To my good readers,

Here is my next Leçon. I hope you do enjoy it and leave many reviews that would make me very happy. In reviews I only take praises and constructive criticism, if you do not like my writing do not leave a review with nasty remarks and hurtful words. But if you enjoyed it and/or you feel I need to fix some things feel free to leave one. Merci!

Your Faithful Servant,

L.V.

Leçon 2

While Lisette slept she dreamt of Erik. All that she saw was his face, the mysterious white masked and all around him was fog, and that was it. It was the only thing she saw until Erik lightly shook her shoulder, waking her from her slumber.

"Lisette, I am very sorry but I have brought you some tea and bread. You need to eat something and I must check your temperature again." Erik whispered.

Lisette sat up, rubbing her eyes ferociously and slowly nodding, taking in everything Erik had said, slowly.

Erik handed her the cup of tea which was steaming and a warm piece of baguette. She sipped slowly for the tea was very hot and she feared burning her tongue.

"Why were you on the steps of the opera house?" Erik asked pulling up a chair to sit on, next to the bed.

Lisette paused and spoke sadly. "It is a very long story, it begins when I was eight and my father had died from fever in the winter. He left my mother and I with a pile of debts and my mother could not keep the farm so she sold it to pay off the debts and she had no other choice than to take us to the casino."

Erik nodded in understanding, the casino contained whores and drunken men gambling and so Lisette continued.

"She tried so hard to make enough money for us to get out but no matter what she could hardly come up with anything. That's when she met Gaston Veneer. He was wealthy but very temperamental. He'd come to my mother every night and they'd do their business but then he'd grow angry and he'd hit her. By the time I turned 14 he'd hit her so many times that she was bruised badly and one day she went out and bought a pair of ballet slippers and handed me a wad of cash and told me to leave, to make something of myself. It was only a year and a half ago and I haven't seen her since." Lisette's eyes grew moist and she quickly wiped away the tear that had formed in the corner of her eye and she spoke again, "Ever since I've tried to find a place to stay but I haven't had much luck. I want to make something of myself, like what my mother told me to but I don't think an opera house would hire me, I've had no real training in the art of ballet."

Erik nodded, taking in all the information she had given. It had amazed him that she trusted him with her story. Erik would have never done that; someone could always use it against him so he tried very hard to never let anyone in.

"Please tell me Erik, why do you live beneath l'Opéra Populaire?" Lisette asked taking a fuller sip of tea.

Lisette had caught Erik off guard, he did not expect her to ask that question but he should have. He wondered if he should trust her with his secret. She had trusted him so easily and why could he not do the same for her? After many moments of thinking he settles on it, he would tell her. After all it was only fair.

"I've lived within these walls since I was a young boy. Bound and chained by my mask." It was the first time he had mentioned his mask and the look on his face said he did not mean to mention it but he continued with his story. "When the others left the opera house I did not go, no one wants me in their streets, and they don't want me among them."

Lisette looked at him, her eyes full of sadness and compassion. Erik had seen or had been treated so cruelly that he no longer trusted the world, or anyone for that matter. Lisette longed to help him, to show him that not everyone was the same but she had no idea how. What was there to say, to do for that matter? Her words were lost and she sat still.

"Will you not say anything?" Erik asked with longing in his voice.

Lisette tried gathering herself and she slowly recovered. She barely could whisper, "Not everyone is the same Erik."

In his head he contemplated her words. She knew nothing of his suffering. She was not born with a face of a monster; she was not tormented and called, "the Devil's Child". But perhaps she was somewhat right. All his life he had known the same type of people but he shook that thought out of his head. The world held no compassion for him, despite what she had said.

Lisette began t shiver and a feeling of coldness spread over her body like a blanket. Through her chattering she managed to say, "Oh Erik I feel so cold…"

Right then Erik began to panic and he touched her forehead, it was burning! He had no idea what to do but then remembered, "You must sweat out the fever." And so he scavenged his lair for any blankets and piled them on top of her. She was fast asleep by now and tiny droplets of sweat formed at her brow. Erik sighed in relief and blew out a few candles to dim the room, perfect for sleeping.

Through the night Lisette's words rung through his head like church bells. Perhaps he was right, maybe she could love him. Was love at first sight even possible? He usually never believed that love existed, at least not for him. But Lisette had shown such compassion for him with her words and her eyes showed the deepest of feeling. He didn't want to believe that Lisette could hold such compassion for him, let alone someday love. But in her eyes he saw the true compassion lay in them and he could not, no matter how much he wanted to, deny her kind words.

Ah, my good people I must leave you there, I shall get started on the next leçon and reviews are greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoyed it thus so far. Merci!

Your Faithful Servant,

L.V.