Well, I just figured out that I put the lyrics in the wrong order in the last chapter. Oh well. So, here's chapter 5!
When Meg awoke, it was not to the usual sunlight streaming through her window. Instead, she felt a cool breeze on her face. She thought that maybe her mother had opened the window in the night, and she did not worry any more. Huddling under the covers, she tried to go back to sleep.
She was jerked awake when a soft voice floated into her ears. She snapped her eyes open and hopped out of the bed. However, hopping may not have been the best idea. Her nightgown trail caught on the edge of a swan's wing. (Why was the bed shaped like a swan, Meg wondered.) Meg did a face-plant into the hard concrete floor. Lying there a few moments, Meg waited for the pain to reside. That did not happen, but Meg got off the floor when she tasted blood in on her tongue.
She sat up and felt her nose. It was not broken, but had a steady stream of blood coming out of it. Sighing, she rose to her feet. How, she wondered, could a ballerina be so clumsy? She looked down at her gown and saw that it, too, was covered in scarlet. She supposed she should tell the Phantom and hope that he could lend her some clothes that he might have had from Christine's visit. Who knew what the Phantom had taken from Christine? All Meg knew was that this was not a very nice was to introduce herself.
She walked out of the door and saw the man in the mask furiously writing on a piece of paper. Meg watched, quietly approaching, as he groaned and crumpled up the paper. Grabbing his head, he paused for a few moments, then looked up and saw Meg.
They stared at each other for a couple of moments, and then the Phantom said, "What have you done to yourself?"
Meg looked at the floor. "I tripped." She closed her eyes, waiting to be reprimanded by this terrible man. Instead, she felt gentle hands on her shoulders.
"Poor girl," murmured the man. "Come with me." The Phantom led Meg down a flight of steps and through a door that was in the back of the cave. Entering the room, Meg saw a chamber-pot and a large basin of water.
The Phantom whisked out a handkerchief and dipped it in the water. Motioning for Meg to come closer, he waited until she moved enough that he could reach out and touch her. As the man dabbed at her face, Meg saw compassion in his eyes that she never thought possible of a murderer. Her nose still stung, but the water was cold a soothing, and the Phantom had a surprisingly light touch. She relaxed and let the Phantom wipe the blood off the rest of her face. By the time he finished, her nose had stopped bleeding.
Gingerly feeling her nose, Meg looked up at the man and smiled. Though he did not openly smile back, Meg thought she may have seen a slight upward turn of his mouth. She then remembered her soiled dress, and wondered again what she would do about it. Once again, the Phantom was one step ahead of her. He stood up, motioned for Meg to stay, and then left the room.
A few moments later he came back in. He held a white dress in his arms. Meg had never seen it, but thought that it undoubtedly had belonged to Christine. Still, she needed clean clothing, and gladly accepted the dress. The Phantom left the room, pulling a curtain over the door as he exited.
Changing slowly so that she could think, Meg went over all the events of the past few hours. Actually, Meg did not know how long she had been down here. It could have been a day, or it could have been two hours. There was no way of knowing in this dark place.
As soon as she was done changing, Meg pulled the curtain away from the door. Stepping out, her footsteps caught the Phantom's attention. He turned to look at her. From the look on his face, Meg could imagine just how beautiful she looked. The Phantom seemed to understand, as always, Meg's thoughts, and quickly looked at the ground, then looked up again.
Looking at Meg, the man spoke. "Come, my dear. You woke just in time for supper." Realizing how starved she felt, Meg cautiously moved over the damp floor. Reaching for the Phantom's outstretched hand, she grasped it, and he led her into a new room.
Dun, dun, dun! Okay, so it's not really a suspenseful ending. Anyway, please review. Again, if you want the Phantom's POV in the story, please tell me so in your reviews. I wrote this chapter right after Chapter 4, so I didn't get to hear anyone's ideas yet. As always, thank you so much for reading!
