Told ya it'd be quick! Remember to review..keeps me going..
By the way, thanks to all those who showed their concern, I was touched!
14: Soul Stealing-
"Rohan! Hurry dear or you'll be late! It's already a quarter to nine!"
Chantelle stood at the base of the main large staircase of the D'Changy household waiting for her husband, who came rushing from the master bedroom laden with his briefcase, overcoat and top hat. "I am sorry love, I should have been more prepared. Are you all set for today?" Nodding, she straightened her husband's cravat and smoothed down his shoulder length blonde locks, watching as the young man's cheeks turned pink. "What would I do without you?" he chuckled, before placing a light kiss on his wife's forehead and heading for the door, Chantelle following softly behind.
As he turned to wave goodbye once more, he noticed the worried expression set in his wife's eyes and placed down his things, before hurrying back to her and gently grasping her shoulders, his eyes seeking answers. "Darling, are you alright?" he questioned softly, "I don't have to attend this meeting if you don't wish me to." Shaking her head, Chantelle looked up at him and spoke softly, "I just have a feeling. But you know me, it's probably nothing."
The sound of horse's hooves on gravel met their ears as the Vicomte's coach arrived, and placing a chaste kiss on her lips, he quickly strode to the door, collected his things and boarded the carriage, waving happily as he departed. Chantelle dropped her hand as well as her smile, making her way into the grand sitting room. There was something not quite right about this day, she could feel it, but brushed it off all the same as she watched her husband's shiny black coach reach the end of the long drive and head off into the city.
-
Alyssa lay wide awake in bed curled up in Erik's arms, her stomach in knots. Today was the day that his heinous plan would unfold. In the three days since she had discovered his hidden motives, she had used every spare minute of her time to devise a way to counter them, a way to save the victims-to-be, though it hadn't been easy. Stealing glances at his finished work proved almost impossible, and she had hardly had any spare time to speak of, as Erik's appetite had returned and she found herself dancing to a minimal extent, sleeping or making love numerous times a day.
Her ideas were sketchy, and her timing had to be precise to avoid being caught red-handed, a thought that struck fear into her already frightened heart. Who knew what he would do to her if he found her intervening. She knew he was capable of terrible things, the act about to unfold showing just that. Suddenly feeling frightened in Erik's embrace, she carefully slipped out of bed as best she could without waking him and gathered her ballet uniform, happy to be returning to her dancing after so long. As she slowly dressed herself, her thoughts went to her friends up above, and how she missed them so, going about their mischievous lives without her.
As her mind wandered she sat on the stone floor, wincing from the cold before slipping on a stocking, unaware that she was being watched like prey to a hungry beast. "Leaving so soon?" A haunting voice reached her ears accompanied by hot breath which brushed her cool skin, before soft lips curled into a smile found their way to her neck, leaving wet open mouth kisses from the base up to tease her earlobe. Alyssa moaned as her body relaxed involuntarily into Erik kneeling behind her, and before she had a chance to protest or even think, he took her right there on the stone floor, bringing them both to a hurried release. In the afterglow, Alyssa muttered, "You really must stop doing that…" before wriggling out of Erik's grasp and starting to dress as if nothing had happened.
After watching her for a minute or two, Erik rose and straightened his now dampened clothing, dusted himself off and strode to the makeshift kitchen to prepare coffee. "Why?" he called across the room to her.
"Why what?" she replied, beginning to get frustrated with her corset.
"Why must I stop doing that?" After finally fixing the last lace, Alyssa rolled her eyes and turned to face him across the cavern, being met with a playful smirk, which only infuriated her more. "Why do you think? One, I can barely walk most of the time. Two, I have no energy, meaning I get shouted at by Giry for not keeping up, and that's if I make it in on time. I am not a machine Erik!" she half shrieked, only adding to his amusement, as he continued to smirk into his coffee mug. Giving up attempting to communicate with her partner turned sex addict, she moved to the mirror beside her and began fixing her now ruined hair. Placing down his mug, Erik moved across the room to stand behind her once more, before whispering in her ear, "You know you love it…"
Erik had her twice more without complaint before she left to attend her dancing, late once again. He drifted slowly back to his desk and slumped heavily into the soft leather chair, before pulling out the draw containing his precious plans and removing them carefully, placing them on the counter and skimming over them. Although he had read them a thousand times, and knew them word for word, he could not help but imagine he had missed something.
Turning pages urgently, his eyes devoured the script on the parchment, and by the time he had reached the final page, his shirt was damp with nervous sweat, and his breathing had grown shallow. Within minutes he felt himself losing his nerve, his conscience digging itself from the depths of darkness where it had been buried so long ago. Standing suddenly, he covered his face with his hands and shouted into them, his breath becoming short gasps through his fingers. Why am I doing this? Why! His battered conscience spoke up momentarily, before being quickly squashed. You know why…A flash of Chantelle linking arms with the D'Changy boy flitted through his mind, followed by a flash of his dream, Alyssa being murdered by the happy couple.
