The Crystal Rainbow
An Alternate Universe – Phantom of the Opera Story
Nyasia A. Maire
© 2007
DISCLAIMER: I do not hold the rights nor did I create any characters found in The Phantom of the Opera or Phantom, nor have I received monetary compensation for writing this story.
History is a series of colorful events scrawled by men into the dust.
Life soars, daring us to rise above the earth and the choices we make.
A Fool's Book of Wisdom
Chapter Twelve – Choices
She slowly sank onto the bench and nestled her backside into the corner of the compartment. Her gaze ran over her companions and she watched as they quietly spoke. The folds of flesh, which lined her face deepened into a gentle smile as she watched Erik, oblivious of his actions, enfold Christine's hand within his.
"Well, it seems that whatever Erik did, Christine accepted it and forgave him. Everything is proceeding better than I anticipated, almost too well! Damnez-le, but that was a close thing. Too, close! It would most likely be a prudent course of action on my part to keep a sharp eye on those two. Ah, young love! So beautiful, so strong and completely out of control. I need to tell Erik why it is so very important to guard her maidenhead. He would not want Christine to end up like me! Oh, no! He would not care for that all of that I am certain."
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Helen's choked breath heaved from her lungs, almost giving a voice to the complete revulsion she felt. Her mind reeled in shocked horror as she struggled against the hands that roamed, groped, pinched, poked and clutched over the ripe, young curves of her body. Her young, strong yet, small hands grappled against the much larger and stronger ones that attempted to pin her to the hard, dusty ground. She knew the battle in which she currently found herself engaged was already lost, but still, she could not … no, would not admit defeat. Although she fiercely struggled against the brute who wished to claim her virtue, she felt a part of her mind slip away. It seemed to hover above her and watched as the wretched young woman writhed beneath the swarthy man in her pathetic attempt to free herself from him. That small part of her looked with detached interest at the small motes of dust raised by her pounding fists and kicking legs in the dark corner of the carnival tent. She heard the raucous sound of many voices raised in merry conversation on the other side of the canvas.
"So close … so close! And yet, none would hear me if I screamed. No one would take note, thinking me just another girl frightened by one of the poor unfortunates on display in the sideshow. Goddess, why? Oh, why? Why is this the way I shall lose my innocence? Oh, Mother Goddess, your hapless babe needs your protection. Please? Help me survive this!"
And, the floating essence of the girl watched as tears began to stream from the pair of rich sapphire-hued eyes of the body to which she knew she belonged. The part of her that soared free of her physical form wanted to pull the abused girl into her arms and console her. But, all she could do was hover above her and watch the horror unfold.
Suddenly, Helen found the separate parts of her mind reunited as a huge fist slammed into the side of her jaw. She reeled, seeing flashes of light sparkle about her and a tempting darkness beckoned to her, but she steadfastly refused to submit to the temptation to yield, to surrender. A crude, raspy voice snapped her consciousness back into the present.
"Lay still, girlie! If ye do no … well, I will find it necessary to give ye another one of me little love taps and then, ye will no trouble me no more. I really do prefer me fucks to be living and kicking when I plow 'em, but I will takes it as I can gets it. If ye knows what I mean."
He leered down into her face, a string of drool dripped from the corner of his mouth to land on her chin. She shuddered in disgust and turned her face away from him. His lust-glazed eyes roamed over her beautiful, but bruised face and he sneered. Another disgusting rivulet of saliva oozed from between his lips as he took in the long, wavy coal black hair, which splayed about her head like a dark halo. The deep, hypnotic, sapphire blue of her eyes and the unearthly translucence of her skin a sharp contrast to the ebony mane. The man ran his thick tongue over his lips as he took in the sight of her full, pouting lips, which were blood red and swollen from his mouth's crude demands on them.
"If ye did no wish for ole John Thomas to be taking ye, ye should have stayed at home. Now, spread yer legs, bitch! Do it! Or, do ye wish for me to be giving ye another little pat on the cheek?"
Helen whimpered at the thought of the man taking her unconscious body. His calloused hands grabbed her slender shoulders, his talon-like fingertips digging into her soft flesh. He lifted her slightly from the ground and gave her body one violent shake, which whipped her head forward and back.
"Well, cunt? Yeah or nae?" He growled dangerously.
She squeezed closed her eyes and shook her head.
