Chapter 17: You know Nothing!

Three weeks had passed since the passionate event between Dreama and I occurred. I have been avoiding almost every one. I stayed in my room that was now officially mine through out the whole day; I would eat occasionally, Dolly made sure of that. I worked with Dean and the boys outside occasionally, helping to raise crops and such. I would always sometimes sword fight with Thelma but never have we fought, touched each other like that one night not too long ago. I have gotten healthier, and from all the helping and sword fighting with Thelma my strength had come back. Bunny came to me once and actually asked what I thought she would never ask, Bunny asked me to help her sing better. I unfortunately declined, but with her bunny face it was impossible to deny her. I simply told her I have no singing experience but knew how it worked since I used live in the greatest Opera house of all. I thought it best that no one knew my passion for song, just having every one know I could play instruments was enough.

For the past few weeks that has gone by so gradually, I have been having the same dream I had on the night before the performance. Me holding Christine forever asking her when she will stop haunting me, and she constantly responded by saying until I learn, what did that mean? And always when I would turn her around to face me, Dreama would always end up in my arms.

I jumped up from my bed not knowing why the dream all the time would end there, sweat poured from my face to my chest. I got up and walked to the small dresser ahead of me where a bowl of fresh cold water sits quietly. I scooped up water with my hands and splashed it all over my face. Almost every night I would have to do this, it has only been a couple of nights where I would be able to sleep through all the way, but barley. I grabbed the hand towel next to me and dried my face, and then slowly made the mistake of looking at the cursed beast in front of me.

Disgusted with the reflection I see I threw the towel at the mirror and walked away, I sat down at the desk in front of the window placed my head in my hands and thought. Thought of everything and nothing, I chuckled at the memory of Christine pretending to be some child named Little Lotte; she would always play with her dolls, naming them with the strangest names, how she would always have such a peculiar plot that always ended with a kiss and happily ever after. I was always amused with her little plays in the small chapel room, I would sometimes even cry if she played a dramatic role. Perfect, she was so perfect. I remember when she played with her dolls for the last time ending with and her handsome prince stared into her beautiful brown eyes, and slowly and gently bows his head, meeting his dear bride with a kiss, and they all lived happily ever after…

Oh Christine…

When she was nearly a woman yet so close of ending her days of being a child, she sang a song to me, to me. Then when her first night of performance came, and I first heard her voice, I wanted to be her prince, I wanted to stare into her beautiful brown eyes, I wanted to slowly and gently bow my head and meet her with a kiss, and I wanted Christine.

Rubbing my eyes with my rough finger tips I stared outside where night still covered the village. Christine was still in my heart and it pained me that she was, Christine was gone. Married to her handsome price who had bowed his head and met her lips in front of a man of cloth, and who knows what else he had done to her. The thought of him rocking away into Christine made me sick!

Just then a faint sound came to my ears – someone was awake and coming to his room. I quickly stood rushed in my bed. I heard the door open slowly making only a squeak, the cool wind caused by the door traveled all over my back. I looked at the vanity mirror and saw Dreama in its reflection.

This did not surprise me, as far as I can understand Dreama every night after having my nightmare Dreama would come in, light blue cloak tightly wrapped around her revealing absolutely nothing. She slowly walked around the bed till she could see my face, I heard her sigh in relief as she thought I was asleep. She slowly and quietly as possible made her way out.

I carefully sat up in bed. Dreama has been doing this ever since I came here. The question is of course why? I have ignored it simply because I know I must ignore her. Oh how I missed the sound of her voice though, I barely see her and now I'm actually starting to miss her. Do you truly miss her or just miss the passion she gave you through her music?

My thoughts never fail to bring me down, a perfect fact there. I sat on my bed, taping my fingers against its softness. That's it! I cursed at my curiousness, but I have had enough of trying to guess where she goes. She leaves and doesn't come back for at least five hours or so.

As soon as I heard the front door down stairs close I leaped off the bed and quickly dressed. I glanced out the window to see Dreama rushing into the village; rapidly I slipped on my black boots and inaudibly rushed out of the door grabbing my long coat as I ran out the door.

At the moment I truly hated myself for letting my curious side get the better half of me, but it was too much, its been annoying me for sometime, maybe it could be the reason why I'm having the dreams. Maybe Dreama is the one to help me understand what Christine wants me to learn before I can finally live in peace without her in my head.

Cold air began to overwhelm me as I continued to follow Dreama in the darkness, and I just kept making it worse when I kept stepping on pieces of twigs making Dreama turn multiple times. I stopped a grand total of eight times before we reached Dreama's destination. I never thought the village would be this big, we passed the stage which I thought truthfully nothing lay beyond that, apparently I was wrong. Beyond just on a small hill there was what looked like an abandon barn. I followed Dreama until she disappeared from my view, then suddenly; something very faint hit my ears…

I couldn't place it. What was it? I reached the barn door and slowly opened it revealing something that just took my breath away. All I expected was simply maybe hay and that's it. But no, there was no hay, there were desks in multiple places along with a bed, there were candles everywhere illuminating the room perfectly, my eyes widen when I saw a wall that held three different kinds of violins. But what surprised me even more was what I saw in the center of the room. There was Dreama, sitting at a piano playing it. Her music! Never have I heard such…!

