Aw, I love you guys. Thanks so much for your wellwishing (can't think of another word). For those of you who asked and or cared, I'm in a local production of Aladdin as Jasmine! It's kinda weird though b/c the director pieced stuff together to make it. It mostly follows this stage version, but all of the Disney songs are in it as well as two other songs that she just kinda threw in there. If anyone knows where Hereford High School is, go there on July 17th. The show is at 2. Its gonna be awesome, even if it's mostly a children's production, but its good!
For anyone who has read my other story, "Two Hearts Made Whole", I just want you guys to know that I have been working on the sequel. It's called "Heir to the Seat of Sweet Music's Throne". I don't know when it will be up, since the first chapter is super long, but I would say at least some time in July.
Ok, now that the breaking point is over, we can finally get to better things. This chapter is a bit like when Meg tries to punjab Erik (how pathetic, I can't even remember which one it is), but it gets serious. I was starting to run out of ideas so for this chapter and probably the next, I'm kinda borrowing some stuff from beauty and the beast, which I'm sure you will pick up.
DISCLAIMER: don't own beauty and the beast or POTO.
Review Replies:
Moonjava: wow, you're fast! thanks for your review!
PhantomoftheBandroom: I totally agree with you! Not only are Meg and Erik UBER cute together, but it also keeps with the story line. I'm glad you think it will turn out well. Now that I can start to get into the romance, the story will be easier to write and it well definitely get better.
ThePhantomsShadow: Check out the author note above. Thanks for your concern, it's still like 3 weeks away and I still get all nervous thinking about it. I can't wait! Romance is so fun to write andI can't wait till i really get to the good stuff! I'm glad you think that this is still good. It's only my second phic and I was having writer's block with the last chapter. I basically put it there so that it would be established that Meg knew Erik's name.
anon.: aw, thank you so much for your review! E/M rocks! I'm flattered by your review, but I defintely agree that we need more E/M. The part where Meg tried to punjab Erik was so much fun to write. I'm glad that no one has come up with that idea yet. It makes me feel original. I agree, romance is very, very good. And poor Erik dearly needs it. Of course, I would be happy to take care of that myself, but alas, I can't so sadly I gave Meg the job.
Starkitty Angel: I'm glad you think it's getting better. I desperately wanted to get to the good stuff and I havea huge problem when trying to do in-between stuff. I'm more of a get-to-the-point kind of person, and it reflects in my work. And we do need some more E/M out there. There are far too few.
Nameless Waif: I'm glad you liked the dialogue. It was hard to think of some kind of surprisingly wise stuff for Erik to say, especially with me being just about one of the dumbest blondes ever. As for what Erik means, I knew it meant something along the lines of honerable ruler, but I couldn't remember, so I looked it up on which is where I always turn to when a character needs a name. Don't worry about the "fun stuff". Unlike "Two Hearts", it will be at least three or four, maybe even five chapter's until I get to that kind of stuff. I was mainly refering to romance in general. Of course, the way these two are always fighting, I have to take this phic a lot slower. And you are definitely subject to "short, random bouts of semi-quasi-almost-genius". I get those too. I'm glad you enjoy my work. I enjoy reading your reviews! You should get an account on here. I would love to read your work.
Emily singing reflection: aw, thanks for the compliment! Ya, about the computer. I was kicked off for a few reasons. First, my parents found a copy of chapter 5 of "Two Hearts" that I had sent to my beta reader, and if you remember that chapter, well, it should be pretty self explanitory. Then my mom and I got in a fight over something really stupid, so I had that on top of before. That's why. Also, check out the author's note above for info on the sequel for "Two Hearts".
I Love Gerry: Ya, I know they were getting romantic too quickly. I was starting to run out of ideas and I desperately wanted to get to the romance (which probably showed in the last chapter). Thanks for your review and luck! I hope it goes well too!
HPROXMYSOX: By all means, I appreciate your honesty! Constructive criticism is welcome! I know that it isn't the best (and the last chapter probably showed it ). I'm glad that you still want to read it! Don't worry, now that we've passed the breaking point and I can start working on the romance, things will DEFINITELY start to get better!
Kim The Manipaltive Little Mo: Thank you for your review! Don't worry, there is still a lot more to come! I'm glad you like my story!
princessBlackRose: BECCA! (glomps again). I'm glad you liked the last chapter. i hope that update comes soon!
6. Face in the Mask
Ever so slowly I was beginning to understand Erik, yet he was so incredibly complex, there was still much left to comprehend, with most of it left to be a mystery forever. Erik was so confusing. He could be almost kind one moment and then his anger would flare up without warning. Despite this, I couldn't help but feel like there was so much more to him. Erik could be so cruel, yet it was hypnotizing to watch the way he caressed the keys of the organ so gently. As if that wasn't enough, the sound that the instrument emitted was so beautiful that it was impossible for a human being to produce it.Sometimes when I was supposedly asleep, my ears would catch him playing a song somournful and sad, yet so beautiful that I nearly wept. Then, without warning, a sweet melody could be replaced with angry, almost harsh chords that jarred the entire cellar.He was just so unpredictable,and I was finding it almost hard to hate him. Erik was a bottomless pit, a raging, ever changing whirlwind of unadulterated passion. There was so much within him, so much to discover, especially what he was hiding under that mask.
