Chapter Three : Talk of Darkness

A little while later, Elissa started to wake up. Yawning, she stretched on the couch pointing her toes out and taking a deep breath and then relaxing, sinking back into the soft cushion. Opening her eyes slightly, she blinked a couple times with her mind wonderfully warm and fuzzy. Warm…she looked down to see a thick throw blanket lying on top of her. A blanket she was sure she had not put on herself. Confused, she raised her gaze and started when she saw the man sitting in the chair across from her, his dark eyes penetrating hers.

"Who are you?" he demanded, leaning forward in his chair. That voice…

"Elissa Daniela Alexandrie de Loncrae," she answered automatically, giving her full name.

"And WHAT are you doing in my home?" he asked now.

"I was…what a second…," she rubbed the side of her head, trying to clear her muddled mind.

The man's voice took on a certain soothing, musical quality that seemed to calm her," Now, my dear, I know you were not causing harm to anyone. Just please tell me how you came to be down here, so far beneath the opera house. You must be very tired, and the sooner you tell, the sooner you can rest again."

Elissa slowly sat up, wrapping the blanket around herself," Who are you?"

"Who is Pierre?" the man countered back forcefully.

Elissa drew a deep breath," How do you know of Pierre!"

"You talk in your sleep," the man answered simply.

Elissa sat on the couch, lost in thought or so it seemed. She slowly moved the afghan off of her and then in one swift motion, she was off the couch and bolting for the door. She had not opened the door but three inches when Erik placed his palm flat on it above her head and shut it firmly. Her chest heaving with panicked breaths, she turned only to find his body inches away from hers, straightened to his full height and his face –well, mask- was leaned down to stare down at her. She hadn't even heard him behind her. Her mind flew from one idea to another, trying to find her a way out of this.

"You will tell me," Erik said firmly, steel underlying his voice.

Elissa sighed. There seemed to be no winning against that voice. "But I'm not supposed to," she said quietly, giving up fighting him. She took her hand off the door handle and he took a step back away from her, but kept one hand on the door. Looking up, she finally got a good look at him. He was much taller than her 5'6" and had thick black hair that flopped over a bit onto his mask and crystal blue eyes with amber flecks that glared at her. As Erik stared down at her, he went still for a second upon seeing her eyes turn up to him. Wide cerulean blue eyes with violet around the pupil and jade flecks spotted. Very interesting. Very interesting indeed.

"And why are you not, mademoiselle?" he said softly, hoping to calm her enough so that she would talk.

Her chin lifted up a fraction of an inch and her eyes narrowed slightly," If I tell you, may I leave, Monsieur?"

He nodded," Of course," and extended one arm out gracefully towards the couch and chair," Shall we sit?"

She nodded and walked past him and sat on the edge of the couch, fixing her skirts fretfully and staring down at her hands nervously. When she saw him rest down onto the chair before her, she jerked her head up and tried to compose herself, not wanting the man to see her so anxious. She cleared her throat, placed her hands on her lap and looked into the man's face…well, mask. "I traveled from Poland a month ago. My train was delayed so I arrived the day after the auditions were held for singers. Monsieur Firmin and Monsieur Andre were not going to allow me to audition late but I either convinced them to let me, or they just grew annoyed with my arguments. Whatever the case, they did hear me sing and they gave me a spot in the chorus."

"The managers have made it a point to not accept late entries," Erik informed her. He then added, almost to himself," You must have a rather exceptional voice to have convinced them otherwise." He wandered how all this had happened and he had not known. True, he had been distracted these past few weeks with the sudden surge of creativity pushing his composing, but still. He WAS the opera's ghost. So odd he had not seen all of this. He'd seen this girl before. Rushing to practice, picking up her cloak from a back room and entering a dressing room. But he'd never pursued these short glances of her, though he'd had to push away disconcerting thoughts to do so.

Elissa just shrugged her slim shoulders before continuing. "After a rather late practice last week, I returned to my dressing room. A man by the name of Pierre Cartier came to my room and offered to accompany me to dinner. I declined because it was late and I did not think it wise to go out with a man I did not know." Erik nodded at that last part. "He came by a couple of days later and I was so tired, and worried about hurting his feelings by sending him away again that I agreed."

Erik's thoughts paused as he remembered seeing this girl in the hallway walking with this man one night. Elissa continued, "Dinner was pleasant enough, but tense. He made me uncomfortable."

"How so?" Erik asked, leaning forward in his chair a little.

