had now gotten up from the floor and was merely starring at her waiting for an answer.
"The past Erik." Crystal said struggling to keep the unconscious Meg on her feet. "You make me fear my past." She slowly creaked open the door as she looked up at Erik as tears began burning behind her eyes. She fought to hold them back for she wanted him not to see her weak side. Not now.
Crystal left and shut the door, leaving the Phantom of the Opera disappointed, shocked, and for the first time ever, speechless.
Ohh how i love that last line! But REVEIW REVIEW REIVEW! please and thank you!-