Chapter 19
Erik, widely known as simply the Opera Ghost or the Phantom of the Opera, was heading out from under his opera house to get some supplies. As he was drifting down the dark passages, all well-known to him like the back of his hand, he heard a scream. It was high-pitched and feminine, not like a shrill that would force people to cover their ears, but more a call of distress from a fair maiden. He immediately turned around, partly annoyed at the disruption of his task and partly curious as to who it was yelling and why they were so far from the light of day.
He easily and swiftly found his way to the source of the scream, slightly surprised at the scene that awaited him. In the darkness of the passageway which led up into opera house, there was a grungy drunkard pushing a young woman up against the stone wall. The strong familiar smell of liquor wafted over to Erik as he made his way there. The man was ruthless, and blatantly ignoring the girl's pleas for him to leave her alone. He could hear her crying softly beneath the dirty hand of the drunk. Erik's eyes, though well-adjusted to the dark from living down there for so long, could not see the face of either person only their forms in the distance outlined by the glow of a lantern.
Normally he would not want to get involved in other people's affairs unless it had something to do with his opera house, but somewhere inside his broken heart he felt sympathetic for that young woman who was being abused. For this reason he approached the man from behind quietly, like a cat- a talent that he had perfected long ago, and with one swift motion of his fist, knocked him out cold. The man felt to the hard ground with a thud, and the girl let out a cry of relief before fainting from the stress.
Without hesitation, Erik caught her fragile form with his strong arms. He lifted her up and held her for a second, moving some of her hair so that he could see her face. Suddenly he recognized her and was shocked at the coincidence. It was the girl that he had been giving singing lessons to! That he did not expect, and he had no idea of why she would be wandering around down there in the first place. She must have accidentally fallen through a trap-door or something; those stagehands could be forgetful at times. Also he did overhear them being fired, so something could have been overlooked. On closer inspection he saw that she had a cut on the upper right side of her forehead, and it was bleeding. The crimson blood was dripping down the side of her pretty face.
His first instinct was to take her back to the opera house and leave her there for someone to find her, but after seeing the injury he changed his mind. Forgetting his reason for leaving his underground lair in the first place, Erik headed back to his headquarters. Pulling back a black curtain and entering one of the side rooms, he laid her down on an extra bed that he stole from the props. He left her alone for a second and returned juggling the objects necessary to dress her wound, which he did delicately like if he made one wrong move than she would be done for. When he was finished and satisfied he left again, and returned to his musical realm.
He had not thought of bringing her down there again, but he wanted to make sure that she was all right before he brought her back to the others. Her wound was not that bad, but it still needed to be treated quickly in order to prevent infection. Elle had only fainted, therefore it was only a matter of time before she would wake up and he would take her back. As he took a seat at his organ, Erik wondered if she remembered when he brought her there before and they sang a wonderful duet. Her blind faith had let him lead her away from the light. She was so trusting, so young, so much like…
"No, I will not think of her," he murmured to himself, shuffling through the new score that he had been working on. Erik was having difficulties finishing the particular piece, there was just something missing. For weeks he had worked on completing it, but none of the melodies that he came up with fit the right way. His elegant hands hovered over the keys of the organ for a couple seconds before he remembered that Elle was asleep in the next room. He did not want to wake her by playing, for that was bound to happen once he started. Picking up his sheets of music he moved over to his desk and set them down in a pile. With his right hand he pulled a piece of paper from the side of his desk and placed it in front of him. Seconds later his left hand slowly picked up a rude quill and dipped it into a small bottle of red ink before beginning to write carefully on the parchment.
My favorite directors,
The performance is coming up and I am sure that you have learned by now that I do indeed exist. Do not forget to leave box five open, as Monsieur D'aubigne has been kind enough to do for me before, and remember that my month's payment is due. Twenty thousand francs. Have Madame Giry leave it for me in my box before the show.
Good luck gentlemen.
-O.G.
As he finished, Erik set the quill down and began to fold the parchment. With his free hand he picked up a holder containing red wax and held it over one of the lit candles for a moment. Then, tilting the holder, he slowly poured a certain amount of wax on the letter before setting it back down. Quickly Erik pressed a mold over the wax, creating a red skull seal on the paper. All of this was done in a routine fashion, as he had written many letters like this one before. The seal was his trademark, and personally he thought that it added just the right touch.