Her cloak was off; she wore a white nightgown, her corset still tightly on. She wore a pure white scarf that was lightly wrapped around her neck. Her short sleeve slowly began to slip off her shoulders revealing more then I have ever seen. When I came here all she has worn were simple dresses of only blue, white, brown, sometimes red her best color if she wanted to impress, but she mostly wore white. Oh but the site of her in her nightgown, her milky, soft looking shoulders. A shudder went through me as I thought what it would be like to touch them.

"Perfect…" I shut my eyes and cursed.

Her playing stopped. She whirled around and a gasp escaped her beautiful lips as she reached for her cloak. I took a step back quickly holding up my hands.

"Its alright I'm not going to hurt you" I quickly said with kindness trying not to alarm her.

"Then what may I ask are you doing here?" she asked firm holding her cloak tight.

"I was just…" I was lost for words; I couldn't tell her I was curious as to why she would always leave in the middle of the night and not come back till mourning so I followed her. What am I crazy? Yes.

I sighed; I glanced at Dreama she was impatiently waiting for me to answer.

"Can I say curious and end the conversation?" I asked slightly taking a step forward. She backed up instantly.

"No, absolutely not!" she bellowed, she was scared, I didn't know why when all I have been doing was just being kind to her for the past few weeks, except that one night but that's it. And the fact that you have been ignoring her after that…shut up!

"Look…you were…" sighed not knowing how to explain it. "Every night you would come in my room to see if I'm asleep, then leave and not come back till daylight." Her eyes slightly widened.

"I got curious since you do that every night, now time for you to explain," I said crossing my arms. She blinked several times.

"What?" she shouted. "I have nothing to explain to you, absolutely nothingyou…you…" suddenly feeling offended I took two heaping steps toward her.

"What?" I asked firm causing her to step back again. "A freak! That is what you were going to say wasn't it?" I took another step and grabbed her causing her cloak to fall off, I grabbed her shoulders and finally knew what they felt like, but I had no time to take in the feeling.

"Take it all in and say it! I'm a freak! And always will be! I am the son of the devil Mlle! Turn back time to where I was rotting away in a cage and you'll see it for yourself!" nothing but rage was coming out, every word I said I would squeeze her shoulders making her eyes squint.

She then suddenly began to struggle.

"How dare you! I have never, ever once thought of you as some sort of monster! Never have I thought you were a beast simply because of your face! You know what you are?" she said hitting my chest. I let her go making her lung backward landing on the bench. She sat there looking at me with anger.

"Please tell me!" I asked sarcastically begging. She then stood.

"You are a dim-wit!" my eyes slightly widened. She insulted me!

"Dim-wit?" I repeated taking a step forward. "Well you know what? You are a damaged brat!"

Silence.

"What?" her voice wasn't so angry, there was pain, and it made me regret calling her a damaged brat.

She then stood and walked forward tears slowly forming in her eyes.

"You know nothing of me! You call me damaged, how could you possibly know?" the tears began to fall, so much pain in her voice.

"I know your thinking the same thing I know nothing of you as well, but I have every right to say that. We have showed you nothing but kindness and you act as though any moment we're going to shun you! That is dim-witted! But you! Have no right to tell me that I…!" she pointed to her self pausing but on for a second. "Just a girl who has been trying for years to get rid of that one memory…! That I am damaged! No right!" tears were flowing now, she suddenly gave away and began to fall, and ran to her and seized her before she fell.

She struggled against me beating me with her small fists and crying into my chest.

"No! Let me go!" she begged. I would have let her fall to her knees but I couldn't, I wanted nothing but to hold her, I have caused her pain. Why? I held her tight making sure she would not fall. She cried harder suddenly wrapping her arms around my back and squeezing me.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry please, you must understand," she said through sobs. My lips where on her head as I breathed gently.

"It's alright, I'm sorry, your right; I have no reason to say those things…" I was suddenly interrupted.

"No…I'm sorry I called you dim-witted, and I'm sorry that I screamed at you for being right." I frowned. She slowly looked up at me, the tears long gone but ready to spill at any moment.

She slowly pushed me away and stepped back. She took a deep breath and sat on her bench. She opened her mouth several times, finally she spoke.

"Please, you must listen; you must listen to how I am so damaged. You must listen if you want to understand why I can be so distant with others. You must know how I lost my voice."

Thank you to all that reviewed, Chapter 18 is shall I say, um, well a steamy scene, well, not really, probably gentle, lol oookkkk um anyways, hope you enjoyed chapter 17 and um...well yea, please this story ahsn't been getting many reveiws I mean if you guys honestly don't want to I get it but it would help a little. Well enough of me complaining, thank you much,

Crystal A.

"Life is a mask, its our job to take it off and discover the journey behind it not in front for there is nothing there but a mask"