AN: Hello, everyone! Exams, my love life, and temporary insanity have kept me from writing. I'd like to explain one thing about me--when I write, I want it to be good, and to match up to the ideal story in my head. If I can't do that, I'm not going to post sub-par stuff and torture you with it. That being said, I'm still very sorry for the delays, and I hope I've not lost my readers over this.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but someday...
REVIEW! Please? It makes me giddy...like, baking banana bread giddy...
"I see." Nadir let one of his more sincere smiles grace his face. He sat on his desk, looking out of his window as he spoke to Erik. Apparently, things had become more serious than he'd thought. "And she said yes?"
"She's wearing my ring right now." Was it just his imagination, or had Erik actually sounded confident at that moment?
"When are you two-?" No, that didn't sound quite right. Could Erik ever march into city hall and sign a license? That kind of exposure, after all of these silent years, could bring disastrous results.
"No." With his unfinished question, Nadir had somehow saddened Erik. He waited for the boy to continue. "I want to make her the happiest bride...but I can't just step into the light, Daroga."
Nadir understood very well what he meant. Erik had never really left his dark room, even when he'd left the house. In his mind, deep in his heart, that darkness kept him prisoner. Inside, he was still the monstrous boy whose eyes could not handle light. Though Nadir was hopeful that, with Christine by him, he could learn, he knew it wouldn't be an easy rode to recovery.
"Well, Erik, peraps someday..."
"She's my living bride, Nadir. Even if we don't have a scrap of paper telling us that. My feelings won't change."
Nadir respected his stance, and said no more about weddings. "Either way, you should come over for dinner sometime. I'm sure my wife would want to toast you both properly."
"I'll be sure to let Christine know when she comes home." As if predicting the detective's reaction, Erik continued. "She decided to take a walk through the farmer's market for some fresh fruit. I think she'll be trying to fix a cobbler again."
"I see. Good luck on that."
Carlotta kept weeping into her pillow, as her best friend Jamie made comforting sounds. Really, Jamie had no clue why Carlotta would be crying her eyes out like this for a guy when so many were at her command. Something like envy threatened to overcome any feelings of pity for Carlotta if she kept sobbing like it was the end of the world.
"Carlotta, I don't understand why you're so upset."
Carlotta looked up from her pillow just long enough to give her friend an angry glance. "I really liked this one, Jamie." She muffled a scream through her pillow. He'd been so perfect! He worshipped her, didn't bore her with small talk about his life, and he was so very handsome! He'd always worn this mysterious, tiny smile on his face, and she'd found it so endearing. Then why, if he was so sweet, had he suddenly turned cold?
Jamie kept rubbing her friend's back in hopes of calming her. "I know you did, Carly. But, what exactly happened?"
"The day after our last date, I was in a really good mood. I called him on his cell phone, to see if he was coming to see me rehearse for Kiss Me, Kate." As she explained, she sobbed and her breath became shaky. "But then he..." she hiccuped, and had to pause. "He said 'don't you ever talk about anything but yourself?' Can you believe that!" She shrieked, letting indignation warp her high pitched voice. Jamie tried to keep from wincing at the sound.
"It'll be all right, Carly! Just look at all the handsome men ready to take his place-- it's his loss, not yours!"
Somehow, Carlotta just didn't agree.
In the comfort of his office, Nadir went over the events of the past few months in his mind. How much Erik had gone through-- hatred, struggle, the demon underneath his skin-- and what he was beginning to find. Acceptance, a little sunlight. A wife. Life had become more than tolerable, something neither Nadir nor his wife had imagined could happen. He was relieved beyond measure, that the boy who played the violin instead of cry was beginning to grow, to move past his standstill time.
A knock interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see the door click open, and a young man step in. His blue eyes watched him in a way that unnerved Nadir. It was the stare, he realized, of a detective much like his own.
"Hello." The blue-eyed stranger spoke in a gentle, deep voice that betrayed nothing. "You are detective Kahn?"
"Yes." Nadir cleared his throat, and motioned him to a chair in front of his desk before taking his own. "How can I help you?"
"I've been told to talk to you about a missing person."
"Yes, of course." Nadir still eyed him carefully, not quite liking the smile on the boy. He took out some papers and clicked his pen. "Now, give me some information regarding the person."
"Well, it's a strange case, sir." He admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "But from what I've heard tell, you like strange things."
If something had been warning Nadir before, now it was urging him to show this man the door now. Even while he was being childish in gesture, he was threatening. This young man knew something. "I don't know what you're talking about. You'll need to be more specific if you expect me to help."
The young man stood, and took a turn around the room. If he was looking for anything, he didn't show it. He was leisurely walking, unafraid. Nadir felt his dislike growing at this gesture of dominance. When the boy finally turned, he gave a little smirk.
