Chapter II

Seductive Desire

I hadn't probably gotten an hour of sleep when I heard someone calling my name. The voice was like a dark wind in the night. I could hear it, but I couldn't see it. "Rose..." the voice sent chills down my spine, and while I wanted to curl up in a ball and cover my head with my blanket, something inside of me told me to move towards the voice. Without barely thinking, I climbed out of bed. My nightgown dropped to the floor and brushed against the wooden floors as I slowly walked towards the doorway where I heard the voice. I wanted to speak, to ask who was there, but I found it difficult to talk. "Come to me..." the haunting whisper continued. My heart resounded in my chest. If the voice didn't wake anyone, I was surprised my beating heart didn't.

I walked out into the darkened hallway, straining my eyes for movement and my ears for noise. All my senses seemed to be working overtime. I stood there, not knowing what I was doing for a moment. Had I heard nothing? Was my imagination getting the best of me? I was almost certain that I had been dreaming, and as I was about to go back to my room I heard footsteps. Light, but unmistakable footsteps, slowly coming towards me. I stood frozen to the ground. I thought I was just about to die from fear and curiousity when I heard, "Miss White? Miss White, you really shouldn't be walking about at night." Candle light lifted in the air and illuminated the face which had spoken. It was Edward Milson, a tall burly man with a gray goatee who owned the opera house. My heart was stuck in my throat from both relief and almost disappointment. What were you expecting? I asked myself. "You know, even these days, you can't be sure of what's lurking around the corners," Milson said quietly. I wasn't sure if he was trying to be humorous or if he was serious. Nevertheless, I didn't really want to know.

"I...I thought I heard something outside of our room..." I tried to explain. My insides were still squirming from anxiety.

"You needn't worry, Miss White. There is nothing in this opera house that we would allow to harm any of you," Milson stated matter-of-factly. That wasn't very reassuring. I thought about bringing up the Phantom Erik. He lived in the opera house for years and no one did anything about his killing people. And I assumed that if anyone came upon another phantom, it would go without being dealt with, because whether anyone would admit it or not, they are absolutely terrified of coming upon another phantom. However, I did not bring up Erik. If anyone found out that I knew about the Phantom from the past, they would panic and I could lose my job. "Now, off to bed with you. We'll need all of our chorus girls in good condition for tomorrow's dress rehearsal. Goodnight, madam." With that, Milson bowed his head and walked off down the hall. I saw him take the next staircase upstairs, and after a minute or two of seeing a faint candle light, it went completely black again.

I heaved a sigh and turned to go back to my room. But as I turned around, a tall figure of a man stood before me, blocking the entrance to the dormitory. He wore a black cape that hung off his left shoulder and a white mask covered the right side of his face. I don't remember anything else because I felt myself grow faint. And then I did.

I'd like to tell you that I woke up in my bed and realized it was all just a dream. But that wasn't the case. I did, however, wake up in a huge bed with red silk blankets. The bed's headboard towered above me and carved into the wood was a raven with its wings outstretched and its beak open as if it were cawing. I sat up and looked around. My head was spinning, and my heart was beating slow and heavy. I didn't recognize where I was, but I was positive that I had left the upper floors of the opera house. This room was damp and a bit cold. The walls were stone as were the floors. Everywhere I looked there was a candle lighting up the room. There must of been hundreds of candles. Either that, or my vision was blurred so I saw everything in doubles.

I was exactly in the middle of the bed. There was at least room for two other people to sleep on either side of me. For a moment, I wondered how I got in this situation...then I remembered the face. I couldn't make it out exactly, but it was the face I had seen before. Perhaps in my dreams. Maybe this was the man who sang to me in my sleep and who called to me while I danced. Maybe this was the man who haunted my dreams. It had to be him.

I slowly made my way off of the over-sized bed. For a moment, I just stood. Pulling myself back together and trying to organize my thoughts. Maybe if my head stopped spinning, it'd be a bit easier. Finally, after what seemed to be minutes of simply standing there, my head cleared. I looked around for a door until I realized there was no door. Just an opening. It seemed like a cave, and I'm sure that's what it was. I was about to head for the opening when I heard footsteps. They were brisk foosteps, but they weren't coming my direction. Instead, they seemed as if they were moving farther away. Then, the footsteps stopped. I waited for a moment to see if anything would happen. I'm glad I did.

