Chapter 23

Cheerful faces met Elle as she left the stage. People fluttered about, in a hurry to get where they were going. She was too excited to speak, but when Madame Giry complimented her singing she was able to muster a modest 'thank you'. The young woman was surrounded by a swirl of color, costumes and scenery that seemed to blur around her. Everything seemed to be moving rapidly and soon she found that what she needed was to sit down, relax, and have a sip of water. Meanwhile those around her were already celebrating with opened bottles of wine. A woman offered her some, but Elle turned it down and the woman moved on.

The performance drew to an end, the curtain closing on Maximilien and Isabel as they sang their last duet together. The song was beautiful and the ending tragic yet poetic at the same time. Certain members of the audience wept, others were impressed, and the majority mustered applause worthy of a task well done. Despite the confusion and chaos backstage Elle made her way to her dressing room without much difficulty.

When she arrived at her destination she found Hector waiting for her outside the door. His appearance tore the performance from her mind, forcing her to deal with the situation. Hector had been leaning against the wall while his eyes scanned the area and the moment he caught sight of her he straightened up and moved to one side. On the way to her dressing room he had grabbed a bouquet of flowers, not wanting to go to Elle empty-handed. Now that she was near him he completely forgot that he was even holding anything in his right hand. All his mind could think about was the girl whom he fancied himself in love with.

"Are those for me?" Elle asked innocently, pointing to the flowers he was holding. That question snapped him out of his daze and he soon remembered why he was there. He nodded curtly, handing the bouquet out for her to take. She accepted them and then proceeded to open the door that he was standing beside. He followed her in the room, but stayed near the door and watched her as she glided over to the vanity and set the flowers down on the smooth surface. She was aware of his eyes on her, but she stayed silent. The memory of earlier flashed in her mind, turning her into stone. All of the energy she had gained from the thrill of the theatre was frozen by the unexpected question asked her by someone who she had only thought of as a friend.

Elle was facing away from Hector. He was standing several feet from where she was sitting; it was almost as if he felt he must keep his distance. She did not want to see the look in his eyes or the large ring that he had offered her. Her eyes looked down and she raised her left hand, pulling the ribbon from her hair with one swift movement. After placing the ribbon on the counter she picked up a brush and began combing her hair slowly. The bristles moved effortlessly over her long soft locks of wheat-colored hair that came down straight and thick.

He was the first to break the silence. The blood in his veins was increasing in speed and warmth just as Elle's was running cold. He wanted to get the situation over with fast, hopefully leading to a pleasant outcome, while she wished that she could delay the inevitable forever. His words were not spoken loudly yet they cut through the tension like a sharp knife cutting through a block of cheese. "We did not get the chance to finish our last conversation."

When he spoke she placed the brush back on the vanity and turned to face him. At this point words seemed useless, unable to communicate how she felt properly. She found the courage to look him in the eyes, but was still as speechless as before. It was as if she were a fish out of water, flopping about and gasping for life. "Hector…"

He did not let her continue. Instead he stopped her with one gesture and began to speak in a serious and important manner. "Before you give me an answer there is something else that I have to tell you. I have been offered the position of acting-director for an opera house back in London. It is a remarkable opportunity."

"That is wonderful," Elle replied, struggling to fake a smile. This news was sudden and unpredicted. She was genuinely glad for him, that he was able to find work that he would enjoy, but at the same time she felt as if she were losing something. "I suppose you have accepted it then, since it is what you have been preparing for."

"I have. I leave next week," he answered succinctly.

If Hector left Elle was sure that she would never see him again, yet she could not ask him to stay. It would be selfish to put herself in the way of his dream, especially when she did not return his feelings. Her glistening green eyes glanced up at him as she spoke from her heart without first considering what to say. "It's too soon to say good-bye."

Hector took this as encouragement and quickly moved closer to Elle, kneeling before her and taking her small hands in his. His hands were young and soft, warm and welcoming. "Elle, this doesn't have to be good-bye. You can come with me. All you have to say is yes and we can start a new life together. I'll be directing and you can sing; it could be just what you need!"

Tears welled up in Elle's eyes, but she only let one tear drop fall. She knew that she had to make a hard decision: to lose a friend or gain a fiancé. "I can't."