His keen ears heard footsteps coming from the next room. Normally that would cause him to rise to his feet and investigate, but Erik knew that it was only Elle awaking from her slumber. She had not been asleep that long, maybe an hour, and she was probably walking around in order to find out where she was. His eyes moved from the black curtain to his desk. He put away the letter, making a mental note to leave it for the directors the next day.
Elle had woken up in an unfamiliar bed. Her eyes took time to focus in the dark, but soon she was able to see that she was in a bedroom that was not hers. Her mind tried to concentrate, tried to figure out what was going on, but the last thing she remembered was being on the stage of the theatre. She looked around, hoping to find some explanation, and her eyes landed upon a black curtain. It seemed to be the only way out of the room, so she approached it and pulled it aside. Before her was a scene out of her imagination. The room that the passage led to was lit by many candles, making it easier for her to see. There was a lake, with a little boat, stacks of papers, an organ with opened sheet music, and a desk- with a man sitting in front of it.
She moved further into the room, but stayed closer to the wall. Her eyes stayed on the man. All she could see was his back and she hesitated before speaking. Elle was not sure who he was or where she was, which scared her, but at the same time she felt like she was having a strange case of déjà vu. "Where- where am I?"
Erik turned in his chair after hearing her finally speak, even though he was aware of her presence the entire time. She stood several feet away from him, holding her hands before her. Her dirty blonde hair was down and disheveled, framing her face and covering her bandage. "I see you are awake," he replied. By her question it was apparent that she did not remember being down there before. "This, my dear, is the realm of music."
Since he turned his face to look at her, Elle was finally able to get a look at the man who was sitting there. He had a distinctive white mask covering one side of his face and his dark hair was slicked back. For some reason he looked familiar to her eyes, and so did this realm of music. Even though she was not quite sure where she had seen him before, she was positive of who it was due to the voice. "Master, it is you! I can tell it is you by your voice, although I have only seen you in my dreams. You, you live here?" she asked meekly, looking around more closely at her surroundings. "Where exactly is here?"
He laughed softly, rising from his seat at the desk. "Beneath the opera house. Do not fear me, I will not harm you. Come closer; let me check your head."
Her hand instinctively shot up and lightly touched her forehead, and she felt bandaging on the upper right side of her head. Elle was not frightened of her teacher, but she was uneasy about the fact that she could not remember what happened or why she had a bandage on her head. She put her hand back down, without following his instructions and walking to him, and asked, "What happened? I don't remember anything."
"You were attacked and you fainted," he answered, taking small steps closer to her. She did not move, letting down her defensives and allowing him to inspect her wound. After he was sure that everything was in order his hand lingered for a second barely half an inch from her skin, but he sharply pulled away. Putting some space between them he asked, "Did you sleep well?"
Elle nodded, wondering how long she had been asleep. Now that she was aware of her wound it began to make its presence known, a slight throbbing was coming from the spot that she knew was bandaged. She wanted to know who had attacked her, but she was too scared to ask. The fact that anyone would attack her in the opera house gave her an eerie feeling, like her home was no longer safe. As her mind pondered these things her eyes studied her instructor's face. She had seen him before, but she had thought that it was a product of her imagination. Apparently Elle had been wrong, for now he was here in front of her, living and breathing like an average human. He was no ghost, he was a man, and she was standing in his home.
Yes, he was a man, and he had been responsible for haunting that building for years. Elle was not sure if the story that Meg Giry had told her was true or not, but here he was before her. She could not bring herself to picture him as a murderer, yet at the same time, if it were true, she would feel bad for him. The way she saw the story, if he had done those things, was that he probably did them out of love for the woman, but in the end he lost her regardless. This man held not only a secret behind his mask, but several in his mind.
"Master-" she began, after a period of silence.
Erik interrupted her. It did not seem right for her to be referring to him as that when he was not giving her a singing lesson. Besides, now that she saw him as a real man it was time for her to know his real name. "Don't call me that when we are outside of lessons. Here I am simply Erik."
