Chapter 16: Past, Present & Future
Erik quickly opened the envelope that had been addressed to him and that Rose had left for him upon her duvet,
'I'm sorry...' Two words... Just two... It seemed that she had intended to write more but only two tear stains followed the written words; Erik looked towards the clock that hung on the wall and noted the time: 12:15pm. He still had a chance and it wasn't long until the former phantom was rushing out of the room.
Erik ran all the way to Phantasma's pier and he slowed down when he found Rose sitting upon one of the benches that people would sit on whilst waiting for the ferry that would travel to and from the island,
"... The next ferry isn't for a few hours" Erik said gently... Before moving slowly and sat down by Rose's side after moving her suitcase and placed it on the ground in front of him,
"... Is two written words really all I get after everything we have been through?" Erik asked, removing the letter from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and saw how Rose turned her face away from him,
"You promised that you would never go anywhere. Do you remember that?" Erik demanded firmly as his frustration grew and felt his blood boil when she still remained silent,
"ANSWER ME!" Erik ordered and was stunned when she stood abruptly and looked at him angrily,
"YES! YES! I REMEMBER!" she yelled, allowing tears to fall down her cheeks,
"I ALSO REMEMBER A TIME WHEN YOU TOLD ME THAT THE LAST THING YOU EVER WANTED TO DO WAS HURT ME! DO YOU REMEMBER TELLING ME THAT?" Rose demanded, turning away and taking deep breaths as if to calm herself down and leaned against the pier railing... Erik was silent for what seemed like hours but soon picked up Rose's suitcase,
"We're going home" he said simply,
"I am not going anywhere" Rose replied,
"THAT WASN'T A REQUEST, ROSE!" Erik rounded on her and watched a humorless smile grow on her face,
"Well would you look at that. This is the very first time that I'm apparently looking upon the phantom of the opera" Rose said firmly,
"What are you going to do, Erik?... Scare me into submission. Threaten me into staying because I'm just going to save you some hassle because 1. I am not scared of you and 2. Threats will only make me want to leave even more than I already do" she warned him before turning her back on him again,
"... You told me that you understood that I needed to hear her sing one last time" Erik murmured and heard her sigh,
"This isn't about Christine, Erik! This is about everything!" Rose yelled before gesturing to the dazzling view of Phantasma behind him,
"Look around you!... You have everything... I just... I wanted to be a part of that everything" Rose whispered brokenly,
"But you are... None of this would have been possible without you, Rose" Erik told her desperately,
"Except I'm not part of it... I'm the automaton... The clockwork structure. Look me in the eye and tell me that in the years we have been here that you haven't once looked at me and imagined that I was Christine" Rose demanded and Erik looked down at her sadly before looking down at the ground in shame,
"... You're imagining her right now... I warned you that this would happen. I told you that you would grow to resent me and now you cannot even look at me properly" Rose said with a broken sob,
"... I wish i'd never written you that letter" she whispered before moving past him as rain began to fall but Erik grasped her wrist gently,
"Tell me what you desire and it's yours. Anything just name it" Erik begged as the rain grew heavier,
"... I just wanted to be chosen" Rose murmured, pulling away as Erik weakly released her wrist and allowed her to walk away.
Erik sat within his pitch black office whilst staring off into the darkness,
"... I've lost her. She'll never forgive me now" Erik whispered as Nadir stood by his open office door before moving and sat by his old friend after pouring them both a glass of brandy and Erik accepted it slowly,
"Why can't I love her?" Erik whispered,
"Because you're an idiot" Nadir pointed out simply, earning a glare from Erik,
"There's no denying it, Erik. All Christine ever wanted from you was your guidance so that she could become a star... All Rose has ever wanted is your happiness as well as your love" Nadir said, downing his brandy,
"I told her that I could learn to love her" Erik argued,
"Empty words and feelings are not what she wants nor are they what she deserves" Nadir fired back,
"You need to stop wallowing in self pity and remember all the moments that Rose has been there for you and showed you kindness... I can't tell you to love her Erik but for her sake... Think about it. Really think about it and if your heart says no... Then you need to set her free" Nadir told, placing the brandy glass down before standing and leaving Erik to his thoughts.
Madame Giry placed the duvet gently over Rose's sleeping form; The poor girl had cried herself to sleep. Antoinette turned towards Miss Fleck whom was closing the curtains,
"... I don't pretend to believe in superstition. The lord knows that I have discovered a ghost to turn out to be a man but... What does the future hold for Rose?" Madame Giry asked and watched as the bird woman retrieved her tarot cards and gently brushed them against Rose's hand whilst she slept before throwing three individual cards, face down before turning the first one over,
"... The past card is a willow tree. Symbolizing loneliness" Miss Fleck explained before turning over the second card,
"... The present card. A jester. Something has made Rose to feel like a fool" she went on and it was Madame Giry whom turned over the third card and lightning flashed outside as both women looked upon the card with faces of dread,
"... The future card..." Miss Fleck murmured,
"... Death" Madame Giry whispered and found herself looking towards a sleeping Rose with an expression of concern.
Oh! I am so evil aren't I?! hehe :D Review for Chapter 17!
Kind Regards,
TheAuthor1996