Wandering Child
Christine tossed and turned in her bed once more, thrashing about from her nightmares.
Her dreams were of Persia, not like she's ever been there though. She saw bodies laying everywhere beside her. In her dream she was screaming with horror at the sight of them. There must have been hundreds of corpses all around the area. Ahead she saw one man sitting upwards. He was chained to the ground. She walked over to him, being careful not to step on any of the bodies. The chains were around his feet and hands and across his chest. If it were possible, it seemed he was bound to every single body.
It did not shock her to see the white mask on his face. Somehow she figured out she was dreaming, and knew the symbolism behind it. Christine walked over to the man who was crying. He looked up into her eyes begging her to help free him. "Lead me…save me from my solitude!" He cried to her. Tears started to fall down her own cheeks. Christine hugged him like she would never let go. In that instant she felt it necessary to shelter him from the world. To hold him and tell him everything would be ok. She wanted to tell him she would be there for him, but he disappeared in her arms.
"Angel?" She yelled waking from her dreams. Meg walked into the room looking to talk to her.
"Christine? Are you ok?" The younger blonde rushed over to her best friend's side. She patted her hair down to comfort her. Christine smiled at her kindness.
"I'm fine." She stated.
"I don't just mean right now, I mean in general. You've been acting different." Meg said with concern. "And don't lie you know you can't keep anything from me."
Christine laughed. "No…I know that. I wouldn't lie to you."
"Then what's wrong?"
"I don't know honestly. So many different things." She replied.
"Does it have to do with….you know."
"With my angel?"
Meg nodded. "Yeah. Him."
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because I care! I want to know, Christine."
"Yes…it's about him."
Meg sat there silently looking at her. Finally she decided to talk again. "You know everything that has happened is not your fault."
"Isn't it?" Christine questioned.
"No…of course not!" Meg hugged her.
Christine stared into the distance thinking of all that has happened. She paused and looked at her friend.
"I think I need to get some fresh air. I need to think." Christine said as she got up.
"Where are you going?"
"To my father's grave." She replied and walked out the door of her room.
"In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came. That voice which calls to me, and speaks my name." She sang the song in her mind once before and now she was singing it once again on the way to her father's grave.
Christine listened to the horses galloping on the gravel. The sounds came together in harmony with the water rushing from near by rivers and the birds singing in the trees. She always noticed that everything in nature had music. She listened to the sounds clashing together making a beautiful song. Her happiness ceased when the carriage neared the cemetery.
She got out and walked over to her father's grave. This same scene played in her head, but before it was winter and it was snowing. Now it was spring and everything was reborn. Spring was the time for change, for starting anew, and for rebirth. Christine wondered if it was time for her to do the same.
She walked up to the mausoleum of her father. He was a great man, loved by everyone he met. He was very friendly and easy to talk to. He was a success at the Opera house, and when he died they paid for his mausoleum and told him Christine would have an automatic spot in the ballet. He seemed to be friends with just about anyone he came across.
She smiled at the thought of her father. How she longed to just be able to talk to him again. Now was the time she felt she needed guidance the most.
Christine sat down on the steps and looked up into the grave. She silently prayed for forgiveness, somehow she felt she had betrayed him by denying her angel. But soon Christine questioned her sanity. She still believed he was her angel.
"Maybe Erik was right…" she cried to herself. "My father is dead, and he can't hear me. He's not in heaven and there are no angels."
One tear of solitude ran down her cheek as the wind began to pick up. A red rose flew onto her lap. She looked down at it and gently caressed it with her fingertips. Looking up in the sky the sun was shining down on her giving her warmth, and yet at the same time she felt a chill going through her. The chill and warmth together made such a beautiful feeling to her. It almost felt angelic. The sudden change in temperature made her more alert, and she felt she was not alone. The only other time she felt this was when she was with her angel. Christine got up and smiled at her father's grave.
"No…Erik is wrong! I know you're still with me papa." Christine smiled and ran off to the carriage. She ordered the driver to go to the Opera house.
"Well?" Raoul questioned.
Meg turned around in shock. She didn't hear him come in. "Christine is upset, and I do think it's about Erik."
"Damn! I knew it was about him. Why can't he just let her go?"
"He has. I'm afraid it's Christine who can't let go."
Raoul looked up at her when she said that. He took in a deep breath. In all honesty he was expecting that. "I know." He said in defeat.
Meg saw the sadness on his face when he finally came to realize Christine's feelings. She saw tears forming in his eyes and she walked over to him and offered him a hug. He accepted and hugged the young blonde as if they were the best of friends, like how Christine and Meg are.
He sighed and broke away from her, "What do you think me and Christine should do?"
"I don't know. It's really not my place to say."
"Does she love him?" He blurted out not actually looking up at her anymore. His eyes were fixated on the floor.