"Erik," she corrected, finding it odd calling him that name for the first time. "I would like to ask you something."
He immediately knew what that question was going to be about. Of course he was aware that it would be only an amount of time before his pupil would get up the courage to finally ask him. It was human nature to be curious, but despite that fact he felt his muscles tighten. Her face was already asking what her words were not. She wanted to know his secret; she wanted to know the truth. This angered Erik, which was actually not that hard to do. He had hoped for things to remain as they were, but it was obvious that change was once again on its way.
Erik was fully aware of the chorus girls who were constantly gossiping about him. As it was his nature to observe it was theirs to gossip, and gossip they did. Yet he had hoped that Elle would not listen to them or be pulled in by their mindless chattering. He had thought that perhaps she would be different, but here she was; ready to break his one rule just to find out for herself.
"Go ahead," he spat viciously, his voice gradually heightening from an inside speaking voice to a furious shout. Elle did not understand the sudden change in temper, plus she was unaccustomed to people screaming at her. "Ask me! I can see it in your curious little eyes!"
"Did you- did you really do those things that they said you did?" her timid voice eventually quavered. Her body stood still, with her eyes widened and alert, as if she were afraid if she made any sudden movements that he would pounce on her like a lion does its prey.
"Yes," A terrible smile spread over his face. "Most of it anyway. Is that what you wanted to hear? That I'm a monster?"
Elle did not reply. He began to take small steps, advancing towards her. In her fear due to the fire in his eyes she started to take little, almost unnoticeable, steps backward. This continued until she realized that she was up against a wall and that she had no place to go. Even if she did run she stood no chance of escaping, Elle was clueless as to the way out of that place. The tunnels were confusing, and against a man who had made his home down there it would be impossible to get away from him. So, instead of further resistance, she held herself against the cold wall stiffly and did not make a move.
Erik continued on in his wild rage, blindly ignoring the look on the young woman's face. He knew that she was terrified of him and that he held all of the cards in this game. She was helpless against him and he was fuming uncontrollably. "Yes, I am a monster!" he violently tore the white mask off the side of his face, revealing his deformity, and threw it on the ground. "See! You wanted to know, and here you go! Look at me, remember this face. Such a lovely sight, isn't it?"
He waited for the inevitable; a response of horror, for her to recoil and wince in fear, but it never came. Instead she stared at him, not with pity or fear, but with something akin to empathy. Her eyes were on the verge of tears, yet she kept his gaze unwavering. Her mouth opened, letting out a little more than a whisper. "I am sorry, Erik."
This reaction confused him, he expected her to immediately turn away so that she would not have to look at his ugliness and naturally repulsive looks. Not knowing how to respond to that, his hostility was still incensed. He was finally only inches from her and could hear her heart beat rapidly. His gloved hand reached up, grabbing her left arm and further pinning her to the wall. "I don't want your pity," he growled in her ear, tightening his grasp on her arm. Due to his height, he towered over her by several inches and she had to lift her face up to kept her eyes on his.
He down looked on at the poor shocked girl with malice, yet inside he knew that the anger burning within him was not directed towards her. It was for the world that had cruelly mistreated him, turning him into a cold man who was forced to live underground in a life of solitude. The lack of human contact and interaction took a toll on his personality, and his mood was disturbingly and dangerously volatile. At the frightened and injured look in her eyes Erik slowly began to calm down, realizing that he still had a strong grip on her arm. His long fingers released her and seconds later her right hand shot up to rub the spot that he had clenched. Even minutes later the red mark from his hand was still there, standing out vividly against her pale skin.
Erik backed off, lightly picking up his mask from the floor before moving to the other side of the room and falling into a chair. He kept his back to her, putting the mask gently back on his face. It was the perfect fit, and since his face so was accustomed to the feel of the smooth leather he felt naked without it on. Now she had seen the side of him that he always struggled to hide, the pure anger and resentment that filled his core. Once again he was reminded of Christine; she had seen that side of him too. The thought of her made him shudder as he held back tears. How he had missed her those years, how she had haunted his dreams for nights on end. She was responsible for the throbbing in his heart, for the emptiness that not even his music could fill. He was sure that he could never love again, never reach out to someone for comfort, not after what happened with the only woman he had ever felt that way about. He was in pieces, and the memories of her came flooding back to him. Forgetting that Elle was still in his presence, he let the beads of tears forming in the corners of his eyes to fall as his head fell into his hands.
