Chapter 2
Katie's friend was laying on her stomach on Katie's bed, rereading the note for the hundredth time. She came right over after hearing her friends fright. Kat was laying next to her, perplexed at the situation.
"Mandi, that is Erik." Katie took the note from her hands, and pointed to it. "His voice, if only you heard it." Mandi looked at her friend with concern.
"It's just, Erik is dead, Hun. He has been for a hundred and twenty five years."
"Reincarnation." Katie commented. Mandi rolled to her side to face her.
"We have discussed that already, Lotte, among all the other possible ways we could get with Erik, but his new life would have to be less than twenty five, and how would he know about Erik?"
"He didn't necessarily say he was Erik, He is just my new voice instructor I guess."
"But you said he knew Music Of The Night."
"But Andrew Lloyd Webber invented the song, that just shows he knew about the musical."
"I know that, but come on Lotte, I'm just as in love with Erik as you are, no matter how much we pray, he won't come back for us."
"Then how do you explain this?" She waved the paper in front of her friends face.
"How many people know about our obsession? It's probably just a cruel joke."
"People aren't that mean." Mandi slapped Katie in the back of the head. "Ouch... that hurt." She rubbed her hand over her wound.
"People aren't that mean? Are you fucking kidding me? People are cruel, heartless beasts who's only purpose is to torture the lives of the individual."
"Way to look on the bright side Jammes, and by the way, that statement just screamed Erik."
"Well it's true. Erik had the right philosophy on them."
"Sometimes I think your the modern day Erik." Mandi just laughed.
"Oh ya, except for the fact I don't have a deformed face, I'm musically challenged, oh, and I'm not a man." Katie rolled her eyes.
"No, but you are an artist, you hate people, you hide in your little bat cave, oh, and your smart like him."
"Oh, yes, I dig basements, that obviously means I'm the new Opera Ghost! Can we stop talking about me, please? You know that's my favorite topic." She said sarcastically.
"Another Erik trait." Mandi threw one of Katie's pillows at her, she retaliated with a stuffed animal.
"Fine. What do you think I should do about this, Erik problem."
"There are no problems with Erik, just name the place, and time."
"Seriously Jammes, should I go back on Thursday?"
"Well, if it's a prank, probably not, but, if it truly is Erik, he would still be there, right? Lets go back."
"Now? It is almost ten. Won't your mom be pissed if you don't go home soon?"
"Personally, I don't care. Erik is worth the hell I will go through when I get home. Come one, what's the worst thing that could happen?"
"We could run into Meg's Priest. How are we going to explain randomly breaking into a church? We are not even Catholic!"
"So? If we run into the priest, well, it's not like the first time we have met him, we will just say we have a mad hot crush and need him." She joked, but Katie didn't find their friend's crush on a priest funny.
"But..." Katie was trying to get out of going, but Mandi wouldn't let her.
"We could pick up the other's on the way, if you want, that way we can maybe have an excuse." Katie shook her head.
"No, lets leave them out of this, they don't feel the same way about Erik as we do, plus, Carlotta could scare him off." The girls chuckled, grabbed their coats, and went out to Mandi's car.
When they entered the church, a cold chill shot down their spines, as their footsteps echoed through the room, surrounding them.
"What should we do?" Katie grabbed a hold of Mandi's arm, as they approached the giant organ.
"Sing, Little Lotte." Mandi suggested, as she pushed her forwards, into the moon light, that cascaded from the large, stained glass window.
"What?"
"Something sweet, like Think Of Me."
"Will you sing with me? If we get caught, I don't want to be alone." Her friend laughed, and shook her head.
"We will get caught if I sing, my voice will shatter the stained glass windows, not to mention make our Erik cringe." Katie rolled her eyes, and pulled her friend into the light.
"What about Point Of No Return? I have heard you sing that, it wasn't too bad, much better than Mandy Number two's."
"In a church? And not to mention, your comparing me to Carlotta!" Mandi joked
"Just sing!" Mandi hesitated, than gave into her Lotte's desire. Mandi could never disappoint her closest friend, Lotte was too precious to her to let down. Her friends are the only thing that matters in this cruel world, without them, well, that's like Erik without his music, It just couldn't happen, she couldn't live without there their support. None of them know about her need for them, except Katie.