"No! I cannot allow his seed to take hold in my womb. I must remain awake. I need to fight him in the way of my family. I must begin the incantation, so I may protect my womb; prevent a child coming of this unholy act. If only my family's gift granted me the power to place a hex upon his loins, I would, but …."
As she ceased her struggles, relaxed her body and surrendered to the gypsy's lewd demands, she heard the sound of his arrogant laughter slowly fading from her consciousness. Helen drew an invisible veil between her mind and body as the words of an enchantment that she never thought to use droned within her mind as she felt him claw and tear away at her clothes.
"Goddess of Love, Goddess of Life … Bless not this coupling … Bring no completion to the joining of the male and the female … Protect your daughter and pass by this man's unholy delight."
As the man took her body, she felt the presence of the Goddess carefully take hold in her mind. The touch of the Goddess was comfortably warm, dark and safe. It whisked Helen's spirit to a place far from where her violated body lie wracked in pain. Her soul rejoiced in the darkness and with invisible fingers, greedily gathered the gloom about her, until her essence lie profoundly within its depths. It was at that moment that Helen felt the first stone blocks of a great wall drop around her heart.
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"No!"
The wrinkled, old woman screamed and bolted upright, her hands raised protectively before her chest. Her eyes darted about the small compartment, searching for … something. With a sigh, her gaze fell to her wrist and she lovingly stroked one of the crystal beads with her thumb. After a moment, she looked up to find two sets of eyes staring at her. Christine's eyes full of worry and confusion. Erik's hooded orbs full of his sadness and love.
Helen in an attempt to lighten the tense atmosphere joked.
"Why are you two staring at me? Oh, please! Do not tell me that I have suddenly grown a second head?"
She gave the pair a look of mock horror and frantically patted her body as if she searched for the extra body part. When she saw that her humor did not achieve the desired result, she sighed.
"I must apologize if I frightened you, Christine. As Erik can attest, I suffer horrendous nightmares from time to time and that is why I called out. There is no rest for the wicked, ma chère. And, I must be very wicked."
The old woman gave a tired smile and Erik spoke softly to Helen in a language Christine did not understand. After a short exchange between the young man and old woman, Erik surprised Christine by placing a gentle kiss upon Helen's forehead. Christine blinked her surprise as Helen lifted her hand to Erik's cheek and gave it a soft pat. It seemed to Christine that as soon as Helen remembered her presence, the woman's demeanor reverted to her normal gruff and blustery persona. Christine turned to look out the window for a moment to hide her smile.
"These two constantly surprise me as they are never exactly what I expect. I knew they cared for each other, but I had no idea that their feelings ran so deep. Knowing that they have had one another to depend upon lifts a shadow from my heart. I can hardly believe that I feel so at peace sitting here with the two of them, especially after how furious I felt with Erik. But, I guess his kisses and caresses helped me find my way back to how I truly feel about these two. I am amazed! I have not felt this content since my father fell ill. When I am with the two of them, I feel as if I am home. Yes, that is what this feeling is like. I am home."
She moved her gaze away from the window and returned her eyes to look into Erik's once more. Moments passed by the pair unnoticed as they sat holding hands. They gazed deeply into one another's eyes and drank deep of the emotions they found there. Emotions stirred to the surface only by the sight of their beloved's glance. And, when the passion contained in their eyes became too much, they closed their eyes and calmed their breathing by resting their foreheads together.
Helen sat with her arms folded across her breast and watched her niece and the young man she loved as a son.
"Oh, they are besotted with one another." She sighed inwardly. "I must tell them and there is no better time than the present."
Helen delicately cleared her throat.
"Christine, there is something you must know before you make your decision about accepting my offer of room and board."
The old woman held up her hand to ward off the young woman's stream of questions before they began to flow.
"Please, hear me out first. Then you may ask as many questions as it takes to fulfill the desire in your heart. Will you grant an old woman that wish?"
A tremor of apprehension ran through the girl's slight form, but she nodded her assent.
The old woman's pale blue eyes darkened into a vibrant sapphire blue and seemed to look upon something neither of the two young people could see. For an instant, Erik and Christine caught a glimpse of a raven-haired beauty sitting in the place of the old woman before the familiar wrinkled visage returned. Erik smiled softly as he recognized the face revealed to him on the first night he met Helen. Christine gaped in stunned silence and then blurted.
"You … you looked just like my mother did. Who are you?"
