Chapter 3Stranger to the Rescue

The next day, Christine made her way to her first class, vocal theory. She was nervous when she realized that there were no familiar faces in the room. She sat down in the only available seat left in the crowded chorus room and groaned when she recognized the girl sitting next to her. Carlotta was looking straight ahead and only gave short, arrogant answers to questions she was being asked. A petite woman walked gracefully into the room. She was wearing a conservative gray dress and had her blonde hair, streaked with shades of gray, pulled back tightly into a neat bun.

"Good morning, class. This is MU130 Vocal Theory. I am your instructor, Madame Giry."

Giry, Christine thought. She must be Meg's mom. I'll have to introduce myself later.

"I have started passing the syllabus around. As you all can see, this also cover's next semester's companion class, Vocal Methods. We will all be participating in several workshops and performances in conjunction with your other vocal classes, the dance program, and the various ensemble programs offered here at Crawford." Christine watched the stack of packets worked their way down her row. Carlotta grabbed the top one and carelessly dropped the stack in Christine's direction without even glancing her way. Christine leaped to catch the stack, but papers went flying to the floor and under seats.

"Vhat a clumsy fool!" Carlotta announced loudly as Christine dropped to her knees to retrieve the papers. She sat back up with a flaming red face of embarrassment. Carlotta gazed down her nose with a satisfied grin. She had done it on purpose! Christine passed the stack along and apologized for the disruption.

"Quite alright, dear," Madame Giry smiled at Christine. "Getting back to the task at hand, there is going to be a final singing competition at the end of year. This is a tradition of Crawford College's vocal program. We will discuss this more as the term goes on." Christine tried to keep her mind focused on Madame Giry's words, but found herself reliving the embarrassing event only moments ago. Once her mind started wandering, she drifted back to yesterday's encounter with "The Phantom" and Raoul's warning. The warning faded into a hum as she daydreamed about what might have happened if she had turned around faster to introduce herself. Who was this dangerously mysterious man? More importantly, why did she suddenly feel the need to care?

"Out oof my vay you inept little girl!" Christine snapped out of her daydream to find none other than the Italian diva glaring at her, hands on her hips and a foot tapping. Christine stood up and Carlotta pushed past with her newly acquired entourage of admirers.

That evening could not have come soon enough. Meg and Raoul met at Christine's room to help her select a suitable outfit for the big frat party. They finally settled on a knee-length jean skirt, one of Meg's pale green halter tops, and a pair of chunky white flip-flops also borrowed from Meg. Raoul watched on as Meg wove a few fake flowers into Christine's dark brown ringlets, which were pulled back from her face. Christine walked over to her large mirror next to the closet to inspect the outfit and hair style. Her jaw dropped at what she saw. The girl staring back at her was no longer the depressed, solemn introvert she had come to expect. The reflection that stood before her was much closer to that of Meg and Raoul, happy and fun-loving. She turned around with a smile and asked her friends,

"Well, how do I look?"

"Christine, that's one question you never have to ask," beamed Raoul. "You look perfect." Meg gave her a thumbs-up and rushed over for a hug. Within a few minutes, the three rushed out of the dorm room anticipating a long fun Friday night.

Erik sat stewing in front of his computer, but found he could not concentrate on the words displayed. All thoughts drifted back to his first glimpse of the girl who now lived next door. She had run into him the day before as he was rushing out of the practice hall before the crowds came in for classes. He had hurried away not wanting to be seen in public. He learned long ago that letting someone get a good look at him in daylight never led anywhere good. He so desperately wanted to take the girl by the hand and introduce himself. He had never felt like this about anyone in his entire life. Any time he saw her or oven pictured her in his mind, every ounce of breath was taken from his chest.

