Hey all. Unfortunately it took me a while to update this time. I got the new HP book (three minutes after it's release, hehe. Wal-mart, people, I am telling you!) and spent that night and a couple hours the next day finishing it. Dumbledore dies! And Harry quits school to go after Snape, who killed Dumbledore! Regulus Black is a good guy.. or.. died a good guy. You learn about Voldemort's family, or lack thereof. Read it. Now, for reviews.
Erik'sDarkLullaby: .. No review, sob. You probably couldn't get to your comp! Hope it is fixed soon!
Kagome1514- I apoligize sincerly for not answering your last review, I swear I probably just didn't see it. A stint of online homework in the dead of night does that to me, lol. Thanks for the compliment. tried to clean up the chapter, and checked twice for spelling errors, jurt for you. Only to realize I forgot to include you on my review list, I am so sorry!
Erik'sTrueAngel- You got to read the chapter first, and I thank you! I am so glad you feel sorry for Reza! So many people base their sotories off Kay, or some other version of POTO, and I notice that so many of them in AU don't have all of the background characters in the story! I am a firm beleiver that a story can't be just three people. Ever. Though some stories I can make an exception for.
potophan1010- Thank you for your love of the Nadir Factor, as I love to call it. I am glad you like Reza as well! He just always sounded like such a real, heartfelt character. I am glad you enjoy my story, and that you can embarce the darkness, even if you usually don't like it! It is a huge compliment! Christine's mystery will be unravelled in no time, I promise!
ackari smith- Yep, Erik is a smart laddie. Erik is a terrorist, I assure you. I will touch upon that in this chapter. He will do nothing too gruesome, I promise. I am glad you like it!
Twinkle22- You will love this chapter too, I hope!
The Century Child- I will try to keep up the excellent writing, if you keep up your wonderful reviews! I must admit, flattery helps the process flow, lol. Nothing like an ego boost or a swell of terrible anger to progress the story! Nadir almost pissed himself. Phanti (sounds rediculessly like Fanta, to me) doesn't want to wait either! heheh!
phantomann- You prying little pandora! Shhh! I have to tell others not toread your review, no offense to you, to secure the plot! Lol. but the answer for your question is yes. And the outcome will be the same as it is historically, lol. I am glad someone other then me reads the newspapers! Keep up the insightful, inquisitive reviews, and if you have any other plot-based questions, send them to my email! I will be glad to oblige you!
To all of you who don't review!- I am glad you are fans, really! I am glad you take time out of your day to read this beautiful brainchild I spawned , hehe. I am not very modest, am I?
Read and Review, Ladies and Gentlemen.
In Her Eyes He saw the World.
Erik and Christines' lives were a whirlwind of work, school, sleep, and song. Wether they did this together or alone, was irrelevant. Erik continued with his blueprints and plotting, while Christine went to school, sang with Reza, ignored her teachers pleas for a politically unbaised history assignment, and ignored Nadir, who in turn nearly ran at the sight of her, though she didn't know it.
Erik was busy with his documents, sent to him my a contact from long ago. It described his duty in detail. He was to inflitrate the building, attempt to execute "the mark", as the idiotic, B-grade, assassin movies called it, and get out undetacted. The usual for him. After all, he had been in the business since childhood, when an "unfortunate" twist of fate left him homeless. One day, he picked the wrong pocket, and next thing he knew, he was shipped to a school for terrorists, as absurd as that sounds. More like a training camp.
He never knew what organization he was working for, at any given time. After all, should he be captured,they ddin't want to have to pay another terrorist/mercenary/assassin to come for him. He wasn't into group slayings either. It was strictly single slay, undetection. His element, after all. It was three days from his assignment, and he wanted to make sure everything was perfect.
Christine was busy pushing a lock of hir from her sweaty forehead, as she sat in the burning bleachers. Of course, the last hot day of the year, and someone decided to call a bomb threat. How quaint. It was damn near stifling, and she had picked that day to wear her black pants. The other girls and boys shared in her sentiment, fanning themselves and actually doing homework.
The teachers louged about with their classes, sectioned out. The school was being throughly swept. They had been out there since nine-thrity that morning, and it was now twelve-thirty. Had they decided not to do mhomework, they would have been obliged to stare at others, tie their shoes, or look at the dying grass of the football field.
Christine merely kept her eyes foreward, tapping out braille with a pencil, as she wondered which direction the Banana River was in. It was visible from this set of bleachers, she remembered. If she had been able to recollect, she knew she would have been facing that direction, mentally invisioning the caress of icy liquid falling from the tips of her breasts, sliding down the small of her back. Encasing her from the damnable heat!