The man was reminded again of the young woman's company when he felt a hand rest delicately on his shoulder. He quickly wiped his face, not wanting her to see him in tears, but it was too late. Elle had already witnessed his breakdown and instead of taking the chance to run away she walked over to comfort him. The fear had vanished from her and the look of compassion again filled her round emerald eyes. She did not say a word, but her eyes spoke for her.
Not sure how to react, and not wanting his pupil to see him vulnerable any further, he jumped out of the chair. Her hand brushed off his shoulder and fell down beside her. She was startled at the sudden movement, but simply stood there watching him. He could feel her eyes burning into his back as they followed his every movement. He turned to look at her, and struggled to regain his composure. "I must be getting you back."
She obediently followed him to the boat and accepted his hand getting into it when he offered it to her. They both got in without another word, and he pushed off the ground. He rowed them to the other side of the lake, and helped her get out. Elle followed closely behind him most of the way, silent except for the sound of her shoes against the floor and the rustling of her skirts. Erik did not need a lantern to guide them, but he held one in his right hand anyway, holding it up to light the path in front of them. They swiftly swept through a maze of dark, damp tunnels. The girl was finding it hard to keep up with his long strides; she had to break into a jog to stay by his side. At one point she even almost slipped, but grabbed hold of his muscled arm to keep her steady.
When she regained her balance she quickly let go of him, aware that he was in a testy mood. Neither of them made a sound as they walked. They continued on in this fashion until they were back in front of the hidden passageway that led to her bedroom. For some reason it was not alarming to her that he had easy access to her room, she had known that for a while. How else had he gotten the music scores and the letter in there? Besides, even though he had shown her how violent he could get, she was not entirely terrified of him. There was something that reassured her about Erik, she was aware that he could love and be compassionate even if she had never seen him that way. He had looked so helpless, like a little child, when he was weeping before her and that washed away any fear that she had of him.
Next thing Elle knew she was in her bedroom and the secret passage had closed behind her. She was completely alone and she turned around, feeling the wall. Her fingers ran over the smooth surface, unable to find any cracks. The passageway was so well hidden that no one would ever be able to tell that a piece of the wall could pivot open unless they saw it with their own eyes. There was no way to open it from her side, it had to be done on the hidden side, which was close to impossible to find.
Then she left the wall, her mind was swirling with thoughts. All she could picture in her mind was the unfortunate man's eyes, which held all the suffering of the world in them. They could turn from cold and unfeeling to fiery and passionate in less than an instant; one second blazing with fury and the next flowing with tears. He was the most emotional man that she had ever met.
After changing her clothing Elle collapsed on her bed. She was physically and mentally exhausted; the excursion to his hidden lair took all the energy out of her. The ache of the injury to her head came back to her, reminding her of her wound. Her hand gently caressed the bandage that Erik had carefully placed on her forehead, as if simply touching it would help stop the throbbing. Unfortunately it did nothing but make it hurt worse, so she put her hand back down. At last sleep took hold of her body, finally allowing her to escape the agony of her head and the thoughts of the Opera Ghost.
A/N: Thank all of you lovely readers for reviewing! It is good to know that so many people actually read this. I hope I did not make you all wait too long for the update. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Galasriniel- lol, thank you. Sorry you are not feeling well. Get better!
fracturedreality04- Of course, thanks for reviewing.
Anri- Thanks for the review. Speaking of which, how was your prom? Hope you had a great time.
RainsPhantom- Thank you, hope I didn't make you wait too long.
sexysarah- Thank you.
Angie-smalltowngirl- Thanks for reviewing, glad you like.
Kiwi Anime- Thanks for pointing that out to me. I an aware that something like that does occur in other fics, but when I was planning the story I hadn't really read that many so I wasn't thinking of that when I made the outline. Anyway, thanks again for the tips and I will watch my word usage.