Author's Note:
Dear Readers,
Now, be prepared for chapters. I have decided to stop messing around with boring stuff and actually get to the meat of the story! If I want this done before I leave for college in August, I have to get moving. I have another chapter in for my beta reader to look over (very promising with action!) and the next one already in the thought. So, get ready. STUFF WILL HAPPEN (for once)!
sarahandmarquis
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Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera. I do not! I do own Dalir Gul and this story plot.
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Reviews:
ArtemisBare: Who doesn't want to hug "our little damaged murder puppy"! HE NEEDS IT VERY BADLY! Hugs and kisses and lots of love. Thank you for reviewing!
Child of Dreams: You are entirely correct!
Not a Ghost3: That was my intention. I see I have succeeded in my plans…*evil cackle* In all truth, it had me melting.
Whatanidea15: I'm glad I could update too! Thank you for taking a moment to review!
E.M.K.81: Yes, the choice of separating work from family is never an easy one. We'll see what Dalir comes up with. And, Christine…yes, she will have a hard time with it. The question is: will she be strong enough? Thank you for reading and reviewing!
AnotherSilentObserver: *gives you bandages for your heart* *posts this chapter knowing it will be ripped to shreds again soon*
peanutpup: You'll have to read it to the end to find out!
Lunacat: I'm sorry you gave up hope! I knew that would probably happen for a lot of my readers with the distance between updates. Hopefully now we'll have them more regularly. I need this done before August so when I start college I don't have to worry about it on top of school work. So, be expecting more chapters in rapid succession!
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Word Count: 1999
"Was" Count: 6
"Were" Count: 0
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CHAPTER 16
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Maybe it was the realization of his admission.
Maybe it was the claustrophobic feeling of her arms tangled through his.
Maybe it was her kindness throughout the evening.
Whether it was all these things or just one that acted as the trigger, it didn't matter. Erik felt his throat closing and his breathing became ragged. His diaphragm locked up inside his chest. Panic spread through every limb. Muscles tightened.
Desperate to escape the claustrophobia, he suddenly shot to his feet, unsettling Christine who had been quietly napping against his arm. She tumbled against the soft cushions of the couch, her blue eyes blinking in confusion. Propping herself up on one elbow, she asked,
"Erik, what's wrong?" He shook his head, attempting to clear it, but the air felt thick and heavy. His addiction sang in his mind, a siren luring him back with the promise of calm and relaxation. He found himself pushing away from Christine.
"It's getting late. You should go home and rest." He started to turn away, showing her the expanse of his bony back and hiding from himself the mild look of hurt and confusion in her eyes.
"If you say so, Erik. I suppose it has been a busy day." She stood up and brushed the wrinkles from her dress. "When shall we meet up again?"
"I…I don't know. I'll message you. I'm…" He hesitated for a moment, the thought of lying to her abhorrent despite his need for her to stay away for him to clear his head. "I'm going out of country again. I don't know for how long." His suit stuck to his body as he started to sweat. The collar added to the tightening around his throat.
"All right. Safe trip and a swift return." She gave him a smile an endearing smile that skewered his heart and floated out of the room, the white butterfly turned tormentor. As soon as the door slammed behind him, a sick feeling slithered into his stomach.
What have I done? I lied to her. I lied to her. Again. His mind scrambled to justify it. It threw him options that varied from the fact that she would be better off not knowing about his addiction to the fact that he needed time away from her to sort out his thoughts, and she wouldn't understand.
I lied to her.
Unwilling to do anything, he ran up the stairs to his conscience killer. In that moment, he almost wished she wouldn't come back. She wouldn't lose anything, and he would lose everything, a fitting punishment for an unforgivable crime.
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"Christine?" She jumped at the voice just over her shoulder, sloshing the coffee onto the counter. Her coworker looked at her weirdly, an empty tray tucked under her arm. "Christine, you look… a little absent today. Is everything alright?"
The blonde nodded once, quickly cleaning up the coffee mess and handing the cleaned cup to the customer with sugar and cream.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…preoccupied. Nothing to worry about." She looked down at the floor and fiddled with the hem of her apron. "It's just…my friend should have been back from his trip by now. But, there hasn't been a single word."
"How long is he usually gone?" the girl asked, passing the tray off to another waitress bound for the kitchen. She walked beside Christine and leaned on the counter.
"No more than a week. It's been a week and a half already, nearly two weeks. I'm worried." She sank onto a stool and lowered her head into her hands. "What do I do? I don't want to appear overly protective or clingy since he did say he was going out of town. But he acted strangely last time we saw each other. I don't know."
"Listen, girl, if he is a friend, he'll understand your concern over not hearing from him. It wouldn't hurt to drop him a text to see if he's okay." She gave Christine a big grin and slid her some silverware to wrap in napkins. "Besides, it might do his ego wonders." She winked and went about her work, humming a quiet tune. Christine stared at the napkins and utensils before her, resolving to think of something to say that wouldn't sound clingy. It wouldn't hurt to boost his ego. It might even do him good!
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As soon as she got home, she sat down with her phone and crafted a short and sweet message to Erik. After multiple edits and thinking about it over chicken nuggets and noodles, she finally sent it.
Hey, Erik, just wondering how your trip is going. I hope everything is going well for you.
The message sent, she closed the browser on her phone and went to bed, confident she would receive a message come morning.
