Chapter Fourteen: That's Not A Request!
Erik stood in front of the door to the bedroom that now, against his wishes, belonged to Christine.
Behind him, his key staff waited, ready to help if necessary.
He glared at them, and then, raising one bony, skeletal hand, he knocked twice.
"You will join me for dinner!" he demanded, not waiting for a response.
"That's not a request!"
On her serving trolley, Madame Giry gave a small cough.
"Gently, Your Grace," she advised. "Remember, the girl has just lost her father and her freedom all in one day!"
"Yes," André agreed. "The poor child is probably in there scared to death..."
Erik sighed.
He was getting rather tired of the sudden onslaught of advice.
Still, he knocked again.
This time, there was an answer.
"Just a minute!" Christine answered hurriedly, her voice sounding muffled through the thick door.
"You see?" André exclaimed happily.
"There she is! Now, remember, Master, be gentle..."
"Kind..." added Madame Giry.
"Charming!" Fleurette chirped.
"And above all..." Firmin intoned seriously.
"YOU MUST CONTROL YOUR TEMPER!" they all shouted together.
Erik rolled his eyes, but knocked once more.
"Will you join me for dinner?" he asked, his voice now smooth and sensuous as he called upon the many years of etiquette lessons that his tutors had relentlessly drilled into him, at his dear father's orders.
This time, Christine's response came much swifter.
"You've taken me as your prisoner and now you want me to have dinner with you?"
Her voice sounded much closer now, as if she were right on the other side of the door.
"Are you insane?"
As her words registered, Erik's features closed off, his face growing cold and emotionless.
"Calm yourself, Master!" Madame Giry said in her most reassuring tone, knowing that he was only moments away from losing his temper.
"But she is infuriating," Erik replied through clenched teeth.
"Difficult."
Madame Giry fought not to smirk at the irony of Erik calling Christine difficult and attempted to reason with him instead.
"Then you be easy..."
Taking a deep breath, Erik prepared to try once more.
His skeletal frame visibly trembled with the effort and his jaw clenched fiercely, but he managed to speak in a manner that could at least be considered mostly nice.
"It would give me great pleasure," he gritted out, "if you would join me for dinner."
Christine's response was immediate.
"And it would give me great pleasure," she returned, her voice dripping with sugary sweetness, "if you would go away and leave me alone!"
That was the final straw.
"I told you to join me for dinner!" Erik snarled furiously, all previous attempts at politeness gone.
"And I told you no!" Christine snapped back angrily. "I'd starve before I ever ate with you!"
"Then be my guest!" Erik shouted back. "Go ahead and starve!"
Turning, he glared at his staff.
After all, they were the ones who had gotten him into this mess in the first place!
"If she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat at all!" he vowed darkly.
"Master, no!" André protested. "Show her the real you!"
"This is the real me!" Erik snapped harshly.
Without another word, he whipped around and headed back toward his rooms.
Behind him, he could hear the staff murmuring to themselves, their voices disappointed.
But he didn't care.
What had they expected to happen?
For Christine to swoon at the idea of eating dinner with him?
A demon?
They were fools if they thought that would ever happen.
And he had been a fool to try.
Pushing open the door to the West Wing, he walked over to a small table by the window.
On top of it were a hand mirror and a glass jar, which held a single red rose that hung, enchanted, in its center.
Picking up the mirror, Erik gave a single command.
"Show me the girl!"
Magic swirled and the mirror's glass slowly shifted and swirled until it revealed Christine.
She sat, her back against the door of her room and a look of dread on her face.
Slowly, he put the mirror down.
Christine was scared because of him, because of the monster he was, the monster he might always be.
His eyes locked on the enchanted rose and he sighed, watching as yet another petal fell to the table.
It was only a matter of time now before the last petal fell and when that happened...
Erik shuddered and lowered his head in defeat.
When that happened, all hope would be lost.
And if Christine's reaction was any indication, he had just blown one of his few chances to put an end to the curse.
A/N: Please review to unlock Chapter Fifteen...