You have come here
In pursuit of your deepest urge
In pursuit of that wish
Which till now has been silent...silent
I have brought you, that our passions
May fuse and merge
She started off in little more than a whisper, but Katie forced her to get lauder, till her voice rang through the hall, and echoed back to them.
In your mind
You've already succumb to me
Dropped all defences, completely succumbed to me
Now you are here with me
No second thoughts you've decided... Decided
She approached Katie, playing the part of Don Juan, following each move in the choreography that the two of them have memorized in their obsessive phandom.
Past the point of no return
No backward glances
The games we've played till now are at an end
Past all thought of "if" or "when"
No use resisting, abandon thought and let the dream descend
What raging fire shall flood the soul
She gathered Katie in her arms, never before had she acted the part so intensely. She could feel the passion of the song flow through her body, and here the music play in her head, scattering all her thoughts. Katie was just as consumed with the song. She no longer saw the church around her, or Mandi, but her Erik, singing to her, toughing her, calling for her heart.
What rich desire unlocks its door?
What sweet seduction lies before us
Past the point of no return
The final threshold,
What warm unspoken secrets will we learn
Beyond the point of no return...
Katie began to sing the part of Aminta. Compared to the hoarse, untrained voice of her friend, Katie's voice sounded like it belonged to an angel, but was nothing compared to her tutor.
You have brought me
To the moment
Where words run dry
To the moment where speech disappears
Into silence... silence
I have come here,
Hardly knowing the reason why
In my mind I've already imagined
Our bodies entwining, defenseless and silent
And now I am here with you
No second thoughts
I've decided...decided
Katie moved away from Mandi, and stood open armed below the main window, bathing in the light, completely intoxicated with the words.
Past all thought of right or wrong
One final question
How long should we too wait
Before we're one?
When will the blood begin to race
The sleeping bud burst into bloom?
When will the flames at last consume us?
Just as Mandi when to sing her part, the voice began and kept her quite. When Katie heard the angel's voice, she looked up toward the light from the window. The colours blinded her, and took her away from the empty church, to a world she knew all to well, the one she spent ever night dreaming of, Erik's home.
His nimble fingers danced in her hair, as she laid soft kisses on his forehead.
"Erik." She spoke softly, before she met his lips.
"Shh... My Love no need for words." She sighed with the pleasure his voice always brought to her. She pressed her body close to his. He moved his hand down her cheek, barely toughing her, but sending shocks of ecstasy down her bare body.
"Oh... Erik." She pulled herself on top of him, and kissed the place were on any other man a nose would have laid. She felt her body shake, but it was not from the man beneath her. He began to fade from her mind, and was replaced with the face of her friend
"Lotte?" Mandi shook her shoulders. "Lotte?" Despite her hearts wish, she returned to reality
"Jammes." Mandi sighed, and embraced her, thankful she was alright.
"You just collapsed, Lotte." She held her tighter. "I was so frightened, the voice, I heard it, It stopped right as you fell." Lotte returned her hug, and stroked her hair to calm her down.
"I'm fine Jammes, just my imagination getting the best of me." Mandi's face turned pale.
"It wasn't the Punjab one again was it?" Katie shook her head, as mandi sighed with relief.
"No, it was rather nice actually." a smile crept across her face, as she recalled the feeling of his tough.
"I was so worried about you, and your dreaming of inappropriate things with Erik? You and your dirty fantasy" She scowled, but Katie just laughed
"Sorry I can't help what I think, and aren't you the queen of dirty Fanfics? Little Jammes?"
"I've only written two!" She protested. "I'm just glad your alright" She helped Katie up of the floor.
"Ya." She looked around the church, for the hidden voice. "He's here."
"Inside my mind." Katie shot her friend a serious glance.
"You said you heard him, right?" Mandi nodded the joined in on the search. They remained for the longest time, but they heard nothing.
"We should be leaving Lotte." Mandi Tugged on her arm. She nodded, and they went to leave the church. Katie stopped at the door, and turned back for a moment.
"Next time, come back alone." The voice called to her. She nodded, then joined Mandi outside.