And finally, the night when she had humiliated him onstage, before denying and leaving him filled his mind. Rage simmered beneath his skin as a hot flush engulfed his body and he dropped his hands, bringing his left up once more to slap himself fiercely, causing the room to spin and his mask to dislodge and hit the ground, shattering at his feet. Clutching the desk and breathing heavily, Erik shook his head. "She will be the death of me…" he murmured, "Unless I am the death of her…"
-
"You bitch!" shrieked Melody from the floor after falling victim to one of Alyssa's pranks. "Go back to your cave, save us having to put up with you." Alyssa, in fits of laughter, watched the little blonde pick herself up and dust herself off, before answering between giggles, "Yes I had better be getting back, its just about time for my afternoon delight!" Melody's mouth dropped open and an angry blush surfaced on her cheeks as Alyssa added, "jealous much?"
With that, Melody pushed past the small crowd of girls that had milled around and stormed off in the direction of the dorms, hot tears threatening to fall. Alyssa laughed once more as the crowd began to disperse before turning to the two girls left, Amelie and Sarah. "Ah, the good old tricks never die." She sighed, and embraced her friends. As they parted, Amelie spoke up. "Hey Lyss, why don't you join us for lunch? We can get Giry again big time!" Giving a defeated sigh, she answered, "No I had better go. I was serious about the afternoon delight, though I don't know how delightful it will be. He thinks I'm a machine!" she whispered sharply, before adding with mock seriousness, "I think he's trying to kill me."
The girls laughed together at Alyssa's confession, and Sarah added "Yeah but you love it" causing another eruption of giggles. Placing a hand on each of her friend's shoulders, she murmured, "Oh I miss you two so much. I'll come up as often as I can, okay?" The other two nodded and they embraced once more, before parting ways, Alyssa to the cellar door, Amelie and Sarah to the dining hall.
Upon reaching the underground cavern, Alyssa dragged herself to the bedroom, shedding items of clothing until she reached the bed and collapsed onto it, wearing only her thin slip and undergarments, utterly exhausted. She heard movement behind her and prepared herself for what she expected to come, but was surprised when Erik gently sat beside her and brushed the hair from her face. He was wearing a new mask, and the visible half of his features were set with surreal calm as he spoke to her. "I am going out for a few hours, there is some business I must attend to which should have been dealt with a long time ago…" Alyssa watched as he became distant and suddenly remembered why.
She had managed to push the coming events to the back of her mind and had almost forgotten them, but the remembrance hit her like a punch in the stomach. They sat in silence for a moment or two before Alyssa attempted to lighten the mood, playing that she knew nothing of his thoughts. "What, no afternoon delight?" He looked down at her and chuckled, before gently pinching her cheek. "You'll have to miss out today, I'm afraid. I shall make it up to you tonight, alright?" She nodded and he stood, before striding to the desk, collecting his cloak, hat and briefcase, and making his way out through the direct route into the streets.
Suddenly alone, Alyssa knew there was not a moment to lose and she dressed hurriedly, slipping into a fresh uniform before taking out her own plan sheet from the false bottom of her powder box. Gathering the entire contents of Erik's leather wallet, a pocket watch and a shawl, she placed them in her satchel, checked the time before dashing out into the streets via the same route Erik had taken minutes ago. Keeping out of sight until she reached the carriage rank, she caught one driver's attention and quickly handed him 50 francs, ordering him to take her to the D'Changy Estate. "As fast as you can!" she shouted, before climbing into the carriage and locking the door. "As you wish, Madame." The driver answered happily more to himself, tucking the wad of money into his pocket and strapping the horses into a brisk trot, before reaching the open country road and whipping them into a gallop.
As Alyssa rocked to and fro with the speeding carriage, her heart began to pound in her chest and fear welled in the pit of her stomach. "What are you doing, you stupid girl?" she murmured to herself, but had no chance to answer as the tall gates of the Estate came into view, and she leaned forward and rapped on the wooden panel separating herself and the driver. The divider slid open and she was suddenly hit by a rush of cold air, making her face begin to numb. "Yes?" the driver shouted over the roar of the wind, turning his head to face her as best he could while keeping his eyes on the road. "Slow down," Alyssa managed to shout back as freezing air continued to whip around her, "Take me around the back of the homestead." The driver nodded and she quickly shut the divider, settling back into the leather seat and wrapping her arms around her body in a feeble attempt to warm herself.
Before long, she felt the coach slow a little and begin the gentle ascent to the Estate. Coming to a sharp halt under the eaves at the rear of the large house, Alyssa disembarked and thanked the driver, paying him an extra tip to keep his mouth shut. "You make sure that Monsieur le Vicomte has an enjoyable afternoon." The driver spoke smugly, causing Alyssa to spin around and retort angrily, "I am not a whore!" Nodding his head, the man gathered the reins and answered, "Of course you aren't," before turning the carriage and starting on the road back to the city.