He could faintly hear voices laughing in the next door room. He moved from his chair with amazing grace and opened his closet door. Once the door was shut behind him, he parted his clothes and silently drew back a black curtain. Before him stood the large two-way mirror that he had installed last year. He didn't have a real purpose for it at the time, but he had gotten bored and thought it might come in handy sometime. He looked in and saw a blonde girl styling the dark blonde locks. A senior boy he had seen around over his years at the college, Raoul, was sitting on the bed supervising the work. She stood up and walked over to the mirror with the grace of an angel. She stared at the mirror and even though Erik knew she was just admiring her own reflection, to him it was as if she was staring into his soul.

"Well, how do I look?" Her voice was clear and magical even with just a simple phrase. It made Erik weak in the knees.

"Christine, that's one question you never have to ask..." Christine! What a sublime name! He was a silent spectator as the three friends grabbed a few final things and walked out of the door. Only then did Erik dare to up his hand up to the glass. What's the point? Why would someone as stunning as she even bother to give me the time of day? He lowered his forehead to the glass and let a solitary tear fall.

"Raoul? Meg?" Christine shouted above the noise at the party. It had been a while since she had seen her two friends and she wanted to go home. The music was blaring so loud she had to cover her ears. Drunk people were packed into the house which now smelled of sweat, beer, and vomit. Christine had found herself drinking more than she should have. The room was beginning to spin and the bass from the stereo felt like a drill going straight into her head. I have to get out of here, she thought and wove her way toward the door. Once outside, she shook her head to clear her vision and started in the direction of Majestic Hall.

After about 45 minutes of stumbling up the street, she realized she was lost. Christine was not familiar enough with the campus to find her way back in the dark in her condition. She sat herself down on the sidewalk and started to weep. She was cold, sick, alone, and lost. Damn you, guys, she thought of her friends. They had promised nothing bad would happen. She looked up at an unsavory figure stumbling in her direction. He stopped and looked down on her with a bone-chilling grin. She moved to stand up but was not coordinated enough to draw her legs under her.

"Hey, baby. Let daddy take care of you..." he spoke with a raspy voice and reached out to entwine his dirty fingers in her hair. Christine could smell the liquor on his breath and cursed herself for getting into this vulnerable state.

"Just go away," she managed to whisper and closed her eyes and felt herself start to shake. Suddenly, his touch was gone and she heard him quickly shuffle away. She opened her eyes and he was gone. What just happened? she thought as she looked around. She turned around and found herself staring at black pants and the bottom of a trench coat. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to look into the half face/half mask of her rescuer, or so she hoped. His features were once again hidden in nighttime shadows and darkened further by the fedora. He's dangerous. Stay away from him, Christine, Raoul's warning played loudly in her head.

"W-what are you going to do to m-me?" she stammered, eyes wide and locked on his face. There was a long moment of silence before the fear and lingering effects of alcohol totally overcome her and she passed out. Erik moved quickly to catch her before her head hit the sidewalk. He cradled her in his strong arms and stood up. Walking down the street toward Majestic Hall, he couldn't help but notice the way the streetlamps illuminated her fragile features. She groaned in her sleep and snuggled closer to his chest. Erik sighed.

"Yes, dear Christine, just what am I going to do with you?"

Once back at the dorm, he gently set her down and looked for her keys. He unlocked her room and carried her over to the bed. Without turning on any lights, he took off her flip-flops and pulled the covers up over her. He stood back in the shadows and gazed at her angelic face at peace. Even thought the room was almost pitch-black, his eyes could adjust well enough to see every one of her features. He sighed and walked over to the mirror, needed to go back to his own room, but hated to leave this moment.

"Wait, don't leave," called a quiet drowsy voice. Christine stirred but didn't open her eyes. "I don't even know your name."

"Shh," Erik whispered. He walked over and brought her hand to his lips. "There will be time enough for that tomorrow, my sweet angel. You need your rest."

Christine sighed and rolled over. Erik smiled to himself and returned to the mirror. His hand brushed against a hidden latch that noiselessly slid the mirror open, revealing the backside of his closet. Her words echoed in his ears as he made his way into his room.

"Wait, don't leave. I don't even know your name.