II. Insolent Boy
Hurrying up the stairs to where Christine's quarters had once been, only a short time ago, Raoul was careful to avoid all the awkward questions people had in store for him. He had just been to inspect the damage done to the stage and auditorium, and those moments of fear and anguish were once again fresh and raw in his mind; he did not want to relive them again and again. Probably his not revealing much would give all the rumours free reign, but for now he did not care. People would gossip anyway.
Moreover, he wanted to be with Christine again, whatever she had said about the Phantom being somewhere else. What if he had come back in the meantime and tried to drag her off to his dungeons once more? That monster! He would never do that again!
Raoul took a few steps in a leap – and skidded to a sharp halt on the landing. From up ahead, where Madame Giry's quarters were located, a pair of cold eyes glittered, and a white mask seemed to gently glow in the gloom. The Phantom stood with his arms crossed, dressed all in black and with his cloak wrapped around his shoulders, leaning against the wall, apparently perfectly at ease, but his eyes watched Raoul's every move warily.
Raoul took a deep breath to steady himself. "You", he stated.
The Phantom's lips curled into a sneer. "Seems so."
Stay calm. Calm. Relax. "I'm here to protect Christine", Raoul announced, feeling rather brave.
"Fancy that."
"And if you don't stop grinning at me like that", Raoul continued hotly, "I'll come and wipe that stupid grin right off your face."
"I'd like to see you try, kid."
There was no backing out of it now. Regretting bitterly that he had left his sabre back at the coach, Raoul slowly started up the last steps. Calm down. You can handle him. Calm down. The Phantom was still watching him, but made no move, and Raoul feared that he did not look exactly intimidating currently. To be honest, he never looked intimidating. When he was at the same height with his opponent, he puffed out his chest and tried to stand as tall as possible. Why did that accursed fellow have to be slightly taller than he was? And how did he manage to radiate danger while in such a comfortable pose? It was hardly fair.
"When you're done staring at me", the Phantom said, his sneer growing wider with every passing moment, "would you kindly inform me what exactly you intend to do about me? It might be interesting… and most certainly amusing, I trust."
"You watch your tongue!" Raoul snapped at him, feverishly thinking about what he was really going to do. Just punch him in the nose? He certainly felt like it, but this was not a very gentleman-like behaviour, and Raoul did not want to be caught misbehaving by his fiancée.
The Phantom raised his eyebrows, or at least the one that was visible. "Or you'll do what, if I may ask?"
Raoul sighed. Currently there was nothing suitable coming to his mind. "I'll think of something", he answered honestly, trying to speak in a tone as dignified as possible.
"Right. You do that." There was a moment's silence, in which they both eyed each other suspiciously, then the Phantom remarked, "You know, I might just have a mental advantage on you."
Raoul decided that this was no time to be a gentleman after all. "Shut up, you murderer."
"Is this what you consider an insult, slimeball?"
"Insulting people is not a very clever argument", Raoul threw at him.
"Telling them to shut up is even less so. Besides, I was merely stating a fact."
"I'd like to hit you", Raoul burst out.
"Really?" The Phantom smirked. "One question: How would a snivelling little boy like you ever manage to land a proper blow?"
"But I beat you", Raoul cried triumphantly. "I beat you in our duel at the cemetery, remember?" There would be absolutely nothing the Phantom could possibly say to this.
"Oh yes. I must have slipped on your slime trail, I assume. But I'm ready to repeat the duel any time."
"You're a bad loser", Raoul commented, thrusting his hands into his pockets and trying to appear at ease as well.
"You need a haircut."
Raoul's mouth worked silently. How dare he? The impertinence of this! There was absolutely nothing wrong with his hairstyle, whatever his mother and father, and several other relations, to be exact, had to say about it! "There's a lot more wrong with your looks", he replied furiously.
At last it seemed he had hit a sore spot, for the Phantom jerked upright at once, looming intimidatingly over him. In a low, very dangerous voice, he answered, "Be mindful of what you say, insolent little cockroach. Unlike you, I've currently got lots of lovely images in my head of what I might do to you."
Raoul did not doubt it, and he knew that several of these images probably involved a rope around his neck. However, what the Phantom did next came quite unexpected: Allowing his cloak to slide back from his left hip, he rested his left hand on the pommel of his sabre lightly, while the right came to caress the hilts of the two daggers he wore belted on beside it. "I might even let you pick", he said softly, his voice full of anticipation.
"A remarkable collection, I see." It was not easy for Raul to keep his voice steady. How foolish he had been, leaving his own weapon behind! And at once he found himself thinking longingly of the pistol his father kept somewhere in his desk, back at their city residence. One of these days, he should maybe go looking for it.
"I picked them off dead men's bodies, one by one. Needless to say, it was me who killed them in the first place."
Raoul's breath caught. Another threat. "Showing off, are you?", he managed, his throat rather tight.
