"Gentlemen, I have sent you several notes of the most amiable nature, detailing how my theater is to be run." –Notes
Chapter 6: In the Corridors of the Opera House
When the boat docked in the corridors, Erik led Nasrin through the passageways, guiding her safely past his numerous traps while informing her about the placing and job of each strategically placed snare. After the traps were behind them, he showed her the envelopes.
"The first two messages go to Monsieur Andre and Monsieur Firmin, the-"
"The two new owners of the Opera Populaire. Yes, I know," Nasrin finished huskily.
"All right, then I have two for Madame Giry and one for Carlotta. I'll show you where to go for the owners. I'll deliver Carlotta's. I want you to meet Madame Giry."
"That's fine," Nasrin replied, taking the letters for Firmin and Andre. She tightened the cloak around her and attached the mask to her face. "How do I look?"
"Like a very feminine me. Tie your . . . hair back." Erik's face flushed in discomfort.
"You know it's not my hair, so just say wig. I wouldn't call your mask your face now would I?" She tied her hair back tighter, tucking her mane under the back of the cloak.
"True." Erik guided her through winding passageways that were parallel to the passages to the dormitories. "Now we must be quiet. Otherwise, they will hear us."
Nasrin hushed herself and as she walked on the grimy paths, memorizing the way to the office so that she could come back alone. Finally, the path ended and a window allowed a ray of light to come through. She looked down through the window and saw Firmin stamping some papers at his desk.
"The trick is to not be seen. Or if you are, make eye contact to assure dominance and guile." Erik opened the window and motioned for Nasrin to proceed.
Nasrin peered through the window, the letters clutched tightly in her hand. She lowered herself slightly and dropped the letters, one by one, onto Firmin's desk. The red seals stood out against his desk that was covered with off white envelopes.
He was jarred from his concentration and looked down at the letters that fluttered to his desk. His head shot up to find from where they had come, though he knew from whom they had come.
"Anyone there?" he asked timidly.
Silence was his answer. He swore on his life that he saw a shadow dart out of his sight as he looked at the stained glass window, but after he blinked, the shadow was no more and he was left staring into the golden sunlight. He hesitantly went back to his work.
"And now, I shall deliver the letter to Carlotta. Come with me and watch a master at work," Erik muttered once they were a safe distance from Firmin's office. "You did well for your first time. I wasn't expecting much of you, but I was pleasantly surprised. Now, watch and learn."
They peered into Carlotta's room. She slept with her small dog amongst a hoard of luxurious pink pillows and blankets. She, however, was on her back snoring, her mouth wide open and a steady dribble of drool coming out the side of her mouth. Nasrin sniggered.
"Now, you must be silent." Erik put a finger to his lips, his eyes glittering with mischief.
Nasrin nodded wordlessly as Erik crept into Carlotta's room, careful not to disturb the dog, for any outburst of the small animal would foil the errand. He slowly placed the envelope into Carlotta's outstretched hand, balancing it on her curled fingers. She did not stir in the slightest and her snoring grew slightly louder.
He slunk away menacingly, his cape an elegant swirl behind him. Once in the safety and silence of the corridors, he looked at her. "Perfection," he remarked.
For a single moment, from the way his eyes shone, Nasrin thought he was speaking of her. But that moment passed and she soon realized that he was only inflating his already enormous ego.
"Indeed it was," she replied softly.
"Now come, you must meet Madame Giry."
"She was the one who saved you from the traveling gypsies, was she not?" Nasrin ventured.
"Yes, she was. A wonderful lady she is, really. She has always warned the others of me, persuading them to yield to my command. And she has also given me whatever I asked of her. I wish for her to at least know the genius of our plan."
"My plan, you mean?" Nasrin hissed.
"It will be called 'our plan' from now on," he announced quietly.
Nasrin gritted her teeth sourly. "Remind me never to give you any more ideas."
"You won't need reminding," came Erik's retort. She responded with nothing but a hint of a smile.
"I cannot be seen, so I will give you the notes. The one with the large seals pertains to you; the other must be read aloud to the managers at a later time. Knock on the door and personally deliver them to her; she will understand when she reads it." Erik handed Nasrin the notes with the blood red skull seals. "I will be waiting in the labyrinth for you. When you leave Madame Giry's room, go into Mademoiselle Daaé's dressing room. Look at the mirror closely; you will see an opening. Go through it and I will find you then. I don't want you hanging yourself while returning to me."