She frowned slightly, motioning with her hand in the air as though to find the words to describe it. "Just…the way he kept looking at me. Curiously and, at the same time, as though he knew me. Sometimes when I would look over, I thought he looked angry about something. And some of the things he said. He asked about my childhood and, as I told him of it, he would add little things to what I said. Things about my childhood that were true. Things I had not told him, and he could not possibly have known. I was confused and cautious, so I ended the night and took a carriage back to the opera."

He nodded, it had been the smart thing to do. "Perhaps the man had known you when you were younger?" he suggested.

Elissa gave him a bewildered look," But I've never seen him before in my life!"

"This still does not explain how you came to be here tonight," he pointed out.

Her eyes narrowed," Well, that's because I haven't gotten to that yet. If you were a tad bit patient, I could."

"Mademoiselle, YOU are trying my patience!" he rose from the chair and stood towering over her. "What you need-"

"If you would just sit down, I will tell you!" she exclaimed, slight anger flashing in her eyes. A little surprised at her boldness, he reluctantly sat back down and motioned for her to continue. "Well," she started, shifting in her seat," where was I? Oh, yes. Well, for the past few days, he's been showing up everywhere. At the market, after practice, at restaurants. Tonight when I returned to my dressing room after the premiere, he was sitting in my dressing room waiting for me."

"How did he get in?" Erik wanted to know.

Elissa looked somewhat embarrassed, "The lock for my door has not been installed yet. The managers keep saying they'll tell someone to do it."

Now that wasn't smart at all, he thought. Anyone could just waltz in this girl's room while she was not there, or actually walk in on her.

"I told him that it had been a lovely dinner, but I did not wish to see him again. He started pacing angrily and calling me…names. I was confused as to why he was so upset; it had been but one dinner, and a dreadful one at that. I told him I had to leave, so he had to leave my dressing room. Really, I wasn't, though. I sleep in that room. But that just made him angrier and, when I tried to walk out, he grabbed my arm and jerked me back to him, saying I wasn't going anywhere. He scared me so I pulled my arm back and ran. I kept running and running and the next thing I knew, I was underneath the opera house."

Could she have accidentally gone through one of the secret passages? He wondered.

"I was so tired from the running, the adrenaline had worn off, and short of breath because of that wretched costume lady, that I just wanted to lie down. So when I came upon this place and got inside-"

"And how did you get inside?"

"Oh." She didn't look embarrassed as she informed him," I picked the lock."

"You what? The actual door is hidden! And that lock is very old and intricate. How did you?"

She just shrugged. "I laid down, meaning only to rest for a bit, but I accidentally fell asleep. And that's it!" she exclaimed, spreading her hands out before hopping up off the couch. "And now I will be leaving! Good evening, Monsieur." She started to walk towards the door, but Erik stood up. "Wait a minute, child!"

Elissa turned, slightly bristling from the term 'child'. "Yes?"

"Where will you go now?" he asked.

"To my room," Elissa asked as though stating the obvious.

"And what if he is still there?"

That stumped her. She frowned, murmering to herself, "I really hadn't thought of that. But surely he wouldn't be…well, he DID just chase me through half the opera house. I really don't know what he'll do. But where else would I go? I live in that room. I couldn't afford a flat. Now what do I-"

"Mademoiselle?" Erik interrupted politely. She thought she'd been quiet, and she had, but he had heard everything.

She turned around, looking quite perplexed, those gorgeous eyes of hers troubled. "Yes?"

He spoke before he thought it out, because if he had thought it out, he never would have said it. "There is a spare room down here. If you wish, you may sleep in it tonight, under my watch, and I'll take you back tomorrow. I would also like to give you voice lessons and hear that wonderful voice of yours."

Her mind lulled by the sound of his voice, she barely heard the part about the voice lessons and instead asked quietly, "Under your watch?"

He nodded firmly, "Yes. While you are down here, you are under my protection, and nothing and no one shall harm you. You can sleep peacefully tonight." Elissa was a bit overwhelmed by this and studied him carefully for a whole minute while she decided. She didn't really know this man, but she sensed the sincerity in what he'd said and found him honorable. She would sleep peacefully tonight. And tomorrow, she would go back to her room, hopefully Pierre-free by then, and this man wanted to give her voice lessons.

"Voice lessons?" she asked him.

Erik started a bit at her thoughtful tone. He hadn't really thought she would consider it, or agree to it. Why would she want to stay here with him? His reason for asking was quite simple. She needed help and protection and he would give it to her. "Yes," he answered her.

Her face broke out into a brilliant smile which she bestowed upon him, "Well, it seems, Monsieur, we have a deal. And you may call me Elissa."

"And you may call me Erik."