Opera Ghost
Chapter Twenty-One

Jess felt sick to her stomach as she wrote. The pen shook in her hand and already there were several clumps of paper on the floor, representing her failed attempts to write. Still, she found that it was the most difficult letter she had ever written. How to explain all this to Daniel, or how not to? It was getting late. The last time she checked her watch, it read 1:29 am and she was sure it was later than that now. But she finally finished it.

Dan, Meet me tomorrow night at midnight on the stage. The doors will be unlocked I have something very important to tell you that might change everything we are doing here. But until that time, do not ask me what it is. Jess

It was vague, because she decided after many tries she couldn't explain everything to him in a simple letter. It was impossible. With this she could have all of the next day to think about how to tell him. Just not now. She had to sleep on it. She folded up the letter and spoke out loud.

"Dearest Dan, Guess what the Opera Ghost is real. He's here in the flesh or something like that. Anyway he thinks I'm Christine and he really doesn't like you. So watch your back. Love, Jessalyn," she said jokingly, but not even her sarcastic humor could untie the knot of fear in her gut. Throwing on her bathrobe, she walked down the hall to the boys' room, and gently slipped the note under the door. Leaving it at that, for she was certain both of them were asleep.

If they weren't asleep by this time at night, they would have been in her room using the computer. Especially Tony, who was currently going through some rough times with girlfriend back home, and their only means of communication was AOL instant messenger.

She went back to room, to get ready for bed. She looked at the same box she had packed some jewelry in for the trip. She took out one of the gold necklaces that held a small pendent on it. She didn't remember when she had gotten it or who gave it to her. She took off the pendant and kept the chain. She took from the dresser the master key she had found in the manager's office. The red ribbon she had found had started to fade. She put the key on the chain. Then she removed the gold ring from her finger and placed it next to the key on the necklace. After slipping into a night shirt, she placed the necklace around her, the cold metal beating against her soft skin. It was better to keep things like this safe and close.

Your chains are still mine.

She glanced at her watch which read 11:47 pm. The time of their meeting had come, and Jess had being dreading it all day. What to say to explain to Dan what was going on? And more importantly what to say to get him to leave as soon as possible. Jessalyn found one of the main entrances to the stage propped open with a piece of carpet. She had already taken off her necklace with the master key attached to open the door. Before, this would have appeared strange to her. But not anymore. She pushed open the door by its long golden handle and peeked inside. All that house lights that would have illuminated the stalls and private boxes were turned off. There was only one light on the stage, which was known by theatre people as the 'ghost light'. The ghost light always remained on when all other lights were turned off to serve a practical purpose that anyone who entered the stage to perhaps turn the lights back on, would not have to wander around in the dark. However the superstitious legends surrounding the fixtures said that in the old days it was kept on to frighten ghosts and malicious spirits away.

The ghost light was bright enough to illuminate the grand piano and a figure seated on the bench, its back facing her. Because of the lack of light, she couldn't tell if it was Dan. She walked down the center aisle, getting a better look as she approached. Jessalyn's fingers found the arm rest of the aisle seats and used them to keep her balance and find her way through the dark. She could make out the cut of the figure's jacket and it looked like something Daniel would wear. Her pace quickened.

And then she stopped in mid step as strong fingers struck down a chord on the piano. It held it there for a long moment. Jessalyn was frozen for every second it lingered on. Until it stopped and then the hands that had struck the chord, gracefully danced up a complex chromatic scale and a melody was born. Jessalyn's grip tightened on the arm rest her hand had come to rest on, fearful her legs would give away, causing her to drop to the floor.

Daniel couldn't play the piano that well. He could barely tap out "Chopsticks" on the keyboard.

The figure shifted as he played exposing a shadow of long dark hair against the limited light. Jess managed to take another step towards the stage, but almost fell due to her weak ankles and now light head. She had once again fallen into Erik's trap. She glanced back at her watch. 11:49pm. She hoped to God that Dan would be late. Jessalyn clasped her hands in front of her trying to gather her courage. But her fingers fidgeted as she approached the stage. Erik continued to play the haunting tune. Before she knew it, the music and her steps had brought her up to the stage, standing only a few feet away from him. She waited patiently until he acknowledged her presence or ceased playing, which ever happened first.