"How abnormally thoughtful of you," Nasrin cooed. He smirked as he led her through the winding passages of the opera house, descending deeper into darkness. Finally, he reached a large door.
"I will wait for you behind the mirror. But do not take to long, Fire Rose. Otherwise, I won't wait and leave you to my traps." He began to slink back into the shadows.
"Your compassion is rather assuring," she spat sarcastically. But by the time she had finished the sentence, she had lost all sight of him. Grimacing, she turned to the door and knocked hesitantly.
"Who is it?" A slightly aging voice answered her call.
"I have two notes for you, Madame. Please, may I come in?"
"Yes, please do. Just give me a moment." The woman's thick accent made it rather difficult for Nasrin to decipher what she was saying.
There was a shuffling of feet, and then the door opened. Nasrin was met with the face of a woman with a twinkle of wisdom in her eyes. Unfortunately, as soon as Giry caught glimpse of her, she closed the door in her face.
"Erik, leave me alone. I don't know what you want from me," came the voice from behind the closed door.
"I'm not Erik; what would make you say that?" Then she realized she wore a black cloak and a white mask. "Oh, forgive me Madame, I am wearing . . . a costume if you will. I am not the Phantom."
The door creaked open and Giry looked her up and down. "Indeed, you are a woman, not a man. Forgive me, come in." Giry stepped aside and allowed Nasrin to walk in.
One look at her and Giry was immediately suspicious. "What exactly is your relationship with Erik? By the way you blink in the light, I would say you have been in his lair. Why were you there? And why are you dressed as him?"
"He told me to give this to you, and that it would explain. If there is any confusion, let me know." She held out the letter. "Oh and this one is for you to read to the managers at a later time." She handed Giry the other note with the small red seal.
"Well, that one will be kept until later," Giry announced, putting it on her desk. She turned the letter over and broke the huge seal.
She opened it, her eyes constantly darting back to the beautiful girl before her. She began to read the letter out loud, though Nasrin had absolutely no interest in hearing it.
"Madame Giry, this girl who delivered this note to you will be living with me in my lair. The Persian gave her to me a yesterday as a gift. She is my bride, and will be helping assure that my demands are met in this opera house. Her name is Nasrin Fire Rose. I expect you to treat her with the same respect you have shown me all these years. Do not disappoint me. –O.G." She finished and looked up at Nasrin.
"Well, do you have any questions for me?" Nasrin asked.
"Yes I do. How old are you? You look no more than twelve!"
Nasrin chuckled. "I am sixteen, Madame."
"Oh, I see. So young you look. Why is it that your last name is Fire Rose?" Her face was clouded.
"It isn't. That is the dancing name my country knew me by. I was famous, and I guess you can say that that is my public name."
"Such a pretty and suggestive name. What type of dancing did you study?"
"I was a professional belly dancer in Persia. I was the best of the best at the age of fourteen." Nasrin was obviously proud and her chest swelled in pride.
"Very good, Madame." Giry answered. "How . . . much do you know of Erik's past?"
Nasrin's face darkened. "Every detail of it Madame. I have seen his face, and I have no fear of him. Likewise, he has seen my distortion, and he does not give it a second thought."
"But Madame Fire Rose, you have no distortion," Giry commented, giving Nasrin the same scrutiny Erik had given her.
Nasrin moved up to her hair. "You will be the only one to see this, Madame. Erik trusts you and so, I will trust you too. But do not scream." Giry nodded. Nasrin removed her wig, letting her monstrosity of a head be shown. She winced out of habit and Giry's eyes widened. She clasped her hand to her mouth.
"Oh my dear Nasrin, what happened to you?" she whispered.
"It is a story meant for another time. But you should know that if the Phantom of the Opera strikes, it could be Erik; or," she grinned madly, putting on her wig, "It could be me. Farewell, Madame. I trust you will be true to Erik's word." She swirled her cloak around and smiled at Giry before leaving her room, blending in with the shadows.
She walked briskly down the halls of the opera, searching frantically for any sign as to which dressing room was Christine's. Her heart pounded in her chest as she heard a crowd of people coming her way. They drew closer and closer, and the ground began to rumble with their steps. Nasrin began to panic, her palms becoming sweaty. If she were caught, she wouldn't know what to do or how to act. Just as they began to round the corner that would put her in their view, she was grabbed out of the way, a strong hand covering her mouth.