Shaking her head, Alyssa turned back to the house, fear falling like an anvil on her shoulders. Taking her plan sheet out of her satchel, she studied it frantically, disbelief flooding her senses. She hadn't planned a means of getting inside the house. On the verge of tears, she tried to think rationally. I can't use any of the main doors, incase I get found out by servants… there isn't a basement… Her eyes roamed the surface of the mansion anxiously until they fell on an open window, relief spreading through her. She slipped the parchment back into the satchel and ran to the ivy covered wall, and found a large gutter draining pipe bolted to the brick. She tested her weight on it before beginning to climb, using the large bolts and thicker ivy branches as foot and handholds.
She clambered upwards, almost laughing at herself for the stunt she was attempting, slowly reaching higher and higher. Three feet from the windowsill, a branch gave way beneath her foot and she gave a small yelp as her footholds were lost, leaving her hanging by her hands, gripping a bolt and a bough for dear life. She whimpered softly as she flailed to find another bolt, fear of falling and breaking her neck becoming almost overwhelming. Suddenly her right foot connected with a thicker branch and she stepped onto it, quivering like a leaf with small tears sliding down her burning cheeks.
Looking up once more through tear-hazed eyes, she took a breath and three more upward steps, before hauling herself as quietly as possible through the window and into a bedroom,tumbling ungracefully on her backside on the floor. Breathing in short sharp gasps, she thanked the lord for the closed door that she was behind, and listened carefully for any sound of movement, still quaking violently. Suddenly a muffled cry and two soft thuds reached her ears, followed by a short feminine scream and the slamming of a door. Alyssa brought out the pocket watch and checked the face. "Right on time…" she whispered sadly, before picking herself up off the floor and moving to the door, placing her ear to the wood, hearing nothing.
After taking a few deep breaths, she steeled herself for the actions and events about to unfold, before slowly turning the brass doorknob and peeked her head out. Four servants lay prone in the hallway, two more in the stairwell. One man was bleeding from his nose which was badly broken. Alyssa put her hand to her mouth and held her breath to stifle a scream, her face contorting with disbelief, before rushing to the closest man and kneeling beside him. As she lifted his head, a small handkerchief came into view and she carefully picked it up and held it under her nose. Within seconds she became lightheaded and dropped the kerchief quickly, before fanning herself with her hand. "Chloroform" she whispered dazedly.
Once she had regained full awareness, she placed the serf's head back on the ground and stood, before making her way down the remainder of the hallway. Quietly tip-toeing past one closed door, she heard a familiar voice in calm conversation with another, more feminine, though she seemed frightened. Placing her ear to the door, Alyssa heard the sound of a chair scraping on floorboards, and a sharp "No!" that was cut short. Suddenly feeling sickened, she rushed into the adjoining room and shut the door, breathing hard, tears freely streaming down her cheeks.
What was he doing in there with the other woman? Looking to the door that separated the two rooms, she quickly crept to it and peered through the keyhole, her eyes being met by Erik with his back to her, attending to something in front of him. He threw a rope upwards over the rafters in the roof, and doing so moved to the left, revealing a young woman sitting rigidly on a tall wooden stool, long chocolate curls obscuring her tear-stained face, and a noose resting loosely around her slender neck. Alyssa choked on a sob as she recognized the woman from many of Erik's macabre artworks and rage filled musical scores. It was Chantelle.
"Erik, why are you doing this?" the woman questioned, her voice no more than a frightened whisper. He took a seat a few feet away and admired his almost finished work. "My, you look gorgeous tied up like that Chantelle," he answered, completely disregarding her question, smirking as more tears sullied her alabaster complexion. "Erik…" she sobbed, giving up all hope of escaping. Erik stood once again, and walked over to stand beside her, playing with a strand of her chocolate curls.
"Why am I doing this?" he hissed. "Because I have Alyssa now, yet until you are out of my life completely, I cannot start a new one with her." His voice cracked as his anger swelled. "You haunt me day and night! I cannot stand upon the stage of my own academy without being reminded of the humiliation you put me through!" Erik was on the verge of tears as his voice rose with every anguished sentence, adding to the terror within the woman before him. After a moment of silence, Chantelle gazed into the red rimmed eyes of her once cherished tutor and spoke, her voice deeply saddened. "You've stolen her soul, haven't you?" Erik's gaze pierced her mind as he answered nonchalantly, "A sufficient repayment for the one you stole from me, don't you agree?"
Chantelle began to sob quietly and he reached for the dangling end of the rope hanging from the rafters, before moving his foot to gently push against the leg of the stool she was seated on, causing it to rock. Alyssa, still watching the dreadful display before her, felt her knees give way and they hit the wooden floor, causing a small thump to be heard. Fear seized her suddenly as Erik swung around to face the door, pure malice written on every inch of his visage. Keeping his eyes fixed on the door, he ordered softly "Don't move" before slowly approaching the door. Alyssa's heart was pounding in her throat as a thousand thoughts and actions went through her mind. Deciding on one, shehad seconds to act before the doorbegan toopen.
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Bwa ha ha ha! Not much else to offer, just review and I'll shut up..
-sideways glance- -twitch twitch-
LoL...