Erik kept his head bowed as he played and it seemed as if his body and the keyboard had merged into one instrument, making glorious music. As usual, Jessalyn shut her eyes in ecstasy every time Erik spoke or played. She wanted in some surreal way to shut down her other senses, so her ears could focus and savor everything about Erik, delighting in his angelic voice more than she wanted to admit. The music halted abruptly.

"So Persephone, you have returned," he said softly. He tried to sound sarcastic, but his voice shook heavily. Jess knew very well what Greek myth he was referring too. Erik thought himself Hades, lord of the underworld. But she disagreed, opening her eyes slowly and shaking her head in a somber fashion.

"No Erik. Not Hades but Apollo. Your music is breathtaking and beautiful." she whispered. She put her hands on his shoulder. Every since she had learn Erik was really a ghost, she had expected every time she would touch him, her hands would past through him. But he remained surprisingly solid and she could almost believe the human reactions she felt and heard. But it wasn't his real muscles becoming tense as her fingers touched him or his breathing growing rapid when she made contact. They were only illusions. They had to be. But for all the masquerading Erik did trying to seduce her with his sensual voice and practiced caresses, she could still sense he was afraid of her every time she moved to touch him. A pale hand reached up to catch hers.

"Thank you, mademoiselle," he whispered. Jess stood there for a moment. Erik's hands were deathly cold and she tried not to shiver at the effect they had on her.

"Erik, why are you here. Why now? What do you want from me?" she asked. She knew he was expecting her, but for what purpose? She saw his shoulders drop at an alarming angle as if his whole body wanted to cave in on itself. He turned away from her line of vision even more, making sure she couldn't even see the outline of his mask over his face.

"How you must hate me," he pronounced. "Do you hate me, Jessalyn?" There was just enough room now on the bench for her to sit down. So she did, straddling the bench with her legs, and now their backs faced one another.

"I'm not sure Erik," she said truthfully. "I'm never sure when it comes to you. Sometimes you are utterly compassionate to me, and the next moment you become so cold and you mock me. Don't you know how much that hurts me? I don't understand you and it's driving me crazy." She confessed gladly, "But I don't hate you."

"You can you know. And you should. After all it is only human to feel hate toward wretched things so different from anything else, isn't it?" he countered bitterly. "Besides I was stupid to think you or any one else could really understand me."

"You see Erik. That hurt, it really did. How can you say such selfish things to me?" Jess grunted, rubbing her hands together wanting to slap him. "Yes it's human to hate, but it is also human to offer compassion and forgiveness. Besides, don't you hate humankind for what they have done to you? So what right do you have to lecture me on hatred?" she finished and almost gasping at her vulnerable mistake. Nice one Jess. Now there is no telling what he'll do to you next. But he was silent. She kept her hands in her lap, and her body and mind had now become aware of how close she was to him. Their backs were only inches away from touching each other. Her ears had become well attuned to Erik. His "breathing" became heavy, but she remembered he didn't need to breathe like she did and that those sounds were being made out of pure frustration, not because of a natural need for air. She heard him turn around, swinging his legs over to touch the other side of the floor. She felt the seat shift.

"Sing for me," he asked, a set of fingers reaching up to stroke her hair. Not the response she had counted on.

"I don't think so. I wouldn't know what to sing," she said trying to stall for time. "Besides I know you would be disappointed in me. I'm not what you would expect." The fingers that had stroked her hair now moved down to her neck and under her chin. She was afraid for a moment that he might try to choke her.

"Sing for me." This time it was a command.

"I will only if you will do me a favor," she said quickly turning her body to face the keyboard, glancing at the side of his mask.

He sighed. "Very well." He raised his hand dramatically. "What is it?"

Jessalyn took a deep gulp, her fingers and knees starting to shake. "When I finish singing what ever piece you play, you have to tell me...about the ghosts I saw in the managers' office the other day..." She stopped, catching her breath. "Why did one of them look like Claudine?"