The next thing I heard was a splash and a 'THUD'. Curiousity got the better of me, and I quickly walked out of the room and into a much larger room, which was also very cave-like. Now I was sure there were hundreds of candles burning everywhere. Every dark corner had light. Right before me there was a lake. Well, I guess it was a lake. It looked like one, but it was on the inside of what seemed to be a very large cave that had many rooms. I didn't have to search hard to find where the noise had come from. There was a huge floor candle holder that looked to hold at least a dozen candles lying in the water. I wondered for a moment how it got to be there, and then when I thought of what had happened, I quickly snapped around and there I saw the man in the mask.

I gasped, just as most of us are inclined to do when startled or frightened. The man, who actually looked to be quite a young man, had dark brown hair and fiery brown eyes that bore into mine. His face was a soft-looking texture without a scratch of any kind. He wore no cloak, but his white mask was still threatening on his face. I was about to say something, anything, but then the Phantom put a black-gloved finger up to his mouth, indicating for me to stay quiet. In my mind, I began to hear singing. The same singing that I often heard at night. I closed my eyes as my soul began to lift. I felt the gloved hand take a hold of mine, and when I opened my eyes I saw that he was leading me to another room. This room was completely bare. Only candles filled this room, and there weren't as many candle as the other rooms. It was not a dark room, though. It was just bright enough to make out who you were standing amongst.

The Phantom looked back at me as he continued to lead me by the hand, and I could have sworn that he gave a faint smile. "I never thought I'd have the pleasure of meeting you in person, Miss White," the Phantom's voice was soft and low with the hint of aggression. I was now utterly speechless and couldn't even find my voice to ask him who he was. "I was beginning to wonder if my teaching was doing any good." Once we reached the middle of the room, the Phantom stopped and turned to me. "And I can see now, that it has not." My heart stopped in my chest. What did he mean? My throat ran dry, and I was now more frightened than I had ever been before. Had he brought me here to be punished? I didn't deserve to be punished...I deserved to know exactly what he was talking about. "That is why I have brought you here, young Rose. You are to blossom into something more beautiful than the rest of those..." it seemed as if the Phantom should finish his sentence. But he left it at that. My heart lightened a bit when he said that. But I still wasn't quite sure what he was talking about. My dancing? Was he going to help my dancing? I might have laughed had I not been so frightened. How could a Phantom coach my dancing? ...Then, I remembered...when I would dance, I would hear his voice...coaching me, teaching me, instructing me...

"It was you..." I whispered, afraid of what might happen should I speak. The Phantom glared down on me. His eyes tore at me from the inside. I looked away.

The Phantom didn't reply. Instead he lifted my head and forced me to look at him. His eyes had softened, and instead of seeing a Phantom, I saw a man. A man who looked to care after me, and who was looking to please me...but at the same time bring glory to himself. "You will come here to practice your performances..."

"But I have rehearsals everyday th-"

The Phantom waved his hand gently in the air. "Those are for amateurs. You are to come here before those rehearsals and perform your dance for me so I can instruct you. You will learn to dance from your soul, not your feet. You will learn to push energy out towards the audience and your mind will be clear and your moves effortless as all dancers should be, and you will have the radiance that none other has." What the Phantom seemed to be saying seemed impossible. If anyone could do all of that, they wouldn't be dancing in an opera. They'd be dancing solos at ballets, and I imagine they'd make quite the profit.

"I know your desires, Rose. You long to dance alone for the audience. To have the stage all to yourself. To light up the stage with your beauty. It will happen. You must learn to trust me. I had hoped that you wouldn't fear me, but I can sense in you now the fear and uncertainty. Trust me," the Phantom's voice flowed through my mind, and I found myself almost seduced by his voice. The Phantom reached out and touched my cheek with the back of his hand. I closed my eyes, and for a moment, I thought perhaps this was the man I loved. "Trust me..." the Phantom repeated in a whisper. I opened my eyes, and he cupped my head with his hands. His eyes were warm, yet they showed a sadness that couldn't be described. "And listen..." He stroked my cheek with his thumb, and for a moment, there was no place I would have rather been.

I heard humming, a sweet, yet mysterious low sound. I soon realized it was coming from the Phantom, who now held me next to him, one hand on the back of my neck, and the other around my waist. His lips were against my ear, softly singing in a low, undistinct voice. My mind drifted off in peaceful silence, and my soul seemed to dance. The Phantom held me with compassion and his song was of a dark, yet seducing sound.

As my mind continued to drift, I thought I could hear whispers coming from all around me..."Rose..."

"Is she all right?"

"I don't know."

"What happened to her?"

"Stop talking!"

"Rose? Are you okay?"

"Is she breathing?"

"Yes..."

"Rose, wake up..."

"Is she sick?"

"She doesn't have a fever."

"Rose, it's going to be all right..."