Reza sat beside her, damn near the palest, most tired boy she could have seen, had she been able to see. He had told her he was fine, though it was very clear that he would collapse soon, if not given some water. His black hair had no sheen to it, hanging dully into his face.
Christine reached her hand out, as she listened to Reza's wheezy breathes. She hadn't said anything, but the cancer had eaten away at him, and she was reminded of this now in music. He always accompanied her now, instead of singing himself. She missed the rich sounds he would make, the inflections of his drawling accent.
She felt his face, her fingertips tingling when he exhaled on them. She felt the state he was in, and opened her bag. She pulled a bottled water from it's depths, telling him to drink it. He didn't refuse, and she felt slightly better when his wheezing receded, leaving only the voice she remembered. The voice she cherished. She motioned for him to lay his head in her lap, waving away his protestations.
She heard a few of the bitchy girls giggle, whispering about "Christine and the principal's pussy son snuggling". It didn't bother her. She wanted to keep him company, until he wasn't able to accompany her anymore. She didn't know what was worse;loosing someone she loved in a freak accident, or knowing they won't be there before they are even gone. She decided to sing a song for him, a song she heard when she was a child.
She remembered her family, watching the King and I . They had been so happy. Maybe it would make Reza happy, as well. She would have to sing the male parts, but it didn't matter. Neither did all the people around her. After all, if she didn't see them, they weren't there, right?
"We kiss in a shadow,
We hide from the moon,
Our meetings are few,
And over too soon.
We speak in a whisper,
Afraid to be heard;
When people are near,
We speak not a word.
Alone in our secret,
Together we sigh,
For one smiling day to be free!"
"To kiss in the sunlight
And say to the sky:
"Behold and believe what you see!
Behold how my lover loves me!"
She couldn't believe it when he started to sing the female parts. His voice was much the same, though a little grasping. She could almost laugh. She was Lun Tha, and he was her Tuptim.
"We speak in a whisper,
Afraid to be heard;
When people are near,
We speak not a word.
Alone in our secret,
Together we sigh,
For one smiling day to be free."
They both sang the next set, their voices high and hopeful. The hope in the song belied the ending of the siamese couples romance, unfortunately.
"To kiss in the sunlight
And say to the sky:
Behold and believe what you see!
Behold how my lover loves me!
To kiss in the sunlight
And say to the sky:
Behold and believe what you see!
Behold how my lover loves me!"
She let a hand stroke the long strands of Reza's hair. It was strange to her, how she transferred her affection only to males. She was never too attracted to the company of women, which a psychologist once contributed to :" The pain your mothers' adultery had upon your psyche."
Reza was different from his father though. He genuinely cared for Christine, to the point of walking her to the car every day, since she had beeen tripped quite a few times in the past week by other students. She hated imposing on people, and the constant remarks from Erik, which reminded her of the boys frailty, frankly annoyed her.
They talked about the King and I, until Reza dosed off in her lap. She continued to pet his hair, whispering song lyrics until they where allowed back into school. It was fifteen minutes until the end bell. Christine and Reza got to music, when he surprised her with a question.
"Is Mr.Bathory nice?"
"Nice isn't the word I would choose. More like intense."
He made a soft noise in the back of his throat." Intense?"
There was a slight tinge of humor in her voice, as she continued." Yes. Intense, Mr Giggles. He is tall, almost too tall, really. He had these burning eyes, as stupid as it sounds. They are gold, almost honey-colored. He wears a white mask, to cover up a deformation on one side. But really, I dtopped caring after my accident."
Reza heard the tinge of awe in her voice. She was probably remembering her vision.He still had traced of comedic laughter in his voice ."That still doesn't answer the question of why he is intense, you know. Or is he just pysically domineering?"
"Oh no! It's more his personality. If he isn't angry, he's quiet, if he isn't quiet he's singing amorous songs to thin air. He doesn't seem to have a boring disposition. Why do you ask?"
She heard his hesitation. "Do you think he would alet me to come over? To visit, I mean? After all, Dads' not going to be home tonight and tommorow, he has to meet with some crazy Swedish doctors about a surgery... and I don't want to be alone, in case something happens."
" Of course you can stay. I can ask him when you drop me off at the car. Besdies, if he says no, I'll just have to stay with you tongight and tommorow!"