His eyes eagerly searched hers. "You can't, or you won't?"

"Hector, don't make me answer that."

"There is someone else, isn't there?" he asked jealously. His hands dropped hers and he got up from his spot. Elle did not answer at first, just sat there with her hands on her lap looking up at him. "Answer me for God's sake!"

She was upset and hurt that he would yell like that at her when she had done nothing to provoke him. The way his temper had gone from safe to risky scared her because she had never seen him like that before. Finally she replied quietly and sadly, "Would it even make a difference if there was?"

They were both silent as Hector pondered her response. Soon he felt horrible for the way he had acted, which was obvious in his speech and expression. "I'm sorry," His eyes looked at her apologetically for a moment, then tried to avoid her gaze. "You are right; perhaps it is better if I do not know," He took small steps back towards the door and his hand landed on the doorknob. It was evident that he was uncomfortable by the way he was rambling. "Yes, well, I should be going."

She watched his hand close over the doorknob and begin to turn it. Suddenly Elle felt the need to stop him; she did not want him to leave in that way. "Wait."

At the sound of her voice Hector stopped dead in his tracks and released his hand from the handle. He kept his back to her but turned his head to the right and looked over his shoulder at her form. She had not moved from her seat at the vanity. "Yes?" he asked, wondering why she had chosen to stop him from leaving. Rejection was a stab in the heart and lingering there felt like someone was twisting the knife that was already in his chest.

"I'm sorry too," she stated. It was difficult for her to see the pain that was so evident in Hector and know that it was caused by her. She knew that he did not deserve to be heartbroken, yet she was sure that one day he would find happiness.

"I hope you find what you are looking for," he responded, leaning forward and grabbing hold of the knob once more. Within a minute he was gone and the door was slammed behind him, leaving Elle alone in her dressing room. She turned to face the vanity and looked up to see herself looking back at her in the mirror. Just as easily as Hector walked out of the door he had left her life and it felt almost like loosing a brother. It was that moment that Elle realized nothing was going to be the same again.

Once Elle was able to she changed into her dress from that morning and placed the costume back where she had found it. She did not feel like celebrating with the others, but instead felt like returning to her bedroom and being alone. Leaving the flowers in her dressing room, Elle stepped out into the hallway. She slipped through the crowd and hurried up the stairs and down the hall to her room. Pulling the key from her pocket she unlocked the door, grabbed a lit candle from a small table in the hall, and entered.

She set the candle down by the door and proceeded to light various candles throughout her room. Everything looked the same and Elle felt glad to be back. With a sigh she took a seat at her piano, feeling guilty for recently neglecting it. Her fingers lightly traced the wood across the top of the instrument as her eyes followed, but she stopped as she noticed an object that was foreign resting on the top. It was in the exact same place that Erik had left her a letter only a day before. It was a rose, a white rose, with a black satin ribbon tied about the stem. Slowly her hands left the piano and gently retrieved the gift.

Elle brought the rose up to her nose and breathed in the sweet perfume that the flower gave off. Immediately she was aware that it was from Erik, causing her spirits to rise once more. Thoughts of Hector were gone and replaced by that of her teacher. If it was not for his lessons then she would never had the recent wonderful experience onstage, and so she wanted to thank him. She felt as though she owed a lot to him, for without him where would she be now? Absent-mindedly she twirled the rose as she sat on her hard piano bench.

Not aware of the time or how long she had been sitting there, Elle was only brought back to earth when she heard the sweet sound of her instructor's voice. He spoke to her as usual, with his voice seeming to come from all over the room. Her head shot up at the sound, the rose still in her hands, and she looked around even though she knew that she would not see him. "Congratulations on your first performance. You were an agreeable Stephano, although you would have made a better Juliette."

"Erik! I am glad that you have come. I wish to thank you, for the rose and the gift of song. I feel as though I have never been so happy in my life!" she exclaimed, revitalized once again by the remembrance of her time onstage. His presence and his approval of her performance both added to her happiness at that moment.

"You have proved to me that your lessons have not been in vain," he replied. "And your directors will soon realize the talent that has been sitting right under their noses."

"I am delighted to hear that you are pleased," Elle answered. Her teacher's opinion held heavy weight with her; he was a musical genius and so his praise was worth more a thousand of other people's compliments.