Helen's hands went to the chain she wore about her throat and pulled a filigreed gold locket from its resting place beneath the bodice of her gown. Her hands trembled as she fumbled briefly with the catch on the locket. Much like a 'jack in the box,' the locket popped open and leapt from Helen's fingers, stopped only by the length of chain holding it in place about her neck. She lifted the chain over her head and took the locket into the palm of her hand. A bittersweet smile pulled at the corners of Helen's mouth as she gazed down at the portraits inside the locket. She beckoned the pair to come closer and held out her hand so they could see the likenesses of two young women.
Two seemingly identical young women.
"I am the one on the right as I am the younger sister. The girl on the left is my sister, Christelle, my older sister … my older, twin sister. She died in childbirth 18 years ago. You grew up knowing her as Christelle Daae, but in keeping with our ways, the traditions of our family, it is customary for the name to pass from mother to daughter, not father to wife and offspring. Your mother's true name was Christelle Claudette de Blanc as mine is Hélène Manon de Blanc. I realize that you have no knowledge of your mother's family as your father, while being an honorable man and a good husband and father, did not understand or approve of us and kept you hidden from us. When your mother passed, your father informed us via the post then he took you and disappeared."
Christine appeared mesmerized by the pictures held in the locket. Without a thought, she scooped the locket from Helen's palm and held it up to catch the light streaming through the compartment's window. She tilted it first one way and then another as she intently studied the faces.
After a long pause, she lifted her eyes to Helen and whispered.
"You are my aunt?"
The old woman gave a slow single nod of her head.
The deep earthen-hued eyes turned to gaze upon the locket and then returned to the old woman's face.
"May I ask a question of you, Helen?"
Again, the old woman responded with a single nod. Christine's eyes fell to the locket and then rose to Helen's face once again. A frown tugged her mouth down and furrowed her brows.
"What happened to you?"
Erik hissed and Helen sighed.
"Erik, do not become upset. She has every right to ask, as she is a kin to the bloodline that caused me to look like this. Christine, do you wish to know what happened or why it happened?"
"Madame, I wish to know everything, so it would probably be best to start at the beginning. If I am a part of the de Blanc family, perhaps telling me something of their … our history would be the best place to begin. After the dreams I shared with Erik, I feel fairly certain there is something about our line, something that makes us different from other families. Is this true? No, wait …. Perhaps, a better question to ask is what makes us different from other families? I already know we are different, I just do not know why."
A genuinely amused smile pushed up the distorted corners of the old woman's mouth and her crooked teeth shone a brilliant white.
The gentle rocking of the train changed and it began to sway from side-to-side as the straight line of tracks became a long, deep bend and turned the train from its easterly direction into a northerly one. The new heading allowed golden rays of sunlight to streak directly into the compartment. One shaft of golden brilliance struck Helen's wrist, which resulted in a flash of rainbow colored light dazzling the occupants of the compartment.
"What was that?" Christine gasped.
Helen smirked, held out her arm, pushed up her sleeve and jiggled her wrist to show the bracelet to Christine. The young woman's breath caught in her throat and she swallowed hard to clear it.
"May … may I touch it?" She asked tentatively as she reached out a hand towards it.
Helen snatched her hand back and lowered her sleeve over the bracelet.
"Sorry, but no. You may not. It is not safe for you to do that yet. For although it calls to you, you must learn of it first. As with all things of power, it is a double-edged sword. So, ma petit belle, I shall tell you that the history of the de Blanc women and the history of this bracelet are one in the same. The lives of the eldest women in our family both control its power and fall under its control, as it is this bracelet, which makes us different. And, it is to this bracelet, which binds all of our lives. Even you, Erik, are bound to it as you felt its power on that night so long ago. I know not the where's, how's or why's of the bracelet. Those answers lost or hidden by its creators. All I know is that the bracelet has been a part of our family far back into time, longer than Paris has been a city. I found a scroll written in an ancient form of Latin and another written in what I believe might be a form of early Greek, but I am not sure. Anyway, those scrolls are a part of our heritage as the authors were our ancestors. My only regret is that I cannot read them. You see, I was not the one intended to wear the bracelet, but your mother was. From the moment of our births, our mother trained and taught her of it secrets and powers. I watched and learned as well, but I learned out of curiosity not need. And, that is why," the old woman paused and waved a hand toward her face, "this happened. I did not learn that compassion must walk hand-in-hand with power. I earned this face."