The way that white mask always stood out was beginning to irritate me. I had to admit, he was handsome and when his eyes caught the moonlight in a certain way, they shined like stars. So what was so horrible about the other side? I knew that there was indeed something there. I had heard the cries and screams the night of Don Juan, but it had been impossible to see why. Erik's back had been facing me and in addition stage hands had pushed me away to get a better look of their "ghost" for themselves. This made me determined to get a glimpse for myself. I knew it would be too risky to take a peek while Erik was playing. Even after all this time had gone by since me pathetic attempt at murder, I could still seem him grow tense in my presence. Perhaps I could take a look while he slept. It would be easy, just a quick peek would do and he would never even know.
That night I waited for the cavern to fall silent. I heard the rewarding sound of Erik's fading footsteps. A sneaky smile played about my lips. I felt like a naughty child, but I was fun to tease Erik. I knew where his room was, but I was faced with the problem that his door could lock. At last I heard the door close. I waited in my room for at least another twenty minutes before crawling out of bed and making my way over to his room as silently as possible. Before I knew it I found myself before his door. My heart began to beat furiously and I took a deep breath. This was truly the final threshold and I knew that I was being dangerously risky. But I couldn't help it. Curiosity always got the better of me. With infinite care, I slowly turned the knob, and to my surprise, it opened. This was too easy. I opened the door very carefully, only wide enough to slip inside. Instantly I felt my blood run cold and the hair on my neck stand on end. Everything about this room made me feel very uneasy. It was faintly lit with black candles that faintly shined upon the red and black interior. I felt like I had walked into a tomb. My gaze shifted to a canopy and underneath it was a coffin. Was this where Erik kept the dead bodies? My mind was screaming at me to get out of there, but my curiosity kept urging me on. I tip-toed over and looked into the open coffin. To my surprise, Erik was lying inside, sound asleep. For some reason, the sight of it made me sad. As reluctant as I was to admit, I knew that Erik was a genius. Something about this picture seemed wrong, but I couldn't exactly say what. It wasn't exactly surprising that the Phantom slept in a coffin. He looked so peaceful, like someone in death's deep sleep, just how my mother had looked. Then again, Erik was so thing that he could well have been a corpse.
My eyes shifted to something tucked beneath his arm. It was hard to stifle my giggle of surprise. Who would have guessed the that terrible Phantom of the Opera slept with a toy monkey! (a/n sorry guys, couldn't resist) It was surprisingly childlike for Erik.
My mind quickly averted back to my task. I came to see his face, not what kind of toy Erik slept with. Ever so carefully, my hand reached down to the mask and rested there as I braced myself. I ripped it off, my blood pounding through my ears as I prayed desperately that he would not notice. I looked upon the unmasked side for the first time and immediately my eyes flew open and I brought my hand to my mouth to supress my gasp. So this is why everyone screamed. The right side of his face was terribly deformed, with twisted, marred skin all over his cheek and forhead. I looked at it a bit longer. After you took a moment to get used to it, his face really wasn't that bad. Actually, it was kind of interesting. I had always been a bit braver than most ballet rats. I was often the one who could stand the sight of blood and helped momma when the other girls had some of the worst injuries I had ever seen. Besides, after living in the dirtiest slums in Paris and serving as a prostitute for close to a year, I knew that there were worse things out there than a little bit of twisted flesh like this.
Suddenly, something came over me and I had a strange urge to touch it. I knew I had already pushed my luck too far and giving in to more curiosity would mean a gamble with my life. With extreme caution, I lightly laid a finger on his cheek. Instantly I pulled back out of nervousness and surprise. His skin wasn't quite as rough as I expected. Again I rested my finger there, this time a bit longer. I was almost hypnotized by his face. His cheek wasn't very rough, almost like worn down sand paper. It felt so odd, but I couldn't help but take a childish facination in the intricate ridges of his face and the way the strange texture of his flesh tickled my fingertips. It was almost comforting in a strange way and I felt myself relax.
Without warning, his eyes, alight with a burning rage that frightened me even more than his face, shot open. I screamed and jumped back, knowing that very soon I would know the true meaning of the phrase "curiosity killed the cat". Erik's hand shot up to cover his face and he advanced towards me a like a beast closing in for the kill.
"Damn you!" he growled, so full of anger that he could hardly speak." What... were you thinking!" I could feel my body violently trembling at the sound of his venomous voice.