"Agreed," he hissed striking a note on the keyboard. He pointed at her with his other hands for her cue. Jess took a deep breath, knowing she hadn't attended a choir practice or voice lesson since before she left school to come on this trip, and then let out a 'ah' from her throat to match the pitch. He made her hold it there for a long time and she was certain her voice would soon crack. But he played more notes, slowly and Jess followed matching each tone with a vocalization. He continued to play fiercely and she wondered if she could keep up. He again held up a hand to inform her to stop for a moment as he drilled out a complex harmony underneath before she started up again.

She glanced at her watch: 11:55. Her heart was starting to race along with the song and with the fear of what would happen next. Her hands were dripping with sweat and the notes went up and down inside her. This piece was defiantly something of Erik's composition, for she had never heard anything like it before. She stood up just so she could reach them. He would play a note deep into her lower register than make her glissando up to a higher note. Over and over he played the pattern, expecting it to be perfect from her every time. She gasped, her voice strained at the effort. Couldn't he see that? Too high, too high.

And then he landed on a note which she belted out in all her frustration, wishing it would just all stop. And she held it there, even after he had let go. He stood up and moved to her side, his hand reaching around her neck. He shut his eyes, stroking her throat and savoring the gentle vibrations of her vocal chords. "Christine."

When he called her that she stopped, now angry at him for putting her through this ordeal. She reached up to shove his hand away from her neck and backed away. Erik looked as if he had bent burnt and shrunk back, crouching over the piano bench once more.

"They were going to kill her," he moaned. Jess looked at him surprised. "Carlotta was furious that the managers wouldn't fire Christine, so she was going to take matters into her own hand. She and her maid, who you saw, were going to poison her. Slip backstage during a performance and put it into a glass of water for her to drink ," he choked out. Then he took the lid of the piano and slammed it down. "And not just poison her to ruin her voice and career, but poison to kill her. Do you understand, kill her!" he shouted in rage. "That's way I took her away that night, the last night was performing Faust. Not just so that she couldn't run away with her lover, but to save her life. If I hadn't caused the blackout then, she would have walked off stage, taken that water to relive her thirst, and gone back out for her bows. She would have been dead before the final curtain fell." He leaned back, more tears welling in his deep-set eyes. "Was I really then such a monster for taking her away?"

Jessalyn shook her head. "I don't know."

"Were my intentions good or was I just fooling myself?"

She couldn't give him the answers he wanted to hear. She was sure that at heart, Erik was a good man. But because of whom he was and his circumstances, people didn't see his good intentions like he did. They didn't understand. And no amount of time could heal that misunderstanding. "I'm sorry."

Erik looked at her, that same hallow sadness in his eyes. She moved closer to the bench, dropping to her knees. She planted her hand on the seat of the bench inches away from his. "I had to protect her then. I couldn't protect her from my obsession and the madness in my own mind, but I could save her from the people who wanted to kill her. I could at least give her that. I had to protect her, just as I have to protect you now. Stay away from that woman, Jessalyn. She tried to kill you before, she'll try again," he pleaded. "Stay away from all of them. They don't want us to be together. They will take you away from me and kill you." His hands gripped hers, shaking as he did so in fear. Jessalyn could see now that there was no way she could get Erik to realize the difference from the past and the present. He still believed she was Christine. He thought the managers and now Claudine, the ghost of the maid she had seen before, were out to kill her. But nothing could be farther from the truth.

"You're wrong, Erik. Claudine isn't who you think she is. She's my friend." Jess protested.

"Stay away from her!" he begged. "Keep away from all of them." He paused, cupping her chin with a graceful movement. His index finger stroked the side of her cheek longingly. "Stay with me. I'll protect you. It will all be different this time, I promise. Come away with me."

She held his hand, not moving a step closer or further away from him, and his request echoed inside in her mind. Stay with me. She wondered, would it really be that horrible if she took him up on that offer. If she went with Erik, he wouldn't have any need to threaten her friends or anyone else in the opera house. He could be content, and perhaps feel complete enough to 'cross over to the other side' as it were. Besides, Dan and now Tony who she had become a closer friend with during this trip, there were many people she would be leaving behind. She could give in. Become a sacrifice so Erik's rage would be quelled and the cursed opera house would be finally free. Everything rested on her shoulders. Stay with me.

