Chapter Three:

The brisk outdoor air hit my face as I left the café. The sun had fallen behind the skyscrapers, so the sky was a deep mix of maroon and purple. Pollution had chased away all the twinkling starts I use to watch when I Lived in Paris. Every once and a while I would get a pang of homesickness, but I knew returning to France was out of the question.

My footsteps echoed in the abandoned alley; it was kind of lonesome and depressing, but the solitude was much needed. The few minutes of silence ended when I heard a fight break out. Normally I would ignore it and continue my own business, but for some reason I was compelled to figure out what had happened.

I peered into a dark alley to find a group of thugs surrounding a young man. Two massive men held the thin boy up while another repeatedly punched his stomach. Seeing that the skinny fellow was in poor health already, I knew that I had to intervene. Without thinking, I grabbed my can of mace out of my purse and ran towards the group. I managed to get the two men who were holding the one man, but that was all I could muster.

The gang formed a semi-circle around me as their leader grabbed my face. He forced me to look into his bloodshot eyes. I could smell the nauseous scent of smoke and alcohol on his breath.

"You're such a pretty li'l swan to be pickin' fights," his raspy voice said as he stroked my neck with is dirty fingers. Somehow I had to figure out a way to get out of this. I looked around to see that the man the group had been hitting was unconscious. He was no help; I have no idea why I decided to help him in the first place.

When my chances of getting away became very slim, my knight in shining armor arrived. Raoul was my strapping boyfriend, and he had come looking for me when I didn't show up. He's such a wonderful person, I'm so lucky to have him.

Anyway, my wonderful lover jumped on the leader of the thugs and punched him over and over again. In a matter of minutes the gang limped way like a pack of dogs with their tails between their legs.

"Are you okay honey?" Raoul asked caringly. "You should be more careful around here, it's a bad neighborhood."

"I'm fine love," I suddenly remembered the one man, "but I don't think he's okay." Since the fight was, I had a chance to get a good look at the man. He had greasy black hair and a very skinny figure. His black pants were muddy and his black t-shirt was torn in a few areas. He used a rope as a belt, which was wrapped tightly around his unhealthily thin waist. Oddly, he wore a white mask over half his face, just like the Phantom. I wonder if he plays that role in the theatre just down town.

My strong warrior picked up the blacked out man and carried him to my apartment. He's so kind and strong, I love him so much. Then why did I go out of my way to save the other guy?

Once we got to my apartment we laid the sickly boy in my spare bed. I got a bowl of cold water and a towel so I could clean the guy's wounds and bring his fever down. He woke up slightly while I put a bandage on his forehead, but he passed out again. All of a sudden he started thrashing about in a delirious dream. Finally he calmed down and came to.

"What's your name?" he asked weakly. Now that I think about it, he's kind of cute. Should I tell him my name? I guess there's no harm to it.

"Christine," I tried to say it as sweetly as I could, this guy must have had a rough life. To bad I already had a man. If things were different this guy might have been the right kind of guy for me. Oh well, I had my man. Um…what was I saying?

Oh yeah, I decided to ask what his name was, curiosity had filled me and covered up my timidity.

"…um…Erik," he actually stuttered. That's so cute, he's shy. I couldn't help but stroke his hair. After talking with him a bit, I found that he was the Phantom in my favorite play. That must have been why he wore that phantom mask, I had decided not to take it off because I didn't know if it would offend him.

I explained how Christine Daae was my great grandmother. For some reason he looked confused, had he lost his memory about the play. Talking about my favorite play made me so happy I decided to twirl around the room. I was also happy about saving such a charming man. My dancing around stopped when I heard his stomach gurgle, I completely forgot to offer him something to eat.

When I walked into the kitchen, I found that Raoul was making vegetable soup. Not only is he so muscular and caring, but he can cook too. Tee hee, I'm so lucky. I popped my head into my quest room again to make sure Erik was still awake.

"How's the kid?" my boyfriend asked.

"He's fine, starving though." I said cheerfully. He handed me a bowl of soup for the man and I brought it out. As I placed in on the table next to Erik, I felt his head. Unfortunately, his fever had risen a bit; I didn't know he was so sick. To be careful, I brought him the spoonful of soup. He seemed to enjoy it very much; a huge smile came across his face. I decided to carry on a conversation with him, hoping it would bring his fever down.

I tried asking about him parents, but I had picked a touchy subject. I found out that his father had left him and his mother was unknown. The poor guy actually started crying, I felt so bad for bringing it up. As I wrapped my arms around Erik, he actually fell asleep. At least he would be able to relax for a while; he's had such a terrible life. Wait, how did he become the lead singer in "Phantom of the Opera"?

"Is the kid asleep again?" Raoul walked in and leaned against the doorway.

"His name is Erik and he's had a very rough life. You be nice to him when I'm at work." I said sternly. My boyfriend looked shocked.

"What?" he said angrily. "You don't even know where he's from, or what diseases he may have. Sweetie, I'm not saying this to be mean; I'm just concerned that he may hurt you. Why do you think he wears the mask, he's probably a killer." His attitude towards this was appalling, how could he be so cruel. I tightened my grip on Erik as he slept.

"He's not a dog Raoul," I screamed. "He only wears the mask because he's the Phantom in 'The Phantom of the Opera'. How can you be so mean, he's just a poor little boy. He only looks as old as you and I, so he's probably only 18 like us." I was furious with his appalling approach. My yelling had woken up the poor man I held. A look of confusion came across his face as he saw my boyfriend and me.

"Erik, this is my boyfriend Raoul. Raoul, this is Erik." I tried to say happily, but tears were still streaming down my face.

Erik's face went paper white when he heard the news. Before I could explain he jumped out of the bed and ran out of the house. I tried to chase after him but he hide within the shadows.

"Erik, come back," I yelled. "Let me explain!"

It was no use, he was gone and I may never see him again…