"Be still," hissed a powerful voice as she struggled in her captor's arms. Recognizing Erik's melodious and seductive growl, she stopped and fell still at his side. She felt Erik lurch, and then she felt as though she was falling through a trapdoor. In midair Erik scooped her up in his arms, and when they landed, his grip on her tightened.
"Foolish little girl! You don't run into the ballerinas! You must stay in the shadows and time your exit! You nearly got caught! Then what would I have done?" His voice was sharp with irritation.
Nasrin flushed in shame. "Forgive me, Erik. I do not know this opera house as you do. Perhaps you should teach me so that this doesn't happen again."
"Maybe I shall," Erik spat quietly as he carried her through the passageways. "I shall bring you on every errand I do so that this house becomes as familiar to you as it is to me. But for tonight, we rest. Tomorrow I must come up with an idea as to the consequence of their repetitive disobedience. If they put Christine as the role of the Pageboy, something must be done so horrific that they won't dare defy me again."
He laid her down gently in the boat and began to row through the underground lake. He looked down at her. "How did Madame Giry receive you?"
"She was kind, though, in the beginning she thought I was you. I guess this costume can really fool people. Once she read your note and asked me a few questions, she became slightly more acclimated to my presence. She seemed to have reservations about me staying with you, though she never said it. It was in the tone of her voice." Nasrin finished the explanation, eyes never leaving Erik.
"That was to be expected. I am sure now that she regrets even bringing me into the opera house. And now that there are two of us, she must be petrified." He snickered maniacally. "This could be good tidings for you, Fire Rose. We will strike fear into them all if we need to."
"Yes we will. Come; let us plan as soon as we dock. Draw for me a picture of what the opera looks like, seeing as though I have never gazed upon its splendor. Then, we shall think up an idea that will make you go down in history. And we'll make sure that what we do can never be explained or believed. Yes, we shall make all the world fear the Phantom of the Opera!" Nasrin's eyes became wild with madness.
A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers!
Mallie: I'm so sorry to have left you out in the thank you's last chapter! I feel really bad. Thank you for reviewing, I am of pleased nature that you enjoy it.
DragonheartRAB: (nudges back) Yes yes, you shall see. You shall see as the story progresses. One thing must be apparent about my writing. Usually I go through the less desirable element before coming to a sweet conclusion . . . I'm sure a lot of others do that too . . . but. . . . yeah we'll see how they progress as husband and wife.
Videociraptor: Yay for making up stuff is right! And I am glad you liked the emotion. Nasrin appreciated your hug by the way!
Nasrin: No I didn't.
Shade: YES YOU DID!
Nasrin: Yes I did. (nods)
Shade: Damn straight! Anyway, thanks for your comment Vi! Always good with the yayness!
xxXGoddessXofXdeadXloveXxx: So glad you liked it! Great to hear from you again! Here is your update.
Thephantomscookie: I LOVE the name. So great! And thank you so much, I am very flattered that you think this is one of the best phantom stories. (bows) Thank you for your comment and here is your update! I hope to hear from you again!
Maska: Very happy to know that you enjoy my writing. Thanks for your comment!
Maidenhair: Yes, I have considered getting published, but my writing is still in the beginning stages, so it probably won't be soon, but I am very pleased that you think I can get published on something like this! And I am glad you like the chastity beads, they will be important to the plot later on. (wink wink) (nudge nudge)
Kat: I'm very glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for your comment!
Mademoiselle Justicia: I'm so pleased that you love it! Thanks for your comment! Hi wittle baby! (waves)
Color Me Gray: Wow, I love your rambling, so yay! And thank you so much for the cheesecake! (eats it) It's delicious! You bring up a good point about putting author's notes at the end of the chapter and I will certainly make sure to do it in the future. (nods) I am so pleased to know that you like my story. Huzzah! It made my day to read your review. (I do understand the overused premise of the girl with a deformity having the power to heal Erik's heart.) I was very hesitant to use it, but then I realized how important Nasrin's distortion was to the rest of the story and had to leave it in. I'm happy you liked it! Here is your update! And here, in exchange for the cheesecake, have a Phantom Mask Cookie! 'Tis delicious! (gives)