"I have a surprise for you," Erik stated after a moment's silence. This sparked Elle's interest, for she had not expected something like that from him.

"A surprise?" she asked, wondering what he meant. She set the rose back down on the top of her piano and rose from her seat. Her ears tried to find the direction his voice was emanating from, and her eyes landed on a length of wall. Then Elle remembered coming back to her room from being with Erik and how there was a piece of wall that moved, connecting to a hidden passageway. She watched as slowly the wall began to turn and in its space stood a shadow. Hypnotically she moved closer to get a better look and soon she was face to face with Erik.

"Follow me," he said, neither commanding nor asking, as he offered her his hand. It was not several seconds before Elle's hand was in his and he was guiding her through the dark, damp, and intricate tunnels. Even if she was able to see better than she was in the darkness she would not have remembered the way he was taking her. She had only seen the way to her room, yet even that was rushed and the memory of it blurry. After he helped her into a small boat and began to row through a lake she knew that they would reach their destination soon.

She was only sure of where they were once they arrived, for the sight of Erik's home was one that she would remember forever. It was just how she remembered it, except it seemed that the place had even more candles than before. Erik led her straight to his organ, where he took off his cloak and sat down on the bench. Elle stood close by and waited. He picked up some papers, set a music score open on his organ, and then turned to look at Elle. She looked at his face again, the white mask still covering half of it, and did not think of what lie behind it. Instead she took the papers that he handed to her, watched him turn to face his organ once more, and then studied what he handed her. It was a copy of the music score that he had set out. She instantly knew what the surprise was.

"Did you write this?" was all Elle asked, and she received a curt nod in reply. Then Erik proceeded to stretch out his experienced fingers over the keys and play. At first she was so captivated by the music he played that she forgot she was supposed to sing, but then she finally did and was even more mesmerized. The song that he had written was beautiful and being able to produce the music with him was a great privilege to her.

After the song was over Elle was speechless. She was not sure how to express the way that she was feeling. Erik's music was deep and empowering, at times soft and at times powerful. It was also obviously very personal to him, so in a way that meant he trusted her. Elle wondered if he knew the power he had over her, but did not say a word.

The silence lasted several minutes. Eventually Erik rose from his seat and placed his eyes on the young woman with him. He spoke in a manner as though he doubted Elle's dedication to her singing, but he could see how much she enjoyed it. As he spoke he gestured with his arms to the room around him. "We can continue your lessons down here from now on, that is if you still wish to continue with them."

"Oh yes, of course I do!" was her quick reply. She was sure that she wanted to continue the lessons and in a way she was drawn to the mystery of his lair. Taking her lessons down there meant that she could take lessons from a person instead of a voice, even though that voice was beautiful.

Erik was pleased with her answer and not at all surprised. The lessons in his home would be pleasant for both parties involved because, for some reason, she sang the best down there. She still had many things to learn, but for now she had a singing voice that was hard to compete with. If Elle continued improving as she had been then he was sure that she would be a star one day. He could have another student of his become a prima donna…

The time was getting late and he knew that he had to take her back. Elle left with him obediently, following him into the boat and then through the passageways as before. She was growing tired, realizing how late it was, and he was focused on his task. He watched her enter her room and, as the wall was once again closing, she bade him goodnight. For a moment after the wall shut completely Erik stood there staring at it before heading back. Although everything was fine then, he had an ominous feeling that things were not going to remain that way for long.

A/N: I just have one thing to say: thank you all for reviewing!

CeleryBunch- lol, don't you wish?

Nika- Glad you like!

Anri- Actually there was some foreshadowing, but it was supposed to be a surprise.

TheWyldeWestWynd- lol. Yeah, you are right, he does.

L.B. the Daft Penguin- This takes place before the auction.

K. R. Wehrman- lol, I'm happy you like the story.

Amanda- Thanks for reviewing. Tell me what you think.

Captain Oblivious- We'll see. Thanks for the review.

Eryka O.G.- Nice quote. Thanks for reviewing.

Galasriniel- lol, it wasn't really supposed to be funny.

AnimeChik06- You will have to wait and see. Glad you enjoyed the story so far.

CantLiveWithinYou- Thank you.