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It had been two weeks since she'd sent her message to him. He never responded. No calls, no texts, no messages. Several times she'd logged onto her account to see that he had logged on during the day, but he had left without a word to her. The worry ate at her stomach. Her employer had remarked twice about the bags under her eyes and inquired if she needed anything. She always told him no and went on about her work, trying to pretend everything was alright and that she hadn't lost her only friend.
Every night as she tried to sleep, she would racked her brain to remember if she'd done something wrong to cause him to distance himself from her. Had she been too familiar? She enjoyed physical touch, something she lacked in her regular life. He seemed to have enjoyed it too.
She cried herself to sleep at night, heartsick that he might have rejected her forever.
Monday evening rolled around, her one night off.
Erik had been active five minutes previous without messaging her. She tried not to stare at the number and think of all the things that could have gone wrong since her disturbed friend's last words to her. He had acted so strangely. Trying to cry over those few small words under his name, she went to the kitchen to boil a cup of tea, her last valiant attempt to calm her nerves.
The ringing of her cellphone interrupted her. She dove for it, hoping to see Erik's name on the caller ID, only to find Nadir's smiling face greeting her. Disappointed but hopeful that he might have news of their mutual friend, she tapped the green answer button and picked up the call,
"Nadir, what's up?"
-I'm calling about Erik. Have you heard from him at all since our dinner together?-
"No, not a word." She tried to contain a scared sob. "He's been silent. I see on the website that he's logged in multiple times but he never contacted me. He told me he was going out of the country?" She offered the solution weakly, trying to convince herself that it was still applicable after over a month.
-Oh dear. Oh dear… Christine, please don't alarm yourself. Sit down and take a deep breath. You sound like you're panicking.-
"I am!" she said, taking a seat and trying to keep her voice from breaking. "A month has passed without a word from him. I'm worried! Something could have happened. He should have been back by now!"
-Erik is fine. He knows how to take care of himself. Now, you said he said that he was going out of country?-
"Yes. I assumed it was just another one of his trips that would be over in a week or two. The last one went quickly." She caught herself starting to hyperventilate.
-Take a deep breath. Christine. May I come over to your house so we talk about this face to face?-
"Of course. I'll text you my address, so you have it. Do you…do you think it could be serious?" Her voice grew small as she huddled up in the armchair.
-Even when I knew Erik, he was a reckless sort of person. I don't know how much he's changed. Just wait for me.-
Christine attempted to calm herself and hung up, texting Nadir her address and remaining in the armchair until a few steady knocks landed on her apartment door. Running to the door, she glanced through the peephole to see the older gentleman standing there, worry wrinkles creasing his face. She unlocked the deadbolt and the sliding latch before letting him inside the ordinary apartment.
"Nadir, what's going on?" she demanded as soon as he crossed her threshold. "Tell me!"
"Christine, take a breath. I never meant to work you up like this." He gave her a kindly smile that didn't reach his preoccupied eyes.
"I've been worked up. Been worked up for several weeks. I just can't show it. I go to work, bags under my eyes, and hide my churning stomach. I come home and try to sleep, all the time wondering if he's okay or if he's decided to move on. Maybe this is just his way of saying goodbye? I don't want to lose him, Nadir! I care for that man more than…" She trailed off and shakily wiped a few tears from her eyes. Nadir's heart went out to the quaking, sobbing girl in front of him. She is too young to endure Erik's shenanigans.
"I don't think so, little one. Let's sit down." He shepherded her over to an overstuffed couch and kept her tucked close as they sat down. "Tell me exactly what happened the night you last saw Erik. Maybe we can make something of what he told you." She recounted the evening with stunning clarity, remembering every detail as she had gone over it millions of times during the intervening weeks. Once finished, she accepted the napkin he handed her and cleaned her face, attempting to look somewhat normal and in control.
"Well, I know Erik has not been out of the country. I drove near his estate at least four times and there has been signs of life. I have texted once every day for the past week with no response." He opened his mouth to continue speaking when Christine interrupted, her eyes going wide. He is a sick man! That medicine! Anything could have happened!
"We have to go. Now. We have to make sure he's okay!" She tried to bound from the couch. Grabbing her hand firmly, Nadir looked at her, faintly confused at her vehemence.
"What do you know that I don't?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.
"He is a sick man. He has injections that he takes. I didn't pry into what was actually wrong but…if he is sick and needs help, we need to be there!" She tugged her hand free and fluttered about the house, grabbing what she thought necessary as Nadir contemplated her words. Before she could breeze out the door, he grabbed her arm.
"Christine, what did the needles look like?"
She paused, trying to remember.
"Just ordinary needles. There were a few bottles in the drawer with them but I didn't have a chance to read the label. It was just a clear-ish liquid in a medical bottle. Like the ones you'd get when you buy antibiotics for animals."
"Perhaps I should go alone," he suggested upon hearing her comments. "It might not be a pretty sight." She straightened up, tossing her long blonde hair over one shoulder.
"I am going with you. He's my friend as much as yours. If he needs us, we should be there for him. No matter what's wrong. I'm not scared, Nadir." Those words coming from such a tiny, delicate frame nearly brought a smile to his face. The woman had courage, or ignorance on her side. If those syringes are what I think they are…it will take all the courage she has to keep going.
"Come on, Christine. But don't say I didn't warn you."