"I don't know." Meg said quietly. "She went to her father's grave. Maybe it would be best if you went to talk to her yourself."
"Yes, you're right." Raoul agreed.
He stopped just before exiting the room and turned back to look at her. "Thank you for listening Meg."
"Anytime." She said with a smile. He walked out the door and ordered a carriage.
Christine's carriage arrived at the Opera House. It was being restored to its former glory. She past by the construction workers and made her way into the Opera House. She wandered down the maze to the lair once more.
She waded through the water and made her way to the shore. Stepping out she noticed the lair was silent and appeared to be empty. Christine ran to her room in fright praying that she wouldn't find him dead. Once she reached her room she found it empty. Turning around she found her way to Erik's room which was also empty.
Erik sat behind the organ cursing at the fact that she was back again. He sighed and got up from his hiding spot.
"Christine, come here."
She heard his voice and quickly turned around to see him standing by the organ. The lights from the candles shimmered of his white mask which made it glow.
"Angel…"
"What have I told you about calling me that?"
"You didn't mean what you said." She said.
"How would you know?" He laughed.
"Because you just want to get me angry."
"Who told you that?"
"Nobody had to tell me. I can figure things out on my own thank you very much."
"I'm going to have to teach Antoinette and Nadir to keep their big mouths shut."
"How did you know it was both of them?" She questioned.
"I have my ways of knowing things."
Christine became a little frightened by this. Though he wasn't really a ghost or angel he certainly could pass as one. He did indeed know almost everything that went on in the Opera House and he always appeared to be supernatural because of that.
"Well I came to hear an apology."
The Phantom gave a sly smile and laughed. "An apology? My dear, after all these years of knowing me have I ever apologized for anything?"
Christine thought back and responded, "No."
"Then what makes you think I will start now?"
"You heartless monster!" Christine blurted out without thinking. "Why do you have to be so mean to me?"
"Yes…I guess your right!" He stalked over to hear screaming. "I am a heartless monster. Well guess what! You made me this way!"
"You gave me no choice but to leave you. You killed for Christ's sake! Was I supposed to look past that?"
"You don't understand…" He began.
"No…shut up!" Christine yelled which shocked Erik. Her outburst was something he has never seen from her before.
"You're the one that doesn't understand. What you did was wrong. End of story. I know about your past, Erik. I know what happened. But you do not need to take that out on others."
"You know nothing!" He screamed in her face.
"I do know. Nadir told me what happened in Persia."
"Oh, so you think that's my life story? That's not even close to half of it, Mon ange!"
"You know what? I don't even care anymore." She responded. "Normally I would cry for you, but now I don't. The tears that I have shed for your dark fate grow cold and turn to tears of hate."
"Well I didn't want your pity anyway."
"Stop acting like a child Erik." She cried.
Erik walked over to his bedroom away from her.
"Don't walk away from me! I'm talking to you." She shouted running after him.
"Go back home." He yelled back.
"Not until I get an apology."
"I'm sorry." He started. "I'm sorry that you ever came to this fucking Opera House. I'm sorry that you had to deal with me. I'm sorry that I had to be your stupid Angel of Music. I'm sorry that you were dumb enough to believe it for 10 fucking years." He yelled.
Christine closed her eyes as the words sliced through her heart. He stomach twist with what he was saying but she remembered that he really didn't mean it.
"I'm not going to let you win. I'm not giving up on you."
Erik sighed and threw up his hands in defeat. "Just leave Christine."
"You don't have to push everyone who wants to help you out of your life." She said walking towards him. He sat down on his bed looking to his monkey music box. It started to play the soft tune of Masquerade. Tears formed in her eyes with the sound of the sad music and what it meant to him.
"Just leave me." He said softly.
Though he wasn't facing her she could tell he was crying.
"You don't really want that." She told him.
"Why do you torture me? Christine, why do you constantly come here only to go with your Vicomte? WHY?" He yelled out the last part in anger and frustration.
Christine didn't answer him which only further frustrated him. "Why do you do this to me? Either stay with me or leave me the hell alone! Stop tormenting me you God damn jezebel!"
"I'm sorry." She said.
"Of course you are. But sorry doesn't cut it. Now leave!"
"Erik, please…"
"Leave me the hell alone!" He screamed turning around to face her and pushed her down. Shocked by his own anger and outburst he turned away from her again and began sobbing.
Christine fell hard on the floor and she let out a cry.
"Fine. I'm leaving. But I'm not giving up on you." She said after getting up and patting her dress down.
She waited for a response but got nothing back in return from him. He just sat there staring at his music box.
Christine left his room frustrated and returned back to the outside world.
Erik turned around and whispered, "I'm sorry." But Christine was already gone.