"Would you mind if I told you a little story?" He asked Nadir. "It's morbidly amusing, and I pieced it together myself." Was there pride behind that statement? The boy walked directly toward Nadir's desk, and planted a hand there, looking him straight in the eye. "It's a story of murderous insanity, and lustful desire. The stuff that operas are made of, I believe."
"--And I am telling you, Erik, that I am perfectly capable of making pie!" Christine argued as she rolled the dough to make a thin top crust. "Really, you make it sound like I'll set everything on fire if I try again."
"I'm more than happy to buy some sweets at a bakery, if that's what you want." He eyed the mixture inside the pie crust carefully. It did look fine, but he'd been fooled once already. Had she poured too much sugar again this time? He couldn't be sure...
"For goodness' sake!" Christine smoothed the dough softly and pressed it at the plate's edge to seal it. Once she was finished and satisfied she turned around and put her hands on her apron. "I mastered the belle canto, didn't I? I can surely bake a pie."
"Yes, well, you had me teaching you for months. Quite frankly, I'm not such a master of baking." He attempted to mollify her by placing a gentle hand over the ribbon that held her curls up. They came tumbling down in waves with a flick of his wrist.
"Erik!" She cried out, lifting her own hands to fix her hair but realizing how messy they were. She gave him a smart look before running off to the sink to wash her hands. "I had my hair up for a good reason--I wanted to keep it away from what I was making." Once her hands were sufficiently clean, she scooped up her curly mane and made to twist it back up, when he took her hand into his own.
"Don't." He said softly, looking over the glory of her hair. She stared at him quizzically. "You're beautiful just like this." He bent down so that his forhead toched hers, and the shadows darkened the color of her eyes. Her blush spread quickly, and she wondered why he had this powe over her, why his voice could undo her so easily.
"If you think...that I'm just going to forget about the pie..." She struggled to keep her thoughts together as he leaned in to kiss her. It was all sweetly unfair, she thought.
If Nadir had not been a detective, born for the calling, he would be sweating at this moment. Not five feet in front of him was a stranger who knew more than he should. Dangerously so. And he recounted the story with ease, no malice in his being.
"Once upon a time, there was a dark and lonely prince who lived in a tall tower. But on one tragic night, the little prince lost his mind, and his very violin strings became soaked in blood. Then, while the whole kingdom mourned, he disappeared. So sudden, no? As if a fairy godmother had whisked him off to safety, as if he deserved such a guardian." He kept his cool eyes on Nadir, but the detective felt the implication. "Well, the deranged little prince was thought to be dead and rotting in the bowels of hell, and this made the villagers very happy. But, he re-emerged. Alive. Do you know why?"
Nadir did not answer, but knew he could not stop the grotesque fairy tale the young man was weaving in his office. He only thanked God that the door was closed.
"Well," he resumed, leaning in as if this were gossip, "it turns out that a lovely maiden drew his attention. What should I call this nightengale-princess?" He seemed to muse for a moment, deeply contemplating his own question. Suddenly, his eyes sparked to life. "Christine. It's a lovely name, isn't it, for a lovely girl?"
Oh, God...Nadir fought back the fear, keeping his face as impassive as he could.
"The demon wanted Christine's voice, Sir." He calmly explained. "He coveted and so he stole her from the village, to live with him in his hell."
"Does this story have a point?" Nadir feigned annoyance, when in reality he was apprehensive. What was the brat getting at?
"Why, only that it's not over! She's still trapped, like a songbird, in his cage." He stood tall now, his smile gone now. "That's why I'm here. Someone has to slay the monster and rescue the princess. That's how it works."
Nadir stared with something like horror filling his senses. "Is that what you honestly believe?" He asked before he realized how unwise it was. Then the pause stretched between them, making time pass unbearably slowly.
Then the young man's laugh tore at the silence. He lifted a hand and ran it through his smooth hair as he chuckled. "What I believe isn't pertinent to you. As a detective, though, I'll need your assistance to find him."
His implications sank in, and Nadir sighed. This could not be avoided. This young man knew too much, and seemed too interested in playing to this sick script of his. "I have many missing persons to find. I have no time--"
"Well, make it, then." There was no humor left on his face, instead he clenched his teeth in annoyance. "I've been perfectly patient, but there's a limit." At this, he pulled out a small, white envelope from his pocket, and held it out to Nadir. "Should you find him, someday in the future, give him that. He'll understand."
Just as quickly as the darkness fell on his face, it disappeared. He was back, smiling at the detective. "Well, I think that's all I require from you. Thank you very much for your time, detective."
"Wait!" Nadir demanded. He was actually surprised to see the strange boy turn to regard him. "Who...should I say this came from? If I ever find your man?"
The blue eyed boy considered this, sincerely for a moment.
"Tell him that Joseph Buquet looks forward to seeing him again."
He was gone, leaving Nadir trembling like a leaf.
The past is coming to haunt the phantom...REVIEW and I'll reveal more of the mystery. Thank you, and stay tuned!