"I…." she started.

A shuffle of noise was heard out in the auditorium. Both of them turn to see what it was. "Jess?" called out a voice in the darkness. The Jess made out a figure jogging up to the stage. Her stomach felt like someone had dropped a brick in it.

"Daniel…no," she gasped. He jumped up to the stage, not even noticing Erik sitting behind her. She ran to him. No go away. Get out.

"I thought you said to meet me here," he said, taking her hands in his. "Jess, your hands are freezing. What's the matter?" Then his gaze went over her shoulder to see Erik. His eyes widened in surprise and fascination. Jess turned nervously towards Erik, who she saw slowly rise to his feet, his black cape trailing behind him. "Oh," he said. She felt his hands tighten their grip in realization. "Oh…my. Jess, this is quite a discovery you've made." He whispered into her ear, "Is he…?"

"Yes Dan. It's everything that you think it is," she whispered back, tears of frustration and shock welling up in her eyes.

"Then he's real?" Dan asked, loudly looking back at Erik.

"Yes, he is. Now Dan, please go?" she begged, pulling his head down to talk into his ear once more. She was trying to save him, why didn't he leave?

"Leave? Now?" he asked.

"Yes, please just go," she shouted. He could now see that she was crying and shaking. She tried to push him away, to get him to leave. But he held on to her tighter.

"Yes monsieur. I suggest you leave." Erik intoned in a voice colder than ice. Dan was not happy at his comment.

"Look, whoever you are, I'm not going anywhere without Jess. She's obviously not comfortable with you." He addressed Erik boldly. He refused to let go of Jess and held her tight. Erik laughed at him, circling them both. Jess finally managed to push herself out of Dan's embrace, stepping back toward Erik.

"Dan, please get out of here while you still can," she instructed him, now standing next to Erik. Erik pushed her aside and step put in front of the piano bench. He was now facing Dan.

"I won't leave without you, Jess." Dan said.

"If you value your life, sir, you'll listen to the lady's advice," Erik growled at him. Then without warning, Erik reached into the folds of his cloak and like lighting pulled out a lasso: the Punjab Noose. Dan saw it and jumped back when Erik raised it in the air, ready at any moment to catch in around Dan's neck. In his surprise, Dan and tripped and fell backwards onto the floor. Erik took a step towards him.

"No!" Jess acted fast, jumping up onto the piano bench. "Dammit Dan, run!" she called, and then she threw herself into the air and knocked against Erik's turned back. Her impact sent both of them sprawling onto the floor. After a second from recovering from the fall, Jess orientated herself and threw her arms around Erik's torso, trying to restrain him. She saw Dan finally get up to his knees. She wanted him to get the hell out of there. Erik struggled against her and eventually overpowered her, tossing her off as if she were a rag doll. Jess tucked in her shoulders and braced for the impact as she rolled across the stage. Dan's knees stopped her. His arms went under her armpits raising her up of the floor. Jess was still dizzy for a moment, until his vision focused on something.

Erik's mask, lying face down on the hardwood floor in between them. Then she heard him laugh, sinisterly. She lifted her eyes to look at him. His head was still facing the ground as he pushed himself up with his hands. But he slowly tilted up his face into her full view.

Jess's lips trembled and her teeth chattered. Erik's eyes were now bright yellow, staring at her, and looked like they could change to blood red at anytime. His pupils were so small in the back of his deep-set eyes. His skin was ghostly white, even yellow in some places, as if he had been buried alive and left for the maggots to feast upon. A gapping black hole rested in the center of his face were a nose should have been. It was horrible. Worst than any makeup conjured up for a movie. Even more terrible than something she might have seen in her darkest nightmares. Again her whole body started to shake in Dan's grip.

Don't. Don't do it. Don't scream.

