"Hearing is believing
Music is deceiving
Hard as lightning
Soft as candlelight.
Dare you trust the music of the night?" –The Music of the Night
Chapter 3: The Forsaken Angel
Nasrin waited in darkness. After some time passed, she could feel a change in the edifice above the cave. The faint trembling strains of a melody she couldn't quite hear mingled occasionally with an enormous swell of voices, but she couldn't distinguish the voice of any individual singer.
"How can he stand this?" she asked in frustration. "I will go crazy in a few weeks."
Then the singing stopped, and left her once again in silence. The silence, she mused, which presages his return. With this thought a spark of jealousy ignited as she recalled their last conversation. Why was she jealous? She had no idea what was going on between Erik and this Christine Daaé.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of a deep male voice. The resonance startled her, and she whipped around, half expecting someone to be beside her.
"Look at your face in the mirror; I am there inside!"
Nasrin's breath fled her. The voice was Erik's, though the voice in the cave had been a ghost of the one she was hearing now. It echoed through the corridors, and in her heart, she knew he was bringing Christine down to their home. Her blue green eyes flashed as she stepped back into shadow, awaiting their entry.
She heard their voices growing louder as the boat brought them closer. Erik's deep voice was a perfect foundation for Christine's trilling one. Nasrin had never heard a sound so angelic.
No wonder I'm worth nothing in his eyes, she thought. Compared to her, I'm nothing. I might as well grow a tail and rabbit ears. I'd look the same to him. She stopped as their voices rose again.
"The Phantom of the Opera is there/ here inside your/my mind!"
Nasrin couldn't take it. She leaped out of shadow and cried in her best singing voice, "He's there, the Phantom of the Opera! Beware: the Phantom of the Opera!"
As the boat emerged into her view, she saw Erik's eyes dart madly, trying to find her lurking in the shadows. Christine looked around, perplexed, her blue eyes narrowed in confusion. Nasrin quickly melded in blackness again. In order to keep Christine ensnared in his melodious spell, Erik continued to sing, fervently.
"In all your fantasy, you always knew, that man and mystery -"
"Were both in you," Christine interjected.
"So," Nasrin thought. "He's been singing to her for a while now. Though, by the look of rapture on her face, she has never been down here. Well, I'll make it a visit she won't soon forget."
The boat docked and Erik leaped out, turning back quickly to face the blond angel who sat in the bucking boat. Now he sang to her, weaving seductively through the maze of candles. His voice rang out in the dark cave, causing Nasrin's heart to flutter. With every movement he made, every note he sang, she felt herself fall deeper under his spell of seduction, that most beautiful of tortures.
She saw Christine step out of the boat and gaze around the lair with a look of magic in her eyes. Her blond hair flickered copper in the dim candlelight. Erik wrapped her in his arms as he sang to her, his voice silky, alluring, his hands moving over her. He sang in her ear, pressing his body against hers. Christine looked overcome with emotion, her eyes closed, her hand caressing Erik's exposed cheek.
Nasrin felt herself growl and shake in jealousy. She peered around and gasped. There before her was a full body model of Christine wearing a wedding dress and veil. An idea struck her. Removing the diaphanous turquoise veil that covered her nose and mouth, she reached into the pouch at her side and powdered her face until it was pale ivory. She then stripped the dummy of the outfit and fit herself into it. She pulled the dress over her turquoise, jeweled skirt and bra; she took the model's blond wig and fitted it over her own hair. She assumed the manikin's position and mimicked her facial expression. Then, she waited.
Still singing, Erik revealed the bridal outfit to Christine. His note faltered as he saw Nasrin staring back at him. As Christine moved to touch her doppelganger, Nasrin lurched forward, holding her arms out to the blond angel.
Christine's eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she swooned. Erik caught her before she struck the rock and carried her over to his beautiful swan bed, laying her down gently.
When he finished his song, he glared at Nasrin. "Why did you do that?" he hissed. "She would have been mine."
"That, my dear, would fall under the category of adultery," she said as she took off the dress and put it back on the manikin. "I couldn't allow that, for then any child I birth will be sickly and dying. If you were to commit adultery, Allah would punish us by cursing our offspring. I won't let my unborn children come to harm because of your wandering manhood." Nasrin's voice was shuddering with embarrassment and annoyance.
Erik flushed red, his teeth bared and clenched. "I will never in my lifetime give you a child."
Nasrin was silenced, surprised at how deeply his words wounded her. Feigning indifference, she said, "Fine, a baroness and baron we will be." She walked into the darkest corner of the cave and curled up on her bed of grimy blankets, readying for sleep.
A/N: It always bothered me that in the musical, that while Christine and the Phantom are in the labyrinth, random voices started singing. It was cool, but I was confused. Also, I didn't understand that after the Phantom showed Christine the manikin that it waited for about thirty seconds before lurching forward. That's why I put that in there. (nods)
P.S. A/N: Thanks to Videociraptor who was the only one to review this chapter. Thank you Vi! I heart you forever! (glomps) A fellow phan is always good to hear from!
Anyway, I hope you'll stick around for the next chapter. The story does get better as time goes on, I promise. Any and all questions or comments are welcome, so please review and let me know how you think I'm doing. You . . . yes, you reading right now . . . your opinion and thoughts are important to me. (nods) Until next time! -Shade