"Well, I figured after Meg Giry.. that you wouldn't really trust going to somebody elses' place. Do you think he will be mad?"
She grabbed her pack, as the freakishly loud bel signalled their freedom.
"Guess there's only one way to find out!"
Erik rolled his eyes, as they pulled into the drive, Christine and the boy running to the door. She was entirely too happy with that little... No, he would not stoop to the level of insulting the ill. Even if this certain sick boy had a strange bond to his beautifully caustic charge. He exited the car, making sure te overly polite child and the overly evil little spwan were inside, before kicking the tire soundly enough to make his toe ache.
He wasn't heartless, contrary to popular belief. He didn't want Christine to fight with him, either. Which is why, when she requested that he let Reza stay, he had allowed it. What kind of monster would he be, declining the deathly ill from occupying some space? The fact that it made the girl happy was only a perk.
He entered the house, and when he heard the soft voices of the two in the living room, he nearly took flight to get to the music room. Changin his mind, he made way to the kitcehn, starting a mediocre dinner. After all, it wouldn't do to let them starve, either. It unsteadied him to think he let his conscience influnce his actions. He informed them of the upcoming edibles, and joined in some polite conversation.
Reza stared openly at the man, the awe in his eyes apparent even to Erik, who was unnerved. He seemed to latch on Eriks' words, while Christine only spoke occasionally. Despite Erik's almost pure hatred of strangers, they talked and talked, until gradually, the nervous feelings dissolved.
Christine felt left out, while the men talked about everything from Dante to The Nightmare Before Christmas, which Erik said was his favorite Burton work. She ended up dropping off somewhere around nine, after they ate their food. She remembered the soft murmur of her only friends, and it was sweet to sleep to.
Reza followed Erik, as the strong man lifted the girl into his arms, carrying her to a dark blue bedroom. Reza was jealous, this man held something special in his hands, and acted as if she was nothing but a possession. He pulled the sheets over her, forgetting to close the door when they left.
Erik invited Reza to the music room, since it seemed neither where getting sleep anytime soon. Erik's fingers where twitching in anticipation of the ivory keys he so loved, and Reza longed to hear the haunting sounds Christine had described to him. Erik took a seat, cracking his chuckles loudly, as was his habit. The extremely long digits reminded Reza of stilettos, the dangerous knives his father had once shown him.
When Erik's finger met the keys, Reza realized why he enamored the man so. He had an air of mystery that entranced him.It was the same with Christine, after all. They seemed so ethereal, and so human at the same time. They held to secrets so tightly, and unlike anyone he had ever met, they mattered.
And being with them, it made him feel like he mattered.
"Child of the wilderness
Born into emptiness
Learn to be lonely
Learn to find your way in darkness
Who will be there for you
Comfort and care for you
Learn to be lonely
Learn to be your one companion
Never dreamed out in the world
There are arms to hold you
You've always known your heart was on its own
So laugh in your loneliness
Child of the wilderness
Learn to Be lonely
Learn how to love life that is lived alone
Learn to be lonely
Life can be lived life can be loved alone."
Erik had shut his eyes as he sung. He still remembered the night he wrote it. The night Christine had run from his house, only to return, much to his surprise, only a few hours later. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't hear Reza approach him, didn't hear Reza reach out.
He only felt fingers brush his cheek, as air hit the usually covered flesh of his cheek.
Christine awoke to screaming, or was it yelling? She didn't stop to find out, as the angry roar of Erik's voice spurred her into action. Reza, was he alright? Erik? What had happened? She run towards the sound, bashing a hip or two against a wall in her haste. Her curls flying behind her, she crashed painfully into a tirading Erik, the crack filling the air obviously not a good thing.
She was forced into a chair, the soft sobbing of her friend not really her concern, as a horrible pain filled her nose. The doctors had told her it would be very weak, and to keep herself safe from sudden, harsh impacts.
I think it was safe to say this would be considered a sudden, harsh impact.
Erik cursed the boy, how dare he take the mask off! Even Christine hadn't been so callous as to remove it. He had been busy screaming at the top of his lungs, when the mouse of a girl had slammed into him hard enough to bruise. Of course, he had forgotten she was alseep. She must have been panicked.
He curbed the raw urge to kill, ordering the boy to get ice. Reza, apparently relieved to get away from them, took the chance to speed from the room. Erik examined Christines' nose, not feeling any guilt, even when she flinched. After all, if she hadn't invited the boy, none of this would have happened. Or at least that was what the dominant part of his brain said. Th eguilty part clutched in regret, as he set her remodeled nose quickly, and effeciently.