But she couldn't help it. Jessalyn tilted back her head and let out a piercingly high scream that echoed through out the opera right back at her, stabbing the haunting silence of the stage life a thousand knives. And then she heard Erik scream. He wailed like a wounded animal, a sound of utter betrayal and rejection. Dan shouted for her to get up. If they had a chance of getting away, it was now. Jess scrambled to her feet, still disoriented and tears gushing down her face. Dan pulled her away, not really sure where he was going. She pointed to a set of old spiral stairs.

"Up there. They go up to a catwalk that leads to an upper level," she instructed. He helped her along to the stairway she had indicated. Jess was now glad she had spent her free time wandering around the catwalks above and around the stage, and mapping out where they led to. They both climbed up the stairs at a maddening speed. Jess's feet stumbled and slipped, but Dan still held onto her by her forearm now, refusing to let her fall behind. They came to the level of the catwalk and darted across its steel grid. Jess was running out of breath and stopped for a moment. Dan continued to hold her in his arms, just to get her from falling down. He used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe away the tears and sweat coursing down her face. "Dan. Dan. I'm so sorry," she sobbed.

Dan glanced down at the stage below. It was empty. "We should keep going. There is no telling how fast…"

He was cut off by the sound of a bullet whizzing past them both. It had shot up through a hole in the grid, missing them by inches. Then another and another came. These two missed: bouncing off the metal and sparking to the ground. But they had been aimed at them. "Shit! He's got a gun!" Dan exclaimed. He quickly started to run again. Jess glanced down at the stage herself and then around the darkened area of the wings.

"But I don't see him."

"It doesn't matter, let's go!" Dan and Jess raced along the rest of the catwalk, trying to run as fast as possible without losing their balance and falling over. Dan reached into his front pocket and pulled out his cell phone, obviously to turn it on and call the police. "Quick, what's the French version of 911?" he asked. Another shot rang out, this one in front of them and they barely avoided it. But the sudden sound and shock flustered Dan for a moment. Just long enough for his hand to lost the grip on his cell phone, knocking it over the edge. They didn't have time to stop and watch, so they only heard the sound it made as the device dropped fifty feet to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. Shots kept coming. Erik's rage was preventing him from aiming as well as he should, but he was coming too close for comfort. It would only be a matter of time before one of the bullets hit its target.

They reached the door at the end of the catwalk and Jess pulled it open, exposing the corridors of the upper level around the stage. They located the nearest flight of stairs and plummeted down them. Dan took the stairs two and sometimes three at a time, skipping entire sections with a jump. Jess however couldn't go as fast as he could because of her shorter legs and notorious weak ankles. They had made it down three flights of stairs, coming close to the main foyer when her left ankle buckled underneath. Dan was a few steps ahead of her, and wasn't close enough to stop her as she tripped tumbling down the last couple stairs on her bottom. She groaned in pain, shutting her eyes.

And then she felt a pair of strong hands reach under her torso and knees. Her mind snapped with fear. Had Erik caught up to them that quickly? She tried to more away but she was lifted into the air and pressed against a hard chest covered in sweat. She was afraid to open her eyes, until she found herself moving again down the stairs in this man's arms. She opened her eyes and looked up into Dan's face.

Dan was carrying her. She was stunned since Dan was about the same size and weight as she. It demonstrated his strength and resolve that he wouldn't put her down; he carried her down the main stairs of the foyer. When they reached the bottom, Jess indicated that she was fine and she could be put down. So hand in hand they ran across the foyer and out the main door, into the chilly Paris night, not even daring to look behind them.

A/N: sighs
then dodges rocks Well at least Jessalyn finally sings. Its up to Erik to decide whether she is any good or not. And then I had to go and ruin their special moment together. I'm such a fiend, that's why I'm ready to dodge to rocks. Anyway I'm away on spring break now if you can call it that, and my personal computer is locked away in my dorm room for the next two weeks. Bummer I'll try to do as much writing as I can. But of the three computers left in my house, my mom's is the only one with an internet connections and Microsoft Word that works. And she's on the computer a lot. So I'll see what I can do and hopefully get another chapter written. Let me know what you think so far. -PC