I always had readers asking me what exactly happened to Lark. Well, now you'll know at least a fragment...
DISCLAIMER: Not the owner of The Phantom of the Opera.
# Part Twenty-two:
Lark squealed her delight and raced over to Erik and hugged him from behind. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" she said excitedly, clinging to him tightly. He looked back at her over his shoulder with a wry smile. "Where else will you go?" he asked, "Besides, it would rest on my conscience if I left you to fend for yourself." Erik placed down his full glass and tried to pry her arms off around his middle. "Now, can you let me go?" Lark blinked up at him then opened her mouth into a silent O of surprise. "Oh! Yes, sorry, Erik…" she released him and almost skipped out of the kitchen. He groaned inwardly, if only he moved out of the Opera house sooner. Now he was stuck with a scatter-brained child. 'Well at least I won't be bored.' He thought to himself, rolling his eyes and draining his glass at the same time.
Lark was so happy, surprising herself after just being so sad, that she felt she could sing! Well, if she really felt like it. But, she sighed, the girl still felt remorseful, there was no avoiding it; she would have to sing that man's requiem. "I'll do it tomorrow," she said out loud, Lark didn't like singing her family's song. Walking to the room, her room, Lark had to past through the organ's resting place; Erik's room. It was rather dark, but Lark could see the large organ perfectly. It took a bit to avoid all the music papers, instruments, and goodness knows what else before Lark was able to reach the other side. She shook her head and smiled, perhaps she would clean it for Erik later; he certainly didn't care about the mess himself. She was about to head for her room when a dark shape near the foot of the organ caught her eye.
Gasping, she kneeled and picked up, gasped again and hugged it tight. "Ooh, Mama, Mama, I thought I lost you!" she sighed happily, holding it close. A few tears trickled out of Lark's eyes, "I missed you…" Standing and holding the black item close, she brushed her tears away and let herself into the room, her room. A sigh of relief spread through her as she gently placed Mama on her pillow. Letting herself in another door, Lark found a beautiful bathroom with hot and cold running water. Looking down at her dusty self she bent near the bath and turned on the water, letting it fill.
It felt good to get all the dust and grime off. Lark sighed happily and sank deeper in the warm water and bubbles. Looking around, the girl had found a wardrobe filled with dresses and other clothing close to her size and in good condition. A light, blue silk sleeping gown lay on a chair close to the bath, a fluffy towel draped over it. It would feel good to be safe and sound again. Rising off for the last time, Lark donned the sleeping gown and curled up into the bed snuggling deep into the covers. Gently the girl covered up the black shape on her other pillow and fell asleep and dreamt.
Lark's Dream:
"Mama? Mama!"
A young girl with long dirty-blonde hair raced down the blackened hill, her face streaked with the remaining smears of soot. The fire had been large, Mama was afraid of fire. Why did the town come after them? Tears poured down her face, why couldn't they just leave them alone?
"Mama, where are you??" She called, panicked.
The house was completely gone, charred clumps of wood was all that remained of the once standing white house. Lark dug viciously through the piles of ash, her dress was torn and singed but that didn't matter.
"Mama, answer me! Mama, where are you?" She sobbed, running around the burnt lot.
She gasped as she came across a place in the soot where it looked like something was dragging itself away.
"Mama…"She whispered, following the path.
There were dark stains in the soot, and it sometimes pooled around, like the person or thing had rested and its blood had come out of a wound of some sort. The girl quickened her pace, then resulted to sprinting down the trail. It led near the river by the village. The trail had gotten smaller, Mama must have gotten to her feet at last. Nearing the bank, the girl came up to a blackened, scorched, and slightly smoking figure draped clumsily in a cloak.
"Mama!" Lark shrieked.
She ran over and collapsed to her knees next the figure, turning it over. A masked face looked back up at her, the eyes behind it closed. Lark hurriedly grabbed her mother's wrist, smoothing the dark brown curls away from her masked face.
"Mama, I'm here. Can you hear me? It's Lark, Mama!" The girl wailed, shaking the woman's pale hand. Lark looked at her mother's mask and hesitated, she wasn't allowed to touch it or remove it. But…Mama would be able to breathe better with it off. Reaching for the black mask, she felt her mother stir beneath her.
"L-Lark?" a feeble voice asked, barely more than a whisper.
Lark burst into tears, everything was going to be fine, and Mama was okay. Her mother shushed her gently, stroking her daughter's tangled hair lovingly; Lark wrapped her thin mother into a hug, shaking and crying.
"Oh my baby, my baby, you look so much like your Papa," her mother crooned, catching Lark's hand in her other and holding it.
The girl looked up, her eyes wide, Mama never talked like this. Peering into her mother's eyes it was like she was seeing…then not seeing at the same time. It scared her.
"Are you okay, Mama?" Lark hiccupped, "I was so wor-worried, and the house is gone…"
The thin, pale hand continued to stroke her hair. The woman coughed slightly but gave her small daughter an encouraging squeeze of the hand.
"Don't worry, my baby," she said watching Lark cry with a mixture of relief and fear. "I'll still look after you… in heaven."
Lark gasped and clung tighter to her mother's hand.
"W-what do you mean, Mama? You're going to get better!" She barely noticed her tears, "You'll get better, like the last time, and we'll be together and…and…everything will be okay!"
"Lark, my baby, my sweet baby, I'm dying. I'm not going to get better."
"NO! You can't leave me!! Mama, don't leave me!!"
The hand holding Lark's loosened. Tears where coming down the child's faces.
"Oh baby, my sweet little girl, my Lark." She smiled up at Lark, "You always looked so much like you Papa. I'll miss you…"
With a sigh, her mother became motionless, and her hand slipped out of her child's as she breathed her last.
"Mama?" Lark whispered, "Mama??" She placed her head on her mother's unmoving chest near her silent heart and sobbed.
"Come back…don't leave me here!" She cried harder. "Don't leave me here…" she whispered.
Updated. XD
Poor Lark, she's such a sweet character. I admit, I cryed a little when I was writing this chapter...