Reza walked in, just at that moment. Dropping the bag of ice, he ran to Christines' side, wrapping his arms around her . Erik was surprised, when the girl started to shake.She was usually so composed. Imagine both the mens' surprise when she started to gasp for breath. They both closed in on her, shocked to see what was really happening to their beloved kitten.
She was sobbing. Deep, heavy sobs, and gasping in between, as thought she had just run for miles. She couldn't remember the last time she had hurt this much. The crunch of her prosthetic nose had ground against her actual remaining bone, and blood came from her nostrils. Shehad been told she was lucky they had been able to save it the first time, and that she wasn't able to feel it. Now she knew why ignorance was bliss.
Erik remembered himself when Reza's shaky hands retrieved the icepack. He stood quickly, striding from the room like Hell hounds were following. Damn the boy and her! Deceitful little wretches!
Reza couldn't remove the image from his mind. Erik's face, it hadn't been.. That was why the man was so ethereal? Because of his face? In that case, Reza was fine with being average. He didn't know what possessed him. maybe it was the white glow of the mask, as the depressing song had played? He turned his thoughts to Christine, as he helped her to her room, letting her hold the cold pack to her swelling nose.
A couple of hours later, when the sweeling had gone down and Reza had stopped doing an imitation of a leaf in a hurricane, she had forced him to confess to his transgression. Upon hearing of it, she had a tantrum of her own.
" Reza, how could you! I told you what was under it1 Or is my word not good enough for you!"
"It wasn't that, it was just..He looked like a corpse! You could see the veins under hsi skin, and , and the side of his nose was gone!"
"So! That's none of your business! I may have never seeen his face, but I don't really care what it looks like, okay! He takes care of me, and that's the one damn thing he asked me never to do! God Reza."
He clenched his hands, before bellowing back at her. It was just one slip. In this moment, she wasn't blind, she wasn't a tiny woman, she wasn't the one he loved.
She was just there.
" He was a monster, Christine! And if you could have seen it, you would think so too! But I guess you can't can you? So don't tell me about what I should and should not let bother me, alright? Cause I don't give a damn!"
He felt the burning pain in his genitalia, as she left the room.
"Think about that, until I get back."
She made her way to the empty music room, picking up a guitar. She didn't sense Erik there, and he wasn't, so she picked up her guitar. plugging it into an amp, she slammed the door shut. The sound-proof room allowed her alot of freedom.
"When I close my eyes.. I can see for miles
There's comfort in my dark seat.. and chaos in the aisles
These eyes are not your eyes
And these eyes are not the color
that your arid eyes might be.
No, I was not around
When those eyes of yours decided so
I refuse to kneel before the
Sights you choose to see.
When I close my eyes .. I remember why I smile
Under my umbrella.. I'm an acomplished exile.
These eyes are not your eyes
And these eyes are not the color
that your arid eyes might be.
No, I was not around
When those eyes of yours decided so
I refuse to kneel before the
Sights you choose to see!
If this is right, I would rather be wrong!
If this is right, I would rather be blind!
These eyes are not your eyes
And these eyes are not the color
that your arid eyes might be.
No, I was not around
When those eyes of yours decided so
I refuse to kneel before the
Sights you choose to see!
If this is right, I would rather be wrong!
If this is right, I would rather be blind!"
When she returned to her room, Reza was crying. She could hear him. She took him into her arms, having let all of her anger go with a simple song. She was angry that he would insult Erik so, but she couldn't bear to hear his sobs. The sobs her baby brother had made, before he had died prematurely. It had been in the hospital, in the middle ofthe night.
She let him sob himself out, right there on her shoulder. She got him to let go long enough to change into a nightgown. Reza watched unabashedly, considering she didn't know if he was looking of not. The temptation was too much to resist.
She slid the ankle length black garment over her head, before returning to her bed, sitting beside him. " I want you to agoligize tommorrow."
He looked into those eyes, astonished to notice that the moonlight made the grey pupils silver.
" I will."
Christine touched his face then, wiping the wetness from them. She was so attached, so attached so fast. Was she doomed to seek comfort from every man she ever met?
She just wanted to end the pain.
He caught her hand in his own, before pressing his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around him, as darkness consumed the bedroom.
Damn! Our girly is just sexing it up lately, hmm? I know most of you won't like it, but come on!Did you think Reza was gonna die a virgin! See you next chapter!