The Phantom's black-gloved index finger lovingly traced the hilt of the one dagger closest to his belt buckle, or rather, to the three belt buckles above each other. It seemed that both daggers had come with their own belt, and he wore them strapped on very slightly lopsidedly so the buckles would not get into each other's way. The one belt belonging to this one was the crudest, of soft, worn leather, with a loose end dangling down for almost a foot's length. It must have been owned by a rather wide man before the Phantom had come to claim it. "This one is a treasured trophy", he said in a conversational tone. "I took it from the second man I ever killed, many years ago. He used to work here, the filthy brute, and he had the unfortunate idea to come too close to a woman I held dear, and to force his attentions on her." Here he made a meaningful pause, and his eyes bored into Raoul's. "To make it short, I strangled him and threw him into the river. But he died hard, that one. He took his time with it. My first was a cleaner job." He leered at Raoul, the visible side of his face an eerie grimace in the shadows. "At least you won't have to worry about that. I've got plenty of experience now."
Whether he was lying about this all or not, this man was a monster. "So you take pride in all your victims", Raoul breathed, the disgust plain in his voice, and he knew that it would show on his face as well. "I don't doubt this is the only qualification about you, you murdering bastard!" He realized that he was going to use what his mother considered really bad language now, but he did not care. "You can list them all if you like, you bloody son of a bitch, and threaten me as much as you want, but I'll go straight to the police and tell them you're still here, and then they'll come and get you, and off to the gallows you go! They'll make it short with you, I reckon, because something like you won't be seen fit to get a trial. And I'll be delighted to watch them place the noose around your own neck, at last." His voice had turned into a furious hiss towards the end, full of hatred for the man who had dared to treat his beloved Christine like that. In fact, the mere idea of an execution sickened him, but in this case, he wished he could be there to watch.
And then he felt sick of himself, sick for his own desire to see someone die, even if this someone was his worst rival and had treated Christine rather badly. Even if this someone deserved to die ten times over. Wishing to witness another's death made him no better than the Phantom was.
How could he ever again look Christine in the eyes, after he had harboured such thoughts inside him? How could he ever dare to approach her now without a feeling of guilt towards this pure, innocent being? When there were such thoughts on his mind, he was not worthy of her. Christine was too good for him.
The Phantom was still watching him, with eyes blazing and cold at the same time. Some of Raoul's feelings must have shown on his face, because the Phantom commented dryly, "Find a stronger stomach for yourself before you dream of such things."
Raoul wanted to retort angrily that he did not intend to, that he was proud to be a decent man and not a monster, but at precisely this instant the door opened, and Madame Giry appeared on the threshold. "So there you are", she said. "I thought I could hear your voices. Why don't you come in? The girls have been in and out of my room for the last half hour, and eating up most of the sandwiches and drinking most of the tea, but there's still enough left." She greeted Raoul warmly, then turned to the Phantom. "How about you? You look quite ready, it seems." She was regarding him, and only now Raoul noticed the rough black leather vest the Phantom had donned over a black linen shirt. What villainy was he up to again?
"I am." The cold wrath in his voice was barely concealed, and once more Raoul fervently wished for a weapon of any kind. Heavens, Christine was inside this room, and this murdering madman lurking only outside the door!
Madame Giry sighed heavily. "I won't be able to stop you, I'm afraid. Wouldn't you stay for just a moment?"
"Every passing moment gives them a firmer hold." God, all that hatred one single voice could contain!
"Go with Heaven's blessing, then, although this means nothing to you. Do what you think you must." Her voice was tinged with worry, yet Raoul had no idea what they were talking about.
"What else would you have me do, then?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. Just promise me to be safe."
"I can't promise you that", he answered gently, and Raoul was surprised at how suddenly the tone of his voice could change.
"But you can at least be careful. If not for my sake, then at least for Christine's. Will you do that? For her?"
There was the shortest of pauses, then he said, "I will." With a last nod at her, he turned to go, then stopped once more on the topmost steps of the staircase. "Before I go", he said, very softly, "I just want you to know that she and you and your daughter are the only ones that matter to me. If I by any chance don't come back… keep that in mind."
Following after him, Madame Giry pulled him into a tight hug, regardless of Raoul watching, who felt that the surprises would never come to an end on this day. That Madame Giry knew the Phantom better than anyone else, he had known, because she herself had told him so. But that there was something close to affection between them… He had heard it in her voice back then, when she had spoken of the Phantom as a genius, but that this heartless murderer would return her feelings… He would never have expected it.
Had it been her the Phantom had referred to earlier, when he had spoken of that man he had killed? Had he killed that man for her sake? Raoul assumed so. He wondered what this must feel like, having someone close who readily killed to ensure one's happiness, and he hoped that he would never have to find out.
Gently loosening her grip on him, the Phantom gave her a little bow, one fist on his chest and with a flourish of his cloak, and then he swiftly descended and disappeared from view. Madame Giry watched him go with an expression of sorrow.
Clearing his throat, Raoul felt that a few soothing words were in place now. "He can take care of himself", he said. "Whatever he's up to. That one's a fighter if I ever saw one."
Madame Giry smiled up at him gratefully. "Yes, he is. Of course he is."
Raoul drew a deep breath. "If you'll pardon my curiosity, Madame… but what is going on here?" Yes, what did this criminal intend to do in Christine's name, sullying it with his black, impure mind?
The answer was quite simple. "Come with me, and you'll learn everything."