"I... I was just," I stammered,slowly retreating to the door as he continued to advance.
"Do you realize what you have done!" Erik threw a candelabra against the wall and I began whimpering, terrified to meet death at last. My back met the wall and panickovertook me now that there was no where to go. My hands frantically searched for the doorknob as my browneyes(see a/n)never left his fiery gaze. After a few moments of desperately fumbling for the knob, I found it and it gave me a small sense of security as I held it firmly. But as he moved even close, my limbs would not move now that I was frozen with fear.
"Erik please!" I cried fearfully, feeling tears drip down my face.
"I swear to you that you will never see another day! GET OUT, DAMN IT!" he yelled, tossing a chair aside. My heart was threatening to beat out of my chest. Erik was truly a monster.
"Erik!" I cried, making one last attempt to gain mercy.
"GET OOOOOUUUUUT!" With his final roar, I tore the door open and ran as fast as I could to the boat's mooring. Erik's cried continued to echo and I could hear him tearing after me. I jumped into the boat, using my arms to paddle away without even bothering with the pole he used. I felt the adrenaline coursing through my body as I made a mad dash for my life. At last I hit the opposite shore and still i did not stop. Only when I was safely outside did I stop running. I leaned against the door, trying to rest and catch my breath. But as my breathing and heartbeat slowly returned to normal, the reality of what had just happened began to sink in. I had ruined everything. I had lost my only means of food and shelter and my companion, if I could call Erik that. Everything that I had hated, I now desperately longed for. All of it had just been lost in the most foolish act I'd ever commited. I didn't have the faintest idea as to what to do. I would rather die that return to prostitution. I had nothing left and honestly, there was nothing left to live for now. Why had I been so stupid! But still, Erik didn't have to overreact like that. His anger was what had really frightened me, not his face. Before I tore off the mask, Erik really hadn't been that bad. He had taken care for me and been somewhat kind. He had helped to fill my loneliness and satisfy my human need for companionship. It hadn't exactly been friendship, but at least it was something.The bitterness of this horrible turn of events made me cry. I hated myself for my stupid curiosity. If I had not been so determined to see under that mask I would still be asleep in my warm bed. Now I had no where to go, no idea what to do, and no way to live. Drearily, I began to trudge down the street. I didn't know where I was going, but I was getting away from this city and all of the pain it fostered. I was just going to walk and walk until I could walk no more and not have a care in the world as to where my feet toook me.
I had dragged myself down a few blocks, occassionally looking at the bleak night sky when somethinggrabbed me. A man's arms were holding me too tight with one hand covering my mouth, suffocating me with his stench and crushing the cry I had emmitted.
"You aren't goin' anywheres," an oddly familiar voice whispered. Oh God, that voice sounded too familiar. I bit down on his finger, making him let go. I felt like I wanted to vomit; he tasted worse than he smelled. Instantly I took off, running for my life again. I could feel my body giving out with every step. I knew I could not go on. With a small trip, I collapsed onto the ground. I knew that this was the end. My body would be beaten and broken like some many times before and then be discarded. I heard the footsteps of my doom coming closer and I began to cry harder and tremble fiercely, my entire body radiating fear. The man picked me up and slammed me against the brick alley wall. My head started throbbing wildly, making me lose focus. A steady trickle of something warm and sticky began to make its way through my hair and down my neck. I silently prayed, hoping that if God was truly merciful, he would let me die now and not make me go through this horrible ordeal. Something cold and sharp was held against my throat. a knife. He pulled my hair violently, jerking my head up so I could stare into the face of my assassin and rapist. My heart stopped. I couldn't believe it! Of all the dirty bastards in Paris, it had to be the last customer I had before running away. Feelings of a new fear flooded my weak body. I knew that I would receive no mercy.
"There's no escapin' tonigh', pet," he growled into my ear. A wave of nausea washed over me as the odor of his breath reached my nose. Not only was he out for bloody revenge, but he was drunk as well, as if this night could possibly get anymore hellish.
'Please, dear God! Save me!' I prayed, knowing that I did not gave the strenght to survive this. The bastard brought the blade closer to my neck, so close that if I took a deep breath, the cold metal woudl piece my flesh. I closed my eyes in one last plea. 'Please!'
I heard a voice, a dark voice, one that had frightened, soothed, and seduced, yet I was too dazed to understand what he said. Again my head made impact with the bricks and I fell to the hard cobblestone, feeling the same warm liquid trickling down my face. blood. I tried to keep my eyes open, fighting away at the drops of blood falling into my eyes, but the agonizing pounding of my head was too much to bear. The flash of metal and a glimmer of something white was all that my eyes permitted me to see.
"Erik," I whispered before giving into unconsciousness.
Sorry for any typos guys, I had to post this in a hurry. I hope you liked this chapter, it is probably the longest yet.
About Meg's eyes: I can't remember if I mentioned their color before, but from now on, they are brown.